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The return of COINTELPRO: spying on dissenters in the name of freedom
A truly creepy story. An anti-death-penalty activist (and sportswriter) describes how his group was infiltrated by an undercover agent who described members as "anarchist" and "socialist,...
bad_news, civil_rights, commentary, domestic_spying, gwot saved by: nbr more details ...
http://ny.metro.us/metro/blog/my_view/entry/In_the_eye_of_homeland_security/13075.html
"Fusion centers": another step on the road to the "total surveillance society"
A "fusion center" is a domestic intelligence-gathering facility which involves police, federal agencies, the military, and in some cases also private contractors in gathering as much data...
bad_news, civil_rights, commentary, domestic_spying, gwot, law, politics saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.progressive.org/node/6685
DHS: Federal border agents can "detain" your computer indefinitely, without cause
Federal security agents can confiscate anyone's laptop or any information storage device (including any and all papers you're travelling with), share the contents with any third party the...
civil_rights, computers, dhs, gwot, news, privacy, travel saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/content/article/2008/08/01/laptops.html
Bob Herbert - Madness and Shame - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com
bad_news, gwot, iraq, law, opinion, politics saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/opinion/22herbert.html?ex=1374465600
"They Have Names": memorials for soldiers
Extensive profiles and photos of individual soldiers.
death, gwot, iraq, memorial, military, violence, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://theyhavenames.com
The Ethics of a Psychologist - The Current
ethics, gwot, psychology, toread, torture saved by: nbr more details ...
http://thecurrent.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/martin-seligman.php
Pew Forum interview on religion in the military
A short interview with Robert Tuttle of Georgetown; focuses primarily (but not exclusively) on the legal issues associated with the chaplaincy
christianity, gwot, interview, islam, military, religion, rels327 saved by: nbr more details ...
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/890/religion-in-the-military
Domestic spying quietly goes on -- baltimoresun.com
Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baltimoresun.com%2Fnews%2Fbal-te.fisa07jul07%2C0%2C2992594.story
domestic_spying, gwot, law, news, politics, viaemail saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.fisa07jul07,0,2992594.story
Suicide bomber attacks Indian Embassy in Kabul
If India is drawn into direct or proxy conflict with the Taliban (and by extension Pakistan's ISI), the results could be very explosive.
afghanistan, bad_news, gwot, india, middle_east, news, south_asia saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JG09Df02.html
"Believe me, it's torture": Christopher Hitchens gets waterboarded
Hitchens decided to experience waterboarding for himself. He lasts about twenty seconds and describes having nightmares and panic attacks ever since. Also check the video at http://snipr....
gwot, journalism, torture, violence saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/08/hitchens200808
Breaking: David Addington appears before Congress, acts like a jerk
A very strange little piece. Addington was subpoenaed before Congress and, along with John Yoo, pushed to new limits the practice of obfuscating the Congress in their attempts to exercise...
bushies, conservatives, gwot, law, politics, wierd saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062603456.html
Dan Froomkin - General Accuses WH of War Crimes - washingtonpost.com
Notes on retired Gen. Taguba's preface to the recent Physicians for Human Rights report on detainee torture.
bad_news, gwot, iraq, military, news, torture, viamento.info, violence, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/06/18/BL2008061801546.html
Suicide may kill more U.S. soldiers than combat
Not sure what to make of this news, or how reliable these numbers really are, but it's fairly shocking. It also says that one in ten U.S. veterans will suffer from untreated PTSD.
gwot, iraq, military, psychology, u.s.-news, violence, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=a2_71Klo2vig&refer=home
Thoughts on Nangarhar from an ex-Marine
An interesting and nuanced perspective, combining an appreciation for the culture of the Marines (and its flaws), an awareness of the high strategic stakes involved in any civilian killin...
civilian-killings, commentary, gwot, iraq, military, opinion, violence, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/04/26/nangarhar
Thoughts on Nangarhar from an ex-Marine [6]
An interesting and nuanced perspective, combining an appreciation for the culture of the Marines (and its flaws), an awareness of the high strategic stakes involved in any civilian killin...
civilian-killings, commentary, gwot, iraq, military, opinion, violence, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/04/26/nangarhar/index1.html
Top ten civil-rights abuses of 2006! [P]
Ten most egregious Bush administration violations of the American spirit of freedom and openness during 2006. It's a sorry-looking list. Original source: http://www.slate.com/id/2156397/ ...
bushies, domestic_spying, gwot, law, outrage, politics, secrecy, torture saved by: nbr more details ...
http://clipmarks.com/content/374DD457-F90C-4573-AFBC-1F97F2D90FE6
2 Lodi residents refused entry back into U.S.
Two U.S. citizens are denied reentry into the U.S. from Pakistan unless they agree to FBI interrogations in Pakistan first. Move called "unprecedented."
civil_rights, gwot, news, outrage, u.s.-news saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/26/LODI.TMP
TheStar.com - The 'war on terror' will turn a generation of angry young men against the West, says Linda McQuaig
To me, an eminently sensible perspective: the U.S. is making committed, new enemies faster than we can kill them off.
gwot, news, opinion, viacairphilly, violence saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Artic...
Crooks and Liars » Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on Bush: Who has left this hole in the ground? We have not forgotten, Mr. President. You have. May this country forgive you
Scathing remarks from Keith Olbermann on the five-year anniversary of 9-11.
9-11, gwot, opinion saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/09/11/keith-olbermanns-special-commnet-on-bush-who-has-le...
Global media abhors US response to 9/11 - Yahoo! News
International media offer profoundly negative assessments of US actions in the wake of 9-11 at the five-year mark.
gwot, international, journalism, news, viacairphilly saved by: nbr more details ...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060911/pl_afp/usattacks5yearspress_060911082127
The growth of suicide terrorism | Chicago Tribune
Pape's point, based on some genuine research, is that suicide bombers are produced not by religious fervor but by a sense of oppression, especially foreign occupation of one's territory o...
gwot, news, opinion, terrorism, viapewforum, violence saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0609110189sep11,0,4330906.story?coll=chi-news...
Long Island politics and Sufism
The Revealer has a piece on Peter King's vendetta against the Islamic Center of Long Island, and how his statements have inadvertently put him in the middle of an intra-Islamic conflict.
gwot, islam, news, pluralism, politics, religion, u.s.-news saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.therevealer.org/archives/timely_002693.php
Purpose of the Military Commissions Act
FindLaw's J. Mariner argues that the purpose of the MCA was primarily not to assist in the prosecution of terror suspects (who have been successfully prosecuted in civilian courts) but to...
gwot, law, military, torture, violence saved by: nbr more details ...
http://writ.lp.findlaw.com/mariner/20061108.html
Language, logic, and the "war on terror"
The author asks us to consider: when the US claims to be spreading "freedom" and "democracy," what precisely do these words mean? Freedom to do what, and what kind of democracy?
gwot, language, politics, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK17Ak01.html
Dems already balking on 9-11 panel reforms
Various political considerations appear likely to block implementation of a key recommendation from the 9-11 commission: reorganizing and strengthening Congressional oversight of intellig...
bad_news, gwot, politics saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112901317.html?referre...
Latest from "Get Your War On" comix
New postings from "Get Your War On" since Thanksgiving. If you don't know it, this is probably the bitterest, angriest, most obscene political cartoonist there is. I think he's great; YMMV.
comics, gwot, politics, war, webcomic saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/war60.html
Ten greatest civil liberties abuses of 2006
Slate's legal correspondent Dahlia Lithwik writes her own "year's ten best" list: top ten civil rights violations in the U.S. in 2006. More at source. See esp. the sorry story of José Pa...
bushies, conservatives, domestic_spying, gwot, law, politics, torture saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.slate.com/id/2156397
Libraries and the USA PATRIOT Act; is FBI acting legally? [9]
The FBI disregards legal provisions exempting libraries from the scope of National Security Letters. Good thing we got the ALA looking out for us though.
civil_rights, domestic_spying, gwot, library, news saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=news&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&...
Libraries and the USA PATRIOT Act; is FBI acting legally?
The FBI disregards legal provisions exempting libraries from the scope of National Security Letters. Good thing we got the ALA looking out for us though.
civil_rights, domestic_spying, gwot, library, news saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/civilliberties/theusapatriotact/usapatriotact.htm
Maher Arar: "We knew he was going to be tortured"
A partial transcript of Sen. Patrick Leahy's questioning of AG Gonzales regarding the DOJ's handling of the Maher Arar case. For those of you who don't know, Arar was a Canadian citizen w...
gwot, news, politics, torture saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/172671
Guantanamo jailers getting desperate; conditions worsening
As it begins to look more likely that Guantanamo will be shut down at some point, beatings and abuse by interrogators have risen sharply, says one lawyer.
gwot, news, torture saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L26364409.htm
Does Bush understand who we're fighting?
Comments on the State of the Union address, in which Bush lumped together all sorts of groups and events that have no connection to one another as "the enemy." Reflects this administratio...
bushies, gwot, islam, news, politics, religion, u.s.-news, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012400006.html
Benjamin and Aslan on American Islam
Exchange between Daniel Benjamin (author of The Next Attack) and Reza Aslan (author of No God but God) on the situation of American Muslims in the context of the GWOT. Focuses on the new ...
america, gwot, islam, pluralism, religion, terrorism, violence, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.slate.com/id/2158114/entry/2158235
Remember Jose Padilla? Um ... we screwed that one up
After pulling accused dirty-bomber (and U.S. citizen) Jose Padilla out of the military justice system, putting him in federal prison, and quietly dropping the sensational dirty-bomb alleg...
gwot, news, outrage, torture, u.s.-news saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-na-padilla19dec19,1,2281371.story?coll=la...
Terrorism, Joseph Conrad, and Dostoevsky [P]
The inimitable James Wood gives his take on the prescient qualities of Conrad and Dostoevsky in their foreshadowing of modern terror. From the Guardian, Feb. 2005. This is the shorter, po...
commentary, gwot, literature, terrorism saved by: nbr more details ...
http://clipmarks.com/view_clip.aspx?guid=078E8CB0-2C16-4997-9D6F-2FC32FFC04A1
Terrorism, Joseph Conrad, and Dostoevsky
The inimitable James Wood gives his take on the prescient qualities of Conrad and Dostoevsky in their foreshadowing of modern terror. From the Guardian, Feb. 2005.
commentary, gwot, literature, terrorism saved by: nbr more details ...
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,1425409,00.html
Where's the new NIE on Iraq?
Congressional request to John Negroponte to order the completion of an updated National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. This has been in the works for some time, and D.C. rumors abound tha...
gwot, politics saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-24-2007/0004512634...
Syrian intel agency influencing Western policies? [4]
Maher Arar, the Canadian who was seized by US operatives while changing planes in NYC, shipped to Syria, tortured for ten months and then set free, is receiving a settlement from the Cana...
gwot, international, middle_east, opinion, politics, torture saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=529665be-b3e7-4607-bc58-24...
Syrian intel agency influencing Western policies?
Maher Arar, the Canadian who was seized by US operatives while changing planes in NYC, shipped to Syria, tortured for ten months and then set free, is receiving a settlement from the Cana...
gwot, international, middle_east, opinion, politics, torture saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=529665be-b3e7-4607-bc58-24...
"President" = "Commander-in-Chief"? The militarization of US political culture
Historian Garry Wills on the use of the phrase "commander-in-chief" to refer to the US President. He reminds us that the Constitution designates the POTUS as "commander in chief of the U....
bush, gwot, law, military, politics saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/opinion/27wills.html?em&ex=1170133200&en=b1729ec04596a44d&...
Reaction to State of the Union address in Arab world
While Bush tries to fan the flames in the Middle East by equating Shi'ite militias with al-Qaeda, we're seeing a significant (and, as far as I know, unprecedented) rapprochement between I...
bush, gwot, international, politics saved by: nbr more details ...
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L24324592
Declassified PowerPoint slides on CentCom's Iraq planning (2002)
National Security Archive has posted a set of PowerPoint slides from 2002 indicating that Tommy Franks and CentCom believed that troop levels could be lowered to 5000 (that's right, five ...
gwot, iraq, military, primary_source, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB214/index.htm
Republicans in Congress: don't mention the surge
An internal strategy memo from Congressional Republicans lays it out with startling clarity: "Democrats want to force us to focus on defending the surge, making the case that it will work...
congress, conservatives, gwot, iraq, propaganda, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9924.html
Here's the "proof" of Iranian involvement in Iraq
Talking Points Memo has posted the briefing, in the form of Powerpoint slides, given to reporters a few days ago in Baghdad, which purports to prove that Iran is behind attacks on US troo...
gwot, iraq, middle_east, politics, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002534.php
Foreign ownership of "critical US infrastructure": overview
A year after the brouhaha over the abortive Dubai Ports World investment in US harbor infrastructure, some major changes in review procedures may be imminent, but the business community i...
business, economics, gwot, security, viadocuticker saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.cfr.org/publication/10092/foreign_ownership_of_us_infrastructure.html
"Our enemies aren't drinking lattes": logistics and supply lines in the US military
An interesting piece from summer 2006 on the massive military infrastructure devoted to logistical operations and how that may be hampering performance in other areas.
gwot, middle_east, military, war saved by: nbr more details ...
http://www.cfr.org/publication/11038