On Tuesday, Pfc. Bradley Manning was found guilty of a long list of crimes, and in a few hours comes the sentencing hearing, leading to what may be a very long prison term for the leaker and whistleblower. The one bright spot for Manning supporters -- and First...
The Fourth Amendment was Mortally Wounded by the Drug War Long Before National Security Tried to Kill It
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently trashed Sen. Rand Paul, and other members of the more freedom-friendly corner of the GOP (like Rep. Justin Amash and his noble effort to reign in the NSA). Christie, sounding like Rudy Giuliani circa 2007, said that pro-privacy...
The Future of the Border: More Drones, Maybe with ‘Non-Lethal’ Weapons, and More Border Patrol Agents
According to documents acquired by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in 2010 the Department of Homeland Security considered the possibility of arming their border drones with "expendables or non-lethal weapons.” There are currently ten Border Patrol drones, the...
The Pro-Military, Anti-Individual Message in Joe Klein’s National Service Time Cover Story
Within his July 1 Time cover story, you almost wish Joe Klein would just say it -- how he yearns for one of those national service programs always suggested as the answer, at least among the chewy authoritarian center, to all of America's problems. He never does,...
John Stossel and The Wire Creator David Simon Think NSA Spying Isn’t a Big Deal Since the Drug War is Worse
Libertarian television show host John Stossel, and liberal creator of the acclaimed HBO series The Wire David Simon have reacted to the National Security Agency (NSA) spying scandal in a similar fashion - -namely, they suggest we stop worrying about it so much since...
Will NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Get The Mass Public Support Bradley Manning Did Not?
Today Edward Snowden, a former computer analyst for the CIA recently employed at the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, voluntarily revealed his identity as the source of The Guardian and The Washington Post's massive scoops about the NSA's PRISM program, as well...
Would a Federal Media Shield Law Just Let the Government Pick Who Counts as a Journalist?
Suddenly members of the media (thanks to some heroic, anonymous leakers) are doing what we wish they did every day -- they're enthusiastically skewering the state, and reporting in outraged detail all that the government has done to violate the sacred rights of the...
Eric Holder Possibly Considers Tweaking DOJ Leak Investigation Guidelines in ‘Productive’ Off the Record Meeting With Press
Today Attorney General Eric Holder held a meeting -- the second of three -- with journalists from high-profile organizations including the ABC, The Wall Street Journal, and POLITICO, in order to discuss how to placate them during any potential, future Department of...
Is There a Way to Stop Police and Military Drones Without Stifling Private Innovation?
Airplanes have been used to rain death down onto hundreds of thousands of people in their 100-odd years of existence. They also changed the way that people travel. A six month wagon trip turned into a three day train trip turns into a six hour plane flight. That's...
How Should We Memorialize the War Dead?
In the U.S., our job for today is clear. It's Memorial Day and there are a solemn thoughts to have and wreaths to lay. "Ultimate sacrifice" must be repeated again and again. And as MSNBC's Chris Hayes learned last year, best not to raise even the smallest question of...
