http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/civil+liberties/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Mon, 29 Oct 2001 11:09:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1592/every_breath_you_take/ In all past wars, the U.S. government has restricted civil liberties of some or all citizens. Nearly always, the country later regretted those moves as ill-conceived and ineffective, from the Alien and Sedition Acts under John Adams to the Palmer raids at the end of World War I to the internment of Japanese in World War II to domestic spying and infiltration of dissident groups during the Vietnam War. Once again, curtailment of liberties and invasion of privacy seem quite likely in the ill-defined new War on Terrorism, especially because intelligence operations will play a major role, the targets are shadowy, suspected members of the terrorist network are believed to live—often for years as "sleepers"—in the United States, and this… civil liberties Michelle Chen Fri, 07 Dec 2001 10:18:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1370/forgotten_freedoms/ Citizens of the United States, be advised that the federal government can now examine your medical, educational and financial history, all without your knowledge and without even presenting evidence of a crime. Police now can obtain court orders to conduct so-called sneak-and-peak searches of your homes and offices and remove or alter your possessions without your knowledge. Internet service providers and telephone companies can be compelled to turn over your customer information, including the phone numbers you’ve called and Internet sites you’ve surfed—all, again, without a court order, if the FBI claims the records are relevant to a “terrorism investigation.” A secret court can permit roving wiretaps of any telephone or computer you might possibly use; reading your e-mail is… civil liberties Michelle Chen Sat, 22 Dec 2001 13:09:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1384/reversal_of_fortune/ After surviving two decades on Pennsylvania’s Death Row, journalist and former Black Panther activist Mumia Abu-Jamal had his death sentence voided on December 19. The ruling was based on a narrow issue involving faulty instructions to the jury by the judge and in the jury verdict form at Abu-Jamal’s 1982 trial, which federal Judge William Yohn said might have incorrectly misled the panel. Judge Yohn rejected all arguments to overturn Abu-Jamal’s first-degree murder conviction. Prosecutors have 180 days to file a motion for a new sentencing hearing before a new jury, which could reimpose a death sentence. If no such hearing is held, he will automatically be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. With the death… civil liberties Michelle Chen Fri, 01 Mar 2002 12:24:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1429/false_witness/ One of the arguments raised against the death penalty is that, when prosecutors succeed in executing a person convicted of murder, they lose any interest in finding out later that they might be wrong. Yet if they are wrong, the actual killer remains at large. That may be exactly what is about to happen in the case of Joseph Amrine, a man who is facing execution on Missouri’s Death Row for killing a fellow prison inmate 17 years ago, though none of the evidence used to convict him in the original case remains. Amrine is in Potosi Correctional Center awaiting a decision on an appeal for clemency from Missouri state Gov. Bob Holden. Holden, a conservative Democrat, has been signing… civil liberties Michelle Chen Fri, 20 Dec 2002 19:18:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/420/pee_first_ask_questions_later/ In the past decade, a veritable Kindergulag has been erected around schoolchildren, making them subject to arbitrary curfews, physical searches, psychological profiling schemes and--in the latest institutionalized indignity--random, suspicion-less, warrant-less drug testing for just about any kid who wants to pursue extracurricular interests. Last summer, the Supreme Court gave carte blanche to school districts that want to impose drug testing on kids who’ve cast suspicion upon themselves by volunteering for extracurricular activities. The 5-to-4 decision on June 27 upheld a drug-testing program in a Tecumseh County, Oklahoma, school district that requires students engaged in any “competitive” extracurricular activities to submit to random drug testing. This isn’t just about keeping jocks from enjoying a post-practice beer or joint. The decision approves… civil liberties education government: judiciary Michelle Chen Mon, 24 Feb 2003 01:30:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/430/the_first_stone/ Iraqis dissent Many exiled Iraqis are speaking out against the looming war with Iraq. Three Iraqi dissidents, members of Iraqis in Exile Against the War and Sanctions, write in the current issue of Red Pepper: “Iraqis are not being allowed the space to develop their own resistance or to rebuild their country and institutions with their own resources. They are confronted with a stark choice between Saddam’s dictatorship and a U.S. war. Iraqis are aware of the interaction between domestic and external factors, and many would argue that the regime could be gradually stripped of power if there was a real desire in the outside world. This would mean supporting and empowering the people and placing the emphasis on human… civil liberties social justice technology war in iraq Michelle Chen Fri, 21 Mar 2003 14:21:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/438/remember_rachel_corrie/ Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old senior at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, was killed by Israeli soldiers in the Rafah Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip on March 16. Corrie was run over—and run over again, when an army bulldozer backed up over her a second time—as she tried to prevent soldiers from demolishing a Palestinian home in the camp. She was in Palestine as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the most prominent of several nonviolent groups that in the last year have been bringing international activists—primarily Americans and Europeans—to work as peacekeepers: witnessing Israeli treatment of Palestinians, trying to provide assistance to Palestinian civilians, and afterward bringing the stories of what they see back home to… civil liberties social justice middle east Michelle Chen Tue, 29 Apr 2003 09:42:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/444/throwing_away_the_key/ The Department of Homeland Security, the new cabinet post with the Teutonic inflection, was created last January to assuage Americans’ fears of future terrorist attacks. But while we focus our attention on external threats, we’re ignoring homegrown forces that imperil our nation’s security much more profoundly than suicidal Islamic cults. These forces are being generated by an incarceration epidemic that has earned this country the dubious title of the world’s largest jailer. Figures released last month by the Justice Department revealed that as of June 30, 2002, the number of inmates in American prisons and jails had exceeded 2 million for the first time in history. There were 1.35 million prisoners in state and federal prisons and an additional 665,000… civil liberties government: judiciary race social justice Michelle Chen Tue, 15 Jul 2003 11:30:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/460/affirmative_denial/ One of the primary reasons I support the congressional bill to study the feasibility of reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans is the need to acquaint Americans with the devastating effects racial slavery has had on African-Americans. That need was never more apparent than during national discussions of the Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action rulings. In a 5-4 vote, the high court ruled that the University of Michigan law school (and thus all colleges and universities) could constitutionally consider race as a factor in admissions. The court also ruled that the school’s undergraduate admissions point system, which awards points for certain racial identities, is unconstitutional. Progressives applauded the top court’s law school ruling as a victory for the forces… civil liberties government: congress government: judiciary race social justice Michelle Chen Fri, 15 Aug 2003 11:31:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/467/the_summer_of_civil_rights/ The four major civil rights organizations—the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Urban League (NUL), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Rainbow/PUSH—have each staked out their own turf in the civil rights landscape over the years. This summer, the quartet held their annual conventions, and the media focused on how many of the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls showed up at each, and whether President Bush even acknowledged their existence. These conventions have become seasonal rites and attract less and less media coverage, as civil rights issues fade further into the background of American concerns. But these gatherings still serve as rallying points for many African-Americans who cut their teeth on the civil rights movement.… civil liberties race social justice Michelle Chen Fri, 13 Feb 2004 15:34:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/704/dixie_tricks/ After the U.S. Senate twice determined that Charles W. Pickering Sr. did not deserve promotion to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit largely because of his lifelong opposition to civil rights, President Bush sidestepped the confirmation process and granted a recess appointment. Adding insult to injury, the president made his announcement hours before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Defending the integrity of the federal courts is essential for our nation, and the president’s decision to vouch so strongly for someone whose actions and temperament render him unsuitable for elevation to this important court is regrettable. The federal courts are called the guardians of the Constitution because their rulings protect the rights and… civil liberties government: judiciary politics race social justice Michelle Chen Tue, 17 Feb 2004 15:10:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/398/unocal_off_the_hook/ For now, California energy giant Unocal Corp. is not liable for the rape, murder, torture and forced labor that occurred during construction of the $1.2 billion, 40-mile Yadana natural gas pipeline in Burma, now Myanmar. On January 23, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria Chaney concluded that Unocal could not be held accountable for the actions of its subsidiaries—but ruled that the case could move forward if plaintiff attorneys used other means to prove libability. The court found that victims’ testimony was well documented and that “the evidence does suggest that Unocal knew that forced labor was being utilized and that they benefited from the practice.” The notoriously brutal Burmese military was contracted to act as security on the… civil liberties corporations economy southeast asia Michelle Chen Tue, 17 Feb 2004 15:11:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/705/judicial_disappointments/ With a stalled economy and ongoing attacks against U.S. troops, judicial appointments seemingly lack the immediacy and scope to register among Americans’ concerns this election season. But relegating the president’s power to make lifetime appointments to the lower tiers of political consideration sets dangerous precedent—and could impact the rights of ordinary citizens for decades to come. Federal judges play a critical role on such issues as civil rights, reproductive rights, and environmental and consumer protections. And as the recess appointment of Charles W. Pickering Sr. most recently demonstrated, President Bush is bent on packing the federal courts with ideological extremists who have shown a willingness to rewrite statues, distort precedent, and misrepresent facts to justify positions against many of our… civil liberties gender government: administration government: judiciary politics race social justice Michelle Chen Thu, 19 Feb 2004 15:49:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/143/every_breath_you_take/ On June 2, 1919, a bomber blew himself up on Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s doorstep. Neither the attacker nor his co-conspirators, who set off bombs in seven other cities that same hour, were identified. But after police found anarchist literature in the rubble, the Justice Department launched a massive roundup of foreign radicals. The Palmer Raids—named after the attorney general but coordinated by a young bureaucrat named J. Edgar Hoover—detained as many as 10,000 alleged anarchists and Communists over the next year. Doing away with warrants and any semblance of due process, the government deported hundreds of non-citizens for radical beliefs or associations with supposedly seditious groups. Defending these excesses, Palmer said that when you’re “trying to protect the… civil liberties Michelle Chen Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:20:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/144/the_art_of_law/ South Africa President Thabo Mbeki will officially open Constitution Hill March 21—Human Rights Day—to coincide with his country’s 10th anniversary of democratic rule. It is the biggest urban renewal project since the end of apartheid and one of the first major public building complexes since the African National Congress took leadership in 1994. Its heart is the Constitutional Court. Through architectural design the building attempts to create a space that is open, egalitarian, diverse, uplifting, undeniably contemporary, African, and—driven by the passion of Justice Albie Sachs—filled with art. Transitional South Africa never looks forward without looking back. In this spirit, new public buildings such as the Apartheid Museum, the Nelson Mandela Museum, the Legislative Buildings for the Northern Cape Province,… civil liberties africa Michelle Chen Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:37:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/399/cokes_killers/ Coca-Cola representatives told a fact-finding delegation that its employees may have collaborated with paramilitaries in the deaths and torture of Colombian union members. Despite the possible collaboration, Coca-Cola officials in Colombia have not undertaken any internal or external investigation into the assaults against its employees. The company’s Colombian representatives insist any contact with paramilitaries, widely blamed for killing seven Coke unionists and thousands of others in recent decades, was unauthorized, according to a report released by Hiram Monserrate. This New York councilmember led a January delegation of U.S. unionists and students to Colombia. In a written response to the delegation, Coca-Cola says it “does not anticipate supporting in any way any form of ‘independent fact-finding delegation to Colombia,’” and that… civil liberties corporations economy labor south america Michelle Chen Fri, 27 Feb 2004 16:03:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/400/no_romeo/ Defying the U.S. Supreme Court, the Kansas Court of Appeals in late January again upheld the legality of a state law mandating stricter sentences for gay youth engaged in sex with younger teens. Under Kansas’ so called Romeo and Juliet law, sexual relations with a minor is a lesser crime if the older teenager is under 19 and if the age difference is less than four years—so long as the youths are of the opposite sex. In its 2-1 decision, the Kansas court affirmed the original 17-year sentence of Matthew Limon, who turned 18 the week before he performed consensual oral sex on another boy, then nearly 15, while the two were at a private group home for people with… civil liberties LGBT social justice Michelle Chen Thu, 04 Mar 2004 09:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/519/it_raining_amendment/ The ugly clouds had gathered so long on the horizon that the first drop was a relief. Bush’s February 24 endorsement of a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage came after weeks of foul bellwethers, including coded gay-bashing in his clinker of a national address in January and a host of hostile signs flashed by surrogates. Even First Wife Laura got into the action, sounding like a drag-queen caricature of incensed propriety when she called same-sex unions “shocking.” But the thunderclaps of repression against a ritual most Americans believe will become law in their lifetimes ring a bit hollow. Lost in the storm is the real risk to religious liberty that would come from embedding a particular religious bias… civil liberties LGBT politics religion social justice Michelle Chen Fri, 09 Apr 2004 13:10:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/718/the_china_syndrome/ More than 1,200 workers from the Tieshu Textile Factory in the Chinese city of Suizhou peacefully blocked railroad tracks this February to protest corruption among factory managers that had cost them nearly $25 million in pay, pensions and investments. Hundreds of police broke up the demonstration, beating many and arresting six for “disturbing social order.” It’s not unusual: Employers increasingly refuse to pay workers what they’re owed—nearly $40 billion in 2002. The violation of labor rights is the dark side of China’s economic boom. But it’s not just a problem for Chinese workers. It’s also a problem for Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, and Mexican workers in the maquiladora assembly plants along the country’s northern border, as hundreds of factories have moved… civil liberties labor asia Michelle Chen Mon, 19 Apr 2004 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/530/the_women_have_it/ This November, female voters in the United States will affect the lives of millions of women around the globe. ¶ While this may ring of American megalomania, it’s distressingly true: Pundits have zeroed in on single women voters under age 65 as the demographic most likely to turn the tide against George W. Bush. Pollsters Stan Greenberg and Celinda Lake suggest that these historically low-turnout voters—who skew Democratic and vote less frequently than their married counterparts—could have made a crucial difference if they had cast ballots in 2000. Several groups, such as Women’s Voices Women Vote, are working to bring out the country’s disparate single women on Election Day. Possible lures? More female politicians, equal pay initiatives, better retirement plans,… civil liberties gender politics social justice election 2004 Michelle Chen