Category: political
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Restore the Fourth: Grassroots civil liberties activism is back and better than ever!
It’s the Fourth of July, and we’re fighting for our civil liberties. — me, in 2008, to the Senator Obama – Please, No Telecom Immunity and Get FISA Right mailing list Five years later, grassroots civil liberties activism on social networks is back and better then ever. Back in 2008, we were organizing online, trying…
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Day of Action, Monday, June 17: Tell the TSA to End Nude Body Scanners
With less than two weeks left to comment on the ‘nude body scanners’ in airports — and civil liberties on the front pages — it’s time for a final push to get the word out.
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Tell the TSA what you think about nude body scanners!
Airline passengers have been walking through full-body scanners for nearly five years, but only now are fliers getting a chance to officially tell the federal government what they think about the screening machines. In response to a lawsuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled that the Transportation Security Administration…
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Anti-TSA video goes viral!
Jonathan Corbett’s video has over 800,000 views in the last couple days, despite YouTube censoring it for a while (possibly because the title has “nude” in it).   The Travel Underground thread is the epicenter. The rough chronology: the original post had a great headline Lisa Simeone on TSA News was the first to blog…
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Blog for Choice Day: What will *you* do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?
Today’s the anniversary or Roe v. Wade, and this year’s Blog for Choice Day topic is “What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?” Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but reproductive rights remain under assault. The Obama Administration’s hand-wringing before finally denying an religiously-affiliated hospitals an exemption from the requirement…
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Happy f—ing Bill of Rights Day
Both houses of Congress have passed the #NDAA codifying indefinite detention — and Obama’s happy with the language, so won’t be vetoing it. Meanwhile even as I write this, the House is debating #SOPA. Remember back in 2006-8 when the Bush Administration rammed through PATRIOT Act reauthorization and FISA? Obama was on the right side…
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Constitution Day 2011: Freedom not Fear
In the aftermath of my events on Sept. 11, 2011, I feel violated, humiliated and sure that I was taken from the plane simply because of my appearance. Though I never left my seat, spoke to anyone on the flight or tinkered with any “suspicious†device, I was forced into a situation where I was…
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What Diaspora (and everybody else) can learn from Google+ (DRAFT)
DRAFT! WORK IN PROGRESS! FEEDBACK WELCOME!
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Equal Pay Day: Pay Equity and Startups
American women who work full-time, year-round are paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. This gap in earnings translates into $10,849 less per year in female median earnings, leaving women and their families shortchanged. The wage gap is even more substantial when race and gender are considered together, with African-American…
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PATRIOT Act Update: After a successful call-in day, the focus shifts to Congress
Thousands of patriots fought their way through jammed White House phone lines on April 5 to call on President Obama to keep his campaign promises by vetoing any PATRIOT Act extension unless it includes substantial new protections. The timing was perfect, just a day after he launched his re-election campaign. Now, the focus shifts to…
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PATRIOT Act reform: phone the White House on April 5
On April 5, 1792, President George Washington vetoed a bill — the first time in U.S. history that the presidential veto was exercised. On the anniversary of this day, we’re calling on Barack Obama to exercise his presidential powers to veto any PATRIOT Act renewal bill that does not include powerful reforms to safeguard civil…
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It’s Valentine’s Day (aka 25 Bahman), and people all over the world are fighting for their civil liberties
Two and a half years after I wrote It’s the Fourth of July and we’re fighting for our civil liberties, it’s another activism-filled holiday. Today’s House vote extending the Patriot Act until December went as expected, passing 275-144.  Now the action shifts to the Senate; EFF has more.  Nothing to see here, move along,…
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ACTION ALERT: House PATRIOT Act vote on Monday!
Monday at 6:30 Eastern, the House is once again voting on HR514, which extends the PATRIOT Act until December of this year without introducing any new safeguards.  So please try to find time this weekend to get involved and get the word out! To start with: use POPVOX to ask your representative know to oppose…
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Demand JUSTICE, not the PATRIOT Act!
It’s time to go on the offensive! Here’s the action alert Bill of Rights Defense Committee just sent out. Please help by using POPVOX to support the reintroduction of the JUSTICE Act, and getting the word out widely in email, via Facebook, and on Twitter. The House is expected to vote again early next week…
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Patriot house alert breaks heads: found art from Twitter
Images from Twazzup’s Patriot Act page as the House prepares to vote again on the Patriot Act extension. The refrigerator magnets on the top are the most common words and hashtags. You can weigh in on the head-breaking yourself via POPVOX, Demand Progress, ACLU, EFF, Downsize DC or the phone. Julian Sanchez’ Now what? and…
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Notes from Underground: I’m noticing a pattern here …
Hey, guess what? Civil liberties activism and psytrance! Back in 2008, It’s the Fourth of July and we’re fighting for our civil liberties was written the day after Senator Obama responded to Get FISA Right’s open letter. It was a great moment in grassroots civil liberties activism, and the bonds we formed then have remained. …