Mar 30, 2015 | Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Race and Racism
Published: Daily Dot (March 30, 2015)
Those with power must be held accountable for how they use it.
This may seem like a self-evident proposition, but it is actually facing a considerable challenge in Texas right now. If passed, a new bill sponsored by Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) would define the act of “filming, recording, photographing, or documenting the officer within 25 feet of [a police] officer” as “interfering” with their duties and, consequently, as being a crime (the limitation extends to 100 feet for residents carrying a concealed handgun).... Read Original Article
Mar 26, 2015 | Civil Liberties, Foreign Policy, mic, Military-Industrial Complex/Security State
Published: Daily Dot (March 26, 2015)
It’s doubtful that the PATRIOT Act will be repealed in this legislative session, but make no mistake about it: Dispensing with this bill, one of the more pernicious legacies of the post-9/11 erosion of American civil liberties, is long overdue.
First, here’s an introduction to the measure that could theoretically pull this off: the Surveillance State Repeal Act, which was sponsored by Reps.... Read Original Article
Mar 25, 2015 | Civil Liberties, General Advice, Race and Racism
Published: Daily Dot (March 25, 2015)
Whether it’s Reddit trolls or real-life ones, freedom of speech in the Internet age can be very unpleasant.
The Supreme Court is currently preparing to hear a controversial case about whether the government of Texas has the right to ban hate speech from state-issued license plates; in this case, the issue is over use of a Confederate flag-based insignia by a hate group, the Sons of Confederate Veterans.... Read Original Article
Mar 16, 2015 | Civil Liberties, Education, Race and Racism
Published: Daily Dot (March 16, 2015)
co-author Tillie Adelson
To understand why the University of Oklahoma was wrong to expel the students responsible for singing a racist chant (as well as disband the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter on their campus), it is first important to understand the legal arguments in favor and against the college’s decision, and only then can you fully realize why both positions entirely miss the deeper point.... Read Original Article
Mar 4, 2015 | Civil Liberties, Foreign Policy, Military-Industrial Complex/Security State
Published: Daily Dot (March 4, 2015)
America is rapidly approaching a new phase in its history, and virtually no one seems to care.
The first sign became apparent on Saturday, when a federal court approved the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of the telephone records of American citizens. In theory, this shouldn’t mean very much; the controversial program needs to be re-approved every 90 days in order to stay in effect, and its legal basis, Section 215 of the Patriot Act, is set to expire on June 1 of this year.... Read Original Article
Jan 1, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, Civil Liberties, Foreign Policy, World Affairs
Published: Daily Dot (January 1, 2015)
Regardless of whether North Korea was actually responsible for hacking Sony, America can learn an interesting lessons from the brouhaha surrounding the release of The Interview. As a result of this incident, we have learned that the Internet—which was used by the Guardians of Peace in an attempt to intimidate other people—can also stoke the flames of public curiosity in ways that can be profitable to corporations which might otherwise succumb to a knee-jerk instinct to be intimidated.... Read Original Article
