The Dissent Newswire

Omar Khadr was given what the New York Times calls a “symbolic term” by the military commission at Guantánamo Bay late Sunday, October 31. Khadr, now 24 years old, was brought to Guantánamo Bay in 2001 when he was 15

Food Not Bombs is an unlikely name for a violent terrorist organization. Nevertheless, since its inception, Food Not Bombs has been at the center of multiple government surveillance operations, with present and former members disproportionately represented in courtrooms and jail

What do Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, The Scottsboro Boys, and The Hollywood 10 have in common? All were famous miscarriages of justice, yes. But all of these abrogations of civil liberties also spawned massive public protests. By contrast

Yesterday, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of 46 organizations. The letter raises concerns about the 2008 FBI Guidelines promoted by then-Attorney General Mukasey. UPDATE: While news from today’s hearing

Demagoguery in the name of national security is a grand tradition in the US Congress—so much so that the competition for top demagogue is fierce. Despite the crowded field, however, when it comes to grandstanding on terror, Senator Joe Liebermann

How many constitutional amendments and civil liberties legacies can one piece of misbegotten legislation gut? Well, if it’s the latest legislation from Senator Lieberman on terrorism, you can bet it will run roughshod. Let us count the ways. The First

If you’re near the Boston area tonight, we highly recommend you attend a discussion about fusion centers being held at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury, MA. Fusion centers are a new mechanism to bring together tremendous

March 5, 2010 – Civil liberties and privacy activists in Austin, TX, have had cause for concern for the past year. A new fusion center in that area will make use of widespread data mining techniques. It will collect and

A major debate is taking place on national television, and even in Congress, regarding terrorism, detainee rights, torture, and constitutional protections. While not attempting to deride the whole criminal justice system, one would think that we should examine the differences

Nov. 23, 2009 – Since the passage of the PATRIOT Act,  pervasive citizen surveillance and data collection have been combined as part of an ambitious effort to coordinate national security efforts. Many state governments are in the process of developing

Over the past several months, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) and its supporters and allies across the country have demanded a complete and thorough investigation of alleged torture and prosecution of all former and current officials involved. Thank