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Chip Gibbons
April 11, 2019
Earlier this morning, London police entered the Ecuadorian embassy and arrested Julian Assange. Press freedom, civil liberties, and human rights groups have long opposed the extradition of Assange to the US.
March 8, 2019
Manning is a whistleblower, a truth teller, and a hero. Yet, for making the American people aware of crimes committed by their government in their name the US government has repeatedly persecuted her.
March 7, 2019
Both Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) and Custom and Border Patrol (CBP) are engaged in monitoring and tracking First Amendment protected activity.Monitoring of political speech is inherently chilling. It is also outside the jurisdiction of both ICE and CBP.
March 5, 2019
Supporters of Chelsea Manning braved a chilly morning to gather outside the US District Courthouse for the Eastern District of Virginia. Manning was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury, but has vowed to fight the subpoena
February 27, 2019
Would you ever criticize the actions of Congress? Would your answer to any those questions change if doing so meant you would be subpoenaed, hauled before Congress, and compelled to answer under oath what your intent was when you wrote your letter or what associations you belonged to at the time?
February 14, 2019
The Portland City Council voted 3-2 to sever ties with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).Given the FBI’s persistent surveillance of activists, its targeting of the Muslim community, and overly permissive guidelines, Defending Rights & Dissent strongly supports the effort of municipalities to break with the JTTF.
February 14, 2019
The House of Representatives made history when it voted to invoke the War Powers Resolution to end the US’s illegal participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The vote was 248-177.
February 4, 2019
The FBI opened a counterterrorism investigation into racial justice group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN). The precipitating incident was a counter protest against the white supramcists. At the protest, individuals brought knives and violently stabbed anti-racist counter protesters. This led the FBI to investigate...the counter protesters
January 29, 2019
The Senate considered for the fourth time S1, which contains the Combating BDS Act. This unconstitutional bill passed 74 to 19.
January 22, 2019
A former high ranking FBI official exclaimed during an appearance on the Tucker Carlson show that the FBI had worked to keep people with leftwing views out of government. The FBI's long history of acting as the political police demonstrates why it is misguided for them to embraced as a force for democracy.
January 15, 2019
One particularly troubling aspect of Barr's views that have flown under the radar is his disturbing views about presidential war powers. On three separate occasions--Panama, Iraq, and Somalia--Barr advised then-President George H.W. Bush who use military force without congressional approval.
January 8, 2019
The Senate is off to a bad start. The very first bill introduced, S.1, is an omnibus that includes the “Combating BDS Act of 2019.” It’s a bill designed to chill criticism of Israel. That’s right. As the new Senate convenes
December 18, 2018
Arkansas and Texas aren’t unique in having laws on the books aimed at penalizing supporters of Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) for Palestinian rights. They are among 26 states to have enacted such laws. Arkansas and Texas have also joined another growing subset of states--those who face First Amendment challenges to their anti-BDS laws.
December 14, 2018
Yesterday, the Senate voted to end the US’s illegal, unauthorized military participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. This is historic. Never has either chamber voted to invoke the War Powers Act. This could not have happened without grassroots pressure. I