RAW STORY– Faced with a looming vote on a planned one-year extension of special powers authorized in the USA PATRIOT Act, the Obama White House did not object or propose reforms, as the president vowed to do as a candidate. The Obama administration instead asked Congress to grant those powers for an additional three years. As a US Senator and … Read More
civil liberties
U.S. Can’t Link Accused Army Private to Assange
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MSNBC– U.S. military officials tell NBC News that investigators have been unable to make any direct connection between a jailed army private suspected with leaking secret documents and Julian Assange, founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks. The officials say that while investigators have determined that Manning had allegedly unlawfully downloaded tens of thousands of documents onto his own computer and … Read More
MR Original – Some Better This World Through Film
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MEDIA ROOTS – The ability to combine audio and visuals to tell a compelling narrative makes documentary films a powerful means of storytelling. They are education through entertainment and, at their best, a persuasive and motivating push to action. It is no surprise that the Bay Area, teeming with political and artistic thought, is a documentary film capitol of the … Read More
Obama Eying Internet ID for Americans
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CBS NEWS – President Obama is planning to hand the U.S. Commerce Department authority over a forthcoming cybersecurity effort to create an Internet ID for Americans, a White House official said here today. It’s “the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government” to centralize efforts toward creating an “identity ecosystem” for the Internet, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said. … Read More
Court: No Warrant Needed to Search Cell Phone
Gallery
REDTAPE.MSNBC – The next time you’re in California, you might not want to bring your cell phone with you. The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that police can search the cell phone of a person who’s been arrested — including text messages — without obtaining a warrant, and use that data as evidence. The ruling opens up disturbing possibilities, such … Read More