Justice Articles from 2019
Don’t Buy California’s Callous Attempt to Ignore People’s DNA Privacy Rights, EFF Tells Court
[Justice]
Don’t Buy California’s Callous Attempt to Ignore People’s DNA Privacy Rights, EFF Tells Court
By Karen Gullo
Posted May 12, 2019
Analyzing and indefinitely keeping the DNA profiles of thousands of Californians arrested for felonies, but never charged with a crime, is not just an ominously overbroad practice by law enforcement—it’s an invasion of privacy that violates the state’s constitution. Last year EFF and our co-counsel Michael Risher filed a lawsuit against California challenging its DNA retention and search practices on behalf of the Center for Genetics and Society, the Equal Justice Society, and an individual plaintiff, writer and editor Pete Shanks.
Attorneys for the state responded to the case by telling a judge there’s no basis for it, no law is being broken, and it should be dismissed. This is simply wrong. We asked the judge this week to reject the state’s callous indifference to the privacy rights of Californians and its attempt to sweep its conduct under the rug. More…
Why Police-Community Relationships Are Important
[Community]
Why Police-Community Relationships Are Important
US Dept of Justice Report
Posted May 11, 2019
Strong relationships of mutual trust between police agencies and the communities they serve are critical to maintaining public safety and effective policing. Police officials rely on the cooperation of community members to provide information about crime in their neighborhoods, and to work with the police to devise solutions to crime and disorder problems. Similarly community members’ willingness to trust the police depends on whether they believe that police actions reflect community values and incorporate the principles of procedural justice and legitimacy
On July 10, 2015, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) hosted a national meeting of police and community leaders, from around the nation, for a day-long discussion of strategies for building trust between the police and community. These community leaders offered guidance about several ways in which police can demonstrate an understanding of issues so as to build trust.
Following are some key issues and recommendations that were identified during the meeting, along with other promising practices, that can be used to help police departments and their communities to develop collaborative strategies for moving forward. More…
The Revelations of WikiLeaks: No. 1—The Video that Put Assange in US Crosshairs
[Justice]
The Revelations of WikiLeaks: No. 1—The Video that Put Assange in US Crosshairs
Posted April 28, 2019
Consortium News today begins a series of articles, “The Revelations of WikiLeaks,” that will look back on the major works of the publication that have altered the world since its founding in 2006. This series is an effort to counter mainstream media coverage, which is ignoring WikiLeaks’ work, and instead is focusing on Julian Assange’s personality.
It is the uncovering by WikiLeaks of governments’ crimes and corruption that set the U.S. after Assange and which ultimately led to his arrest on April 11. The “Collateral Murder” video was just the first of many major WikiLeaks revelations that made the journalist one of the world’s most wanted men, simply for the act of publishing. More…
The Facts:
“Collateral Murder” created a media sensation in 2010 and led to Chelsea Manning’s imprisonment and to a DOJ investigation of Julian Assange. But the war crimes the video exposed got no one else in trouble.
Reflect On:
What sort of judicial system prosecutes witnesses to a war crime, and ignores those responsible for crime and those who covered up the crime?
4 Myths About Julian Assange DEBUNKED
[Justice]
4 Myths About Julian Assange DEBUNKED
by Washingtons Blog
Posted April 19, 2019
Myth #1: The U.S. Is Respecting First Amendment Freedom of the Press, and Only Prosecuting Assange for Hacking
Myth #2: Assange Will Get a Fair Trial In the U.S.
Myth #3: This Is About Protecting America’s National Security
Myth #4: Assange is a Proven Rapist
Manning and the New Inquisition
[Justice]
Manning and the New Inquisition
by Chris Hedges
Posted April 17, 2019
The campaign to criminalize whistleblowing has, by default, left the exposure of government lies, fraud and crimes to those who have the skills or access, as Manning and Edward Snowden did, needed to hack into or otherwise obtain government electronic documents. This is why hackers, and those who publish their material such as Assange and WikiLeaks, are being relentlessly persecuted.
The goal of the corporate state is to shroud in total secrecy the inner workings of power, especially those activities that violate the law. Movement toward this goal is very far advanced. The failure of news organizations such as The New York Times and The Washington Post to vigorously defend Manning and Assange will soon come back to haunt them. The corporate state hardly intends to stop with Manning and Assange. The target is the press itself. More…
The Facts:
The government prosecutions of whistle-blowers has accelerated in an attempt to curtail the public’s knowledge of its criminal activities.
Reflect On:
Consider the effect on our freedoms if this trend of secrecy and opaqueness continues and the public knows even less about government crimes than it does at present.
The Obvious Dirty Dealings Behind Julian Assange’s Arrest
[Justice]
The Obvious Dirty Dealings Behind Julian Assange’s Arrest
by Kit Knightly
Posted April 15, 2019
The Economist ran a story on April 12th, the day after Assange was arrested, praising Lenin Moreno’s economic policies, and blaming the previous administration for the “mess” that Moreno has to clear ups. (Of course, the idea that Moreno is handling the economy brilliantly, but somehow also needs over $10 billion dollars in loans is never addressed. A tiny logical contradiction compared with the nonsense the MSM dish-up on a daily basis).
The basic structure of the give-and-take of this situation is fairly obvious.
Less on the nose, but still definitely present, is the slow-burn media-based campaign of defamation and smears directed at Assange. A campaign designed to weaken public support for him and lessen the potential outcry if/when the UK handed him to US authorities, who famously use “enhanced interrogation” on suspects. More…
What Julian Assange’s Arrest Tells Us About Our World
[Social]
What Julian Assange’s Arrest Tells Us About Our World
By Arjun Walia
Posted April 14, 2019
JFK warned the citizenry about “an announced need for increased security” that would be “seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.” Today, this is known as “national security,” and it’s a term used to justify unethical and enormous amounts of secrecy that do not protect the public, but protect those in power and their corporate, financial and political interests.
This is exactly what is being pinned on Julian Assange. And it’s done so under the guise of “national security.”
Transparency is what Julian Assange was all about, and the American empire, more so the global empire, has been desperate to keep its secrets and prosecute anyone or anything that threatens this transparency. That’s what this is all about. More…
Ecuador inks $4.2 billion financing deal with IMF: Moreno
[Politics]
Ecuador inks $4.2 billion financing deal with IMF: Moreno
by Alexandra Valencia
Posted April 13, 2019
Ecuador has reached a $4.2 billion staff-level financing deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), President Lenin Moreno said on Wednesday, as the Andean country grapples with a large fiscal deficit and heavy external debt.
The country will also receive $6 billion in loans from multilateral institutions including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the CAF Andean development bank, Moreno said in a message broadcast on national television and radio.
Ecuador’s sovereign bonds surged last week after the IMF confirmed it was engaged in formal talks with Moreno over a possible financial arrangement. Staff-level agreements between the IMF and member countries are subject to approval by the Washington-based lender’s executive board. More…
The Facts:
Ecuador inks a huge load from the Washington based IMF and President Moreno allows British police to enter his embassy to arrest Assange.
Reflect On:
Just trying to connect the dots, could there be any possibility that these two events are related?
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Quotable Sayings
Choose being kind over being right, and you will be right every time.
Richard Carlson
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Therefore you always have to ask yourself: Why do I get this specific information in this specific form at this moment? Ultimately, it’s always about questions of power.”
Dr. Konrad Hummler, Swiss banking and media executive
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If we actually had a functioning judicial system and an independent press, Manning would have been a witness for the prosecution against the war criminals he helped expose.
Chris Hedges
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