AlterNet.org: Rights and Liberties

McCain and Lieberman's "Enemy Belligerent" Act Could Set U.S. on Path to Military Dictatorship

Liliana Segura, AlterNet — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

Glenn Greenwald calls the bill "probably the single most extremist, tyrannical and dangerous bill introduced in the Senate in the last several decades."

GOP and Dems Agree: Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity Unjust and Needs Reform

Bill Piper, Jasmine Tyler, AlterNet — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:01 PDT

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved bi-partisan legislation reforming a failed two-decade old policy.

The FBI Could Be Watching You on Facebook

Daniela Perdomo, AlterNet — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

Social-networking sites have driven a seemingly insatiable need to share all sorts of information about ourselves in a very public way -- and law enforcement has caught on.

Daily Beast Female Elites Denounce Global Human Rights Violations While Ignoring U.S. Crimes

Liliana Segura, AlterNet — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

Promising solutions for international women's rights problems, the Daily Beast's 'Women in the World' conference ended up supporting the status quo for US foreign policy.

Your Boss Can Secretly Film You in the Bathroom -- The Countless Ways You Are Losing Privacy at Work

Lewis Maltby, AFL-CIO — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

Workplace privacy is dead and buried. Employers can and do read e-mail, eavesdrop on telephone calls, monitor Internet access and watch workers with hidden cameras.

Netanyahu Takes His Siege Against Human Rights NGOs to the US

Max Blumenthal, MaxBlumenthal.com — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

Day-long conference apparently encouraged by the Israeli government labels Israeli human rights workers as traitors.

Loud Sex Enough for Cops to Search Your Home, Court Rules

Daniel Tencer, Raw Story — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:00:01 PDT

For Brian McGacken of Farmingdale, New Jersey, an evening of loud sex resulted in a 10-year prison sentence for growing marijuana.

Juarez Prison Celebrates International Women's Day With Lurid "Captive Beauty" Pageant

Nora Eisenberg, AlterNet — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:00:01 PDT

As women across the globe remembered the 500 victims of serial sex murder in Juarez, Mexico, the city's prison authorities used female prisoners to pander to male fantasies.

Anti-Choice Campaign Aims to Undermine Support for Reproductive Rights by Falsely Claiming 'Black Genocide'

Michelle Goldberg, Religion Dispatches — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PDT

The anti-abortion movement is making a push to enlist African Americans in their cause by framing abortion as a tool of eugenics and genocide.

Redefining "Racist" in the Rather Complicated Age of Obama

Keli Goff, KeliGoff.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:01 PST

Why does it seem that every time we turn around there is another "racist" being outed?

If the NFL Were More Lenient About Pot, Would the Players Get Involved in Less Drunken Violence?

Steve Fox, Mason Tvert, AlterNet — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:01 PST

This is the NFL's policy: Go to a club and drink â€“ no problem; Stay at home and enjoy a little marijuana â€“ get suspended.

Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Bill to Reduce Crack/Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

Phillip S. Smith, Drug War Chronicle — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00:01 PST

Bill would reduce -- but not eliminate -- the disparity in sentencing for federal crack and powder cocaine offenses.

Deportations & Mosque Closings: The War on Terror's Domestic Toll

Stephan Salisbury, Nation Books — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:00:01 PST

The War on Terror has ravaged many Muslim communities in the United States. Clerics and other community leaders are deported with no due process.

Was "Jihad Jane" a Real Terrorist Threat? Or a Mentally Unstable Loner?

Liliana Segura, AlterNet — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:01 PST

No one knows quite what to make of Colleen LaRose. But get ready to hear a lot more about "homegrown terrorism" -- and why we need more surveillance to stop it.

Ban the Box: People with Convictions Deserve a Second Chance

Julie Roberts, AlterNet — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:00:01 PST

New Mexico lays the groundwork for other states to proactively help people being released from jail and prison to find work and truly rebuild their lives.

Meet the Man Behind Utah's New Law Criminalizing Miscarriages

Rose Aguilar, AlterNet — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PST

Rep. Carl Wimmer discusses his Criminal Homicide and Abortion Revisions bill and his long-term plans to overturn <i>Roe v. Wade</i>.

"They Have No Right to Kill Me": Is Texas Gearing Up to Execute An Innocent Man?

Brandi Grissom, The Texas Tribune — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:00:01 PST

Death row prisoner Hank Skinner swears DNA evidence will exonerate him, but prosecutors say the case is closed. He has two weeks to change their minds.

Celebrate Doctors on the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers

Dr. Linda Prine, RH Reality Check — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:01 PST

We must work to put an end to the harassment and violence against physicians and their patients.

Lessons from a Revolutionary's Lifetime Crusade for Justice

Maria Armoudian, AlterNet — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PST

Albie Sachs lost an arm and half his eyesight and lived in exile for years, but he never lost his vision for a just and equitable society in South Africa.

Utah Governor Signs Controversial Law Charging Women and Girls With Murder for Miscarriages

Rose Aguilar, AlterNet — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:01 PST

Critics are worried the law will open up a Pandora's box of unintended legal consequences.