AlterNet.org: Rights and Liberties

Starbucks' Cop-Out to Gun Nuts: Customers Served Coffee While Strapped

Liliana Segura, AlterNet — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:01 PST

Starbucks has become a popular gathering spot for some Second Amendment crusaders, but the company is pretending it doesn't have the power to keep them out.

Dennis Kucinich vs. Glenn Greenwald: Is Citizens United a Deathblow for Democracy or a 1st Amendment Victory?

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:00:01 PST

Rep. Kucinich warns, "This is something that Jefferson feared, something that Lincoln feared."

One Company Thinks They've Created Fast Food With a Conscience -- Are They Right?

Tara Lohan, AlterNet — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

Chipotle has a great record when it comes to buying more sustainable ingredients, but it has done one thing that has human rights activists howling.

The Bizarre Terror Conviction of Pakistani Scientist Aafia Siddiqui, And Why There's a Good Chance She's Innocent

Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now! — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:01 PST

Human rights groups say that Siddiqui, who has been found guilty of attempted murder, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani officials in 2003 and tortured at the behest of the U.S.

ACORN Smear Collaborator Claims Persecution to Raise Money for Her Legal Troubles

Liliana Segura, AlterNet — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:00:01 PST

In a bizarre fundraising appeal, James O'Keefe's co-conspirator Hannah Giles claims ACORN is trying to 'destroy' her -- and invites you to donate $35 to $5,000 to her legal fund.

Bad Policies Are Really What's Driving California's Huge Prison Costs

Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, AlterNet — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

By opting for a policy of sending low-level offenders to state prison, California is far out of step with other states â€“ and out of time.

Why We Can't Afford to Let Obama Give Bush's War Criminals a Free Pass

Charlotte Dennett, AlterNet — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

Punishing the guilty for deeds they committed in the past is the only way to show the world that we are truly on a new path.

Shocker: Tea Party Convention Opening Speaker Suggests a Return to Jim Crow Voting Laws

John Byrne, Raw Story — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:00:01 PST

GOPer Tom Tancredo suggests "literacy test" to protect America from presidents like Obama -- a segregation-era method employed by southern US states to keep blacks from voting.

The New Racial Segregation at Public Schools

Tim Lockette, Teaching Tolerance — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:00:01 PST

In 1990 over 40 percent of black students in the South attended majority-white schools. Now less than 30 percent of students do â€” 1960s numbers.

Planned Parenthood Posts Pro-Woman Ad, Putting the Pressure on CBS

Liliana Segura, AlterNet — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:01 PST

With Super Bowl Sunday only a few days away, the fight over Focus on the Family's overtly anti-choice ad featuring University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is raging.

Westerners Who Condemn So-Called "Honor Killings" Must Confront Gender Violence Within Their Own Culture

Anna Momigliano, The Nation — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:00:01 PST

To consider honor killings in Muslim communities a crime unto itself overlooks the patriarchal roots of much of the intimate partner violence against women in the Western world.

Army Interrogator Discharged For Being Gay: John McCain "So Out Of Touch With Modern Military"

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:01 PST

In a historic move, Pentagon brass have called for an end to "don't ask, don't tell." Why are politicians like John McCain trying to keep it in place?

Progressive Leader Donna Edwards Is Out in Front to Stop Corporate Dominance of Elections

John Nichols, TheNation.com — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

Rep. Edwards: "The Supreme Court has left us with no choice but to change the Constitution and make sure that people own our government and our elections."

Why Are Some Democrats Backing Lindsey Graham's Scheme to Block 9/11 Trials?

Nick Baumann, Mother Jones — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:00:01 PST

Senators Jim Webb and Blanche Lincoln are backing Sen. Lindsey Graham's bill to deny funding for Obama's proposed 9/11 trials. Will it lead to a Democratic revolt?

Obama Religious Adviser Wants President to Speak Against Ugandan 'Kill the Gays' Bill at Prayer Breakfast

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

At a press conference where a gay Ugandan was too frightened to show his face to the media, a member of Obama's religion council and other clergy threw down the gauntlet.

America's System Failure: Only a Wave of Democratic Participation Can Save This Country

Christopher Hayes, The Nation — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:01 PST

As welcome as it was, the removal of George W. Bush was not enough to cure what ails us. It goes to the root of our political system.

Haitians Under U.S. Treatment Are Often Separated From Families

Sheri Fink, ProPublica — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:01 PST

The U.S. has brought medical services to thousands of Haitians. But a bureaucratic tangle has left some struggling to find loved ones who were taken away for treatment.

Obama's Defense Chiefs Make Public Endorsement of Allowing Gays to Serve in Military Openly

Daniel Tencer, Raw Story — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:01 PST

The US's two highest-ranking defense officials have thrown their weight behind President Barack Obama's call to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Can "Poverty Tourism" Help Rebuild Communities? Or Is It Just Cashing In On the Misery of the Poor?

Mark Chou, TruthOut.org — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:01 PST

International tourists can now visit LA's Skid Row ("home to 90,000 homeless people"), Rio's <i>favelas</i>, and the vast slums of India's metropolises.