Top Stories
Military Judge Orders Guantánamo Prisoners not to Talk in Court about being Tortured
The Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Investigation asked the military judge, Colonel James Pohl, to censor any statements from the detainees going on trial that reveal how they were tortured or abused by the U.S.
Pohl agreed with the agencies that classified information should not be disclosed during the proceedings, including any details about the use of interrogation techniques on the defendants.
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Federal Court Blocks Illinois Law Banning Carrying Guns in Public
The only state law in the U.S. banning the possession of guns in public has been overturned by a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court. The Seventh Circuit panel voted 2-1 to throw out an Illinois statute that prohibits citizens from carrying firearms outside the home.
In a dissent that was longer than the majority opinion, Judge Ann Claire Williams argued that it was the right of the state of Illinois to make its own laws regarding controlling guns to combat crime.
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HSBC Hit with Fine for Helping Drug Cartels and Dictators; Executives Too Big to Jail
. The editorial staff of The New York Times observed that “It boggles the mind that a bank could launder money as HSBC did without anyone in a position of authority making culpable decisions. Clearly, the government has bought into the notion that too big to fail is too big to jail. When prosecutors choose not to prosecute to the full extent of the law in a case as egregious as this, the law itself is diminished.” read more
Public Buses in Many U.S. Cities Will Soon Be Monitoring Private Conversations for the Government
Privacy advocates have expressed concerns over the deployment of the technology on buses, saying the moves raise questions about the limits of legally protected privacy in public spaces. This mass government eavesdropping on the public will occur without any kind of court order or warrant. read more
11 Secret Documents Americans Deserve to See
Many documents produced by the U.S. government are confidential and not released to the public for legitimate reasons of national security. Others, however, are kept secret for more questionable reasons. The fact that presidents and other government officials have the power to deem materials classified provides them with an opportunity to use national security as an excuse to suppress documents and reports that would reveal embarrassing or illegal activities. read more
Loophole in Obama Tax the Rich Plan Would Spare Many Sort-Of Rich
Despite the President’s focus on $250,000, the dividing line appears to be at $300,000. The expiration of other Bush tax cut provisions, including limits on deductions and higher taxes on investment income, will raise taxes for only 32% of families with income between $250,000 and $300,000, according to Citizens for Tax Justice, while 77% percent with income between $300,000 and $350,000 would see an increase. read more
Dueling District Court Judges Put Gay Therapy Ban in Limbo
U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, an appointee of President Barack Obama, rejected a petition from four counselors, two families, a professional therapists organization and a Christian therapists group to block the law.
She cited research by 10 groups that conversion therapy “can pose critical health risks” to patients. Mueller said there was no constitutional right for people to choose a course of treatment that has reasonably been found by the state to be harmful.
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National Security Used as Excuse for Wasteful Federal Spending on Local Law Enforcement
Keene, New Hampshire (population: 23,000), which has experienced three homicides in the last thirteen years, used $285,933 in federal funds to buy a Lenco BearCat armored vehicle, which it took possession of on November 20. Keene Police Captain Brian Costa defended the acquisition by saying, “It’s an armored vehicle, not an armed vehicle and there's a big difference.” read more
Majority of Americans Would Rather Not Work for the U.S. Government, but Those Who Do Are Satisfied
“Still, it is important to note that the 33% of all employed Americans preferring to work for government is nearly double the 17% who currently do work for government,” according to Lydia Saad at Gallup. read more
Youth Employment Rate Lowest Since World War II
A new KIDS COUNT® report (pdf) from The Annie E. Casey Foundation says youth employment is at its lowest level since World War II, with nearly 6.5 million teenagers and young adults unemployed and not in school. Nationwide, only 26% of Americans aged 16 to 19 are employed; while 61% aged 20 to 24 have jobs. read more
North Carolina First State to Outlaw Student Cyber Attacks on Teachers
The 2012 School Violence Prevention Act, which took effect December 1, makes it a misdemeanor for students to create false profiles for teachers, sign them up for Internet porn or post their images and private information on the Web. The law also prohibits any statement, “whether true or false,” which might provoke a third party to harass a teacher or administrator.
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Is Fracking Contaminating U.S. Livestock?
The case studies include 17 Louisiana cows that died of respiratory failure after an hour’s exposure to spilled fracking fluid; 70 Pennsylvania cows that died after 140 of them were exposed to fracking wastewater from an impoundment breach; and a Pennsylvania herd whose pregnant cows had a 50% rate of stillborn calves after grazing in a pasture contaminated by fracking chemicals from an overflowing waste pit. read more
U.S. Birth and Abortion Rates Plunge to Record Lows
The U.S. birth rate (measured as the annual number of births per 1,000 women ages of 15 to 44) in 2011 was 63.2, the lowest level since reliable records were established in 1920.
Between 2008 and 2009, the rate at which women aborted pregnancies fell 5%, bringing the rate down to an all-time low. read more
At Least 20% of Homeless in U.S. are Veterans
A 2012 study from Yale University concluded that 63% of male, and 77% of female homeless veterans suffer from PTSD and/or a mood disorder. Of these, more than 90% of men and 75% of women developed their PTSD as a result of exposure to combat.
By some estimates, homeless veterans represent between 20% and 25% of the overall homeless population.
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Judge Orders Tobacco Companies to Admit They Lied about Dangers of Smoking
The statements include:
• “When you smoke, the nicotine actually changes the brain—that's why quitting is so hard.”
• “Tobacco companies intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive.”
• “All cigarettes cause cancer, lung disease, heart attacks, and premature death.”
• “More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol, combined.”
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Moving Guantánamo Prisoners to U.S. is not a Problem
there are more than 100 prisons in the United States capable of handling the detainees, according to congressional researchers. In fact, hundreds of prisoners convicted of terror-related offenses are already housed in U.S. prisons.
Late Thursday, the Senate, in another insult to American prison guards and administrators, voted 54-41 to prevent the Guantánamo prisoners from being transferred to the United States. read more