The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for the Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.
After Benghazi, IRS tea party probe: Govt seized AP phone records
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/benghazi-irs-tea-party-probe-govt-sei...
David Graeber can't get a job in academia even though he is one of the world's most influential anthropologists. Why? Because he is an anarchist.
Read more »FINDLAY -- A man now faces charges after an April Fool's gag goes wrong. Police charged Robert Leonard with disorderly conduct for allegedly panicking the community with a Facebook post.
Leonard wrote Findlay was under attack and the Army was surrounding the town as a joke on April Fool's Day. He now faces a $1,500 fine. Leonard says it's crazy he's actually being charged and might choose to go to jail instead of paying the fine.
Read more »The statement below was read by Pfc. Bradley Manning at a providence inquiry for his formal plea of guilty to one specification as charged and nine specifications for lesser included offenses. He pled not guilty to 12 other specifications. This rush transcript was taken by journalist Alexa O’Brien at Thursday’s pretrial hearing. O’Brien provided Salon with the full transcript.
Read more »Daniel Brewington was not happy with the way that Dearborn County, Indiana, Judge James D. Humphrey handled his divorce case, during which he lost custody of his children, and he explained why at length in various strongly worded online commentaries. Largely as a result of those posts, Brewington is serving a two-year sentence at the Putnamville Correctional Facility for intimidation, attempted obstruction of justice, and perjury.
Read more »German Christian family could have children taken away in desire to immigrate into America to be able to homeschool. Justice Dept. arguing that homeschooling is not a fundamental right.
Read more »New Hampshire, Wyoming and Nebraska are the latest states to introduce Ag-Gag laws aimed at preventing employees, journalists or activists from exposing illegal or unethical practices on factory farms.
Read more »I think that this story speaks for itself, but this is another story highlighting an attack against free speech at Universities. I recently graduated from Carleton University and I wish I could say that these kind of events were rare. This piece has many priceless quotes including “Only someone who had gone to university could write something so utterly stupid,” referring to the public explanation given by the individual who tore down the free speech wall.
Much more in the news article itself, but you have to read it to believe it.
Read more »A Kuwaiti court sentenced a man to two years in prison for insulting the country’s ruler on Twitter, a lawyer following the case said, as the Gulf Arab state cracks down on criticism of the authorities on social media. According to the verdict on Sunday — published by online newspaper Alaan — a tweet written by Rashid Saleh al-Anzi in October “stabbed the rights and powers of the Emir” Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Anzi, who has 5,700 Twitter followers, was expected to appeal the verdict, said the lawyer, who asked not to be named.
Read more »The Oregon teen who was arrested after he posted a ‘Drivin drunk’ status update on his Facebook page New Year’s Day says it was all a misunderstanding.
Read more »WASHINGTON -- A police officer can't pull you over and arrest you just because you gave him the finger, a federal appeals court declared Thursday. In a 14-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled that the "ancient gesture of insult is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity."
Read more »
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana woman ran afoul of police when she gave her neighbors an unusual holiday greeting, hanging Christmas lights in the shape of a middle finger.
A judge ruled in her favor Thursday.
Read more »The Foundation For Individual Rights In Education(FIRE) surveyed 409 schools and found 6 out of 10 maintain severely restrictive 'red-light' speech codes.
Read more »Louisiana woman in dispute with neighbors says F---you with Christmas light message. Police officer says it violates city obscenity statute... which doesn't exist. ACLU helps her in court. She's harassed by neighbors and police with other petty citations.
Read more »Katherine Olejnik and Matt Duran Have Not Been Charged with Any Crime, and Yet They Have Been Locked Up for Three Months and Counting.
Read more »Free speech? Pfft! This kid says something stupid on Facebook and then winds up in jail with $100k bond. He's charged with "inducing panic". Really? Where's the riot?
"Ignorant free speech often works against the speaker. That is one of several reasons why it must be given rein instead of suppressed."
--Anna Quindlen
A nurse at the hospital that was duped by a prank call from two Australian radio DJs concerning Prince William's pregnant wife, Catherine, has apparently committed suicide, the hospital confirmed Friday. The nurse "was recently the victim of a hoax call," King Edward VII Hospital said in a media statement. The DJs impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in the prank call, in which some details of the Duchess of Cambridge's condition and care were given.
Read more »A university's Christian society has banned women from speaking at events and teaching at meetings, unless they are accompanied by their husband, it has been revealed. An email sent out by president Matt Oliver to all BUCU members said: "It is ok for women to teach in any CU setting... However we understand that this is a difficult issue for some and so decided that women would not teach on their own at our weekly CU meetings, as the main speaker on our Bristol CU weekend away, or as our main speaker for mission weeks.
Read more »William Bailey of Canton will spend a month behind bars after he was caught on video making fun of the way a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy walks.
Read more »A young activist describes how universities became the most authoritarian institutions in America.
At Yale University, you can be prevented from putting an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote on your T-shirt. At Tufts, you can be censured for quoting certain passages from the Quran. Welcome to the most authoritarian institution in America: the modern university—"a bizarre, parallel dimension," as Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, calls it.
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