Archives for August 2012

Federal Court Rejects New Texas Voter Photo ID Law

A Texas law requiring voters to show picture ID at the polls was struck down by a three-judge federal panel, who said the state failed to prove the legislation wouldn’t harm low-income and minority voters. Thursday’s unanimous ruling was the second legal defeat in three days for one of America’s most conservative states, which on […]

Primary election voters arrive at the Kanwaka Township Hall near Lawrence, Kan., Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

A Texas law requiring voters to show picture ID at the polls was struck down by a three-judge federal panel, who said the state failed to prove the legislation wouldn't harm low-income and minority voters. Thursday's unanimous ruling was the second legal defeat in three days for one of America's most conservative states, which on Tuesday had a

Waging War On Leaks And Whistleblowers

(CHICAGO) — On July 30, the Washington Post headlined “A bill to stop security leaks puts a plug on democracy,” saying that journalists and others talk to officials daily. Background briefings are commonplace. Vital information is discussed. Most of it is unclassified. On May 15, HR 5743: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 was […]

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks listens at a press conference in London, Monday, Feb. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

(CHICAGO) -- On July 30, the Washington Post headlined "A bill to stop security leaks puts a plug on democracy," saying that journalists and others talk to officials daily. Background briefings are commonplace. Vital information is discussed. Most of it is unclassified. On May 15, HR 5743: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 was

Voting Rights Act: The State of Section 5

A single provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been playing a key role on the election front this year. Section 5 has blocked photo voter-ID laws, prohibited reduced early-voting periods in parts of Florida and just Tuesday barrednew redistricting maps in Texas. It’s the reason South Carolina is in federal court this […]

Voters cast their ballots electronically in a downtown Miami government building. (AP Photo/J.Pat Carter)

A single provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been playing a key role on the election front this year. Section 5 has blocked photo voter-ID laws, prohibited reduced early-voting periods in parts of Florida and just Tuesday barrednew redistricting maps in Texas. It's the reason South Carolina is in federal court this week to try to

Israeli Soldiers Break Silence About Occupied Territories

Breaking the Silence (BTS) is an organization comprised of Israeli combat veterans. They served since the start of the second Intifada. They refuse any longer to stay silent. Their testimonies expose “the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories.” Their purpose is to stimulate public debate. They revealed abuses too gruesome to hide. They […]

An Israeli Soldier shoots rubber bullets towards Palestinian protesters, not pictured, during a demonstration supporting prisoners in Israeli jails outside the Ofer military prison, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Breaking the Silence (BTS) is an organization comprised of Israeli combat veterans. They served since the start of the second Intifada. They refuse any longer to stay silent. Their testimonies expose "the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories." Their purpose is to stimulate public debate. They revealed abuses too gruesome to

Greenpeace Continues Criticisms Of Duke Energy, Calling For ALEC Separation

(Mint Press) – Since the beginning of the year, environmental activist organization Greenpeace has called out Charlotte, N.C.-based energy company Duke Energy for its fixation on coal power and slow response to renewable energy sources. But a recent campaign made by Greenpeace is now looking at the energy company’s role in this year’s presidential election as […]

A man walks in front of Duke Energy Corporate Headquarters in a Charlotte, N.C. file photo from Feb. 1, 2006. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

(Mint Press) – Since the beginning of the year, environmental activist organization Greenpeace has called out Charlotte, N.C.-based energy company Duke Energy for its fixation on coal power and slow response to renewable energy sources. But a recent campaign made by Greenpeace is now looking at the energy company’s role in this year’s presidential

Brutal Tactics By St. Paul Police Department Continue

(MintPress) — Around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, 30-year-old St. Paul, Minn. resident Eric Ronnell Hightower was on his way to a nearby park with his friend, when he says a St. Paul police officer approached him and fired a chemical irritant in his eyes. “He never asked me, ‘What’s my name?’ He never asked me […]

A police officer raises his weapon during a protest at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Kathryn Grim)

(MintPress) — Around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, 30-year-old St. Paul, Minn. resident Eric Ronnell Hightower was on his way to a nearby park with his friend, when he says a St. Paul police officer approached him and fired a chemical irritant in his eyes. “He never asked me, ‘What's my name?’ He never asked me for my ID or nothing,” said Hightower