Truthdig: The Corporate State Wins Again
-By Chris Hedges
April 24, 2011- When did our democracy die? When did it irrevocably transform itself into a lifeless farce and absurd political theater? When did the press, labor, universities and the Democratic Party—which once made piecemeal and incremental reform possible—wither and atrophy? When did reform through electoral politics become a form of magical thinking? When did the dead hand of the corporate state become unassailable?
MSNBC: Twitter protects Occupy protester's privacy
-By Helen A.S. Popkin
May 8, 2012- Twitter filed a motion Tuesday requesting that New York state court to overturn an order requiring that the social network provide user information to prosecutors. The user was an Occupy Wall Street protester who was arrested last Oct. 1 in New York City.
Twitter's legal filing accuses prosecutors of asking the company to violate the Fourth Amendment, the Uniform Act and its own Terms of Service. It's a move the American Civil Liberties Union heralds as a strike against the "increasingly aggressive attempts" by federal and state law enforcement officials "to obtain information about what people are doing on the Internet."
In late April, a judge ruled against defendant Malcolm Harris, whose attorney attempted to quash a subpoena requesting his Twitter activity. Harris, along with hundreds of others, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct during a protest march on the Brooklyn Bridge.
PBS Need To Know: As election season begins, spending on campaigns breaks records
September 3, 2010- Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer and the unofficial beginning of the high political campaign season. And while we’re all bound to spend a fair amount of time talking about the issues and candidates this election cycle, we want to begin with what is often called the mother’s milk of politics: money.
Huffington Post: FEC Disclosure Loophole Closes On Secret Donors As Court Won't Stay Ruling
-By Paul Blumenthal
April 27, 2012- A court ruling requiring non-disclosing political groups -- including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity -- to disclose their donors is one step closer to going into effect after a district court refused to stay its ruling in the face of an appeal.
On March 30, a district court ruled in Van Hollen v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) that a loophole in FEC rules that allowed certain independent group campaign efforts to keep private the names of donors was invalid and needed to be rewritten or reset to the original language.
