Category: Civil Liberties
YSA Free Speech Fight in Connecticut
There is an important free speech fight going on at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT. The short version of the story can be found in the petition below and the fact sheet that follows the petition. For more information and many key documents, you can visit http://freespeechcentral.wordpress.com. If you would like to … Continue reading YSA Free Speech Fight in Connecticut
Defend the “RNC 8”
This past fall the Republican Party held its national convention in St. Paul, MN. Tens of thousands of protester from around the country converged to show their opposition to the Iraq war, and other reactionary policies.Anticipating mass protests, state and federal authorities closely watched local activists who were working on preparations for these demonstrations. Local … Continue reading Defend the “RNC 8”
Why Mass Action?
The broad outlines of Socialist Action's views on the centrality of mass mobilizations in building an irresistible antiwar movement have been published in previous issues of this newspaper (see Jeff Mackler's article in our November 2007 issue). But some additional elaboration can be helpful at a time when activists are today discussing concrete measures to … Continue reading Why Mass Action?
Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal?
Mumia Abu-Jamal is a renowned journalist from Philadelphia who has been in prison since 1981 and on death row since 1983 for allegedly shooting Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. He is known as the “Voice of the Voiceless” for his award- winning reporting on police brutality and other social and racial epidemics that plague communities … Continue reading Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal?
Lynne Stewart: ‘The Support of the People is What Sustained Me’
by Jeff Mackler / November issue of Socialist Action Newspaper Lynne Stewart emerged from the Foley Square courthouse, with her husband Ralph Poynter and three of her 14 grandchildren holding tight, to be greeted by a crowd of some 400 supporters, who bestowed numerous bouquets of red roses on her. She approached a bevy of … Continue reading Lynne Stewart: ‘The Support of the People is What Sustained Me’
Mackler Campaign Supports Defense of Lynne Stewart
by Dave Feingold / October 2006 issue of Socialist Action Newspaper BREAKING NEWS, Oct. 16—As we go to press, Lynne Stewart has been sentenced in a New York City federal courtroom to 28 months in prison, far less than the 30 years the government was seeking. NEW YORK—Mackler's campaign has championed the defense efforts of … Continue reading Mackler Campaign Supports Defense of Lynne Stewart
Bush Spy Program – Down But Not Out
By Joe Auciello / September 2006 issue of Socialist Action On Aug. 17, ruling in favor of free speech and privacy, U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor rejected the Bush administration’s rationales for a spying program that operated outside the law and ordered the operation shut down. The government immediately filed an appeal, and the … Continue reading Bush Spy Program – Down But Not Out
A Visit to Lori Berenson in Peru
by Lea Wood / September issue of Socialist Action Newspaper Mark visited Lori for Father's Day weekend with Lea Wood, the Vermont Coordinator of the Committee to Free Lori Berenson. Lori and Lea have been exchanging letters since 1997. Lea is a remarkable individual and, as she approaches her 90th birthday, serves as an inspiration … Continue reading A Visit to Lori Berenson in Peru
Guantanamo: The Killing Field of Human Rights
by Gerry Foley / July 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper The Guantanamo prison has become the most glaring symbol of the U.S. government’s arrogant disregard of the safeguards of human rights in American and international law. Even five judges on the U.S. Supreme Court (a majority) felt obliged to strike down the Bush administration’s … Continue reading Guantanamo: The Killing Field of Human Rights
Government Recommends 30-Year Sentence for Lynne Stewart
by Jeff Mackler / July 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper The U.S. Probation Department filed a report in late June for Federal District Court Judge John G. Koeltl recommending that attorney Lynne Stewart, 67, be sentenced to 30 years in prison. Stewart was the victim of a government frame-up when she was convicted in … Continue reading Government Recommends 30-Year Sentence for Lynne Stewart
Innocents on the ‘Road to Guantanamo’
by Gaetana Caldwell-Smith / July 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper To question the authenticity of events depicted in Michael Winterbottom’s and Matt Whitecross’s recent docudrama, “The Road to Guantanamo,” is to be ignorant of the many testimonies that have come from others—of men being picked up, blindfolded, shackled, dumped into trucks and planes, eventually … Continue reading Innocents on the ‘Road to Guantanamo’
Bush Orders Spy Agency to Wiretap U.S.
by Joe Auciello / June 2006 issue Socialist Action “If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just as long as I am the dictator,” President George W. Bush told reporters after the 2000 election. Apparently, he wasn’t joking. Following the 9/11 attacks, President Bush secretly ordered the National … Continue reading Bush Orders Spy Agency to Wiretap U.S.
Bush to America: I Spy
by Joe Auciello / March 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper Despite mounting public opposition, increased Democratic criticism, and prominent Republican defections, the Bush administration seems determined to maintain its illegal domestic spying operation. In January’s State of the Union address, the president again cited “authority given to me by the Constitution and by statute” … Continue reading Bush to America: I Spy
Bush Orders Spy Agency to Wiretap U.S.
by Joe Auciello / June 2006 issue Socialist Action “If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just as long as I am the dictator,” President George W. Bush told reporters after the 2000 election. Apparently, he wasn’t joking. Following the 9/11 attacks, President Bush secretly ordered the National … Continue reading Bush Orders Spy Agency to Wiretap U.S.
The Murder of Stanley Tookie Williams
by Rebecca Doran & Jeff Mackler / January 2006 issue of Socialist Action newspaper Stanley Tookie Williams' executioners took nearly 15 minutes to find a vein to inject into his body the chemicals that would kill this proud and courageous fighter for human dignity. Death for Williams came approximately 35 excruciating minutes after he was … Continue reading The Murder of Stanley Tookie Williams
Canada Holds Muslims in Detention
by Judy Koch / October 2005 issue of Socialist Action newspaper A number of Muslim men in Canada have been detained on 'security certificates' since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. A 'security certificate' allows the Canadian government to hold people in jail as alleged terrorists without revealing any evidence, and to eventually … Continue reading Canada Holds Muslims in Detention
Belated Decision for Cuban 5
by Gerry Foley / September 2005 issue of Socialist Action In August, the 11th Circuit Federal Appeals Court in Atlanta overturned the conviction and sentences of five Cubans who were condemned to crushing prison terms for informing the American and Cuban government of plots to commit terrorist acts in Cuba. At the time of their … Continue reading Belated Decision for Cuban 5
Lynne Stewart Speaks in CT
by Jason Cain / July 2005 issue of Socialist Action newspaper Lynne Stewart spoke before an enthusiastic audience of 75 people in the liberal bastion of West Hartford, Conn., on June 21. Stewart, a progressive attorney whom the U.S. government recently framed up on terrorism charges, was the featured speaker in a public forum entitled, … Continue reading Lynne Stewart Speaks in CT
In Defense of Lori Berenson
by Mark Berenson / July 2005 My daughter Lori has been wrongfully incarcerated in Peru since the night of Nov. 30, 1995, when she was arrested on a public bus in Lima. She has been a victim of injustice on three occasions: First, by a draconian Peruvian justice system that had received worldwide condemnation, second … Continue reading In Defense of Lori Berenson
The Politics of Gun Control
by Adam Ritscher / July 2005 issue of Socialist Action newspaper It has become an issue that has propelled hundreds of thousands of ordinary people into political activity. It has inspired impassioned arguments, claims and counter-claims, and become the topic of hit box office movies. It has become the fuel that has launched political careers … Continue reading The Politics of Gun Control
Posada Carriles Gets Postponement of Bail Hearing
by Marc Rome / July 2005 The U.S. government has become increasingly isolated internationally for the way that it has handled the Luis Posada Carriles case, applying a double standard in its so-called war on terrorism. Left with little room for political maneuver, it got a momentary reprieve on June 24 in an El Paso, … Continue reading Posada Carriles Gets Postponement of Bail Hearing
San Francisco Bay Area Welcomes Lynne Stewart
by Jeff Mackler / June 2005 issue of Socialist Action SAN FRANCISCO—Progressive attorney Lynne Stewart, recently convicted on false “terrorism” charges, completed a successful April 21-28 speaking tour in the Bay Area to publicize and raise money for her defense. As part of the tour, she was the featured speaker at a mass … Continue reading San Francisco Bay Area Welcomes Lynne Stewart
Malcolm’s Advice to Young People: ‘Think for Yourself’
by Joe Auciello / May 2005 issue of Socialist Action Malcolm X, born May 19, 1925, would have been 80 years old this month had he not been assassinated 40 years ago. Now, decades later, safely buried, Malcolm X has become respectable. This transformation has been some years in the making, but there … Continue reading Malcolm’s Advice to Young People: ‘Think for Yourself’
Frightened Jurors Convict Attorney Lynne Stewart
by Jeff Mackler / March 2005 issue of Socialist Action On Feb. 10 a New York federal district court jury convicted progressive attorney Lynne Stewart on five felony-count charges of conspiracy to aid and abet terrorism, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and making false statements to the government. The frame-up charges stemmed … Continue reading Frightened Jurors Convict Attorney Lynne Stewart