Democracy Now! // Current

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10 days ago

A Target of Corporate Crime shares his story about Crime & Justice

My name is Gerard Ange', This is my story... about this nightmare I have been living for the last six years. At the time... more

gerardange
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Swine Flu- or NAFTA FLU? Experts say swine flu has roots in NAFTA policies

As the US reports its first known death from the global swine flu, the World Health Organization has raised its pandemic threat... more

asherp
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is it too early to throw a shoe at obama?

P.H.A.T.W.A. *profanity warning* 1. Montezuma’s Revenge in Reverse 2. California Droughting 3. Coke Crude 4. New... more

donkeyfly69
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Former Seattle Police Chief Calls for Legalization of Marijuana and All Drugs

Former Seattle Police Chief: LEGALIZE MARIJUANA and ALL DRUGS. Citing Failed War on Drugs, Former Seattle Police Chief Calls... more

simplecj
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150,000 Nurses push for HR 676 to create Single Payer Healthcare

Three of the country’s top organizations of direct care registered nurses have come together to form a new national... more

asherp
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12,000 Students gather for Climate Justice @ Powershift 2009

This weekend, an estimated 12,000 young people were at the D.C. Convention Center for Power Shift ’09, the largest youth... more

asherp
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Warning: Obama to appoint Admiral Dennis Blair!!!

President-elect Obama is expected to name his intelligence team today: Leon Panetta for the CIA, John Brennan as a key White House... more

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Obama Nominee Admiral Dennis Blair Aided Perpetrators of Killings in East Timor

Part II of our conversation with investigative journalist Allan Nairn, who reveals Admiral Dennis Blair played a critical role in backing the Indonesian occupation of East Timor during the 1990s. At the height of a wave of ruthless attacks on Timorese that killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands, Blair personally informed top Indonesian general, Wiranto, of unwavering US support. He continued to support the Indonesian military until international outcry forced the Clinton administration to withdraw its military and diplomatic backing

AMY GOODMAN: Right now we’re going to turn to President Obama’s cabinet. The President-elect Obama is facing a political challenge over his choice to run the Central Intelligence Agency. Obama has tapped Leon Panetta, a former Congress member and White House Chief of Staff under President Clinton. Many observers call him a surprise pick because of limited intelligence experience and his public opposition to the Bush administration’s policies on torture. Obama defended Panetta’s nomination at a news conference yesterday in Washington.

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA: I have the utmost respect for Leon Panetta. I think that he is one of the finest public servants that we’ve had. He brings extraordinary management skills, great political savvy, an impeccable record of integrity. As chief of staff, he is somebody who—to the president—he’s somebody who obviously was fully versed in international affairs, crisis management, and had to evaluate intelligence consistently on a day-to-day basis. And we’re going to talk about his picks for the intelligence positions, but we have just gotten Christopher Gunness back on the line, spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA. […]
We go back now to the story of top Democrats chiding Obama for not consulting with them before announcing the pick and have suggested they might oppose Leon Panetta to be head of Central Intelligence Agency. In a brief statement, the new chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein of California, said, “My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time.” The outgoing Intelligence Committee chair, Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, says he shares Feinstein’s concerns.
It’s interesting to compare that to how lawmakers are greeting Obama’s other top intelligence pick. While members of Obama’s own party vow a tough confirmation hearing for Leon Panetta, who has written against torture during the Bush administration, they’ve expressed no reservations about another nominee who has been accused of supporting torture and murder abroad. The former commander of the US military forces in the Pacific, Admiral Dennis Blair, has been tapped to become the Director of National Intelligence. He would be Panetta’s boss. It’s the nation’s top intelligence job, overseeing sixteen agencies.

Admiral Blair played a critical role in backing the Indonesian occupation of East Timor during the 1990s. At the height of the wave of attacks on Timorese that killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands in 1999, Admiral Blair personally informed top Indonesian general, Wiranto, of unwavering US support. He continued to support the Indonesian military until international outcry forced the Clinton administration to withdraw its military and diplomatic backing.Part II of our conversation with investigative journalist Allan Nairn, who reveals Admiral Dennis Blair played a critical role in... more

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2 responses

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7 months ago

Spill at Tennessee coal plant creates environmental disaster

Parts of Tennessee remain buried under toxic sludge today after a major disaster at a coal plant. A forty-acre pond containing... more

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12 responses

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7 months ago

Posing as a bidder, Utah student disrupts government auction of wilderness

In a national broadcast exclusive, University of Utah student Tim DeChristopher explains how he “bought” 22,000 acres... more

synclaire
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32 responses

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7 months ago

Expanding Nuclear Power Makes Climate Change Worse

Democracy Now! July 16, 2008 There’s one issue that President Bush and presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama... more

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8 months ago

Naomi Klein on the Bailout Profiteers and the Multi-Trillion-Dollar Crime Scene

Video from http://www.youtube.com/user/IWantDemocracyNow Democracy Now! Nov. 17, 2008 Naomi Klein on the Bailout Profiteers... more

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5 responses

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8 months ago

On Eve of Election Day, Is the Nation's Voting System Ready?

Will this presidential election see the same problems as the last? The U.S. likes to tout itself as a beacon for democracy, yet... more

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8 months ago

Change? Atrocity-Linked U.S. Officals advising both DNC and GOP Presidential nominees

Independent journalist Allan Nairn and American Conservative correspondent Kelley Beaucar Vlahos discuss a little-addressed facet... more

asherp
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6 responses

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9 months ago

Turtle Island Project: President Bush doesn't understand Native American Tribal Sovereignty

President George W. Bush's apparent lack of understanding on tribal sovereignty is examined by Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard,... more

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9 months ago

Report: Voter Purging Process Is Shrouded in Secrecy, Prone to Error and Vulnerable to Manipulation

A new study by the Brennan Center for Justice has found voters across the country are being purged through a process that is... more

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3 responses

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10 months ago

St. Paul taps two to review RNC cops — but not misconduct

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced late Tuesday afternoon that the city will undergo an outside review of the public safety effort tied to the Republican National Convention — but its limited scope may not satisfy calls from various quarters for independent review of police misconduct.

Leading the charge is former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, who now works for Minneapolis law firm Best & Flanagan, and Andy Luger, previously an assistant U.S. attorney who is employed at Greene Espel in Minneapolis.

They’ll be putting a team together to perform the assessment and define its parameters, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. The timeline for the study and other details are yet to be nailed down, according to mayoral spokesman Bob Hume. He told Minnesota Independent that the city had always planned to “take a hard look at the events of the week,” but didn’t before know “what form it would take.”

“Today we basically said we would bring in a fresh set of eyes to work through the process of determining what went well and what lessons are to be learned,” said Hume.

Regarding the questions that members of the public have raised about security measures during the RNC, “We want to be able to answer those as best we can. Our feeling is these two [attorneys] will help us navigate that and will give an honest look at how things went,” he said.

But Heffelfinger is saying the team will not look into allegations of police misconduct, raising the question of whether St. Paul’s move will satisfy the various organizations and officials demanding independent reviews. An international human rights group, a national civil liberties organization and a smattering of local officials have issued calls — ranging in tone from livid to tepid — for investigations:

Amnesty International wants “city and county authorities to ensure that all allegations of ill-treatment and other abuses are impartially investigated, with a review of police tactics and weapons in the policing of demonstrations” — adding that it should be prompt and public.

The American Civil Liberties Union wants “an investigation into possible violations of the First and Fourth Amendments, including the arrest of reporters trying to gather the news; the mass arrest of hundreds of peaceful protestors; the surveillance and subsequent raids on several activist groups and private homes; and the confiscation by law enforcement agents of constitutionally-protected private property.”

Locally, St. Paul City Council Member Dave Thune has said he wants “a public airing of what went right and what went wrong.” To that end, he’s scheduled a “community conversation” on Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m., City Council chambers, to hear from interest groups — but no open mic for public testimony. He’s also is soliciting citizen comment for St. Paul’s official police “after-assessment.”

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak wants to investigate police actions personally — “just the mayor taking a look at how the police responded to the protests,” his spokesman told MPR. The mayor is eschewing any formal review.

Minneapolis City Council Members Cam Gordon and Gary Schiff want “an independent, blue ribbon panel to conduct a thorough investigation into the events, decisions and policies surrounding security issues and the RNC, hold hearings and make recommendations for future policy changes.”

Another parochial concern that may elude Heffelfinger are Minneapolis’ guidelines of recent vintage against which Minneapolis council members intended to measure police actions during the RNC, the “police policies regarding public assemblies” that the council passed in July 25. Gordon aide Robin Garwood and Schiff agreed city police appear to have violated at least one of the 29 policies regarding treatment of the press.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced late Tuesday afternoon that the city will undergo an outside review of the public safety... more