Advertisement

Terrorism threat and Press Freedom

Every year on the 3rd of May journalists all over the world celebrate World Press Freedom Day to reiterate their commitments to fundamental principles of press freedom and freedom of expression. As internal and cross-border conflict continues across the world, journalism remains a glamorous, yet one of the most risky professions. Altogether 78 journalists were killed in the year 2004 while covering violent conflicts. Twenty-three journalists were killed in Iraq alone.

Since the Philippines gained independence in 1986 some 56 journalists have been killed there including 12 in 2004. More than 300 journalists have been murdered in Latin America in the past 15 years; that is, at the rate of more than 20 journalists every year. Under Castro's Cuba, 30 journalists were slapped prison terms during a crackdown last year.

A World Press Freedom Day conference at the Frontline Club in London on Tuesday will provide a forum to discuss challenges being faced by the media personnel worldwide. The statistics are staggering: more than 500 journalists have been murdered in the past decade. In 8 cases out of 10, the killers walk free. The conference, organised by the

Did your vote count? Elections officials say answer is yes

This letter is a response to the following quote from the Secretary of State’s office in your Sunday June 12 article, “Did your vote count” by Kent Mallet in the Advocate.

Secretary of State's office spokesman James Lee said, "There's a reason we have a bipartisan election system... to ensure there's no monkey business going on."

There is a general presumption in America that the Republicans and Democrats do not like each other and do not work together. This may be true of partisan activists, but not the party leadership or candidates. This idea of competition between the two parties is often dramatized by the media because, let’s face it, story conflict is interesting.

In Licking County, and in most Ohio counties, there is no real competition between the two parties. The Republican and Democrat leadership usually agree on how to carve up the state between them: who will run where, and for which offices.

Violations of Civil Liberties are an American Tradition

President Bush is currently lobbying Congress to reauthorize portions of the Patriot Act that are scheduled to expire. While the Patriot Act contains provisions much needed in the war on terrorism, it also has elements that are in conflict with the civil liberties enshrined in the Constitution. Many of the provisions are violations of the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The Patriot Act allows the government to search someone’s home or office without informing them. It allows the government to obtain an individual’s library records, medical history, and financial documents, among many other items, without any probable cause of a crime. It requires judges to approve of wiretaps without knowing whom the suspect is. Immigrants and non-citizens can be jailed for an indefinite period of time, without any requirement that the government demonstrate that they are a threat to national security.

It’s not surprising that the federal government is attempting to strip people of their fundamental rights and freedoms. During the last two centuries, this has been a common occurrence in America during a time of war.

Greens: States and cities should maintain access to medical marijuana, despite Supreme Court ruling

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders urged state and municipal governments to maintain access to medical marijuana, in accord with democratically enacted local laws, despite the Supreme Court's ruling on June 6 in favor of federal prosecution.

"Numerous cities have passed resolutions condemning the USA Patriot Act for violating basic constitutional rights and condemning the invasion of Iraq" said Maya O'Connor, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States, who noted that many of these resolutions were passed through the efforts of Green elected officials and lobbying efforts led by Greens. "We urge city and state legislatures to adopt similar resolutions defending locally enacted laws allowing medical marijuana."

A list of cities and city councils that have passed resolutions against the Iraq invasion can be found at .

For states and cities that have passed statements criticizing the USA Patriot Act and upholding the Constitution, visit .

How Much Proof Needed Before the Truth Comes Out?

Now Seven Leaked British Documents Raise Iraq War Questions

The Downing Street Memo - minutes of a meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair and his advisors that said the U.S. was "fixing" the intelligence to support the Iraq War - was not enough to get the mainstream U.S. media or members of Congress to take the issue seriously. Now there is Downing II, III, IV, V, VI and VII!

As the evidence mounts, the failure of the media to seriously investigate the issues is baffling. Why aren't they interviewing current and former U.S. military intelligence officials about these reports from highest levels of British government? Isn't the media supposed to investigate and get the truth for their readers and viewers?

For Father: Dad's business

This piece is excerpted for Father's Day from Harvey Wasserman's A GLIMPSE OF THE BIG LIGHT: LOSING PARENTS, FINDING SPIRIT, available from http://harveywasserman.com.

My Dad
a businessman
was
in his way
a real revolutionary
fighting the Big Guys
the way we fought the Pentagon
to end that damn war.

He always supported me
in those efforts
and when I came
back to Columbus
and to his business
and saw what he
really did
I was equally proud.

We did have our differences
mostly about computers
which he understood
a shade less than I.

We also argued
over finance and strategy
he liked to pick fights
from time to time
to test the limits
of my mettle.

But by and large
for ten full years
we got along
grew together
activist and businessman.

My mom kept the books
my sister sold gifts
somehow
it worked.

Today
is the day
my father
will pass away.

Voter Confidence Committee Calls For Rejection of CA Special Election

The Voter Confidence Committee (VCC) of Humboldt County, California, an election reform and watchdog group, announced today it will not accept as conclusive any results from the special statewide election called for Nov. 8 by Governor Schwarzenegger. Citing the election reform platform of the Voter Confidence Resolution, the VCC maintains that this election will be held under conditions that do not ensure an outcome that is conclusive beyond all question and indicative of the will of California voters.

"Until corporate money is removed from elections, voting systems are no longer privatized, and vote counting is not done in secret, election results in America can't be seen as beyond question," said VCC principal Dave Berman. "And until these deficiencies are remedied in California, how can we possibly have a basis for confidence in election results?"

The Voting Systems and Procedures Panel is scheduled to meet in Sacramento on Thursday June 16th to rule on certification of voting equipment made by Diebold and Elections Systems and Software (ES&S). Diebold has been under heavy scrutiny for alleged employment of felons, internal memos discussing

Introduction: Did George W. Bush steal America's 2004 election?

The following text is the Introduction to the 767 page: Did George W. Bush Steal America's 2004 Election? Essential Documents. You can buy the book here.

This volume of documents is meant to provide you, the reader, with evidence necessary to make up your own mind.

Few debates have aroused more polarized ire. But too often the argument has proceeded without documentation. This volume of crucial source materials, from Ohio and elsewhere, is meant to correct that problem.

Amidst a bitterly contested vote count that resulted in unprecedented action by the Congress of the United States, here are some news accounts that followed this election, which was among the most bitterly contested in all US history:

Juries and lynch mobs: What if Jackson had been on trial in Massachusetts?

There's at least one man recently convicted of homosexual misconduct with a minor, now serving a 12 to 15-year sentence, who surely received news of Michael Jackson's acquittal with a sigh of envy at the quality of Jackson's defense team and the sturdy independence of a jury that refused to be swayed by the lynch mob atmosphere that has hung over the Jackson trial like a toxic fog. I'll return forthwith to that convicted sex offender, Father Paul Shanley, but first, what lessons should we draw from Jackson's acquittal on all counts?

The not-guilty verdict for Jackson shows once again what can happen when the prosecution and defense are on at least an equal footing. Jackson had a top-flight lawyer with an unlimited budget. The prosecutors did what most prosecutors do in America: pile up the charges, on the calculation that the defendant will plead out.

Letter From Tehran: In Washington's Cross-Hairs

Washington keeps condemning Iran's government and making thinly veiled threats. But in Iran, many people are in the midst of challenging the country's rulers, in the streets and at the ballot box.

The June 17 election for president could be a turning point or a hollow spectacle -- no one knows which -- but the Bush administration is eagerly trashing the whole thing. "The United States has not waited for the first ballot to be cast before dismissing Iran's presidential election as rigged," Agence France Presse reported over the weekend.

But Iran's election is not rigged. There is a fierce electioneering battle underway, with some significant differences between candidates. Meanwhile, hindered rather than helped by the bellicose statements from Washington, courageous Iranian activists have begun a new wave of actions against the status quo of theocracy.

On June 12, in front of the University of Tehran, nearly a hundred courageous women sat down to demonstrate for human rights in a society where women literally and figuratively are compelled to sit at the back of the bus. "Stop Bias Against Women," said one handheld

Pages

Subscribe to ColumbusFreePress.com RSS