Alan Grayson Calls for Declassification of 9/11 Documents. On September 11, 2001, twelve years ago as of tomorrow, the United States was hit by arguably the most devastating terrorist attack of all time, when two hijacked plans were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Thousands of Americans tragically lost their lives. After the attack, the US government immediately blamed Osama bin Laden and hastily assembled a 9/11 Commission Report, which has been widely criticized as a whitewash, due to its omission of key points relevant to the investigation. Since that time, an explosion of alternative theories has erupted through public discourse. In almost every poll taken on the subject, significant numbers of Americans have expressed doubt regarding the official story of the 9/11 attacks. Some have even suggested that officials within the US government might have been involved.
The Government Should Have No Problem Releasing Files If It Has Nothing to Hide. Bill would require agencies to fire feds who invoke Fifth Amendment. A Republican lawmaker has proposed legislation that would require federal agencies to fire employees who refuse to answer questions from Congress.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), would also give congressional panels the authority to terminate employment “if three-fourths of the congressional body that heard the testimony finds that a federal worker willfully or knowingly gave false testimony during a hearing.” “This legislation is constitutional and necessary to enable Congress to provide proper oversight for the American people,” Brooks told The Hill newspaper on Friday.
U.S. Director of Exempt Organizations for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Lois Lerner waits to testify at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. Supreme Court to Consider Right to Sue in Challenge to Wiretap Law. U.S.
Supreme Court Posted Oct 29, 2012 6:15 AM CDT By Debra Cassens Weiss In oral arguments on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a group of lawyers, human rights groups and journalists have standing to challenge a warrantless wiretapping law. The 2008 law authorizes the National Security Agency to monitor international emails and phone calls without a warrant for each target, according to Reuters and a press release by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing the plaintiffs. ACLU deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer argues that the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Hacked Intel Email: NYPD Involved in "Damn Right Felonious Activity" Occupy Wall Street at Liberty Square in New York City, October 10. 2011.
(Photo: a c o r n)The New York City Police Department (NYPD) really has gone rogue; at least that's what a high-level FBI official believes. Verurteilung in Indonesien: Atheist muss nach Facebook-Outing ins Gefängnis. U.S. Marine faces dismissal over criticism of Obama on Facebook. Camp Pendleton - U.S. Marine sergeant Gary Stein made the mistake of criticizing President Barack Obama on his Facebook page.
That mistake may cause him to be dismissed in shame. Stein superimposed images of President Obama's face on to a poster advertising the movie "Jackass". US Supreme Court Looking At New York Rent Control: UWS Building The Focus Of Constitutional Debate. Do you still think it's totally unfair that that West Village dude pays $331.76 a month for that beautiful four-bedroom apartment?
Well, it turns out the United States Supreme Court understands how you feel (that is, unless you are paying $331.76 a month for a beautiful four-bedroom apartment). The highest court in the land is at long last taking a look (PDF) at New York rent control. As we wrote before, Upper West Siders James and Jeanne Harmon are required to charge 60 percent less than the market price for 3 of the 6 tenants at their 32 West 76th Street brownstone. One tenant, Nancy Wing Lombardi, pays only $1,000 for her one-bedroom apartment, even though she also owns a house in the Hamptons.
Fifth Amendment Protects The Right Not to Decrypt Hard Drives. As you probably know, the Fifth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution protects a person against being compelled to testify against himself. Historically, this right was directly linked to a desire to prevent torture and forced confessions. However, over the centuries, through the development of American law, it has expanded significantly. Essentially, the right now prevents the government from imposing any penalty on a person for refusing to answer a question whose answer might incriminate him or her. In addition to testimony in open court, this right extends to questioning by the police, as well. However, courts have repeatedly held that compelling a person to perform a physical act, such as opening a safe deposit box, or turning over a blood sample, does not trigger the Fifth Amendment. Case in point: a federal appeals court has just ruled that the Fifth Amendment protects a criminal suspect from being compelled to provide the encryption key needed to view files stored on his computer.
Encrypted files, child pornography, and the Fifth Amendment. Photograph of computer by Creatas and photograph of police tape by iStockphoto.
In October 2010, law enforcement agents pursuing a child pornography investigation tracked a Florida man suspected of sharing illegal images to a hotel room in California. After obtaining a search warrant, they raided the room, seizing computers and hard drives with nearly five terabytes of total storage capacity.