Secret Plans and Clever Tricks: How Information About Public Contracting Is Hidden From the Public
Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout: Evidence abounds that when private companies take over formerly public roles, the public’s right to know gets contracted away as well. The consequences can be significant.
Complaint at World Court Alleges NATO Members Complicit in War Crimes
Candice Bernd, Truthout: British human rights lawyers’ complaint at the International Criminal Court documents Pakistani civilian drone victims’ accounts and accuses NATO member-states of war crimes by helping to facilitate the US covert drone program.
Why Drone Strikes Harm America
L. Michael Hager, Truthout: Despite global outrage, the Obama administration is debating whether to expand the drone program to target American citizens living abroad, proof that the termination of the CIA’s drone program is long overdue.
Local Resistance to the NDAA Amps Up, Spans Political Spectrum
Britney Schultz, Truthout: A recent decision by the Obama administration to consider a drone strike against a US citizen and perceived “terrorist” brings the conflict of executive authority and civil and constitutional rights back in the spotlight as local resistance to the NDAA is spreading across the country.
Lee Fang, The Nation: On paper, the lobbying industry is quickly disappearing. In January, records indicated that for a third straight year, overall spending on lobbying decreased. Lobbyists themselves continue to deregister. But experts say that lobbying isn’t dying; instead, it’s simply going underground.
Our Vision Is More Than a DREAM: What’s Next for Immigrant Youth?
Neidi Dominguez, Truthout: “Immigrant youth have been the engine behind immigrant rights organizing in recent years. We’ve been lifted up and saddled with the title of dreamers, but we’ve always been so much more. Where we go next is something we must define for ourselves.”
UIC Faculty Rekindle Fight for Public Education With Historic Strike
Rebecca Burns, In These Times: Tuesday marked the start of an unprecedented two-day walkout staged by University of Illinois at Chicago United Faculty, the union that represents more than 1,100 tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty members at the state university. Strikes by university professors are a rare occurrence.
“Sky Raper”: Drones Are Tools of the Patriarchy
Allison Kilkenny, Unreported: “Here we have a bunch of joystick jockeys not only responsible for killing nameless, faceless brown people thousands of miles away, but as if that wasn’t enough of a violation, they decided to sprinkle a dash of rape culture onto their acts of horrific violence,” says Kilkenny.
ALEC’s Fracking Chemical Disclosure Bill Moving Through Florida Legislature
Steve Horn, DeSmogBlog: The American Legislative Exchange Council’s model bill for disclosure of chemicals injected into the ground during the controversial hydraulic fracturing process is back for a sequel in the Sunshine State’s legislature.
Biblical Medicine: How Religious Authorities Can Have Power Over Your Life and Death Decisions
Valerie Tarico, AlterNet: Religious belief is on the decline in the US, and medical knowledge is on the increase. This makes it particularly ironic that so much of our health care system is accountable at the highest levels, not to science or patient preference, but to the dictates of faith and theology.
A New Cold War? Ukraine Violence Escalates, Leaked Tape Suggests US Was Plotting Coup
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!: While President Obama has vowed to “continue to engage all sides,” a recently leaked audio recording between two top US officials reveals the Obama administration has been secretly plotting with the opposition.
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BuzzFlash
Rick “Man-on-Dog” Santorum Plans 2016 Run on “Save the Unborn, Damn the Living Poor” Platform
Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: Rick Santorum doesn’t just want to control women’s bodies; he wants to dictate how we live. He doesn’t just believe in Jesus Christ; he thinks that he is Jesus Christ.
In Parched States, Fracking’s Thirst Grows
Read the Article at The Los Angeles Times
Obama’s Nuke-Powered Drone Strike
Bush-Appointed Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against NYPD Spying, Argues Associated Press Caused Muslims to Suffer
Read the Article at Firedoglake
With 2015 Budget Request, Obama Will Call for an End to Era of Austerity
Read the Article at The Washington Post
“Son of God” Coming to a Theater Near You
This Utah Lawmaker Might Be the Most Delusional Climate Skeptic Ever
My Life Behind Kiev’s Barricades