London Inquiry Refutes Police in Their Killing of a Suspect. This story just keeps getting worse. At the time, the police said Mr. Menezes wore a bulky jacket on a hot day, began running from officers despite commands to halt, vaulted the ticket turnstile and ran stumbling onto the subway train. On Tuesday, however, a … …
U.S. Defends Detentions at Airports. Foreign citizens who change planes at airports in the United States can legally be seized, detained without charges, deprived of access to a lawyer or the courts, and even denied basic necessities like food, lawyers for the government said in Brooklyn federal court yesterday. [snip] But David Cole, a law … …
Convicted of Aiding Terrorist, Translator Prepares for Prison Cell, Still in Disbelief. Mr. Yousry said he did not blame Ms. Stewart for his troubles. He concludes that his fate is the result of the change in New York after Sept. 11. After the attacks, he says, New York jurors “would rather believe the government” in … …
Bush Administration Increasingly Isolated on Venezuela. While a majority of Americans, according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, now believe the war in Iraq was not worth fighting, the Bush administration is chalking up a lesser-known but increasingly obvious foreign policy failure closer to home. The Administration’s efforts to isolate Venezuela as “undemocratic” have … …
Brazilian did not wear bulky jacket. Regardless of how this story pans out, the bulky jacket and alleged turnstile jumping do not justify the shooting. Where is the outrage? Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead in the head, was not wearing a heavy jacket that might have concealed a bomb, and did not … …
No random bag search today. I was prepared to decline the search and walk elsewhere if necessary. That may sound crazy, but people are way too eager to sacrifice their rights to “feel safe.” So I departed Grand Central station at 10:00 this morning, and there were zero cops in sight. Does anyone else not … …
Police to Check Bags on NYC Subways. Officials declined to specify how frequently the checks would occur. The inspections are scheduled to be in place by rush hour on Friday. Authorities said bus and commuter train passengers will also be checked. [snip] [Police Commissioner Raymond] Kelly said passengers selected for searches will be approached by … …
Despite Terror, Europeans Seem Determined to Maintain Civil Liberties. Political leaders in Europe diplomatically avoid criticizing the United States, but it has surely not been lost on ordinary Europeans that the countries attacked, and threatened by attack, are those that have supported the American war in Iraq. [snip] Moreover, Germany is the only country to … …
Judge Orders End to Arrest of Beggars. Forgot to mark this article over the weekend. Recognized my favorite panhandler yesterday while waiting for the express train at GCT. Briefly considered walking over to offer my loose change, but I thought that would be a little weird since she wasn’t even in begging mode. A federal … …
One Muslim’s Odyssey to Guantánamo. The Bush administration bristles at the term “gulag,” but I am hard-pressed to come up with a term that describes the situation more accurately. If you can’t pronounce the word “nuclear” correctly though, I gather that “habeas corpus” is out of the question. Moreover, even American documents indicated that much … …