03.09.06

Well-Written Washington Monthly Article that Examines How Big Business Exploits Evangelicals

Posted in Uncategorized at 8:17 pm by kentnlgadmin

This article touches on a number of interesting topics:

  1. Republican operatives filibustering a bi-partisan bill that authorizes public schools to teach an elective course on the Bible;
  2. The selfish reasons behind the filibuster;
  3. Republican & Democrat rhetorical strategies;
  4. The political use of language;
  5. How Big Business values invariably supersede Moral and Religious values;
  6. How “moderate evangelicals” might go over to the Democrats if their values are not respected.

Well worth the read; highly recommended.

-MAD-

03.06.06

Salah events this week HERE – try to attend one

Posted in Uncategorized at 3:55 pm by kentnlgadmin

“Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”– Fredrick Douglass

 
Public Truth Hearing

Saturday, March 11th
1:00 – 4:00 PM
Chicago-Kent School of Law
566 West Adams Street, Room 510

 
Learn the Truth about the U.S. Government’s Case Against Muhammad Salah! Say no to TORTURE!! Say no to FEAR !!
 
Program Will Include
Panel on Torture and Due Process (Speakers TBA)
Statement from Muhammad Salah
Testimonies from Maryam Salah and Human Rights Experts. 
 
Sponsored by: The Coalitio n to Protect People’s Rights, NLG-Chicago-Kent Chapter, Chicagoland Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights, Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights, Chicago Media Action, Arab American Action Network, CAIR-Chicago, Southwest Youth Collaborative. If you would like to endorse this event, please email s_adely@yahoo.com.
 
Background on the Case:
 

 

An American citizen of Palestinian descent, Mr. Salah traveled from his home in Bridgeview, IL to Israel in 1993 to provide monetary assistance to Palestinian families.  At the Gaza border-crossing, over twenty Israeli soldiers arrested and detained him.  The Israeli Secret Service then systematically tortured him during an 80-day interrogation and forced Mr. Salah to sign a confession in Hebrew, a language that Mr. Salah does not understand.  The Israeli Military Court sentenced him to five years in prison.  After serving his sentence, he returned home to his family in the U.S. in 1997. 
 
When he returned, the U.S. government had launched an investigation and had listed him on a list of Specially Designated Terrorists. Mr. Salah is the only U.S. Citizen to be placed on that list. As a result of this designation, all of the Salah family assets were frozen, and he was prohibited from receiving any goods or services from any U.S citizen not licensed to do so.  Mr. Salah had to obtain permission from the Department of Treasury to get a job, to retain an attorney, to open a bank account, and to receive medical car e.  As a result of these restrictions, his entire family suffered consequences and now lives in fear of eviction.  Mr. Salah suffered these restrictions on his rights without being notified as to the reasons and without an opportunity to challenge his placement on the list. 
 
Not until 2001 did the United States federal government re-launch a grand jury investigation into Mr. Salah’s case.  Then, in 2004, the U.S. charged Mr. Salah with aiding a terrorist organization based on the Hebrew confession, obtained through torture in 1993.  He is scheduled to stand trial in the fall of 2006 in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois.  Mr. Salah’s lawyers moved to suppress the 1993 Hebrew confession as evidence.  Starting on March 3, 2006, the court will hold hearings on whether to admit this confession as evidence.  The court has closed to the public the portion of the hearing in which Mr. Salah’s Israeli interrogators will testify as to their methods of interrogation.  The closing of the hearing further violates Mr. Salah’s Sixth Amendment Constitutional rights and the public’s First Amendment right to a full public trial. 
 
As residents of Bridgeview, Mr. Salah and his wife have long been active members in their community, where they have raised their five children. Two of whom are attending college on full scholarships. The Coalition to Protect People’s Rights has united in order to raise public awareness about the United States government’s violation of Mr. Muhammad Salah’s due process rights.  The Coalition, which is comprised of civil rights groups, human rights groups, community-based organizations, and concerned individuals, advocates for the safeguarding of people’s rights protected by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Please join our Coalition in this effort to protect human rights and Mr. Muhammad Salah’s right to a fair trial.    
Thank you,
For more information contact cpprchicago@yahoo.com

 

03.02.06

Salah events this week – try to attend one

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:37 am by kentnlgadmin

Friday, March 3rd 
9:00 AM-Press Conference
North side of Dirksen Federal Building (Dearborn and Adams)
10:00 AM – Opening Statements of Muhammad Salah Suppression Hearing Dirksen Federal Building, Room 1241. You will need I.D. to enter the building.

 
Monday, March 6th
10:00 – 12:00 – Chicago Federal Plaza
Prayer Vigil in Support of a Fair and Open Hearing This is the day that we expect the hearing to be closed to the public. Please come out with your religious community, students, co-workers, friends and as individual s.
 
Saturday, March 11th
Public Truth Hearing (TBA) – Details to follow.
 
March 3 – 16th
Silent Supporters in the Court Room
Monday through Thursday – 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
We expect the duration of the hearing to be about two weeks. It is important that we have a broad showing of support in the in the courtroom throughout. Please come when you can.
 

Check out the New “NLG at Kent” Website.

Posted in Uncategorized at 2:30 am by kentnlgadmin

I have completely reconfigured the “NLG at Kent” Website. It is now
easier to navigate, takes up less space, and looks cooler. Here is the
URL link:

http://www.kentlaw.edu/student_orgs/nlg/

I’ve also included a permanent “NLG at Kent” link from this blog on the right hand side, under “web sites”

-MAD-

What do American Express, Saudi Arabia, Dell, Halliburton, and the United Arab Emirates have in common? Internet Censorship!

Posted in Uncategorized at 2:21 am by kentnlgadmin

Recently, the technology and culture journalists at the popular, independent boingboing news website received an unpleasant suprise.  Readers all over the globe were now unable to access the site because it was blocked by Secure Computing’s Smartfilter.  The United Arab Emirates, and presumably Saudi Arabia blocked the website for religious reasons.  The American companies presumably blocked sites containing nudity.  This apparently includes Michaelangelo’s “Statue of David.”  Of course, boingboing also provides other types of “problematic” commentary, such as consumer advocacy regarding file-sharing and electronic device modification, as well as political commentary.

Miffed, the boingboing team decided to retaliate with a Guide to Defeating CensorWare.
Since it supports freedom of expression and the public right to access said expression, the Chicago-Kent NLG will provide an additional link on its Resources page.
Long Live boingboing.net!

-Zardoz-

02.27.06

Back Congressional Grassroots Candidate Christine Cegelis

Posted in Uncategorized at 7:34 am by kentnlgadmin

From the IL Chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America:

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA

ORGANIZE, MOBILIZE, AND DELIVER THE
———————————–
PROGRESSIVE VOTE 2006
———————

GET OUT THE VOTE RALLY (GOTV)
Saturday, March 4, 10 a.m.
The Machinist Local Lodge, 1487
50 W. Oakton St. in the city of Des Plaines

Christine Cegelis is anti-war, pro-choice, pro-renewable energy, and opposes NAFTA-like
trade deals.

She supports a definite timetable for the
quick and safe withdrawal of troops.

Following the endorsement from PDA’s local chapter, Christine Cegelis received a warm,
enthusiastic endorsement from Progressive Democrats of America (PDA):
http://pdamerica.org/articles/campaigns/cegelis-endorsement.php

We’ve been working day and night since.
Illinois PDA activists are pounding the
pavement and PDA members from across the
country have contributed generously.

We need to turn up the heat…Will you join
us on March 4?

For more information please visit PDA on the
web at pdamerica.org

-KR

02.26.06

South Florida Police Stations Take Complaint Forms Personally

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:18 pm by kentnlgadmin

If you want to file a complaint about a South Florida police officer’s behavior, you will probably be in for a rough time.  Of the thirty to forty police stations tested in South Florida, only three had simple complaint forms.  The others did not seem keen on the idea of someone walking in, filling out a complaint form, and leaving.
Reactions ranged from passive-aggressive stone-walling, to defensive posturing, and to outright intimidation bordering on assault.  The police officers would ask which officer the person was complaining about, would demand ID, where the complainant lived, and so on.  When denied the answers to these questions, the police officers would get angry.  Watch the whole video.  It’s quite eye-opening.  You won’t see these officers on COPS.

http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_033170755.html

02.10.06

movie night this friday

Posted in Uncategorized at 1:27 pm by kentnlgadmin

attention all one of you that read this blog!

Tears in our beers this coming Friday for the showing of Hotel Rwanda. Popcorn, too.

3-4: legal observer training with Herr Kevin. 4-6:30 drinks and Don Cheadle for our showing of Hotel Rwanda. Be there, where everybody knows your name and the drinks is free.

el Maximo

02.08.06

Blood drive April 11

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:46 pm by kentnlgadmin

Tuesday April 11  Sometime in April will be our blood drive. I think the NLG does this simply because blood is red.

That 10th floor room is annoyingly hard to book
Tell all your friends, and some of your enemies.

El Maximo

Upcoming events and flyer edit

Posted in Uncategorized at 11:05 am by kentnlgadmin

Sup homies.

  • Upcoming excitement: LO training and movie night next friday. Battle of Algiers is the current movie suggestion. I want Fidel hats for Legal Observers.
  • Blood drive in either late March or Feb, I’m waiting for dates.
  • Salah meeting tonight @ at 6:00 pm – at 637 S. Dearborn / 3rd floor for interested parties (I can’t go, Caleb Fox will be representing us, maybe Nik from Chicago chapter as well)
  • Lynne Stewart event hosted by Depaul and Chicago chapter Sat. the 18th at noonish.
  • next regional conference meeting is Tuesday the 14th from 4:30-6. Ditch your loved one and come along, all are invited!
  • I clearly love bullet lists. I tried to UL a doc copy of the draft of the flyer for the conference, but this puppy won’t let me ul docs. So, email me if you want a peek, we could use feedbag on it.

Cheers,

El Maximo (austin)

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