Contributor
20 items by John Knefel
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What Obama's Speech Means for Guantanamo | ARTICLE
In a major speech Thursday at the National Defense University, President Barack Obama described in broad terms what his administration has framed as a new, more limited approach to waging what's known as the war against al...
May 23, 2013 6:10 PM ET -
Why Are Homeowners Being Jailed for Demanding Wall Street Prosecutions? | ARTICLE
A two-day long housing protest outside the Department of Justice this week has resulted in nearly 30 arrests and several instances of law enforcement unnecessarily using tasers on activists, according to eye-witnesses. The action – which was...
May 22, 2013 3:00 PM ET -
What's at Stake When the Department of Justice Seizes AP Phone Records | ARTICLE
This week, it was revealed that the Department of Justice secretly seized two months' worth of private phone records from Associated Press reporters and editors. As this decision comes under increasing scrutiny, press freedom advocates...
May 15, 2013 12:01 PM ET -
Guantanamo Bay: Inside a Legal Nightmare | ARTICLE
As the hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay enters its fourth month and pressure to close the prison mounts, it's easy to forget that Guantanamo is not only a detention facility but also the site of...
May 13, 2013 4:35 PM ET -
Everything You've Been Told About Radicalization Is Wrong | ARTICLE
If media accounts are to be believed, the accused Boston marathon bombers were "radicalized" by watching American-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki's YouTube sermons and reading Inspire, the al Qaeda magazine. To whatever extent it is true of...
May 6, 2013 5:05 PM ET -
'The Point of No Return': Should Robots Be Able to Decide to Kill You On Their Own? | ARTICLE
A U.N. report released earlier this week called for a global moratorium on developing highly sophisticated robots that can select and kill targets without a human being directly issuing a command. These machines, known as...
April 30, 2013 3:10 PM ET -
Dianne Feinstein Urges Obama to Transfer Cleared Guantanamo Detainees | ARTICLE
In a letter this week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) called on the Obama administration to "renew its efforts to transfer 86 detainees" held at Guantanamo who have been cleared to be moved by a review board. The...
April 26, 2013 12:35 PM ET -
Yemeni Whose Village Was Bombed Testifies At First Senate Drone Hearing | ARTICLE
Farea al-Muslimi, a Yemeni activist and journalist whose village was bombed last week, was one of six witnesses who testified before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon about the effects and consequences of the Obama...
April 24, 2013 11:15 AM ET -
'War on Whistleblowers' Film Highlights Dangers of Crackdown | ARTICLE
Since taking office, President Obama's Department of Justice has brought charges against six whistleblowers under the Espionage Act of 1917 – more than every previous administration combined. The chilling effect such prosecutions can have is profound and...
April 17, 2013 2:58 PM ET -
Guantanamo Lawyers Denied Phone Access to Clients | ARTICLE
An email obtained by Rolling Stone reveals that a Guantanamo Bay lawyer who represents 11 detainees was denied access to an emergency call to communicate with one of his clients on Tuesday. Defense attorney Carlos Warner requested...
April 16, 2013 4:50 PM ET -
Task Force: Post-9/11 U.S. Policies Were Torture | ARTICLE
A non-partisan task force led by two former members of Congress has concluded that the United States government engaged in torture in the years after 9/11, and that "senior officials . . . bear ultimate responsibility" for...
April 16, 2013 2:56 PM ET -
Did the CIA's Drone Program in Pakistan Begin With a 'Bargaining Chip' Killing? | ARTICLE
In a major story in Sunday's New York Times, national security reporter Mark Mazzetti details the troubling origins of the CIA's targeted killing program in Pakistan – which he says began in 2004 with the...
April 8, 2013 10:54 AM ET -
U.N. Official Calls for Closing of Guantanamo Bay | ARTICLE
A high-ranking United Nations official called for the closing of Guantanamo Bay today in one of the strongest statements issued by the U.N. in recent memory. Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human...
April 5, 2013 3:40 PM ET -
Symbols of Bush-era Lawlessness Flourish Under Obama | ARTICLE
During the George W. Bush years, two of the most controversial elements of what was then called the Global War on Terror were the CIA's rendition, detention and interrogation (RDI) program and the creation of the prison...
April 2, 2013 3:00 PM ET -
Guantanamo Bay Hunger Strike Worsens As Hopes For Prison's Closing Fade | ARTICLE
First it was five or six. Then it was 14. Then 24, and now 25. Those are the number of Guantánamo Bay detainees on hunger strike that the Department of Defense...
March 21, 2013 11:30 AM ET -
Andrew 'Weev' Auernheimer Sentenced to Three and a Half Years | ARTICLE
Andrew Auernheimer, the 27-year-old hacker better known as Weev, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison this week for his role in what became known as the AT&T hack, with an additional 3 years...
March 19, 2013 12:46 PM ET -
Police Spying on American Muslims Is a Pointless National Shame | ARTICLE
Civil liberties groups led by the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition released a new report today detailing the detrimental effects of the NYPD's spying on Muslim communities in recent years. The report, called Mapping Muslims:...
March 11, 2013 12:00 PM ET -
Why Rand Paul's Filibuster Matters | ARTICLE
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) held the Senate floor for 12 straight hours this week, from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning, in an attempt to block the nomination of John Brennan to lead the CIA. But the junior...
March 7, 2013 2:43 PM ET -
House Hearing Fails to Address Major Concerns With Targeted Killing Program | ARTICLE
The House Judiciary Committee held a full member hearing today on when it is acceptable for the government to designate a U.S. citizen for targeted killing – the first hearing to focus specifically on this...
February 27, 2013 12:32 PM ET -
The Drone Industry Wants a Makeover | ARTICLE
It's been a rough couple of months for drone advocates. John Brennan's CIA confirmation hearing and the Department of Justice's leaked white paper on the government's "kill list" have finally brought the issue of targeted...
February 21, 2013 5:03 PM ET
