Civil Liberties Articles & News - Veterans For Common Sense

Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) was formed in August 2002 as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization by war veterans who believe that we, the people of the United States of America, are most secure when our country is free, strong, and responsibly engaged with the world. Our mission, based on the pragmatic ideals of the American patriot Thomas Paine, is to raise the unique and powerful voices of veterans so that our military, veterans, freedom, and national security are protected and enhanced, for ourselves and for future generations.

"We owe a debt to all who served and when we repay that debt to those bravest Americans among us, then we are investing in our future."
~ Barack Obama, August 3, 2009

What's New

2008 Essay by Army Spouse: When Army Strong Snaps

Editor's Note: This article was written a little more than a year ago by Ms. Carissa Picard - a proud, loyal and dedicated yet concerned Army Spouse.

VCS-ACLU Torture FOIA Update: New Documents Released

ACLU Obtains More Documents Related To Bush Administration Torture Program

October 30, 2009, New York, NY - The government today handed over to the American Civil Liberties Union numerous documents in response to two ACLU Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits for information related to the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody overseas. Thousands of pages of documents detailing the interrogation of prisoners by the FBI, Department of Defense (DOD) and CIA have previously been made public as a result of the lawsuits.

Army Times Editorial Calls for Improvements at VBA

VA Needs Bold Change

November 2, 2009 (Army Times Editorial Board) – When it comes to the vast and stubborn backlog of veterans benefits claims, Congress seems all too content to make a flyswatter to an elephant.

Op-Ed: VBA's GI Bill Turning Into an IOU

October 29, 2009 (Los Angeles Times) - In the military, I learned to expect screw-ups, especially when it came to money. So maybe the Department of Veterans Affairs is just trying to ease my transition to civilian life by doing things the military way in its handling of Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefits.

Congressional Support Increases for Streamlining of VA's PTSD Disability Rules

Bennet, Udall, Salazar Push VA to Streamline Benefits Process for Veterans Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Main Menu

Civil Liberties Articles & News

Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) posts articles, news and other related items about Constitutional civil liberties. This section focuses on torture, rendition, domestic spying, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and other Constitutional issues, most often involving the Department of Justice (DoJ), yet sometimes involving the Department of Defense (DoD), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and other agencies.

Learn about VCS's FOIA requests here.

Democrats: CIA Lied Five Times to Congress

Written by Jason Leopold

Saturday, 31 October 2009 11:47

October 28, 2009 (TruthOut) - Democratic lawmakers said Tuesday that the CIA misled and/or lied to Congress about its intelligence programs at least five times since 2001, including one previously alleged instance in which the agency failed to disclose to top members of the House and Senate intelligence committees that the CIA tortured war on terror detainees.

Written by New York Times

Monday, 26 October 2009 14:29

Editorial: The Cover-Up Continues

October 26, 2009 (New York Times Editorial Board) - The Obama administration has clung for so long to the Bush administration’s expansive claims of national security and executive power that it is in danger of turning President George W. Bush’s cover-up of abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism into President Barack Obama’s cover-up.

Written by AP

Thursday, 22 October 2009 20:58

Army: Troop Use After Alabama Shootings Broke Law; Investigation Concludes Soldiers Should Not have been Sent to Help

October 19, 2009, Samson, Alabama (AP / MSNBC)- An Army investigation found that soldiers should not have been sent to man traffic stops in a small Alabama town after 11 people were killed in March during a shooting spree.

Written by Jason Leopold

Sunday, 18 October 2009 06:03

Obama Administration Attempts to Scuttle ACLU - VCS FOIA Lawsuit

October 17, 2009 (TruthOut) - The Obama administration will likely drop its Supreme Court petition challenging the release of photographs showing US soldiers abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan now that lawmakers are set to pass legislation authorizing the government to continue to keep the images under wraps.

Written by Walter Plywaski

Thursday, 01 October 2009 12:30

September 30, 2009 - At the age of 80 and a Holocaust survivor, my time is limited and thus I must share my thoughts and feelings about the frightening trends in today’s U.S. Military. The stealthy fundamentalist Christian takeover of our armed forces is a strategy all too reminiscent of what brought about the end of all, but two, of my entire family in German-occupied Poland during World War II.

More Articles...

<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next > End >>

Page 1 of 7