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

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Disabled Iraq War Veteran with Service Dog Beaten by McDonalds Employee

October 30, 2009, Brooklyn, New York (Courthouse News Service) - A disabled Army captain who was wounded in Iraq claims McDonald's employees beat him with garbage can lids after he brought his service dog to the restaurant. Luis Montalvan says the attack came as he was photographing the restaurant after he repeatedly complained about the treatment he received there.

Deployment at All Costs: Military Arrests Mom, Sends Child to Protective Serivces

Soldier mom refuses deployment to care for baby

November 16, 2009, Savannah, Georgia (Associated Press) – An Army cook and single mom may face criminal charges after she skipped her deployment flight to Afghanistan because, she said, no one was available to care for her infant son while she was overseas.

Fort Hood Fallout: Camp Lejeune Whistle-Blower Fired

A psychiatrist who tried to prevent Fort Hood-style violence among Marines about to "lose it" instead loses his job

November 16, 2009 (Salon) - Last April, two Marines at Camp Lejeune predicted to a psychiatrist that some Marine back from war was going to "lose it." Concerned, the psychiatrist asked what that meant. One of the Marines responded, "One of these guys is liable to come back with a loaded weapon and open fire."

New York Times Profiles VA and Secretary Shinseki

No Longer a Soldier, Shinseki Has a New Mission

November 11, 2009 (New York Times) - It was a sad homecoming of sorts. On Tuesday, Eric Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, returned to Fort Hood, Tex., where he was a division commander in the mid-1990s, to pay tribute to two veterans affairs employees who died in the shootings there last week.

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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.

Essential Op-Ed: Holocaust Survivor Warns of Fundamentalist Control of U.S. Armed Forces

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.

Written by John L. Perry

Thursday, 01 October 2009 09:49

Here is the full text of John L. Perry's column on Newsmax which suggests that a military coup to "resolve the Obama problem" is becoming more possible and is not "unrealistic." Perry also writes that a coup, while not "ideal," may be preferable to "Obama's radical ideal" -- and would "restore and defend the Constitution." Newsmax has since removed the column from its website.

Written by Mark Sherman

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 08:39

September 29, 2009 - High-ranking government officials are usually protected from claims that they violated a person's civil rights. In lawsuits stemming from law enforcement and intelligence efforts after the Sept. 11 attacks, three federal courts have left open the possibility that former Attorney General John Ashcroft and a lieutenant may be held personally liable.

Intelligence Vets Back Torture Probe

Written by Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:03

Editor's Note: In reaction to the extraordinary appeal by seven ex-CIA directors that President Barack Obama halt a Justice Department inquiry into the use of torture by CIA interrogators, a dozen former U.S. intelligence professionals urge the President to ignore that appeal and back the investigation. (Their memo to Obama was dated Sept. 27.)

September 28, 2009 - MEMORANDUM FOR: The President

FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)

SUBJECT: Accountability for Torture

We write you, Mr. President, as former intelligence professionals to voice strong support for Attorney General Eric Holder's authorization of a wider investigation into CIA interrogation. We respectfully disagree with the direct appeal to you by seven former CIA directors to quash that wider investigation.

Written by ACLU

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 08:54

Government Continues To Withhold Key Documents In ACLU Lawsuit

September 28, 2009 - The American Civil Liberties Union will be in federal court in New York on Wednesday, September 30 for oral arguments in its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for documents related to the treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody overseas.

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