#ACLU criticism

[pressrealz]

Judge Chutkan Denies Trump's Attempt to Subpoena Jan 6 Committee Records

Getty Images Art made in Canva In the ongoing legal battle surrounding the events of January 6th, federal judge Tanya Chutkan has made a significant decision by blocking former President Donald Trump’s legal team’s attempts to subpoena what they claim are “missing” records from the Jan 6 Committee. Chutkan, who hails from Jamaica, is overseeing Trump’s prosecution related to the January 6th…

[thepersonalwords]

You can control the visibility of my name and my popularity, but you cannot control the frequency at which people are quoting me. Truth always rises with time.

Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

[benandstevesposts]

Federal Agency Rejects Developer’s Report That Massive Grain Elevator Won’t Harm Black Heritage Sites

For the second time in six months, a federal agency reprimanded a Louisiana developer for failing to adequately assess the harm that its proposed $400 million agricultural development would cause to neighboring Black communities and historic sites.

In a forceful letter dated Dec. 23, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejected claims by the developer, Greenfield LLC, that its massive grain transfer facility in St. John the Baptist Parish upriver from New Orleans will have “no adverse effects.” The Corps is considering a permit application by Greenfield to build on federally protected waters and has the power to halt the project.

That new report, which the Corps received in November, did not address the agency’s demand that the developer conducts a more complete assessment of how the project could damage historic sites and harm residents of nearby towns, according to the Corps’ December letter.

“The report,” the letter reads, “just doesn’t demonstrate adequate engagement, and that must be rectified.”

A Greenfield spokesperson said our team of respected expert consultants and have done thorough evaluations to consider any and all potential impacts. The statement said Greenfield takes seriously its responsibility to provide regulatory agencies with accurate and complete information consistent with the regulatory requirements.

The Corps’ letter criticizes Greenfield and its contractors for failing to meaningfully consult with people whose lives would be impacted by the dozens of looming grain silos, new rail, truck, and shipping traffic, and pollutants from the facility. It says Greenfield and its consultants have not done enough to account for how the development project might harm communities of color, a requirement under federal environmental justice standards.

“It’s very disappointing that they would continue to double down on the report, that they are still saying there will not be any detrimental effects,” Erin Edwards, who blew the whistle on the earlier report, told ProPublica in a recent interview.

“It’s very disappointing that they would continue to double down on the report, that they are still saying there will not be any detrimental effects,” Erin Edwards, who blew the whistle on the earlier report, told ProPublica in a recent interview. Edwards co-authored the first version of the information when she worked as an architectural historian for Gulf South Research Corporation, the for-profit cultural resources, and archaeological consulting firm hired by another of Greenfield’s consultants to conduct a federally required assessment of historical sites.

Edwards resigned in late 2021 after her report was stripped of every mention of possible harm to communities or cultural properties, including her conclusion that the area surrounding the development should be listed as a historic district because of its connection to histories of slavery. In internal Gulf South emails obtained by ProPublica, a company manager wrote that it would lose its contract for the report — and could lose future work — if it didn't change the findings.

“Gulf South knew all along that the project would harm the historic plantations there, and they knew that it would hurt the area as a whole,” Edwards said. “There’s no way to look at the evidence and not see that it’s going to be detrimental.”

The Greenfield grain facility has been the target of sustained pushback from nearby communities, civil and human rights groups, and historic preservation organizations, as well as from other federal agencies, including the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, which oversees national preservation policy. The land where the development is planned sits beside the Whitney Plantation Museum, which serves as a memorial to enslaved people in Louisiana. One plot of land down the river is another unusually well preserved plantation designated as a National Historic Landmark.

To read the ProPublica Report, you can find the complete publication by clicking here and going directly to the information by visiting their site.

[makingcontact]

Tulsa's Black History Saturday School

Ribbon cutting at Tulsa’s EduRec Youth Center for Black History Saturdays. Credit: Black History Saturdays 2021 marked the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre – a horrific attack white people waged against Greenwood, a once prosperous Black neighborhood in north Tulsa, Oklahoma. Also in 2021, state legislators passed a law that limits how race is discussed in classrooms.  Tulsa activists say HB…

[healingdemeter]

In a section titled “Aspects of News Coverage That Can Promote Suicide Contagion,” the CDC cautioned against “[p]resenting simplistic explanations for suicide.” Suicide, it explained, “is never the result of a single factor or event, but rather results from a complex interaction of many factors and usually involves a history of psychosocial problems.”

If you are feeling suicidal, never forget that there is hope! Please call the Suicide Crisis Line at 988 to get help.

[allthegeopolitics]

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kids-online-safety-act-dead-advocates

[fairuzfan]

The University of Michigan’s alleged frustration with local prosecutors stems from a November campus sit-in at which Ann Arbor police arrested a group of 40 protesters. The Washtenaw county prosecutor Eli Savit, a progressive prosecutor who is also Jewish, announced in May that his office would dismiss 36 cases and recommend four for diversion programs where they faced a light punishment.

That incensed U-M’s pro-Israel regents and police department because they wanted swifter, tougher charges, according to sources with knowledge of the process, who spoke with the Guardian on the condition of anonymity. They then asked Nessel to take the cases and university police sent warrant requests to her office.

Multiple legal observers said it is unprecedented for a state attorney general to take protest cases instead of local prosecutors. In September, ACLU Michigan wrote in a statement that it was “especially concerned” the state’s highest law enforcement office was deployed to issue only minor charges, such as misdemeanor trespassing, for some protesters.

[...]

U-M denied wrongdoing, and the university and regent Jordan Acker said it was “not true” that the university asked Nessel to investigate, but rather that Nessel offered to take the cases. He then said the attorney general’s unprecedented involvement in a protest case was justified. “I would say I don’t think we have seen anything like this before either, where you have a coordinated, foreign-funded student protest that is engaging in violent activity,” Acker said. (There is no evidence the encampment received any foreign funding, and students blame reports of any violence that took place when the encampment was cleared on police.)

[...]

Nessel received $25,000 from the Michigan Jewish Democratic caucus, which was founded and is partially funded by state representative Noah Arbit, an outspoken pro-Israel politician, “good friend” of Nessel and frequent critic of pro-Palestinian advocates. He recently labeled student protesters “sick cowards”.

Meanwhile, a Democratic U-M donor and school of information board member who last year faced no consequences after allegedly verbally and physically assaulting Arab American students has, along with her husband who is a university donor, given $26,000 to Nessel.

[berio-visage-asmr]

KOSA DEAD LETS GOOOOOOO

[nudityandnerdery]

A bill in the House would allow the Secretary of the Treasury to designate a tax-exempt organization for being "terrorist supporting organizations."

Right, this can never be misused.

Contact your representatives. Tell them to vote no.

[anarchne]

as a q/ueer adoptee (or rainbow adoptee) it pisses me off so much when members of our community say stuff like this.

Shit Takes on Adoption Abolishment.

I don't really want straight people to adopt either but somehow we're always circling back to lg/btq (censored to avoid the searches/ tags).

[benandstevesposts]

The McCurtain County Sheriff, a Sheriff's Department Investigator, and the Jail Administrator are also requested to resign by the community and governor for allegedly making similar comments, which for the accused were unknowingly recorded and released to the community by a local newspaper. The sheriff is threatening to arrest whoever recorded the conversations.

[mariacallous]

US appeals court upholds TikTok law forcing its sale

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law requiring Chinese-based ByteDance to divest its popular short video app TikTok in the United States by early next year or face a ban.

The decision is a win for the Justice Department and opponents of the Chinese-owned app and a devastating blow to ByteDance. The ruling now increases the possibility of an unprecedented ban in just six weeks on a social media app used by 170 million Americans.

The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Free speech advocates immediately criticized the decision. The American Civil Liberties Union said it sets a "flawed and dangerous precedent."

"Banning TikTok blatantly violates the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use this app to express themselves and communicate with people around the world,” said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of the ACLU's National Security Project.

But the appeals court said the law “was the culmination of extensive, bipartisan action by the Congress and by successive presidents. It was carefully crafted to deal only with control by a foreign adversary, and it was part of a broader effort to counter a well-substantiated national security threat posed by the PRC (People's Republic of China)."

U.S. appeals court Judges Sri Srinivasan, Neomi Rao and Douglas Ginsburg considered the legal challenges brought by TikTok and users against the law that gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell or divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban.

The decision -- unless the Supreme Court reverses it -- puts TikTok's fate in the hands of first President JoeBiden on whether to grant a 90-day extension of the Jan. 19 deadline to force a sale and then President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. But it's not clear whether ByteDance could meet the heavy burden to show it had made significant progress toward a divestiture needed to trigger the extension.

Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok during his first term in 2020, said before the November presidential election he would not allow the TikTok ban.

TikTok said it expected the Supreme Court would reverse the appeals court decision on First Amendment grounds.

"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," TikTok said in a statement, adding the law will result "in outright censorship of the American people."

The Justice Department did not have an immediate comment on the decision.

The decision upholds the law giving the U.S. government sweeping powers to ban other foreign-owned apps that could raise concerns about collection of Americans' data. In 2020, Trump also tried to ban Tencent-owned WeChat, but was blocked by the courts.

Shares of Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab, which competes against TikTok in online ads, hit an intraday record high following the ruling, last up over 3%. Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab, whose YouTube video platform also competes with TikTok, was up over 1% following the ruling.

TIKTOK BAN LOOMS

The court acknowledged its decision would lead to TikTok's ban on Jan. 19 without an extension from Biden.

"Consequently, TikTok's millions of users will need to find alternative media of communication," the court said, which was because of China's "hybrid commercial threat to U.S. national security, not to the U.S. Government, which engaged with TikTok through a multi-year process in an effort to find an alternative solution."

The opinion was written by Ginsburg, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, and joined by Rao, who was named to the bench by Trump, and Srinivasan, an appointee of President Barack Obama.

The Justice Department says under Chinese ownership, TikTok poses a serious national security threat because of its access to vast personal data of Americans, asserting China can covertly manipulate information that Americans consume via TikTok.

U.S. officials have also warned TikTok's management is beholden to the Chinese government, which could compel the company to share the data of its American users.

TikTok has denied it has or ever would share U.S. user data, accusing American lawmakers in the lawsuit of advancing "speculative" concerns.

TikTok and ByteDance argue the law is unconstitutional and violates Americans' free speech rights. They call it "a radical departure from this country's tradition of championing an open Internet."

ByteDance, backed by Sequoia Capital, Susquehanna International Group, KKR & Co (KKR.N), opens new tab, and General Atlantic, among others, was valued at $268 billion in December 2023 when it offered to buy back around $5 billion worth of shares from investors, Reuters reported then.

The law prohibits app stores like Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google from offering TikTok and bars internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless ByteDance divests TikTok by the deadline.

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a concurring opinion, Srinivasan acknowledged the decision will have major impacts, noting "170 million Americans use TikTok to create and view all sorts of free expression and engage with one another and the world. And yet, in part precisely because of the platform’s expansive reach, Congress and multiple Presidents determined that divesting it from (China's) control is essential to protect our national security."

He added that "Because the record reflects that Congress's decision was considered, consistent with longstanding regulatory practice, and devoid of an institutional aim to suppress particular messages or ideas, we are not in a position to set it aside."

[imminent-danger-came]

Defend Trans Freedom

An upcoming Supreme Court case will shape the future of transgender people's freedom to be ourselves – and we need your help.

Across the country, politicians have targeted transgender people's freedom to determine what's right for our own families, bodies, and lives. This includes states like Tennessee which banned transgender youth from accessing medical care that they, their parents, and their doctors know they need. By banning this care, these states have uprooted the lives of transgender people and their families and threatened their well-being. This law not only threatens the stability of transgender people and their families but also the stability of critical constitutional protections that affect us all.

Help the ACLU defend trans rights by signing their petition!

[shiftingwithmars]

Swiffers nazi ties are not talked about enough. She got named their aryan goddess, they use her songs and likeness at rallies and she.... wait for it... tries to sue journalists who criticize that. (But don't worry she sued independent artists who used her work and likeness) And then released the midnights swastika album. I don't get how anyone can still think she's a good person when the ACLU had to release a statement telling her to stop being a nazi bully. And all she's done is doubled down.

Couldn’t have said it better myself

[gabe-pilgrim-vs-the-world]

ALL of us need to educate ourselves...fast

Trump won. As much as I would like to say we will all get through this, not all of us will. As a matter of fact, the Trever Project has reported a 700% increase in suicides since the election. I'm scared, yes, but right now we have an opportunity to set up protections(VPNs, grassroots organizations, learning what we need to do to keep ourselves and others safe) that will be harder to access under Trump. I'm going to leave some videos/websites/books that I can think of off the top of my head. I don't agree with everything said(far from it), so put your critical thinking cap on ;). If ya'll have anything like this send it to me, please. I'm deleting this on December 31. Good luck to everyone.

!!GET A FRICKING VPN THAT IS NOT INSIDE THE 14 EYES & DOES NOT LOG!!

Websites:

ACLU // Amnesty International // CODEPINK // EFF // The Trever Project // justicemap.org

Video Essays:

What Did We Learn? by Signified B Sides // Solidarity is Supposed to be Hard. by Elliot Sang // The Alt-Right Playbook by Innuendo Studios(series) // Andrewism // First Thought // Second Thought // What is Project 2025 What is Project 2025? | what you should probably know about it by Dasia Sade // Mutual Aid is Radical! by COLORMIND. // Media Literacy Can't Save Us by Dummy // How Mutual Aid Works (and Why You Should Care) by Lucretia McEvil // Donald Trump is Not A Fascist Pt. 2 by The Morbid Zoo // Shanspeare // Hamilton and the Death of the Obama Era by Alexander Avila

Read:

The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice Hardcover by Shon Faye // Searching for Savanna: The Murder of One Native American Woman and the Violence Against the Many Hardcover by Mona Gable // The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government by David Talbot // To Banish Forever: A Secret Society, the Ho-Chunk, and Ethnic Cleansing in Minnesota by Cathy Coats // The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins // Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho // Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer //

Socialism & Communism:

I beg you to learn what both are because we are going to hear a lot about them in the next 4 years. Learn from sites like socialism101, NPR, or hell even Reddit. Just learn a bit more so the term "Marxist" doesn't catch you off guard when arguing with your MAGA grandpop.

This is all I have on hand right now. Stay safe loves <3

[chaosoftheages]

"Why is my Tumblr so crazy-"

"WE KILLED KOSA!!!!"

"...Oh. that's why."