They hate us for our freedoms...that's what they told us about the Islamic militants. Of course the reality is much more complicated, but as a first approximation it makes a good sound bite. Fine...for purposes of argument, let's say they DO hate us for our freedoms.

So why are we giving into them by giving up so many of our freedoms? If they hate us for our freedoms, why don't we embrace and cherish those freedoms as an act of defiance against the extremists?

Instead, Bush and Co. did all they could to reduce freedoms Americans enjoy, increasing surveillance to levels unparalleled in free societies, trying to eliminate habeas corpus, advocating torture, trying to avoid jury trials, etc. Bush did his best to surrender our freedoms that he claims extremists hate us for. Obama has reversed some of the worst of Bush's attacks on our freedoms, but not enough. More needs to be done.

But Americans are now in the habit of surrendering those freedoms that we claim Islamic extremists hate us for. The latest is attacks on religious freedom.  read more »

Three New York journalists, Rafael Martínez Alequin, Ralph E. Smith and David Wallis, have been denied press credentials by the NYPD with little explanation or appeals process. All three write for online journals and believe that they are being denied press credentials because they write for non-traditional media. The lawsuit alleges that the current Press Credential procedure violates the Constitutional Rights of the plaintiffs and interferes with the reporting of news in NYC.

Rafael Martínez Alequin, a long-time critic of Mayor (Tsar) Bloomberg, publishes the New York City Free Press, an online version of his earlier print version, the Free Press (originally the Brooklyn Free Press). His stated philosophy for the NYC Free Press is:  read more »