The U.S. is Using Solitary Confinement in its Prisons at a much higher rate than other Countries

This is a troubling trend that betrays the fundamental values of a free society: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/20/solitary-confinement-psychological-effects-sarah-shourd/print

The Prison Gulag in Idaho: Another Horror Story of Private Prison Management

When will we learn? Make sure to see the video.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/07/1282972/-

Peace Protesters Sentenced to Excessively Long Terms

I am certainly not a pacifist and would not agree with the protesters on several matters. This includes the notion that we can just unilaterally stop having nuclear weapons or that we should stop using drones.

Further, I expect protesters engaging in civil disobedience to be willing to accept reasonable punishment (which apparently these ones are). These sentences, however, seem retributive and excessive. How do we put individuals like this away for so long when we allow CEO bankers who have engaged in presumably criminal activity and thereby done infinitely more damage to millions of people and to the well-being of our nation and world to go scott-free? Not only do they have their freedom, but they even get to dine and schmooze with leading politicians, including the president, and other glitterati. There’s something wrong here.

Perhaps the government was simply embarrassed by their incompetent and ineffective security around the most powerful weapons in the world.

In any case, we apparently have a two-tiered society: one for the privileged, and one for the rest of us. This will have to change for us to meet our ideals.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/3-peace-activists-sentenced-for-breaking-into-nuclear-site/2014/02/18/13a6bb7a-9815-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html

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Rumsfeld Denies Waterboarding Helped Kill Bin Laden

Even Donald Rumsfeld agrees that water-boarding was not important in the intelligence that identified the location of Osama Bin Laden:
http://foknewschannel.com/rumsfeld-disproves-conservatives-tortured-argument/

Bradley Manning’s Miraculous Recovery

Isn’t it amazing how quickly Bradley Manning recovered from his problems? Gee, I wonder if public pressure had anything to do with it.
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/05/06/miraculous-reversal-bradley-mannings-humane-conditions-at-leavenworth/

The Unconstitutional Mistreatment of Bradley Manning

More on the treatment of Bradley Manning and the degradation of our constitutional freedoms:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/apr/28/private-mannings-humiliation/
http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/370-wikileaks/5608-dod-interfering-with-my-bradley-manning-investigation

Prisoners Close Budget Gaps and Learn Skills By Working

This has support from both conservative deficit hawks and liberals who believe that prisoners are much less likely to commit crimes after release if they have employable skills.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/us/25inmates.html?_r=1&hp