Democrats are "Nowhere" on Civil Liberties: Dirty Wars' Jeremy Scahill

"Where are all these serious Democrats who believe in civil liberties?" asks Jeremy Scahill, author of Dirty Wars, the provocative book that is now an award-winning documentary. "They're nowhere."

Scahill talked with Reason's Matt Welch about how congressional Democrats have abdicated their moral standing when it comes the domestic and foreign aspects of the war on terror. And how unexpected champions such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have stepped up in their absence.

About 50 seconds long.

Please share this video and be sure to watch the full 40-minute interview when it's posted at Reason and YouTube tomorrow.

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher. Camera by Jim Epstein and Fisher.

MUSIC: "Dramamine" by Podington Bear (http://podingtonbear.com/)

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Check out what Scahill has to say about what he calls Barack Obama's "inexplicable vendetta" against the press:

Comments

[Mike M.]

There's Dennis Kucinich, Russ Feingold, and, ummmm... that's about it I guess?

[Kaptious Kristen]

Bernie Sanders, Tom Harkin

[tarran]

Please, Every week Russ Feingold sends me an email under the letterhead of Progressives United. The letter invariably fulminates against freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

He's terrible on civil liberties.

[Paul.]

It's cause progressives hate that shit.

Freedom of speech are racist code words.

[Greg]

Kucinich is no longer a Congressman so technically he doesn't count I don't think

[Kaptious Kristen]

When you have principles, you have spine. Funny how that works.

[Paul.]

Shriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkeeeee!

[matth]

Rand Paul is only an "unexpected" champion if you don't understand him very well.

[Paul.]

Out of the fence on that one, sir.

Hat's off to you.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I am curious if Scahill mostly disagrees with Rand Paul or mostly disagrees with the media caricature of Rand Paul.

[Brandybuck]

Republicans are for civil liberties? Don't make me laugh! Next you will tell me that the Republicans championed civil rights...

[Paul.]

It's as crazy as claiming Democrats push corporate welfare.

[Raston Bot]

What are "civil rights" anyway? I'm familiar w/ the Bill of Rights. Is there some intersection?

[Raston Bot]

Okay, civil rights are...

Rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, the 13th and 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution. Civil rights include civil liberties (such as the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion), as well as due process, the right to vote, equal and fair treatment by law enforcement and the courts, and the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a democratic society, such as equal access to public schools, recreation, transportation, public facilities, and housing.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/civil_rights

Sometimes it's hard to keep up w/ the conversation.

So suing a florist for not selling you flowers for your wedding violates the civil right to equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a democratic society ??

[Killazontherun]

Man gets visit from Secret Service for tweeting Obama is a terrorist.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.co.....of-tweets/

Obama is a murderer and terrorist.

The Secret Service are a bunch of thugs.

Visit me and you wont know how many cameras recorded your every gesture and conversation down the walkway and then inside until they hit Youtube.

[tarran]

Apparently he posted a cartoon mocking Obama's middle east policy - specifically the divergence between his view of how people view him over there (they love me!) with how they actually view him (they hate his guts), with the punchline being a picture of Air Force One riddled with bullet holes (meaning that Obama fled Syria after they shot up his jet).

Of course like all secret policemen, the SS only needs the most tenuous evidence to spin into evidence of disloyalty which they can then investigate and suppress to bump up their stats.

He should have made them get a warrant.

[Killazontherun]

The Secret Service wants to put us on notice and shake us all up.

It is nothing short of a dick move. They know it would get publicity, and they are saying, 'watch yourselves and what you say out there. We are the real power in this country, you are nothing, and there is not a Goddamned thing you can do about it but have little ineffectual and impotent tirades threatening revolt. You know what, we are not even going to let you have that. We are the Secret Service, fuck you, that's why.'

[Tejicano]

So, will they be sporting collar emblems of their organization's initials, say in some snazzy rune font, in the near future. That ought to get the point across.