[Imperial Presidency Fears:] MICHAEL AVERY HEIDI BOGHOSIAN Avery is president of the National Lawyers Guild and professor of constitutional law at Suffolk University. He said today: “We are particularly concerned that Samuel Alito will not impose necessary limits on presidential power and insist upon the checks and balances required by the Constitution. His long membership…

NASEER ARURI Aruri is chancellor professor emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and author of the book Dishonest Broker: The U.S. Role in Israel and Palestine. He said today: “Sharon tried to redefine himself into a centrist, and therefore presumably a moderate when he established his new Kadima Party. That…

JORDAN BARAB Barab edits the blog “Confined Space: News and Commentary on Workplace Health & Safety, Labor and Politics.” His most recent piece is “Mine Safety: Bush Administration to the Rescue?” More Information CHRIS KUTALIK Editor of Labor Notes, Kutalik said today: “The tragic deaths of 12 miners at the Sago mine isn’t really an…

FRANK CLEMENTE CRAIG HOLMAN Director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, Clemente said today: “Make no mistake about it: Abramoff is a crook. But crooks like Abramoff can flourish in the environment on Capitol Hill where lobbyists and their clients offer lawmakers campaign contributions and gifts, arrange travel junkets for lawmakers and their staffs to luxurious…

SIBEL EDMONDS WILLIAM WEAVER Edmonds is director of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. She said today: “Without whistleblowers the public would never know of the many abuses of constitutional rights by the government. … But will they be listened to by those who are charged with accountability?” Weaver, senior advisor to the group, added: “Ordinarily…

FRANCES FOX PIVEN Author of the book The War at Home: The Domestic Costs of Bush’s Militarism, Piven is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. Her past books include The Breaking of the American Social Compact. She said today: “Even…

ANNA BROWN FRIDA BERRIGAN Berrigan and Brown are among the 25 activists, many with the Catholic Worker, who have just returned from a march to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo. While holding vigils, they fasted outside Guantanamo. The Associated Press recently reported that “32 prisoners [in Guantanamo] are on hunger strike to protest what…

MATTHEW ROTHSCHILD RUTH CONNIFF Editor of The Progressive, Rothschild writes the “McCarthyism Watch” web column. Conniff covers national politics for The Progressive; her most recent piece is “Bush as Nixon.” Rothschild’s latest article, “Bush Takes the Crown,” quotes from one of the three articles of impeachment that came out of the House Judiciary Committee in…

In its meeting starting Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund is reportedly planning to announce that it is partially canceling the debt reduction deal originally agreed by world leaders in the G8 meeting last summer. (Meanwhile U2 rocker Bono has been named a Time Magazine “Person of the Year.” He played a leading role in brokering…

“Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 shall be the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance … may be conducted.”[FISA; 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2511(f)] The following analysts are available for a limited number of interviews: CHRISTOPHER H. PYLE In 1970, Pyle disclosed the U.S. military’s surveillance of civilian politics and worked as a consultant to three…