Civil Liberties

Brandon Darby, Texas activist-turned-FBI informant for RNC, pleads his case

Brandon Darby, a Texas activist who it turns out was working for the FBI as an informant from within groups that protested the 2008 Republican National Convention, pleads his case in the Pioneer Press today and in a statement he released earlier this week. He is “CHS1″ (Confidential Human Source 1) in an FBI affidavit [...]

Minnesotans join suit to stop religious events at inauguration

The state’s largest group dedicated to separation of church and state has joined a lawsuit to stop religious services at the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. The lawsuit, now joined by Minnesota Atheists, is being initiated by Michael Newdow, a separation of church and state advocate.

At issue are the scheduled events involving the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, a prominent civil-rights pastor, and the Rev. Rick Warren, whose statements about same-sex marriage and abortion have created an uproar among progressives.

Like Obama’s Senate seat, Larry Craig’s bathroom stall isn’t for sale

Sorry, but it turns out that, just as you can’t buy Barack Obama’s seat in the U.S. Senate, you can’t buy the bathroom stall where U.S. Sen. Larry Craig sat or stood and tapped his foot in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The agency that runs the airport refused an apparently serious offer to buy the men’s room stall made famous by Craig’s 2007 conviction for disorderly conduct in a sex-solicitation sting operation by the airport police.

Minnesota’s Capitol not an active front in ‘War on Christmas’

Washington state’s capitol has been beset with proliferating religious displays this holiday season — some of which are being taken as shots across the bow in the annual “War on Christmas” promoted on Fox News. “Fox and Friends” co-host and former Miss America Gretchen Carlson has been especially exercised about it, citing her Minnesota roots [...]

MnIndy’s Best: Top 10 photos of 2008

Doing online journalism on a shoestring budget means borrowing, buying and shooting our own photographs. With high-profile events in the Twin Cities this year, from the September Rage Against the Machine Concert in Minneapolis and RNC events in St. Paul to a particularly exciting election day, we hired some freelancers and fired up our own cameras, capturing some memorable and — dare we say — historic images.

Roughly half of RNC arrests have resulted in criminal charges

The St. Paul City Attorney’s office has so far reviewed 241 potential criminal cases stemming from activities during the Republican National Convention. Nearly half of the reviews didn’t result in charges being filed owing to a lack of sufficient evidence. Of the remaining incidents, 48 have been resolved by either a guilty plea or payment of a fine, while 81 have been formally charged and are headed towards trial.

MnIndy’s Best: The 10 most popular stories of 2008

Newswise, it was an eventful 2008, thanks to the Republican National Convention, the historic election of Barack Obama, Sarah “In what respect, Charlie?” Palin, John McCain, Michele “anti-American” Bachmann, P.Z. Myers (and the communion “cracker” incident) and, now, the ongoing recount of ballots in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken. MnIndy had a record year: We more than doubled 2007’s readership, welcoming nearly two million unique visitors, and saw nearly 6,000 comments. Here are two gauges of the stories you liked best — top 10s of the most-read and most-discussed stories.

Former agent Coleen Rowley seeking FBI data on RNC policing

I was killing time on a back bench of an 8th floor Ramsey County courtroom Wednesday, waiting with about 50 others for something to happen (all the action in the RNC8 case that day took place behind closed doors, as it turned out), when a person with a familiar face took a seat in the next row. Could it be Coleen Rowley, famed FBI whistleblower, TIME magazine 2002 person of the year and the DFL Party’s 2006 candidate in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District? Indeed it was.

Cheney: ‘I was aware of’ waterboarding and ‘I supported it’

On ABC News Monday, Vice President Dick Cheney acknowledged knowing about and approving of the torture technique known as waterboarding.
“I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared, as the agency in effect came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn’t do,” Cheney said. “And they [...]

Judge to RNC8: See you next year

In a closed-door meeting with attorneys today, Ramsey County District Judge Salvador Rosas set a pre-trial hearing date of Jan. 26 for the eight activists known as the RNC8 who are charged with felony-level terrorism charges related the Republican National Convention in September. Prosecutors added three new charges over the weekend to the original count of conspiracy to riot in the second degree in furtherance of terrorism.