Two interesting stories via Sepia Mutiny that point to some disturbing trends:
A cable provider in New York was arrested for providing broadcasts of Al-Manr, the TV station of Hezbollah. The reasoning is that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization (which it is) and therefore showing the broadcast somehow provides material support. I don't follow the reasoning with that. Certainly the KKK has killed a lot of people and blown up buildings and the like, but they have the freedom of speech. Is this because it's a broadcast instead of a magazine or a public gathering? Either way, I don't see how he violated any laws by providing the rebroadcast, even as repugnant as I find Hezbollah. (Link)
Secondly, two men, a father and son, of Pakistani origin, but both Americans were detained at the Hong Kong Airport and told there was trouble with their passports. When they were apart from the crowds they were informed they'd have to fly back to Pakistan and submit to an interrogation by the FBI in Pakistan (a country known to torture during interrogations) before being allowed to continue to the US. They're crime? None. They're just related to a guy in California who is charged with providing material support to terrorists. The kicker, after finally agreeing to fly back to Pakistan, they were told the US wouldn't pay for them to fly back because they're already on the No-Fly List, so they had to foot the bill for their own flight back to their own interrogation in a country known to disregard human rights.
The big issue here is that they're american citizenz. They have rights that are guaranteed to them that they should be protected by, but the US government is basically asking them to waive their rights before they can re-enter the country. That's crazy. (Link)
Hat tip to Sepia Mutiny for highlighting the two stories.
