A military judge has refused to toss out charges against military whistleblower Private Bradley Manning, but did consider his imprisonment in a windowless cell, sometimes without clothing, to be “pre-trial punishment.”---
Top of the Alty World
“Military Judge Refuses to Toss Out Charges Against Bradley Manning, Call His Pre-Trial Punishment Illegal”—Truthout
Lobbyists who profit from congressional gridlock oppose reforming the gridlocking filibuster tactic.—The Nation
Community activists are brushing off some civil-rights-era tools and tactics to push for federal education reform.—The American Prospect
Top of Alty Utah
Salt Lake City ranked as one of the gayest cities in the United States.—Q Salt Lake
KRCL hosts Alliance for a Better Utah founder Josh Kanter on his quixotic mission to bring balance to Utah politics.—RadioActive!
More than 100 protesters gather outside of Gov. Gary Herbert’s energy summit to protest his drill-happy policies.—Salt Lake City Weekly
A lawmaker looks to make it illegal to even attempt to entice a minor via text and social media.—Utah Political Capitol
Rantosphere
Telestial State argues that the belief that the Second Amendment keeps citizens secure against a tyrannical government doesn’t hold water anymore.
“Two hundred years ago, a well-regulated militia would be able to secure a free state. But today, if the people need to rise up against tyranny and start a revolution, we wouldn’t have a chance. Unless our gun safes include military drones and nukes, we would be bugs to the military-industrial windshield.”—Telestial State
The Long View
ProPublica looks at the “Grandma Brigade” in Minnesota that collects information about voters for the national party and how parties closely guard the information they collect on voters.
“Voters themselves have no way to know what data politicians have collected about them, or how campaigns are using or sharing that information. Indeed, the same politicians who are pushing for more transparency about the workings of the commercial-data industry — including President Barack Obama — have said nothing about the information that political campaigns collect.”—ProPublica