http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/rightswire/index.aspennoreply@blogger.com (Mike Posner)Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:41:55 PSTBlogger http://www.blogger.com5125http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/rightswire/2008/11/today-we-have-more-hope.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Executive Director)Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:41:55 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495707026346993942.post-1727854178006544189Like you, I have been looking forward to this election for a long time. It offered the chance for our country to turn a new face to the world – to return to our fundamental values and restore U.S. credibility and global leadership on human rights. The promises of change on the campaign trail are now challenges President-elect Obama will face, head-on, come January. He and his administration 0http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/rightswire/2008/10/pushing-frontiers-of-activism-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Executive Director)Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:15:54 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495707026346993942.post-5346912482174125205In 1989, when Chinese students faced down tanks in Tiananmen Square, the availability of a powerful new technology – the fax machine – enabled them to get word to the rest of the world about the crackdown that took the lives of hundreds of democracy activists. Today, the next generation of activists has a plethora of new technological tools – Flickr, YouTube, blogs – to deploy in the struggle 2http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/rightswire/2008/09/from-our-new-executive-directorceo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Executive Director)Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:16:05 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495707026346993942.post-1829008301698825440This is an exciting time to be coming into my new role as the CEO and Executive Director of Human Rights First. As we approach a moment of political transition, there is an opportunity to change many of the policies and practices that have undermined human rights in the United States and abroad. But we know that, no matter who wins the election in November, these changes will not be easy; they 2http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/rightswire/2008/07/supreme-court-upholds-habeas-rights-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Posner)Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:03:51 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495707026346993942.post-5872352225964043768Decision Defends Civil Liberties and Rule of Law Last month the U.S. Supreme Court took an important step toward reestablishing America’s credibility as a nation committed to due process and the rule of law. In its Boumediene v. Bush decision of June 12, 2008, the Court upheld the long-standing principle of habeas corpus for detainees in Guantanamo. After more than six years, this decision 1http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/rightswire/2008/06/closing-guantanamo-whats-next.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Executive Director)Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:20:22 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495707026346993942.post-8946972576575007551Human Rights First has long argued that the prolonged detention of prisoners at Guantanamo – and the military commissions created to try them – undermines effective counterterrorism policy and violates basic principles of justice and human rights. As the consensus grows across the political spectrum that Guantanamo has been a failure and should be shut down, some have argued that the United 1