I took over the responsibility of following civil liberties, digital freedom and, to some extent, national security stories here at Firedoglake exactly one year ago when I began to publish posts to The Dissenter. And seeing how it is an anniversary, it is worth celebrating some of the successes so far that FDL members and readers helped make possible.

I’m at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC with Jon Walker and Kevin Gozstola, where we’ll be livestreaming the occupation.

Chip in $10 to our OccupyWallStreet coverage fund and help us do what the mainstream media won’t do.

It’s almost the end of the FDL membership drive. I know you’ve put off actually signing up. Yeah, I’ve been there. So now, when the fight to protect civil liberties, to tell the truth about war and torture and corporate attacks on the poor, working, and middle classes, only comes down to pennies a day, why put it off any longer? Becoming a member of FDL carries some nice benefits, sure. But it also is a statement, an intervention in and of itself, joining a community that cares, and is not afraid to put itself out there for what is right.

Become a member of Firedoglake now.

I’ve been blogging at FDL’s The Dissenter for just over a month now. Covering issues ranging from government secrecy, the right to dissent, torture, location tracking and drones, it has been a pleasure to be able to write and publish to a website that takes civil liberties and digital freedom seriously. It has been a privilege to write and publish to a site that allows encourages writing that focuses on what it is at stake if certain liberties and freedoms are lost and doesn’t simply ask for coverage to go through some filter that requires attention to so-called national security interests or giving power benefit of the doubt.

Become a member of Firedoglake now.

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to The Dissenter, a Firedoglake blog that will cover civil liberties and digital freedom issues. It will feature regular coverage of the torture scandal that continues to wear on and the ongoing US government war on WikiLeaks, along with coverage of the Orwellian expansion of the surveillance state, Internet privacy rights, the mass incarceration of people of color in this country and the current and historic repression of dissent.