Justifying Iraq with Torture by Jacob G. Hornberger May 18, 2009 An increasing number of articles (see here and here and here and here) are pointing to evidence that U.S. officials tortured detainees to force them to disclose a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. The evidence includes an allegation by Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff ...
Illegal Aliens: Welfare or Work? by Jacob G. Hornberger May 15, 2009 According to an article in yesterday’s New York Times, illegal immigration from Mexico into the United States has plummeted, to the tune of about a quarter-million people, a 25 percent decline. The article states: “The trend emerged clearly with the onset of the recession and, demographers say, provides new evidence that illegal immigrants ...
Will They Hate Us for the Secret Photographs? by Jacob G. Hornberger May 14, 2009 Recall that immediately after 9/11, U.S. officials put out the official version of what had motivated the terrorists. “They hate America for its freedom and values,” they cried. The anger and hatred that had motivated the attackers had nothing to do with U.S. foreign policy, U.S. officials claimed. Yet, today we have President Obama, ...
Lt. Erin Watada and a Standing Army by Jacob G. Hornberger May 13, 2009 The case of Lt. Erin Watada provides a good example of why our American ancestors opposed a standing army. You’ll recall that Watada is the U.S. military officer who refused orders to deploy to Iraq on the ground that to do so would constitute the war crime of waging a war of aggression. The U.S. ...
The Charade of Left and Right by Jacob G. Hornberger May 12, 2009 The soul-searching and handwringing within the conservative movement continues apace. Dick Cheney has entered the controversy by suggesting that Colin Powell should leave the Republican Party owing to Powell’s pre-election campaign endorsement of Barack Obama. Cheney’s view echoed that of conservative icon Rush Limbaugh, who Powell suggested was part of the reason that ...
The Parasite by Jacob G. Hornberger May 11, 2009 Desperate for money and exposing the naked force of government, the socialist regime of Hugo Chavez is seizing the assets of foreign oil companies operating in Venezuela. At the same time, Chavez is implicitly acknowledging that socialism doesn’t work because he’s simultaneously soliciting bids from private oil companies in the West for new oil ...
Moving toward Drug Legalization by Jacob G. Hornberger May 7, 2009 While he says he remains opposed to legalizing marijuana, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just declared that he would welcome a debate on the issue. In the 20 years Ive been running The Future of Freedom Foundation, I have never seen as many pro-drug-legalization articles, editorials, and op-eds in the mainstream press as I have during the past year. During 2008, ...
Exchanging Places in the Housing Market by Jacob G. Hornberger May 6, 2009 The New York Times is reporting that there has been a surge in the sales of foreclosed homes in Sacramento. The article was accompanied by a photograph of Chris and Rebecca Whitman, a young couple who just purchased a foreclosed home for $224,500. Such sales reflect, once again, the idiocy of bailouts, mortgage-moratorium laws, and ...
We Don’t Torture … But Torture Does Work by Jacob G. Hornberger May 5, 2009 John Ashcroft, who served as U.S. attorney general from 2001 to 2005, has an op-ed in the New York Times today where he exclaims, “The government must hold accountable any individuals who acted illegally in the financial meltdown….” Oh? And why is that, Mr. Ashcroft? Why not simply “move on”? Why not let bygones be ...
Libertarianism vs. Statism by Jacob G. Hornberger May 4, 2009 Pity the poor Republicans. Having suffered massive losses in the political process, they are now in search of a “new message” that they hope will restore them to political power. Their problem, however, is that given their unwavering commitment to socialist, interventionist, and imperial programs, the likelihood is that voters will see through the ...
Hornberger’s Blog, May 2009 by Jacob G. Hornberger May 1, 2009 Friday, May 29, 2009 The Sotomayor Nomination Is another Yawner for Libertarians by Jacob G. Hornberger As a libertarian, it’s hard for me to get all worked up over President Barack Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, as conservatives and liberals are now doing. The only time I’d ever get excited about a Supreme Court nomination is if someone ...
Swine Flu and Terrorism by Jacob G. Hornberger May 1, 2009 Not surprisingly, immigration warriors are using the swine flu outbreak to buttress their case for closing the borders to the outside world. In the process, they miss a big problem, however, one that I have raised for many years. If we’re going to have the government close the borders to people coming into the ...
