Politics

Guantánamo and Habeas Corpus: Wins and Losses, Part 1

by Andy Worthington July 19, 2010

Part 1 | Part 2 For the last two years, the prisoners held in the “war on terror” prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have been challenging the basis of their detention through habeas corpus petitions filed with the District Court in Washington, D.C., where they have met with a notable degree of success. Of the 51 cases decided,

The GOP Chairman Was Right about Afghanistan

by Sheldon Richman July 14, 2010

They used to say the truth shall set you free. These days it might get you fired. Apparently, stumbling onto the truth is a grave offense in the Republican Party. Ask Michael Steele, its chairman. Steele provoked the wrath of Republican neoconservatives William Kristol, Liz Cheney (the former vice president’s daughter), and Sen. John McCain by saying that “the one thing ...

Desacralizing Democracy to Save Liberty

by James Bovard July 1, 2010

In the 1770s, the British colonists living in America won their freedom from British rule thanks to the “de-sacralizing” of the British monarch. The mists before the colonists’ eyes dissipated and they recognized that King George III was a mere mortal and often a dangerous buffoon. Rather than being awed by the titles of the king’s ministers and appointees, ...

The Distortions Wrought by the Corporatist State

by Sheldon Richman July 1, 2010

“What kind of society gives that kind of money to people who create ... nothing?” That was Chris Matthews’s comment on his MSNBC program Hardball after reporting that “the top 25 hedge fund managers made $25 billion last year.” Most libertarians will have a natural reflex against a statement like that. Indeed, Matthews packs lots of fallacies into a few ...

Obama’s Moral Bankruptcy Regarding Torture

by Andy Worthington June 28, 2010

Saturday was the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, established twelve years ago to mark the day, in 1987, when the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Punishment or Treatment came into force, but you wouldn’t have found out about it through the mainstream U.S. media. No editorials or news ...

Obama Thinks about Releasing Innocent Yemenis from Guantánamo

by Andy Worthington June 21, 2010

Three weeks ago, I wrote a bitter commentary about the repeated failures of the U.S. government to release an innocent Yemeni prisoner in Guantánamo — a student, Mohammed Hassan Odaini, now aged 26, but just 18 when he was seized — even though he was cleared for release by a military review board under President Bush in 2006, ...

UN Human Rights Council Discusses Secret Detention Report

by Andy Worthington June 14, 2010

On June 3, unnoticed by most of the U.S. media, the UN Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue to discuss the “Joint Study on Global Practices in Relation to Secret Detention in the Context of Counter-Terrorism,” prepared by Manfred Nowak, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, Martin Scheinin, the Special ...

Rand Paul, Civil Rights, and More Liberal Hypocrisy on Race

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 21, 2010

I recently wrote two articles in which I criticized liberals for being two-faced and hypocritical when it comes to racial issues. The articles, which concerned the minimum wage, a longtime favorite government program among liberals whose negative effects fall disproportionately on blacks, were entitled “Why Do Daily Kos and Alternet Favor a Racist Government Program?” and “

Obama and Attention Deficit Democracy

by James Bovard May 21, 2010

In his commencement address at the University of Michigan on May 1, President Obama warned that public ignorance subverts self-government. Obama declared: “When we don’t pay close attention to the decisions made by our leaders, when we fail to educate ourselves about the major issues of the day... that’s when democracy breaks down. That’s when power is abused.” Unfortunately, most ...

Bringing Freedom and Prosperity to Afghanistan

by James Bovard May 1, 2010

The Obama administration is seeking to rechristen the Afghan debacle it inherited from the Bush administration. Obama’s efforts to legitimize the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan simply ignore the previous record of American actions in that nation. But the past debacles ensure the failure of Obama’s ramped-up interventions. Afghanistan was recently judged to be the second most corrupt nation on Earth. ...

The CIA and the Assassination of John Kennedy, Part 3

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 2010

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Even though the CIA was the premier government agency in the world whose expertise was assassination, coups, and regime change, it does not necessarily follow that it employed its talents and abilities here in the United States in November 1963. But it’s an important factor that should have been considered ...

The Fraud of Big Picture Thinking

by James Bovard April 1, 2010

Politicians, pundits, and others perennially invoke the “Big Picture.” Recognizing the role of the Big Picture is vital to understanding how contemporary democracies are going off the rail. The Big Picture provides preemptive exoneration for almost anyone who wants to kowtow and cheerlead for political power. Fifteen years ago, there was a hullabaloo to denounce “politically correct” mandates and imperatives. ...