Daily Articles

TGIF: Smedley Butler and the Racket That Is War

by Sheldon Richman June 27, 2014

From 1898 to 1931, Smedley Darlington Butler was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. By the time he retired he had achieved what was then the corps’s highest rank, major general, and by the time he died in 1940, at 58, he had more decorations, including two medals of honor, than any other Marine. During his years in ...

Distinctions without Differences

by Laurence M. Vance June 26, 2014

The stunning defeat of Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Virginia primary election by political newcomer and professor at Randolph-Macon College, Dave Brat, has left political pundits scratching their heads. No primary challenger has ever ousted a sitting House Majority Leader since the position was created in 1899. Yet, the Sunday after his defeat, Cantor said ...

U.S.-Egyptian “Historic Partnership” Reeks with Hypocrisy

by Sheldon Richman June 25, 2014

Largely overshadowed by events in Iraq and Syria, the Obama administration is dropping its pretense at displeasure with the military junta in Egypt and restoring full support for the regime that so recently quashed the country’s faltering attempt at democracy. Secretary of State John Kerry, en route to troubled Baghdad, stopped in Cairo, where he announced that Washington would soon ...

The Libertarian Angle: The Roots of Middle East Chaos

by Future of Freedom Foundation June 23, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: the downward spiral that is the Middle East. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

TGIF: The Middle East Harvests Bitter Imperialist Fruit

by Sheldon Richman June 20, 2014

The wall-to-wall coverage of the disintegration of Iraq ought to carry this credit: This bloodshed was made possible by the generosity of British and French imperialists. The stomach-wrenching violence in Iraq — not to mention the horrendous civil war in Syria, the chronic unrest in Palestine/Israel, and problems elsewhere in the Middle East — are direct consequences of the imperialist ...

The VA’s Unprecedented Attack on Whistleblowers

by Wendy McElroy June 19, 2014

The scandal over the wretched conditions and wait times at veteran’s hospitals as well as the falsification of records by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has the White House in full-scramble defense mode. President Obama risks losing the support of veterans, military personnel, and their families. A new report on the VA from early June this year depicts a ...

The Noninterventionists Told You So

by Sheldon Richman June 18, 2014

Contrary to popular belief, there is no satisfaction in being able to say, “I told you so.” This is especially so with Iraq, where recent events are enough to sicken one’s stomach. Yet it still must be said: those who opposed the George W. Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq in March 2003 — not to mention his father’s war ...

FFF Webinar: Work! (video)

by Sheldon Richman June 17, 2014

On Wednesday, June 11, 2014, FFF vice president and editor Sheldon Richman hosted a free, interactive online webinar entitled “Work!” This was an interactive experience with Sheldon and was be limited to 24 participants.

The Libertarian Angle: The Iraq Debacle

by Future of Freedom Foundation June 16, 2014

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: the continuing debacle in Iraq. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

TGIF: We Were Warned about the Rise of Empire

by Sheldon Richman June 13, 2014

American critics of U.S. foreign policy (as well as some neoconservative supporters) often refer to the United States as an empire. This is not an emotional outburst but a substantive description of the national government’s role in the world. But what exactly is an empire? This question is all the more relevant today with Iraq is being consumed ...

The Calling: Economic and Personal Liberties Under the Ninth Amendment

by Steven Horwitz June 12, 2014

We libertarians like to distinguish ourselves from our friends on the right and left by our equal concern with economic and social/civil liberties. For libertarians, the right to engage in contract and exchange with consenting adults is just as important as the right to engage in speech and sex with consenting adults. Other civil liberties, such as the right ...

Republicans and the EPA

by Laurence M. Vance June 11, 2014

Republicans are upset with Barack Obama — again. This time it is over the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed regulations to limit carbon emissions from power plants. According to the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill, The EPA already regulates sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, mercury, and particle pollution from power plants, but not carbon emissions, which account for roughly one-third ...