The “Cans” and “Shoulds” of Gun Control by Laurence M. Vance August 7, 2012 Liberals, Democrats, and other advocates of gun control are so predictable. The bodies weren’t even buried after the horrific shooting last month in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, at the Century 16 Theater in a shopping mall before some liberal pundits and politicians began calling for more-draconian gun laws. The suspect, James Holmes, killed 12 persons and wounded 58 with ...
Obama, Romney Are Reckless on Iran by Sheldon Richman August 6, 2012 You will strain your eyes looking for a significant difference between President Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s positions on Iran and the prospects of an Israeli attack on the Islamic republic. Both say “all options are on the table.” All. That includes a full-scale military attack with even nuclear weapons. This isn’t alarmism. Iran’s facilities are undoubtedly well protected. No ...
Ten Years of Torture: Marking the 10th Anniversary of John Yoo’s “Torture Memos” by Andy Worthington August 3, 2012 Exactly 10 years ago, on August 1, 2002, Jay S. Bybee, who at the time was the assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, signed two memos (see here and here) that will forever be known as the “torture memos.” Also identified as the “Bybee memos,” because of Bybee’s signature on ...
Who Should Feed the Children? by Laurence M. Vance August 1, 2012 Eating is one of the most basic of human instincts. It is a daily necessity. It is essential to life. It doesn’t need to be learned. It is the first thing a newborn baby wants to do. It is a common occurrence. It is also a pleasant experience that often serves as the basis for entertainment, fellowship, dating, and ...
The Market and Uncertainty by Sheldon Richman August 1, 2012 Relying on the mass media for accurate economic analysis is like relying on a mobile home for shelter from a tornado. It’s a rather bad idea. Two items in the news demonstrate this beyond a shadow of a doubt: JPMorgan Chase’s big loss last spring and the role of private equity in an economy. It’s widely believed that JPMorgan Chase’s ...
The Federal Wetlands War, Part 2 by James Bovard August 1, 2012 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 In August 1993, the Clinton administration announced a new policy that tightened the federal noose over private lands. The White House Office on Environmental Policy (echoing a 1988 George H.W. Bush campaign promise) proclaimed a national goal of no net loss of wetlands, creating a presumption ...
Keynesians, Austrians, and the Continuing Economic Depression, Part 3 by William L. Anderson August 1, 2012 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Shortly after Barack Obama took office in 2009, he requested new spending of $800 billion to help “stimulate” the economy, and given that the Democrats controlled the White House and Congress, he faced little opposition. Soon construction workers were making highway repairs and digging ditches, and new signs ...
Citizens United and the First Amendment by Laurence M. Vance August 1, 2012 As we move closer to another presidential election, the Supreme Court case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission will be brought up with increasing frequency. Decided by a vote of 5-4 on January 21, 2010, it was one of the most polarizing Supreme Court decisions of the Roberts Court. Justice Stephen Breyer, who joined fellow justices John Paul Stevens, ...
Book Review: Roosevelt and World War II by George Leef August 1, 2012 FDR Goes to War by Burton W. Folsom Jr. and Anita Folsom (Threshold Editions, 2011); 386 pages. Hillsdale College history professor Burton Folsom and his wife, Anita, have given us in this book a much-needed counterweight to the standard view that Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the greatest American presidents. After reading FDR Goes to War anyone who ...
Your Religion or Your Business by Wendy McElroy July 31, 2012 On July 27, an American court for the first time offered a tentative ruling on whether Obamacare outranks the religious rights of business owners. At issue is the Obamacare provision that requires companies with more than 50 employees to provide insurance coverage that includes contraceptives, abortion-related drugs, and sterilization. These services would be provided without cost-sharing: that ...
Extradition Gives America Jurisdiction over the Globe by Wendy McElroy July 27, 2012 Since June 19, WikiLeaks whistle-blower Julian Assange has eluded the British authorities by secreting himself within the diplomatically shielded Ecuadorian embassy in London. On June 14, Assange's final appeal against his extradition to Sweden was rejected by the British courts, and he was ordered to surrender himself to the police on June 29. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa
Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri: The Torture Victim the United States Is Desperate to Gag by Andy Worthington July 26, 2012 A millionaire Saudi businessman, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, is accused of being the brains behind the terrorist attack on the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000, in which 17 U.S. soldiers died. He is also a victim of the notorious torture program initiated by the Bush administration after the 9/11 attacks. No less a source than the ...