A Vanishing Miranda by Wendy McElroy March 21, 2012 One of the few rights prisoners do not give up upon incarceration is that of due process. At least, this used to be the case. On February 20th, in Howes v. Fields, the United States Supreme Court ruled that prisoners do not have the right to be Mirandized even when being questioned about events outside the prison. For the ...
Time for a Drink by Laurence M. Vance March 20, 2012 While eating in a restaurant in the Atlanta airport recently, I noticed that the restaurant’s bar was closed and — to make it perfectly clear — all the chairs had been turned over and placed on the bar. Now, although I don’t frequent bars in airports or anywhere else, I was nevertheless intrigued. “The bar doesn’t open ...
An Unlikely Ally by Rich Schwartzman March 19, 2012 It’s unlikely that anyone would confuse Pat Robertson with Walter Cronkite. While both are known as broadcasters, Robertson — an evangelical Christian and host of The 700 Club on the Christian Broadcasting Network — is a controversial commentator in the conservative religious right. Cronkite, during his stint as anchor for the CBS Evening News, had ...
Obama’s Iran Policy Commits Him to War by Sheldon Richman March 16, 2012 Despite the alleged difference between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Iran, both embrace a position that logically commits them to war. If war is to be avoided, as Obama says he wishes, he will have to abandon his current stance. The difference between Obama and Netanyahu is more apparent than real. Both ...
America’s Collision with Economic Reality by Tim Kelly March 15, 2012 The United States is headed toward a financial brick wall. Although the country has been on this collision course for decades, a number of recent events have sped up its pace, and the reckoning will probably come much sooner than most people expect. A few honest politicians and some sober economists and political pundits have been ...
Vouchers: For and Against by Laurence M. Vance March 14, 2012 The recent school shooting in Ohio in which three students were killed has focused attention once again on the dangers of public schools. It is bad enough that students in public schools are being dumbed down instead of educated; are exposed to rampant sexual promiscuity; are forced to get every available vaccine; are put on ...
The First Amendment Needs a Rape Kit by Wendy McElroy March 13, 2012 The newest attack of vague language is aimed at your 1st Amendment rights of Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly and Freedom to Petition. It is found in the pending legislation of H.R. 347.… As currently worded, it might as well have been called the “Federal We’re Too Important To Be Annoyed By Your Protest Act ...
Guantánamo and Recidivism: The Media’s Ongoing Failure to Question Official Statistics by Andy Worthington March 13, 2012 Last week, the director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the director of the CIA and the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, issued a two-page unclassified summary, entitled, “Summary of the Reengagement of Detainees Formerly Held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba (PDF),” which provided information about the supposed “recidivism” of former prisoners. According to ...
The Jacob Hornberger Show – March 10, 2012 by Jacob G. Hornberger March 12, 2012 The Jacob Hornberger Show broadcasts live Saturday nights at 7pm EST. Visit FFF's Ustream Channel to watch the show live.
Abolish the Postal Monopoly by James Bovard March 11, 2012 Since the 1840s, it has been a federal crime to provide better mail service than Uncle Sam chooses to provide. The Postal Service has a monopoly on first-class mail delivery (with a limited exemption for urgent, courier-delivered letters costing more than $3). The monopoly has become more indefensible with each passing decade — especially since the government has been ...
The Road to the Permanent Warfare State, Part 11 by Gregory Bresiger March 10, 2012 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 |Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 |Part 12 |Part 13 In reviewing the history of the English Government, its wars and ...
Uncle Sam’s Greatest Hits: Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You by Michael Tennant March 9, 2012 Suppose a murderous gang were on the loose in a city. The police, having been unable to prevent the gang’s crimes or apprehend the criminals, decide instead to draw up a secret list of people alleged to be gang members and sympathizers and then to start assassinating the people on the list — and to do ...