Daily Articles

Judge Rules that Afghan “Rendered” to Bagram in 2002 Has No Rights

by Andy Worthington July 6, 2009

In a depressing if predictable decision last Monday, U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates ruled that Haji Wazir, an Afghan businessman seized in the United Arab Emirates in 2002 and rendered to the U.S. prison at Bagram airbase, can continue to be held as a prisoner without rights, even though he has never had an adequate opportunity to ...

Gold and Freedom, Part 4

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 2009

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 On April 5, 1933 — about a month after taking office — President Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order commanding every American to turn in his gold to the federal government. The order was soon ratified by Congress, which made it a felony offense for Americans ...

Still Meddling After All These Years

by Sheldon Richman July 1, 2009

American presidents have long regarded Latin America as their “backyard.” The Monroe Doctrine warned the European powers to stay out — by what right? — and since then American chief executives have deemed it entirely proper to intervene when things did not go as they liked. Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the ...

The Early History of a Worldwide Nuisance

by James Bovard July 1, 2009

Few federal agencies have as much bipartisan support as the National Endowment for Democracy. Created in 1983, NED’s stated mission is to “strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts.” In actuality, NED allows U.S. politicians to meddle in foreign elections at the same time they pretend ...

Economics and the Drug War

by Bart Frazier July 1, 2009

It is becoming ever more apparent that the war on drugs has been lost. Doomed to fail from the moment of its inception, the war the U.S. government has been waging has not been against drugs, but against people and the laws of economics. The results have been violence, corruption, and a militarized society.

The Price of Freedom?

by Christine Smith July 1, 2009

What is it to be born free and not to live free? — Henry David Thoreau, “Life Without Principle” “Freedom is not free” is a common phrase found in songs, in speeches, and on ribbons, and it’s the inscription ...

Economic Stimulus Nonsense

by Scott McPherson July 1, 2009

When times are great — maybe especially when times are great — most people don’t think about economics. At least, if there’s any thinking going on at all, it’s not exactly clear-headed thinking. But when times take a turn for the worse, people forget about making any kind of sense at all. It would be far better if they ...

The Horror of Gun Control in Mumbai

by Benedict D. LaRosa July 1, 2009

As Ronald Reagan would say, “Here we go again!” How many Rwanda, Columbine, Virginia Tech, Warsaw Ghetto, post-office, and other shootings do people have to endure before they face reality? How long does it take to learn a simple lesson: unarmed people are more vulnerable to terrorists, criminals, and crazed ...

Robbery and the Welfare State

by George Leef July 1, 2009

Stealing from Each Other: How the Welfare State Robs Americans of Money and Spirit by Edgar K. Browning (Praeger, 2008); 226 pages. In the Sherlock Holmes story “Silver Blaze,” the key to Holmes’s solution of the case rested on something that didn’t happen — the dog that didn’t bark in ...

Guantánamo: Charge or Release Prisoners, Say No To Indefinite Detention

by Andy Worthington June 30, 2009

So what’s happening now? According to a joint Washington Post/ProPublica article on Friday, “The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantánamo, has drafted an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely,” according to “three senior government officials.” The administration moved swiftly to refute the story, with the Justice ...

Obama the Health-Care Reformer Should Grow Up

by Sheldon Richman June 29, 2009

Barack Obama insists he does not want the government to run the medical system. He insists that he wants only to fix what’s broken while leaving what works intact. Taking him at his word, this is typical of Obama. His desires are a primary, things that can be achieved if only we want them badly enough. ...

Celebrate Torture Day by Punishing Torturers

by James Bovard June 23, 2009

Since 1997, every June 26 has been formally recognized as the International Day of Support for Victims of Torture. Political leaders around the globe take the occasion to proclaim their opposition to barbarism. On June 26, 2003, President George W. Bush proudly declared: “The United States is committed to the worldwide elimination of torture, and ...