Daily Articles

Gun Nuts at 30,000 Feet?

by James Bovard December 1, 2004

After the pervasive failure of airport security on 9/11, the Air Line Pilots Association sought federal permission for pilots to carry handguns to defeat hijackers. Capt. Steve Luckey, chairman of the association’s flight-security committee, explained, “The only reason we want lethal force in the cockpit is to provide an opportunity to get the aircraft ...

The Great Voucher Fraud

by Laurence M. Vance December 1, 2004

The mantra of “school choice” is repeated endlessly by proponents of educational vouchers, and is getting louder. But does an income-transfer program cease to be an income-transfer program just because it is recommended by conservatives, libertarians, a Republican president, and free-market economists? Advocates of educational reform are agreed on one thing: the doleful condition of the public school system. But ...

Do We Need a New G.I. Bill — Or Even the Original One?

by George Leef December 1, 2004

The G.I. Bill turns 60 this year. That legislation, of ficially known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, guaranteed, among other things, that returning soldiers could attend college at the expense of the federal government, or to be more accurate, the expense of federal taxpayers. It was the first of Washington’s many forays into higher education. Before the G.I. Bill ...

West Africa and Colonialism, Part 3

by Wendy McElroy December 1, 2004

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 In Europe, the tensions that would become World War II were already apparent. In fascist Italy, Benito Mussolini dreamed of reviving the glory of Rome and he looked to Africa for colonies to conquer. In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia, a proud nation that symbolized the best of Africa. For more ...

Book Review: Bad Trip

by Paul Armentano December 1, 2004

Bad Trip: How the War against Drugs Is Destroying America by Joel Miller (Nashville: WorldNet Daily Books); 242 pages; $24.99. The self-proclaimed toughest cop in America, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, brandishes a badge and a gun, and drives a custom-painted U.S. Army tank. “We are proud to have the ultimate weapon in the war on drugs in our ...

U.S. Regime Change, Torture, and Murder in Chile

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 24, 2004

President Bush’s recent trip to South America provides a valuable foreign-policy lesson for Americans. The president was greeted in Santiago, Chile, by some 30,000 angry demonstrators. But it was not only Bush’s invasion and war of aggression against Iraq that Chileans were angry about. Unlike so many Americans, the Chilean people have not fallen for ...

A Good Way to Spend Thanksgiving?

by Sheldon Richman November 24, 2004

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona has a swell idea for how we should spend the Thanksgiving holiday. He’s declared Thanksgiving the first annual National Family History Day. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, “Americans are encouraged to use their family gatherings as a time ...

What Did We Do to Deserve Condoleezza Rice?

by Sheldon Richman November 22, 2004

Is this a great country or what? Thanks to President George W. Bush, we will now have the first secretary of state who once had an oil tanker named after her. No kidding. Chevron put Condoleezza Rice’s name on a tanker when she served on its board of directors, ...

A Reply to a Gun Control Critic

by Scott McPherson November 19, 2004

From: C.H. To: fff@fff.org Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2004 3:29 AM Subject: gun control I'm curious: nowhere in that article on Gun Control does it mention Canada.  We've *always* had gun control, in one form or another.  It's never been possible for someone to walk in off the street and out with a firearm twenty minutes ...

Seeing and Not Seeing

by Scott McPherson November 15, 2004

A key element in understanding reality is an accurate representation of reality. And this headline in the November 10 Washington Post — “N. Va. Boom Sparks Economic Recovery” — demonstrates how poorly is the average newspaper editor equipped to accurately describe economic affairs, which may help ...

Submit or Die: The Conquest of Falluja

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 12, 2004

Victory! The unelected dictatorial Iraqi regime of CIA-designee Iyad Allawi, with the assistance of the most powerful police force in the world, has killed 600 “insurgents” in Falluja, flattened and “pacified” the city, and driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Question 1: Does the conquest ...

Take the Constitution Seriously in the Second Term

by Sheldon Richman November 8, 2004

Should President Bush declare a mandate and push ahead with his agenda or extend an olive branch of conciliation to his opponents? This is a typical false alternative that American politics often presents. He should do neither. Instead, he should do what on January 20 he will declare he is ...