Daily Articles

Imperial Shame for America at Abu Ghraib

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 3, 2004

The sex-abuse, rape, and torture scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq might explain why U.S. officials have steadfastly opposed joining other nations in the formation of an international war-crimes tribunal. When government officials are actively involved in war crimes, the last thing they want ...

Rebuilding America: Foreign Policy

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 1, 2004

Ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the Soviet empire, it has been an article of faith among many Americans that an extensive overseas military empire and a massive domestic military-industrial complex are vitally important and greatly beneficial to our country. Being the world’s “sole remaining superpower,” it has been widely believed, enables the ...

Is Free Trade Obsolete? Part 2

by Sheldon Richman May 1, 2004

Part 1 | Part 2 Is it time to throw out all the textbooks that defend free trade? Some people — including one former free trader — think so. Last month we saw how Ricardo’s law of comparative advantage, operating through the price system and the phenomenon of opportunity cost, induces people and groups to specialize in the production of ...

Yamashita v. Styer, 327 U.S. 1 (1946)

by Justice Frank Murphy May 1, 2004

The following is ...

The Neocon War on Peace and Freedom, Part 2

by James Bovard May 1, 2004

Part 1 | Part 2 In their book An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror, David Frum and Richard Perle’s attitude towards civilian casualties shines through in their brief discussion of the UN sanctions imposed on Iraq from 1990 to 2003. During the first Gulf War, the United States intentionally destroyed Iraq’s infrastructure. A 1995 ...

Government Interventionism in Ireland, Part 1

by Scott McPherson May 1, 2004

Part 1 | Part 2 Ireland at the turn of the 20th century was poised for change. Most of Irelands inhabitants wanted to alter in some respect the nature of their relationship with Great Britain, which had been interfering in Irish affairs for more than 700 years. In 1801 the British government had even declared Ireland to be, constitutionally, ...

The Colonial Venture of Ireland, Part 1

by Wendy McElroy May 1, 2004

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Irish history has been likened to the cry of wind through a ruined house because so much of it deals with destruction and the breaking of a whole into parts. Centuries of conflict between Catholic and Protestant, Irish rebel and British authority offer a dramatic narrative ...

Fourth Circuit Moussaoui Ruling Is a Loss for the Constitution

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 30, 2004

Although the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals paid the obligatory lip service to the Sixth Amendment in the Zacharias Moussaoui case, in an audacious act of judicial activism, its ruling effectively rewrote and negated the Sixth Amendment to account for the government’s new “war on terrorism.” While ostensibly upholding the Constitution, the court’s ruling was actually a ...

Privatize the Airwaves!

by Sheldon Richman April 26, 2004

The Federal Communications Commission has begun a new crackdown on “indecency” on radio and television. While the baring of Janet Jackson’s breast during the Super Bowl halftime show created a stir, the FCC has mainly focused on “shock-jock” radio. Someone called Bubba the Love Sponge lost his ...

Conservative Support of Darth Vader and the Empire

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 23, 2004

Isnt it fascinating that so many conservatives steadfastly remain committed to the imperial role that the United States now plays in the world, even while claiming to support the limited-government republic of our forefathers? Hundreds of thousands of imperial troops are stationed on hundreds of military bases in more than 100 countries. Cities ...

9/11 Could Have Been Prevented

by Sheldon Richman April 21, 2004

From Richard Clarke to Condoleezza Rice, the security establishment agrees on one thing: there was no sure way to stop the attacks of September 11, 2001. Maybe, maybe not. But if that is correct, it doesnt get the Bush administration and its predecessors off the hook. The very inability to prevent terrorism is a powerful argument against the interventionist polices ...

Is FOX News Supporting the Troops or the President?

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 19, 2004

What fascinates me is how people at FOX News have convinced themselves that theyre supporting the troops while supporting the U.S. governments continued occupation of Iraq. After all, no one can honestly still claim that the troops are dying for freedom because Saddam Hussein is now in jail. Moreover, according to Iraqi Shi'ite Sheik Raed Saadi, it is now ...