In the Tuesday interview for PBS Newshour, host Jim Lehrer asked Bush why he has not asked more AMericans.. to sacrifice something” for the war in Iraq. The President replied: “I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence […]
Archive | January, 2007
“Close Enough for Government Work” Torture
A newly-released Pentagon-funded study entitled “Educing Information” examines the “concerns about recent U.S. interrogation activities, subsequent investigations, and the efficacy of contemporary tactics, techniques, and procedures.” Surprise, surprise: the U.S. government has little or no idea what it is doing when it tries to beat the truth out of people. A Washington Post story on the […]
Surge & Dictatorship
The real issue in Bush’s speech Wednesday night is not the additional troops he intends to send to Iraq. The real issue is his nearly open proclamation of dictatorial powers. Apparently, once a president lies a nation into war, he is entitled to absolute power for as long as he chooses. Regardless of how many […]
The Perils of Emergency Power
Freedom Daily September 2006 (posted online January 2007) The Perils of Emergency Power by James Bovard The New York Times reported on June 23 that President Bush invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify warrantless searches of Americans’ and other people’s financial data. According to Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey, the U.S. government may […]
What if Nixon had been Hanged?
Seeing the rave reviews on how Iraqis will benefit from the hanging of Saddam Hussein, and hearing the late Gerald Ford lauded today to the heavens, I can’t help wondering how American history might have changed if Richard Nixon had been hanged. Of course, I’m not suggesting Nixon should have been hanged by a lynch […]
Thanks to Folks who Commented Here in ’06!
I want to thank people whose comments enriched and enlivened this blog last year. I learned a lot from individuals who offered their thoughts on political events and on my writings. This era of torture and military tribunals can be plenty grim at times, and the belly laughs I got from from witty comments around the […]
