Daily Articles

The Myths of NATO

by Tim Kelly May 30, 2012

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was cast into the national spotlight last week when the 63-year-old alliance held its 25th summit in Chicago. While the thousands of anti-NATO protesters and the government’s heavy-handed security measures attracted most of the media’s attention, important questions regarding the Cold War–era organization went largely ignored. According to Cold War orthodoxy, the United States ...

Ban the Public Library

by Laurence M. Vance May 30, 2012

Not everyone has the time or the inclination to read all the books on the New York Times bestseller list. But even those who have both may not be able to — if they’re trying to find their favorite title at their local public library. Fifty Shades of Grey, the first installment of an erotic, sado-masochistic trilogy by British author ...

Imperialists in the Refrigerator

by Wendy McElroy May 29, 2012

Various American regulatory agencies have criminalized the sale and the distribution of raw milk, allegedly as a means of protecting the welfare of consumers. The government claims unpasteurized milk is dangerous because it has not been treated to eliminate pathogens such as E. coli. Raw-milk enthusiasts counter by pointing to its health benefits and the fact that it ...

U.S. Judge Rules against Military Detention of U.S. Terror Suspects — But What About the Foreigners in Guantánamo?

by Andy Worthington May 25, 2012

Last week in New York, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest took a stand against a contentious provision inserted into the current National Defense Authorization Act (PDF). She ruled (PDF) that it was unconstitutional for lawmakers to demand that, in future, those accused of involvement with terrorism — including U.S. citizens and residents — be subjected ...

Romney and Bain Capital

by Sheldon Richman May 25, 2012

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is essentially playing one card in his quest for Barack Obama’s job: his business experience taught him how economies work. But Romney’s own pitch raises doubts about this. The Obama campaign charges Romney with destroying jobs when he ran Bain Capital, undercutting Romney’s claim he was a job creator. Obama argues that Bain created only ...

No More Entangling Alliances

by Laurence M. Vance May 22, 2012

Would the United States go to war over marine life illegally harvested in the South China Sea? The very thought of such a thing sounds ludicrous. But under the U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines, it is a possibility. For the past month, China and the Philippines have traded threats over a disputed area in the South China Sea ...

The Police State Is Here

by Tim Kelly May 21, 2012

“There are those who still think they are holding the pass against a revolution that may be coming up the road. But they are gazing in the wrong direction. The revolution is behind them. It went by in the Night of Depression, singing songs to freedom.” Those are the words of Garet Garrett, the 20th-century journalist and writer, who lamented ...

The Obama Administration “Brainwashes” the Public on Afghanistan

by Sheldon Richman May 20, 2012

In 1967 Gov. George W. Romney of Michigan, a potential contender for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination, abandoned his earlier support for the war in Vietnam, which he had previously called “morally right and necessary.” Asked why he had changed his position, Romney said, “When I came back from Vietnam , I’d just had the greatest brainwashing ...

Why No Trials for Abu Zubaydah and Seven Other “High-Value Detainees” in Guantánamo?

by Andy Worthington May 18, 2012

Two weeks ago, when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other “high-value detainees” were arraigned at Guantánamo in preparation for their forthcoming trial by military commission, they brought to eight the number of “high-value detainees” tried, put forward for trials, or having agreed to a plea deal to avoid a trial and secure a reduced sentence. In total,

The War on Drugs: Cui Bono?

by Laurence M. Vance May 17, 2012

Cui bono, a maxim of Cassius quoted by Cicero meaning “who benefits?” or “to whose advantage?” is a useful principle when investigating political assassinations, conspiracy theories, mysterious deaths — and the war on drugs. The war on drugs, which actually began in the United States before World War I with the passage of a series of federal anti-narcotics laws, was ...

JPMorgan Lesson: End Government Bank Guarantees

by Sheldon Richman May 17, 2012

It’s widely believed that JPMorgan Chase’s recent $2 billion–plus loss proves we need the comprehensive banking regulation called for by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law. That belief is wrong. In thinking about the loss, remember that the future is always uncertain. It’s easy to look back on a bad decision — especially someone else’s bad decision — and claim the mistake was ...

Scott Horton Interviews Jacob Hornberger (Audio)

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 16, 2012

Scott Horton interviews Jacob Hornberger about his article, “It’s Again Time to Dismantle the Cold War Military Machine,” how Americans are kept in a perpetual state of fear so massive military budgets seem like a necessity; the Pentagon’s latest make-work project, fighting the War on Drugs in Honduras; how ending drug prohibition would decrease problems with gangs, violence, and public ...