Month: February 2005

Rights Groups Urge Gonzales to Commit to Independent Probe

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is urging senators on both sides of the aisle to insist that Attorney General-designate Alberto Gonzales commit to immediately appoint a special counsel to investigate and prosecute any criminal acts in the torture and abuse of detainees held by the U.S. government. According to the ACLU, senators should hold … Continue reading “Rights Groups Urge Gonzales to Commit to Independent Probe”

Who’s Afraid of Venezuela?

The vagueness of the “war on terror” is easily the greatest known-but-hardly-reported scandal of the Bush administration. Words like “terror,” “terrorism,” and “terrorist” have no singular definitions, and Team Bush has added to the confusion with uses that conflict with official U.S. policy. For instance, the State Department’s definition of “terrorism” excludes acts committed by … Continue reading “Who’s Afraid of Venezuela?”

The Dangers of Abstract Nationalism

Serious conservatives, men such as Scott McConnell of The American Conservative and economist Paul Craig Roberts, along with such eminent libertarians as Justin Raimondo of Antiwar.com and Lew Rockwell, are raising a surprising question: do the war in Iraq and the Bush administration’s desperate attempts to shore up support for that war have a whiff … Continue reading “The Dangers of Abstract Nationalism”

Judge Vindicates Gitmo Criticisms

A U.S. federal court judge has ruled that military tribunals initiated by the Pentagon to determine the status of terrorist suspects held at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are unconstitutional because they do not satisfy minimal due process requirements. The long-awaited decision [.pdf] by veteran judge Joyce Hens Green deals a new setback … Continue reading “Judge Vindicates Gitmo Criticisms”

Nuclear Heat Grows Over Iran

JERUSALEM – When Israel dispatched F-16 bombers almost 24 years ago to destroy Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor in Osirak, the pilots knew they only had to hit a single target. Were Israeli or U.S. planes to be sent today to neutralize Iran’s nuclear program, the mission would be far more complicated: with Iranian facilities spread … Continue reading “Nuclear Heat Grows Over Iran”

Surfing the Web With Big Brother

NEW YORK – Is the U.S. government spying on its citizens’ e-mail and Web surfing habits? The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a group that defends civil liberties on the Internet, believes the answer is probably "yes." Earlier this month, the San Francisco-based watchdog filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Federal Bureau of … Continue reading “Surfing the Web With Big Brother”

Iraq Audit Finds More Fuzzy Math

The U.S.-run administration in Baghdad failed to keep track of nearly $9 billion of money it transferred to various Iraqi ministries, according to an official audit released Sunday. The report by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says that the now defunct U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) did not exercise adequate managerial control … Continue reading “Iraq Audit Finds More Fuzzy Math”

Abandoning Liberty, Gaining Insecurity

Should Americans have to give up the Bill of Rights in order to be “safe” from terrorists? Actually, it doesn’t matter what Americans think. The trade has already been made – and without any input from the people. The “democracy” that America is exporting is in fact a Homeland Security State with more surveillance powers … Continue reading “Abandoning Liberty, Gaining Insecurity”