Norman Solomon

Norman Solomon's Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America's Warfare State is out now.

Obama’s Escalating War on Freedom of the Press

The part of the First Amendment that prohibits "abridging the freedom … of the press" is now up against the wall, as the Obama administration continues to assault the kind of journalism that can expose government secrets. Last Friday the administration got what it wanted – an ice-cold chilling effect – from the Fourth Circuit … Continue reading “Obama’s Escalating War on Freedom of the Press”

Denouncing NSA Surveillance Isn’t Enough – We Need the Power to Stop It

For more than a month, outrage has been profuse in response to news about NSA surveillance and other evidence that all three branches of the U.S. government are turning Uncle Sam into Big Brother. Now what? Continuing to expose and denounce the assaults on civil liberties is essential. So is supporting Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden … Continue reading “Denouncing NSA Surveillance Isn’t Enough – We Need the Power to Stop It”

The Pursuit of Edward Snowden: Washington in a Rage, Striving to Run the World

Rarely has any American provoked such fury in Washington’s high places. So far, Edward Snowden has outsmarted the smartest guys in the echo chamber – and he has proceeded with the kind of moral clarity that U.S. officials seem to find unfathomable. Bipartisan condemnations of Snowden are escalating from Capitol Hill and the Obama administration. … Continue reading “The Pursuit of Edward Snowden: Washington in a Rage, Striving to Run the World”

David Brooks, Tom Friedman, Bill Keller Wish Snowden Had Just Followed Order

Edward Snowden’s disclosures, the New York Times reported on Sunday, "have renewed a longstanding concern: that young Internet aficionados whose skills the agencies need for counterterrorism and cyberdefense sometimes bring an anti-authority spirit that does not fit the security bureaucracy." Agencies like the NSA and CIA – and private contractors like Booz Allen – can’t … Continue reading “David Brooks, Tom Friedman, Bill Keller Wish Snowden Had Just Followed Order”

Clarity From Snowden, Murk From Progressive Politicians

House Speaker John Boehner calls Edward Snowden a “traitor.” The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, labels his brave whistleblowing “an act of treason.” What about the leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus? As the largest caucus of Democrats on Capitol Hill, the Progressive Caucus could supply a principled counterweight to the bombast … Continue reading “Clarity From Snowden, Murk From Progressive Politicians”

Historic Challenge to Support the Moral Actions of Edward Snowden

In Washington, where the state of war and the surveillance state are one and the same, top officials have begun to call for Edward Snowden’s head. His moral action of whistleblowing — a clarion call for democracy — now awaits our responses. After nearly 12 years of the “war on terror,” the revelations of recent … Continue reading “Historic Challenge to Support the Moral Actions of Edward Snowden”

An Open Letter to Dianne Feinstein, Head of the Senate Intelligence Committee

Dear Senator Feinstein: On Thursday, when you responded to news about massive ongoing surveillance of phone records of people in the United States, you slipped past the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. As the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, you seem to be in the habit of treating the Bill of Rights as merely … Continue reading “An Open Letter to Dianne Feinstein, Head of the Senate Intelligence Committee”

Bradley Manning Is Guilty of ‘Aiding the Enemy’ – If the Enemy Is Democracy

Of all the charges against Bradley Manning, the most pernicious—and revealing—is “aiding the enemy.” A blogger at The New Yorker, Amy Davidson, raised a pair of big questions that now loom over the courtroom at Fort Meade and the entire country: “Would it aid the enemy, for example, to expose war crimes committed by American … Continue reading “Bradley Manning Is Guilty of ‘Aiding the Enemy’ – If the Enemy Is Democracy”

Our Twisted Politics of Grief

Darwin observed that conscience is what most distinguishes humans from other animals. If so, grief isn’t far behind. Realms of anguish are deeply personal—yet prone to expropriation for public use, especially in this era of media hyper-spin. Narratives often thresh personal sorrow into political hay. More than ever, with grief marketed as a civic commodity, … Continue reading “Our Twisted Politics of Grief”

Has the Left Made Peace With the Warfare State?

As a perpetual emotion machine — producing and guzzling its own political fuel — the “war on terror” continues to normalize itself as a thoroughly American way of life and death. Ongoing warfare has become a matter of default routine, pushed along by mainline media and the leadership of both parties in Washington. Without a … Continue reading “Has the Left Made Peace With the Warfare State?”