Mission Creepy: The Rise of the ‘Daddy State’

Will recession-induced budget cuts result in the National Guard being deputized as lawmen in Jefferson County, Ala.? While he may be bluffing for effect, Jefferson County Sheriff Randy Christian didn’t seem to be altogether unserious when he suggested that soldiers might be brought in to supplement policing gaps supposedly left by a $4 million budget … Continue reading “Mission Creepy: The Rise of the ‘Daddy State’”

Kennedy Was a Lion,
but War Remains King

Nearly seven years ago this month a lion roared, attempting, however unavailingly, to compete with the Iraq war drums that had begun immediately after 9/11. Sen. Edward Kennedy said the following on Sept. 27, 2002, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies: "Let me say it plainly: I not only concede, but … Continue reading “Kennedy Was a Lion,
but War Remains King”

No Color-Coded Revolution for Afghanistan

The March 14, 2005, cover of Newsweek was nothing short of a gift to the Bush administration: an attractive, youthful girl ripped straight from a Noxzema commercial astride the shoulders of a dashing young man, arms thrown open in a joyous invocation of freedom. The two star children could have been at a college football … Continue reading “No Color-Coded Revolution for Afghanistan”