The Worst Way to Fight Terror

The 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act (H.R. 10) is yet another attempt to address the tH.R.eat of terrorism by giving more money and power to the federal bureaucracy. Most of the reforms contained in this bill will not make America safer, though they definitely will make us less free. H.R. 10 also wastes American taxpayer money … Continue reading “The Worst Way to Fight Terror”

Reject Draft Slavery

I oppose HR 163 in the strongest possible terms. The draft, whether for military purposes or some form of "national service," violates the basic moral principles of individual liberty upon which this country was founded. Furthermore, the military neither wants nor needs a draft. The Department of Defense, in response to calls to reinstate the … Continue reading “Reject Draft Slavery”

National ID Threatens Liberty

Washington politicians are once again seriously considering imposing a national identification card – and it may well become law before the end of the 108th Congress. The much-hailed 9/11 Commission report [pdf] released in July recommends a federal identification card and, worse, a "larger network of screening points" inside the United States. Does this mean … Continue reading “National ID Threatens Liberty”

The Government Says We Need More Government

The 9-11 Commission report, released late last month, has disrupted the normally quiet Washington August. Various congressional committees are holding hearings on the report this week, even though Congress is not in session, in an attempt to show the government is "doing something" about terrorism in an election year. The Commission recommendations themselves have been … Continue reading “The Government Says We Need More Government”

Police State USA

Last week’s announcement that the terrorist threat warning level has been raised in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., has led to dramatic and unprecedented restrictions on the movements of citizens. Americans wishing to visit the U.S. Capitol must, for example, pass through several checkpoints and submit to police inspection of their … Continue reading “Police State USA”

US Must Stay Out of Sudan

I rise in strong opposition to this incredibly dangerous legislation. I hope my colleagues are not fooled by the title of this bill, “Declaring genocide in Darfur, Sudan.” This resolution is no statement of humanitarian concern for what may be happening in a country thousands of miles from the United States. Rather, it could well … Continue reading “US Must Stay Out of Sudan”

‘Saving the World’ With Your Money

The Millennium Challenge Act, a new foreign aid scheme I wrote about back in May, received its hoped-for $2.5 billion from Congress last week. Only 41 members of Congress supported an effort to strip the funding, demonstrating once again that the two parties are not serious about reducing federal spending. Considering all the rhetoric in … Continue reading “‘Saving the World’ With Your Money”

Torture, War, and Presidential Powers

A Wall Street Journal article last week detailed a Department of Defense memo that discusses the legality of interrogation and torture methods in the wake of events at Abu Ghraib. The document reportedly advises that the president has authority to order almost any action, including physical or psychological torture, despite federal laws to the contrary. … Continue reading “Torture, War, and Presidential Powers”

Superpower or Superdebtor?

Since the passage of the “Iraq Liberation Act” in 1998, the U.S. government has spent more than 40 million taxpayer dollars on the Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi. As we now know, Chalabi in turn fed the U.S. government lies about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaeda in the … Continue reading “Superpower or Superdebtor?”

Fresh Failures in Iraq

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Our allegiances to our allies and friends change constantly. For a decade, exiled Iraqi Ahmed Chalabi was our chosen leader-to-be in a new Iraq. Championed by Pentagon neocons and objected to by the State Department, Mr. Chalabi received more than 100 million U.S. taxpayer dollars … Continue reading “Fresh Failures in Iraq”