March 2010

The Bases of Empire

By David Swanson

When I encourage people to throw away their televisions and newspapers in favor of reading books, I think a lot of times they imagine that what they’d get would be a different angle on the same topics. After all, the stories in the news are just the stories in the news, the only possible difference is what spin you put on them, right?

But I just read a great book, and not the first, on a topic that as far as I know has never made it onto U.S. television or into any substantive read more

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Citizens United Against Citizens United

By David Swanson

Eighty-five percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans tell pollsters when asked that they oppose the Supreme Court’s decision in “Citizens United” which lifted limits on corporate political spending. I’m willing to bet that at least those same percentages would tell you the decision violates the U.S. Constitution. And I would bet that read more

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Of Cutting Gas Lines

By David Swanson

Here in Virginia where we’re addicted to the practice of killing people in order to teach them not to kill people, there are certain things that must not be said about the moron(s) who cut a gas line to a backyard grill at the home of the brother of a congressman who voted for a health insurance bill.

1. We must not mention that Congressman Tom Perriello sets a strong example for the use of violence. When he doesn’t know how to resolve disputes, he bombs people. He read more

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Frank Olson, Enemy Combatant

By David Swanson

If you haven’t read “A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments,” by H.P. Albarelli Jr., I recommend doing so right away. Read every word, cover to cover. You will initially conclude that I, and Albarelli, are crazy. This is the story of one simple murder that asks who done it and doesn’t answer the question for over 700 pages, because every time a new character enters the story the author introduces read more

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Lies, Damn Lies, and the Media

By David Swanson

ACORN is shutting down because of a fraudulent video pimped by the corporate media. U.S. forces in Afghanistan have heroically laid seige to and conquered a fictional city, helping build the case for further escalation. A cable news channel has created a right-wing mass movement by pretending it already existed. Congressman Dennis Kucinich voted for a health insurance bill he believed would deprive more people of healthcare (and wealth and homes), because fraudulent reports read more

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John Yoo: A President Can Nuke U.S.

By David Swanson

I had the opportunity to ask war lawyer John Yoo a couple of questions on Friday.  The situation was not ideal, with someone else holding the microphone and deferring to the witness, and other people heckling, and other people shouting at the hecklers.  Nonetheless . . .

I gave Yoo every opportunity I could to place a limit on presidential power.  Can a president shoot missiles in the United States?  Can a president drop nukes in the United States?  Yoo read more

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John Yoo Celebrates Sunshine Week

By David Swanson

Sunshine Week, according to its website, is “a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.”

The University of Virginia here in Charlottesville is doing its part by hosting book tour stops for the chief author of the worst secret laws ever established. read more

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