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Liberty and Power

  • May 4, 2004

    Making the Cut

    by Liberty and Power

    Browsing in the La Guardia airport book store yesterday, I spotted 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know by the editors of the American Heritage dictionaries. The first entry my eye fell on, with pleasant surprise, was laissez faire. Here's the entry:"An economic doctrine that opposes government regulation of or interference in commerce beyond the minimum necessary for a free enterprise system to operate according to its own economic laws. Noninterference in the affa
  • May 3, 2004

    Quick Addenda to Presidential Omnipotence Article

    by Liberty and Power

    Since I can't edit my previous article on the crisis at the University of Southern Mississippi (I get error messages each time I try), I will put three quick updates here:

    1. Here is an excellent analysis of the track record of"Director of Risk Management" Jack Hanbury, a laywer better known as President Thames' Chief Hatchet Man.
    2. Hanbury's memo of April 30th, ordering deans to violate the state Freedom of Inf
  • May 3, 2004

    USM Settled? Hardly!

    by Liberty and Power

    The announcement that the termination of two tenured professors at the University of Southern Mississippi has been"settled" should alarm and terrify everyone concerned with academic freedom.

    The two professors agreed to accept two years' salary in return for never setting foot on campus again. A gag order was also imposed, specifiying that the professors could not reveal or discuss the nature of the charges against them or the negotiations that resulted in settlement. We will never know,

  • May 3, 2004

    It's on the Wall

    by Liberty and Power

    "In line with today's needs, the Selective Service System's structure, programs and activities should be re-engineered toward maintaining a national inventory of American men and, for the first time, women, ages 18 through 34, with an added focus on identifying individuals with critical skills."

    That's from a proposal by the Selective Service System. See this.

    Thanks to Don Boudreaux at

  • May 3, 2004

    No, Limbaugh Meant What He Said

    by Liberty and Power

    Bill Marina may be right that when Rush Limbaugh said he favors having a war every 20 years, he was merely screwing up Jefferson's remark about revolution. But I doubt it. I think Limbaugh meant exactly what he said: that it is good to put each generation through war—just for the hell of it.
  • May 3, 2004

    Torture & Civilian Deaths in Three Counterinsurgencies

    by Liberty and Power

    Blog viewers who have been reading about the emerging atrocities issue in Iraq may find the following artcle of mine, just posted at The Independent Insitute web site, of interest. It deals also with the Philippines and Vietnam. To view it, Click Here.

  • May 2, 2004

    Anti- Fat Movement

    by Liberty and Power

    My friend Jeff Schaler sent me an article from the New York Times on the current demonizing of fat. It gives a historical perspective to the issue and makes some good points.

    However, the piece does show the Times characteristic bias in favor of government because it does not mention, even once, the enormous potential for tax revenue that is involved. Unless they are going to weigh people at the Giant Supermarket c

  • May 2, 2004

    President of USM in Violation of Settlement

    by Liberty and Power

    Friday afternoon the Mississippi College Board announced the settlement between Shelby Thames, the President of the University of Southern Mississippi, and the two professors he fired on March 5, Frank Glamser and Gary Stringer.

    In return for 2 more years at USM, during which they will not be allowed to teach classes or have offices on campus, after which

  • May 2, 2004

    Is the Fix in at the University of Southern Mississippi?

    by Liberty and Power

    When commenting on breaking news, it's easy to speak too soon. I certainly did yesterday afternoon, when I wrote about the hearing for Professors Frank Glamser and Gary Stringer at the University of Southern Mississippi. Glamser and Sringer were fired by President Shelby Thames on March 5, for investigating the credentials of Angelina Dvorak, the Vice President for Research.

    It looked then as though the hearing officer, retired

  • May 2, 2004

    Those Racist Peaceniks

    by Liberty and Power

    Seems the Republicans have learned a thing or two from the Democrats' long-held habit of equating opposition to their own favored policies with racism. Here's President Bush last week:
    "There's a lot of people in the world who don't believe that people whose skin color may not be the same as ours can be free and self-govern," Bush said.

    "I reject that. I reject that strongly. I believe that people

  • May 2, 2004

    On Rush Limbaugh

    by Liberty and Power

    It is typical of Limbaugh's loose thinking that he was probably bastardizing Jefferson's observation about a"Revolution" every 20 years; that the Tree of Liberty must be Watered by the Blood of Patriots.

    There is a great difference between a Revolution to advance Liberty and a War to keep the Status Quo, or even, in some cases, to move back toward a thoroughly Reactionary society.

    Our move in Iraq to now put in place Saddam's old commanders and troops, tells you exactly the thou

  • May 1, 2004

    Torture & Civilian Deaths in Three Counterinsurgencies

    by Liberty and Power

    It was revealed this week, that on top of the indiscriminate bombardment of civilians in Iraqi urban areas, both US and British soldiers have become involved in torture as well. At the same time, comparing the three overall interventions, some writers have drawn attention to parallels with Vietnam a generation ago, and the Philippines a century earlier.

    Massive civilian deaths and torture are characteristic of all three Imperial Interventions.

    Our Philippine adventure resulted