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Liberty and Power

  • Dec 27, 2003

    TERMS OF DISENGAGEMENT, 12-19-03

    by Liberty and Power

    Jim Zwick has an excellent site, with the unclear-on-the-concept name of boondocksnet.com, dedicated to the history of the American Anti-Imperialist League. The historical documents archived on the site are particularly valuable, but the essays by Zwick and others are also worthwhile (though I have significant disagreements with them), especially for those of us interested in issues of liberty and power. The arguably successful, in my view

  • Dec 27, 2003

    DEAN: AN ECHO, NOT A CHOICE?

    by Liberty and Power

    From Dean's major foreign policy address on Monday:"I have supported U.S. military action to roll back Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, to halt ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, [and] to stop Milosevic's campaign of terror in Kosovo...."

    Now, I guess that's not surprising. But Dean's argument against the Iraq war has focused on the idea (I'd

  • Dec 27, 2003

    THE NEW JERSEY CONSPIRACY

    by Liberty and Power

    First it was the (intentional?) leak of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's memo, which brought into question the administration's effectiveness in the"War on Terror." Rumsfeld may have been born in Chicago, but he was educated at Princeton University. In New Jersey. Hold onto that fact for a moment.

    Then, it was former EPA head and former governor of New Jersey (do you sense a pattern he

  • Dec 27, 2003

    SADDAM & U.S. COMPLICITY

    by Liberty and Power

    I have been debating"pro-war" advocates on several lists over the newest developments in Iraq, but it seems that I've earned the disapproval of at least one antiwar advocate too, because of my"Death to Tyrants" approach to Saddam Hussein.

    Let me say, in response, that I am second to none in my appreciation of the role of U.S. foreign policy in engendering the demons it now seeks to exorcise from the world stage. I a

  • Dec 27, 2003

    GUEST BLOGGER THANKS & INTRODUCTION

    by Liberty and Power

    Like previous guest bloggers I'd like to thank David Beito for inviting me – and also for creating this high-caliber blog. I don't believe that I've met any of you regular L&Pers in the real world (that I've heard so much about) but I have read and admired a number of your books and articles (enough said), so I feel privileged to be able to share my thoughts with you all. Please feel free to comment on and criticize what I write, as I think conversations and debates are ofte

  • Dec 27, 2003

    JUST TRIAL THEN EXECUTE

    by Liberty and Power

    he was moved to compassion as he saw"this man destroyed, being treated like a cow as they [the US military] checked his teeth." The media and military treatment of Saddam looks like vengeance, not justice...and this could turn Saddam into an object of pity for some, a rallying point for others. Bush may yet snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

    For one thing...why mention the death penalty? It was akin to throwing gas on a raging fire for the joy of making sparks. As

  • Dec 27, 2003

    ONE AUTOCRATIC BELLIGERENT DEPOSED, ONE TO GO

    by Liberty and Power

    The humiliating footage, beamed to the world, of a bedraggled Saddam Hussein having his mouth examined by a U.S. military doctor is living proof that the embarrassing, once U.S.-supported Iraqi despot has finally been deposed. But if that fate is now to befall all dethroned, war-like leaders with autocratic tendencies, perhaps President Bush should get his own dental house in order just in case he loses the election in November 2004.

    Of course, it would be unfair to compare the magnitude

  • Dec 27, 2003

    MIT

    by Liberty and Power

    FYI for anyone wishing to pursue independent academic study. MIT is opening most of its course materials on the web to the public. A friend tells me,"I checked out one class and found references for the reading materials, a syllabus and calendar, assignments with solutions, quizzese and exams with solutions, links to related resources, and video lectures. There are over 500 MIT courses available." Here's the link.
  • Dec 27, 2003

    SADDAM AND PERSONAL SURVIVAL

    by Liberty and Power

    As Chris Matthew Sciabarra points out in the post directly below personal survival held great importance for Saddam Hussein. I would go even further saying it was by far his number one, most likely his lone, priority. Not only did he have a plethora of tunnels he also had many doubles. He could not follow his natural instinct and flee Iraq because after what we did to the Taliban for giving Bin Laden sanctuary no other country would have taken him. We did not find him out leading an insurgency t
  • Dec 27, 2003

    SADDAM AND GENEVA CONVENTIONS

    by Liberty and Power

    The status of the captured Saddam Hussein is already confusing. Although the US maintains that no determination of his legal status has been made, according to Voice of America (and many other sources)"Rumsfeld said the captured former Iraqi leader will be protected under the Geneva Convention, the international agreement that prohibits mistreatment of prisoners of war." In this, Rumsfeld is acting i
  • Dec 27, 2003

    SADDAM'S CAPTURE

    by Liberty and Power

    It's about time this war saw a good day, and it's always a good day when you see a once-mighty tyrant looking like a bedraggled drunk rousted from the bus station. I hope we turn him over to the Iraqis and I hope they hang him high.

    I also hope this improves our chances for a rapid and dignified exit. And maybe now we can work on capturing that other guy, you know, the one that attacked us. As former CIA counter-terrorism chief Vince Cannistraro