Sen. Rand Paul has introduced a proposed constitutional amendment which specifies that our elected officials are subject to the same laws that rule us plebeians. How could a libertarian -- or, really, anybody -- possibly object to that? John Glaser has managed to do...
Electronic Frontier Foundation’s ‘Stop Watching Us’ Video
The Sectarian War at Hand: Redrawing the Middle East Again
The warm waters of the Gulf look quiet from where I am sitting, but such tranquility hardly reflects the conflicts this region continues to generate. The euphoria of the so-called Arab Spring is long gone, but what remains is a region that is rich with resources and...
$40 Million Allocated for Drone Victims Never Reaches Them
Recent reports on US drone strikes by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN have heightened international awareness about civilian casualties and have resulted in new calls for redress. The Amnesty International drone report “Will I be next?” says the...
Why Snowden’s Passport Matters
When the State Department revoked Edward Snowden’s passport four months ago, the move was a reprisal from a surveillance-and-warfare state that operates largely in the shadows. Top officials in Washington were furious. Snowden had suddenly exposed what couldn’t stand...
Rand Paul Proposes Silly Constitutional Amendment to Apply Laws Equally to Citizens and Government
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced an interesting Constitutional amendment this week: 'Section 1. Congress shall make no law applicable to a citizen of the United States that is not equally applicable to Congress. 'Section 2. Congress shall make no law applicable to...
Manning and Snowden Leaks ‘Undermine Washington’s Ability to Act Hypocritically’
Writing in Foreign Affairs, two George Washington University professors note the strange inability of "the U.S. establishment" to substantiate their claims that leakers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning pose an enormous threat to national security. The reason...
Boeing Routinely Overcharges Pentagon, Robbing Taxpayers Blind
The Pentagon's inspector general found defense contractor Boeing deliberately overcharged for military equipment four times in the past five years, according to Bloomberg News. In 2008, for example, Boeing charged an extra $16.6 million on a $4.4 billion CH-47F...
Human Rights Groups Call Drone War Illegal, Counterproductive
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have published reports on the Obama administration's drone war, saying it may amount to war crimes. This comes just days after the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions submitted a...
New UN Report Highlights How US Drone Policy Violates International Law
The United Nations General Assembly just released the latest Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The report is necessary, in part, because “There is... a notable lack of consensus on how to apply the rules of...
