Posts Tagged ‘War on terror’
A Blueprint for a Transition to a Peacetime Economy
(This post is a little different from my usual writings, but I think it’s important to understand the relationship between militarism and the loss of civil and political rights. It’s also important to understand there is a way out of militarism, as discussed in the conclusion.) America has been at war my entire life. In [...]
Can Obama Send U.S. Citizens to Guantanamo Bay?
The blogosphere has been humming the last couple of weeks with condemnation of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. This bill, which funds U.S. military forces for the coming year, has a neat little provision tucked away in Sec. 1031. It permits anyone the government claims is “a member of, or part of, al-Qaida or [...]
A Patriot Act for Food?
“Control food and you control people.” –Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State Leave it to Congress to make criminals out of organic farmers and anyone else having anything to do with the production, distribution, or sale of food. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate enacted S-510, the “FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010.” It’s the equivalent [...]
A Bull Market in Lead Vests?
Manufacturers of the lead vests used in dental offices to shield patients from x-rays may have a new source of revenue, thanks to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Courtesy of the never-ending “War on Terror,” intrepid DHS bureaucrats have now deployed more than 500 mobile x-ray vans. The van drives up to a suspicious [...]
More Useless TSA Rules Won’t Improve Airline Security
The Christmas day attempt by a young Nigerian to blow up a Northwest Airlines jet has the Transportation Security Administration in full blame avoidance (CYA) mode. Travelers flying to the United States can now expect new layers of inconvenience at airline security checkpoints. None of these new measures have anything to do with security. Instead, [...]
Obama Gives States a REAL New Year’s Gift
Imagine walking down the street to the corner store for a newspaper and being stopped by policeman. He demands to see an official government-issued photo ID. You don’t have it with you. The policeman tells you you’re subject to a fine, and takes you into custody until authorities can ascertain your identity. Is this a [...]
Big Brother Visits the Tattoo Parlor
Thinking about getting a tattoo? If you are, better not pay cash! If you do, the FBI has informed tattoo parlors in Los Angeles, and perhaps other cities, that you might be a terrorist. Yes, I’m serious. You can read the FBI notice yourself by clicking here. Of course, paying cash at the tattoo parlor [...]
U.S. Uses Roving Checkpoints to Escalate the War on Cash
I just returned to Phoenix from a week’s vacation on the beach in San Diego. My all-too-brief holiday was very pleasant, with the exception of the time spent waiting in line at checkpoints manned by agents of the U.S. Border Patrol—five in all on Interstate 8 between Gila Bend, Arizona and San Diego. I’m white [...]
Hats Off for Surveillance!
You may not have known it, but it may now be your civic duty to remove your hat in the presence of a surveillance camera. And don’t smile, either—it might confuse the face-recognition software. If New York City is any indication, this is a coming trend. Banks and other retailers have started to post signs [...]
“Stripping” Leads to $350MM Fine for British Bank
Details are emerging of a massive effort by Iran to use the U.S. financial system to help finance Iranian nuclear and missile programs. Last Friday, one of Britain’s largest banks agreed to pay $350 million to settle charges that it helped the Iranian government (and also Sudan and Libya) disguise the origin of money flowing [...]