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July 25, 2002 Wise words ignored Rarely - very rarely - does one hear wise words emanating from the floor of Congress. When it is heard, no doubt it is Rep. Ron Paul, this time criticizing the Dept. of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, his solid appraisal of the faults of increasing government power(after that same government has failed), was ignored. Imperial presence in the Balkans "Though many have fled the Balkans in the past decade, those who remain . . .face a "nasty, brutish and short" life in what Hobbes described as a "state of nature." Only in this case, the Leviathan is its cause, not its solution," writes Nebojsa Mailc. The false belief that government can "save the people" has resulted in the poverty, conflict and unstableness of the Balkans. Why Iraq? "This, in the end, is why he'll go into Iraq. Not to fight terrorism (Iraq is a shadow of its former self) but to get himself out of his quagmire." Richard Gwyn explains that "this" is Bush's overextended "war on terror;" a "quagmire" created by the high costs and overextension of military actions. Gwyn predicts that, over time, that the American presence in Afghanistan will resemble a past US blunder. A success or a mistake? The recent bombing Gaza, though it achieved its primary objective, cost the lives of numerous civilians. The blunder will hurt the peace process and has already incited threats of revenge from Hamas. Tony Karon explains that there is another "victim" of this event:" US warhawks' much needed Arab support for the upcoming war with Saddam. At home and abroad "...those who are making major efforts to preserve civil liberties in the United States will be more successful if at the same time they strive, with equal fervor, to bring about changes in U.S. foreign policies," insists Bill Christison. Ignoring the connection between US foreign policy and international hatred of the US allows those policies to remain legitimate. Watch what you read "Do
you suddenly feel a chill in our public libraries?" is
a curious question. The FBI, under the Patriot Act, can legally
inspect library records and internet traffic, thus protecting us from
terrorists. What? "Life in a totalitarian society" The administration has asked for domestic military protection. The problems with the obvious centralization of law enforcement, the misallocation of resources, and certain laws, lead to the resounding answer: No! Archives: 7/15/02 7/16/02 7/17/02 7/18/02 7/19/02 7/20/02 7/22/02 7/23/02 7/24/02 Mike Ewens is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis. Apart from his full-time student status, he is actively involved in the campus libertarian/conservative newspaper, College Libertarians and inner city tutoring programs. Economics and mathematics occupy his academic time, while his intellectual curiosity is further satisfied with political theory and foreign affairs. He is currently working as a summer intern with Antiwar.com. Contact him for information regarding bringing Justin Raimondo and other speakers to your campus. |