Reports from May 1 protests around the US, particularly in Seattle, may look disturbingly familiar to anyone worried about police militarization. To be fair, this outlet suggests Seattle saw a contingent of aggressive marchers and rioters who were determined to...
The ‘Isolationist’ Slur and the Foreign Policy Debate
A recent New York Times article ascribing the label "isolationist" to those skeptical of military intervention in Syria and North Korea has generated a flurry of commentary about the overall foreign policy debate. Matt Duss summarizes the controversy well: Ask...
A Terrible Idea: Arming the Syrian Rebels
There are rumors going around that President Obama "is preparing to send lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition," although he has said no such thing publicly. Nevertheless, the rumors are sparking a new debate on the wisdom of directly arming the Syrian rebels. I...
Saving Nietzsche and Ourselves
Nietzsche is incorrectly often associated with fascism, especially Nazism. When he descended into insanity, his sister Elizabeth took control of his works and selectively edited them to support the Third Reich. This is a shame, because Nietzche wrote many prescient...
UN: Force Feeding Gitmo Hunger Strikers Violates International Law
President Obama this week defended the US's policy of force feeding detainees in Guantanamo Bay who are protesting their due process-free indefinite detention by going on a hunger strike. On Wednesday, UN human rights officials declared that force feeding amounts to...
‘Everything Libertarians and Liberals Get Wrong About Drones’ Wrong About Drones, Everything
In the past few days, two different Atlantic writers have worried that drones are a "sexy" subject which often overshadow other issues. Now, Andrew Cohen's article isn't really about war or drones. It's a reminder that it's not only Anwar al-Awlaki who didn't get due...
3 Suspects Arrested in Boston Bombing Case: Updated
The Boston Police Department has announced -- via Twitter -- that three more suspects have been taken into custody in the Boston Marathon bombing case. "Details to follow...." The Boston Globe describes the three as college students. Are two of them these guys?...
Gitmo Prisoner’s Memoirs Prove Obama Is Full of Shit
The hoopla over President Obama's statements on the Guantanamo Bay prison yesterday have obscured the reality of the situation. Sometimes broad talk of policy questions get in the way of the truly revealing details. But now we have an opportunity to get really...
Obama Remembers Gitmo Exists, Says It’s ‘Not Necessary’ for American Safety
In response to a question about the hunger strike currently sweeping the prison, President Obama today once again promised to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama spoke eloquently about the issue, saying "It is inefficient, it hurts us in...
Obama’s Chemical Weapons ‘Red Line’ Is Even More Propaganda Than You Think
When the news about chemical weapons use in Syria hit the headlines again last week, I wrote that the whole debate on the issue was bogus. I argued that the alleged use of chemical weapons didn't change the fact that the administration sees war in Syria as too costly...


