Author name: davidswanson

Up Is Down: The Military Budget

By David Swanson

The largest military budget in the history of the world is being increased. Certain weapons are being cut back, others expanded. But the overall budget is going UP. However, you don’t need me to tell you that. You’ve learned it from these fine news sources:

FoxNews.com:

“With Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposing broad cuts in Pentagon spending, a new war over the president’s budget has begun. While critics already are warning that the plan could compromise read more

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Listen to Francis Boyle

By David Swanson

As evidence of Bush and Cheney’s crimes is slowly pried loose from President Obama’s fingers, it’s easy to forget just how long ago numerous articulate voices were identifying and denouncing those crimes, none more so that Francis Boyle, who told Bill O’Reilly on his Fox News show on September 13, 2001:

“Before I support a war that will jeopardize the lives of tens of thousands of our servicemen and women, I want to see the evidence that we are relying read more

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Afghanistan: Two Lonely Acts of Courage

By David Swanson

One member of Congress stood alone 7.5 years ago against the original authorization to attack Afghanistan. And one member of Congress, a different one, stood alone last week against funding a massive escalation of that war.

On September 14th, 2001, Congresswoman Barbara Lee spoke, in tears, on the floor of the House of Representatives. She, alone, would vote No on letting the president decide on going to war in Afghanistan. She, alone, would refuse to authorize the president read more

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What's the Real Reason?

The Pentagon is starting to cut weapons programs, and peace groups are bound to cheer.

I don’t just mean pseudo-peace groups funded by the makers of OTHER weapons systems (and these do exist, and you should be wary of any campaign obsessed with ending a particular weapon). I mean ordinary peace groups. Because we’ve been demanding an end to wasteful weapons systems, fraudulent and outdated weapons systems, weapons systems designed for nonexistent enemies. We claimed that those read more

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Being Three

To Wesley Neil Swanson
From David Christopher Naylor Swanson
April 4, 2009

We took you to the doctor for an annual checkup a couple of days ago, Wesley, and you hadn’t been since last year. He couldn’t find anything wrong with you, and you now stand 37 inches tall and weigh 33 pounds, so you’ve fallen in both weight and height to more average for your age, whereas you started out big in both, and you’ve fallen more in weight because you’re slimming out, you’re read more

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Feith Dares Obama to Enforce the Law

By David Swanson

Doug Feith is bluffing big time, and he’s lifted Dick Cheney and George Bush onto the table as his bet. Now if only he could stop visibly sweating.

Feith’s Wall Street Journal column on Friday argues that Spain has no right to put Americans on trial for torture, at least not second-tier officials who provided pseudo-legal justifications for torture and advocated its use, actions read more

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Truth, Crimes, Commissions, and Hope

By David Swanson

Good news is being taken as bad. Vermont constituents of Senator Patrick Leahy report that he’s finding very little support for his proposed truth and reconciliation commission from Republicans or Democrats in the Senate. Numerous people have taken this as bad news and cause to despair. I disagree. Here are ten reasons why.

1. The idea was never reconciliation with Iraqis, Afghanis, Pakistanis, Palestinians, torture victims, spying victims, victims of political prosecutions, read more

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John Yoo Arrested

Former U.S. Official Arrested in Italy
By P.V. Maro,

ROME ( ) – John C. Yoo, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States, was arrested on Tuesday in Milan, Italy, and is being held for possible extradition to Spain, where he and five other retired officials who served under former President George W. Bush are expected to be indicted by a Spanish court for violations of the Geneva Conventions, the Convention Against Torture, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal read more

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