In the wake of America’s disastrous Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment was enacted to prohibit involuntary servitude. Unfortunately, top newspapers, pundits, and think tanks are now campaigning to nullify that prohibition. Apparently, slavery was evil not because of the unjust subjugation but because plantation owners, not politicians, were the profiteers. Politicians have long been hustling to establish their prerogative to commandeer young Americans’ lives. At a “Volunteerism Summit” in Philadelphia in 1997, President Bill Clinton announced that America needed more “citizen-servants”...
citizenship
Israel’s Founding Father Called for Villages to Be ‘Wiped Out,’ Confirming Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Archival institutions are not known to be pioneers of technological innovation. They are preoccupied with the past, after all. That is why censors still often black out classified information physically, with a marker, a piece of paper or whatnot. The Israeli State Archives, on the other hand, have apparently been experimenting with virtual censorship tools. In the minutes of a cabinet meeting of Israel’s provisional government during its "War of Independence," released following requests of the Akevot Institute, digital blackouts were included to cover the more problematic statements...
Salafis Throwing Bombs: How American and British Planners Partnered With Al-Qaeda Affiliated Groups At the Start of the Syrian Civil War
Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front. Additionally, al-Qaeda allegedly did not carry out any military operations until December 2011 and did not announce its establishment until January 2012. However, there is evidence that al-Qaeda affiliated militants were involved in the Syrian conflict much earlier. Saudi intelligence...
TGIF: A Refreshing Way to Think about Immigration
What I'm going to say about Chandran Kukathas's latest book, Immigration and Freedom, does not constitute a book review. Think of it instead as a book alert. Even having read only the preface and a couple of chapters, I am confident it is a book that fans of liberty will be interested in. You can tell by the title. Kukathas is a classical liberal professor of political science at the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, whose previous books have argued that monopoly government, as opposed to a polycentric legal order, is inimical to human diversity (The Liberal...
Biden Is Rejecting Trump’s Border Wall But Not Border Control
He favors a technological wall using biometric data, surveillance, artificial intelligence, drones, facial recognition, cameras and radar. Expect this to start at the border and spread into the country. High-tech border control in a constitution free zone. President Joe Biden will sign a number of immigration-related executive actions today continuing his reversals of former President Donald Trump’s harsh policies toward undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees as part the new administration’s effort to pursue a more humanitarian approach to immigration and border...
Episode 501: Professional MMA Fighter and ANCOM Jeff ‘The Snowman’ Monson
65 Minutes Safe for Work Jeff Monson is an American mixed martial artist and professional competitor since 1997. He has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, Dream, Pride, M-1 Global, Impact FC, World Victory Road, and Cage Warriors. He currently lives in Russia and has Russian citizenship. Pete invited Aaron from the Friends Against Government podcast to interview Jeff with him. Jeff identifies as an anarcho-communist and Pete has wanted to interview an ANCOM for some time. Jeff's Wikipedia Page Friends Against Government Podcast Get Autonomy 19...
6/26/20 Jonathan Hafetz on the Plight of Adham Amin Hassoun
Scott talks to Jonathan Hafetz about the troubling case of Adham Amin Hassoun, a man who was convicted in 2008 of providing material support to terrorist organizations. Hassoun was a legal resident of the United States, but is not a citizen, so upon completion of his prison sentence in 2017, the government sought to deport him. But Hassoun, born in Lebanon to refugee parents, doesn’t hold citizenship in any country, and the U.S. couldn’t find a country to send him to. Instead, they invoked an obscure section of the Patriot Act that supposedly allows them to detain Hassoun indefinitely....
6/19/20 Mike Maharrey: End Qualified Immunity for Cops
Mike Maharrey untangles the complex web of legal history that has given America the system known as qualified immunity, which in practice shields police officers from just about any civil lawsuit. The doctrine, which has emerged out of the precedents set by repeated federal court rulings, makes it almost impossible to sue state agents for constitutional violations or other damages suffered during the performance of their jobs. This is mainly because the courts have decided that unless there is specific precedent for the situation the officer finds himself in, discretion must be left up to...
Netanyahu and Gantz Agree On West Bank Annexation Plan
From Haaretz Netanyahu and Gantz have agreed on a plan to annex the West Bank. All that's left is to negotiate the details and pass the plan in the Knesset. "Once approved by the cabinet, a proposal to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank would also require approval by the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and then the full Knesset." Right-wing settler parties have expressed concern that language in the proposal requires American approval first: "Gantz and Netanyahu, until recently political rivals who faced off in Israel's March 2 election, agreed that...
News Roundup 2/26/20
US News A new California bill would require adult entertainers to get professional licenses from the state. [Link]On the first day of his extradition hearing, Assange was handcuffed 11 times and stripped naked twice. He also had his case files confiscated. [Link]Trump threatens more sanctions against Venezuela’s oil sector. [Link] Asia Clashes between Hindus and Muslims in India leave 20 dead. The clashes broke out three days ago as Muslims protested a new anti-Muslim citizenship law. India has responded by deploying paramilitary forces. [Link]The Afghan government agrees to suspend the...