Imperial Presidency

Anthony Gregory: The Bellicosity of a Democrat’s Second Term

"History does not necessarily repeat itself predictably, but there are patterns worth noting here that reemerge again and again. In election season, we hear countless theories about what electoral trends 'always hold' in presidential politics. Well, I’ve identified a fairly unsettling pattern myself: Democrats seem to become more bellicose in their second term. In the last hundred years, starting when early 20th century progressivism began shaping the ideology of the modern Democratic Party, the trend seems clear." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnthony Gregory: The Bellicosity of a Democrat’s Second Term

U.S. military plans to build drone base in North Africa

"The US military plans to set up a base for drones in northwest Africa to bolster surveillance of Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the region as well as allied Islamist extremists, a US official told AFP on Monday. The base for the robotic, unmanned aircraft would likely be located in Niger, on the eastern border of Mali, where French forces are currently waging a campaign against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. If the plan gets the green light, up to 300 US military service members and contractors could be sent to the base to operate the drone aircraft, according to the New York Times." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military plans to build drone base in North Africa

State Department abandons effort to close down Guantanamo Bay

"The State Department has shut down the office of its special envoy for the closure of Guantanamo Bay, a US official said Monday, in a sign of the fading hopes of shuttering the jail. Daniel Fried, the special envoy in charge of the dossier, will now move to coordinate the State Department’s sanctions policy, including for Iran and Syria. Of the 779 inmates who passed through Guantanamo only nine were ever convicted or brought to trial, and of the 166 who remain, 55 are considered safe to be released by the US military, but have nowhere to go." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingState Department abandons effort to close down Guantanamo Bay

Pepe Escobar: Burn, burn – Africa’s Afghanistan

"Business is good; French president Francois Hollande spent this past Tuesday in Abu Dhabi clinching the sale of up to 60 Rafales to that Gulf paragon of democracy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The formerly wimpy Hollande - now enjoying his 'resolute', 'determined', tough guy image reconversion - has cleverly sold all this as incinerating Islamists in the savannah before they take a one-way Bamako-Paris flight to bomb the Eiffel Tower. According to the UN Office of Drugs Control, 60% of Europe's cocaine transits Mali." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Burn, burn – Africa’s Afghanistan

Ben Swann: President Obama Wants To Protect Children? Why Not End U.S. Drone Strikes?

"Ben Swann of Full Disclosure takes a look at statements by President Obama that he wants to prevent even one more child’s death at the hands of a mass shooter. Ben is asking why the President isn’t ending a drone strike policy that is responsible for 11 times the number of child deaths." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBen Swann: President Obama Wants To Protect Children? Why Not End U.S. Drone Strikes?

Pakistan Unhappy Over Reports US Drone Strikes Will Continue

"Leaders in Pakistan are outraged at reported U.S. plans to continue controversial drone strikes against suspected al-Qaida-linked sanctuaries on Pakistani soil. They are calling it 'close to a perpetual war,' and say it is exactly opposite to what President Barack Obama stated in his inaugural speech on Monday. U.S. drone strikes on targets in Pakistani regions along the border with Afghanistan remain highly controversial and are deeply unpopular in Pakistan. Pakistan publicly condemns the drone campaign and wants the U.S. to end it, saying that it not only violates the country's sovereignty, but that collateral damage caused by the strikes is fueling militancy in the region." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPakistan Unhappy Over Reports US Drone Strikes Will Continue

Obama ‘guidebook’ for targeted killings to include exemption for CIA drone strikes in Pakistan

"The administration of President Barack Obama is completing a counterterrorism manual that will establish clear rules for targeted-killing operations, The Washington Post reported. But citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the guidebook would contain a major exemption for the CIA’s campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan. This exemption will allow the Central Intelligence Agency to continue striking Al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan for a year or more before the agency is forced to comply with more stringent rules spelled out in the document. Between 2,627 and 3,457 people have been reportedly killed by US drones in Pakistan since 2004." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama ‘guidebook’ for targeted killings to include exemption for CIA drone strikes in Pakistan

Who Says You Can Kill Americans, Mr. President?

"Presidents had never before, to our knowledge, targeted specific Americans for military strikes. There are no court decisions that tell us if he is acting lawfully. Mr. Obama tells us not to worry, though, because his lawyers say it is fine, because experts guide the decisions and because his advisers have set up a careful process to help him decide whom he should kill. He must think we should be relieved. Oddly, under current law, Congress and the courts are involved when presidents eavesdrop on Americans, detain them or harshly interrogate them — but not when they kill them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWho Says You Can Kill Americans, Mr. President?

Number Of Nation’s Sheriffs Refusing To Enforce Unconstitutional Gun Laws Snowballs

"In New Mexico, 30 of the state's 33 county sheriffs have reminded state lawmakers that they are under oath to support the U.S. Constitution, and that includes the Second Amendment. CNSNews.com previously reported that 28 of the 29 sheriff's in Utah sent a letter to President Obama stating that they will not enforce any new gun laws they believe to be unconstitutional. A host of Oregon sheriffs have said that they will not comply with any new unconstitutional gun regulations. For a list of more sheriffs who are standing up against new gun regulations, please click here." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNumber Of Nation’s Sheriffs Refusing To Enforce Unconstitutional Gun Laws Snowballs