David Swanson's Blog, page 227
March 26, 2011
Catch Bruce Fein and David Swanson on "The Imperial Presidency" on C-Span Book TV
Future Airings
Saturday, March 26th at 1pm (ET)
Sunday, March 27th at 1am (ET)
2011 Virginia Festival of the Book Panel: "The Imperial Presidency"
Bruce Fein; David Swanson
About the Program
David Swanson, author of "War Is A Lie," and Bruce Fein, author of "American Empire Before the Fall," take a critical look at the U.S.'s role and actions around the world. This event was part of the 2011 Virginia Festival of the Book, held annually in Charlottesville, Virginia.
About the Authors
David Swanson
David Swanson is the co-founder of AfterDowningStreet..org and Washington director of Democrats.com. He is the author of "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union." For more, visit: davidswanson.org.
Buy the author's book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
Bruce Fein
Bruce Fein was Associate Deputy Attorney General and general counsel to the Federal Communications Commission under President Reagan. He is the author of "Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy."
Buy the author's book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
March 23, 2011
Audio: Radio Debate on a Living Wage at University of Virginia
Listen to this mp3 recording of the Schilling Show. It's a right-wing show that provided a totally fair format for a civil debate. I argued for a living wage at UVA. David Marotta and the host Rob Schilling argued against. For more on the Living Wage campaign at UVA go here.
Afghan and Pakistani Nonviolent Tradition
I may soon have an opportunity to meet with nonviolent activists in Afghanistan, an area of the world we falsely imagine has earned the name "graveyard of empires" purely through violent resistance. I was educated in the United States and learned in some detail about the lives of several morally repulsive halfwits who happened to have "served" in various U.S. wars, assaults, and genocides. But I was never even taught the name Badshah Khan. Were you?
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, 1890-1988, was given the honorary title Badshah by the people of what was then the northwest frontier of India, much as his friend and ally further south, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was given the title Mahatma. Khan was a Pashtun, or Pathan, as are many members of the Taliban today.
March 22, 2011
Putting the Hurt on Libya
Letter to the Daily Progress:
Good for Congressman Hurt objecting to unconstitutional warmaking in Libya without Congressional authorization, and without proper compliance with the War Powers Act. Yet, how bizarre that he does not know how he would have voted had Congress been given that chance. Congressman Dennis Kucinich has introduced an amendment to block funding for war in Libya. Hurt is now compelled to choose: will he sponsor that amendment or not? I encourage him to do so.
David Swanson
Wars Cannot Be Both Planned and Avoided
Congress held an emergency meeting to defund NPR, and then did nothing as the President spent vastly more money on bombing Libya. President Obama didn't have to ask for the funding, because the Pentagon had enough lying around for just such an occasion.
A fundamental lie that keeps war going is the idea that we avoid war by preparing for it. "Speak softly and carry a big stick," said Theodore Roosevelt, who favored building a big military just in case, but of course not actually using it unless forced to.
March 21, 2011
Video: Lies and War on Libya in Context - David Swanson
This speech was given in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 20, 2011. Dahlia Wasfi and Dave Lindorff spoke as well and then the three speakers took questions together. (See additional videos.) The event was organized by June Eisley and sponsored by Pacem in Terris.
