DEPARTMENTS
ANTI-WAR
DEATH PENALTY
ELECTIONS
ENVIRONMENT
GLBT ISSUES
HEMP
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
REVIEWS
|
Departments National Issues Decades in the making: The U.S. police state Kolin's second chapter takes us through the early twentieth century, chapter three from Truman to LBJ, chapter four Nixon to Bush the Older, chapter five Clinton and Chimpy, chapters six and seven all Dubya, and chapter eight Captain Peace Prize. Only without the cutesy names (that's me) and without much commentary, analysis, outline, or subheadings. "State Power and Democracy" is like an unrelenting stream-of-consciousness recounting of general trends and, in large part, specific detailed events of the past 60 years. It is thus an excellent reference book, as soon as you figure out where to find things. Kolin's book is also an excellent corrective, that he himself seems to somewhat miss in his closing paragraphs, to the notion that partisan politics can reverse the movement toward a police state. Kolin says we've arrived at a police state but recognizes, I think, that we can still go further down this path. He recommends, however, that we try to work with the Democratic Party. More valuable perhaps than that bit of advice tacked onto the end of the book is the history Kolin tells of the two-steps-forward-and-a-half-a-step-back progress decade after decade, as Democratic and Republican presidents alike have seized ever greater police state powers. Had this happened under a single political party, the primary difference would probably not have been the increased speed in the fascist advance but the increased awareness and resistance among Americans. When we get beyond the idea that George W. Bush ruined a perfect republic, and read a fuller account, like Kolin's, of what's gone wrong, it becomes evident that Bush could never have done what he did without Clinton's efforts to expand war and police powers, including the power of rendition. Similarly, Clinton could never have gone down that path without Reagan, or Reagan without Nixon, or Nixon without LBJ, or any of them without Truman, who would have been lost without the already huge accumulation of power in the White House and the abusive precedents of Abraham Lincoln and those who went before. It appears, as many of us warned in 2008, that what Kolin writes in this passage will determine our fate: "The ultimate measure of whether or not the Obama administration will roll back the police state will depend on whether or not there are prosecutions of Bush administration officials. Past history says this isn't likely; whether it was enslavement of African Americans; ethnocidal policies against American Indians; or the consistent, sometimes violent repression of dissent, government has generally not been held accountable. While Nixon left office and a few of Watergate's perpetrators were punished, the institutional arrangements involving the FBI and CIA that made Watergate possible remained. The imperial presidency was slowed but not halted. When the Iran-Contra conspirators violated the Constitution, President Bush senior pardoned them." The grammatical construction of the first sentence above should give us a bit of hope: "whether or not there are prosecutions" -- because there may be prosecutions of top Bush officials in Spain, and it will be up to us to communicate to the people and the courts of Spain our deep gratitude and our willingness to take the lesson to heart. Such reversals should, after all, come more easily in Washington if the people of Egypt are able, in the coming days, to remove and -- ideally -- prosecute the dictator of their country who has had the full support of the past seven presidents of ours. For an excerpt of Kolin's book go here: Police State -- David Swanson is the author of War Is A Lie" War is a Lie |
|
Recent National Issues Articles Extraordinary interview: In love with tortured man -- Indefinite imprisonment, torture, terror inside California prisons through eyes of woman of courage Stop picking on the poor plutocrats Don’t mute Newt My declaration of war on Christmas Pvt. Manning and Imperative of Truth The Real Christmas Story The trial of Bradley Manning — Rule of law or rule of intimidation, retaliation & retribution Are Americans in line for Gitmo? Project Bugsplat Eliminate tax subsidies for big oil companies ? The last whistleblowers Lesson of White House Strafing: Limit Guns Now The bravest man I ever met I'm thankful for Occupy Occupy Crackdown: PCJF and NLG Demand Records of Federal Involvemen Mass day of action on 2-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street Seven arrested at demonstration at US Bank in downtown Columbus, Ohio Move to Amend gaining momentum Listen to the song: Occupy Wall Street From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy the Neighborhoods Occupy movement demands home mortgages correction Will the 1% steal Ohio's labor rights referendum? Democracy key to fixing economic and eco crises, says Van Jones during visit to Columbus Former Tea Partier reaches out to Occupy Movement Official VFP statement regarding police assaults in Oakland Numbers justify Occupy Movement Occupy our chambers of commerce Arab Spring revolutionaries meet with Occupy activists in DC The abandoned class: Will Occupy Wall Street hold together long enough to cut to the deep chase? Jim Hightower tells Occupistas : just being out here is a big part of the battle Occupy The Hood Let's protest big banks at their Columbus branches Obama vs. jobs; Hope vs. reality Be a part of history. Help Occupy Columbus. Ohio Right of Life: Informed consent v. informed consent -- it's all situational Dr. Cornel West and 14 others arrested protesting corporate power at U.S. Supreme Court Occupy Columbus continues with gatherings at Ohio Statehouse and so-called Columbus Commons Class warrior from Wisconsin says building a movement requires courage, solidarity, and long-term organization Occupied -- What now? Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern : the movement is building Hey DC--You Look So Sexy ! To build a mass movement we got to care more and be uncomfortable, says flaming fundamentalist Columbus Free Press photos : Occupation in Freedom Plaza, D.C. Mass movement appears to be getting started, says David Swanson Our overripe moment We Are The 99 Percent The Progressive Humanifesto Declaration of the Occupation of New York City A judge grants dubious probation The old integrity You've convinced me...Now go out and make me do it. Fracking (if done right) is a way to combat Global Warming, says Congressman Tim Ryan The NFL will remember 9/11 in all the wrong ways I just found 29 million jobs 9/11 and the Orwellian redefinition of "Conspiracy Theory" An upcoming Charlottesville conference highlights the importance of whistleblowers when addressing the corruption present in military contracting How do we build a movement to defeat right-wing extremism? How the budget cutting Is going to go down Did Tenet Hide Key 9/11 Info? Equal and opposite lunacy Obama on the Backs of the Poor Budget deal Is a “Huge Mistake” If you declare bankruptcy, will everything be OK in a few days, weeks? Balance the budget on the backs of billionaires Move the budget debate to one of those democracies we're bombing into place The "There's Plenty of Money Act of 2012" King George III won: Happy Fourth of July! Fight Back Radio Show with Wayne Madsen In Memoriam: Gil Scot Heron Libertarians say restore freedom, repeal Patriot Act Perfecting the art of civil protest Down the rabbit hole with democracy and three urgent pleas The cure for plutocracy: Strike! White House website lying about your taxes Did you just call me a Socialist? Local and national political leader Norman Solomon officially launches his run for Congress in the North Bay Stand Up for Women's Health Rally Manning Marable and me In a Heartbeat: Ruling Class keeps the Bush tax cuts then attacks the middle class. Michigan fascism old news in DC The Green Bay Packers and the union backers Go to Wisconsin, President Obama The Push of Conscience and Secretary Clinton Fighting the 5 fascisms in Wisconsin & Ohio Fight yields victory, points the way! Ohio Republicans would execute Medicare recipients NFL---The untold story! Decades in the making: The U.S. police state Profiles of the Targeted: FBI Raided My Home, Wanted to Know About "My Indoctrination" An extremist for love: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Then and now A Time for Action -- Not Servility Following, not just commemorating, Dr. King – in Words. Deeds. Action… Bradley Manning and the rule of law The Tuscon shooting: We must place blame where it belongs Welcome to 2011: The american dream lives -- while you're asleep Repeal, replace, ... ridiculous Read National Issues Articles by Year: |
FREE PRESS EMAIL UPDATE
Donate to the Free Press Election Protection Fund to help us investigate and monitor election fraud in this year's election.
FOLLOW US ON
twitter
facebook
SEARCH THE FREEPRESS
1021 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43205 | 614.253.2571 | truth@freepress.org
All content © 1970-2012 The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer