Two Must-Read Articles at VF
Tuesday June 20, 2006
The July issue of Vanity Fair is worth picking up at the newstand for two stories. The first, The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed, explores the provenence of the forged Iraq-Niger-Yellowcake documents. In painstaking detail, the author shows that the documents were discredited time and time again, only to resurface. As to who created the forgeries, don't read this looking for a smoking gun: there isn't one. Just lots of questions. But as the murder mystery detective always asks, "Who benefits?"
The second, Blair's Big Brother Legacy, outlines "the danger of trading freedom for security." The author documents how Blair's government has limited citizen right to trial by jury, has limited habeas corpus, and has limited the right of free (political) speech. His words are a warning to any democratic nation that values "fighting terrorists" over civil liberties.
Warning: both are long, involved. If you don't buy the magazine, then at least print for off-monitor reading.