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Charles R. Church

‘A republic, madam, if you can keep it’

Fri, 07/27/2012 - 9:13am
Field Notes from a Battleground

Part 1 of 2

Such was Ben Franklin’s famous reply, when leaving the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, to a well-meaning woman, inquiring what kind of government we would have. Though I normally strain to keep things in perspective, Franklin’s words come to mind when I think how the U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected an opportunity to rethink its disastrous decision in “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.”

Torture: When will we ever learn?

Fri, 06/15/2012 - 9:33am
Field Notes from a Battleground

Part 1 of 2
Aeschylus tells us that we can learn, with the following:
God, whose law it is that he who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.
I have carried that passage in my wallet for more than a decade, and believe it’s because of the hope it provides, that I might not otherwise have. But I always want to add to the passage: “if we’re lucky — very, very lucky.”

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Of heroes, secrets, black sites — and us

Thu, 05/31/2012 - 10:20am
Field Notes from a Battleground

Last time, I described Jack Goldsmith’s account of the publication of Dana Priest’s explosive article on the CIA black sites around the world, including in Eastern European democracies. This week, I will discuss hugely significant precedents that paved the way for Priest and her editors to publish her information notwithstanding its secrecy and pressure by the CIA and Bush not to do so.

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Of heroes, secrets, black sites — and us

Thu, 05/31/2012 - 10:20am
Field Notes from a Battleground

Last time, I described Jack Goldsmith’s account of the publication of Dana Priest’s explosive article on the CIA black sites around the world, including in Eastern European democracies. This week, I will discuss hugely significant precedents that paved the way for Priest and her editors to publish her information notwithstanding its secrecy and pressure by the CIA and Bush not to do so.

Full text available to premium subscribers only. Log in or Create an account.

Once you've created an account, you will be given a free 30-day subscription to the site where you can view all content unrestricted. After 30 days, you can extend your account by purchasing a subscription.

If you are already a print subscriber, click here to give us your contact information, and we will confirm your active subscription and give you a password to access the website.

A discussion of heroes, secrets, black sites — and us

Thu, 05/24/2012 - 10:37am
Field Notes from a Battleground

Part 1 of 2
This column will tell of heroes. One was a high-ranking official in the Bush administration — people who know me might raise an eyebrow here — and the others are members of the Fourth Estate. Journalists.

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Confronting secrecy: Of heroes, secrets, black sites — and us

Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:46am
Field Notes from a Battleground

Part 1 of 2
This column will tell of heroes. One was a high-ranking official in the Bush administration — people who know me might raise an eyebrow here — and the others are members of the Fourth Estate. Journalists.

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Once you've created an account, you will be given a free 30-day subscription to the site where you can view all content unrestricted. After 30 days, you can extend your account by purchasing a subscription.

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Drone warfare — edging bit by bit into the sunlight

Fri, 04/13/2012 - 9:35am
Field Notes from a Battleground

Because al-Qaeda leader Anwar al Awlaki was American-born and therefore a U.S. citizen, his killing in Yemen with missiles fired from a drone on Sept. 30, 2011, sparked an unusual degree of controversy. In fact, it was reported by Politico that the decision to put Awlaki on a target list in early 2010 had been challenged unsuccessfully by the American Civil Liberties Union. The court found the case not capable of judicial resolution because Awlaki’s father lacked the legal capacity to represent his son’s interests.