Month: June 2015

There’s much talk of reforming the criminal justice system: libertarian-ish GOP presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul is making the unfairness of sentences that have a disparate impact on minorities a major theme of his campaign, which is all to the good. • But what about a system that has a disparate impact on the innocent? … Continue reading “Crime and Punishment in the ‘Free World’”

Mr. Speaker, the week before last, the greatly respected conservative columnist Thomas Sowell wrote: "What lessons might we learn from the whole experience of the Iraq war? If nothing else, we should never again imagine that we can engage in nation building in the sweeping sense that term acquired in Iraq – least of all, … Continue reading “Endless Wars in Middle East More About Money Than Threats”

Recently, the U.S. government has been dealt setbacks in five of the seven developing, Islamic countries in which its military recently has attacked or invaded since 9/11 – Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Yemen. In the other two countries, Pakistan and Somalia, the situation remains extremely unstable. In Syria and Iraq, the brutal ISIS group, … Continue reading “US Intervention Will Only Make Middle Eastern Turmoil Worse”

Speech on the house floor on June 24, 2015. Mr. Speaker, the week before last, the greatly respected conservative columnist Thomas Sowell wrote: "What lessons might we learn from the whole experience of the Iraq war? If nothing else, we should never again imagine that we can engage in nation building in the sweeping sense … Continue reading “Endless Wars in Middle East More About Money Than Threats”

At least 98 people were killed and 11 were wounded in Iraq as the Pentagon said the cost of fighting the Islamic State is nearing $3 billion.

War is the business of killing the "enemy", in order to impose your will on them. Therefore, "humane war" is an oxymoron. War itself is a crime. There are few exceptions. I would exempt the war against Nazi Germany, since it was conducted against a regime of mass murderers, led by a psychopathic dictator, who … Continue reading “War Crimes? Us???”

At least 153 were killed and 37 were wounded across Iraq.

When Israel is criticized about its rights-abusive policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the refrain most often heard among local politicians is that the government’s hasbara – the Israeli propaganda machine – is inadequate. The problem, in other words, is not what Israel actually does to the Palestinians, but rather the inability to … Continue reading “The Human Rights Crisis: A Problem Of Perception?”

No matter what one thinks of the historic Supreme Court decision establishing the right of gay couples to marry, it is bound to have an effect on the conduct of US foreign policy – perhaps quite a substantial one. The United States is a global empire: what we do impacts the world at large, and … Continue reading “The Obergefell Effect: Gay Marriage and US Foreign Policy”