However they want to address the issue, most people are horrified at the refugee crisis now besetting Europe, with its scenes of chaos, conflict, and desperation. Yet in Israel, at least one high official sees in it not horror, but hope. As Rania Khalek has reported : “Dore Gold, director general of the Israeli foreign … Continue reading “Remaking the World in Greater Israel’s Image”
Dan Sanchez
No Peace Through Politics
They were supposed to be different: Republicans for peace, conservatives against empire, leading a grassroots insurrection to overthrow the neocons and restore the Republic. It was Mr. Libertarian goes to Washington. Mr. Frodo goes to Mordor. Yet, when the chips were down in a crucial contest, they all folded. Senator Rand Paul and the entire … Continue reading “No Peace Through Politics”
Mass-Producing Huddled Masses
Inscribed on a plaque inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty is a poem by Emma Lazarus titled “New Colossus.” The sonnet waxes lyrical about how different the Green Goddess is from ancient colossal statues, and how that symbolizes the contrast between American ideals and those of empires since antiquity. The Statue of Liberty is: “Not like … Continue reading “Mass-Producing Huddled Masses”
Grant Morrison Vs. the Super-Soldiers
At this year’s Comic-Con (a huge event in the worlds of comics and superhero blockbusters), celebrated writer Grant Morrison: “…told a crowd of 2,600 that he’s done all he can with traditional superheroes. He’s sick of the ‘military entertainment complex,’ in which today’s characters always seem to be working for the government…” [Rolling Stone] The … Continue reading “Grant Morrison Vs. the Super-Soldiers”
The Cycle of the State
In Greek myth, the eternal punishment of Sisyphus was to forever push a boulder up a hill in Hades, only to see it roll down from the summit each time, and to have to start over from the bottom. This well portrays the hopelessness of striving for “limited government,” as can be revealed by bringing … Continue reading “The Cycle of the State”
Predisposed to Peace
Ron Paul is a man of faith. His faith shines through every page of his new book, Swords into Plowshares: A Life in Wartime and a Future of Peace and Prosperity . The title itself, based on a Biblical verse, evinces his religious faith, which greatly strengthens his steadfast opposition to war. But what most … Continue reading “Predisposed to Peace”
Burning Babies and Stabbing Gays in Messianic Israel
Terror struck twice in Israel this Thursday. First, an ultra-Orthodox zealot went on a slashing rampage at the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, stabbing six, and fatally wounding a 16-year-old girl. Then, extremist Jewish settlers firebombed the house of a Palestinian Arab family in the West Bank village of Duma, critically wounding three, and burning an … Continue reading “Burning Babies and Stabbing Gays in Messianic Israel”
A Foreign Enemy is a Tyrant’s Best Friend
The recent Iran nuclear deal represents a thaw in the American cold war against that country. It is a welcome sequel to the Obama administration’s partial normalization with Cuba announced late last year. Hardliners denounce these policies as “going soft” on theocracy and communism. Yet, it is such critics’ own hardline, hawkish policies that have … Continue reading “A Foreign Enemy is a Tyrant’s Best Friend”
Take It Down: US Support for Jim Crow Israel
When it comes to flags, George Carlin said it best: “I see them as symbols, and I leave them to the symbol-minded.” Yet, those who fanatically oppose particular flags are just as symbol/simple-minded as those who wave them. For example, the recent Jacobin surge to purge every Confederate flag flying over American soil represents the … Continue reading “Take It Down: US Support for Jim Crow Israel”
The Virtue of Defiance
Note to the reader: I just recovered from a flu, so in lieu of new material, and in honor of Henry David Thoreau’s birthday last Sunday, here is an essay I published on my own site earlier this year. “No” is often treated as a bad word, especially when used by children. Many parents rue the … Continue reading “The Virtue of Defiance”