John V. Walsh

John V. Walsh writes about issues of war, peace, empire, and health care for Antiwar.com, Consortium News, DissidentVoice.org, The Unz Review, and other outlets. Now living in the East Bay, he was until recently Professor of Physiology and Cellular Neuroscience at a Massachusetts Medical School. John V. Walsh can be reached at john.endwar@gmail.com

Jimmy Carter’s Gift of ‘Apartheid’

Eclipsed by the events in Egypt, news from its little neighbor has not gleaned much notice save for media angst that Egyptian democracy might not be as genial as was the Mubarak dictatorship to the relentless, long-term ethnic cleansing of an indigenous people, the Palestinians. But news there was as Israeli “human rights” lawyers went … Continue reading “Jimmy Carter’s Gift of ‘Apartheid’”

Obama’s Chokehold on Left Antiwar Activists

An anti-Obama manifesto of sorts, in the form of a petition, was issued this week, signed by over 150 Left antiwar activists (1).   As I read the first paragraph, eager to sign, my hopes were quickly dashed.  It reads: “We the undersigned share with nearly two-thirds of our fellow Americans the conviction that our wars in Afghanistan and … Continue reading “Obama’s Chokehold on Left Antiwar Activists”

An Anti-Interventionist Looks at China

Most discussion of China in the mainstream press, especially the left-liberal press, focuses on China’s “human rights” record, or freedom of press and speech, or labor issues, or family planning policies. One may argue endlessly about those matters. But they are China’s internal affairs, and for a genuine anti-interventionist, they are none of our government’s … Continue reading “An Anti-Interventionist Looks at China”

Sarah Palin’s Cross Hairs – and Obama’s

It was a coincidence but an enlightening one. As I heard of Sarah Palin’s cartoon cross hairs trained on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and other politicians along with Barack Obama’s condemnation of violence, I happened to be tuning into a TV documentary on WikiLeaks. There, 30 minutes into the video, I found myself staring into real … Continue reading “Sarah Palin’s Cross Hairs – and Obama’s”

Mutiny Is in Order at The Nation

John Tyner triggered a wave of protest against the Transportation Security Administration when he recorded himself saying, “If you touch my junk, I’m gonna have you arrested,” pithily paraphrased as “Don’t touch my junk!” But this protest was anathema to the thought police at The Nation, because after all it is now Obama’s TSA, and … Continue reading “Mutiny Is in Order at The Nation“

The Democrats’ Day of Reckoning

Why does no one on the Left say it outright ? Obama and his Democratic Party gang should be punished mercilessly in the November elections. If they escape such punishment, then they will continue to break every real and implied promise to their base, and the goals of an end to wars and a decent, … Continue reading “The Democrats’ Day of Reckoning”

Countdown to Zero – or to War on Iran?

“If I was president Ahmadinejad’s national security adviser, and he asked me what to do, I would tell him to acquire a nuclear deterrent.” – Professor John J. Mearsheimer, July 7, 2010 John Mearsheimer’s imagined advice to Ahmadinejad leads to a simple and obvious conclusion. A country like Iran, which has been placed on the … Continue reading “Countdown to Zero – or to War on Iran?”

Servile Journalism for Memorial Day

Sunday’s New York Times, gearing up for Memorial Day, carries a leading front-page story direct from the Afghan front, complete with photos. Does it tell of the 1,000 Americans who have perished there in America’s longest war, or the unknown number of innocent Afghans to fall, or the many more on both sides gruesomely injured, … Continue reading “Servile Journalism for Memorial Day”

Compulsory Armageddon

The April 20 Macondo blowout in the Gulf of Mexico is a gift from British Petroleum that keeps on giving: 11 human lives lost, 2,940,000 gallons of oil daily, a 2,500-square-mile oil slick, underwater plumes 10 miles across, softball-size tar balls washing up on beaches of Louisiana, marshes and wildlife wiped out, the regional economy … Continue reading “Compulsory Armageddon”

Petraeus’ Cry

"Jewish Settlers Live High While GIs Die" is what Gen. David Petraeus is saying if we strip away the niceties. Is Petraeus’ formulation anti-Semitic? Perhaps it would be better to talk of "Israeli settlers." But that portrayal is not accurate. The minority of Arab citizens of Israel, even though suffering so many forms of discrimination, … Continue reading “Petraeus’ Cry”