We love nuclear horror stories in America. We love them whether they’re somber like the film On The Beach, soapy-dramatic like the cult show Jericho, or retro-future like the Fallout series of video games. We laugh at the lunatic optimism of duck and cover, and marvel...
America’s Limited Space for Iran Stories
Last week, much of the US seemed to wring its hands over the US government’s deal with Iran over their nuclear program. The hysterical reaction from potential 2016 candidates to a mixed, but fairly positive solution to this crisis – most of them came out against the...
Ex-Politicians Profit Off the Misery They Caused
On Wednesday, ABC news reported that George W. Bush earned $100,000 from a 2012 speech. He also charged $20,000 for a private jet to the event. As nauseating as that figure is – plus another $50,000 for a previous Laura Bush speech – the news has earned more...
On the US ‘Sensitivity’ to Civilian Deaths
Last week, US News and World Report national security reporter Paul D. Shinkman posited that the U.S. goes above and beyond the call of duty in terms of how seriously it takes civilian casualties of it or its allies’ bombing campaigns. Shinkman didn’t necessarily...
Topple the Cult of the Presidency
A certain type of person will bemoan the current lack of respect for the presidency. Sometimes “national greatness” authoritarian centrists are the ones doing this, but often outrage falls on partisan lines. The same people cheering the shoe assault on George W. Bush...
Drone Pilots Are Exhausted and Suffering From PTSD
On Tuesday, The New York Times published the latest look at drone pilots. These Unmanned Aerial Vehicle operators are suffering such a high rate of exhaustion and stress that the US Air Force has been forced to cut drone missions down from a high of about 65 a week....
Knowing What We Don’t Know About War
For the past month, the media has managed to remember the fact that the Iraq war was bad. Or rather, would-be and official candidates for the 2016 presidency are being asked about their stance on that war, and whether they would have supported it at the time. This is...
Rand Paul and the Tripartisan Case for Optimism
On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) “filibustered” for more than ten hours against the PATRIOT Act, the USA Freedom Act, and myriad government violations of the Fourth Amendment. He also daringly added some blistering critiques of the US prison state and its racial...
Jackson State and Forgotten History
Many of us have heard the song, most of those probably know its famous backstory: “Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming/We’re finally on our own/This summer I hear the drumming/Four dead in Ohio” sang Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in 1971. The Kent State shootings – done...
The Future of Domestic Spying
On Thursday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk metadata collection is excessive, and goes beyond its legal authority. Congress didn’t okay it legally, so it’s not okay, according to Judge Gerald Lynch. (Hell,...