Thomas Knapp

On September 5, the New York Times published an op-ed supposedly written by an anonymous official within president Donald Trump’s administration. The snobbish and self-serving hit piece paints Trump himself as dangerously immature, incompetent, and unstable, while reassuring us that “adults in the room” are working tirelessly to keep his worst impulses in check and … Continue reading “The Anonymous Anti-Trump Op-Ed Inadvertently (?) Exposes Real Danger”

In a recent tweet, US Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) warned that “Infowars is the tip of a giant iceberg of hate and lies that uses sites like Facebook and YouTube to tear our nation apart.” His solution: “These companies must do more than take down one website. The survival of our democracy depends on it.” … Continue reading “Murphy’s Law: Big Tech Must Serve as Censorship Subcontractors”

Friday the 13th is presumably always someone’s unlucky day. Just whose may not be obvious at the time, but I suspect that “Russiagate” special counsel Robert Mueller and Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein already regret picking Friday, July 13 to announce the indictments of 12 Russian intelligence officers on charges relating to an embarrassing … Continue reading “Have Mueller and Rosenstein Finally Gone Too Far?”

As US President Donald Trump heads to Helsinki for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump’s critics continue to inveigh against what they consider an illicitly close relationship between the two, a perspective stemming from the “Russiagate” scandal drummed up by supporters of Hillary Clinton to explain her defeat in the 2016 presidential election. … Continue reading “Helsinki: How About a Fresh START?”

“Nothing,” economist Milton Friedman once observed, “is so permanent as a temporary government program.” And nothing makes a government’s programs – or, more importantly, changes in its core values – more permanent than the loss of collective memory that comes with generational changes. We’re hitting a big one soon. It worries me. Next year, the … Continue reading “The New Normal: Our Evil Gift to a Generation Which Didn’t Deserve It”

Which is worse: The specter of nuclear war, or giving US president Donald Trump credit for a significant diplomatic accomplishment? In her official statement on Trump’s Singapore summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi makes it clear that a few million incinerated human beings are a small price to pay … Continue reading “North Korea: Pelosi versus Peace”

Since the “Russiagate” probe began, US president Donald Trump and his supporters have used lots of bandwidth raging against what they refer to as the “Deep State.” Does the Deep State exist? If so, what is it, and are its forces arrayed specifically against Donald Trump and his administration? Yes, the Deep State exists – … Continue reading “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Deep State”

On May 8, President Donald Trump announced US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, colloquially known as “the Iran nuclear deal.” While that decision has come under criticism for being both a really bad idea and a severe betrayal of trust, both of which are true, it’s worth noting that the US withdrawal … Continue reading “The Iran Nuclear Deal Isn’t Just a Good Idea – It’s the Law”

April 20 is cannabis culture’s high holiday, and the Democratic National Committee celebrated it with fervor this year: Blaze up, get silly, file a bizarre lawsuit accusing the Russian government, Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and transparency activist group WikiLeaks of conspiring to steal an election. The suit confirms that after more than a year, … Continue reading “Just When You Thought ‘Russiagate’ Couldn’t Get Any Sillier…”

On April 9, federal agents raided the office, home and hotel room of Michael Cohen, personal attorney to US president Donald Trump. Cohen has come under fire, with potential legal implications, for paying $130k to silence adult film actress and alleged Trump paramour Stephanie Clifford, better known as “Stormy Daniels.” That hush money seems to … Continue reading “Mueller Is Desperate – But for What?”