Thomas Knapp

Lt. Colonel Joe Plenzler (USMC, retired) writes at Military.com, “the military needs only about 160,000 youth from an eligible population of 30 million to meet its recruitment needs. But after two decades of war – both of which ended unsuccessfully – and low unemployment, many experts believe the all-volunteer force has reached a breaking point.” … Continue reading “Tell It to the Marine: No Draft, ‘Limited’ or Otherwise”

Over the last seventeen months, it’s become customary for those who disagree with US foreign policy on the Ukraine war to preface every objection to that policy with at least one, possibly two, disclaimers. Disclaimer #1: The Russian invasion, they’ll concede, was “unprovoked.” Optional Disclaimer #2: The Russian invasion, they’ll say, was “unjustified.” I understand … Continue reading “Opposing War: No Disclaimers Required”

“A violent drug cartel is suspected of leaving a severed human leg found hanging from a pedestrian bridge Wednesday in Toluca, just west of Mexico City,” CBS News reports. “[T]he trunk of the body was left on the street below, near the city’s center, along with handwritten signs signed by the Familia Michoacana cartel.” Familia … Continue reading “A US War on Mexico Wouldn’t Win the US War on Drugs”

The RESTRICT Act – currently winding its way through Congress – would empower the US Commerce Department to “identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate and mitigate transactions” that “pose an undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety of US persons.” The RESTRICT Act’s more common name in the popular consciousness is … Continue reading “A Counter-Proposal: RESTRICT the RESTRICTors”

On April 14, the US Department of Justice charged Airman First Class Jack Teixeira with copying and sharing information “connected with” or “relating to” the “national defense.” The government alleges that Teixeira is the man behind “leaks” of classified information which worked their way from the Massachusetts Air National Guard to a Discord chat server … Continue reading “Mainstream Media Turn Coats on ‘National Security’ Leaks”

In March of 2003, the United States launched an illegal war of aggression against Iraq. The US regime promoted that illegal war of aggression, starting well in advance, through the manufacture and repetition of falsehoods for the purpose of cultivating fear over non-existent threats, and loathing over nonexistent connections between the Iraqi regime an the … Continue reading “Iraq War Anniversary: Never Back Down on the Only Important Fact”

On February 9, US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and ten Republican co-sponsors introduced a resolution “expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States must end its military and financial aid to Ukraine, and urges [sic] all combatants to reach a peace agreement.” When Matt Gaetz is right (which really isn’t very … Continue reading “Two Cheers for Matt Gaetz’s Ukraine War Resolution”

If I mention the date February 24, 2022 to you, you’ll likely note it as the day on which Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Whether that date will remain carved in stone in your memory probably depends on where things go from here, nearly a year later, with the war in what looks like stalemate but … Continue reading “World War Three Isn’t Coming. We’ve Been Living It All Our Lives.”

“Today,” US Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Masquerading-as-I – VT) said in a December 13 statement, “I withdrew from consideration by the U.S. Senate my War Powers Resolution after the Biden administration agreed to continue working with my office on ending the war in Yemen. Let me be clear. If we do not reach agreement, I will, … Continue reading “The Yemen Yes-Men Ride Again”

Opening a column with statistics and dates may not be the best way to get your attention, but these three statistics and single date are important, so please take note: The median age in the US is 38.5 years. The median age in Russia is 39.8 years. The median age worldwide is 31 years. The … Continue reading “So Long as There are Nukes, We Had Better Hope We Live in a MAD World”