North Korea Nuclear Freeze? Finally, a Realistic Proposal

As President Donald Trump met with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un for the third time at the end of June – becoming the first sitting US president to visit North Korea – the New York Times ran a piece suggesting the appearance of a new option on the proverbial table: A negotiated “nuclear freeze” rather than … Continue reading “North Korea Nuclear Freeze? Finally, a Realistic Proposal”

One Cheer for Trump on Iran

On June 21, President Donald Trump informed the world (via tweet) that after getting US forces “cocked and loaded” to carry out strikes on Iranian targets the night before, he had canceled those strikes at the last minute rather than prospectively kill 150 people. “Not proportionate,” he wrote, “to [Iranian forces] shooting down an unmanned … Continue reading “One Cheer for Trump on Iran”

Instead of a US Peace Plan for the Mideast, How About a US Peace Plan for the US?

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo describes the Trump administration’s plan for peace between Israel and Palestinian Arabs as “unexecutable.” President Trump says Pompeo “may be right.” Good! As addiction counselors say, the first step is admitting you have a problem. With addiction, the way out is not “if at first you don’t succeed, try, … Continue reading “Instead of a US Peace Plan for the Mideast, How About a US Peace Plan for the US?”

‘Spying’: Comey Doth Protest Too Much

“We didn’t ‘spy’ on anyone’s campaign,” writes former FBI director James Comey in a recent Washington Post op-ed. “We asked a federal judge for permission to surveil” former Donald Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, but that’s not “spying.” Before that (unmentioned in the op-ed), we infiltrated an informant into the campaign to gather information on … Continue reading “‘Spying’: Comey Doth Protest Too Much”

War Crimes Pardons: A Terrible Memorial Day Idea

On May 16, 2008, near the town of Baiji in Iraq, 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna, US Army, murdered a prisoner. That was the verdict of the jury in his 2009 court martial, anyway. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but paroled in less than five. On May 6, 2019, US president Donald Trump … Continue reading “War Crimes Pardons: A Terrible Memorial Day Idea”

A US War on Iran Would Be Evil, Stupid, and Self-Damaging

“If Iran wants to fight,” US president Donald Trump tweeted on May 19, “that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again.” The “threat” Trump appears to be responding to is a statement from Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that “[w]e are certain … there will not be a … Continue reading “A US War on Iran Would Be Evil, Stupid, and Self-Damaging”

Julian Assange: An Opportunity for the US and the UK to Change Direction on Press Freedom

May 3 was World Press Freedom Day. The annual observance usually focuses on the World Press Freedom Index published each year by Reporters without Borders. Break out the champagne! The United States ranked 48th of 179 countries this year, falling three places from 2018. A day earlier, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared in court in … Continue reading “Julian Assange: An Opportunity for the US and the UK to Change Direction on Press Freedom”

Pardoning Assange Would be the First Step Back Toward Rule of Law

On April 11, the ongoing saga of journalist and transparency activist Julian Assange took a dangerous turn. Ecuador’s president, Lenin Moreno, revoked his asylum in that country’s London embassy. British police immediately arrested him – supposedly pursuant to his “crime” of jumping bail on an invalid arrest warrant in an investigation since dropped without charges … Continue reading “Pardoning Assange Would be the First Step Back Toward Rule of Law”

Would Social Media Have Censored Video of 9/11 or Kennedy Assassination?

According to CNN Business, “Facebook, YouTube and Twitter struggle to deal with New Zealand shooting video.” “Deal with” is code for “censor on demand by governments and activist organizations who oppose public access to information that hasn’t first been thoroughly vetted for conformity to their preferred narrative.” Do you really need to see first-person video … Continue reading “Would Social Media Have Censored Video of 9/11 or Kennedy Assassination?”

Chelsea Manning: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Again

One of the 21st century’s greatest heroines is behind bars again, held in contempt by federal judge Claude M. Hilton for refusing to help prosecutors trump up charges against the journalists who published information she paid dearly for giving them. Chelsea Manning spent more than six years in prison – 854 days of it in … Continue reading “Chelsea Manning: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Again”