Category: Uncategorized

On May 13,  U.S. President Trump announced  he is ordering the removal of sanctions on Syria. Some of the U.S. sanctions can be quickly terminated because they were issued by Executive Order. Other sanctions, including the extremely damaging 2019 “Caesar” sanctions, were imposed by Congressional legislation and may require Congressional action to terminate. The Syrian … Continue reading “The Human Cost of Syria Sanctions”

There was yet more shameful reporting by BBC News at Ten last night, with international editor Jeremy Bowen the chief culprit this time. He prefaced an interview with Philippe Lazzarini, head of United Nations refugee agency UNRWA, with an utterly unwarranted disclaimer – as though he was talking to a terrorist, not a leading human … Continue reading “Jeremy Bowen’s interview with Gaza aid chief was shameful – and he knows it”

Last week, Moody’s Ratings lowered the United States credit rating. Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings had already lowered the US rating. This new downgrade was driven by Congress’s failure to make any efforts to reduce the almost 37 trillion dollars national debt. When Moody’s made its announcement, the House Budget Committee was scrambling to … Continue reading “Cutting Military Spending Would Make for a Big and Beautiful Bill”

In the past several days, there have been surprising developments in the negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s civilian nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently, but not always, defined the goal of the negotiations as being limited to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. He repeated that definition as recently as … Continue reading “Surprising Developments in the Iran Nuclear Negotiations”

During the 1988 campaign, George W. Bush came to the Courthouse in Maryville, TN to speak at a rally for his Dad. As we were leaving, I told my friend and later Chief of Staff, Bob Griffitts, “Bob, he is better than his Dad.” When he ran for President in 2000, then Governor Bush went … Continue reading “Can Trump Slip the Grip of the Neocons?”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a skilled salesperson, though the product he peddles is deeply flawed. His current challenge is to convince himself, his people, the region, and the world that, despite significant setbacks, he is winning the strategic war against his adversaries. Former Israeli national security officials, while employing different terminology, essentially convey … Continue reading “Gaza’s Graveyard of Illusions: How Israel’s Narrative Collides With Military Failure”

If flagship NASA missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Mars Sample Return mission are being cancelled at the same time that defense spending amounts the majority of last year’s increase in global government space investment, that’s a clear signal how the elected officials in Washington view the Final Frontier. At a … Continue reading “America’s Weaponization of Space Continues Whilst NASA Sees Budget Cuts”

Louis Theroux explains in a commentary published by the Guardian  why the backlash to his recent film about violent, Israeli state-backed settlers misses the point. His critics say he is unfairly presenting a few marginal “crazies” in Israeli society, who rampage across the West Bank to drive out the native Palestinian population, as significant and … Continue reading “Theroux’s Film on Israel’s Violent Settlers Was a Mirror. Resist the Calls to Look Away”

On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to restart direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. Reuters responded by reminding its readers what happened in the first round of Istanbul talks in the first weeks of the war. The article, entitled “What happened the last time Russia and Ukraine held peace talks?” is a tour … Continue reading “Western Media Continues to Lie About the Ukraine War”

Among the lesser-known holes in the Constitution cut by the Patriot Act of 2001 was the destruction of the “wall” between federal law enforcement and federal spies. The wall was erected in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which statutorily limited all federal domestic spying to that which was authorized by the Foreign Intelligence … Continue reading “Holes in the Constitution”