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None of the events or statements that follow should come as a surprise. What is surprising is the lack of reaction by their victims, or those who unwittingly support the perpetrators. As with everything, the ongoing Balkans drama will have consequences yet impossible to foresee. Ancient Greeks used to say, "Whom gods would destroy, they … Continue reading “Liars, Halfwits, Inquisitors and Thieves”

Support at home for the U.S. military presence in Iraq is dropping dramatically as our troubles mount on the battlefield. 56% of Americans now say Iraq was “worth going to war over,” while 42% disagree – a long way down from 73% to 23% in April. The reasons are illuminating. Quizzed as to what motivated … Continue reading “NO EXIT?”

It is seldom incorrect to discount hopes for imminent peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Nonetheless, it seems almost possible to hope beyond hope this time that something resembling a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians might stand a chance of lasting longer than a day or so. This seems the case especially since Israeli Prime Minister … Continue reading “A Glimmer of Hope?”

As an American writer, the following reminder strikes me as absurdly obvious, but in absurd times the obvious bears repeating. Friday is Independence Day. It is not Veterans Day or Memorial Day. As befits a nation founded on ideas, our chief holiday lifts the quill above the bayonet. Had the Father of Our Country wanted … Continue reading “What I’ll Be Celebrating on the Fourth”

They say that history repeats itself. And so it does. Two years ago, the Central Intelligence Agency released reams of intelligence documents on the former Soviet Union that had been classified for nearly 30 years. The findings were damning: the CIA for more than 10 years greatly exaggerated the nuclear threat the communist country posed … Continue reading “Like in Iraq, CIA Also Exaggerated Soviet Nuclear Threat”

So you wondered about the plague of crickets that recently hit the American Midwest, not to mention the tornadoes that have been swooping down on us, destroying whole towns and tearing up the landscape like a MOAB from heaven. And, say, what’s up with the record heat we’ve been having? Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network … Continue reading “THE ROAD MAP”

They say that history repeats itself. And so it does. Two years ago, the Central Intelligence Agency released reams of intelligence documents on the former Soviet Union that had been classified for nearly 30 years. The findings were damning: the CIA for more than 10 years greatly exaggerated the nuclear threat the communist country posed … Continue reading “Like in Iraq, CIA Also Exaggerated Soviet Nuclear Threat”

Next week the Chinese Communist Party celebrates yet another year in power. The Party has evolved since its inception, it claims, into the benevolent, progressive Party we see today: capable of discussing such radical concepts as "intra-party democracy." Ahh, yes, the CPC’s idea of democracy differs a little from what, say, Europeans are used to. … Continue reading “Democracy with Chinese Characteristics”

In a recent Pentagon briefing, Sec. Rumsfeld attempts to assuage concerns about the increased hostilities in Iraq. He states that the recent deaths of American and British soldiers “show the world is still engaged in a dangerous war against terrorism.” This subtle play of semantics reveals the trouble the administration is in. Indeed, it demonstrates … Continue reading “‘Iraqi Freedom’”

Let’s see: the Supreme Court has determined that the cops can’t just barge into my bedroom, catch me in the midst of an infamous act, and drag me and my, uh, partner, off to jail. Whew! What a relief! But they can still barge into my office, arrest me as an infamous “enemy combatant,” and … Continue reading “THE CULTURE OF IMPERIALISM”