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The best news relating to the Balkans is that there seems to be something of a split within the Bush administration over "peacekeeping" missions like the NATO deployment in Bosnia and other Balkan countries. The worst news is that at this point the most vocal, mediagenic and forceful figures in the administration seem to be … Continue reading “Multiplying Balkan Confusion”

I lived through it, but just barely. I’m talking about the “Pearl Harbor” movie, of course. Undaunted by the nearly unanimous jeers of the critics – bound, really, by a sense of duty, since I have written no less than three columns about the damn thing – I finally went to see it. Prepared for … Continue reading “In Memorium”

In a perfectly calculated spin, Prime Minister Sharon unilaterally declared "cease fire" last Tuesday (22.5). He did not announce it in the press conference that day, but made it known indirectly several hours later, giving even more bubble-gum for the columnists to chew: Did he forget to mention it (as his assistants say)? Or did … Continue reading “Building Settlements, Killing Peace”

Today’s column is an introduction to today’s "Spotlight,” John T. Flynn’s classic pamphlet The Final Secret of Pearl Harbor, which you can check out here. The smoke barely had time to clear before a dark cloud of intrigue and suspicion formed around the circumstances leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. When the … Continue reading “The Secret of Pearl Harbor”

Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin has captured the essence of the maudlin “patriotism,” the sheer ugliness of the mindless jingoism unleashed by the “Pearl Harbor” movie in her column on the subject, “Patriotism and Pearl Harbor,” which starts out maudlin and winds up ugly: “The hallowed waters that surround the sunken USS Arizona murmur gently like … Continue reading “Pearl Harbor and ‘Japanaphobia’”

I almost hope that Secretary of State Colin Powell’s opening to more involvement in the always-ephemeral Middle East "peace process" is a public relations gesture that is essentially a cynical ploy rather than a serious move. One can imagine it being so. There are not only governments in the region but established and influential lobbying … Continue reading “Powell on Mideast: Seduced or Cynical?”

I‘m planning on going to see Pearl Harbor the day it opens, but not without some trepidation: you see, I’m going with my Significant Other, who is Japanese. Not Japanese-American, mind you, but Japanese-Japanese. So what’s the problem? THE FEAR FACTOR The problem is fear. Floyd Mori, president of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), … Continue reading “Why Lie About Pearl Harbor?”

With the release of Pearl Harbor, a cinematic reenactment of the popular myth handed down to us by Roosevelt’s hagiographers, the Memorial Day weekend will culminate in an orgy of lying war propaganda. The movie, starring somebody named Ben Affleck (so I’m not into popular culture, what can I tell you?), steadfastly ignores recently unearthed … Continue reading “The Myth of Pearl Harbor”

In denying that he is a war criminal who attacked retreating Iraqi soldiers and killed thousands in the Gulf War after the ceasefire, Clinton’s drug czar, Gen. Barry McCaffrey has been all over the media, booked from morning ’til night, running hard and fast to beat the charges. The Clintonians even appealed to “human rights” … Continue reading “McCaffrey Must Go”

I always knew R. W. Bradford was a sellout, and now his recent screed, “China: The ‘Crisis’ and the Facts,” has confirmed my long-standing suspicion. But before we get to that, some background material might be helpful, starting with the essential question: Who the heck is R. W. Bradford, anyway? GOING MODAL With his bushy … Continue reading “Libertarians and China”