Good Riddance, Liz Cheney

There have been few politicians in modern times who have done more to undermine personal liberty, capitalist prosperity, small government and especially world peace than the Cheney Clan. So upon Liz Cheney’s ouster from the #3 job in the US House GOP hierarchy, we say: Good riddance! And, no, we don’t begrudge her vote to … Continue reading “Good Riddance, Liz Cheney”

Why the Pentagon Budget Never Goes Down

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Strange, isn’t it? Our secretary of state emphatically claims that China has been acting “more aggressively abroad” and behaving “increasingly in adversarial ways.” No, he insists, we’re not exactly at the edge of a new cold war or planning, in the style of the last century, to “contain China.” All this … Continue reading “Why the Pentagon Budget Never Goes Down”

Israeli Apartheid Is On Display

The Israeli government has gone out of its way in recent weeks to confirm that it is an apartheid state. In one of the latest egregious examples of this oppressive system, Israeli police attacked Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque last Friday on one of the most important days of Ramadan using stun grenades, tear gas, … Continue reading “Israeli Apartheid Is On Display”

Europeans Want to Denuclearize Korea: They Should Defend Themselves First

There’s an old saying about opinions that cannot be repeated in polite company. But it applies to the recent statement of the G7 countries about North Korea and nuclear weapons. The seven rich industrialized nations – U.S., Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy – announced to the world that they don’t want the … Continue reading “Europeans Want to Denuclearize Korea: They Should Defend Themselves First”

Israel’s Murderous Attacks on Gaza

Israel is again conducting bloody attacks on Gaza. Interminable rounds of shelling by Israeli terrorists – known as Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) – have left in their wake infant corpses and blood-stained rubble of residential buildings. Every attempt is being made to decapitate the present and disembowel any hope for a better future. The current … Continue reading “Israel’s Murderous Attacks on Gaza”

Just Whose Coast Is the Coast Guard Guarding?

Most Americans likely assume that the mission of the U.S. Coast Guard is to protect the coasts of the United State from maritime threats. Increasingly, though, that is no longer true, as Coast Guard vessels and personnel now routinely operate thousands of miles from the US homeland. Moreover, they frequently are not engaged in "defensive" … Continue reading “Just Whose Coast Is the Coast Guard Guarding?”

War Is Strictly Business in Twenty-First Century America

Here’s the strange thing: almost 20 years into a series of chaotic, staggeringly expensive, failing wars across significant parts of the planet, the U.S. military – "the greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known" (George W. Bush), aka "the finest fighting force that the world has ever known" (Barack Obama) – continues … Continue reading “War Is Strictly Business in Twenty-First Century America”

America’s Middle East Embarrassment: Underwriting Apartheid in the Palestinian Territories

The Mideast is aflame as usual. Even Israel is suffering through a seemingly unending election crisis, with a continuing electoral majority for the right but against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a normal world Washington wouldn’t worry about the result, but the U.S. government has offered a near-blank check for the Israeli state for years, … Continue reading “America’s Middle East Embarrassment: Underwriting Apartheid in the Palestinian Territories”

The Ethnic Cleansing of Sheikh Jarrah

In 1983, Rafael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), said, "When we have settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do about it will be to scurry around like drugged cockroaches in a bottle." Today, we are seeing such attempts of dehumanization in Sheikh Jarrah – an area … Continue reading “The Ethnic Cleansing of Sheikh Jarrah”