Charles V. Peña

The slogan of Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is "change we can believe in." It’s clear that Obama believes we need to change course with regard to Iraq. In January 2007, he introduced legislation calling for removing combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008, and declared, "It is time for us to fundamentally change … Continue reading “Change We Can Believe In?”

“To have your cake and eat it too” is a popular figure of speech meaning to try to have two incompatible things. Of course, comedian George Carlin pointed out that the phrase doesn’t make complete sense: “When people say, ‘Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too,’ what good is a … Continue reading “Having Your Cake and
Eating It Too”

Arlington National Cemetery could almost be my backyard. I live right down the road from the new Air Force Memorial and not far from the Iwo Jima Memorial. The other memorials to those who served and fought in our nation’s wars – the Navy Memorial (interestingly, the U.S. Army is the only military service without … Continue reading “Things to Remember on Memorial Day”

Last week was the five year anniversary of President Bush landing on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, striding along the flight deck in flight suit and stating triumphantly that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" while standing under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished." For the neocons and chickenhawks, it was a giddy moment. … Continue reading “Mission Accursed”

According to Department of Energy statistics, the price of oil rose from about $20 per barrel to about $30 per barrel over the course of 2000 to 2001. And oil prices were actually falling in 2001 and declined sharply after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But since early 2002 – after President Bush’s “axis of evil” … Continue reading “Whither the Price of Oil?”

Last week marked five years since President Bush’s decision to engage in preemptive war against Iraq (or more accurately, preventive war, since there was no imminent threat to thwart; rather its purpose was to prevent a potential threat that had not yet emerged from materializing – even though there was no concrete evidence that such … Continue reading “Hard to See the Benefits Through the Bills and the Blood”

As children, most of us learned the so-called golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Or in more plain language: "Treat others as you would like to be treated." Also known as the ethic of reciprocity, the golden rule is a moral principle common to most of the world’s … Continue reading “The Golden Rule”

This month, Amtrak officials announced that they were stepping up security, including random searches of passenger carry-on bags, more officers patrolling platforms and trains, and bomb-sniffing dogs. That Amtrak would want to increase security should come as no surprise given that the railway system was the target of terrorist attacks in Madrid in 2004, London … Continue reading “More Amtrak Security,
More Safety?”

Speaking to a friendly crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week, President Bush declared: "The Taliban, al-Qaeda, and their allies are on the run." Although he wasn’t declaring victory ("Afghanistan has a long road ahead"), the president made happy talk about elections, hospitals and roads being built, and girls who previously were … Continue reading “Hobbled in Kabul”