Bring Our Marines Home

A month after Germany surrendered in May 1945, America’s eyes turned to the Far East, where the bloodiest battle of the Pacific war was joined on the island of Okinawa. Twelve thousand U.S. soldiers and Marines would die – twice as many dead in 82 days of fighting as have died in all the years … Continue reading “Bring Our Marines Home”

Japanese Landslide a Mixed Bag for US

Almost two decades after their bubble economy turned to economic stagnation, Japanese voters have dealt a hammer blow to their corrupt one-party political system. After more than a half century of dominance, the Liberal Democratic Party was trounced by the surging Democratic Party. Economically, the problem for Japan and the U.S. is that the Democratic … Continue reading “Japanese Landslide a Mixed Bag for US”

The Lessons of August

World Wars and Lessons for Empire The Great War began 95 years ago this month, with the guns of August ending what has been described as Europe’s last summer. And 64 years ago this week, two nuclear weapons used against Japanese cities signaled the end of the Second World War. The first conflict broke the … Continue reading “The Lessons of August”

64 Years Too Late and
Not a Moment Too Soon

As another August 6th approaches, let me tell you a little story about Hiroshima and me: As a young man, I was probably not completely atypical in having the Bomb (the 1950s was a great time for capitalizing what was important) on my brain, and not just while I was ducking under my school desk … Continue reading “64 Years Too Late and
Not a Moment Too Soon”

How Bush Pushed North Korea to Nukes

Back in October of 2007, after two years of negotiations, China, Russia, Japan, the two Koreas and the United States reached agreement on "Second-Phase Actions" for the Implementation of the Six-Party Joint Agreement of September 15, 2005. The neo-crazies (and human-rights activist fellow-travelers) opposed those negotiations from the git-go and they’re still at, vowing to … Continue reading “How Bush Pushed North Korea to Nukes”