Missile Test Terrorism Over Los Angeles

“Wait, what the f*** is that?” Julien Solomita finally managed to spit that out after two minutes of dumbfounded silence as he recorded an unidentified flying object from a rooftop parking lot in Van Nuys, California on Saturday night. He had been gathering footage for his video blog when he noticed a strange light in … Continue reading “Missile Test Terrorism Over Los Angeles”

Israel, Iran, and the Nuclear Freight Train

Has a weapon ever been invented, no matter how terrible, and not used?  The crossbow, the dreadnought, poison gas, the tank, the landmine, chemical weapons, napalm, the B-29, the drone: all had their day and for some that day remains now.  Even the most terrible weapon of all, the atomic bomb, that city-buster, that potential … Continue reading “Israel, Iran, and the Nuclear Freight Train”

The Profligate Nuclear Pentagon

American taxpayers don’t get their money’s worth from their ever-growing annual investment in the Pentagon. It’s a bottomless pit that makes a hydrofracked well look like a pothole. Most taxpayers would be happy to spend considerably less. The massive size, baroque nature and opaque character of the ‘defense’ budget make picking and choosing programs to … Continue reading “The Profligate Nuclear Pentagon”

Why No One Notices Our MAD Planet

I can still remember sneaking with two friends into the balcony of some Broadway movie palace to see the world end. The year was 1959, the film was On the Beach, and I was 15. It was the movie version of Neville Shute’s still eerie 1957 novel about an Australia awaiting its death sentence from … Continue reading “Why No One Notices Our MAD Planet”

Dangerous Legislation

I strongly oppose H Res 568, a resolution "expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of preventing the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability." Once again we see on the "suspension" calendar, which is customarily reserved for non-controversial legislation, a resolution designed to move the US toward a … Continue reading “Dangerous Legislation”

US-Israel Deal to Demand Qom Closure Threatens Nuclear Talks

The Barack Obama administration has adopted a demand in the negotiations with Iran beginning Saturday that its Fordow enrichment facility must be shut down and eventually dismantled based on an understanding with Israel that risks the collapse of the negotiations. It is unclear, however, whether the administration intends to press that demand regardless of Iran’s … Continue reading “US-Israel Deal to Demand Qom Closure Threatens Nuclear Talks”

The Babylonian Captivity of Washington

The most troubling prerogative of modern government is the ability of the sovereign or head of state to go to war.  War means death, debt, and, if the decision is a bad one, the very end of civil society and the prevailing political order.  Because war is potentially so terrible, a number of nations have curtailed … Continue reading “The Babylonian Captivity of Washington”

Keystone Cops Logic

In the latest war of words between Iran and the United States, Tehran has drawn a line in the sand (actually, the Persian Gulf). According to Maj. Gen. Ataollah Salehi, the commander in chief of the Iranian army, “We recommend to the American warship that passed through the Strait of Hormuz and went to the … Continue reading “Keystone Cops Logic”