The Chinese Military Parade Freak-Out
The Chinese are coming! The Chinese are coming! Well, actually, they were just parading around their capital, celebrating the defeat of the Japanese and end of their bloody part in World War II. But (cue some strangely ominous music plucked on a Chinese guitar) this was no Chinese New Year parade featuring dancing acrobats, red […]
The Neocon Foreign Policy Walmart
One of the most depressing things about watching – even from a distance – the quadrennial race for the White House is seeing what passes for debate on the one area where the president does have some Constitutional authority: foreign policy. Candidates who have spent little or no time studying or traveling to the rest […]
The Face of a Boy
The misdeeds of Napoleon’s occupation army in Spain were not photographed. Photography had not yet been invented. The valiant fighters against the occupation had to rely on Francisco Goya for the immortal painting of the resistance. The partisans and underground fighters against the German occupation of their countries in World War II had no time […]
Shootout between Army and Militia; 84 Killed in Iraq
At least 84 were killed and 49 were wounded in various attack and airstrikes. A Shi’ite militia was accused of kidnapping 17 Turks on Wednesday.
Palestine’s Crisis of Leadership: Did Abbas Destroy Palestinian Democracy?
The crisis of leadership throughout Palestinian history did not start with Mahmoud Abbas and will, regrettably, be unlikely to end with his departure. Although Abbas has, perhaps, done more damage to the credibility of the Palestinian leadership than any other leader in the past, he is also a byproduct of a process of political fraud […]
Abusing Dead Syrian Children
Images are a powerful tool in the hands of propagandists. A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. If a powerful image can be manipulated to tell a tale even if false, it can persuade more viscerally than can a thousand reasoned arguments. So it is with the tragic photograph making the […]
The Fantasy World of Ben Carson
Editorial Note: When I make a mistake, I have to acknowledge it, and this is one of those times. In this column I mistakenly – and unfairly – attributed the views of Ben Carson to official doctrine of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The links I made to web sites purporting to be Adventist were […]
Coalition Members Accused of Killing Civilians; 55 Killed across Iraq
At least 55 were killed and 28 were wounded in fresh violence.
Who Is Listening to Dick Cheney?
Dick Cheney is a former vice president who had an enormous effect on public policy, and therefore on history. He should be interviewed by media outlets. He should be asked tough questions about every single aspect of his tenure in the White House. We cannot pretend that Cheney does not belong in history books, or […]
ISIS Militants Execute Their Own; 321 Killed across Iraq
At least 321 were killed across Iraq. A large number of militants were killed by their own comrades.
