Category Archives: Commentary

On September 26, 1983, Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov got an alert that a U.S. missile attack was imminent. Continue reading →

Donald Trump used to care what the world outside America thought of him. Continue reading →

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment, when women got the right to vote in all 50 states. Limiting voting to men at the nation’s founding was part of the legal doctrine of coverture, in which a woman was legally represented first by her father and then by her husband. Continue reading →

People in public life tend to fall into one of two broad categories—those who are motivated by principle, and those motivated by power. Continue reading →

Forgive me for using a broad brush but I cannot help but conclude that Britons may moan about government policies but are ultimately accepting. We are stereotypically known for our stiff upper lips and ability to weather all storms with our calm demeanours, unlike those emotional Latin types poised to revolt en masse over the price of spaghetti. Continue reading →

The polarized nature of American politics often makes it difficult to address fundamental differences between the country’s two main political rivals, Republicans and Democrats. As each side is intent on discrediting the other at every opportunity, unbiased information regarding the two parties’ actual stances on internal and external issues can be difficult to decipher. Continue reading →

We’ve waited patiently to find out what would be the Trumpster’s October Surprise. Would he fake a video of Joe Biden in bed with a sheep? Would he wag the dog in starting a war with Canada, citing Canukistan’s icicles of mass destruction? Continue reading →

Two memories: in February, I attended a public conversation my friend and colleague Bill Moyers conducted with Ruth Bader Ginsburg at Union Theological Seminary on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She was there for the Judith Davidson Moyers Women of Spirit Award Lecture, and had postponed attending the year before because of health concerns. She was recuperating from the latest of her bouts with cancer. Continue reading →

US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts announced Ginsburg’s death on Friday, saying, “Our aation has lost a jurist of historic stature”—one of only four women appointed to the High Court, Sandra Day O’Conner (Ret.), Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan the others. Continue reading →

For many decades, governments around the world, especially in the USA, have fired tens of thousands of rounds of CS gas at their own people in an attempt to control “civil unrest”. The media falsely labels CS gas as “tear gas” rather than calling it what it is, poisonous gas. The original tear gas was relatively benign, irritating the eyes and mucus tissues but was not poisonous. CS gas, on the other hand, will kill you if you are exposed to enough of it. Continue reading →

COVID-19 has been a doubly-deadly disaster for millions of Americans, destroying both life and livelihoods. But one of the most heartening responses to the crisis has come from the least-expected place: corporate executive suites. Continue reading →

The Republicans lie about the harm they do to the planet, and the Democrats lie and pretend they’re not doing the very same things. Continue reading →

A brigade of pearl-clutching, virtue-signaling, cancel-culture keyboard warriors wants you to know that Cuties (Mignonnes—it’s actually a French film) is a bad, bad movie that no one should watch and that Netflix should immediately remove from its lineup. Continue reading →

People wonder at times, “Why am I here? What is my purpose? What am I destined to do before I die?” Continue reading →

I finally broke down and took the coronavirus test the other day because it was part of a job requirement. “Negative.” Oh. Okay. Continue reading →

US President Donald Trump is no foreign policy strategist. His plan to bring US troops home from Afghanistan was one of his most popular pre-election pledges in 2016 and now he is rushing to fulfil it whatever the consequences to boost his flagging campaign which is why his administration is brokering negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Continue reading →

Since the first colonizers arrived in the United States to this very moment, wealthy elites have used the tools of theft, exclusion, and exploitation to expand their wealth and power at the detriment of Black, Latinx, Indigenous people, and marginalized people of color. It all boils down to this simple truth: Racism is profitable. Continue reading →

Trump voters are not inclined to change their minds. Some of them are forever Republicans and will only vote the GOP ticket; they are called hereditary voters. Others can’t stand the Democratic Party nominees, won’t vote for the Libertarian ticket, and will only vote for Trump. Some love Trump because of his anti-immigrant stance, deregulation of law enforcement on businesses, and nominations of anti-choice and right-wing corporatist federal judges. Continue reading →

Election season is a difficult time to develop good policies towards Latin America, since both Democrats and Republicans cater to the small, but organized, conservative factions of the Latinx community in Florida, vying for their votes. But if Biden wins the White House, there is a chance to reverse the Trump administration policies that have been devastating for Latin America, policies that punish innocent civilians through harsh economic sanctions, destabilize the region through coups and attempts at regime change, and close our borders to desperate people fleeing north in search of safety and opportunity, often as a result of U.S. security and economic policies. Continue reading →

Wow, what a surprise! Have you seen the National Republican Party’s official platform? Continue reading →

When you undergo a medical procedure or volunteer for a research study, you’re presented with forms to sign, outlining what’s going to happen (and what bad things could happen), and expressly consenting to have those things happen. Continue reading →

Reading the latest story about Donald Trump’s grievous insults to the military, I thought of a scene that was cut from the original version of The Godfather. Continue reading →

Americans certainly love war. Most will deny having those feelings, they will instead talk about warfare as a means of protecting freedom, spreading democracy or fighting tyrants. The end result of course is mass death, mostly of people in far away and non-white lands, but also of significant numbers of Americans. The carnage is usually downplayed in favor of worshipping those who go to kill and perhaps be killed themselves. This twisted dynamic is most visible when anyone dares to question the narrative of exceptionalism and benevolent warriors. Continue reading →

The world is convinced that a political rival of the Russian president was deliberately poisoned by the state, which Moscow vehemently denies. Continue reading →

It is difficult—and futile—to argue which American president has historically been more pro-Israel. While former President Barack Obama, for example, has pledged more money to Israel than any other US administration in history, Donald Trump has provided Israel with a blank check of seemingly endless political concessions. Continue reading →

Have you noticed that the government’s answer to every problem is more government—at taxpayer expense—and less individual liberty? Continue reading →

U.S. cops are already racist and brutal, and any militia “infiltrators” would feel right at home. Continue reading →

Corporate money is dominating our democracy. Continue reading →

As we stagger towards the ultimate expression of our fake democracy in November it’s important to acknowledge what won’t be changing a bit whichever of the two parties of capital come out ahead with a minority of the American electorate’s support. The richest people in the nation, an ever-smaller group as inequality, showing massive growth of poverty, disease and the profits of warfare, will not only maintain their historic control but also exercise more of it than ever in the past. The capitalist pandemic and economic collapse will get worse before things get better and they won’t get better until we stop swallowing the Republican-Democratic Party line about what high ideals this nation stands for in contradiction to the low reality of what it is. You know, all that stuff many are upset about, divided over and struggling to understand without needing more therapy, drugs, religion, guns, shopping, voting and other distractions. Continue reading →

With our national election looming, someone should put up “lost dog” signs in every neighborhood saying, “Missing: Republican Party Platform.” Continue reading →

Consumerism is unsustainable. Competition is unsustainable. Imperialism is unsustainable. Continue reading →

My wife and I have been warned that we may need to evacuate because of fires ravaging the Bay Area Continue reading →