[NOTE: This opinion piece is an artifact of a senior Establishment pundit, who has jetted off to Poland to hang with his people and schmooze various bigwigs at a high-level international conference. Such junkets are a perk of his gig and class. I find it interesting and worth sharing because, to my continuing surprise, his … Continue reading Ukraine, a “New Europe,” and Strange Bedfellows Like Us
Goodbye again, Gorby; Hello, Mr. Brinkman . . . . No, it’s NOT good to have you back. Washington Post: Russia’s annexation puts world ‘two or three steps away’ from nuclear war By Liz Sly — October 1, 2022 LONDON — President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of the annexation of four regions in eastern and southern … Continue reading Ukraine War: Edging Toward The Nuclear Precipice
[NOTE: the article below opens the doors of memory. The draft resistance exodus from Russia is the third such episode I’ve witnessed. The first two I played a bit part in: during the 1960s Vietnam War, many U. S. Quakers “aided and abetted” (technically a federal crime) many young men who left the country to … Continue reading Deja Vu All Over Again! Draft Exiles Streaming Out of Russia
On this day [Sept. 22] in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, a document that put the Confederacy on notice of his intention to free their slaves. They had until January 1, he said, to lay down their arms; after that, any slave within a rebelling state would be “then, thenceforward, and … Continue reading Quote of the Day — Lincoln & Emancipation: The First Version
[NOTE: Modern war, like politics, makes strange bedfellows. The Ukraine war shows this in the case of economics columnist Paul Krugman. He’s a wonk, not a warrior, but his career has some intriguing parallels to that of Army General Mark Milley, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No wait — consider: they both … Continue reading Paul Krugman on Ukraine vs MAGA Machismo