I know what it’s like to have your world turned upside-down; soon you will, too. In 1980 I was simply amazed when Ronald Reagan, whom I and all my Leftie friends considered to be an absolute joke, somehow won the Republican nomination for President. I thought: the GOP is imploding and…
Category: History
Was America Ever This Polarized? Yes, but It Was an Honest Divide
The Vietnam War saw Americans divided, but at least it made sense In answering a recent question on Quora, I was asked if the US was ever as polarized as it is now. I answered that the closest parallel in time would be during the Vietnam War, when young people had…
The Democratic “Civil War” Has a Lot to Do with Actual War
The struggle is about whether to be the Party of War or the Party of Peace Wednesday night, 27 July 2016: At the Democratic National Convention, Leon Panetta, longtime Democrat who served as Director of the CIA as well as Secretary of Defense, takes the stage to deliver a rousing…
“Miss Me Nyet?” — Why the Fall of the USSR was a Disaster for America and the World
Part 1: A Little Revolution Can be Good Franklin Delano Roosevelt is often credited with having “saved Capitalism in America”. Indeed, FDR even described himself as “the greatest friend the profit system ever had.” This is an obvious truth when taken in the historical context. When FDR took office, the…
Three Reasons why the Democratic Elite Will Never Give Up the Russia-Gate Narrative
For almost 2 years, the Democrats have pushed a narrative purporting that Russians, operating at the direct orders of Vladimir Putin, have been working to subvert American Democracy and install a puppet in power in the form of Donald Trump. First, it was the Russian Hacking hoax_—_the idea that the…
This is Neoliberalism, Part I: The 10 Tenets of Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is the idea that the Market is the Mother of all Things. The tenets of Neoliberalism are as follows: 1.”Market-based” solutions are the most stable and are inherently more sustainable than “top down” publicly funded programmes that rely on the “arbitrary” redistribution of wealth and resources. 2. The Market…
Social Justice vs. Economic Justice: The False Dichotomy of Identity Politics
I had a revelation today about the on-going debates between Hillary and Bernie supporters in the wake of the 2016 Election. Bernie has given interviews in which he rails against what he calls the “Liberal Elites” —the establishment faction of the Democratic Party—who are focused on identity politics of gender…
Why I Want Trump to Win Over Clinton
After much deliberation, I have decided to write-in Bernie for President, or else vote for Jill Stein the Green Party candidate. I will NOT vote for Hillary Clinton, and many people freak out, telling me that this is a vote for Trump. I tell them that if the price for…
The Brexit: One ExPat’s View
As a “EuroYankee”, I feel I should weigh in heavily on the so-called Brexit. I was not surprised at the Leave vote. The Brits have been complaining about the EU for years – and the EU had had to bend over backwards to accommodate them. Yes, Ok, they could eschew…
Jury Nullification, the “Glass Ceiling” and Clinton’s Support Base
Like many progressives who support Bernie Sanders, I have been amazed by the capacity for Clinton supporters to defend her even in the face of overwhelming and damning evidence of her faults. During the course of the Primary campaign, much of Clinton’s history, her past deeds and positions have come…
Iran has Reasons to Mistrust US
Look, the Iranians have a good reason to hate and distrust America. They elected a moderate “socialist” secular government in 1953. The government wanted to nationalize the oil industry in Iran, so the CIA had the legitimate, elected leader and his government ousted in a coup, and brought back the…
Bernie vs. Ronnie Part III: This is Getting Weird
Big hullabaloo, brouhaha going on because the Democratic National Committee is only allowing 6 debates in the 2016 primary. Sanders and O’Malley are claiming this is just to “save” Hillary. Indeed, in 2008 they had 20+ debates, and Hillary lost. Now, the last time any Party only allowed 6 debates…
Bernie vs. Ronnie Part II: A Personal Note
The dismissive attitude with which the Beltway Media as well as political pundits and leaders are treating Bernie Sanders has sounded, in a way, reminiscent of the way in which people – including myself – viewed Ronald Reagan in 1980. People are constantly calling Bernie an “extremist” and a member…
Bernie versus Ronnie – The Pendulum Swings!!
People wonder why / how Bernie can be so popular — the reason is clear: he has been consistent in his Liberal beliefs for at least 40 years. Imagine, a politician who is true to his ideals, even when they are not popular; one who stays the course, keeps true…
Islam is Not The Enemy (and I cannot believe I have to say this)
There seems to be a troubling trend in many areas of public discourse that aims to paint Islam as somehow different from other religions in its brutality, barbarism and militarism. This is simply wrong. Islam until recently was a relatively peaceful religion, and governments based on Islamic Law were relatively…
The Great Divergence, Part II: Religion
Another, second aspect of what I am calling The Great Divergence between the US and Europe has to do with religion … or I should say, religiosity. Since 1980, Europeans have been moving steadily away from religion, whilst the USA seems to be moving steadily towards a more religious public…