Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. Roughly three and a half years have passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the war shows little sign of ending. President Trump has gone from boasting he could end the war in a day to...
Appeasing the Military-Industrial Complex
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. In an ever-changing world, the one constant in Universe USA is rising Pentagon budgets. For President Trump, a trillion-dollar war budget is something to crow about. Of course, it’s sold as “peace through...
William Astore asks Am I a ‘Jew-Hater’
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. I didn’t know I was a “Jew-hater” until I suggested in a comment that giving Bibi Netanyahu everything he wants (and then some) might not be the same as serving the national interests and security needs of the...
I’ll Slug You, and If You Resist, I’ll Slug You Harder
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. U.S. messaging to Iran, courtesy of President Trump, is quite simple: We slugged you (with our bombing attacks on three nuclear sites in your country), and if you don’t like it, we’ll slug you again, even...
Israel Gets What It Wants
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. On Friday, I awoke to the news that Israel has bombed Iran, focusing on nuclear enrichment facilities and military targets. For the U.S. and Israel, war always finds a way. The U.S. is claiming that Israel...
Palestine, the Moral Issue of Our Time
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. So much of what we’ve been told about Israel and Zionism has been a lie, as this video reveals. My mother-in-law had a saying: “Have a heart if you’ve got a heart.” So many “leaders” in the U.S. and Israel,...
Prince of Peace: Pope Leo XIV Calls for an End to War
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. The new pope, Leo XIV, is off to an encouraging start as he calls for peace (from CNN): Pontiff calls for ‘authentic, just and lasting peace’ Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Sunday blessing from the balcony...
The Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty in 1967
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. As a teenager in the late 1970s, I read about Israel’s “Six-Day War” in 1967. The account I read was sympathetic toward Israel, respecting the audacity of its sneak attack on the Egyptian and Syrian air forces...
Too Much Bombing, Not Enough Brains: The Real Evil Empire May Surprise You
Originally published at TomDispatch. Washington’s latest war (now on pause) — the one in Yemen against the Houthis — was hardly noticeable here. Or rather it would have been barely noticeable if Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hadn’t shared plans for the first air...
The Department of Empire, and Its Bloated Imperial Budget
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. Language and repetition of the same is so important. We hear about the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Pentagon budget and we think little of it. The DoD, of course, used to be called the Department of War...


