Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. America has two war parties, Republican and Democratic, ensuring the death of democracy since war is the most insidious enemy of freedom and liberty. When I wrote recently about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a...
Cheerleaders of the Military-Industrial Complex
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have something in common. They both embrace colossal Pentagon budgets and both celebrate the “lethality” of the U.S. military, which, they agree, must be the strongest, bestest,...
A Lesson From the Death of Phil Donahue
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. I remember watching The Phil Donahue Show with my dad. Informative and willing to tackle controversial issues, the show proved remarkably popular, a tribute to its host, Phil Donahue, who recently died at the...
Reflections on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. Originally written in 2015 for the 70th anniversary; updated in 2020 for the 75th anniversary; reposted below along with a podcast for the 79th anniversary. It Should Never Be Done Again: Hiroshima, 75 Years...
Wars That Never Should Have Been Fought Cannot Be Won
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. I wrote my first article for TomDispatch in 2007, two years after I’d retired from the military. That article was highly critical of the U.S. military and its disastrous war in Iraq. I wrote that we, the...
‘Peace’ Seems To Be the Hardest Word
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. With apologies to Elton John and Bernie Taupin, “peace” seems to be the hardest word, for both Democrats and Republicans. This is hardly surprising. The National Security State is the unofficial fourth branch...
Bipartisan Support for More Genocidal Nuclear Weapons
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. Whether the president’s name is Obama or Trump or Biden, whether it’s the red team in charge or the blue team, there was and remains strong bipartisan support for “modernization” and “investment” in new...
The Distraction of Joe Biden
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. Joe Biden has become a major distraction. Much like Donald Trump, he’s demanding far too much attention. As genocide continues in Gaza, as war continues to rage in Ukraine, as America continues to pursue...
NATO Is 75: The Haunting of the Present by the Past
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is marking its 75th anniversary. Created in 1949 as a defensive alliance against an expansive Soviet Union, the alliance should have ceased to exist when the...
Declaring Our Independence From War
Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission. It’s Independence Day in America, so it seems like a good day to declare our independence from the insanity of war. Sadly, since the presidency of George W. Bush if not before, it’s become routine for U.S....
