Monday, March 02, 2026

Domestic Consequences

If anyone is thinking that at least our would-be dictator is striking overseas instead of at home, think again.

Trump’s illegal wars, first in Venezuela, now Iran and apparently soon in Cuba are having and will have severe consequences here in the U.S.

These wars are illegal under the Constitution because only Congress can declare war.

Other presidents have challenged that fundamental clause but this one is shredding it before our eyes.

Over the last year his main assaults on our democratic way of life were domestic — mass deportations, taking revenge against his political enemies and demolishing federal agencies he doesn’t like.

But in most cases, the courts have tempered his actions, at least temporarily delaying some of his executive orders and stopping others altogether. Even the Supreme Court has stood up to him, a little bit.

Overseas, there is no such check, barring a global anti-U.S. movement led by our (former) allies, should they be able to muster that.

HEADLINES:

 

at No comments:

Sunday, March 01, 2026

War in the Morning

With so much unknown at this point, the Times has a useful guide to the war in the Middle East this morning: “What to Know About the U.S. Attacks on Iran.”

But this all only makes sense as the action of a power-mad President in league. with a militaristic Israel.

Together, they’ve decapitated Iran’s senior leadership, and nobody knows what comes next.

HEADLINES:

 

at No comments:

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Trump's War

A tyrant at home, a tyrant abroad. That sums up the authoritarian playbook guiding Trump as he launches his latest war, this one against Iran.

The U.S. has been consistently meddling in Iran’s affairs since joining with the British to overthrow democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeg in 1953.

I’m not defending Iran’s actions over the decades, which including kidnappings, assassinations, and acts of terrorism, but this is an illegal war of aggression by a man who claims to be about peace.

Back in the 50s, the Mossadeg coup was mainly about oil and the fear of communism; today it is about fear of a nuclear Iran, aligning the U.S. with Israel and an authoritarian’s reach for world power.

This bombing campaign risks world war. Those around the President counseling caution and restraint have lost. The “Masters of War” have prevailed.

HEADLINES:

at No comments:

Friday, February 27, 2026

First Amendment Trembles

Pretty much the only viable national news channel we have left in the U.S. is CNN. The news Thursday that its new corporate owner will be Trump’s crony David Ellison is potentially a death blow for our democracy.

Trump hates CNN, a fact he has made clear repeatedly.

The massive financial takeover putting Ellison in charge isn’t official yet. There are regulatory hurdles, especially in Europe that need to be surmounted. 

And a rival bidder, Netflix, could still revive its interest.

But for now, the future of a viable CNN would seem to be hanging by a thread.

HEADLINES:

at No comments:

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Memory Consensus

Most of the time, I’m the oldest one in the room, so when it comes to memories, mine reach back the furthest. So except when I hang out with my sisters, who can remember things that I don’t, or a few very old friends, the past is up to me.

It is also nice to be just a character in the memory of others as opposed to the being an aged family patrician and the sole custodian of the distant past.

I was almost 30 when my first child was born, and almost 60 when my first grandchild was born. That’s a lot of rings in the tree for me to try and recall when my descendants ask me specific questions.

Besides, the way I tell a tale is my way, not necessarily with any higher quotient of accuracy than anyone else who was there at the time — yet most of the time I’m the only one around. And of course, the more distant in the past an event occurred, the more our individual versions are likely to diverge, which brings me to the phenomenon of memory consensus.

Within families, communities, countries, cultures — even on a species level — we ultimately tend to reach some sort of consensus about the past, although historians, ideologues, contrarians and poets will continue to debate

And as much as I enjoy telling my descendants stories about my youth, I’m acutely aware that for a more well-rounded narrative, other sources ought to be interviewed. My version is only that — mine.

So as the saying goes, there’s your version, my version and the truth — and none of us is lying.

(This is a rewrite of an essay from March 2022.)

HEADLINES:

at No comments:

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Morning Sickness

Not to ruin your morning but here are some of what the Post chose as “highlights” from Trump’s two-hour rant last night. 

The Times summed it up with this headline: “‘His Showman’s Energy Is Flagging.’”

The Trump Show is old, tired and yet so very dangerous. 

Here is a summary of his rambling speech.

The facts are simple. True is an autocrat. He also is the President. The only practical way to curb his excesses is for the Democrats to win back control of at least one, but ideally both, houses of Congress this fall.

If that does not come to pass, I shudder to think of the consequences.

There is good news potentially on the unlikeliest of horizons. Nate Silver is out with this: Could Republicans blow the Texas Senate race?.

When it comes to my opinions about all of this, I will always choose hope over despair.

HEADLINES:

at No comments:

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Leadership

The culture wars that continue to shape many of our political conflicts are really just very old battles over an imagined past versus an imagined future. Or at least some people’s idealized versions of a past, i.e., the suburban 1950s, over other’s idealized visions of a future, i.e., 1960s Woodstock.

But of course the roots of the conflict are much older and deeper than that.

Every parent of a young child knows that for some reason, human babies fight over resources, seemingly out of instinct. Fighting between siblings, for example, seems to be natural and much of the socializing process involves teaching toddlers concepts like sharing and fairness.

Or if you prefer one word, it would be empathy. But it’s not entirely clear that empathy can be taught; some people naturally have it, others perhaps less so. Some, most unfortunately, not at all.

In any event, the underlying urge for each individual to take care of him or herself remains throughout life, balanced against the instinct to care for others. But sadly, we now once again find ourselves inside a culture seemingly interminably at war with itself over personal matters, like gender identity, sexual orientation and behavior, resource allocation, discrimination in its many forms, religious beliefs, the list is endless.

Actually, the list covers just about everything.

Regrettably, certain politicians seem to build almost their entire political identity by staking out one extreme slice of the culture war pie.

The problem with those on either extreme is they need to demonize the other side in order to prove their own worth. And in the process, they just make everything worse.

We don’t need extremists for leaders. We need people who bring us together. The past was never as good as those who idealize it would have us believe, and the future will never be either.

Like toddlers, we need to learn how to play and share together and to resolve our inevitable conflicts peacefully and with mutual respect. We don’t need to make each other into false enemies. We live neither in the past nor in the future. And we need leaders who recognize that.

Tonight is the annual State of the Union address. You be the judge.

HEADLINES:

at No comments:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)