Yesterday I speculated that Putin’s unilateral decision to invade Ukraine might backfire: it might provoke Finland to join NATO. Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU in 1995. All three countries had a longstanding preference for neutrality in the Cold War, but in 1995 joining the EU was not considered a threatening move against a
Consequences of Putin’s Aggression Read More »
One of the objectives of Putin is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, out of concern that Russia would have a direct border with a NATO country. Too late: Russia already borders on Estonia and Latvia, which are both members of NATO now: In 1955, the USSR created the Warsaw Pact in reaction to West
Some background on the meaning of Socialism There is a lot of vitriol about “socialism” in the Unites States in 2022, mostly by people choosing a meaning for the term that is either most disagreeable or most agreeable to them. Historically the term was abused most especially by Soviet political leaders who claimed it as
American Socialism: Public Education Read More »
Today the Republican National Committee formally declared that the attack on the U. S. Congress on January 6, 2021 was “legitimate political discourse” and censured Republican representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the investigation of this attack. I have kept my silence for a year, because my concern is not about a
The treason of January 6, 2021 Read More »
Intellectual property is one of the most important institutional developments of the modern age. The protection of trademarks, patents, and copyrights has generated more wealth and economic growth than any human innovation other than the domestication of plants and animals, thousands of years ago. It has financed more than 90% of all literature and visual
Proposal for a new form of Intellectual Property: the CultureMark Read More »
White supremacists such as the Proud Boys have revived and articulated a belief that Western Civilization is superior, and that Western Civilization is White. I love Gandhi’s retort that Western Civilization “would be a good idea,” but simple snarkastic dismissal might not be the most effective way to disrupt this racist, fascist American movement. There
A Little Disruption of Western Chauvinism Read More »
During the election process of 2020, Republican elected officials made a series of statements and policy decisions that show pretty clearly that they wanted to suppress the votes of Black Americans. If you object to their statements and actions, but for some reason voted for Trump, this is not a criticism directed at you. In
Push back against impunity and empire Read More »
Today it appears that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been elected as President and Vice President of the United States. They will have a difficult time governing in a country which has expressed such hostility towards inclusive government. In the long term, however, Biden and Harris need to govern for the future: an America
How the political tide shifts in a week! On June 6, I reflected on what it means to be Southern-born and to reject the “Lost Cause” of the Confederacy. That seemed to match the general zeitgeist: only a few days later, Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed changing the names of U.S. military bases named after C.S.A.
Time to rename my birthplace Read More »
Some well-intentioned Americans are still wondering why the term “All Lives Matter” is being criticized at this moment. It might seem that the expression “Black Lives Matter” is an argument for special treatment of African-Americans. Out-of-context, this call for the recognition of the worth of only one group’s lives might seem like a rejection of
Which lives matter? Read More »