My carry-on flagged for protein
bars that might be plastique, & I failed
the swab test, some residue battery acid
or fertilizer on my fingertips.
Perhaps the horrors of 2020—the fires and hurricanes, Trump’s vicious attacks on democracy, the death, sickness, and economic dislocation caused by Covid-19—can force a real conversation about national security in 2021. Maybe this time we can finally ask whether trying to prop up a dying empire actually makes us—or indeed the world—any safer.
Is Donald Trump responsible for unhinged violence against innocent people? Absolutely. You only have to look at Yemen to see that. Since pipe bombs started targeting prominent critics of the … Continue reading →
When you see an immigrant or a foreign visitor, especially from a Muslim country, should your first thought be that you might be looking at a possible terrorist? Clearly, that’s … Continue reading →
The most common question asked on this side of the Atlantic is: “Why can’t they see what these weapons are doing to their country?” There is a sickness eating at … Continue reading →
At the Circus with Donald Trump. Recently, a memory of my son as a small boy came back to me. He was, in those days, terrified of clowns. Something about … Continue reading →
“The most important deficiency in the U.S. counterterrorism policy has been the failure to address the root causes of terrorism.” Philip C. Wilcox Jr., former US Ambassador at Large and … Continue reading →
Apologizing to My Daughter for the Last 15 Years of War I recently sent my last kid off for her senior year of college. There are rituals to such moments, … Continue reading →
Bombs Away! Their Precision Weaponry and Ours. On the morning of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda launched its four-plane air force against the United States. On board were its precision weapons: … Continue reading →
Exceptional Pain Dispensed by the Indispensable Nation Fourteen years later and do you even believe it? Did we actually live it? Are we still living it? And how improbable is … Continue reading →
Willie King (March 18, 1943 – March 8, 2009) was an American blues guitarist and singer, known for shunning fame and playing at a local bar in Mississippi. In this … Continue reading →
. First published by VICE News on Jul 8, 2015: When al Qaeda terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Michael Morell was with … Continue reading →
Maybe it’s that pesky Sixth Commandment: Thou shalt not kill. Or verse 5:53 of the Koran: Who so kills a soul, unless it be for murder or for wreaking corruption … Continue reading →
“Somebody Blew Up America” by Amiri Baraka with Rob Brown on saxophone, recorded on February 21, 2009 at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy NY. This is the poem … Continue reading →