W.J. Astore: Anti-war Pragmatists and Pro-war Fantasists
What if peace is really based on pragmatism, and war on fantasy?
W.J. Astore: Trump’s Priorities for Action
Various power brokers may laugh at Trump’s vanities and object to his vulgarity and his selfishness and greed, but they also abet him because he serves to divide people while protecting elite privileges against reformers.
W.J. Astore: Dreaming Big About the U.S. Military
As the U.S. military enjoys enormous budgets ($718 billion this year, rising possibly to $750 billion for 2020), Americans are told not to dream big. There might just be a connection here.
W.J. Astore: Ending Wars, Not “Winning” Them, Should Be America’s Goal
Beware the tunnels you choose to go down (Wikimedia) . You can’t win wars that should never have been fought. The U.S. should never have fought the Iraq and Afghan … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: Jacinda for President!
Trump, America’s very stable genius, doing what he loves. My wife perceptively notes how the USA is sliding backwards. Racism has new vigor even as science is rejected, e.g. climate … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: U.S. Politicians and their Love of the Military
James Madison. We need his wisdom more than ever.. If there’s one area of bipartisan agreement today, it’s politicians’ professed love of the U.S. military. Consider George W. Bush. He … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: The Bankruptcy of the Democratic Party
Why did Donald Trump win the presidency? A big reason is that he was willing to take unpopular stances. He criticized the Afghan and Iraq wars in the strongest terms. … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: The Trump Cabinet of Billionaires and Generals
There’s an obvious trend in Trump’s cabinet picks: billionaires and generals. The billionaires favor private enterprise, capitalism unconstrained by regulations (especially those pesky environmental ones), and a view of the … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: The Forever War — A Peculiar Form of American Zen
As a teenager, I read Joe Haldeman’s book, “The Forever War.” The title intrigued, as did the interstellar setting. Haldeman’s soldiers are caught up in a conflict whose rules keep … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: The Many Purposes of War
Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian military theorist who wrote at the end of the Napoleonic Era, is noted for saying that war is a continuation of politics. That saying explains … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: Guns and Grievances
The news out of Orlando is shocking. Another mass shooting in America. Another 50+ people dead with an additional 50+ wounded. And then I saw this headline: “America has 4.4% … Continue reading
W. J. Astore: The Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers, and Lying
In November 1971, the political philosopher Hannah Arendt published “Lying in Politics: Reflections on the Pentagon Papers” in the New York Review of Books. Earlier that year, Daniel Ellsberg had … Continue reading
W. J. Astore: “Members of the jury, you have just found Jesus Christ guilty”
Remembering the Catonsville Nine In May 1968, nine Catholic activists set fire to draft records in Catonsville, Maryland, in a deliberate act of sabotage and protest against the Vietnam War. … Continue reading
W.J. Astore: Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump this fall?
Tuesday’s primary results suggest it’s Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump come this fall. What does this mean for America? Hillary is the easiest to gauge. She’s been in politics for … Continue reading
