The Obsolescence of War and its Implications for Countering Terrorism

The Obsolescence of War and its Implications for Countering Terrorism
A point emphasized in several Nobel Peace Prize Lectures of the 1950´s and 60´s (e.g., those of Albert Schweitzer and Martin Luther King Jr) is the obsolescence of war.  It was noted that modern technology had produced weapons of awesome power.  This meant we had no [...]

Cultural Attention Deficit Disorder and the ‘Cup of Stupor’

Cultural Attention Deficit Disorder and the ‘Cup of Stupor’
For several months I’ve been thinking about making a post on what could be called ‘cultural deficit disorder’.
Lately it seems that people in the US — I’m talking about the people I see around town ever day, not just who you see on television or read about [...]

Nobel Peace Speeches: Martin Luther King v. Mr. Obama

The 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech of Martin Luther King Jr. shows how far our public leaders have strayed.

As I write, the US Senate is deliberating a radical, sweeping healthcare bill that threatens to undermine American democracy, and would turn the country into a European-styled socialist state.
This is happening, moreover, without due deliberation and  full [...]

The Essay, “I Pencil”: Why the Government Cannot Run Healthcare

The Essay, “I, Pencil”:  Why the Government Cannot Run Healthcare
Would you like to read a compelling argument against government-managed healthcare?  It is this found in the simple, charming, famous (but not famous enough) essay by the economist Leonard Read, called “I, Pencil“.
Here is a paragraph to whet your appetite:
I, Pencil, simple though I appear to [...]

Liberals, Conservatives, Joan Baez and Ending the Nation-State

Liberals, Conservatives, Joan Baez and the Nation-State
The other night I saw a reprise performance of the recent American Masters episode on the life of folksinger and political activist, Joan Baez.
It was a good program and showed what a remarkable person Joan Baez is.    She walked the walk, even to the point of voluntarily accepting incarceration [...]

Critique of President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech

The world must remain a place where citizens read the comments of political leaders and subject them to common sense analysis. Let us avoid the alternative: a world where we become dulled by the drone of meaningless speeches and the profusion of political nonsense — until we are no longer able to think [...]

Correct transcript of Ambassador Bolton’s remarks on Obama’s Nobel Prize speech

On December 10, in Oslo, Norway, President Obama gave his acceptance speech for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
Fox News host Greta van Susteren later asked the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, John R. Bolton, for his analysis.  The careless transcript of Bolton’s remarks currently found online at several blogs is very [...]

The Injustice of High College Tuition

I met a college student last weekend and promised her I’d put a post online about the outrageously high cost of college tuition.  I’m working on some figures now and hope to post a chart by tomorrow.
Meanwhile the bottom line remains the same.  It doesn’t matter much which inflation indices or economic indicators one looks [...]

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself – 2009

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself – 2009
The famous words, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” come from the first inaugural address of Franklin D. Roosevelt (March 4, 1933). These comments, of course, were made in the midst of the Great Depression. The parallels between those times and [...]

Advice for President Obama: Let America Reach Out to Developing Countries

Advice for President Obama:  Let America Reach Out to Developing Countries
Yesterday I saw a photo of Obama’s face.  His expression looked concerned.  It looked like a man who is truly idealistic and trying hard, but finding all his best efforts frustrated.
That’s probably the case.  Obama seems like a genuine idealist at heart.  Unfortunately, he’s also, [...]