Reactionaries are phonies who endanger civilized society.
“The Thinnest Veneer of Civilization” is the title of the article. Above it is the stock, golden-afternoon-glow photo of the Roman Forum blaring at the reader that ancient (and not a little blood-soaked) Rome is the reference point for “civilization”. Cliché, certainly, but intriguing to anyone interested in the fate of a society teetering on […]
What took so long?
In May 2021, four months after the end of his presidency, the National Archives and Records Administration asked him to return materials that Trump had hauled to Mar-a-Lago, but which are owned by the public and administered by the US Government. Only in February 2022, after nine months of unsuccessful negotiation [sic] with Trump’s people, […]
Pence: What if…?
Mike Pence — the reactionary religious fundamentalist, white nationalist, and former resident at Observatory Circle under Vandal-in-Chief (ViC) — wants to lead the world’s superpower and its 330 million people. About half of those people prefer the republic’s immolation to a government that strives for the greater good. It’s true that, in contrast to his […]
$800 Billion for This? (Or, Taiwan is Toast.)
Washington’s decision to abstain from opposing by force Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reveals a truth about the $800+ billion the US wants to spend in the next 365 days on military matters: none of the muscle is intended for use against powers of equal heft, i.e., China or Russia or India. Smaller countries had better beware. Since […]
The Biggest Danger is Western “Recklessness”?
Hans Kundnani, director of the Europe program at Chatham House, a British think tank, warns us about going “too far” in our opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He says the West’s “earlier inaction has exacted a heavy price,” but sees its current reaction as “dangerous” “overcompensat[ion]”. He first aims to establish his bona fides […]
Saint Merrick and the Halo
Your appointment as AG became official in March 2021. The country’s sensible half hoped for a reckoning with Bill Barr’s perversions of justice, and accountability for those who had contributed to them. Half a year later, near as we can tell, you have returned DOJ to something akin to normal; we no longer have to […]
Saint Merrick and Omertà
In March of this year, you inherited — by choice — the country’s law shop, a place soiled by your predecessor. In the soft-shoe shuffle with the denizens of a sclerotic upper house, you promised to restore public faith in the integrity of the Justice Department. Everyone agreed: you were a transcendently swell guy, the […]