Henry Pelifian Today, war in the U.S. is like no-fault car insurance. Nobody is responsible, but everybody pays. Even a declaration of war as stated in the U.S. Constitution is not needed. This no-fault war policy is bipartisan and includes the endless Global War on Terror at enormous cost. The policy includes a codicil extending to national security…
b. traven and W.J. Astore Thank you, thank you, thank you. In only eighteen months since starting this blog, we’ve reached the 100,000 “hits” milestone and are approaching 300 followers. We also have nearly 200 “likes” on our Facebook page without the benefit of paid advertising. To readers of and contributors to The Contrary Perspective blog:…
Matthew Jacobson We just don’t know. On what date did a meeting occur at which the decision was made to wage war against Iraq? Who organized the meeting? Who attended the meeting? Where was it held? Read every book that you can find about the presidency of George W. Bush. You will not find the…
W.J. Astore I served for twenty years in the Air Force. Service in the military involves sacrifice even when combat isn’t involved, but it also conveys privileges and provides opportunity, or at least it did so for me. I can’t recall people thanking me for my service when I wore a uniform, nor did I…
W.J. Astore In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And he discovered a new world. New to him, of course, and his fellow Europeans, not to the indigenous peoples already living there. Yes, Columbus gets too much credit for that “discovery.” Yes, he and his fellow Europeans were incredibly ambitious, often vicious, and not overly…
W.J. Astore Americans tend to fear death. It makes us uncomfortable. Yet death is inevitable. Its inevitability should teach us to revel in the richness of the here and now. It should also teach us the foolishness of undue pride. All is vanity, the Bible teaches. Death reminds us of this — that human vanity,…
Matthew Jacobson Today’s Democrats do not realize the extent to which the Republican Party, and the media machine that it so expertly operates, have transformed politically emotional energy into pure, purposeful political power. They do not realize that issues no longer count for much in the new reality of American politics. Emotions, and the identification…
S. and B. Lett Every day in America it seems there is a report of police brutality or a shooting of an unarmed civilian, often a shooting death. The typical response from a generally white public is ho-hum. Why is this? One reason is that white people of certain socio-economic classes have no experience of,…
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: “A mnemonic (the first “m” is silent), or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids information retention. Mnemonics aim to translate information into a form that the brain can retain better than its original form. In fact, ‘Memory Needs Every Method Of Nurturing Its Capacity’ is a mnemonic for…
By Don Rose. Introduction by William Astore. “Never believe anything that you read — and only half of what you see.” My father taught me that saying, an expression of healthy skepticism that is much needed when reading and watching today’s media productions. Watchdog journalism has been replaced by lapdog journalism as our media “elites”…
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