Brian Williams’ White Lie — Another Look

Clay Bonnyman Evans NBC news anchor Brian Williams has been suspended for six months without pay, after falsely claiming that a helicopter he was riding in over Iraq on March 24, 2003 was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. The public has been savage in practically demanding the newsman’s crucifixion for telling a “white lie” — for that’s what…

All the Insecurity Money Can Buy

W.J. Astore The United States spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on national defense, to include wars, homeland security, a bewildering array of intelligence agencies, and the maintenance of nuclear weapons.  Are we buying greater security with all this money? Consider the following fact.  A private contractor hired to vet security clearances for US…

In Praise of Douglas Kinnard, A Truth-telling General of the Vietnam War

W.J. Astore The death on July 29 of retired Army general and professor Douglas Kinnard at the age of 91 reminded me of the vital quality of integrity and truth-telling, especially in life-and-death military settings.  A fast-rising general who became critical of America’s path in Indochina in the late 1960s, Kinnard retired from the military and…