Mar 3, 2022
Lessons of history
There is not much good one can attach to the war in Ukraine but it does expose me to people with views that try to validate some of what Putin is…
Music, power, politics, and the stories behind the stories.
Editorial Collection
Politics, Power & the Middle East
Independent commentary from someone who distrusts slogans, tribes, and simple answers.
I was raised around Washington, Damascus, Cairo, and Beirut, studied politics and economics, and spent a career watching public stories collide with private motives. I write about American politics, international affairs, Israel and Palestine, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, media power, religion, capitalism, democracy, and the consequences that disappear from partisan talking points.
I am pro-enterprise and anti-authoritarian, but not a party mascot. A useful argument begins with facts, includes the inconvenient ones, and remains willing to criticize its own side.
Entries
181
Mar 3, 2022
Confused Logic
Someone should tell Sean Hannity that the US has NOT purchased any Russian gas/oil for the last two weeks. Russian oil accounts for 3% of annual US…
Mar 3, 2022
Media People
Blame for what is going on in Ukraine can be shared by many going back for many years. It goes to show that not dealing with an issue early can…
Mar 3, 2022
Real danger
The real danger ALL of us will face, Russians, Americans, Europeans, Putin himself is what is beginning to happen. The scenes of destruction and…
Mar 2, 2022
Denazification
Interesting Putin Denazification of Ukraine. A Russian missal destroys the Kyiv Jewish Holocaust memorial.
Mar 2, 2022
The Polls
The polls tell you what people think today, NOT what they will think six months from now. Polls showed Putin was popular six months ago. What would…
Mar 2, 2022
Who is Doug Macgregor?
FYI, I just watched a FOX useful idiot Tucker Carlson interview with a retired Colonel, Doug Macgregor claiming him to be a non-partisan, truth…
Mar 2, 2022
Leadership
I always wonder what people mean when they criticize a leader for "leading from behind". Leadership can be complicated and there is no one way to…
Mar 2, 2022
Hannity
As usual Sean Hannity can only say over the top negative statements about the Democrats and President Biden. I wish he was not so predictable. I…
Mar 2, 2022
Question for FOX
Dear Fox News, I am watching your excellent reporting from the Ukraine, with your reporters risking their lives in what must be ever increasingly…
Mar 2, 2022
Sean Hannity
Dear Mr, Sean Hannity, I will admit that I disagree with many of your views but watch you as I do all the networks as well to get a cross section of…
Mar 2, 2022
Stupid Wars
The USA has had its share of stupid wars. Iraq was a war of choice that did not need to be fought. It was a war sold to the American people under…
Mar 2, 2022
Putin
The news from Ukraine is getting worse. It will continue to get worse from now on. It will go on even if Russia conquers all of Ukraine. There is…
Mar 1, 2022
Words Don't Matter
Interesting to see that Putin stated his reason to invade Ukraine was the Denazification of the country. To rid it of neo Nazis running the…
Mar 1, 2022
Be careful what you wish for
The US is a market oriented economy where the Government can interfere to a limited degree. That has its advantages and its disadvantages. There are…
Mar 1, 2022
Ukraine
I don't think the Western world has really come to grips of what the Russian invasion of Ukraine has done. The Ukrainians are not people in far away…
Mar 1, 2022
Amnesia
It's time for news, not for political pot shots from people with amnesia and a political agenda. It's interesting to see how things said just…
Feb 28, 2022
Good Fox reporting
I have never been a fan of Fox, but I have to admit that their reporting on the Ukraine situation has been very good. Their reporters in the field…
Feb 28, 2022
Facing up to reality
One of the unfortunate realities of the human being is we are loath to deal with a problem until it is unescapable, or worse a real disaster. We will…
Feb 27, 2022
Mistakes of the Past - Miscalculations of the President
For centuries smart and talented people have made fatal mistakes, miscalculations and ended up on the wrong side of history. Queen Elizabeth II's…
Feb 27, 2022
There is no off ramp
Putin has made such a commitment to the invasion of Ukraine and made statements with regard to NATO and the Ukrainian leadership as well that there…
Feb 26, 2022
No One Believed
Weeks before the actual invasion most people of Europe and indeed 99.9% of Ukrainians did not believe anyone -even Putin - would go so far as to…
Feb 24, 2022
Clear the Air
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has cleared the air on a number of issues. 1. All the world can see now why Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland…
Feb 24, 2022
The Fox winners
Interesting to see the reaction of the Fox people towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Fox has been uncomfortable with the rise of useful idiot…