Introduction For decades Andrew Bacevich, Professor Emeritus of History and International Studies at Boston University, has written compelling warnings about the militarization of US foreign policy. In books and articles that persistently echo Dwight D. Eisenhower’s cautions against the military-industrial complex (MIC), Bacevich has shone a revealing light on how the corrupting militarization of politics … Continue reading Why Ukraine Matters: A Response to Andrew Bacevich
Evil is Always a Choice, Never a Necessity
The general context of this post relates to a brief response I gave to John Nichols’ excellent defense of Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Mandela Barnes’ speech addressing problems in US history that placed a particular burden on Blacks and Native Americans from the very inception of the Republic. The article and the commentary it elicited can … Continue reading Evil is Always a Choice, Never a Necessity
We Are All Ukrainians Now
The current moment is one of those that arises in history when patterns of evil are brought into stark relief. In simple and absolute terms, the choice between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky is clear. It is the choice between right and wrong, life and death, dictatorship and democracy, good and evil. There is no … Continue reading We Are All Ukrainians Now
Plagiarized Endorsements for the June Primary
By now, all registered voters should have received their California State and County Information Guide and Official Vote-By-Mail Ballots. In retirement, I have decided to comb through these guides a little more carefully than before and to share some thoughts as to why I have made my choices. I will suggest some candidates, but I … Continue reading Plagiarized Endorsements for the June Primary
The High Treason of the Global Right: A Story from Poland
A friend from Poland sent me a recent statement from a conservative politician in Poland named Roman Giertych. The statement alleges a conspiracy between Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and the leading conservative party in Poland, the Law and Justice Party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, hereafter PiS). The secret agreement would have rendered the … Continue reading The High Treason of the Global Right: A Story from Poland
German Conservatives
Thom Hartmann The routines in my retirement often include listening to Thom Hartmann, a provocative and insightful commentator based in Portland. While folding clothes or chopping bell peppers, I regularly listen to his show weekdays on Sirius XM channel 127, from 9 a.m. to noon. He recently posted an article explaining how German conservatives operate … Continue reading German Conservatives
Raisin Prophecies
In 2019, Mark Arax published the definitive work on the story of water in California, The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California. He has recently published what might be seen as a distillation of this magnificent book in an article for the MIT Technology Review. As a distillation, the most essential themes from … Continue reading Raisin Prophecies
Thank you, Myoviches of Montenegro
February 17, 2020 Dear Mijovići of Montenegro (as well as other friends and family): This letter began as an effort to send New Year’s wishes to all the Mijoviches of Montenegro and thank you once again for the hospitality shown us during our time with you. This letter also intended to convey further information that … Continue reading Thank you, Myoviches of Montenegro
A Celebration of Douginess
On May 20, a small group of friends and family gathered to celebrated Doug's retirement from Myovich Trucking. Cindy did a great job of organizing the event at Kyle and Niki's house. Here are some pictures along with Cathy and my reflections on being Doug's elder siblings. I hope that someday Cindy and her kids … Continue reading A Celebration of Douginess
Essential Fascism: A Response to Goodfellow
Sam G (I like the Lord of the Rings echo here!): You have always maintained an appropriate caution in drawing parallels between the fascism that emerged in interwar Europe and similar elements in the US political landscape of the present. What emerged in the Nazi period, for example, drew from foundations deeply set in medieval … Continue reading Essential Fascism: A Response to Goodfellow
Why Fascism is Wrong for the Fascists
Fascism is not wrong simply because it carried out the Shoah. Every other political ideology has empowered their adherents to perpetrate mass crimes against humanity. The communists persecuted and often killed kulaks and ethnic minorities by the hundreds of thousands. The western liberal tradition may have been the most effective killer of all, murdering and … Continue reading Why Fascism is Wrong for the Fascists
Etiologies 