Foreign Policy, Lord Palmerston & Appendectomies

By Conn Hallinan on 09.15.14

Thinking about U.S. foreign policy these days brings to mind a line from songwriter/comedian Tom Lehrer: if you are feeling like a Christian Scientist with appendicitis you have good reason. 

  1. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is creating a Rapid Reaction Force to challenge Russian “aggression” in Ukraine, and the U.S., the European Union, and Russia are lobbing sanctions at each other that...
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A REAL Wellness-Inspired Pledge of Allegiance

By Donald B. Ardell - 10.07.14

The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of fealty to the Flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942. The official name of The Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. The last change in language came on Flag Day 1954 when the words "under God" were added.

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TODAY'S WARS MAY SIGNAL A QUALITATIVE CHANGE IN US FOREIGN POLICY

By Harry Targ - 10-12-14

From Wartime Alliance to Deadly Global Conflict

I do not believe history repeats itself but I find myself looking back to the past for lessons which might be relevant today. For example, during World War II an “unnatural alliance” between the United States (the new imperial hegemon), Great Britain (the old one), and the former Soviet Union (the revolutionary challenger to capitalist hegemony) formed to defeat fascism in Europe. It was in the interests of all three nations to do so.

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The Right Sells a Fridge to an Eskimo While Dems Can't Sell a Fly Swatter to a Fertilizer Farmer

By Loren Adams on 10.12.2014

As the world is about to read the Democrats’ obituary for the 2014 Election, an autopsy has already begun to find the why’s and wherefore’s. Of course, there are several reasons for the leading party’s defeat despite its demographic advantage. In a nutshell, here’s the crux: passivity. Passion (on the right) vs. passivity (on the left): which do you think will win? The right expresses passion – however unfounded and artificial it may be – while the left shows passivity.

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I’m afraid there might be something seriously wrong with me.

By Iris Vander Pluym on 10.12.14

My dear readers, I’m afraid there might be something seriously wrong with me. Because when I read this, I laughed. Like, really hard. And then I could. not. stop.

One cost of war: U.S. blowing up its own Humvees

The United States is spending millions of dollars to destroy U.S. equipment in Iraq and Syria — gear the U.S. gave the Iraqi military that was later captured by ISIS forces. The U.S has hit 41 Humvees since attacks began in August, according to data from United States Central Command.

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“Elizabeth Kolbert’s ‘The Sixth Extinction:’ A Consideration

By Steven Jonas, MD, MPH   on 10.03.14

Elizabeth Kolbert is a science and environmental affairs writer for The New Yorker.  She is also a master story teller.  A book like “The Sixth Extinction” could be both dry and depressing.  Depending upon your point of view, it certainly can be considered to be in the latter category, but dry, certainly not.  Ms. Kolbert has a lot to tell us about science, our environment, and what our species, Homo sapiens, is doing to it.  It could read like a doctoral dissertation, but it does not.  She tells her story in a lively, engaging way, and indeed, for some readers at least,...

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