Monthly Archives: July 2019

BBC: Pro-government forces, including Nato allies, killed more civilians in Afghanistan in the first half of 2019 than insurgents did, UN figures show. It is the first time in the 18-year conflict that this has occurred and comes amid a … Continue reading →

BBC:

Pacification of daily life means at the same time its defencelessness. By agreeing, or being forced to renounce the use of physical force in their reciprocal relations, members of modern society disarm themselves in front of the unknown and normally … Continue reading →

Nathan Robinson, in The Guardian: What a time-wasting farce this has all been. Robert Mueller’s confused, lethargic testimony before Congress this week confirmed how foolish Democrats have been to hope Mueller would “bring down” Donald Trump. For years, people have hoped … Continue reading →

BBC: Baltimore’s mayor, Bernard “Jack” Young, called Mr Trump “a disappointment to the people” of his city, and to “our country, and to the world”. “It’s completely unacceptable for the political leader of our country to denigrate a vibrant American … Continue reading →

To put it bluntly, the result is the irrelevance of moral standards for the technical success of the bureaucratic operation. The instinct of workmanship, which according to Thorstein Veblen is present in every actor, focuses fully on proper performance of … Continue reading →

Andrew Bacevich: Through all these trials, the American people more or less persevered. If not altogether stoic, they remained largely compliant. … Of course, decades later, viewed with the benefit of hindsight, the implications of these various trends and data … Continue reading →

BBC:   Guardian: Mueller says Trump could still be charged with obstruction once he leaves office

Guardian: Hundreds of actors, journalists and novelists have been holding public readings of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russia interference in the 2016 US election and the Trump campaign. … “It’s not entertainment; it’s not Saturday Night Live; … Continue reading →

They were educated men of their time. That is the crux of the question whenever we ponder the meaning of Western Civilization after Auschwitz. Our evolution has outpaced our understanding; we can no longer assume that we have a full … Continue reading →