This October, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that its estimate of the cost for the planned “modernization” the U.S. nuclear weapons complex over the next three decades has risen to $1,200,000,000,000.00. For those of you not familiar with such lofty figures, that’s $1.2 trillion. Furthermore, when adjusted for inflation, the cost of the program―designed
Drummer Boy of War
Sun Tzu: The Ass of War
Sun Tzu, whose book, The Art of War, was written some 2,500 years ago during a period of constant war, and popularized in the West some 100 years ago (just in time for industrialized warfare), is the leading example of what’s wrong with digging up ancient platitudes as guides for action today in the areas of war and peace.
“That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone dashed against an egg — this is effected by the science of weak points and strong.”
This “wisdom” provides nothing
Focus: Update on the FBI and Justice Department
FBI Director Wray grilled by Republicans over ‘bias’ concerns in Russia, Clinton email cases – Fox News
Goodlatte raises ‘questions regarding the FBI’s impartiality’; wants documents on FISA warrants, Trump dossier – CNS
Goodlatte’s letter to Sessions, Rosenstein and Wray, calling on DOJ and FBI to release information on warrant based on controversial dossier – House Judiciary Committee
Jim Jordan pushes FBI on ties between Peter Strzok and Trump surveillance, calls for a special counsel – washingtonexaminer.com
FBI head seems to confirm Trump Russia probes have asked for wiretap warrants – NBC News
Rep. Gaetz to FBI director: Did Hillary Clinton get special treatment? ‘Did the FBI pay for a dossier on the President?’ – CNS
Gowdy: More revelations of bias, prejudice likely from DOJ – newsmax.com
VIDEO: Congressman Goodlatte questions FBI director Wray – YouTube
Tomgram: John Feffer, Drowning Liberalism in the Bathtub
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com.
By the time you read this, the latest brouhaha will undoubtedly be history — or do I mean “fake history”? — and largely forgotten. It will have been replaced by an explosion of media coverage about some other nightmarish set of presidential tweets or comments. After all, it’s a pattern. I’m referring to President Trump’s recent retweeting
Tomgram: Erin Thompson, Curating Guantanamo
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com.
Few Americans ever took in the vastness of the prison outsourcing system the administration of George W. Bush set up from Afghanistan to Iraq, Thailand to Poland,
76 Years of Pearl Harbor Lies
Donald Trump is tweeting about a particular spot in Hawaii. He visited it recently on his way to threaten war in Asia. It’s a big feature this week in lots of U.S. magazines and newspapers. It has a lovely name that sounds like murder and blood because Japanese airplanes engaged in large-scale murder there in 1941: Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor Day today is like Columbus Day 50 years ago. That is to say: most people still believe the hype. The myths are still maintained in their blissful unquestioned
Tomgram: Todd Miller, The Market in Walls Is Growing in a Warming World
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.
Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands. The U.S. got clobbered. Three category 4 or 5 Atlantic hurricanes of startling intensity, a record
Charlottesville Beyond the Lee Statue
If you haven’t seen Charlottesville on the news lately, you should know that the Lee Statue and the Jackson Statue still stand, covered with enormous black garbage bags so that nobody can see them, but everybody can know there’s something ugly there. The state of Virginia forbids localities from removing any war memorials whatsoever, at least if you apply laws retroactively and have no courage. Nobody has made any move to repeal that state restriction, principally because nobody wants to make
Focus: The FBI and Justice Department
GOP preps contempt resolution for top FBI, DOJ officials after missed Monday deadline – washingtonexaminer.com
House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunes statement on FBI/DOJ obstruction – rutgers.forums
VIDEO: GOP demands answers on FBI agent Strzok’s role in Clinton probe – YouTube
DOJ to hand over FBI agent Strzok’s anti-Trump texts to the House Intelligence Committee, amid contempt threat – Fox News
Mueller aide Strzok fired for anti-Trump texts now facing DOJ review for role in Clinton email probe – Fox News
Justice Department offers up key witness on Trump dossier as House Intel Chair threatens contempt – CNN
The DOJ has been investigating the FBI for 11 months: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, FBI spox and office of DOJ Inspector General release statements – Alex Jones’ Infowars
Gowdy: FBI has had a ‘really bad last 18 months’ – TheHill
Anti-Trump FBI agent fired from Mueller probe relied on Trump dossier – Zero Hedge