War Is A Crime

Well, we tried a petition, and I tried a TED talk (in fact two of em), and the Daily Progress daily newspaper, and Channel 19 four times: one, two, three, four, and Channel 29 too. No opposition whatsoever has been voiced to the idea of putting up a peace monument in Charlottesville, a town famously full of war monuments, including several for a war that has fallen out of favor.

Finally, the Charlottesville City Council has listened. A peace monument is not only in the works but is already visible read more

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 read more

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 read more

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

VIDEO: Rep. Jordan grills FBI director: Did agent who sent anti-Trump texts bring dossier to FISA court? – Fox News Insider

VIDEO: Gaetz demands FBI director explain “special” treatment of Clinton during investigation – YouTube

VIDEO: Trey Gowdy grills FBI director Christopher Wray on President Trump Russia investigation – YouTube

VIDEO read more

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 read more

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, read more

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 read more

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 read more