Welcome! This is an unapologetic, agenda-free zone. Just commentaries on current events that’ll move you to think, laugh, rage, and even cry.
Another week, another coup Military coups in Africa are far more regular than presidential elections in America. Africa has had 486 attempted coups since 1950 (214 successful), whereas America has had only 59 elections (and 1 attempted coup). So, waking up this morning to breaking news of a coup in Gabon was hardly surprising. Military officers in Gabon said they… Read more.
Tuberville’s hold on military promotions Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is getting his 15 minutes of fame. He’s getting it for making Congress even more partisan and dysfunctional than usual. But that’s the point. Tuberville is holding up promotions for over 250 military officers. The Pentagon subsidizes out-of-state travel for reproductive healthcare, including abortion. He’s protesting that policy. And he… Read more.
South Africa is sending arms to Russia because the world is at war. For now, Ukraine is the battlefield. And, for now, Russians and Ukrainians are the combatants. But countries are taking sides. They are siding with Ukraine and the forces of democracy, or with Russia and the forces of autocracy. Some countries are hedging… Read more.
This episode was originally published on November 7, 2020. For more of my podcast episodes, visit Talking iPINIONS Podcast Listen.
President Biden declared the war in Ukraine a clash between democracies and autocracies. Sure enough, democratic countries are supporting Ukraine. Autocratic countries are supporting Russia. Israel is a Democratic country. It follows that Israel should be supporting Ukraine. Yet it stands out among the few democratic countries that are not doing so. But a quid pro quo between… Read more.
Given the universal values at stake, I am dismayed that more Westerners have not joined the fight in Ukraine. I am reminded of the way writers Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, and Pablo Neruda led the brigade of those who not only sounded that clarion call, but rushed themselves to join the fight for democratic freedom… Read more.
Twitter: the case for banning political ads Last week, Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter would ban all political ads. The media lionized him. Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, said political ads, including manipulated videos and the viral spread of misleading information, presented challenges to civic discourse, ‘all at increasing velocity, sophistication, and overwhelming scale.’ He… Read more.
