October 14, 2019

 

Eric Margolis

More war in wretched Syria. Half the population are now refugees; entire cities lie shattered by bombing; bands of crazed gunmen run rampant; US, French, Israeli and Russian warplanes bomb widely ... The US media is fiercely anti-Turkish because Ankara is seen as somewhat pro-Palestinian. Israel is a bitter foe of Turkey’s Erdogan. One rarely reads anything positive about Turkey or its leader ... Trump rightly calls the fracas in Syria ‘a stupid war.’ ... Ironically, former president Barack Obama foolishly authorized America’s effort to overthrow Syria’s Assad government under the guise of a phony civil war. This was one of the few Obama policies that Trump chose to follow.

C. Lutz, N. Crawford - Providence Journal

... Americans cling to the notions that war is necessary; that it can be quick, cheap, and controllable; that it primarily harm soldiers, not civilians; and that it “works” to achieve its declared aims. The war in Afghanistan has matched none of those promises ... Nor has this war been cheap. Just counting Pentagon and State Department war spending, the bill so far is $1 trillion ... Above all, the Afghanistan war has failed to achieve its goals. One goal was a democratic, sovereign and secure Afghanistan, but the country currently ranks as one of the least democratic countries in the world, and the Afghan government controls less territory with each passing year. Nor has the war rooted out a global terrorist threat — the number of militants in that country has only multiplied.

L. Fadel – NPR

On Monday in the nation’s capital, there is no Columbus Day. The D.C. Council voted to replace it with Indigenous Peoples' Day in a temporary move that it hopes to make permanent. Several other places across the United States have also made the switch in a growing movement to end the celebration of the Italian explorer in favor of honoring Indigenous communities and their resiliency in the face of violence by European explorers like Christopher Columbus ... At least ten states now celebrate some version of Indigenous Peoples' Day on the second Monday in October, like Hawaii's Discoverers' Day or South Dakota's Native Americans' Day. Many college campuses have dumped Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples' Day as have more than 100 cities, towns and counties across the country.

Kyle Smith - New York Post

... There’s no doubt Columbus — and the conquistadors who followed — enslaved and slaughtered on a mass scale. But Columbus didn’t bring cruelty to peaceful, benign peoples. The indigenous people were also cruel to one another. Iroquois Indians were famous for their practice of torturing enemies to death over a period of days. ... Ritual child sacrifice was common among the Mayans, the Aztecs and many other peoples. .... While the clash of civilizations was bloody, celebrating Columbus Day is not a salute to conquest. Columbus is simply a handy symbol for all of the energy Italians and other Europeans brought to the Americas ... Look around you. Most of the things you have and love are derived from the European settlers tracing back to Columbus.

The Jerusalem Post (Israel)

US President Donald Trump swore allegiance to Israel as he decried endless Middle East wars and defended his decision to withdraw US troops from the Kurdish area of northern Syria, when he spoke Saturday at the annual Values Voters Conference in Washington. “We are standing with our close friend and partner, the State of Israel,” Trump said, as he reviewed the steps he has taken on behalf of the Jewish state since taking office, including relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Philip Giraldi

... Jews who are Zionists are vastly overrepresented in all government agencies that have anything at all to do with the Middle East ... There are, of course, some Jews who flaunt their identification with Israel, to include current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who describes himself as “protector” of Israel and former Senator Frank Lautenberg, frequently referred to as “Israel’s Senator.” ... To be sure there are many non-Jews in the American government who have hitched their star to the Israeli wagon because they know it to be career enhancing ... That Mandelker and company have been engaging in economic warfare with a country with which the United States is not at war seems to have escaped the notice of the media and Washington’s chattering class, not surprisingly as Israel is a beneficiary of the policy.

Linh Dinh

As writer or thinker, Jack London can’t touch George Orwell, but he’s nearly the Brit’s equal when it comes to describing society’s bottom. To both, being a writer is as much a physical as an intellectual endeavor. Wading into everything, they braved all discomforts and dangers. This attitude has become very rare, and not just among writers. Trapped in intensely mediated lives, we all think we know more as we experience less and less ... London insisted a worldwide class revolution was the answer. A century and several gory nightmares later, there are those who still cling to this faith, but only in the West. In the East, even the most ignorant know the survival of his identity and dignity is conterminous with his nation’s. Orwell understood this well. It is the biggest crime to wreck anyone’s heritage in a flash.

Mark Weber

Uncompromisingly hostile to war and war propaganda, Rothbard was one of the few who remained true to his convictions even during the stifling Cold War era. Along with Garet Garrett, John T. Flynn and Harry Elmer Barnes, he continued steadfastly to oppose the US military-industrial complex and the military adventurism that is an integral part of its "perpetual war for perpetual peace" policy. Rothbard embraced historical revisionism in all its facets, including taboo issues of the Second World War.

Arthur Goddard, editor. Book available from IHR

This encyclopedic work is more than an impressive collection of first-rate history writing on a range of critical historical issues. It’s also a tribute to the life and work of Harry Elmer Barnes (1889-1968), historian, educator and an eminent and influential American historian, educator and sociologist. The many contributions range from documented essays to mellow memoirs. Hardcover, 884 pages, with dust jacket, source references, extensive bibliography, many photos, and index. Barnes was one of the most influential American scholars of the twentieth century. His consistently clear, effective and knowledgeable prose earned him the appreciation of the educated public as well as praise from scholars.