If you’ve been following national politics some, you may have heard, from both the left and the right, people naming the “Logan Act” as a way to penalize those Republican senators who sent a letter to Tehran behind Obama’s back. This isn’t the site for it, so I’ll leave it to Charlie Pierce to explainContinue reading “No #47traitors here;The Logan Act’s namesake just wanted peace with France”
Category Archives: history
96-year-old outtake: fort leavenworth goes on strike
Long after the Armistice was signed in November 1918, open rebellions continued to startle military authorities, including the conglomeration of deserters, CO’s and malcontents that stuffed the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in 1918.
On Veterans’ Day, some important voices on this new forever war
The commentary below was published today in shorter form on Al-Jazeera America, but I liked the whole thing enough to share it here. Inherent Resolve? Try inherent blowback, say recent vets of Iraq war Veterans Day this year falls almost exactly two months after Pres Obama announced an ongoing military campaign against the ‘Islamic State’Continue reading “On Veterans’ Day, some important voices on this new forever war”
D-Day memories from an artist of stature
I first met Knox Martin seven years ago, and every June 6 since I’ve heard his voice. Back then, I was writing for NYC weekly Chelsea Now about Martin’s “Venus” mural on 19th Street and the West Side Highway, since obscured by Jean Nouvel’s 100 Eleventh Avenue condominium complex. When I learned Martin, still fightingContinue reading “D-Day memories from an artist of stature”
in defense of channeling voices
In praise of Harvard’a Jill Lepore — including one book that goes down like an insomniac bedtime story, with endnotes nearly as mesmerizing as the text, and another about Ben Franklin’s sister, whose story is no less than his a biography of America.
PTSD in 1945: let there be truth
I was excited to see Paula Span’s piece today in the Times, “No End to Trauma for Some Older Veterans.” She follows one 80-something vet in his struggles and notes that seeking help wasn’t popular in his war: “The prevailing medical advice — even for someone like Mr. Perna, who had fought in North Africa,Continue reading “PTSD in 1945: let there be truth”
Ellsberg on Manning
Manning’s testimony is riveting. So is this from Daniel Ellsberg, whose similarly groundbreaking leak occurred in what now (though it was the Nixon era) feels like a gentler time.
In the news today
Ward Reilly’s so much of a firecracker now, I can only imagine when he was an infantryman stirring up trouble in 1974.
A day for angelic troublemakers
It’s kind of stereotypical, but every year I watch this film as part of the observance of Martin Luther King Day. It feels the least I can do, given what Bayard Rustin did for all of us. This year, of course, I thought also of Rustin during President Obama’s Second Inaugural address, when the PresidentContinue reading “A day for angelic troublemakers”
these might be giants: report from Fort Meade
I went back to Fort Meade this week, more than two years after Manning was first brought to court. Now in dispute during these last pre-trial motions before the court martial, now scheduled for June 3: those two-plus years. If there’s not another delay, that means that Bradley Manning’s court-martial will begin almost exactly threeContinue reading “these might be giants: report from Fort Meade”
I Ain't Marching Anymore 