Wall Street Bailout Won't Cut the Cost of Fighting In Iraq With all the talk about various financial crises and the need for the government to pump money into a struggling economy, not much is being said about the massive amounts of US dollars flowing into military operations in the desert sands of Iraq... ( added 341 days 5 hours ago.)

Partisan Politricks "Political language and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." George Orwell... ( added 1 year 45 days ago.)

Investing In a Country Better Than Investing In a Corporation "For the first time in the history of our nation there's the possibility that this generation faces less opportunity than the prior generation." Eileen Quigley of Qvisory.com Eight years ago the United States had a $230 billion budget surplus, the... ( added 1 year 45 days ago.)

The dis-united State of our Democratic Republic "The US once had the capability to engineer the clandestine overthrow of governments. I wish we could get it back." John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations "We're not going to win the war on terrorism. Terrorism is not an enemy... ( added 1 year 45 days ago.)

Heavy Weather Over the Horizon I'm neither scientist nor soothsayer, but like most folks, I can spot a trend developing. So like most folks, I'm thinking that we're looking at some hard fiscal times ahead. I'm also willing to bet that we're in for heavy weather for a long time... ( added 1 year 45 days ago.)

Dreams of Empire Fade Into the Dawn of a New Day "As even casual students of history will recall, a clear sign of the Roman Empire's decline was its shift from citizen-soldiers motivated by duty to mercenaries motivated by profit." – retired Lt. Col. William J. Astore The century-long quest for... ( added 1 year 45 days ago.)

What You Hear Is What You Know "We must dare to think 'unthinkable' thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world. We must learn to welcome and not to fear the voices of dissent. When things become... ( added 1 year 114 days ago.)

Past time to prohibit Prohibition "Since 1980, the number of US drug offenders behind bars has risen by an astronomical 1100 percent. Despite politicians' fixation on punishing drug offenders with longer and more severe prison sentences, Americans' thirst for illicit substances... ( added 1 year 114 days ago.)

The All-Important Why "We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan "Why" may be the most important word in America today. It's certainly the least answered question in this country, because we seldom... ( added 1 year 146 days ago.)

Onward Christian Torturers "Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly." Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2003 after a meeting where interrogation techniques were discussed and approved. America doesn't torture its enemies. So... ( added 1 year 146 days ago.)

Soft Hope in Hard Times Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. - Goethe (This column was originally published in the Haleakala Times weekly newspaper on Maui) If you've been reading this column lately, you'll... ( added 1 year 176 days ago.)

The Genetic Food Fight "It does not mean that France does not participate in GMO research. It does not mean that there will not be GMOs in the future. It simply means that with the principle of precaution at stake, I am making a major political decision to carry our... ( added 1 year 176 days ago.)

Senseless Images in Strange Times I've got some imagery stuck in my mind's eye these days of events that I don't really understand... There's an image of President George W. Bush walking onto the baseball field at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C., and hearing the crowd boo him... ( added 1 year 211 days ago.)

The Greatest Heist In History "We're creating an ownership society in this country, where more Americans than ever will be able to open up their door where they live and say, welcome to my house, welcome to my piece of property." George W. Bush, October 2004 The... ( added 1 year 226 days ago.)

Just spend more – it's the American Way "Wait, what did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that..." George W. Bush, Feb. 29, 2008 We need to spend more money fighting the GWOT, the Global War on Terrorism. I don't really know... ( added 1 year 226 days ago.)

The sound of sonar in Hawaii "The effective use of sonar is a perishable skill that must be practiced frequently." US Navy website "The Navy is not above the law. Protecting the country includes following its laws, not skirting them." Marti Townsend of KAHEA Two... ( added 1 year 226 days ago.)

Eighteen Percent Of Voters Is All You Need "Remember, democracy never lasts long. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. The jaws of power are always open to devour, and her arm is always stretched out, if possible, to destroy the freedom of thinking, speaking, and... ( added 1 year 226 days ago.)

Chipping Away Your Privacy "The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet." - William Gibson If your passport is less than one year old, the future has certainly arrived for you. Implanted in all US passports after October of 2006 is a tiny radio frequency... ( added 1 year 226 days ago.)