empire – AmericanDelusions

US Empire and Jimmy Carter – five years of peace during our entire history

April 19, 2019

Many Americans are either blind or in denial about US militarism not to mention our empire. Recently our past President Carter took note of our long-term proclivity for empire and war in one of his Sunday school talks. Carter noted that there have only been five years in the entire --->> read more -->>

President Authorizes Coup in Iran

August 19, 2018

Intervention in Iran – 65th Anniversary On August 19, 1953 President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to support British efforts to launch a coup against the popularly elected government of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh in favor of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. At immediate issue were plans by Mossadegh to nationalize --->> read more -->>

Considering the Obama Presidency And Musings on Foreign Policy

December 18, 2017

President Obama came into office on a wave of emotion and hope for change. His two terms have been largely a disappointment. He did a competent job of working part way out of the financial crisis of the Clinton-Bush Bubble – the 2008 Wall St. meltdown. Having completed the bailout --->> read more -->>

Cost of War – $5.6 trillion for US wars 2001-2017

December 12, 2017

The Watson Institute at Brown University has just released an updated report: United States Budgetary Costs of Post 9/11 Wars Through FY2018: A Summary of the $5.6 Trillion in Costs for the US Wars in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Post 9/11 Veterans Care and Homeland Security by Neta C. Crawford. --->> read more -->>

Trump Republican Policy Crimes (some only attempted at the moment)

November 30, 2017

Trump – Republican Positions and Crimes (some just attempted) against the poor, working and middle class Not to be obsessive, but the current Trump Republicans effort to cram their bill to pay back their corporate and rich supporters with giant tax breaks has me frothing a bit. I wrote down --->> read more -->>

Introduction to American Delusions

September 19, 2017

This website casts new light on the delusions of American life. It provides facts and analysis to critique thinking that serves to shield activities of those seeking to gain advantage over others. To get started read Delusions of American Life first. Then, see the keystone essay, “What Is Capitalism and --->> read more -->>

Recently Noted – about the American Empire

July 28, 2017

A report about an amendment to the defense budget that would end the 2001 AUMF (Authorization for the Use of Military Force) that has provided legal cover for more than forty military actions around the world without Congressional oversight, just the decisions of three Presidents. Russia-Obsessed Media Ignores Barbara Lee’s --->> read more -->>

Delusions of Empire – Iran in Iraq 15 Years After Bush’s War

July 18, 2017

Everyone who wants to know already understands how disastrous President Bush’s Iraq War has been. Hundreds of thousands of lives lost, perhaps several million displaced people and financial costs in the $ trillions. This to depose a dictator not much different than many dictators the US has supported and continues --->> read more -->>

Building the New American Economy – Not

April 5, 2017

The title of this short book, only 130 pages, Building the New American Economy: smart, fair, & sustainable by Jeffrey D. Sachs with a foreword by Bernie Sanders (Columbia University Press, 2017) is unfortunately misleading. There is much here about the new economy. The misleading part is that there is --->> read more -->>

Bush, Anger and Dispair Over Our Situation

January 17, 2011

New Thoughts as of 1/18/11: This month’s Atlantic Monthly has a two page piece, “The Last Stand of Ricardo Sanchez” about General Ricardo Sanchez, the first commander of US forces during the now 8 year old Bush war, Iraqi Freedom. This reports on Sanchez’s quest to bering the Bush regime to --->> read more -->>

Remarks on President Obama’s Speech on Accepting The Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo 12/10/2009

December 21, 2009

President Obama’s speech on accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2009 has generally been reviewed in the US with much glow about its rhetorical heights and appreciation of its depth of thought. I did not watch Obama give this speech. Instead, I turned to the text which I --->> read more -->>

Yottabytes and the National Security State

October 17, 2009

The current New York Review of Books has an article by James Bamford, “Who’s in Big Brother’s Database” that reviews the new book by Mathew M. Aid, The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency . I have gotten in line at my local library to read --->> read more -->>

Whither the American Empire?

October 1, 2009

Americans do not like to use the word “empire” in reference to the country’s role in the world. Our Presidents uniformly role out rhetoric that sounds just like Obama’s. Here is a paragraph from his Inaugural speech: And so, to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, --->> read more -->>

The Scale of American Warfare Post WWII – Vietnam

September 4, 2009

Americans are amazingly ignorant of the scale and costs of our warfare. For example, during the Vietnam War (or the American War as the Vietnamese say) the US dropped more bombs on Vietnam, a country the size of Wisconsin and Minnesota, than all of the bombs used during WWII. In --->> read more -->>

Pondering at the Food Coop

November 1, 2008

November 1, 2008 So, here I am having coffee and my favorite lunch, a toasted bagel with peanut butter thinking about the approaching election. Finally this will conclude what has been an overly long campaign, but one with enormous pleasures. Assuming that Obama is not just a curiosity to all --->> read more -->>