Author: William Astore

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

I woke to this disconcerting story from CNN:

President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use powerful long-range US weapons deep inside Russia.

Why now? Biden is a lame duck president, shuffling out the door, and now he decides to allow Ukraine to use American ATACMS missiles, with a range of roughly 190 miles, inside Russia. It’s also expected that these and similar longer-range missiles provided by the French and British will have no decisive impact on the war. They may kill and wound more Russians and inspire responses in kind by Russia against Ukraine, but their use won’t contribute to “victory” for Ukraine. So what’s the point?

Continue reading “‘Taking the Handcuffs Off’ US Missiles in Ukraine”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

Former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been nominated as Director of National Intelligence by President-elect Donald Trump. The so-called intelligence community is up in arms about this. That is a very good thing.

Here’s what Reuters has to say:

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Tulsi Gabbard as U.S. intelligence chief has sent shockwaves through the national security establishment, adding to concerns that the sprawling intelligence community will become increasingly politicized.

Trump’s nomination of Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who lacks deep intelligence experience and is seen as soft on Russia and Syria, is among several high-level picks that suggest he may be prioritizing personal allegiance over competence as he assembles his second-term team.

Continue reading “Tulsi Gabbard, A Smart Choice as Director of National Intelligence”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

Trump and the war hawks. Or war sluts. Or war pigs. I thought about all three of these. Then I thought: Why insult hawks, sluts, or pigs?

Donald Trump is forming his cabinet by rounding up the usual warmongers. In 2016, he gathered the generals, men like James Mattis and John Kelly. This time around, he’s tapping people like Marco Rubio. “Little Marco” as Secretary of State, a man who’s rarely met a war he didn’t like. For Secretary of Defense he’s nominated Pete Hegseth, whose main concern seems to be waging a war on “woke” generals. One thing is certain: Rubio and Hegseth won’t challenge the military-industrial complex. They will feed it… and feed it again.

Other nominations include Elise Stefanik, a rabid Zionist, as UN ambassador, along with Mike Huckabee, a pro-Israel evangelical who believes in the “end times,” as U.S. ambassador to Israel. Trump may trump Biden as being more slavishly pro-Israel. “Bombs for Bibi to kill babies” should be their motto.

Continue reading “Trump and the Warmongers”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.  Originally posted for Veterans Day in 2020.

I come from a family of veterans.  My father and his two brothers served in the military during World War II.  My mother’s brother (Uncle Freddy) fought at Guadalcanal against the Japanese and was awarded the Bronze Star.  Later, my eldest brother enlisted in the Air Force at the tail end of the Vietnam War, which my brother-in-law had fought in as a radio operator attached to the artillery.  Their service helped to inspire my decision to become an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Military service is honorable, not because of wars waged or lives taken, but because of its purpose: to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.  And this should be the purpose of Veterans Day: to take note of our veterans and their service in upholding the ideals of our Constitution, including freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of the press, a right to privacy, and most of all a government that is responsive to our needs and accountable to our oversight.

Continue reading “Veterans Day and the Purpose of Veterans”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

What do you do with a president (and of course he’s just reading a script given to him) who says he “fully, fully, fully” supports Israel as it commits genocide in Gaza, gobbles up the West Bank, invades Lebanon, and spoils for a war with Iran? It’s as if Joe Biden took an oath to Israel rather than the U.S. Constitution. And will the madness be any different under Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?

And, speaking of foreign interference in U.S. elections, why is Bibi Netanyahu, the Israeli leader overseeing genocide and invasions, allowed to address Congress, before which he receives stormy applause from virtually every senator and representative? Why are organizations like AIPAC allowed to have so much power and influence (through campaign financing and lobbying) over U.S. elections? Why is it OK when AIPAC brags that its support ensures that candidates win their elections, and that its opposition determines that they lose?

Continue reading “The Insanity of US Foreign Policy”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

From my CNN feed this morning:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country faces war on seven fronts and called them the “enemies of civilization.” Heavy Israeli airstrikes pounded southern Beirut overnight, with the military saying it was targeting Hezbollah.

Wow. And I thought a two-front war was bad.

Netanyahu is a war criminal. And whether it’s Joe Biden or Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, U.S. leaders bow before him, giving him all the weapons, military cover, and diplomatic cover he needs to wage his so-called seven-front war.

Continue reading “Israel’s So-Called Seven Front War”