Public Comment

Memorial Day's Overlooked Millions 

A few words of wisdom from Sixties' political activist Carl Oglesby: “It isn’t the rebels who cause the troubles of the world. It’s the troubles that cause the rebels.” This practical advice should inform US foreign policy. Unfortunately, it does not but Memorial Day is a good time to confront the legacy of America's wars. 

Over the past centuries, America's cavalcade of foreign spats have killed millions—from the massacres of Indigenous "New World" nations to bloody invasions ranging from South America to the Philippines to the Global War on Terror. 

According to Brown University's Costs of War project:
"At least 940,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan. The number of people who have been wounded or have fallen ill as a result of the conflicts is far higher, as is the number of civilians who have died indirectly as a result of the destruction of hospitals and infrastructure and environmental contamination, among other war-related problems." 

Palestine: Statements on Statehood
It was big news when three European Union nations announced they were splitting from the "NATO Consensus" and calling for UN recognition of the state of Palestine. But there was an under-reported reality surrounding the issue of Palestine's standing in the global community. 

From The Economist: "Ireland, Norway and Spain are joining the majority of countries: almost three-quarters of members of the UN recognize Palestine." 

Globally, 143 of the 193 UN member states already recognize a Palestinian state. Seven other European Union members—Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Cyprus—have recognized Palestine. 

In response to the move by Ireland, Norway, and Spain, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted the following note on social media: "Israel will not remain silent in the face of those undermining its sovereignty and endangering its security." 

In May, however, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution supporting the "rights and privileges" of the Palestinian state and invited the Security Council to reconsider their refusal to admit Palestine as the 194th member of the UN. While a majority of 143 countries backed the membership resolution, nine UN members voted against it and 25 abstained. The nine no votes were cast by Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, the United States, Papa New Guinea, Nauru, and Palau. 

Colbert vs. Kimmel
The Late Night Comedy Kings, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel continue to compete to find the best leading tag-lines for their nightly episodes. Most of these sequel titles make references to D. Trump and his ongoing hush-money trial. Here are some of the latest labels. Kimmel's writers, once again seem to take the lead in the game of libelous labeling. 

Colbert: Cohen Out with a Bang, Bed Bad and Beyond, The Stoned Age, Silent but Deadly, 

Kimmel: Rip One van Winkle, Mar-a-Lardo, Magatha Christie, Un-shartered Territory, Naptain America—and a special nod to [Marjorie] Greene Goblin 

Fashion Plates
Personalized license plates spotted about town.
KITTIE
QUINT
MZ DRAYA
CHCATS (Chicago Cats?)
WY QUIT (Why quit?)
IBETUDO (I Bet You Do)
F8O5E1 (Fate, Oh Fivey One?)
BRBZ71 (Brother Buzz 71?}
ST4CZD
GODEACS
N12345R 

Bumper Snickers
Scenic Idaho: Famous Potatoes
When it comes to guilt trips, I'm a frequent flier.
No One Is Ugly at 2AM
Support Wildlife. Have a Party
GOOD Boys Go to Heaven. BAD Boys Go Everywhere
Hello Darkness My Old Friend [Next to image of Darth Vader]
In a Time of Universal Deceit TELLING THE TRUTH Is a Revolutionary Act 

Hannibal Lecter Responds to Trump
For some insane reason, D. Trump has recently taken to praising "the late great Hannibal Lecter" in his campaign speeches. Thanks to the Internet, the long-gone Lecter has recently risen from the grave to respond to—and reject—Trump's plaudits. Warning: The language used is exceptionally foul and excretable (but, hey, it's Hannibal Lecter). 

The Circus Comes to Town
Well, it's not to this town but, for four days in May, the "largest big top circus on Earth" set up shop (and trampolines, trapezes, and high-wires) at the Solano County Fairgrounds in nearby Vallejo. I found out about this Big-tent appearance of the "Garden Bros. Nuclear Circus" when an envelope containing ten complimentary tickets showed up in my Post Office box. 

Why me? Dunno. Maybe because I've got a byline. Maybe it's because I once spent a day as a circus roustabout helping Circus Vargas raise a multi-ring big-top tent in Sacramento (with the help of two elephants who lifted the tent-poles with their trunks). 

I couldn't make it to Vallejo for the May 9-12 run but I'm happy to give the Garden Brothers spectacle some free publicity for its 2025 return. 

So, what makes this five-ring traveling circus unique? Well, for starters, it takes place inside "the largest big top in the world" and the playbill for the "Humans Gone Wild" extravaganza features such draws as the "Wheel of Death," the "Sphere of Fear," and a "Human Cannonball" stunt conducted by the "World's Smallest Man." 

Also, this is a traveling circus—a rarity these days, given the expense and complexity of moving the elements of a small town from one part of the US to another in the course of a few days. (Not even Ringling Brothers, "the Greatest Show on Earth," could serve today's fiscal and physical challenges.) 

So here's a video salute to one of the world's last traveling circuses. Go wild! 

The Ramifications of Free Speech and Divestment
New York University Prof. and Free Speech Movement author/historian Robby Cohen writes: "A podcast I did for the UC Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement provoked the interesting response below from the president of San Francisco State University (SFSU), Lynn Mahoney, which suggests that some less-elite universities are more responsive to students and more inclusive in their decision-making than the Ivy League, NYU, and other elite institutions, which I was so critical of in the podcast for being undemocratic….
"[SFSU's] campus protests ended via negotiation and divestment. I will follow up with her to learn more about the ways she consults students in her decision-making at SF State and how/why she had the freedom to negotiate with the protesters when (as at Sonoma State, whose president lost his job over this) a move toward divestment was vetoed by trustees, opposed by donors, etc. on other campuses." 

Social Deconstruction
In a recent commentary titled "Why It Matters That Human Rights Are Social Constructs," World BEYOND War executive director David Swanson wraps up his argument with the following conclusion: 

"It matters that things are social constructs when they obscure, when they serve as excuses. If people didn’t use 'it’s human nature' as an excuse for all kinds of horrors, I wouldn’t care that they’ve never explained how to identify or measure or record 'human nature.' If the 'right to work' were not a tool to suppress wages, I wouldn’t care that rightwing stink tanks, and not a god or a universe or a great woo-woo in the inner all being-ness of truth, had concocted it. But it is, and I do." 

Love the last two lines. They beg to be read aloud. 

This could give rise to a new word: philosophistry.