In 1988, Operation Ranch Hand scientist and Air Force researcher Dr. James Clary wrote to Senator Tom Daschle that “when we initiated the herbicide program in the 1960s, we were aware of the potential for damage due to dioxin contamination in the herbicide. However, none of us were overly concerned because the material was to be used on the enemy. We never considered a scenario in which our personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide.”
Browsing: Opinions
It was that life that the Biden administration protected for years to come with the announcement last week that it was cancelling oil and gas drilling leases in the 19.6-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and moving to prohibit drilling in another 13 million acres of protected lands bordering the refuge.
People tell me that humanity has been at war for all of recorded history. I respond by saying that we are (supposedly) rational creatures with a built-in evolutionary survival instinct. If that is true, we can change when required. It is now required that we evolve if we are to survive.
You probably couldn’t have asked for a more thoughtful Chair of the Joint Chiefs than Mark Milley, whose term ends on September 30. He was one of the good guys who repeatedly restrained President Trump from veering into dubious schemes—such as a war of choice with Iran.
The war (like all wars) has to stop, but NATO and the U.S., just like Russia itself, are looking not for peace and conflict resolution but victory. Killing the enemy is what matters, the more the better.
Ideas about how to end the Ukraine war abound. None come from Ukraine. None have gained traction. Here, nevertheless, are three examples of what knowledgeable people are thinking, along with my evaluation.
22 Years Do-Over Thought Experiment
Normalizing the Killing Fields
In 2016, voters elected Donald J. Trump America’s 45th president. During his term, he was supposed to demonstrate to the Nation his leadership skills as a communicator, negotiator, and compromiser, willing to reach across the isles to collaborate with democrats. To voters’ dismay, he excelled at using his dangerous charisma to divide America, rather than making it greater.
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