Would you like to know how many people have visited this page? Or how reputable the author is? Simply
sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.
I have 1 fans: Become a Fan. You'll get emails whenever I post articles on OpEd News
Retired from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Former director of international programs office and Superior English as a Second Language Institute. Ph.D., University of Minnesota. M.A. degrees in linguistics and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas. Extensive experience teaching abroad, particularly in China. Active in various progressive organizations, most notably Minnesota Break the Bonds, which seeks divestment of Israel bonds owned by the Minnesota State Board of Investment.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, November 1, 2023 Biden--Israel--Empire
The United States' long-standing unquestioning support for the state of Israel is well known. But the real reasons for this support are assiduously avoided.
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, February 13, 2023 It's the Empire, Stupid: Some Reflections on the US BDS Movement
Changing US policy regarding Palestine or virtually every other international issue is a matter of seeing the US for what it is--an aggressive empire that tolerates no rival. Naïve views about the nature of the US lead to naïve views of how to change policy.
(3 comments) SHARE Tuesday, January 4, 2022 Thanks for Having Me!
The recent habit of reporters' ending their reports with "Thanks for having me" is just one more indication of the degradation of news in the US. It panders to the power of media gatekeepers and blurs the lines between real news and social media.
(3 comments) SHARE Monday, November 29, 2021 From Starvation and Chaos to Power
Hunger and chaos have been used in the past by the US to achieve regime change. The current situation in Afghanistan follows the pattern of Iraq and other cases. In order to change US policy its first necessary to recognize its true nature.
.
(11 comments) SHARE Monday, November 30, 2020 Post-Trump Stress Disorder
America's problems long predate Trump. The departure of Trump creates a kind of PTSD for establishment liberals and getting beyond it requires a process similar to what Vietnam veterans had to go through when they returned from Vietnam after witnessing or even participating in violence and atrocities.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, April 14, 2020 Trump's Scariest Legacy--Joe Biden
Once more Democrats have been successful in keeping the party firmly in the control of Wall Street and the security state. This article examines the tried-and-true methods they have applied yet again.
(3 comments) SHARE Tuesday, March 24, 2020 From Impeachment to Joe Biden--Missing the Target
Neoliberal, neocon Wall Street Democrats have a stranglehold on the party; hence their obsession with ending the Sanders' candidacy. Hand-wringing about Trump, for all his evils, is merely time taken away from addressing the issues of how deeply dysfunctional America is.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, March 26, 2019 FreeDumb Is Not Free
Embracing conventional myth and propaganda about the world beyond US borders is convenient and comfortable but comes at a high economic, political and social cost. Paying attention to the world and challenging the US Empire is the most urgent task facing the world today.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, October 4, 2017 PBS Goes to Vietnam
PBS has embarked on an 18-hour extravaganza on the US war in Vietnam claiming that it is an opportunity to take a fresh and possibly healing look at that difficult time. In fact, it is nothing but a rehash of past vague excuses and rationalizations for the war--something for everyone but nothing beyond the acceptable parameters of PBS corporate funders.
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, February 14, 2015 Brian Williams--Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Brian Williams certainly deserves criticism for playing fast and loose with the news. We can fact check him on what he said but what is to be done about the huge amounts of important information the he all all the media simply leave out due to self-censorship?
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, January 31, 2015 The Peace Process that Never Produces Peace--States Have a Role to Play
An effective way to bring the Palestine issue home is a campaign to divest Israel bonds on the state or local level. However, just as in the international realm, organizers should be prepared for serious challenges.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Obama on Cuba and North Korea--A Lesson in US Politics
Barak Obama is a typical finger-in-the-wind politician. That's nothing new, but his reactions to the North Korea/Sony hacking and his new policy on Cuba tell us something about American political culture and the very narrow parameters in which it can operate.
(3 comments) SHARE Monday, January 21, 2013 When Is Diversity Not Diversity?
A critique of the notion that racially or gender-based diversity in public officials necessarily implies a diversity in ideas on the issues of the day. The former is desirable but the latter is what's really needed.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, August 21, 2012 The reality of the US-Israel relationship
The article reviews the reality of the US-Israel relationship and suggests concrete local action that can be taken.