The legal and ethical duty of military members to refuse to obey orders that are manifestly unlawful has been a topic of debate for many decades. Perhaps the most famous example, and legal precedent, was set during the Nuremberg Trials after World War II. Trials that “established the global legal principle that ‘just following orders’ is not a valid defense for war crimes.” … [Read more...] about Democrats’ Message on Illegal Orders Is Clear, Timely and Targeted
Have the Trump Administration’s Anti-DEI Policies Reached into an American Military Cemetery in the Netherlands?
Having spent most of my adolescent years in the Netherlands Antilles and in the Netherlands, I vividly remember the open-mindedness, tolerance and respect for the rights of others consistently displayed by the Dutch people. Such tolerance (known as verdraagzaamheid) – in particular, religious tolerance – has been a deeply ingrained part of Dutch history and society at least … [Read more...] about Have the Trump Administration’s Anti-DEI Policies Reached into an American Military Cemetery in the Netherlands?
A Dark Cloud Hangs over the Margraten American Cemetery this Veterans Day
On May 8. 2005, President George W. Bush addressed the Dutch people and the world at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, during a celebration in remembrance of those who served in World War II. The hallowed 65-acre Margraten American Cemetery and Memorial, located in the beautiful rolling hills of Limburg, the Netherlands, is the last resting place … [Read more...] about A Dark Cloud Hangs over the Margraten American Cemetery this Veterans Day
The Fall of the Berlin Wall and Veterans Day
On Sunday, November 9, the free world will celebrate the 36th anniversary of the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall, a date that is remembered as marking the beginning of the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe and signaling the end of the Cold War. Two days later, on November 11, we will celebrate Veterans Day once again, “a day to honor America’s veterans for … [Read more...] about The Fall of the Berlin Wall and Veterans Day
‘The Battle Within’ Offers Hope for Veterans and First Responders
(September was Suicide Prevention Month. October 28 will be National First Responders Day and, of course, November 11 is Veterans Day. This article is dedicated to honoring the Service, dedication, and sacrifices of these brave men and women.) Throughout history, fighting men and women have lived with the terrible physical and mental scars of war. However, it was not … [Read more...] about ‘The Battle Within’ Offers Hope for Veterans and First Responders
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Facts and Circumstances’: An Update.
UPDATE: And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to..."a brave and committed champion of peace – to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness,” the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado (above). According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, “As the leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado is one of the most … [Read more...] about The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Facts and Circumstances’: An Update.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Facts and Circumstances’
We are rapidly approaching the date, October 10, 2025, when the Norwegian Nobel Committee, a five-member body appointed by Norway’s Parliament (Storting) will announce the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, one of the world’s most prominent and prestigious honors. There is heightened interest this year because of the intense lobbying to have the Prize awarded to Donald … [Read more...] about The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Facts and Circumstances’
What’s in a Name? The Department of War, that Is.
On Friday, September 5, 2025, President Trump changed the name of the Defense Department to “Department of War." I am certain that our armed forces were just as competent and powerful for the past 75 years under the name “Department of Defense” as they were under the name “Department of War,” prior to 1949. I am even more certain that the patriotism, heroism and, yes, … [Read more...] about What’s in a Name? The Department of War, that Is.
On Heroes, War Heroes…and Slavery (Updated)
UPDATE: Some of the Smithsonian exhibits, programming and artwork, the White House considers “objectionable,” according to the New York Times: • The promotion of homosexuality by hanging a pride flag. • Overemphasizing Benjamin Franklin’s relationship to slavery in its programming. • Promoting open borders by depicting migrants watching fireworks “through an opening … [Read more...] about On Heroes, War Heroes…and Slavery (Updated)
‘The American Story Is Not Told on Birth Certificates. It’s Written on Hearts’
For more than two decades I have had the honor and the pleasure to write a score of stories on those magnificent Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines who have distinguished themselves “through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty...”: Our Medal of Honor recipients. True to the diversity that is America and reflective of … [Read more...] about ‘The American Story Is Not Told on Birth Certificates. It’s Written on Hearts’
August Is National Purple Heart Month. However, the Time to Remember and Honor its Recipients Knows no Calendar
First observed in 2014, August 7th is National Purple Heart Day, a day dedicated to the remembrance of the sacrifices made by almost two million of our military and to commemorate the day in 1782 when General George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, commissioned the Badge of Military Merit, “a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk bound with a thin edge of … [Read more...] about August Is National Purple Heart Month. However, the Time to Remember and Honor its Recipients Knows no Calendar
Trump’s Terrible Tariffs Tantrum
Trump’s April 2025 “Liberation Day” Terrible Tariffs Tantrum spared no nation, not even Heard Island and the McDonald Islands, a remote Australian territory near Antarctica with no recorded exports and mostly penguins as permanent residents. Nevertheless, Trump slapped a baseline 10% tariff on (whatever) imports from those islands. As satirically reported at the time, one … [Read more...] about Trump’s Terrible Tariffs Tantrum
What a Difference Four Years Make
The caption of the image above on a social media site reads: Look at what’s happening in LA! Someone, call the National Guard! Oh, wait...that’s Jan 6...my bad. I will just add: It is chilling, disturbing, that President Trump has called up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell protests on the streets of an American city, while he refused to do the same when … [Read more...] about What a Difference Four Years Make
D-Day Girls Revisited
Today is the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy -- a Day of honor, gallantry and heroism that eventually led to the defeat of the Nazi aggressors. But also, a Day that saw 4,414 Allied troops make the ultimate sacrifice. Research shows that no women are included in that grim toll on that Day. However, two British nurses on a hospital ship … [Read more...] about D-Day Girls Revisited
America’s Refugees: An Uncertain Future (Updated)
UPDATE: Reuters: “A federal appeals court rejected on Monday [May 5] a request by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to allow it to revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans living in the United States.” Hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans are living in the … [Read more...] about America’s Refugees: An Uncertain Future (Updated)
Make America Clean Again
For more than four centuries, Shakespeare’s famous “To be, or not to be” has been the existential question. Four years ago, while taking a shower, President Donald Trump was also contemplating the nature of life, the human condition, his navel, and the hardships of shampooing his big, beautiful hair under a shower that comes out, drip, drip, drip. For Trump, the … [Read more...] about Make America Clean Again
No Satire this Time
A few days ago, I tried my hand at satire, using Trump’s ridiculous levying of tariffs on a couple of remote penguin-inhabited islands as background. It didn’t work too well. From now on I will leave the art (science?) of satire to others, including the master of American political satire, the one and only Andy Borowitz, a man wo has been crafting political satire for the … [Read more...] about No Satire this Time
Even Penguins Are Plundering America
(It is very challenging to satirize a monumental political blunder – a trade war that is rapidly escalating and could devastate the world’s economy – but here it goes.) Among the countries and territories affected by President Trump’s Liberation Day-announced expansive new tariffs are the Antarctic Heard Island and McDonald Islands, located more than 2,000 miles southwest … [Read more...] about Even Penguins Are Plundering America
My Life in Seven Days…and 36 Additional Hours
"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching" ~ Unknown Source Fifteen years ago, when I was a young 70 and was feeling somewhat sentimental, I penned what probably is one of the shortest autobiographies – or memoir – ever written. I squeezed the seven decades I had lived at the time into seven days. At the conclusion, I expressed my … [Read more...] about My Life in Seven Days…and 36 Additional Hours
A Shadow Hangs over this Year’s National Medal of Honor Day
March 25 is National Medal of Honor Day, a day designated by Congress to honor those miliary men and women who have been awarded the nation’s highest military honor for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.” It is a sad commentary that, just a few days before this date of remembrance, these and other honors … [Read more...] about A Shadow Hangs over this Year’s National Medal of Honor Day