American leaders and their loyal media pundits love to sit in judgment of other countries’ election, declaring them fair or rigged according to their seemingly meticulous standards. In fact, the real standard is that the regimes “we” like hold free and fair (enough) elections, while the regimes “we” dislike don’t. What about regimes “we” like that hold no elections at all, like Saudi Arabia? They are forgotten whenever the loveliness of democracy is the topic of discussion.
Tag: peace
Liberty is Among Self-Evident Truths
Many times over the years people have demanded proof that liberty is better than the alternative. Sometimes the detail being questioned changes — maybe it’s the concept of human rights or ethics they are objecting to — but the argument is the same. They don’t accept the superiority of liberty over whatever they’d prefer, so they demand proof.
Arguments for Government Work against It
Any argument against the idea of having a free society — one free of political government — also works against the idea of having such a government holding society down.
Peace in Palestine? Not if American Politicians Can Help It
The math isn’t that difficult: If I hand my kid a wad of cash and say “please don’t spend this on booze and brass knuckles, but if you do, well, that’s okay, and there’s more where that came from,” I shouldn’t be shocked when I get a midnight phone call concerning bail.
Training to Be Relaxed in Stressful Situations
Many of us face things every day that stress us out: overwhelming number of tasks, a big meeting, a project that feels really tough, behind on paying bills, someone is upset at us, there’s a family crisis, the world feels chaotic. Can we find a way to be relaxed in almost any stressful situation?
About That “Rules-Based International Order”
The Biden administration has taken to frequently asserting its intention to return — versus the Trump administration’s departure therefrom — to something called a “rules-based international order.”
States Are Moving to Ban Toxic ‘Critical Race Theory’ in Schools—But Their Efforts Could Backfire
No matter how good our intentions are, government involvement in education is bound to create political struggles and choose winners and losers.
Bust the Conservative “Trust Busters”
When right-wing leader Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) recently declared that “liberty and monopoly do not go together,” I fantasized that he had become a free-market anarchist. When I hear monopoly, I think government because what’s the most literal of monopolies (or source of monopoly power) than the state?
On George Floyd and Derek Chauvin
The Derek Chauvin trial was an example of authoritarian in-fighting.
A Biden-Putin Summit: Jaw-Jaw is Better than War-War
On April 13, US president Joe Biden spoke by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin, whom he has previously referred to, in pot/kettle fashion, as a “killer.” During the call, Biden proposed a summit between the two in the near future. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Russian chess legend and political exile Garry Kasparov … Continue reading A Biden-Putin Summit: Jaw-Jaw is Better than War-War