Sheldon Richman

TGIF: Joe Biden, What the Hell?

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 1, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

What's going on with Joe Biden? Is he oblivious to the fact that Russia has about as many strategic nuclear weapons as the United States has? Is he taking advice from the neocons, who apparently believe that we should not fear a nuclear holocaust because that's exactly what Vladimir Putin wants us to do? (I presume Putin also wants us to believe that the earth is round. Should we give that up too?) How else to explain Biden's astounding statements in recent days, particularly while meeting with NATO representatives in Brussels and with U.S. troops in Poland? That's right: 9,000 U.S. troops...

US Troops to Ukraine?

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 29, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

Is Joe Biden set to deploy U.S. troops to Ukraine? Watch him address the troops near the Ukrainian border in Poland (1:35) and listen for the words "you're gonna see when you're there."

Biden Puts His Foot in It Again

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 28, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

People like Joe Biden never learn from history and never think long-term. It's the double whammy. By declaring that Vladimir Putin must not remain in power, Biden has incentivized Putin to stand firm lest he end up like Saddam Hussein or Muammar Qaddafi -- that is, dead. The lesson goes back at least to World War II, when the Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of Germany and Japan. Historians and commentators have criticized that policy for perhaps prolonging the war by discouraging internal attempts to overthrow the government.

TGIF: Our Age of Character Assassination

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 25, 2022 | Featured Articles, Justice, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

I am not one for romanticizing the past because in every alleged golden age you find grumblers looking longingly to some earlier alleged golden age. Nevertheless, our own time has earned its share of criticism. For example, we live in a time when, for many, character assassination is the preferred way to rebut the people they disagree with. Why bother to painstakingly refute positions you dislike when instead you can accuse their advocates of one vice or another? It's not only easier; it's also a twofer: you (seem to) discredit the position and you perhaps ruin its advocate. So if he speaks...

Disparity

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 21, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

From Mondoweiss:

Law of the Jungle vs. Law of the Market

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 21, 2022 | Blog, Economics, Libertarianism

In the jungle, consumers compete, tooth and claw, with each other for scarce food. In the market, producers compete, peacefully, with each other, producing abundance for consumers. In the jungle, the rule is: eat or be eaten. In the market, it is: serve so that you may be served.