Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Memorial Day or Decoration Day (referring to the decoration of the graves of soldiers killed in combat) began after the Civil War and has been commemorated since 1868. It is no wonder that the mourning began then. Historian J. David Hacker has estimated that 750,000 troops died in the war, […]
In Global Sea Change, 52% of Prospective Car Buyers Aim for New Energy Vehicles as Gasoline Spikes
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The accounting firm Ernst & Young reports on its recent global Mobility Consumer Index poll with 13,000 respondents across 18 countries concerning car-buyers preferences. The poll found that for the first time, a majority– 52% — of respondents who planned to buy a new car in the next two years […]
The other Gun Problem: Israeli Squatter-Settlers in Palestinian West Bank have Killed, Injured Dozens of Palestinians with Assault Weapons
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that 37 Palestinians have been murdered by Israeli squatter-settlers on Palestinian land since 2006. In 30 cases, the squatters shot down the Palestinians with live ammunition. Among those killed have been nine children, much like the ones killed in […]
In Final Slap to Bush-Era Neoconservatives, Iraq Criminalizes Contacts with Israel
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Neoconservatives who pushed for the Bush-Cheney war on Iraq in 2003 hoped that by toppling the Arab nationalist dictator Saddam Hussein they could recreate Iraq as a country friendly to US interests and regional allies like Israel. I was told by one military officer that he was in the […]
Turkey wants Anti-Kurdish Pledges in Writing from Finland and Sweden before they can Join NATO
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Turkey is still holding up the application of Finland and Sweden to join NATO over what President Tayyip Erdogan says is the two countries’ support for what he considers Kurdish terrorist organizations and the Gulen sect. Turkey has been a member of NATO since it was formed in 1949 and […]
When it comes to Guns, the US is a Third World Country run by Corporate Lobbyists for a Profit
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – 21 are dead in another mass shooting, including 19 schoolchildren. The white slavers of the Old Souoth used to call US slavery our “peculiar institution.” Nowadays we have another peculiar institution, the gun culture. And we are peculiar. When it comes to gun violence, the United States is less like […]
Extinction Rebellion inspires Shell Consultant to Resign over Company’s Bad Faith on Climate Emergency, Call for More Resignations
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In a letter of resignation to the Shell executive committee that she posted to her Linkedin page, Caroline Dennett, the director of the Clout consultancy, explained that she was leaving because Shell is “operating beyond the design limits of our planetary systems” and “is not implementing steps to mitigate the […]
Saudi Arabia Snubs US, Rejects Russia Boycott, as Rumors Fly Biden may meet with the Crown Prince
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Even as the possibility of a visit to Riyadh by President Joe Biden after his upcoming trip to Israel is being rumored, Saudi Arabia is signalling that it cannot be brought on board with the NATO effort to sanction Russia. Last week the Saudi Minister of Energy, Abdul Aziz bin […]
Australia’s “Greenslide” Shows the Political Dangers for Conservatives of Downplaying Climate Emergency
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who had headed the conservative Liberal-National Coalition since 2018, has been turned out of office, and the climate emergency played a key role in his defeat. Morrison’s rival, victorious Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese, proclaimed that Australia could become a “renewable energy superpower.” He […]