There is no side to be taken but that of the innocent, of those who pay with their lives for the corruptions of others. Hostilities between South Ossetian and Abkhazian separatists and the Georgian military didn’t suddenly begin earlier this month, they began more than a decade ago. During that time, as is always the case when fools employ guns to solve their problems, innocents have lost their lives. I have removed every entry that I have made about the conflict, and my reason for ...More »

There are those that believe that US military might acts as a shield against wanton global chaos. Without the US military’s global presence - the United States has in excess of 700 military bases around the world - many believe that democracy, global economic stability, and even civilization itself would be seriously threatened. Since the end of the Second World War, the United States has been viewed as the world’s foremost power for ‘good’, though during the decades that would follow it would commit crimes ...More »

When it comes to the war in Iraq there is no question that the majority of those serving in the US armed forces are attempting to do their jobs honourably. But when placed in a situation in which confusion and contradiction often convolute even the most determined of minds, it’s not hard to understand why so many Iraq vets face significant problems adjusting to life after the war. Many have served multiple tours, victims of stop-loss, and have become almost strangers to their families and ...More »

I spend most of my time dealing with darkness. I do so because to present it to others, to confront its realities, means that we are all forced to look for the light that is found within it, to search its seemingly impossible recesses for hope. That is why I spend the time that I do dedicated to the content of this website on a daily basis, because though the world is, and I’ll not mince words, a rather horrible place, it is also one ...More »

The world is, rather understandably, disconcerted by the inaction of Burma’s military junta with regards to their response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis. As many of you are aware, the regime has been hindering international aid efforts, causing the humanitarian crisis to worsen. As it stands now, some 78,000 to 100,000 people have been killed and a further 60,000 are thought to be missing. While shocking to the layman, the Burmese regime has some cause for trepidation. We are, after all, talking about ...More »

As time passes, and we continue to grow and develop as a species, despite our many achievements, be they in the arts or architecture or flight, one accomplishment will remain the most important in human history no matter what occurs in the years ahead. We may, in the future, cure Cancer and AIDS, put a person on Mars, or even find a way to curb the planet’s food crises. But despite all of these things, mankind’s greatest achievement is, and will always be, the photograph. ...More »

One minute you’re eating your oatmeal, the next minute you’re not. One minute you’re walking down the street, the next minute you’re just another statistic that the world doesn’t want to hear about because there are already far too many statistics. In a letter to James Madison in early 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote - “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.” Truer words were never spoken, ...More »

In the documentary 11th Hour, former CIA Director James Woolsey, of all people, makes a very important point with regards to the correlation between consumerism and industrial opportunism and the ability to affect change in a very short period of time given what are traditionally viewed as ‘exceptional circumstances’. Woolsey’s point of reference was the transformation of the US auto industry into an industrial mechanism with which to produce aircraft, tanks, and a variety of other military necessities during the early stages of America’s involvement in ...More »

I’m going to go on a bit of a tirade, so prepare yourself. Let’s cut the shit and be honest - Muslims blow people up, right? Since September the 11th, and even preceding it, that has been much of the Western world’s perception. Since 9/11, Islam has been attacked by right-wing hacks the world over as being a faith that is steeped in intolerance and hatred. Of course, those same people, even if they’ve read the Qu’ran, usually have zero experience with regards to Muslim cultures. ...More »

There’s no questioning the fact that Israel’s ultimate goal in Gaza is to remove the Hamas led provisional government from power. Hamas doesn’t recognize Israel’s right to exist, which is, of course, an immense problem with regards to the ability to negotiate – that being, no one will meet with them, let alone negotiate with them. So what is the answer? Who, in all of this madness, is willing to be courageous enough to employ the sort of timeless wisdom that takes into account the ...More »