348 results for author: Phil Anderson
Who is “threatening” whom in the Middle East?
For many decades U.S. presidents, foreign policy elites, pundit talking heads, mainstream news media and most politicians of both major parties have accused Iran of being “a threat” to the Middle East and world peace. But is this true? In reality who is “threatening” whom in this region?
Hypocrisy is not a good basis for foreign policy. The historical record does not support this bi-partisan, militaristic “group think” about Iran. The United States has too often been “part of the problem rather than part of the solution” in the Middle East as in other areas of conflict around the world. As Martin Luther King said about the use of ...
Ruminations on No Kings Day
(No Kings Day in Brule, WI. Photo Credit Phil Anderson)
“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” James Baldwin (1924 – 1987) American author, poet and civil rights activist
On Saturday, June 14, 2025, America “faced” the threat of Donald Trump to our nation. Although the people protesting his egregious behavior may not change anything immediately, the huge numbers pouring into the the streets, all over the country, clearly show momentum is building and change is possible.
The latest estimate is 13 million people attended rallies and marches in 2300 locations all across the ...
Northland Grandmothers for Peace and Lake Superior Veterans for Peace
Northland Grandmothers for Peace and Lake Superior Veterans for Peace condemns the unilateral, immoral, and criminal U.S. bombing on the sovereign nation of Iran. June 21, 2025 will be remembered as the day the U.S. once again chose war over diplomacy, unleashing consequences we may come to regret. This unprovoked, deliberate attack on Iran is a violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the U.S. Constitution.
The pretext of Iran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons is a familiar lie. Just like Iraq in 2003,we are being dragged into war based on deliberate deception. The aggressors in this reckless escalation are ...
Other News Stories
“I think the person running the country should be smarter than I am. We’ve just lived through the alternative, and it was only good for the liquor industry.” Andy Borowitz, political satirist, in his 2022 book “Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber.“
Mr. Borowitz was talking about President Trump in his first term. Now we are living through another round of incompetent, fact-free, ego driven mismanagement. Only this time the damage being done is much more severe and comprehensive.
We can get overwhelmed and numbed by the constant flood of ridiculous bluster, outrageous lies and bad ...
Are You Outraged?
"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." Comedian Lily Tomlin
We all should be outraged at the blitzkrieg of illegal, unconstitutional, dictatorial and simply stupid actions of the Trump administration. This article is about two of their outrageous actions that are blatantly immoral as well. One is the continuing, shameful support for genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. The other is the shameful abandoning of the Afghan refugees who were our friends and allies in our country's longest war.
Mike Huckabee. Trump's Ambassador to Israel, says he is “outraged.” But he is not outraged that the United States is facilitating and ...
Budget Chaos in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Senator Chris Larson is concerned about the impact on Wisconsin's state budget from Trump's cuts to federal funding. The cuts being implemented at the federal level will create havoc with the Wisconsin state budget. Senator Larson has introduced emergency legislation – the Frozen Federal Funds Emergency Act – to help deal with this problem.
The proposed bill requires the legislature to convene an extraordinary session if the Trump funding cuts are implemented. The extraordinary session would “consider” providing money from the “budget stabilization fund to state agencies, eligible local governmental units and eligible ...
Peace is Possible and Patriotic
“..I know a great deal of the horrors and tragedies of war...The cost of war in human lives...I am deeply moved to find some means or method of avoiding another calamity of war...” Gen. George C. Marshall
We often think of military veterans as aggressive warriors and super-patriots who believe war is necessary to protect our country. But throughout history, there have been many soldiers who advocated for peaceful solutions to conflicts. Having experienced war, they understood that war was not worth the costs.
Sun Tzu (544-496 BC), the Chinese general and author of “The Art of War,” wrote, “There is no instance of ...
A Budget for Real People
“The most frustrating part for me as governor is that Republicans consistently reject basic, commonsense proposals that can help kids, families, farmers, seniors and Wisconsinites across our state...” Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers
“Unfortunately, [Evers] sends us an executive budget that’s just piles full of stuff that doesn’t make sense and spends recklessly and raises taxes and has way too much policy.” Wisconsin Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee.
Are these two contrasting views on the Wisconsin budgeting process another example both sides being unwilling to compromise ...
Wisconsin’s Budget
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has released his proposed 2025-2027 budget. In what has become a legislative tradition, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos declared Evers’ proposal “dead on arrival.” The next step in the biennial battle is for the Republican controlled Joint Finance Committee to write their own budget ignoring most of Evers' work.
Gov. Evers' budget proposes a $119 billion plan for investments in education, healthcare, public health, cleaning up environmental problems and tax relief for the lower tax brackets. There are a number of improvements for social services and policy issues that will be good for most Wisconsinites.
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The Environmental Cost of Computers
There is an old saying, “Whenever you light a candle you also cast a shadow.” There are always downsides to any choices, changes or innovations. Computer chip technology, computers and the Internet have transformed everything and improved many things. But are we looking at the inevitable shadows?
The Minnesota Center for Environment Advocacy (MCEA) recently had a webinar on the environmental impact of data centers which run the online world. They explain the environmental shadows many of us are not seeing. You can watch the MCRA webinar, or read a transcript, by searching for “Minnesota’s Digital Dilemma: examining the environmental costs ...