From the early 1970’s until his capture in Sudan by the French in 1994, there was no terrorist worldwide feared as much as Carlos the Jackal. He has forever steadfastly remained silent about his exploits and motivations. Until now. With that, I am pleased to announce that I have returned from Paris where Carlos is serving a triple life prison sentence, and over three days last week I took and recorded Carlos’ first in-depth interview ever, with EVERYTHING on the table for discussion.
Read MoreToday is a somber reminder of the value of life and how quickly it can be taken away by those who seek to destroy the democracy this nation has built, notwithstanding its flaws. Continued condolences to all those families and friends of the innocent victims who lost their loved ones twenty years ago today.
We all correctly correlate the attack against America on September 11, 2001, to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. And in the twenty years since 9/11, thankfully, there have been no attacks on U.S. soil.But the terrorist threat domestically and abroad has never been quashed.It’s still out there and our government works to combat it every day all over the world…
Read MoreToday is Fathers’ Day and tomorrow is my birthday.
Last night, right before I blew out the candle on a piece of early birthday cake at dinner, I contemplated my birthday wish. What popped into my head was dismay at the contentious state of humanity in America. I’ve often cited in my prior columns Jefferson’s clause from the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal,” along with the need for change as to how people of minority status are treated. Of course, it would be naïve to conceive a utopian universe of equality for all; that’s simply not going to happen. Nonetheless, the question of equality has framed me as a person, based on experiences that date back to when I was a child, growing up in Gary, Indiana.
Read MoreNow that there’s a truce in Gaza, two pieces of hard work begins.
The first is both sides accepting a reality check of where they stand post mini-war. First, as to Hamas claiming it has won the battle, that would be tantamount to a football team losing 42-6 and suffering devastating injuries to their key players, yet then claiming it won. The Israeli military crushed Hamas, and that’s obvious on its face.
But at the same time, Israel is globally in the most precarious position since its founding in 1948..
Read MoreWhat a mess in Israel! Not since the Palestinians’ second intifada, that ran for five years ending in September 2005, has there been such violence in the country, causing consternation worldwide. Underlying the bloodshed were the machinations of Hamas, tied to the then scheduled Palestinian elections, and more about that below.
Like dominoes falling, a number of events led to this extreme violence.
Read MoreYesterday much of the world honored the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the memory of the 6,000,000 Jews who perished in the Holocaust. This is a reminder that we must NEVER FORGET the atrocities that some are capable of, and how cruelly murder of the innocent can get out of control.
Read MoreIn August 1974, following release of a “smoking gun” tape, Richard Nixon resigned as President, given his illegal actions in instigating the Watergate debacle. He did so following a visit from Republican members of Congress only days before his impeachment trial was to begin.
Read MoreFinally, no more $110.00 a month payments going to ATT for a land line house phone, effective tonight. For those few of you who had Gayle and/or my cell numbers, of course, that’s how you should continue to reach us. If any of you had our house phone number but not our cell numbers, you should ask yourself, “Hmmm, why is that?” Okay….if you really want to reach me, call (206) 722 3000. I’m standing by.
Read MoreOvertly, assassinating Iranian General Qasem Soleimani seems justifiable. He was definitionally a terrorist and had no regard for life, saying he would kill 100 innocents to get to one target. The White House has stated Soleimani was: (i) killed “to protect against a war, not to cause one” and (ii) plotting “imminent sinister attacks on Americans.”
Read MoreChristmas Day is of course an important day of religious significance for Christians worldwide, but it has now long been a day for people of many other other religions to celebrate life with family and friends, and to enjoy life's many blessings. In a week, it will be New Year's Day, where we all turn back the clock to Day 1 of a new year, and regardless if the preceding year was good, bad or indifferent, New Year's Day marks a fresh start for everyone.
Read MoreAll day long I’ve thought about what I heard at last night’s debate from the Democratic Party candidates for President, in combination with a note my high school friend Tom Iatarola posted on FB just a couple of days ago about how things used to be so civil and easy back when we grew up in the 1960’s.
Read MoreToday is Israel’s 71st birthday and unfortunately, the world’s most dangerous hot spot, the Middle East, looks like it could be heading to a meltdown, given the following chronology of very recent events, most of which directly tie to Iran:
Read MoreIt seems the new qualification to be elected President of a country is to have your own television show. As we know, for many years, Donald Trump had The Apprentice, where his claim to fame was telling contestants “You’re Fired,” a weekly tradition he has maintained the past 2+ years.
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