When President Obama released his budget for 2015 on Tuesday, which included $495.6 billion for the Pentagon, the likely suspects screamed that the sky is going to fall. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon said the funding level is so low that it’s “immoral,” while the notorious climate denier Sen. James Inhofe — who is a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee — declared that: “Today our enemies don’t fear us and our allies no longer respect us.” Strong words. Also, completely disconnected from reality.
Learning from shortcomings and other movements
Mobilizing Ideas The 10-year anniversary for the movement that sprung up against the war in Iraq is on the horizon, and it presents an opportune time to reflect on its progress, and more importantly, the lessons that can be learned from its shortcomings. While activists were busy organizing in the fall of 2002, the dramatic … Continue reading Learning from shortcomings and other movements
The Human Toll
March 2011 issue Sojourners In December, as the United States entered the 10th year of what President Obama called the "good war" in Afghanistan, I traveled to Kabul to take stock of the human toll of the increasingly bloody occupation. From the moment I landed in Kabul’s airport, I noticed its distinctive smell -- a … Continue reading The Human Toll
The Tragic U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan
Union Daily Times, SC; Worthington Daily Globe, MN; Fayette County News, GA; Asheville Citizen-Times, NC; News Eagle, PA. A shorter version was published in the Peoria Journal Star, IL. Distributed by OtherWords and Featurewell. Albert Einstein famously defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If that doesn’t accurately … Continue reading The Tragic U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan
Report back from Afghanistan
On January 7, I spoke at this great event at All Souls Unitarian Church in New York with Kathy Kelly and Mike Ferner about our trip to Afghanistan in December. Here is a link to an hour-long radio interview I did on The New Movement with Roy Beckham on WAZU 90.7FM in Peoria, IL, on … Continue reading Report back from Afghanistan
Record levels of violence in Afghanistan do not equal progress
Waging Nonviolence, Common Dreams, Counterpunch, Huffington Post, The Indypendent, Sojourners Greetings from Afghanistan. I arrived here now almost a week ago and there is so much to share about this experience that it’s hard to know where to start. I’d like to offer a few random observations about Kabul that I’m sure will make more sense upon … Continue reading Record levels of violence in Afghanistan do not equal progress
Newsmaker Interview: Mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan
WDIS 1170AM Last Thursday, I was on "The Fairness Doctrine," a 2-hour long talk show - hosted by conservative Chuck Morse and liberal Patrick O'Heffernan - that is broadcast live from Boston and can be heard from Maine to Rhode Island on WDIS 1170AM and WNSH 1570AM, to talk about the latest news regarding the use of mercenaries in … Continue reading Newsmaker Interview: Mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan
Friday Media Roundtable
October 9, 2009 KALW 91.7FM Today, I was on “Your Call,” an hour-long call-in program on KALW 91.7 FM, the local Public Radio station in San Francisco, for its Friday Media Roundtable. Along with two other guests, I discussed how the mainstream media has covered the war in Afghanistan, the passage of the defense spending bill in Congress, and the … Continue reading Friday Media Roundtable
Guards Gone Wild
The Guardian, ZNet The release of the extensive investigation by the Project on Government Oversight on Tuesday depicting a "Lord of the Flies" environment among mercenaries in Afghanistan, should only sour the American public further on a war that the majority rightfully no longer believe is worth fighting. According to interviews and emails with more … Continue reading Guards Gone Wild
Eric Stoner 