A few days ago, the Pentagon made a wise decision–to purchase 80 McDonnell-Douglas C-17 transport aircraft. The plane has intercontinental range, in-flight refueling capability, can carry heavy equipment, land on crude airfields and get out again with minimal delay and maintenance. With the C-17, McDonnell-Douglas had also managed to reverse (at least temporarily) an old journalistic adage and military complaint: Read More ›
In war, von Clausewitz once opined, everything is very simple. But simple things become very difficult. Today, his adage is revalidating in a field that barely existed ten years ago: space control–the new equivalent of sea control and air superiority. As a concept, space control is simple. It means using space for your own military purposes; protecting what you’ve got Read More ›
When you get a copy of the Seattle Arts Commission’s Directory of Public Art, you will see listings of statues to Christopher Columbus, Leif Erikson and Dr. Jose Rizal, the hero of the Philippines. But we barely manage one statue and a copper bust of Chief Seattle and a mere artistic “silhouette” for the local pioneers Arthur Denny and David Read More ›
Today, the United States has no national security strategy worthy of the name. This is a good thing for several reasons, not the least of which is that thinking up new strategies provides employment for several thousand otherwise marginal defense and policy wonks. It keeps the think tanks thinking, the grant makers granting, and the pundits both punning and ditting. Read More ›
“May Cause Abdominal Cramping and Loose Stools.” That’s only part of the delightful warning label the Food and Drug Administration insists that Procter & Gamble place prominently on potato chip and tortilla chip products prepared with its new fat-substitute, Olean. The FDA did not accede to the Center for Science in the Public Interest this winter when the Naderite group Read More ›
The Romans had a proverb. Of all our laws, some are written and some are not. As is often the case with proverbs, their surface simplicity conceals deeper truths. In this instance, at least two. First, written law can’t do it all. There must be other sources of value and discipline and mercy: religion, morality, honor, tradition and common sense. Read More ›
If you follow polls, you may have noticed how voters increasingly seem to resist attempts to stick them firmly into any camp–conservative, liberal or even moderate. Or, rather, they feel free to jump from camp to camp, depending on the issue and how the pollster presents it to them. There are three possible explanation: 1) voters are becoming more fickle; Read More ›
Expect to hear more and more about tourism as a “high-touch” complement to “high-tech: in the Seattle area’s economic strategy. In contrast to the specialized skills typically required in the computer and software fields, tourism provides jobs at many skill levels. This part of our future is found in such projects as the Bell Harbor International Conference Center that opens Read More ›
Passover and Easter coincide this week and up to half the population of the United States may well appear in synagogue or church. Seventy-two percent of Americans surveyed by USA Today say they find God in prayer each day. His healing hand is experienced in hospitals, his hope in hospices. Victims of accidents and heroes of conflict praise his Read More ›
The United States defense establishment is approaching the verge of open rebellion and internal collapse. If Mr. Clinton is re-elected, it will probably happen in 1997. If Mr. Dole wins, it might take a little longer. At this point, perhaps the only thing that can avert it is getting the American people involved. The most pressing defense issue in this Read More ›