Author: Thomas L. Knapp

“Military” and “Foreign Policy” Are Not Magic Words to Give the Government Unrestrained Power

Source: The Bulwark
by Anthony Sanders

“‘Military’ and ‘foreign policy’ are not magic words that automatically get the government out of court. However, similarly to what the Bush administration claimed during the War on Terror, the Trump administration is advancing that argument in various contexts, from deportations to sending the National Guard into cities that have not requested them. And some judges want to submit to this ‘magic.’ The Supreme Court should shut this hocus-pocus down before it unleashes unrestrained power in the name of ‘judicial restraint.'” (11/19/25)

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/military-and-foreign-policy-are-not-magic-words

Thomas L. Knapp

Nigeria: One of 25 students abducted found safe as search continues for missing girls

Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]

“A schoolgirl who was abducted with 24 others from a dormitory in northwestern Nigeria has escaped and is safe, the school’s principal told The Associated Press on Tuesday, as hunters joined security forces in the search for the missing students in forests close to the school. The girls were kidnapped before dawn on Monday, when gunmen attacked the dorm at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi state’s Maga town. Local police said the gunmen scaled the fence to enter the school premises and exchanged gunfire with police officers before seizing the girls and killing a staff member. No group has claimed responsibility for taking the girls, but analysts and locals say gangs of bandits often target schools, travellers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransom.” (11/18/25)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nigeria-school-girls-abduction-escape-9.6984052

Thomas L. Knapp

Booming tech sector wants govt intervention for “national security”

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst

“Authors of a new Council on Foreign Relations report are framing government subsidies and bailouts for key tech industries as a national security imperative. Not surprisingly, many of the report’s authors stand to benefit financially from such an arrangement.” (11/19/25)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/national-security-tech/

Thomas L. Knapp

How Trump’s trillion-dollar war machine enriches the 1%

Source: Popular Information
by Stephen Semler

“Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026. … Money is policy. Should Congress approve such a historic sum, it would not only enable many of Trump’s dangerous and unjust policies — including military occupations of US cities, the resumption of nuclear weapons testing, and rushing toward wars in Mexico, Nigeria, and Venezuela — it would also trigger a historic redistribution of wealth from the public to private arms companies and their shareholders.” (11/19/25)

https://popular.info/p/how-trumps-trillion-dollar-war-machine

Thomas L. Knapp

Decapitation Diplomacy

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Earlier this month, during a parliamentary session, Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was pressed by an opposition lawmaker on scenarios that could trigger the clause in Japan’s constitution concerning ‘survival-threatening situations,’ thus allowing collective self-defense. Takaichi explicitly stated that Chinese military action against Taiwan — such as a naval blockade, invasion, or interference with U.S. forces — could qualify. … scandalous as Takaichi’s answers were to the Communist Party in China, it was the response of Xue Jian, consul general of the People’s Republic of China, in Osaka, Japan, that raised more than eyebrows: ‘I have no choice but to cut off that filthy head that barged in without hesitation — are you ready?'” (11/19/25)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/11/19/decapitation-diplomacy/

Thomas L. Knapp