Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher

“The socialist group’s vision of a federal government without three equal branches providing checks and balances would facilitate the whims of a would-be authoritarian. Sound familiar?” (07/28/26)

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/07/28/the-dsa-platform-would-destroy-american-democracy/

Source: Persuasion
by Sam Kahn

“About three years ago I pulled up stakes and moved to the far side of the world. My reasons for this were so personal and idiosyncratic that I don’t talk about this all that much—largely because I don’t feel that there’s much about this decision that would be particularly applicable to anybody else. But one thing you learn in journalism is that you should never let an opportunity to opine go to waste, and having made a really significant, life-changing decision like this one—moving from New York City to, of all the world’s unexpected places, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan—it seems like sooner or later I should see if I’ve learned anything from it. So what have I learned?” (07/27/26)

https://www.persuasion.community/p/what-i-learned-from-moving-to-the

Source: CounterPunch
by Bill Scheuerman & Sidney Plotkin

“Months in, Trump’s war on Iran has netted him none of the goals he proclaimed when he began dropping bombs. Iran still has a dictatorship, enriched uranium, plenty of missiles and drones, and effective control of the now-closed Strait of Hormuz. Military observers repeatedly tell the press that for Trump to seize control of the Strait and Iran’s uranium would require a U.S. military invasion, ‘boots on the ground.’ So, what’s stopping him? Obviously, it’s not the Constitution, which gives the power to declare war to Congress, not the President. And it’s not the Republican controlled Congress, which is too spineless to check Trump’s actions. So, again, what’s stopping Trump?” (07/28/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/28/trumps-iran-war-power-to-the-people/

Source: New York Post
by Shirin Yadegar

“As parents, when we send our children to school each morning, we trust that the adults in charge are making decisions that put students first. Newly revealed documents suggest that trust may have been misplaced. According to The California Post, LAUSD’s own financial experts warned district leaders that bowing to union demands and approving substantial employee pay raises would put the district on an unsustainable financial path. The board ignored those warnings, and the raises were approved anyway. Now the district faces the very fiscal challenges its own experts predicted.” [editor’s note: If you trust the “adults in charge” of government “schools” with your kids, you’re already skipping merrily down the path of error. Instead of voting harder, homeschool – TLK] (07/27/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/07/27/opinion/parents-must-hold-failed-school-leaders-accountable/

Source: The Hill
by Harlan Ullman

“If the Constitution were working as designed, and if both political parties acted in the best interests of the nation and weren’t obsessed with eviscerating the disloyal opposition, the U.S. skirmish against Iran would have ended. Having promised an immediate victory in what Commander in Chief Donald Trump first called an ‘excursion,’ the U.S. has been drawn deeper into what increasingly appears to be an unwinnable quagmire. So, make no mistake: This is war. But in a war, who has the power to authorize or make a formal declaration of war? Not the president. Only Congress has this responsibility. And it has deserted and fled from its duty.” (07/27/26)

https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/foreign-policy/5989637-congress-fails-war-powers-act/