Pitch for defense treaty and moving US military to Israel is insane

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jennifer Kavanagh

“On August 18, Israel bombed a non-operational Syrian air base, reportedly to derail Turkish plans to deploy military forces to the installation. The move drew swift condemnation from the United States, which did not receive prior notification despite its growing support for Syria, its alliance with Turkey, and the presence of thousands of U.S. military personnel based nearby, in Jordan and other parts of the region. Is this the behavior of a ‘model ally?’ The Jewish Institute for National Security of America seems to think so. The group, which promotes ‘strategic cooperation’ between the United States and Israel, tries to defend this position in its new report, ‘Shifting the Center of Gravity: Transforming the U.S.-Israel Security Partnership.’ It also lays out an ambitious set of proposals JINSA hopes will be part of a renewed 10-year U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding (the current one expires in 2028).” (08/24/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-israel-integration-mou/

Thomas L. Knapp

Europe Built a Single Market—Now It’s Packaging It Away

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes

“Starting in 1993, a small business owner in any EU member state could sell to another member state without having to face new bureaucratic or financial barriers at every border. The potential size of a new business was no longer determined by the size of the country where it was based. Today, the European Commission estimates that the Single Market has increased the European Union’s GDP by 3–4% and created 3.6 million jobs since its creation. A study by Bertelsmann Stiftung estimated that integration increases European citizens’ incomes by an average of about €840 ($974) per person per year. Yet the benefits created by this integration, and the freedom that made these benefits possible, began to come under threat on August 12, 2026, quietly and through an apparently harmless packaging regulation.” (08/24/26)

https://fee.org/articles/europe-built-a-single-market-now-its-packaging-it-away/

Thomas L. Knapp

Indonesia intensifies aerial firefighting as wildfire haze spreads to Malaysia

Source: SFGate

“Indonesia intensified its ground and aerial firefighting operations on Monday as huge blazes in central and western regions scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed cities and crossed borders. Indonesian police have arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the forest and peatland fires, while four companies are under investigation for allegedly using fire to clear land at low cost. Emergency services have been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia and Brunei, according to the National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB. Fires remained active in several regions on Monday, according to the agency, while large-scale suppression efforts continue in fire-prone provinces including West, Central and South Kalimantan on Borneo island and in Riau, South Sumatra and Jambi on Sumatra island.” (08/24/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/indonesia-intensifies-aerial-firefighting-as-22400662.php

Steve Trinward

Silencing the Watchdog: Why the Pentagon’s Purge of Military Journalists Threatens Free Speech

Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey

“As the Department of Defense fires top editors and reporters at Stars & Stripes, the clash over editorial independence exposes the dangerous urge to replace oversight with state propaganda.” (08/24/26)

https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/silencing-the-watchdog-why-the-pentagons

Thomas L. Knapp

New Zealand: Idiot pol fantasizes about banning children from using social media

Source: Seattle Times

“New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has unveiled a proposed law banning children younger than 16 from using social media platforms, citing what he said Monday was “harm being done to a generation” of young people. However, the bill hasn’t yet attracted enough support to pass into law because two of the three parties in Luxon’s coalition government will vote against it. Passage would require support from opposition lawmakers, who have yet to decide how they would vote. There also wasn’t enough time for lawmakers to hold a vote on the proposal before Parliament dissolved on Oct. 1 ahead of November’s election, Luxon said. Bills are required to pass three rounds of voting, usually over a period of months, before they become law.” (08/23/26)

https://archive.is/3Qps2

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump Has Good Reason to Reduce US–South Korea Defense Ties

Source: The American Conservative
by Liam Childers

“The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit this week, his first to South Korea in five years, comes as Lee seeks China’s help to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang. Beijing reaffirmed its pledge to play a ‘constructive role’ in promoting peace on the peninsula. None of this means Seoul is becoming a Chinese ally. Rather, South Korea, which endured considerable Chinese retaliation for accepting THAAD in the first place, has been reminded that Washington’s priorities often shift without warning. South Korea is simply demonstrating that it is an independent nation with a strong interest in avoiding an unduly antagonistic relationship with its powerful neighbor.” (08/24/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trump-has-good-reason-to-reduce-u-s-south-korea-defense-ties/

Thomas L. Knapp

Grab the popcorn for the soap-opera civil wars of both parties in Florida

Source: New York Post
by Josh Hammer

“Florida, you might have heard, is no longer purple: Since Ron DeSantis became governor, Republicans have gained nearly 2 million registered voters over Democrats in the Sunshine State. It is an astonishing change in partisanship for the state that famously decided the 2000 presidential election by 537 votes. The outcome of the statewide races in Florida this November, such as those for governor and US senator, are therefore not in much doubt. Democrats might dream about making Florida competitive again, but they might as well believe in the tooth fairy. But if Florida isn’t much in play between the two parties, it’s definitely in play within them. As last week’s primaries indicate, the Sunshine State is the new ground zero for the roiling internal civil wars that have dominated both parties for years. On the Democratic side, the results were a mixed bag.” (08/23/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/08/23/opinion/grab-the-popcorn-for-floridas-soap-opera-civil-wars-roiling-both-political-parties/

Steve Trinward