No doubt the events of the Ukraine-Russia-Crimea contretemps will have taken another turn in the time it takes to publish this Swans edition. Still, we have a few thoughts on the evolving matter. Steven Hohensee was incensed by Condoleezza Rice's recent editorial attack on Vladimir Putin and Russia's invasions of its neighbors, which failed to explain a few details behind said invasions, nor did she mention her own country's invasions of others. As Mr. Hohensee observes, "We get to kill and break the law with impunity. We're special." Jan Baughman is also troubled by the United States once again rushing to side with a country on the basis of defending democracy -- as history and a read of the Rumsfeld memos show, there's usually a self-serving interest, without consequence. Gilles d'Aymery, in short, reaches for Ockham's razor to provide the simple explanation for these unfolding events, and the US role is not what it purports to be, of course. Glenn Reed illustrates that in the greatest democracy on earth, justice means protecting murderous politicians à la Rumsfeld, Cheney & Co. and instead jailing activist nuns. Meanwhile, Michael Barker reports from London on the current British education system, which is unfit for sustaining, let alone extending, democracy. On the other hand, it is certainly fit for the maintenance of capitalism.
On the cultural front, one can only imagine the sort of play Shakespeare would have written about these tempest times. Actually, one can look back, as Cathy Rosario excellently does, to the competing lures of decadence and puritanism in The Merchant of Venice for insight into today's Islamic extremism. (This is a must-read article for the culturally minded readers.) Peter Byrne invokes myriad talented authors in a cleverly-written treatise on the right way to write -- an innate, not learned, talent. Jonah Raskin has Harlem on his mind, as he reviews a book on the life and work of American writer/photographer Carl Van Vechten, while Raju Peddada continues to admire and explore the brilliance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We close with the poetic words of Guido Monte and Vita Fabbro, and a letter from the Bureau of Public Secrets on Guy Debord.
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Steven Hohensee: The Gall Of Vladimir Putin
A bird's-eye view of Russian intervention in Ukraine. More...
Jan Baughman: Here We Go Again
The U.S. is at it again, destabilizing another country in the name of democracy and in its self-interest. The latest venture? Ukraine. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Crimea With Ockham's Razor
The author invokes Ockham's razor to explain the crisis in Russia and Ukraine. As you can imagine it is short and simple. More...
Glenn Reed: "Justice" Usually Is As Power Demands
So-called Justice in the United States means protecting murderous politicians and jailing activist nuns. More...
Michael Barker: An Education Fit For The Elite (Part I of II)
History of Dartington Hall School. More...
Catherine Rosario: Islamic Extremism And The Merchant Of Venice
The competing lures of decadence and puritanism in The Merchant offer insights into Islamic extremism. More...
Peter Byrne: Writing It Right In All Weather
A cleverly-written treatise on the right way to write -- an innate, not learned, talent. More...
Jonah Raskin: Harlem On His Mind: The Life and Work of Carl Van Vechten
A review of Edward White's The Tastemaker: Carl Van Vechten and the Birth of Modern America. More...
Raju Peddada: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: His Humane and Transcendental Brilliance - Part I
The humane and transcendental brilliance of Mozart. More...
Guido Monte & Vita Fabbro: Dust and breath
From the suffering past to the clear promised land. More...
News from the Bureau of Public Secrets on Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle. More...
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