After the American Revolution was fought and won, the representatives of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to decide how the Articles of Confederation could be changed to provide for a more effective federal government.  At that time in American history the thirteen states were operated more like thirteen separate countries than one nation;  each with its own set of laws, and each  with its own separate currency.   Early on in the process  most of the delegates realized that the Articles of Confederation needed to be be scrapped entirely, and …

Sometimes it’s difficult to comprehend that it has been almost twenty years since President George H. W. Bush first sent American fighting forces to Iraq.   Although Saddam Hussein‘s  army was very quickly defeated, and Iraq’s occupation army was removed from Kuwait, the  American “war effort” continued in one form or another.  For at least ten of the twenty years  of military involvement, America and it’s coalition partners maintained and enforced an expensive “no fly zone”, until the war turned “hot” again during the administration of the next George Bush (i.e. …

Few people would dispute that 2011 has not been a really  good year for the concept of  “peace on Earth”.   Popular rebellions have spread across North Africa, from Tunisia and  Sudan to Egypt and Libya. The Middle Eastern countries of Bahrain, Syria, Yemen and Jordan have also experienced violence and social unrest brought about by years, even decades, of oppression and economic deprivation.  In addition to the newly-hatched revolutions occurring in North Africa and the Middle East are the ongoing, long-term, terrorist-driven conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.   The flames …