Sub-Standard

Sep 23

Sub-Standard

Posted by: George Grundy

This cannot stand. Even by the catastrophically low standards set by the current government, the announcement that Australia is to spend $90 billion on a fleet of nuclear submarines plumbs, if you will excuse me, new depths. France, which immediately recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia, has every right to feel furiously aggrieved and humiliated. Just a few months ago, Scott Morrison visited Emmanuel Macron in Paris and was warmly embraced by France’s President. Yet we now know…

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Sep 16

20 Years On

Posted by: George Grundy

I tried, but I failed. Twenty years on from 9/11, I thought I could write a nuanced retrospective on the worst terrorist attack in history, without focusing on the contradictions and inconsistencies that plague the story. I couldn’t do it. I’m not alone. Just last month, Spike Lee was forced to re-edit his new documentary series on New York and 9/11. HBO didn’t like the final episode, which featured interviews with scientists who have publicly voiced doubts that the twin…

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Sep 14

9/11

Posted by: George Grundy

Some time around 1998, Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld decided to pursue an idea they had discussed for a long time, that of using a domestic American crisis to reshape the world and the Middle East in particular, in a way they felt would be in America’s best interests. Cheney and Rumsfeld resolved to take control of the crisis as well as the response, ensuring that their goals were precisely met. As such, a plan was developed to mount a…

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Sep 06

Texas Handmaids

Posted by: George Grundy

And just like that it was gone. With little fanfare, and late at night, America’s Supreme Court this week declined a request to block a Texas law drastically restricting access to abortion services, effectively striking down 1973’s Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion in America. A day later the court formally voted 5-4 not to block the law. Texas’ new legislation, known as SB8, makes it illegal for a woman to get an abortion after the sixth week of…

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Aug 25

An Unmitigated Triumph

Posted by: George Grundy

As America winds down its longest and most successful war, it’s worth taking a moment to celebrate just how much of a triumph virtually every aspect of the Afghan conflict has been. Many long wars experience ups and downs, and a thousand years of history suggested America might fail in its mission, but only Joe Biden’s misguided decision to end hostilities blots this otherwise faultless copybook. First, naturally, let’s look at the profits. Pretty much everyone has made an unparalleled…

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