Maverick Philosopher

Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Category: War and Peace

  • Sun Tzu: 21 Principles of the Art of War

    Under 15 minutes. May help in the understanding of DJT's modus operandi et dominandi.

  • Is the U-Haul the Vehicle of Peaceful Coexistence?

    You may have noticed that our relations with some people improve when we no longer have contact with them. Now while we can and must round up and deport illegal aliens, our classically liberal principles make it very difficult to force out of our midst those of our political adversaries who count as out-and-out political…

  • Is Trump Still the TACO Man? Or is he now THE HAMMER?

    VDH, Ten Iranian Questions: Trump had warned the Iranians on numerous occasions. They never got the message. They were apparently listening to the American Left’s smears of Trump as a “TACO” (“Trump Always Chickens Out”)—a silly slur phrase that just died Saturday night. And die it did. To hell with the American Left with its…

  • Trump, Nukes, and Nation-Building

    It is blindingly evident that Ayatollah Khamenei and the rest of the  radical Islamists in control of Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Donald Trump has been clear and consistent about this during the ten years he has been in the political spotlight.  He may speak of diplomacy and agreements but he…

  • The Fall of Saigon

    Fifty years ago today. I wrote in my journal (30 April 1975): Saigon was overrun by the communists today. 150 billion dollars and 50,000 American lives wasted during the war. 58,00 is now the standardly cited figure. Goeffrey Wawro, The Vietnam War: A Military History (Basic Books, 2024, 652 pp.): The war had killed 58,000…

  • Politics by Assassination, Anyone?

    Von Clausewitz held that war is politics pursued by other means. What I call the Converse Clausewitz Principle holds equally: politics is war pursued by other means. David Horowitz, commenting on "Politics is war conducted by other means," writes: In political warfare you do not just fight to prevail in an argument, but rather to destroy…

  • Trump’s Ukrainian Tightrope

    Victor Davis Hanson

  • Stealth Ideologues: Hillary and Kamala

    On 21 October 2016, I laid into Hillary for lying about the Heller decision. The post concluded: Hillary is a stealth ideologue who operates by deception. This is what makes her so despicable. If she were honest about her positions, her support would erode. So not only are her policies destructive; she refuses to own…

  • Ready for Rage?

    Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Should Trump win, do you think our political enemies will accept the result, acquiesce in a peaceful transfer of power, and resolve to work harder next time? Expect a post-election temper tantrum: Democrats have warned the country that Trump is a “danger to democracy,” a fascist,…

  • RFK Jr. on WWIII

    Pay attention to his endorsement of DJT.  I am assuming you want to live a few years longer.   For historical context, listen to JFK's 22 October 1962 address to the nation on the Cuban Missile Crisis. I shudder to think what might have happened if any of the following had been in charge in those…

  • Moral Community and Civil War

    Substack latest.  An exchange with Malcolm Pollack.

  • How Civil Wars End

    Another fascinating article. But who has time for all this reading? "Forever reading, never read."  Wer schreibt, der bleibt. He who writes, remains. 

  • The Ever-Increasing Frenzy, Tension, and Explosiveness of this Country

    Try to guess when the following was written, and by whom.  Answer below the fold: Ever increasing frenzy, tension, explosiveness of this country. You feel it in the monastery with people like Raymond. In the priesthood with so many upset, one way or another, and so many leaving.  So many just cracking up, falling apart.…

  • World War III

    Will we be able to avoid it? I see little reason to be sanguine, and neither does this guy.

  • Why Isn’t There a Palestinian State?

    A history lesson in under five minutes. A more nuanced narrative from eight years ago. Is there an historian in the house?