Author: John Kaufman
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Loujain al-Hathloul, Saudi Activist for Women’s Rights, Released– But U.S. Must Keep Up Pressure on Saudi Arabia
Happy news, rare in the realm of human rights in Saudi Arabia, occurred on Wednesday when it was learned that Loujain al-Hathloul, held in a Saudi prison for more than three years on what human rights observers agree were ridiculous, trumped-up, politically-motivated charges was released by the Saudi government under certain autocratic conditions. As reported […]
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Schwartz: How Catholic Natural Law Was Converted to American Illiberal Dogma
“. . . a full Catholic roster of waggish music nerds in finely tailored suits, bella figuras all.” Peter Hammond Schwartz This week The New Republic published a brilliant piece of religious/political critique by a writer from Washington State named Peter Hammond Schwartz. PHS has composed a groundbreaking and well-researched essay (called “apopleptic” (sic) by […]
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U.S. Catholic Bishops Trying to Cancel President Biden
Some of the head men of the Catholic cloth have formed a shy “working group” to quietly cancel the liberal Catholic who happens to be president of the United States. Here is some reporting via National Catholic Reporter: “NCR has learned that the full constitution of the 10-person working group, which does not include President […]
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Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Becomes International Law
Today most of the world is celebrating a new international treaty, now in force, that bans all nuclear weapons. So far, 52 nations have ratified the treaty, and 50 nations ratifying is what is needed to become law. The United States, in case you’re wondering, has not signed the treaty and currently possesses 5,800 nuclear […]
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President Biden Finds a Note in the Oval Office: Satirical Poem
To Cheater Joe, I guess I’ll go. But I didn’t lose! (I hid all the booze.) I wasn’t a quitter ‘Til I got cancelled on Twitter. You think you won But I ain’t no bum! I’m getting arty, Will start a new Party! Call it the “Patriot”! It’ll be a riot. I hope ya fail! […]
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As Trump Departs, Lessons from the MAGA Madness
Not long after America chose Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton way back in November of 2016, Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence stopped by the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds in West Allis to offer thanks to the state for helping to put Trump–a notorious city slicker with a gift for divorce and lying–into the White […]
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The Pacific Blog Returns! Long Live The Pacific!
It’s a new year and, starting tomorrow, the United States will have a new (and actually effective) president and a new Democratic Congress. But starting today The Pacific, one man’s liberal symphony of prose and satirical poems, is back in business on a fairly regular basis. So welcome back loyal followers and readers to the […]
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Defending the Letter “On Justice and Open Debate” in Harper’s Magazine
On July 7th, Harper’s Magazine published a letter on its website that was signed by more than a hundred prominent writers, scholars, intellectuals and leaders of organizations. Most prominent among the prominent signers include J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, Noam Chomsky, scholar and commentator, Margaret Atwood, novelist, Salman Rushdie, novelist who certainly understands the […]
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Dear Democrats: A Letter for Peace in the Middle East
If the Democratic Party and its presidential nominee, Joe Biden, have a weak spot, it is their general fondness –since the debacle of the Vietnam War– for military solutions and support, including the selling of American weapons, of governments whose commitment to democracy and human rights leave much to be desired. So in the interest […]
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Trump to President Xi: Satirical Poem
“Trump told Xi that Americans were clamoring for him to change the constitutional rules to serve more than two terms.” –Washington Post “They want me to stay president forever! I’m thinking maybe Communist is better.”
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Protest Shakes the Poetry Foundation
In standing against injustice, we must use language carefully and fairly, lest we find ourselves speaking and acting unjustly.
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In Defense of Speaking the Liberal We
Here at The Pacific, we (speaking figuratively, for I am but one writer) want to make a statement in defense of liberal democracy, courageous journalism and freedom of speech or, more poetically, the Liberal We. The Liberal We is currently under attack from various political and cultural entities: the Nationalistic Us, the Racist Us, the […]
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No More Nuclear Weapons Testing!
Being the only nation that has actually used a nuclear weapon and the world’s largest democracy. . . the U.S., it seems to me, should be the first of the “nuclear club” nations to sign the TPNW and destroy its nuclear weapons.
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Gnostic Nonsense: The New Homophobia
It was a shock for me to learn, right off the bat, that America is now in a “post-Christian” age, what with all the Christians in the country and talk of Christianity still going on, on Twitter and off.
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Defend Liberty? Tell the Saudis (and Trump) to Release Women’s Rights Activists
There is, fortunately, a much better way for defenders of democracy and freedom fighters everywhere to make their liberty-loving presence known: tell the Saudi government to release all the women’s rights activists it has imprisoned on trumped-up charges.
The Pacific 