In praise of Asian monarchs: past and present
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist In late May 1992, against the advice of the State Department, I travelled to Thailand for a two-week visit. There had been a military coup the previous year, and...
Category: Nick Gier
Columbus Day and the Christian conquest of the world:
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist “We discovered Columbus, lost on our shores, sick, destitute, and wrapped in rags. We nourished him to health, and the rest is history. He represents the mascot of American...
Gandhi, the Buddha and the limits of non-violence:
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist “I felt I was in the presence of a noble soul, a true disciple of Lord Buddha, and a true believer in peace and harmony among all men.” —The...
I Half-Agree with the Libertarian Party:
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist I always enjoyed lecturing about the libertarians when I taught political philosophy. They style themselves as serious thinkers; and, calling themselves the “Party of Principle,” they choose theoretical consistency...
Fact checking the Democratic Convention
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist Author’s note: Two weeks ago I checked Trump’s convention speech, so it is only fair that I now look at statements from the Democrats. According to a Gallup poll,...
‘I saw the mushroom cloud’
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist After being honorably discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1945, my dear friend Howard Riggs held various construction management positions and worked abroad in Saudi Arabia, Iran and...
Fact checking Trump’s convention speech: There he goes again!
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist Trump’s acceptance speech at the GOP convention was filled with lies and misrepresentations. Yes, it is true that “43 million Americans are on food stamps,” but the number rose...
Where is our Iraq War report?
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist After seven long years of investigation, a British commission led by Sir John Chilcot has issued its findings on the British participation in the Iraq War. The report, 2.6...
Memo to Trump: American Muslims do assimilate and they do turn in suspected jihadists
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist Last December President Obama praised sports heroes who are Muslims. A clueless Donald Trump tweeted: “What sport is he talking about, and who?” Trump must have forgotten about his...
Benghazi: the GOP is beating a dead horse
By Nick Gier Reader Columnist The GOP House Select Committee on Benghazi has interviewed 100 witnesses, spent $7 million of its own funds, and has forced other agencies to spend an additional $13 million....
