The swift collapse of the Afghan military in recent days caught many in the U.S. by surprise, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In the months after President Joe Biden’s April 2021 announcement of the troop withdrawal, intelligence reports warned that the Afghan military might not fight on its own, opening the […]
Times Record
Posted inTimes Record Opinion
Michael Reagan: The high price of Biden’s blunder in Kabul
So what else could President Biden possibly screw up? Our commander in chief and his woke generals have blown the evacuation of Kabul so badly that even CNN and MSNBC have had to cover it. For the last month, Biden assured us that when our military left Kabul it wasn’t going to be a humiliation […]
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Posted inTimes Record Opinion
Treadwell: The GOP stands with the insurrectionists
“As I was swarmed by a violent mob, they ripped off my badge, they grabbed and stripped me of my radio, they seized a munition that was secured to my body. They began to beat me with their fists and what felt like a hard metal object.” — Michael Fanone, Capitol Police Officer “You hear […]
Posted inTimes Record Opinion
Census shows new trends favor Democrats
America’s worst kept secret just came out. It’s the Census, mandated by the Constitution to be conducted every ten years to set the number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives each state gets. Its purpose is political, and the pundits are now having a fine time with it. It’s a poorly kept secret […]
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Rooks: Canada is the first test for pandemic politics
If you don’t look closely, things seem back to normal at Old Orchard Beach, one of Maine’s most famous summer resorts. The pier is crowded, there are “no vacancy” signs on many motels, and masks are still optional. But it isn’t the same: There are almost no Canadians, especially the Quebecois whose language is a […]
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The Conversation: America’s moral responsibility for the tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan
THE CONVERSATION — Chaotic scenes in Kabul accompanied the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The fundamentalist Islamic group was able to retake power after President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from the country. The withdrawal brings to a close nearly 20 years of American military presence in Afghanistan. Without the ongoing […]
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Intertidal: Common ground between old and new sea power
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a bit about the different types of boats that can be seen on Casco Bay on a busy summer day. There are watercraft of all different sizes and shapes that are powered by a variety of paddle, sail and motor. Typically, we think of working commercial boats as […]
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Polman: It was always going to end this way in Afghanistan
Anyone who professes to be shocked by the Taliban victory in Afghanistan has not been paying attention. It was always bound to happen. It was merely delayed because Uncle Sam kept his trillion-dollar finger in the dike for 20 years. Were we fated to remain forever, in a land that had already proved fatally inhospitable […]
Posted inTimes Record Opinion
Afghan government collapses and Taliban on verge of controlling country: 5 essential reads
THE CONVERSATION — The president of Afghanistan has fled and the government apparently fallen, after Taliban insurgents captured the capital city of Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021. The Taliban also seized the presidential palace. There would be “no transitional government in Afghanistan,” Taliban officials told Reuters news service. The insurgent group “expects a complete handover of power.” According to the Associated Press, […]
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John Micek: Our endless COVID summer
It all kind of piled up this week. COVID hospitalizations and deaths are up. We’re still trying to convince the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, even as intensive care units fill beyond capacity. As the Delta variant attacks our children, Florida’s governor threatens the withhold the wages of educators who want to protect the lives of […]