Independent since 2002 Issue No. 1102 Week of November 7, 2026 Get the free email dispatch →

Category: Guest Commentary

Guest Commentary

Elon Musk Plans to Profit From Twitter, Not Create a Town Square for Global Democracy

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

If Twitter is capable of influencing public opinion in order to help elect anti-tax politicians, why wouldn’t Musk pursue such a strategy?

The world’s richest man has bought one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is currently worth about $210 billion,…

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Guest Commentary

Oz and Trump: Who’s Really Behind the Curtain?

By Dr. W. D. Ehrhart, PhD Guest Commentator

Ever since Oz won the Pennsylvanic primary confirming him as the Republican candidate for the US Senate, Oz has not made a single mention of Trump on Twitter.

Oz has changed his entire position on the political spectrum. First he’s 100 percent a Trumpster. Then, almost overnight, he turns his back on Trump. I…

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Guest Commentary

Time To Study War Some More

By WJ Astore, Bracing Views Guest Commentator

How are we to make sense and reach sound decisions about war if we refuse to study and understand it?

We sure could use honest and critical teaching about military history and war in America. I don’t mean celebratory BS. I don’t mean potted histories of…

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Guest Commentary

Your Brain on Elections

By Melinda Burrell, Peace Voice Guest Commentator

as we are deluged with election-season news, our political identities not only are triggered but also affect our behaviors even beyond politics.

"I’m afraid what Thanksgiving will be like, no matter how the election turns out,” a friend commented. She’s not wrong to be worried. Elections bring up…

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Guest Commentary

How Refugees Are Misunderstood

By Jyotika Saksena Guest Commentator

Refugees go through more scrutiny, contribute substantially to the U.S. economy and are more committed than any other immigrants to make America their home.

Refugees and immigrants are one of the reasons that the U.S. is the only western country to count among the top 10 populous countries in the…

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Guest Commentary

What Social Security Should Really Be Paying To Survive in This Economy

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

If conservatives are complaining that an 8.7 percent bump is not enough to counter inflation, one might expect them to demand an even greater increase to Social Security benefits. But, as is often the case with conservative economic logic, hypocrisy abounds.

Inflation continues to rise in the United States. Although gas prices have recently fallen since their record high over the summer, the cost of groceries rose…

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Guest Commentary

The Business of America Is War

By WJ Astore, Bracing Views Guest Commentator

As long as war remains a business for the U.S., and as long as people are profiting from it, not just in monetary terms but in terms of power, war will remain supreme in U.S. foreign policy.

War is the business of the state. That can be read in more than one way. Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, many wars were…

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Guest Commentary

Nuclear Extortion? Abolish Nuclear Weapons

By Marcy Winograd and Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK Guest Commentators

The US has a history of nuclear extortion.

In a moment of candor, President Biden told Democratic Party contributors the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is the highest since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when…

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Guest Commentary

Brazil’s Lula Remerges—In a Very Different Political World

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

A Reuters poll found that Lula now enjoys 51 percent support to Bolsonaro’s 43 percent ahead of the October 30 runoff race.

If Lula wins reelection, he must not only rebuild the social investments that Bolsonaro destroyed, but also restore trust in a nation damaged by fascism’s sophisticated…

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Guest Commentary

The Hypocrisy of “Tactical Nukes”

By WJ Astore, Bracing Views Guest Commentator

Don’t worry, it’s just a “little” tactical nuke!

With Russia issuing warnings about using all weapons at its disposal to protect its position in Ukraine, it’s a good time to talk about the distinction…

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