Robert C. Koehler

Robert Koehler is an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist and nationally syndicated writer. His book, "Courage Grows Strong at the Wound" (2016). Contact him or visit his website at commonwonders.com.
Articles by this author
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Views Thursday, March 04, 2021 The US War Machine Doesn't Want Us to Take War Personally "For Washington, it seems that whatever the problem is, the answer is bombing." So wrote Stephen Zunes , in the wake of Joe Biden’s first act of murder as president . . . excuse me, his first act of defensive military action: bombing a border post in Syria last week, killing 22 of our enemies. This... Read more |
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Views Friday, February 26, 2021 Windmills: The New Scapegoat The cornerstone of every social structure is its belief system, and those who control and benefit the most from the system have one primary job: Keep its myths and scapegoats viable. That explains the emergence, in recent weeks, among right-wing politicians and media hacks, of a truly bizarre and... Read more |
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Views Thursday, February 18, 2021 Bending the Moral Arc of the Universe—Toward Peace, Sanity, and Survival—No Matter the Obstacles Pardon me while I break the fourth wall. I’m in the human stew right now, you might say: drowning in politics, technology, the weather and my own crazy ego. I’m trying to write a column. What makes this one different . . .well, I’ve been forced today to set aside my certainties, norms and... Read more |
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Views Thursday, February 04, 2021 How "National Security" Disregards Humanity “It is long past time for . . . a sea change in the United States’ approach to national and human security . . .” Yes, yes, yes. These words cut to the soul. Can we create a grown-up America? This is how it begins. The quote is from a letter to President Biden , put forward in early February by the... Read more |
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Views Thursday, January 28, 2021 Nukes Are Illegal, Now What? Let’s not forget: We are standing at the edge of global change. I believe what’s visible in this fleeting moment is our own evolution. Let’s not let this moment flicker and die, to be replaced, with a despairing shrug, by business as usual. Donald Trump shattered the centrist political norms, sent... Read more |
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Views Thursday, January 21, 2021 Countering the Fascism To Come Normalcy and tradition held sway as — for the first time in my life — I watched a presidential inauguration live, listening to Lady Gaga sing the national anthem and, then, Joe Biden take the oath of office, becoming the 46th president of the United States. As I write these words, I find myself... Read more |
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Views Friday, January 15, 2021 Lynching Political Correctness I still see the noose in front of the capitol building, dangling oh so metaphorically. "No matter how all this plays out, it's only the beginning," wrote a user on TheDonald message board, according to the Associated Press . Actually, it's anything but the beginning—though I get what the writer... Read more |
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Views Thursday, January 07, 2021 Real Change on a Living Planet As the New Year asserts itself—a year that begins in global lockdown and political shock-and-awe—an extraordinary question emerges: Are we on the brink of real change? Are we moving, politically speaking, beyond the small and stupid? Is the era of Trump really over? Assuming that to be the case is... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, December 23, 2020 Restoring the Soul of America “One major difference between GOP and Dems is that [Republicans] leverage their right flank to gain policy concessions and generate enthusiasm, while Dems lock their left flank in the basement [because] they think that will make Republicans be nicer to them.’” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nailed it... Read more |
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Views Thursday, December 17, 2020 One World: The Wisdom of Wholeness “We won't be in a position to make permanent progressive changes until the bad governments are changed permanently into good governments. And all governments are bad governments now and will remain bad governments until we have a global humanity.” The words are those of Mark Haywood, in an email to... Read more |