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, July 04, 2019 Trouble at the Border Yes, we have a serious problem at the border—indeed, at every border we create and defend with force of arms and bureaucratic indifference. “‘If you want water, just drink from a toilet.’ That’s what border patrol told one thirsty woman we met on today’s #DemsAtTheBorder trip. These are the same... Read more |
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Views Thursday, June 27, 2019 American Concentration Camps “These aren’t people. These are animals .” These words alone set off the alarm — the fascism alarm, you might say. Donald Trump is by no means the sole source of America’s democracy nosedive, but he’s its current, deeply troubling manifestation. Should I write this week about the wars he wants to... Read more |
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Views Thursday, June 20, 2019 War Begets War... and Nothing Else Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran . . . Thanks, John McCain ! Let’s mix a little humor in with war. It’s so much easier to take when we do. By the way, have you noticed that we’re always on the verge of war? “The bombing will be massive, but will be limited to a specific target.” So said a U.N... Read more |
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Views Friday, June 14, 2019 The Armed Bureaucracy This is hardly a surprise: A recent study by the Missouri attorney general’s office shows that black drivers are at least twice as likely — in some towns, much more than that — to be stopped by police as white drivers. And a few days before the study came out, something called the Plain View... Read more |
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Views Thursday, June 06, 2019 The Quiet Killer at the Core of Patriotism What? Another mass murder? Almost missed this one: Virginia Beach. Twelve killed on May 31, plus the killer himself, who was a city employee—an engineer. He had legitimate access to the building where he shot people on three floors. His guns were legally purchased. Nothing about him, prior to the... Read more |
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Views Thursday, May 30, 2019 Assange Indictments Hide the Context of War The U.S. government protects itself , not democracy. That's what is most apparent about its 18-count indictment of Julian Assange, not to mention the ongoing imprisonment of Chelsea Manning, for the leaking and release of State Department and military documents and videos a decade ago. The current... Read more |
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Views Thursday, May 23, 2019 Politicizing a Woman’s Body White men rule! That’s the uber-message quietly emerging from the new anti-abortion laws recently passed in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Missouri, no matter that the public remains predominantly supportive of safe, legal abortions. That doesn’t matter, see. The fact that the Republican Party controls... Read more |
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Views Thursday, May 16, 2019 War's Unanswered Questions “Over these last few years, given the wars it has waged and the international treaties it has arbitrarily reneged on, the U.S. government perfectly fits its own definition of a rogue state.” — Arundhati Roy You have the world’s largest military, you’re going to use it, right? Donald Trump and his... Read more |
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Views Friday, May 10, 2019 What's Next: War With Venezuela? Mix a little socialism in with the oil and war may be unavoidable. Thus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , talking about Venezuela: “The president has been crystal clear and incredibly consistent. Military action is possible. If that’s what’s required, that’s what the United States will do.” He goes... Read more |
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Views Sunday, May 05, 2019 Nonviolence or Nonexistence The day before he died, Martin Luther King said these words at a packed church in Memphis: “Men for years now have been talking about war and peace. Now no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world, it is nonviolence or nonexistence... Read more |