Articles written by Rich Browne

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About me - Rich Browne

Currently living in Ohio, I have been something of a gypsy. I have lived in 12 states, visited 48 of the 50, two U.S. territories and 18 foreign countries.
Married (second), I have two adult daughters. I also have a stepson and a stepdaughter, both of whom

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Politics, News & Issues > US Military (Other) The distinct character of contemporary American culture in US History: 1 of 10
What does it mean to be "American"?What makes contemporary American culture distinct from previous eras of U.S. History? What makes American culture distinct from other cultures?Undoubtedly, the most important contemporary cultural change for not only Americans but everyone on the planet has been the revolution in telecommuni... More..
Politics, News & Issues > News Industry Should the government control talk radio to make it more "balanced"?: 12 of 110
I cannot speak for other countries, but only for the United States. But in the U.S. to reintroduce the Fairness Doctrine requirements to control and "balance" talk radio would be exceeding the government's authority to regulate or curtail speech.The First Amendment is quite clear that Congress, and by extension all government... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Elections Archives US elections 2008: Previews of the 2008 Democratic National Convention: 2 of 15
The question is posed: Why doesn't Hillary Rodham Clinton release her pledged delegates now that her opponent, Barack Obama, apparently has surpassed the magic number to assure himself the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic Party Convention in Denver?The better question would be why should she as she has many re... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Food & Agriculture Feeding the poor today and everyone on the planet tomorrow: What are the issues, and what can be done to avert a global food crisis?: 8 of 57
Feeding the poor today and everyone on the planet tomorrow: What are the issues, and what can be done to avert a global food crisis?The problem facing the world today is not so much a factor of supply as it is distribution.Currently, there is enough food grown on the planet to offer everyone a nutritious diet. However, millio... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Does the war on terror threaten civil liberties in the US?: 2 of 12
Does the war on terror threaten civil liberties in the US?Short answer: NoLong Answer:What are Americans' "civil" liberties?- The freedom of religion?- The freedom of speech?- The freedom of the press?- The freedom to freely associate with others?- The freedom to peaceably assemble?- The freedom to seek redress of grievances?... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Reflections: Why the Iraq war is justified: 1 of 5
Was the Iraq War necessary? Given the context of the time, it probably was.Was the Iraq War executed well? Obviously not, or the U.S. would not still have so many troops there.Why was the Iraq War necessary?To answer this question we have to slip back in time and review the complex set of circumstances that led up to the inva... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Military (Other) Should we increase the size of our military?: 6 of 27
The decision whether to increase the size of the U.S. military is fraught with questions and consequences.First question would be: Should the U.S. increase the size of its active military services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps although the Marines technically are part of the Navy but they would never admit it as they s... More..
Arts & Humanities > Citizen Journalism Should bloggers and citizen journalists have an opportunity to get credentials so they can cover Congress the same way mainstream media journalists do?: 7 of 24
The answer is without any doubt: Yes.Where is it in the purview of the government to ration access to the halls of the legislative branch of a representative government?Yes, there is a valid and understandable argument to certify certain people to be eligible to access areas that if congested with a horde of people wanting to... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Should the United States pull troops out of Iraq and surrounding countries?: 14 of 47
Should the United States pull troops out of Iraq and surrounding countries?No, unless everyone stops looking to the United States for leadership.If the U.S. pulled out the Middle East, why should it not also pull out all the other countries where it has forces forward deployed?The problem is that because the U.S. is the 900-p... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Military (Other) Should the US award defense contracts to foreign companies?: 1 of 3
Whether the U.S. should award defense contracts to foreign companies is somewhat of a moot question; in that the Americans have purchased weapons and war material from foreign countries since the founding of the republic. However, a case can be made that the U.S. sacrifices some of its strategic independence in doing so.By pu... More..