Ear to the Ground

Who Do We Remember on Memorial Day?

Staff / Truthdig May 29, 2023 The first Memorial Day was called “Decoration Day.” On May 5, 1868, commander-in-chief of a Union veterans’ organization, General John A. Logan, announced the creation of a holiday as “designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Editorial Cartoons

Lest We Forget

Christopher Weyant May 25, 2023 Dig deeper

Trump Has a Soft Spot for American War Criminals

Rebecca Gordon / TomDispatch Jun 10, 2019 The president's desire to pardon U.S. soldiers and a military contractor accused of crimes in the never-ending war on terror is troubling, at best. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Yes, My Fellow Soldiers Died in Vain

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig May 27, 2019 This Memorial Day, spare us the flyover jets, flag-wielding honor guards and other patriotic mush of 21st-century popular culture. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Button Your Fly

Mr. Fish / Truthdig May 26, 2019 Dig deeper

Trump’s Toy-Soldier Fantasy

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Feb 7, 2018 His planned parade is spectacle, not strategy, but it defines America’s growing militarism. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Hail to the Warmongers

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Dec 20, 2017 The American populace empowers militarism through questions not asked and platitudes unchallenged. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

The Untold Story of Memorial Day: How Former Slaves Honored the Civil War Dead

By Sarah Lazare / AlterNet May 29, 2017 The African-American history of the federal holiday has been nearly wiped from public memory. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Batman in a Hospital Bed

By Mark Wilkerson / TomDispatch Jun 11, 2016 With Memorial Day in the rearview mirror, many Americans have already stopped thinking about our wars and the casualties from them for another year. As for me, it’s been Memorial Day ever since I first met Tomas Young. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

On Memorial Day, U.S. Troops Are at War With Islamic State Near Mosul

Juan Cole / Truthdig May 30, 2016 On Memorial Day, it is well to remember that U.S. troops are still at war. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Obama in Hiroshima, Memorial Day and the Iran Deal (Video)

Juan Cole / Truthdig May 29, 2016 Historians will see Obama’s Iran nuclear deal as one of the greatest achievements of his presidency, and perhaps as a turning point in anti-proliferation through diplomacy. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

VIDEO: Former Rep. Ron Dellums on ‘Democracy Now!’: Peace Challenges All Forms of Injustice

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig May 25, 2015 This Memorial Day, "Democracy Now!" broadcasts a pro-peace speech by former Rep. Ron Dellums. "Peace is the superior idea," he says, "because to come together under the banner of peace forces us to challenge all forms of injustice.” Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )