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Douglas Herman
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Joined: 2009-08-30
Columns on STR: 132
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douglasherman7@gmail.com

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name: 
Douglas Herman
Sex: 
Male
Country: 
United States

Short bio:

Award winning artist, photographer and freelance journalist, Douglas Herman enjoys exploring the occasional ghost town or spooky conspiracy and can be found wandering the back roads of America. Recently Doug finished writing, directing and producing an independent feature film, naturally a "road movie," and credits STR for giving him the impetus to write well, both provocatively and entertainingly. A longtime gypsy, Doug completed a 10,000 mile circumnavigation of North America, by bicycle, at the age of 35, and still wanders between Bullhead City, Arizona and Kodiak, Alaska with forays frequently into the so-called civilized world of Greater LA.

RECENT COMMENTS BY Douglas Herman

Columns by Douglas Herman

The First Annual Liberty Internet Awards
0
Douglas Herman 2007-03-15 17:00
March 16, 2007 "In many ways, what we in journalism need is a spine transplant." ~ Dan Rather The first Oscar ceremony (1927-28) was a modest affair. Now look at it. Hollywood spends far more time and money lavishing praise on itself than making good movies. That gold-plated statuette is as coveted as the crown jewels.
What Was Asked of Us
0
Douglas Herman 2007-03-06 17:00
Exclusive to STR March 7, 2007 "I found myself in a highly civilized world ignoring the Vietnam War . . . . Nobody I knew even talked about Vietnam, making it a very difficult situation to return to." ~ Oliver Stone, movie director and Vietnam veteran
Aftermath: Day 2, the War With Iran
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Douglas Herman 2007-01-30 17:00
In the first fierce day of war, when coordinated air strikes on Iranian targets destroyed most of the Iranian air force and navy, the US military appeared invincible again. Wrecking a second-rate military power does that for an imperial war machine. By the second day of the war, however, most American and Iranian citizens wished for peace. Unfortunately, wars are always easier to get into than...
What Is the 'Root' of Evil?
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Douglas Herman 2007-01-02 17:00
January 3, 2007 'There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.' ~ Thoreau Lake dweller Henry David Thoreau enjoyed an enviable, pastoral life in the pre-industrial age. Living in the woods on the shore of the 60 acre Walden Pond, a mile from the village of Concord, Massachusetts , Henry had ample time to dwell on the topic of good and evil.
Dear Senator McCain: When and Why Did You Sell Your Soul?
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Douglas Herman 2006-11-19 17:00
Exclusive to STR November 20, 2006
Working Class Hero: 40 Jobs in 40 Years
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Douglas Herman 2006-10-17 16:00
Exclusive to STR October 18, 2006 "A working class hero is something to be." ~ John Lennon
Voting: Placebo Or Drug of Choice?
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Douglas Herman 2006-10-15 16:00
"Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." ~ Jerry Garcia So you have a choice, Americans. You can vote and hope your votes get counted, properly recorded by those electronic black boxes. You can vote and convince yourself you have performed your "patriotic duty." You can vote and pick some candidate you know very little about. You can vote and feel really, really, really good...
These Are the Troops I Support
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Douglas Herman 2006-07-24 16:00
'The Republican Party has been reduced to one principle ' its own power. It protects the Bush regime from accountability and covers up its lies and misdeeds. Under the myths and lies that enshroud 9/11, the Democrats have collapsed as an opposition party.' ~ Paul Craig Roberts The US mainstream media, from time to time, projects New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State Condaleeza...
These Are the Troops I Support
0
Douglas Herman 2006-05-24 16:00
'Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad . . . .' ~ Tom Joad, The Grapes of Wrath I used to think I was the only oddball in the military, the only malcontent, the only dissident, the only 'bad troop,' as they used to say.
Revolt in the Ranks? Be VERY Careful, Neocon
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Douglas Herman 2006-05-14 16:00
A few weeks ago, about the same time those high-ranking US generals were stating-- emphatically--their displeasure with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the conduct of the war in Iraq, Military.com ran a story on the Internet'Wounded Soldiers Left in Debt.
Two Cheers for Immigrants
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Douglas Herman 2006-05-09 16:00
I love immigrants. I hope to marry one someday. Since 100% of Americans are immigrants or descended from immigrants, either legal or 'illegal' ones, I guess that makes me an immigrant too.
United 93: Film Review--Questions, Questions
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Douglas Herman 2006-05-02 16:00
Will we, each of us, live or die heroically? Most of us will never know, right up to the exact moment of our death. We might, however, act exactly like the doomed passengers of United Flight 93, terrorized, dithering, agonizing before finally taking decisive action, according to the recent movie about the hijacked flight.
Vendetta: Heroism, Terrorism or Patriotism?
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Douglas Herman 2006-03-28 16:00
'The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.' ~ Thomas Jefferson Maybe you have seen that movie, V for Vendetta. Surprisingly, if you click on the flags on the website that indicate specific countries, you will notice the movie hasn't opened in many countries.
Young Oliver Stone in Fallujah
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Douglas Herman 2006-03-27 16:00
While you finished your second cup of coffee or morning commute, a young soldier in Iraq recorded 'a world of hurt' as troops used to say in Nam . He recorded them in his mind. He saw so many things that young people just out of high school shouldn't see. He saw them while shouldering a heavy pack and wearing body armor, unaware his mind was recording them. All the things he saw jumbled...
Live Free or Die: Is Liberty an Illusion?
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Douglas Herman 2006-03-22 17:00
No man is free who does not realize he is foremost a prisoner. Imprisoned by unfulfilled desires, as Buddha described, and selfish worldly aspirations. Not to mention bills, bodily functions, jobs, duties, obligations, allegiances, plus hunger and thirst. Diogenes sought an honest man; Jesus explained that no man is good; Marx theorized no one is free until they have cast off their chains.
You Disgrace Your Uniform, Sir!'
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Douglas Herman 2006-03-21 17:00
How many patriots work in the Pentagon? Lots of professional military officers work there--Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines--hurrying along the corridors, good and decent men mostly. Wouldn't it be wonderful to read their thoughts, as they conduct America 's military business?
Whorehouses I Have Known
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Douglas Herman 2006-03-08 17:00
I get wistful whenever I think of Rio de Janeiro . The most beautiful women in the world live in Brazil , many of them what polite society would call working girls. But I get ahead of myself. Now most parents haven't the slightest clue what happens when their little Johnny gets his gun and finishes his training for war. They think the US military might make a man out of him'if it doesn't kill...
The S.O.B. Has to Go--Yeah, But Which One?
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Douglas Herman 2006-02-28 17:00
'Neighbor, how stands the Union ?' ~ Stephen Vincent Benet (The Devil and Daniel Webster) The liveliest writers live on the Net. The best and brightest American essayists flourish not on the printed page, neither in polite college presses nor pulp newsprint but where free thought meets the free form use of the English language. Only on the Net.
Gold, Silver and the Coming Crisis in Iran
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Douglas Herman 2006-02-12 17:00
Some might call it the Deja Vu War, the same war happening all over again. The same accusers and the same accusations, the same threats and the same predictable UN sanctions, the same script and timetable. The same Shock and Awe air attack. The same stalemate. The same wasted lives, wasted resources and squandered billions by the exact same culprit, the state.
A Million Little Pieces
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Douglas Herman 2006-02-05 17:00
Man, I'd love to write a bestseller. Sell a million copies and appear on prime time TV. I'd love to hobnob with Larry King Live and Oprah and Regis. Party at the Playboy mansion, my name printed atop the New York Times bestseller list, and have my book reprinted a zillion times in paperback. Best of all, I'd love to get a million little pieces of US currency stuffed in my wallet. Sure, I'd...
Bumper Stickers I'd Love to See
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Douglas Herman 2005-12-19 17:00
One thing I've noticed about bumper stickers: They piss off adults and amuse adolescents. Motorists stuck behind my slow-moving vehicle are forced to read a dozen or so flippant, provocative or anti-authoritarian messages before can safely pass (see photo). Most of these motorists emerge stony-faced, staring straight ahead, as they speed past me on some country road.
I Broke the Law at Walden Pond--Twice
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Douglas Herman 2005-12-13 17:00
'If I repent of anything it is likely to be my good behavior.' -Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) A lawbreaker once lived here by this little lake. He broke the law, encouraged others to break the law, and inspired millions more who visit Walden Pond every year to resist unwise laws. To bend them, break them, ignore them or question them. I broke...
Worst President Ever? You Might Be Surprised
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Douglas Herman 2005-11-15 17:00
He shut down newspapers, imprisoned editors, and forced reporters to toe the official US government line long before the PATRIOT Act. Then he attacked US cities and burned them to the ground. Who was he? He lied to US voters, sided with one European imperial state against another, and plunged neutralist America into a disastrous war that cost 320,000 American casualties. Who was he?
Heart of Darkness and the Fog of War
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Douglas Herman 2005-11-13 17:00
Heart of Darkness and the Fog of War by Douglas Herman
What Aliens Know About Earth
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Douglas Herman 2005-11-06 17:00
One bit of speculation: Maybe our alien observers are hanging around Earth to observe the expected demise of our planet. Reportedly some scientists have observed a planet-dissolving cloud of cosmic dust, with a penchant for devouring tiny planets and all their inhabitants, nine years away and traveling fast. Maybe, just maybe, the aliens are hanging around, reserving grandstand seats, to witness...
Deadliest Catch: One Alaska Fisherman to Another
10
Douglas Herman 2008-09-28 16:00
Exclusive to STR September 29, 2008
The Confessions of Osama Bin Laden
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Douglas Herman 2008-11-17 17:00
I confess I did not know then, but I know now, why you Americans stopped chasing me at Tora Bora in October 2001.
Does the American Empire Deserve to Die?
10
Douglas Herman 2009-11-01 17:00
 Exclusive to STR November 2, 2009 I’m halfway through a reflective book written by an old curmudgeon. Part patriot, part historian, all gadfly, Gore Vidal wrote Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia in 2004, just before the upcoming national elections. Almost a time capsule coupled with dire prophecy, the book is a sober,...
Adventures in Silver and Gold, Part 1: Seeking Precious Metal in The Melting Pot of Life
10
Douglas Herman 2011-04-25 03:00
Column by Douglas Herman. Exclusive to STR Metal, heavy metal is much in the news these days. While heavy radioactive metals are melting down in Japan, the twin precious metals of gold and silver are melting upwards. We are always surrounded by precious metal. It is inside us. Sometimes we sacrifice our more precious mettle inside of us to sweat and sacrifice and finally extract the less valuable...
Star-Crossed Super Ships: Titanic, Enterprise, America
10
Douglas Herman 2012-03-23 00:00
Column by Douglas Herman. Exclusive to STR The whole world looked different one hundred years ago.   In 1912, the automobile and the airplane were curiosities. England enjoyed an enormous empire in 1912, served by freighters, tankers, liners and warships. As immigration flooded across the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of those ships ferried passengers across to America. Shipyards launched bigger...
They Stole His Money, Her Money & Mine Too
9.6
Douglas Herman 2012-01-24 01:00
Column by Doug Herman. Exclusive to STR  Just before the holidays, I walked into my local Wells Fargo bank to cash a small birthday check one of my sisters gave to me. Imagine my surprise when the teller informed me my small savings account was closed. I told her she was mistaken, and asked her to please check again; I knew I had about $800 in the account and I never use the ATM and don...
All My Heroes Died Broke, Broken, Not Beaten
9.6
Douglas Herman 2012-03-08 01:00
Column by Douglas Herman. Exclusive to STR  “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure that it will kill you too, but there will be no special hurry.” ~ Ernest Hemingway   Recently I...
Black Swans vs. Canary in the Coal Mine
9.5
Douglas Herman 2012-02-27 01:00
Column by Doug Herman. Exclusive to STR  Not all Black Swans are created equally.     Orchestrated human events are rarely Black Swan events. No matter how surprising to the masses, sudden and spectacular world events are rarely random, or so called Black Swans. Most Black Swans are human creations, created by and for the power elites. Pearl Harbor (1941), followed by the...
'Lone Gunman': Suspicious Similarities, Norwegian, Australian, American Shooters
7.2
Douglas Herman 2012-12-17 09:24
Column by Douglas Herman. Exclusive to STR “We live in a dirty and dangerous world. There are some things the general public does not need to know, and shouldn't. I believe democracy flourishes when the government can take legitimate steps to keep its secrets and when the press can decide whether to print what it knows.” ~ Katherine Graham, Publisher of the Washington...
A Naturalist Looks at Avatar
5.5
Douglas Herman 2010-01-12 04:00
Exclusive to STR Maybe you’ve seen the first billion dollar movie. Maybe you saw it in 3-D, at an IMAX theater, with Dolby Surround Sound. Maybe you saw that movie and wondered what James Cameron was trying to say, if anything, and whether it was just another popcorn matinee movie with little substance behind the special effects.  Avatar might be one of those movies discussed in...

 

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