Funding our Future

Funding our Future

It’s not just about the bird. When Mitt Romney declared in the first presidential debate that if he were elected he would cut funding for Big Bird, he really meant he’d take the knife to the whole kit and kaboodle. His policy platform called for the total...
Turning our Tears into Action

Turning our Tears into Action

A movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. A Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. A shopping mall in Oregon. A political event outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. The streets of big cities like Chicago. And now an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. When will the madness...
A Grim New Year for Women

A Grim New Year for Women

While some prominent Republicans appear to be more open to raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of a budget deal that would keep us from tumbling off the so-called “fiscal cliff,” others are digging their heels in deeper. Re-elected House...
The New Agenda on Guns We Need after Newtown

The New Agenda on Guns We Need after Newtown

I’m glad I retired five months ago. Think of it: I was spared writing about the presidential election, an event so vacuous it made reality TV seem interesting. If there was any serious discussion of an important national issue — global warming, our obesity...
A More Humane Holiday Ham

A More Humane Holiday Ham

“What are your Christmas traditions?” I asked the family I was staying with in Kenya earlier this year while doing some research. I wondered whether Kenyans decorated Christmas trees or awaited Santa Claus like American children do. My host’s...