| Sep 23, 2015 | Rights / DemocracyIn the first two Republican presidential debates, the candidates slugged it out over who hated Planned Parenthood the most. Virtually every hopeful promised to defund the organization. Some of them, including Senator Ted Cruz, are vowing to force the issue — even if...
| | Economy / BusinessI recently had the occasion to fly first class. As a poet and director of a small non-profit organization, this was a rare treat indeed. So why couldn’t I enjoy myself? It started with the warm nuts. I’d settled in with my free cocktail, having mastered the...
| | Rights / DemocracyThe Republicans have finally found someone to man up to Donald Trump, who’s threatening to turn their presidential primaries into a Saturday Night Live skit. She’s a woman. At the latest Republican debate, with a stage-full of candidates straining at the leash...
| | Peace / SecurityI worked proudly with Muslim CIA officers in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. I used to think most Americans understood that Muslim Americans are patriots, too. Ahmed Mohamed’s recent ordeal proved how wrong I was. He’s the 14-year-old who was recently interrogated,...
| | Food / FarmingWhen I began writing about agriculture nearly a decade ago, I learned quickly that people generally believed that Roundup, the best-selling weed killer made by Monsanto, was relatively harmless. Roundup breaks down quickly, everyone said — and into non-toxic...