Archive
Don’t Let Them Blind You with Their Science
When I first began researching agriculture, I had no idea how organic farming worked. I saw it as a somewhat backward yet non-toxic and desirable way to grow food. Organic farmers didn’t use fertilizer, I figured, so maybe the plants would be smaller. And they didn’t...
Staffing Up for Corruption
Oh, great — just what America's Big Money politics needed: more campaign consultants. Already, candidates are walled off from people, reality, and any honesty about themselves by a battalion of highly specialized consultants controlling everything from issues to...
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Who Can Corral the Crazy Caucus?
House Republicans are in turmoil. House Speaker John Boehner gave up his position because he couldn’t stand the job anymore. Next in line was Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who started running but quickly backed off. Rep. Paul Ryan says he’s thinking about taking the job, even...
In OtherWords: October 21, 2015
This week in OtherWords, John Kiriakou points out that Hillary Clinton should have known better when she attacked Edward Snowden while Donald Kaul explains why the leading Democratic presidential candidate’s odds are so good. Do you want to make sure you don’t miss...
Obama’s Unholy Trade Policy
Pope Francis waxed radical on several big issues in his speech to Congress last September. He condemned the arms trade, called for climate action, and challenged lawmakers to protect the most vulnerable among us. It was wonderful. But for some reason, there was one...
Taking out the Trash Burners
Having scored one big victory for jobs and the environment, a group of Baltimore activists is trying to take things to the next level. Curtis Bay, their heavily polluted Baltimore neighborhood, had been bracing for a $1 billion garbage incinerator that would have...
Oddballs Like These Make Hillary’s Odds Good
Eight years ago in New Hampshire, when the question of Hillary Clinton’s likability came up during the Democratic presidential debate, Barack Obama said, memorably: “You’re likable enough, Hillary.” That condescending comment earned him the scorn among some liberals...
What Clinton Got Wrong About Snowden
Hillary Clinton is wrong about Edward Snowden. Again. The presidential candidate and former secretary of state insisted during the recent Democratic debate that Snowden should have remained in the United States to voice his concerns about government spying on U.S....
The Great Pumpkin Shortage Is Coming
Pumpkin fever is back. The latest bout of this seasonal disorder has infected Hostess Twinkies and moved Starbucks to put a smidge of real pumpkin in its pumpkin spice lattes. Previously, the ubiquitous coffee purveyor used a common ploy: It evoked agrarian and...
