Archive
Throwing Public Education under the Bus
Public education used to be, you know, public — an essential societal investment for the betterment of all, paid for by all through school taxes. In addition to privatization schemes to turn education over to corporate profiteers, public schools themselves have...
The Clean Power Plan Enters the Ring
Hard Knocks U
In the 1960s, I attended the University of North Texas. It was a public school blessed with good teachers and an educational culture focused on enabling us students to become socially useful citizens. And it was affordable — with close-to-free tuition and a part-time...
In OtherWords: August 5, 2015
This week in OtherWords, Daphne Wysham weighs in on the growing fossil-fuel resistance across the Pacific Northwest that made Portland’s “kayaktivists” a media sensation while I explain how a boom in solar-powered electric vehicles could help resolve the climate...
Supporters of Diplomacy over War Must Speak Up
Members of Congress are fleeing Washington's steam bath for their August recess, making this a key time for constituents to raise their voices on crucial issues. Right now, the biggest thing lawmakers must decide is whether they'll join the 54 percent of voters who...
Coal, Oil, Gas: None Shall Pass
Retired professional photographer Rick Rappaport was standing in 6 inches of water on the overcrowded floating dock, watching the drama unfold before him. The Fennica, a massive Shell icebreaker ship, was inching down Oregon's Willamette River en route to Alaska. It...
An Extraordinary Diplomatic Feat
The nuclear agreement with Iran is an extraordinary feat of diplomacy. First and foremost, non-proliferation experts agree that the deal blocks all of the routes to making an atomic bomb. There are provisions for rigorous inspections — so if Iran cheats, the world...
Is O’Malley an Environmental Champion?
Commanding the backing of only 2 percent of Democrats in national polls, Martin O’Malley isn’t exactly a big contender in his quest to become the party's presidential nominee. But like the rest of the growing number of hopefuls, the former Maryland governor is...
A Driving Force
Back in 1898, New York City hosted a global environmental summit. Flummoxed, the assembled experts disbanded early without agreeing on workable solutions. What daunting crisis brought about this precursor of today's big UN climate conferences? Fast-growing cities were...
The Sentence They Don’t Tell You About
Eight years ago I blew the whistle on the CIA’s torture program. I knew there'd be trouble, but I never could've predicted the years-long ordeal that followed. My revelations led to a four-year-long FBI investigation and five felony charges — against me, not the...
