Archive
A Twisted Tribute
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of staff, wants to honor a particular military hero. Well sure, who doesn't admire General George Washington? Or maybe a hero from the Civil War or World War II? Here's a twist: Maybe it's General Buck...
In OtherWords: March 4, 2015
This week in OtherWords, Peter Certo explains why Benjamin Netanyahu is wrong about Iran and Jim Hightower weighs in on the mountains of money that will shape the 2016 elections. Do you want to make sure you don’t miss the latest from OtherWords? Please subscribe to...
When Bibi Came to Town
When Benjamin Netanyahu looked out over the joint session of Congress that had assembled to hear him speak on March 3, the Israeli prime minister almost caught a glimpse of something unusual: empty seats. That would've been a rarity in Washington, where bipartisan...
This Trade Deal Will Make You Sick
Food is more than just what we eat. It connects us to each other and our environment. And how we treat it is of tremendous importance to our democracy. Right now, the future of our food is being decided behind closed doors. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a...
Banking on Tanking
In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, less than an hour's drive from my childhood home, two high school girls' basketball teams just made national headlines — by trying to lose to each other. The basketball gods must have cringed at the late-February matchup between Smyrna and...
Reclaiming Our State Budgets
I live in Chicago, a city of dramatic skylines and gleaming office towers for titans of business and finance. My state of Illinois is home to 17 billionaires, and our downstate farmers are the country’s second-largest corn and soybean producers. And yet new Illinois...
What We Lose with a Privatized Postal Service
Did you know that when you ship a package through Federal Express, the U.S. Postal Service often carries it the last mile? Last year, the Postal Service delivered 1.4 billion packages for FedEx and UPS. In fact, it delivers the last mile for almost a third of FedEx...
Wal-Mart Does Something Right
Once, I indirectly forced a neighbor to drive far out of her way for a head of broccoli. I think she's forgiven me, but I'm not sure the love is still the same. She was kindly caring for my child and running errands when she turned toward Wal-Mart for a quick stop. My...
Kissing the Koch Ring
After the Supreme Court's democracy-mugging decree that let corporations dump unlimited amounts of money into our elections, a guy named Larry sent me an email that perfectly summed it all up: "Big money has plucked our eagle!" Thanks to the court's freakish Citizens...
A Crash Course on Reality
I was always one of those kids who got As in school. Give me an assignment, I’ll do it. A test? I’ll take it. Lecture to me, and I’ll absorb every word. Now that I’m back at school 11 years after getting my college degree, though, I suddenly find myself in a very...
