Archive
Media Silence on an Irate Gun Company’s Connection to Sandy Hook
A Colorado gun-accessories company garnered national media coverage when it announced plans to move most of its manufacturing and sales operations to Wyoming and Texas. The reports highlighted that the company was pulling up stakes to protest the state's new gun...
This Is What Climate Change Looks Like
"It's been a bit cold here," my dad told me on a recent phone call. He lives in Chicago; I'm in San Diego. The next time I turned on the news, I saw headlines screaming "Polar Vortex!" with sub-zero temperatures across the Midwest. Dad's known in our family for his...
Wisconsin’s Cheesy Innovation
For generations, picture-takers have instructed their subjects to say "cheese." Well, no people say "cheese" better than Wisconsinites, who unabashedly wear cheesehead hats in public, celebrate dozens of cheese festivals, have a Monterey Jack bacterium as the states'...
Short-Circuiting the Future
Will our fossil-fueled economy make humans go the way of the dinosaurs? There are plenty of reasons to think so. Coal, oil, and gas continue to account for 87 percent of global energy consumption despite scientific consensus that drastic change is essential for...
The Magic of De-Regulation
The People’s Rebuttal
The State of our Union is strong, He says. Extreme Inequality is wrong, He says. The poor feel like they don't belong, He says. We need a new Seeger song, He says. America needs a raise, He says. We've yet to see our best days, He says. We can defeat our malaise, He...
Remembering Pete Seeger
One of our great heroes died last night. At 94, I suppose it wasn't a tragedy for him, especially since his wife Toshi died last summer after a life of love and shared work, and 70 years of marriage, but what a huge loss. For all of us. Pete gave us everything —...
Three Boos for Cheerleader Abuse
Let's turn now to the wide, wide and cruel world of sports. The big story at this time of year, of course, is the Super Bowl — that multi-multi-million-dollar showcase of super-paid superstars, billionaire owners, taxpayer-financed sports palaces, extravagant...
Getting Trade Right Instead of Fast
Many hundreds of thousands of Americans saw their good working-class jobs disappear once NAFTA took effect. And millions of Mexicans lost their ability to live off the land after cheap factory farmed corn from the United States displaced their crops in local markets....
How to End the Syrian Bloodshed
The international negotiations to end the brutal civil war in Syria were never going to be easy. Getting all sides to the table was itself a huge challenge. On the eve of the talks it looked, for a moment, like at least that first step might be possible. To prevent...
