Archive
Turning our Tears into Action
A movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. A Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. A shopping mall in Oregon. A political event outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. The streets of big cities like Chicago. And now an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. When will the madness...
A Grim New Year for Women
While some prominent Republicans appear to be more open to raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of a budget deal that would keep us from tumbling off the so-called "fiscal cliff," others are digging their heels in deeper. Re-elected House members in...
The New Agenda on Guns We Need after Newtown
I'm glad I retired five months ago. Think of it: I was spared writing about the presidential election, an event so vacuous it made reality TV seem interesting. If there was any serious discussion of an important national issue — global warming, our obesity epidemic,...
A More Humane Holiday Ham
"What are your Christmas traditions?" I asked the family I was staying with in Kenya earlier this year while doing some research. I wondered whether Kenyans decorated Christmas trees or awaited Santa Claus like American children do. My host's response surprised me....
The Emperor of Avarice
The essence of greed? Simple. Greed amounts to taking more than you need when you already have enough — and others don't. Who among us, by this yardstick, rate as our greediest? Those who have the wherewithal to take whatever they want — and deny others the basics...
Michigan Bucks Democracy
Michigan is no longer a state. It is now "Michiganistan," an autocratic czardom in the hands of Emperor Rick Snyder. Formerly the Republican governor, Snyder has been enthroned by the GOP's lame-duck, legislative supermajority to rule with an iron fist — democracy,...
Nixing Nuclear Energy
Atoms make Those turbines fly; Just not safe For you or I. You’ll be pleased to hear that after decades of diligent negotiations, nuclear weapons are no longer the greatest danger to the world today. You’ll be less pleased to hear that the top danger now is nuclear...
Good Company
Michigan’s Right-to-Shirk Law
About half of the nation's states are now enforcing corporate servitude measures like the "right-to-work" bill that Michigan's lame-duck legislature and conservative governor just rushed into law. These misleadingly named laws make it harder, if not impossible, to run...
This Week in OtherWords: 12-12-12
Our service is free for newspapers, new media outlets, and engaged citizens. But professional editing, proofreading, and concerted efforts to get new outlets to run these bold opinions requires at least a modest budget.
