Archive
A Tribute to George McGovern
I am saddened to hear that progressive champion Sen. George McGovern is reported to be at the end of his days. He has lived a life nearly as large as his heart.
This Week in OtherWords: October 17
Half a century ago this month, the Cuban Missile Crisis didn’t culiminate in an exchange of nuclear blows between Washington and Moscow.
Can Obama Get His Groove Back?
One January night before his re-election campaign heated up, President Obama took the podium at the Apollo theatre in Harlem. He scanned the room and flashed his megawatt smile, prompting the crowd of 1,400 young professionals to cheer “Four More Years! Four More Years!” The president gave a shout out to the singers India.Arie and the Rev. Al Green. Then, channeling Green, Obama sang: “I’m so in love with you.” The crowd, predictably, went nuts.
Pulling the Plug on Ex-Gay Quackery
Jerry, a 23-year-old gay Texan, endured seven years of so-called “conversion therapy” starting at the age of 13. One of the most humiliating “treatments” entailed being taken to Nevada, where prostitution is legal, and forced to perform sex acts — which he found revolting — with female “sexual healers” who were twice his age.
More Lucky than Brilliant
If you were born before 1950, you probably remember what happened in October 1962. If you were born after that fateful month, you’re lucky.
A Plan for the Democratic Party
Until the votes are cast and counted, no one, no matter how smart or well-connected, can predict with certainty the outcome of the 2012 elections. And yet, Democrats and some Republicans are already forecasting that President Barack Obama will win re-election, and Democrats will maintain control of the Senate and pick up new House seats.
Empty Anti-Wall Street Rhetoric
The Risky Business of Eating in America
Long before human beings decoded the human genome or split the atom, they discovered that arsenic is very good at killing things. The ancient Romans prized it as a murder weapon because it could be mixed into food or drink without altering its color, taste, or smell. Plus, a tiny dose kills without fail.
Fracking Liars
As they drill for quick corporate profits deep inside our Earth, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, and other titans of the natural gas hydraulic fracturing industry are harming people’s health, the environment, and local economies all across the country. They’re also fracking something essential to a properly functioning democratic society: truth.