Archive
Five Years after Katrina
Five years after the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the botched recovery effort that followed, Congress has yet to ensure that survivors of future disasters on the Gulf Coast or elsewhere won’t face the nightmare that still prevents tens of thousands of former residents from returning to the Gulf states. The BP oil disaster is further compounding the consequences of that inept response.
Mosque of Liberty
We would do well to remember why America as a nation exists at all: The early colonists from Europe fled the tyranny of monarchs who could tell them whom, how, whether, when, and where they could worship.
The Case for Killing Bush’s Tax Cuts for the Rich
Things in Washington these days are beginning to look a lot like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: Two ghosts from Republican administrations past have risen from political Palookaville to rattle their chains and issue dire warnings to their former colleagues.
Shut Up and Eat Your Sugar
One, America has a rather huge child obesity problem. Two, major food corporations constantly pitch ads to children for such stuff as sugar-saturated breakfast cereals and fat-laden “Happy Meals.” So, how does fact No. 2 relate to fact No. 1? Yes, No. 2 is a cause of No. 1. It’s really not that hard to grasp, is it?
Sugary Foods Industry
Another Curse for Afghanistan
As if war, tyranny, drugs, corruption, disease and misogyny weren’t misfortune enough for Afghanistan, now the Pentagon reports that it also suffers that worst affliction of all–mineral resources.
Averting the Next Mortgage Meltdown While Cooling the Planet
Crisis breeds opportunity. And in this case there could be a double opportunity. It turns out that buildings are responsible for about half of America’s emissions of greenhouse gases that are heating our planet.
Addressing the Scourge of Rape on Tribal Lands
More than one in three Native women will be raped in their lifetime–86 percent of them by non-Native perpetrators. Indigenous women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the United States.
U.S. Military Aid to Colombia Violates Human Rights Law
A “false positive” diagnosis causes relief when it means earlier signs of cancer were wrong. In Colombia, a “falso positivo” deepens grief, for it means the suspicion that a murdered youth belonged to the guerrilla forces was a mistake. Usually, the murderer likely knew that already.
The Problem with Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
Close observers agree that the Supreme Court’s Monsanto Company v. Geertson Seed Farms decision is a big deal, but many of us disagree about what it actually means. As a farmer and advocate, I view the ruling as a major victory because it helps determine who controls our seed supplies and our food sovereignty. This ruling, issued in June, declares that it’s still illegal to sell or plant Monsanto’s GM Roundup Ready alfalfa seed.
