Archive
Franken v. Roberts
At last, there’s a Democrat in the Senate who’s acting like a real Democrat in the FDR mold, unafraid and unabashed to go right at the corporate powers who dominate our economy, environment, media, politics, and government. Al Franken, the new Minnesota senator who won the seat once held by the fighting populist Paul Wellstone, is shaking up the Washington establishment on behalf of regular folks. Instead of going-along-to-get-along, Franken is speaking bluntly about the raw judicial activism and corporate obsequiousness of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, a lifelong servant of the corporate agenda.
It Takes too Much Money to Run
There’s no small irony in the United States forcing “democracy” down the throats of our adversaries around the world while our own democracy is teetering on so many perilous brinks. Given the shaky system here, what nation abroad would want to take direction from us?
Tar Balls
Letters to the Editor: Debating Mexican Immigration
Manuel Pérez-Rocha’s OtherWords op-ed Misguided U.S. Economic Policies Drive Many Mexicans to Come Here is clearly a conversation-starter.
Speculation Tax
Rep. Pete Stark introduced legislation today that would “simply impose a small tax–of five thousandths of one percent, or 0.005%” on speculative currency transactions, the California Democrat said in on Huffington Post. “The money raised would be put toward investments in children, global health, and climate change mitigation.”
The Lineup: Week of July 19-25, 2010
The latest OtherWords editorial package features an op-ed by Manuel Pérez-Rocha and a cartoon by Khalil Bendib about immigration.
Misguided U.S. Economic Policies Drive Many Mexicans to Come Here
President Barack Obama did the right thing by supporting comprehensive immigration reform that would place millions of undocumented workers on the path to citizenship. Obama even went a step further, suing the state of Arizona for its unconstitutional and racially profiling immigration law. That law would punish and divide families, many of whose members have worked years for this country.
Kagan’s Fascinating Conversations
Before the hearings for Elena Kagan’s confirmation to the Supreme Court began, the media and political insiders agreed on one thing. It wasn’t that Solicitor General Kagan would come off as too conservative or too liberal, as some commentators claimed. Everyone expected that the confirmation hearings would be boring. And everyone was wrong.
Kids, Condoms, Controversy
A few weeks ago, a tiny resort community on the tip of Cape Cod found itself at the center of a national firestorm. Media descended in droves. People called the town “absurd” and “disgusting.” Even the governor of Massachusetts got involved.
Congress Should Protect National Security Whistleblowers
What makes America safe? This fundamental question lies at the heart of current congressional debate over whether national security employees who expose wrongdoing should have the right to fight against retaliation.
