Border Boondoggle

Border Boondoggle

Good fences, wrote Robert Frost, make good neighbors. But an 18-foot high, 2,000-mile wall? That’s another story. It just antagonizes your neighbor — and shows your own fear and weakness. Yet this is what self-described conservatives running for president...
The Days of Lying to Protect Killer Cops Are Numbered

The Days of Lying to Protect Killer Cops Are Numbered

Right around Thanksgiving, the city of Chicago released a dash-cam video showing the cold-blooded murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald at the hands of a Chicago Police Department officer. The very next day, the Chicago Urban League — supported by my organization, the...
The GOP Candidates Know Nothing about Syria

The GOP Candidates Know Nothing about Syria

Like many political animals, I was glued to the latest Republican presidential debate. For the most part, there were no surprises: Donald Trump railed against Muslims, Chris Christie lamented that the NSA can’t intercept Americans’ phone calls and emails as easily as...
In Dark Times, Poetry Can Enlighten Us

In Dark Times, Poetry Can Enlighten Us

Following the Paris terrorist attacks, the colors of the French flag appeared on American computer screens, in the icons of apps and the faces of friends on Facebook. As this solidarity with the people of France surged, Americans with connections to the Middle East...