Peace and Security
Haiti’s Hard Place
Americans are optimistic sorts. That makes it hard to fathom Haiti's grim circumstances, even though the country is just 700 miles from Miami. Business there is controlled by a handful of elite repressive families, the infrastructure doesn't support serious...
Idaho’s Reclusive Promised Land
I haven't heard such enthusiastic, downright raucous applause since Texas Gov. "Oops" Perry suggested in 2009 that his state just might withdraw from the union. Unfortunately for him, the applauders weren't Texans. They were the people of the other 49 states. This...
If Obama Hadn’t Drawn a Red Line, Would We Be Talking about Bombing Syria?
Can anyone say with a straight face that if President Barack Obama hadn't asserted one year ago that the use of poison gas would be a "red line" for military intervention, we would now be discussing a unilateral U.S. missile attack on Syria? They can dress this up as...
The Political Side Effects of Tolerating Legal Pot
Attorney General Eric Holder's recent announcement that the federal government wouldn't challenge Colorado and Washington state's ability to implement a legal regulatory system for adult recreational marijuana use marked a tremendous political victory for reform if...
Deadly Double Standards
President Barack Obama wants Congress to grant him the power to go to war with Syria, for as long as and in any way he chooses. Now it's up to the American people, as it was to the British, to say no — we don't buy it. Even if Bashar al-Assad's regime is responsible...
Exporting Unrest to Colombia
After shutting down major highways and key trucking routes for nearly two weeks, two million farmers and workers brought the Colombian government to the negotiating table to reform trade policy. Didn't know about that? Well, few in the United States are taking note...
There We Go Again
So we're going to war in Syria. Maybe. We won't know for sure until Congress gets back from the vacation it's taking from its other vacations. One can live in hope, however. What would autumn be without a fresh war in the Middle East to occupy us? I know, the...
Nelson Mandela’s Distinction
The year 2000 marked not merely the end of a century but the end of a millennium, a thousand years of history. The media's desire to fill empty space with naming "the Person of the Millennium" became all the rage. George Will, the unfailingly smug conservative...
Don’t Embarrass Authority
Tell us stuff We need to know, And soon it's off To jail you'll go. Don't get fooled by terms like "classified secrets" or "aiding the enemy." They just cover up the darker sides of our national security state. Pointing out that the emperor is naked isn't dangerous....
When Postal Workers Double as First Responders
America's letter carriers deliver letters and packages to nearly every address in the country six days a week. They also serve their customers in unexpected ways. Letter carriers know and care about their neighborhoods and customers, and they can sense when something...
