Coal Smoke and Planetary Fever

Coal Smoke and Planetary Fever

I recently returned to my childhood home in India with my siblings for a final walk down memory lane with my elderly mother. As expected, it was a powerfully emotional experience. But in ways unexpected, it brought home to me how our planetary fever — climate change —...
Go Deport Yourself

Go Deport Yourself

I bet Mitt Romney has a sweatshirt that says I (heart) Florida. His victory in the Sunshine State revitalized his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. Florida also gave him an opportunity to explain his immigration policy. Asked how he would deal with...
Dodging the Media on the Campaign Trail

Dodging the Media on the Campaign Trail

If you’re a political candidate these days, the name of the game is to talk to your “target audience” apparently without answering questions from them — or, God forbid, from a journalist. Take Mitt Romney’s recent visit to Colorado, prior...
Legislating Under the Influence

Legislating Under the Influence

It’s all the rage in state legislatures and even in Congress. More than a dozen states are debating proposals to require jobless Americans who receive unemployment benefits to submit to mandatory drug testing. The argument for forcing the unemployed to relieve...
The Fight over Reproductive Rights

The Fight over Reproductive Rights

The air is still thick with outrage over President Barack Obama’s attempt to require all employers to provide insurance coverage for people who desire (or need) birth control. Catholic bishops and their fellow travelers exploded in righteous indignation over a...