Rights and Democracy
Standing Up to a Theoretical Threat
Strange things are happening in Washington. In the Senate, Rand Paul, the son of presidential candidate Ron Paul, recently proved himself a chip off the old blockhead by conducting a one-man filibuster. I'm not talking about the namby-pamby...
Return to Sender
Rooted in the Constitution and older than the country itself, the U.S. Postal Service supports 7.5 million private-sector jobs in the mailing industry. The Postal Service is essential to the fast-growing Internet sales industry. And the USPS is navigating this...
Shooting an Endangered Species
Will the Next Pope Make a Difference?
Will Pope Benedict XVI's resignation make any difference? He and his predecessor have appointed a College of Cardinals so profoundly rooted in his vision of the world that it would really take a miracle for the next Pope to be more in the tradition of Jesus and John...
The GOP’s Pitch-Perfect Platform
Here's some unexpected news. It comes from what purports to be an official document of the National Republican Party. And — wow — the policy positions it contains show that party leaders really are serious about coming to their senses and rejecting the far-right...
A Global Spotlight on Voter Suppression
Just before his death this past Thanksgiving, my friend Lawrence Guyot whispered one last assignment: We must "internationalize" the struggle over the right to vote. Decades ago, our movement to end segregation and extend the full rights of citizenship to all had been...
Give the Post Office a Break
The Postal Service says it's going to stop delivering mail on Saturdays. This won't happen until August, but the overseers of our postal workers in Congress are already swooning. "Outrageous" is the cry rolling through the halls of the Capitol. Can't help it, responds...
The Organized Sports Racket
While we sports fans regularly lionize the stars of pro baseball, football, basketball, etc., it's time to acknowledge that the team executives and owners are also great athletes of a different sort. They routinely make dazzling off-the-field moves. The Miami Herald...
What Post-Racial America?
Having an African-American president is convenient. It boosts U.S. credibility in the Global South and makes us look like we're making progress toward wiping out racism when we're not. But it will take more than President Barack Obama's tenure to vanquish American...
Presidential Distortion
Here's a thought: Maybe, just maybe, Barack Obama isn't a socialist. I know, if you've tuned into even a little bit of right-wing talk radio, or watched some Fox News shows over the past four years, this might come as a surprise. Obama, in the imagination of so many...
