Rights and Democracy
The Moral Monday Moment
Rosa Parks became a powerful symbol of courage and defiance in the Civil Rights Movement by simply refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus, as the racist culture of that time dictated she was supposed to do. Only, there was nothing...
Net Neutrality Is Dead. Here’s How to Get It Back
This piece originally appeared in the Huffington Post. Three judges in D.C. just killed Net Neutrality. This could be the end of the Internet as we know it. But it doesn't have to be. The big news: A federal appeals court struck down the Federal Communications...
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Progressive Promise
A new year brought a new mayor and new hope for progressive change to America's largest city. "We are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at his inauguration. "And so...
Sobering Up Without Stepping Down
Perhaps you thought the political world was finally safe from the dynamic duo of Rob Ford and Trey Radel. But no. Heeeere they come, rushing back into the limelight. Ford, the explosive Toronto mayor, became a global punch line last year after a video showed hizzoner...
Nottoway to Make a Good Impression
If you visit the website of Nottoway Plantation, a resort hotel, you'll see a photo of a half-dozen people dressed in antebellum finery. It's a plug for Nottoway's new mystery theater evening: The actors play members of the Randolph family who built the property. Or...
Flashing Too Little Editorial Integrity
Attention, class. Here's today's new word: "Native advertising." OK, that's two words. But it's one concept, and it has nothing to do with indigenous peoples. Rather, it's a phrase sprung on us by the wonky wordsmiths of Internet media, who also refer to it as "brand...
She Knew I Would Make It
After Peter O'Toole died in December, The New York Times gave him a worthy sendoff. The marvelous English actor's obituary, which began on the front page, ran several thousand words. At the conclusion of its online version the Times ran this addendum: "An earlier...
A Ploy to Dilute the Democratic Party’s Message
Here's a jarring headline: "Economic Populism Is a Dead End for Democrats." That's the title on a recent op-ed piece written by a couple of longtime political flacks for Wall Street and published, naturally, in The Wall Street Journal. Take it from me, when the barons...
Three Lessons from Mandela
Everyone seems to agree that Nelson Mandela, like Martin Luther King Jr., is one of the great figures not only of the 20th century but, indeed, of the long trail of history. Here are three lessons we can learn from his amazing life: Lesson 1: There are times when...
The End of the Internet As We Know It
The Internet is the world's largest shopping mall, library, video store, post office and town square. When you turn on your computer, you're in the driver's seat, choosing what you want to read, watch, and hear. We owe everything we love about the Web to net...
