Rights and Democracy
Taking Embarrassing to a New Level
Virtually every president gets on a roll at some time during his administration, generally early on. And while he's on that roll, every day is a wedding. He gets bills passed, international relations go his way, and people love him. It seems he can't make a bad move....
The Orange Uprising
Overnight, Texas State Senator Wendy Davis became the face of the pro-choice movement in her state and the entire nation. When the Democrat from Fort Worth in pink running shoes filibustered for nearly 13 hours in the Texas Senate on the last day of its regular...
Battle of the Studies
Before I went to college, my high school advisors strongly encouraged me to choose a "practical" major. Science, technology, engineering, math — any of these fields would lead to a promising career. I rebelled. I chose to study international affairs and history....
DOMA’s Demise
I arrived at the Supreme Court a half hour before decision time, only to wade into a sea of rainbow, red, white, and blue. The last time I was here was in March. Bundled into my coat and scarf, I joined a demonstration outside the court as opening arguments were heard...
The Modern Movement for Civil Rights
The racial picture in America has improved remarkably in my lifetime, so much so that a black man has been elected and re-elected President of the United States — an unthinkable development just a few years ago. But paradoxically, Barack Obama's victory in 2008...
Today’s Mad Men
I remember when I first started watching Mad Men. Like most of America, I got hooked. How could I not? The glitz and glamour of 1960s Manhattan was irresistible. But from the very first episode, I knew there was something deeply wrong with this world — the...
An Endangered Species Up in Arms
As many of you already have intuited, I don't know everything. Nobody does, I suppose. More importantly, I don't know everything about anything. I'm what used to be called "a generalist," someone whose knowledge in any direction is a mile wide and a quarter-inch deep....
Fair Elections, RIP
Voting rights are under attack again — this time it's the Supreme Court's turn. The majority's ruling in the Shelby County vs. Holder case gutted key Voting Rights Act provisions at a time when minority access to the polls faces new obstacles. As Justice Ruth Ginsburg...
A New Education Debate
You may have seen stories about the poor quality of Washington, D.C.'s public schools. You probably have also heard about how Michelle Rhee was brought from near-obscurity to take over the city's schools, overnight becoming a national symbol of dramatic education...
Failing a Test of the Emergency Broadcast System
In the early morning hours of April 19, some residents of Watertown, Massachusetts, received an automated phone call telling them to "shelter in place" while the suspected Boston marathon bomber roamed the neighborhood. The system worked — to a degree. One homeowner...
