Rights and Democracy
Segregation Still Strong 150 Years after the Civil War Began
Good old Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi. He helps keep life in perspective. When he defended Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell’s infamous recollection of the Confederacy that somehow failed to mention slavery, Barbour called the issue a “nit” — merely an insignificant matter.
Newt’s Campaign Implosion
The bulk of GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s senior staff abandoned him this week. “The professional team came to the realization that the direction of the campaign they sought and Gingrich’s vision for the campaign were incompatible,” said senior strategist Dave Carney.
Don’t Cut Head Start
The colors were brighter than any she had seen before. Shapes, letters, and lots and lots of colors adorned the walls. Around the room, children worked together building high rises with colored blocks and “reading” colorful picture books.
Don’t Bet on Huntsman
Jon Huntsman is edging closer to announcing his presidential bid, bringing shivers of joy to the hearts of Republican moderates — both of them.
The Sixties Made Me Do It
I try to avoid religious commentary, but — Good God! What is it about confession that the Catholic hierarchy can’t seem to grasp?
Education Is Universal but Unequal
Cities rarely make headlines for their good news. Just the reverse. Take mine. Norwalk has garnered national TV and newspaper coverage for prosecuting a poor mom who was stealing our precious educational services. In other words, she enrolled her out-of-town son in our school system from a phony address. She wanted to get him a better education than he was likely to acquire in her own downtrodden Bridgeport. Shame, shame.
Mobile Mugging
A recent T-Mobile commercial depicts a cellphone customer being harassed by two thugs in business suits, his pockets emptied, his wallet turned inside out, and every last penny shaken out of him. The gist: He’s being mugged by T-Mobile’s competitors, which all charge higher prices for less service than T-Mobile.
The IMF’s Assault on Women
A grand jury has indicted Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the disgraced former head of the world’s most powerful financial institution, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on seven counts, including attempted rape of a Manhattan hotel worker. Following his alleged attack on the Guinean immigrant as she tried to clean up his $3,000-per-night Manhattan hotel suite, the Frenchman’s history of treating women as expendable sex objects is just coming to light.
Some Good News, at Last
There’s been a lot of bad news lately — wars, revolutions, earthquakes, floods, famines. It’s getting so you need a drink before you’re ready to face the evening news. Which is why when something cheerful happens, I take time to savor it. Like, for example, Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s arrest.
A Little Less Corporate Political Corruption
President Barack Obama is thinking about issuing an executive order that would mitigate some of the damage done to our democracy by the Supreme Court’s dastardly Citizens United edict, which unleashes unlimited amounts of secret corporate cash to pervert America’s elections.
