This week in OtherWords, Sam Pizzigati explains how the recent budget deal will benefit the richest Americans, Jill Richardson calls on President Obama to take decisive action on climate change during his second term in office, and Donald Kaul follows up on his Dec. 19 column regarding gun control.
In his second column on guns in the wake of the Newtown massacre, Kaul explains why he wrote the first one and provides a personal account of what happened after it ran in the Des Moines Register. Briefly, right-wing bloggers ran excerpts from the column out of context that generated huge numbers of hateful email and comments here at OtherWords.org and other websites. He and I have both received hundreds of menacing emails. To get a sense of how extreme far-right Americans have become, please read Don Terry’s op-ed.
If you have something nice to say to Kaul or me, we would really like to hear from you. If you’re an editor who ran this column, what did your readers say? It ran in at least a dozen other newspapers across the nation. I’ll compile some of the feedback, which included helpings of praise as well as infusions of bile, on our blog.
Below you’ll find links to our latest work. Click on them or visit our website to see it all. Just a reminder: OtherWords is a national non-profit editorial service that distributes newsroom-ready progressive commentaries and cartoons for free. We’re in hundreds of newspapers large and small and dozens of websites. If you haven’t already subscribed to our weekly newsletter, please do.
- Plotting an Uncivil War / Don Terry
Far-right groups are coming up with extreme alternatives to the gun-control measures they fear will take hold after the Newtown shootings. - Let’s Pay Our Bills / Elizabeth Rose
Raising the debt limit just allows the United States to pay our bills for money that Congress already spent. - On to the Next Cliff / Laicie Heeley
Congress simply postponed its tough decisions on federal spending until March. - President Obama: End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining / Mary Anne Hitt
It devastates communities, endangers public health, and irrevocably destroys the natural wonder of the Appalachian countryside. - Deploying Satire at My Own Risk / Donald Kaul
Gun owners, it seems, are a sensitive group whose feelings are easily hurt. - When Uncle Sam Pays Dividends / Sam Pizzigati
George W. Bush’s tax legacy lives on in the “fiscal cliff” deal. - A Green and Golden Legacy / Jill Richardson
If there’s one issue for President Obama to stake his entire second term on, it’s the climate. - Obama’s Inauguration Sells Out / Jim Hightower
Getting your ticket punched for a presidential brunch buys you a rich serving of political access. - Don’t Blame Me if Obama’s Second Term Disappoints / William A. Collins
There are certain minimum standards that any president, regardless of party, should be required to meet. - Corporate-Sponsored Inauguration / Khalil Bendib Cartoon
Corporate-Sponsored Inauguration, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib
