This week in OtherWords, Sam Pizzigati points out that the contracts our government doles out to private companies to snoop on us are making some corporate executives very rich. As always, our commentaries and cartoons are available for use at no charge in newspapers and new media under a Creative Commons license. Editors may find information about that on our website or contact me with any questions at OtherWords[ AT ]ips-dc.org. If you haven’t already subscribed to our weekly newsletter, please do.

  1. A New Education Debate / Isaiah J. Poole
    It’s time to focus on what the children who attend public schools really need to succeed.
  2. Failing a Test of the Emergency Broadcast System / Stephanie Worden
    Our emergency communications system needs an upgrade.
  3. Our Star-Spangled Banner Waves for All of Us / Raul A. Reyes
    The racist attacks on a young Mexican-American prodigy who sang the National Anthem didn’t occur in a vacuum.
  4. Fantasy Budgeting Won’t Make Us Safer / Ryan Alexander
    Lawmakers should make targeted and smart Pentagon budget cuts.
  5. A Deceptive Win on Plan B for Women / Kathleen Robin Joyce
    Our reproductive rights are still in danger.
  6. Uncle Sam’s Vast Dragnet / Donald Kaul
    We have a right to be left alone unless the government can give us a very good reason to the contrary.
  7. Snooping Makes an Easy Road to Riches / Sam Pizzigati
    Corporate execs at firms like Booz Allen have a vested self-interest in pumping up demand for their snooping services.
  8. Eat Real / Jill Richardson
    Too many diets are about hype, not health.
  9. Metadata Mining Is Mega Awful / Jim Hightower
    There’s no shortage of complaints about the nation’s massive surveillance dragnet now that We the People know about it.
  10. Locking Up Our Future / Emily Schwartz Greco and William A. Collins
    The logical fix would require putting more money and effort into securing jobs, transitional housing, and drug treatment for ex-offenders.
  11. The Naked Dragnet Emperor / Khalil Bendib cartoon

    The Naked Dragnet Emperor, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib

    The Naked Dragnet Emperor, an OtherWords cartoon by Khalil Bendib

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Emily Schwartz Greco

Emily Schwartz Greco is the managing editor of OtherWords, a non-profit national editorial service run by the Institute for Policy Studies OtherWords.org

OtherWords commentaries are free to re-publish in print and online — all it takes is a simple attribution to OtherWords.org. To get a roundup of our work each Wednesday, sign up for our free weekly newsletter here.

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