Tea party takes America hostage on debt
The debt ceiling crisis is the latest in a series of hostage crises instigated by the extreme right wing.
Harry Potter and the tide of history
Viewing the story only as a well-written parable of becoming an adult misses a lot - humanity itself came of age in the 20th century.
Charlie Chaplin film fest evokes lessons for today
Eighty years after his visit to Berlin, Charlie Chaplin's 80 films continue to make audiences laugh and think.
Are republics democratic?
If we live in a country where some citizens' votes count more than others - in other words, in which "one person, one vote" is really not the standard - how can we claim to be a real democratic state? At best we have a limited and imperfect democracy.
Eric Cantor: GOP drama queen with an agenda
Cantor's most cruel political grandstanding came after the terrible tornado that ravaged Joplin, Mo., killing and injuring hundreds this year. Cantor proclaimed that he would block all federal relief funding for the suffering people of Joplin until Democrats agreed to cut a similar amount from the budget.
Debt-ceiling showdown: a test of sanity
The so-called "debt ceiling" crisis is upon us and it's becoming a test of sanity how long it will take all reasonable people to conclude that the Republican Party has painted its teeth orange, and jumped off a cliff.
Texas legislature finally finishes, leaving trail of wreckage
That long loud shrieking shudder you heard on June 29 was the entire population of Texas breathing their sigh of relief; the legislature had finally ended its reign of terror and gone home!
The battles that must be won
Re-electing Obama in 2012, preserving unions and public services, defeating racism, advocating for LGBT rights, fighting for a massive jobs program and ending the wars overseas are must win battles.
Leonard Weinglass, defender of civil rights, dies
All lovers of human and civil rights were saddened last week to hear of the passing of the outstanding attorney Leonard Weinglass, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer on March 23.
