It has ever been a wonder to me that Americans seem so ready to allow their State and Federal governments to get away with as much crime and skullduggery as they do. I tend to think it’s because none of us want to believe that our elected officials could really be so corrupted, or corruptible. [...]

It’s June 20th, Summer Solstice and here on California’s north coast the winter rains are still nearly incessant. Granted that it’s a temperate rain forest, but honestly, the deal is supposed to be that we suffer through 8 months of unending rain (I’m not exaggerating. Well, not by much) and then get to revel [...]

America loves democracy. In fact, we love democracy so much so we’re all too willing to foist it upon those in other countries who have no understanding of or foundation for it. Even a momentary exposure to the rhetoric from the Bush administration would assure anyone (who takes such things at face value) that “freedom [...]

Apparently several senators from that earlier list decided that flip-flopping was the better part of discretion on the anti-lynching bill. They’ve decided to “co-sponsor” it after the fact, which is perfectly legitimate inside the Beltway, where everything is weird anyway.
Here’s the new list. You can cross-reference against the previous one to see who decided to [...]

These are the twenty US senators who would not co-sponsor the anti-lynching legislation that passed yesterday, and who also disallowed a roll-call vote which would have put their names on the resolution (or not, as the case may be).
In alphabetical order, they are:
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Thad [...]

It isn’t often you get to watch a man come into his own, hit his stride, and make enemies all over the country with one or two well-aimed (and highly publicized) remarks within two weeks. Howard Dean, the DNC chairman, is such a man — and not only do we watch, we contribute money to [...]

According to this report from Reuters today, “Health insurance premiums will cost families and employers an extra $922 on average this year to cover the costs of caring for the uninsured.”
How does this happen, you may be asking? Well, it’s what is otherwise known as a “vicious circle”: The costs of traditional medical care [...]

Just a tidbit or two for those of you who appreciate excellence in journalism, and for those of you who are looking for a forum for participation.
The first is The Mugging of the American Dream, a speech given by Bill Moyers at the Take Back America conference this past weekend. This version of the talk [...]

The headline read: Suicide bomber kills 10 at Sufi Muslim gathering.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up at a gathering of Sufi Muslims north of Baghdad, killing 10 people in the latest attack by Iraqi insurgents on religious sects they disapprove of, officials said on Friday.
The bomber detonated his explosives on Thursday evening [...]

I’ve been invaded by an unwelcome and nasty intestinal bug that’s pretty much sapping any energy I have to do original or creative work today. So instead of struggling to produce something substandard, I’d rather refer you to the article on Alternet.org which is embedded in the title.
In case you missed it, it’s The Foreign [...]