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Prince of Peace Summons the Better Angels of Our Nature
On Tuesday, hundreds of millions celebrated Christmas across the country and around the world. For many, the holiday is a joyous time: Families gather, music in the air, lights drape trees and lampposts; presents are exchanged; blessings are shared.
Texan Taliban Wing of the Republican Party
American papers are filled with pundits speculating about the horrors the Taliban may inflict on the people of Afghanistan, particularly its women. Less attention has been paid to the horrors Texas Republicans - the Taliban wing of the Republican Party - are inflicting on the State of Texas. In total control of the state, Republicans have a free hand that they've used to enforce extremism.
Shutdown Allowed Trump to Play Poisonous Political Game
Donald Trump had the government shutdown that he wanted. No one should be confused about this.
It's Time for Action
In his first 10 days in office, Joe Biden has launched an intense effort to address the "cascading crises" that America faces. In addition to issuing executive orders to reverse several of Trump's most poisonous acts -- ending federal contracting with private prisons, reviving enforcement of discrimination laws, ending the Muslim ban, re-entering the Paris Climate Accord, and much more -- Biden has put forth a bold rescue plan to deal with the human and economic costs of the pandemic. He has declared climate change an existential threat and a national security priority and has promised a renewed effort to address systemic racism and other forms of discrimination.
Selma, the Birthplace of Modern Democracy in America
This weekend, political leaders from across the country gathered in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate "Bloody Sunday," the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge where peaceful demonstrators, attempting to cross the bridge, were violently driven back by Alabama State Troopers, Dallas County Sheriff's deputies and a horse-mounted posse wielding billy clubs and water hoses to savage the crowd. The horrors played on TV sets across the country generated a national outrage that provided the final impetus for passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
John McCain, Patriot
Sen. John McCain is a patriot. Now, as he battles against a brutal affliction, he has earned recognition as a man of honor. He has served his country, often at great sacrifice. And even now, he is using his stature to warn this country against a wayward course.
No Matter the Issue, Republicans Always Say No
Just say no. That seems to sum up the position of Republicans in the Congress these days. For all the talk about bipartisan compromise or about the two parties working together, at the end of the day, the Republican position is simply to say no.
This Fall, We Will See Whose America This Is
For President Trump, the campaign never ends. He is on the stump, in full campaign mode now. He is intent on nationalizing this fall's congressional elections. As Steve Bannon put it, "Donald Trump will be on every ballot." The choice will be for Trump or against.
Democrats must respond to young voters
"Dance with the one that brung you," goes the old saw. Democrats would be wise to absorb its wisdom. In the last election, pundits expected a "red wave," with inflation high, Biden unpopular, and the history of midterm elections. Instead, Democrats were handed the best midterm results of any party since the 2002 midterm when Republicans were boosted by the post-9/11 sentiments.
The Mark of History Scars Tulsa
Memorial Day marks one year since the murder of George Floyd by the hands of the Minneapolis police. This week also marks the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre - a brutal government-aided leveling of a prosperous African American community for which there still has been no accounting and no justice. Few even know about the massacre. It hasn't even been taught in the Tulsa public schools until this year. Although 100 years old, the massacre poses questions of justice and of decency that America cannot avoid.
Americans Can Take Pride in the Super Bowl
Last night, millions of people across the world watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl over the Kansas City Chiefs. They saw great athletes performing at the top of their profession. They saw a game marked by hard tackling and blocking, fierce runs and complex plays. It was a big night with a big audience. The obvious question is how was the National Football League able to pull off playing the season with 32 teams and then the playoffs and the big game in the midst of a pandemic?
America's Greatest Athletes Are Standing Up, Calling This Country to Change
The greatest athletes in America are standing up for justice at a critical time. Despite unprecedented, multiracial demonstrations across the country protesting police violence against African Americans, the horrors keep on coming. Last week, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a policeman in Kenosha, Wisconsin. As the anger has grown, some of the protests have been marred by vandalism and looting. Now armed right-wing militia groups are escalating the tensions. In Kenosha, two demonstrators were murdered and one wounded by a 17-year-old Trump supporter illegally wielding an assault weapon.
Gang of Five Justices Ignore Law, Will of Elected Representatives
We are witnessing an astounding attack on democracy by the five male right-wing majority of the Supreme Court -- "black robed rulers," Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan called them, "overruling citizens' choices" in a series of 5-4 decisions.
A Continuing Terror, The Murder of Ahmaud Arbery
Today there is a national outcry about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The public condemnation has forced a belated response. Those accused of his murder have finally been arrested. His murder has become a global embarrassment for whites. For blacks, however, it is another humiliation, a continuing terror. It is the normal silence, however, that condemns thousands of African Americans to unjust deaths and millions to shattered lives. When the camera turns away, the savage injustice that embarrasses us becomes simply business as usual.
Hope Must Drive Turnout in Mississippi Race
Now Mississippi must decide - between the future or the past, between coming together or dividing even more. The special election for the U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday is reportedly a very close race. Much will depend on who turns out to vote.
The Janus Case and The Continuing Attack On Workers
On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Janus v. AFSCME; a ruling is expected in a few months. The case is the culmination of a concerted right-wing attack on the unions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses and other public sector workers.
President Trump's War On the Poor
Donald Trump is famed for his head snapping reversals. One day he's taking troops out of the Middle East; the next he's sending more in. One day he's on the verge of an agreement with China on trade; the next he's tweeting about holding off until after the election.
America Leads the World in Violence
Gun violence spiked across the country in 2020, the most violent years in decades. 19,000 were killed in shootings, the highest death toll in 20 years (and that does not include gun suicides). Mass shootings -- defined as four or more shot in an incident -- also rose drastically to over 600.
True Scandal In Puerto Rican Recovery Effort Is Trump's Dereliction
The scandals around in Puerto Rico's agonies are far greater than the bizarre contract to pay Whitefish Energy, a tiny Montana company from U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's hometown, $300 million to restore electric lines.
Trump's Banker Minion Prepares to Gut Consumer Watchdog
"Personnel is policy," says Gary Cohn, the former president of Goldman Sachs recently named to head President Trump's National Economic Council. He got that right, and every working family should shudder that Trump -- after railing against the corruptions of Goldman Sachs and other big banks in the campaign -- has put six former Goldman Sachs bankers at the head of his economic team.
