Berry Craig: Like Reagan, Tea Party candidates are delivering what Tea Partiers want: simple answers to complex issues. Never mind that there never have been simple answers to complex issues.
The Supreme Court Unveiled
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The term of a supreme court justice ends one of four ways; retirement, resignation, impeachment conviction, or death. However, only one Supreme Court justice has been impeached, Samuel Chase. Impeached in 1804, Chase was acquitted and remained on the bench until his death in 1811. So, to sum it up, if one were to rely on history to forecast the future, the likelihood of a justice being impeached and removed is slim to none.
Are Elections Meaningless in a Corporatocracy?
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Regardless of the outcome of the midterm elections, the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United is one that cannot be ignored. Joe Palermo called the impact of the Citizens United decision a “game changer”.
Voices from the Wetlands
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In “Voices from the Wetlands,” veteran reporter Georgianne Nienaber gives a first-hand account of the damage wrecked by the BP oil well disaster on the Louisiana Delta and on the people whose families have lived there for centuries.
President Palin? Take the Poll
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Sharon Kyle: Of course, it is possible that Palin’s celebrity will never be more than that – celebrity and she’d be clobbered if she were to actually enter the bid for the presidency. But, so far, things have been working out pretty well for Sarah Palin.
Why We Can’t Rely on Foreign Consumers to Rescue American Jobs
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Robert Reich: Trade can’t possibly be a source of new American jobs. To the contrary, it reduces overall demand in the United States.
Glenn Beck Riffs on My Recent Article
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Joseph Palermo: For example, contrary to the mythology that sometimes fogs President Ronald Reagan’s overall fiscal record, the tax burden of working Americans increased during the 1980s, as did the national debt, and the overall size of the government. By 1986, the cumulative federal debt had reached $2 trillion, which was more than the United States had accumulated in its entire previous history.
Google Isn’t (Necessarily) Making Us Stupid
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Michael Sigman: Contemplative practices like meditation and yoga — the yin to Internet promiscuity’s yang — are also on the rise. But my own meditation practice — which facilitates clarity and focus — has benefited incalculably from Buddhist and other spiritual websites, blogs, lectures, readings, videos and guided meditations. And my meditation group’s email tree has become an interactive source for ideas, links and information about local events members might otherwise never discover.
Sarah Palin v. Bill Moyers: Take the Survey
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Sharon Kyle: Bill Moyers 4,889. Sarah Palin 1,543,755. So what’s this, you ask? It certainly isn’t the scorecard for some ridiculous game. Nor is it their annual salaries: Sarah Palin probably makes more than that.
“Preserving Democracy” Theme of LA Media Event This Saturday
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Please join the LA Media Reform Group, California Common Cause, and the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute on March 27, 2010, at Occidental College for our third annual summit. Given the recent Supreme Court decision, the changing media landscape, and the importance of the upcoming election cycle, we’ve decided to make this year’s theme, “Preserving Democracy.”
Allegra Huston Aims Her Creative Storm at NASA’s Mission Control
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Georgianne Nienaber: After six years, “The Imaginative Storm” has morphed into an improvisational party populated with wordsv–va chaotic captivation designed to stimulate the writer’s imagination. Writers really have no chance for a passive absorption of technique if they brave Huston and Nave’s workshop.
Sarah Palin at the Tea Party Convention: She’s Baaaaack
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Sharon Kyle: When asked if the movement was broad enough to attract conservative democrats, Palin said, “they’re already peeking in — it’s pretty cool to see some of the Blue Dog Democrats peeking under the tent and finding out what is this movement all about and, holy geez, I’m scared if I’m not a part of this.”
Blue Shield Cares — About What?
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Wendy Block: My criticism of Blue Shield (substitute Blue Cross or Aetna or…) is that the medical experts who know and have treated me for many years, got disgusted and finally left. My HMO doc gives me normal prescriptions and orders routine lab tests. But often, normal isn’t enough.
Four Lessons That Should Stop Vulnerable Democrats from Cowering from Immigration Reform
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Rather than safeguarding their reelection bids, these Democrats are more likely shooting themselves in the foot by deliberately sidestepping issues like immigration reform and climate change which helped Obama win the White House and put many of them in office.
Health Care Debate Triggers Mass Confusion
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The media gives false credibility to claims by insurance company-owned politicians that their real motivation is fiscal prudence. No matter that the prospect of large budget deficits never deterred these politicians from supporting wars of choice or deficit-creating tax breaks for the rich.
El Sistema in L.A.
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The Venezualan approach that the maestro has introduced focuses on learning instruments in groups, engaging interest before instruction, playing with joy, and developing community.
Obama Swiftboats Van Jones
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I’ll expand that to say, the loss of Van Jones is a huge loss for Obama. Obama’s one-time supporters on the Left, who demand accountability, backbone, and honor, are fast jumping ship, as he limply swiftboats away.
Progressive Women in the Media
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Snippets of progressive women in the media today. This is Linda Milazzo, an uncompromising progressive journalist whose work is found on the Huffington Post, AlterNet, and we’re proud to say the LA Progressive as well as many other online progressive publications. The internet and specifically the blogosphere, as it is coming to be know, is [...]
Obama: Is Disappointment or Disillusionment Justified?
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If Obama and the Democrats are unable to usher in real, lasting change, the greatest tragedy will be the loss of faith amongst my generation and others in our ability to help shape the country.
Is iTunes New Economic Model for Failing Newspapers?
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As the San Francisco Chronicle faces its last days, the question is whether any comparable news alternative for the Bay Area can emerge. Much of this centers on creating new models of economic viability for the news business. Some, including former Chronicle business columnist David Lazarus, now writing for the Los Angeles Times, believe that [...]
Thoughts on a Black First Lady in Waiting
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“Barack has a handicap the other candidates don’t have: Barack Obama has a black wife. And I don’t think a black woman can be first lady of the United States. Yeah, I said it! A black woman can be president, no problem. First lady? Can’t do it. You know why? Because a black woman cannot [...]
Census Nonsense
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Witnessing the Bush administration’s politicalization of the nation’s governmental agencies, it would be a surprise to learn that the United States Census Bureau (CB) had escaped the political correctness-du-jour, especially in light of it’s history.
Keith Olbermann: Crazy Like a Fox?
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By Sherwood Ross — Chairman Rupert Murdoch of Fox News once said of his former sportscaster Keith Olbermann, “I fired him. He’s crazy.” And when MSNBC’s Senior Vice President Phil Griffin hired Olbermann for his new “Countdown” show in 2003 he agreed “The guy is crazy” but “he is made for this.” According to a [...]
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Howard Zinn
Joseph Palerrmo: I saw Howard speak in Ithaca and in Santa Cruz and his talks were always so emotionally powerful and sensitive to human suffering and injustice. But he could also be hilariously funny, with a comedian’s sense of timing. And he had the most developed sense of irony — and the ability to convey irony — of anyone I’ve ever seen or read.