Is Obama Ready to Take on Factory Farming?

David Kirby, 11.11.2009

Author/Journalist

Are animal factories here to stay? Whatever the Obama team decides to do -- or not do -- could have a huge impact on the way we raise food animals in America for decades to come.

The Mustache Movement

Jerry Zezima, 11.10.2009

Humor columnist for The Stamford Advocate in Connecticut

I may not be British, but for the past three decades, I have kept a stiff upper lip. Now, after all these years of hair-raising adventure, I am celebrating the 30th anniversary of my mustache.

Bush DOJ Official Agrees "Torture Memo" Lawyers Should Be Investigated

Nan Aron, 11.06.2009

A change in leadership does not eliminate the need to examine our system and learn from our history, even when -- especially when -- our Department of Justice was corrupted to the point of sanctioning torture.

When to Hunt for Witches

Stephen Baldwin, 10.21.2009

Actor

Why, after his boss, President Obama, has publicly expressed a position to the contrary, would Attorney General Eric Holder continue on a rogue course of "seeking truth"?

Guantanamo Accountability

Mike Smith, 10.22.2009

www.mikesmithpa.com

Common Cause recently sponsored a compelling session at the National Press Club on prisoner abuse, military commissions trying detainees, and who is responsible for torturous interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Torture Accountability at Last - for Peru

Allison Kilkenny, 10.20.2009

Radio host, writer, allisonkilkenny.com

It is not cliche or radical to demand the U.S. hold our own torturers (at all levels) to the same level of accountability as British mining corporations.

Holder's Baby Step On Medical Marijuana

Chris Weigant, 10.25.2009

Author, Political Commentator, and Blogger (ChrisWeigant.com)

Obama's plan is good news for medical marijuana advocates, but although this is a historic shift in the War on Drugs, it does not go far enough because it does not resolve the illogic of the underlying legal issue.

L.A. District Attorney to Snub Obama's Pot Policy?

Charles Karel Bouley, 10.19.2009

Talk Show Host, Entertainer, Author, Reporter, Comic

As Eric Holder loosens the ropes on medical marijuana clinics, the D.A. of Los Angeles is gearing up for an offensive against the very clinics to which he promised looser enforcement during the campaign.

Two Gun Dealers Who Won't Be Missed

Dennis A. Henigan, 10.22.2009

Brady Center Vice President and Author of "Lethal Logic"

Recently the press reported two items of good news in the fight against gun violence, but even good news reminds us of how far we need to go. The Sea...

The Fierce Urgency of Now

Nan Aron, 10.16.2009

In order to provide closure to the dark period of torture in American history we must do more than President Obama's initial actions in office. He ha...

Seven Solutions to End School Violence

Hermene Hartman, 10.14.2009

One of the most significant and influential black women in American publishing

The problem of kids killing each other is not unsolvable. But it is not a problem that the mayor, aldermen, police officers and, least of all, the president will solve.

Lawyer Blasts "Congressional Depravity" on Guantanamo

Andy Worthington, 10.09.2009

Journalist and author of "The Guantanamo Files"

Lt. Col. David Frakt said Congress is still behaving unconstitutionally with regard to the right of the Executive branch and the Judiciary to order the release of prisoners from Guantanamo.

Derrion Albert, Renaissance 2010, Olympics 2016 and the Breakfast Club

Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston, 10.08.2009

Chicago-based minister and activist

When I was a pastor on the West Side I found myself in the middle of rioting students on more than one occasion. What happened? Since the riots weren't caught on video, we didn't get any help from the White House.

Eric, Arne and Chicago 2016

Charles Butler, 10.08.2009

Charles Butler hosts "The Other Side with Charles Butler" on The Talk of Chicago WVON 1690 AM

While I hate to say I told you so, however I told you so. I predicted that the Chicago 2016 Committee would lose the bid for the Olympics. My reasons...

Organizing to Stop Far Right Violence

Frank Schaeffer, 10.06.2009

New York Times best-selling author

Other people, besides former evangelicals like me, are finally starting to realize that there is a serious problem facing America. What are we going to do about the haters?

GOP Senator Identifies Gun Violence As Major Factor In Health Care Crisis

Paul Helmke, 10.02.2009

President, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Even if he didn't mean to, I want to thank Senator John Ensign of Nevada for speaking out about the importance of reducing gun violence as a means of addressing America's skyrocketing health care costs.

Chicago Beating Death Shocks White House -- But Now What?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, 10.02.2009

Political Analyst and Social Issues Commentator

In the past year more than 40 young persons have been murdered in Chicago, many within a stone's throw of the president's home.

Wheels of Justice Are Grinding Too Slowly For Paul Minor and Other Political Prisoners

Brendan DeMelle, 10.01.2009

Freelance writer and researcher

Why has Eric Holder's Justice Department left Paul Minor, Judges Walter Teel and John Whitfield languishing in jail?

New Justice Department Policy Signals Hope for Justice in Vieques

Brendan DeMelle, 09.29.2009

Freelance writer and researcher

Dropping the sovereign immunity defense in the Vieques environmental case would demonstrate the Obama administration's commitment to ending the overzealous use of national defense claims.

This Week In Magazines: Obama The "Self-Entangling Giant"

James Warren, 09.28.2009

Former managing editor and Washington bureau chief of the Chicago Tribune

No matter how much he might disdain the W. presidency, especially when it came to misuse of executive branch power, Barack Obama may be a "self-entangling giant" who is going down the same perilous path.

GOP Learns Definition of 'Investigation,' Freaks Out

Allison Kilkenny, 09.26.2009

Radio host, writer, allisonkilkenny.com

Someone explain to Sen. Bond that CIA investigations inherently mean looking back at evidence, and cannot solely entail looking forward. "Looking forward" is a euphemism for covering up past crimes.