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Congress, Accountability, and the Goldstone Report

Salena Tramel | Posted 11.04.2009 | World


Salena Tramel

Congress--and all Americans for that matter--should welcome each and every investigation of human rights violations, wherever and by whomever they may have been committed.

A Tough Call for Conservative Anglicans: Openly Gay Clergy, or Closeted Pedophiles?

Bob Ostertag | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics


Bob Ostertag

Now all those disgruntled Episcopalians have a choice to make: stay on the team that accepts openly gay priests, or bolt for another team run by closeted homosexual pedophiles. It's a tough call.

David Paterson Does the Right Thing and Drops the Rock

Anthony Papa | Posted 10.07.2009 | New York


Anthony Papa

Having felt the sting of the Rockefeller laws firsthand -- serving 12 years under a 15-years-to-life sentence -- I understand the full meaning of the reforms that went into effect today.

Guantanamo Envoy: U.S. Should Have Taken Cleared Prisoners; Some Should Never Have Been Held

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.17.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

To my mind, President Obama missed a golden opportunity to bring 17 Uighur prisoners to the U.S. in his early days in office.

Is Bagram Obama's New Secret Prison?

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.15.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

The Obama administration is following Bush's lead by unilaterally rewriting the Geneva Conventions, presumably to allow it to continue exploiting prisoners of war for their supposed intelligence value.

Hey, I Got Your Civility Right Here, Champ!

Joe The Nerd Ferraro | Posted 09.16.2009 | Media


Joe The Nerd Ferraro

I hope that President Obama calling people out on the incivilities will lessen the rewards for acting like a dope. Whether the Kanye comment was leaked or not, we all need to just start calling this behavior for what it is.

Joe Wilson: Don't Censure - Take His Time

Joe The Nerd Ferraro | Posted 09.11.2009 | Politics


Joe The Nerd Ferraro

Mumbled apologies or standing up in front of everybody for questionable dress downs doesn't really do much for moving forward. It just gets people madder and more resentful.

Spanish Judge Resumes Torture Case Against Six Senior Bush Lawyers

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.08.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Judge Baltasar Garzón is pressing ahead with a case against six senior Bush administration lawyers for implementing torture at Guantánamo.

With New Strategy White House Plays Last Card on Health Care: Lead a Bipartisan Bill or Risk a Defining First Year Failure

Jennifer Donahue | Posted 10.17.2009 | Home


Jennifer Donahue

The public option has to be minimized and renamed. Co-op is now a loaded a term; try 'non-profit optional choice for those who have no insurance' instead.

Edward Kennedy's Passing -- A Window of Opportunity

Mark Goulston, M.D. | Posted 09.29.2009 | Politics


Mark Goulston, M.D.

It is 10:30 AM EDT on Saturday, August 29. As many of you, I am watching the funeral service of Senator Edward Kennedy. I am aware that you and I are also looking at a window of opportunity.

Remembering the Rock: How Senator Kennedy Helped 200,000 People Fall in Love

Frank Sharry | Posted 09.26.2009 | Politics


Frank Sharry

Thanks to Kennedy, passage of comprehensive immigration reform is no longer a matter of if but of when.

Malice, Blowback, and the "Yeah, So?" Gambit

Eric Lurio | Posted 10.14.2009 | Politics


Eric Lurio

Kennedy's last public act before he died was to write the Massachusetts Democratic leadership and plead for the law that forbids a governor from appointing a senator's successor, be changed.

Take That! Moms in Capes Bust Healthcare Myths Across the Nation

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner | Posted 09.19.2009 | Living


Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

SuperMoms dressed in red capes are distributing powerful truth flyers to passersby to educate them about what health care reform will really do and how it will help.

A Plea to Barack Obama from the Guantanamo Uighurs

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.06.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Four months ago, 17 unjustly detained prisoners wrote a letter to Obama asking for their release. The government censors have only just cleared it and I have reprinted it here.

Obama Sends the Wrong Message to Our Children

Bruce Tenenbaum | Posted 08.31.2009 | Comedy


Bruce Tenenbaum

Obama and Gates drank purely foreign libations while Crowley's choice, Blue Moon, is, like Obama, only half American. Is this really the message we need to convey as our economy struggles to climb out of recession?

Americans, Not Washington, Will Determine Health Care. So Where's the Grassroots Movement?

Jennifer Donahue | Posted 08.22.2009 | Politics


Jennifer Donahue

When President Obama takes his case for health care to the American people tonight, his job is this: re-energize the large base of Americans who were adamant about the issue a year ago.

Race in America: Comments on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Martha St Jean | Posted 08.21.2009 | Politics


Martha St Jean

One commentator said, " I am tired of the race card being played every time a black person is arrested/questioned or anything else that happens with the police."

What's Right About the House Health Care Plan

Bruce Tenenbaum | Posted 08.15.2009 | Politics


Bruce Tenenbaum

Now that the House members have proposed legislation, it seems fair that I take a few minutes to talk about what they appear to have gotten right.

California TV Stations "Just Say No" to Drug Policy Ad

Anthony Citrano | Posted 08.08.2009 | Media


Anthony Citrano

Marijuana decriminalization is getting fresh attention due to broad public support of the new AB 390 bill, but only a handful of media outlets, including CNN and CNBC, will air pro-legalization ads.

How to Resolve the Abortion Conflict

Aspen Baker | Posted 08.08.2009 | Politics


Aspen Baker

A just and lasting peace between pro-choice and pro-life people is possible, but it lies in the history of those who have fought over this issue, not in the tired rhetoric of "common ground."

Why Trial Date for African Embassy Bombing Suspect Is Good News

Andy Worthington | Posted 08.02.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

The government will not use any statements made by the suspect in secret prisons, nor will the evidence "be very different" from that used when his alleged co-conspirators were tried by the federal court in 2001.

Release of the "Holy Grail" of Torture Reports Delayed Again

Andy Worthington | Posted 08.01.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Today was supposed to be the day that the Justice Department -- after two delays -- released an unclassified version of the CIA Inspector General's 2004 Report into the interrogations of "high-value detainees."

Gay Benefits Call With Berry Reveals...Very Little

Jennifer Vanasco | Posted 07.18.2009 | Politics


Jennifer Vanasco

"This is a first step, not the final step," Berry said. "It's practicing before preaching." I wish the White House would stop practicing and would start moving on gay civil rights issues for real.

Why Army Suicides Continued to Rise in May, and What We Can Do

Jon Soltz | Posted 07.13.2009 | Politics


Jon Soltz

The root causes of combat stress leading to suicide are three-fold, mostly out of the hands of our generals, and therefore must be addressed by the Federal government.

The Free Market's Marked Men, From The Niger Delta To The Amazon

Amy Goodman | Posted 07.10.2009 | World


Amy Goodman

Ken Saro-Wiwa's family and others just won a landmark settlement in U.S. federal court, ending a 13-year battle with Shell Oil. Alberto Pizango's ordeal is just beginning.