Category Archives: Uncategorized

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all – (Poem by Emily Dickinson) Photo by Finn Frode, Creative Commons license

A day before the new year begins, I’m looking hard for hope.

Way back in 1959, the Kingston Trio sang a song that began:

“They’re rioting in Africa, they’re starving in Spain.
There’s hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls…”

Has anything changed? Where can we find any reasons for hope for 2015? Continue reading →

November 25 protest march

As one grand jury after another refuses to indict police who have killed black men, #BlackLivesMatter protests continue across the United States. I marched on November 25, missed Saturday’s MOA protest, and will probably march again. Like many people, I keep hearing the same questions on Facebook and from friends and family. Before the next family gathering, here’s my short question-and-answer. Continue reading →

Workers need humane working conditions and vigorous enforcement of laws protecting their rights

I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera. 

I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera. 

Obama ignores that migrants at border are being denied even the minimum protection afforded by US law

” … Border agents routinely intimidate, coerce and deport refugees, ignoring their expressed fear of returning to their home countries when agents should instead refer them for credible-fear interviews with asylum officers. The abusive and illegal treatment of asylum seekers is a result of the U.S. government’s increased reliance on expedited border removals.”

I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera. 

“Discussing political views is not advisable.” This 1905 rule for Iowa teachers apparently also applies to Delta Airlines workers in 2014.

The Story County, Iowa teaching contract was explicit in saying teachers should not talk politics — or loiter in ice cream parlors, play cards, dance, or indulge in “undue use of cosmetics.” While the code of conduct for teachers seems antiquated and laughable, the continuing right of employers to control workers’ speech and conduct, on and off the job, is no laughing matter.

First published in Workday Minnesota, 12/14/2014.

Continue reading →

The long-secret “torture report” from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is out. Sort of. The full report, still classified, is 6700 pages of “comprehensive and excruciating detail.” What we got on December 9 was a mere 525 pages of Findings and Conclusions and Executive Summary. Even with lots of names and details neatly blacked out, this gut-twisting account shines an unforgiving light on evil done in our name. Continue reading →

Police break up Colorado drug ring! Oops — no, they didn’t. What actually happened: police arrested 40 people on the basis of unreliable and vindictive informants, splashed their names and faces all over local front pages and TV news, and later dismissed all the charges. This story of policing — journalism — gone wrong demonstrates the perils of relying on the “official story.” Continue reading →

Photo by http://www.e-magineart.com, https://www.flickr.com/photos/emagineart/4741451457, published under Creative Commons license

Vox tells the story: a miracle pill that cures hepatitis C restored normal life, liver function, the ability to walk, and even hair to 74-year-old Philip Mason. The new drug, Sovaldi, sells for a thousand dollars per pill or $84,000 for the full course of treatment, making billions of dollars in profits for its owner, the Gilead drug company. That makes Sovaldi the latest example of the runaway greed and profit-taking by drug companies. Continue reading →

On the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot, November 22, 1963, a classmate told me that she could see why I was upset, as I was a Democrat, like the president. But why should she, a Republican, feel bad? Something like that is going on now, with the Ferguson/Michael Brown grief and protests. Now, as in 1963, the voices that say “their sorrow, their problem, not mine” are wrong. We are all in this together. Continue reading →