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We Sent Americans to Fight In Afghanistan; Blaming Bergdahl Doesn't Absolve...
Bowe Bergdahl wasn't responsible for sending U.S. troops to Afghanistan in 2001. He didn't send the 2.5 million Americans into harm's way to fight in both wars. It was the American people; represented...
View ArticleIt's About Time, Again
Co-written by Bill Russell I called my first big TV series back in the '70s, It's About Time! On Monday, that phrase leapt to mind as I read that President Obama is serious about curbing carbon...
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Obama Task Force on Chemical Dangers: Strong Enough?
Last year, a devastating chemical plant explosion in the town of West, Texas, killed 15 people and injured 160 more. The tragedy seemed to reawaken in President Obama a determination to improve...
View ArticleOur Justice System Should Promote Harmony, Not Revenge
I once read a story about village justice in Bombay, India. A Hindu boy was caught fighting with a Muslim boy. The town "judge," a man chosen by the community for his wisdom and leadership, told the...
View ArticleThe Vietnam War Toxin Now Lurking in US Food
Lingering long after the bombs stopped falling in Vietnam, the effects of Agent Orange continue to haunt Vietnamese people and American veterans of the war. Generations later, cancers, birth defects,...
View ArticleArt or Sexist?
Every man is like the company he is wont to keep. -- Euripides, Phoenix Because of his appearances with Ted Nugent during the Texas spring primaries in the race for governor, people will, for good...
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Jobs Report, First Impressions: Steady as She Goes, But She Needs to Go Faster
The nation's payrolls grew by 217,000 last month and the unemployment rate held steady at 6.3%, according to this morning's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's a good report, solidly in...
View ArticleThe Death of the Graduation Speech?
How A-list commencement speakers have become a deeply divisive force -- and how we can fix it Odds are that if you're ever invited to speak at a college or high school commencement ceremony, you might...
View ArticleWhat Happens When the Sacred War Departs?
On July 3 1913, fifty years after the battle, something like 50,000 Civil War veterans memorialized Pickett's charge as a few of them relived it: "The two lines were formed one hundred feet apart, the...
View ArticleClass Warfare: The 2014 Election
As we head into the midterm national election, it's clear that voters are unhappy. But it's uncertain how their displeasure will affect the November 4 outcome. We're seeing class warfare, where the...
View ArticleOn War, Desertion and Duty
There is not much to add to the media frenzy that has accompanied the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five prisoners at Guantanamo. The right, predictably, is trying to make...
View ArticleLiu Bolin - Hiding in the City
Click here to watch the TEDTalk that inspired this post. Liu Bolin's "Hiding in the City" series stems from his questioning of, and reflection on, the development of manmade civilization and its social...
View ArticleThe Real Nature of America's Child Migrant Crisis
In the past seven months, over 47,000 unaccompanied children have been caught crossing the southwest border of the United States. This number is a 92 percent increase over the same period of time in...
View ArticleUPDATE: Field Reports From Southern State Politics
• Striking diversity (and problems for women and minorities) in Georgia. • Rise of Independents in increasingly purple North Carolina. • Return of the Ten Commandments judge in Alabama. • Role of...
View ArticleRep. Jim Moran on Leadership and Scapegoats
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) has served in Congress for almost 24 years and is well-known for his efforts on behalf of federal employees and military retirees. Moran, who has announced he will retire from...
View ArticleThe Irrepressible Maya Angelou
In light of tomorrow's memorial service for Dr. Maya Angelou at Wake Forest University, I wanted to share a personal experience I had with her a decade ago that exemplified her irrepressible drive and...
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Why Liberals Should Stop Predicting the Death of Conservatism
Reports of conservatism's death have been greatly exaggerated. Reading recent predictions of the demise of anti-statist politics, one might think we have arrived at the dawn of a new social democratic...
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How Police Can Get Reporters To Stop Bugging The Hell Out Of Victimized Towns
As crime reporters, part of our job is to enter your personal space on the worst day of your life. It's rarely our intention to upset you further when, say, your family member is the victim or the...
View ArticleMy Conversation With Jersey Vargas: Taking Her Plea for Immigration Reform to...
Monday night on PBS, I'm joined by Rep. Xavier Becerra and ten-year-old Jersey Vargas. Just days after traveling from California to Vatican City, where she asked Pope Francis to help spare her father...
View Article'We Negotiate with Terrorists Now': Social Media and Ideology
After a social media fast, I made a tentative return to Facebook. I returned mostly aware of what I would find. A complete archival record of every child of every Facebook friend. Images of food my...
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