David Sirota from Creators Syndicate

Texas Blast Exposes the New Normal for 05/17/2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

If I told you that government officials possessed ironclad proof that an imminent threat to this nation had the capacity to create a 9/11's worth of injuries and deaths every year at an annual economic cost of a quarter trillion dollars, ask yourself: Would you say we should do something about it?

I'm guessing you would. Out of a basic sense of patriotism, you would probably at minimum ...

Updated: Fri May 17, 2013

The Military's 40-Year Experiment for 05/10/2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Few probably recall the name Dwight Elliott Stone. But even if that name has faded from the national memory, the man remains historically significant. That's because on June 30, 1973, the 24-year-old plumber's apprentice became the last American forced into the armed services before the military draft expired.

Though next month's 40-year anniversary of the end of conscription will likel ...

Updated: Fri May 10, 2013

The Real Obstacle to Halting Climate Change for 05/03/2013

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

In case you missed the news, humanity just spent the Earth Day week reaching another sad milestone in the history of catastrophic climate change: For the first time, measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassed 400 parts per million — aka way above what our current ecosystem can handle.

Actually, you probably did miss the news because most major media outlets didn't ...

Updated: Fri May 03, 2013

A Cronkite Moment for the Blowback Era for 04/26/2013

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

"The stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost." — Reverend Jeremiah Wright

In 2008, the hysterical backlash to the above comment by Barack Obama's minister became a high-profile example of one of the most insidious rules in American politics: You are not allowed to honestly discuss the C ...

Updated: Fri Apr 26, 2013

The Value of Silence for 04/19/2013

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Can you hear yourself think? Can you manage more than bursts of confusion and anger? Can you feel your own humanity anymore? I'll admit it — I've had trouble this week, too. After an explosion like the one in Boston, it is indeed hard to hear one's own internal monologue, much less meditate on such horrific events. Polluting that sacred quiet of the mind is both the haunting boom of the b ...

Updated: Fri Apr 19, 2013

A Victory Against the Language of Bigotry for 04/05/2013

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

As one of the world's largest news outlets, the Associated Press's linguistic mandates significantly shape the broader vernacular. So when the organization this week decided to stop using the term "illegal immigrant," it was a big victory for objectivity and against the propagandistic language of bigotry.

Cautious AP executives did not frame it exactly that way. Instead, editor ...

Updated: Fri Apr 05, 2013

The Supreme Court's Radical New Precedent for 03/29/2013

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Out of all the newsworthy comments during this week's Supreme Court debate over the legality of same-sex marriage bans, none was more revealing — or troubling — than that which came from Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Before pointing out that "we let issues perk, and so we let racial segregation perk for 50 years from 1898 to 1954," she asked: "If the issue is letti ...

Updated: Fri Mar 29, 2013

Call It What It Is: A Class War for 03/22/2013

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0700

When it comes to the Republican budget proposal that passed the U.S. House this week, I agree with those who find it strange that anyone sees the initiative as a serious attempt to "grow the economy," as Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) claims. I also agree that the overwhelming barrage of reports that accompany such an initiative render most non-political junkies confused, bored or both.

...

Updated: Fri Mar 22, 2013

The UN Needs to Sober Up for 03/15/2013

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0700

The notion of alcohol consumers piously demanding that others stop using pot probably makes you think of the beer-swilling World War II generation berating weed-smoking hippies during the 1960s. Now, thanks to the United Nations, that caricature gets an update — and the hypocrisy is at once amusing and depressing.

You may have read the headline-grabbing news that in advance of its ...

Updated: Fri Mar 15, 2013

An Unrepresentative Democracy for 03/08/2013

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0800

An Unrepresentative Democracy

Why are ideas widely supported in most of the country so often portrayed as controversial, polarizing and divisive once they are taken up by legislatures? Why does the professional political class seem like a wholly separate society that does not understand the constituents it is supposed to be representing? These are the existential questions ...

Updated: Fri Mar 08, 2013

Time to Stop White-Knuckling It for 03/01/2013

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0800

As anyone who has ever experienced a panic attack well knows, one of the most difficult aspects of managing anxiety disorders is having to do it in secret for fear of being labeled a freak. I can personally attest that such a fear often makes the problem worse, compounding generalized worry with the specific concern that you will be ostracized.

This is why the last year has been so impor ...

Updated: Fri Mar 01, 2013

Two 2016 Prospects Spotlight Democrats' Identity Crisis for 02/22/2013

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Despite its success in recent elections, and despite the image of unity it projects, the Democratic Party is in the throes of an epic identity crisis pitting its corporate money against its stated principles. The recent actions of two of the party's rising stars — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — tell the deeper tale of that crisis. It is a m ...

Updated: Fri Feb 22, 2013

The Blind Theology of Militarism for 02/15/2013

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

The Blind Theology of Militarism

In my years reporting on the intentional narrowing of political vernacular to guarantee specific outcomes, I have encountered no better example of Orwellian newspeak than that which now dominates the conversation about America's drone war. Given that, it's worth reviewing the situation because it is so illustrative of how militarist propagan ...

Updated: Fri Feb 15, 2013

The Sports Tax for 02/08/2013

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

The Sports Tax

When it comes to sports and taxes, I'm like most Americans. I like downing a beer and watching a good game every now and again, and I'm fine with paying my fair share of taxes for genuine societal necessities. What I'm not OK with is paying a skyrocketing Sports Tax at a time of burgeoning deficits, reduced household income and serious cutbacks to social safe ...

Updated: Fri Feb 08, 2013

Santa Clausifying Martin Luther King, Jr. for 02/01/2013

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Every year, right around the time between Martin Luther King Day and the beginning of Black History Month, the effort to distort Dr. King's life and legacy seems to intensify. Some years, we see conservatives preposterously assert that if Dr. King were alive today, he would join today's neo-confederate Republican Party. Other years, it is deception via omission — we see replays of Dr. Kin ...

Updated: Fri Feb 01, 2013

The President of Perpetual War for 01/25/2013

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Four years into his presidency, Barack Obama's political formula should be obvious. He gives fabulous speeches teeming with popular liberal ideas, often refuses to take the actions necessary to realize those ideas and then banks on most voters, activists, reporters and pundits never bothering to notice - or care about - his sleight of hand.

Whether railing on financial crime and then re ...

Updated: Fri Jan 25, 2013

The Second Amendment vs. The First Amendment for 01/18/2013

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

After more than a week of residual buzz from radio host Alex Jones' now-famous meltdown during a CNN discussion of gun control, it is worth taking a deep breath and considering the spectacle's two big lessons, especially now that the White House is pushing Congress to debate firearm legislation.

First and foremost, it was surprising that anyone watching Jones was actually surprised. Yes, ...

Updated: Fri Jan 18, 2013

How to Reach the Last 20 Percent for 01/11/2013

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

There's a big reason climate change differs from so many public policy challenges: unlike other crises, addressing the planet's major environmental crisis truly requires mass consensus. Indeed, because fixing the problem involves so many different societal changes — reducing carbon emissions, conserving energy, retrofitting infrastructure, altering a meat-centric diet, to name a few &mdas ...

Updated: Fri Jan 11, 2013

The Truth Behind the Fiscal Cliff's Reality TV Show for 01/04/2013

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

During the halcyon 1990s, we labeled annual congressional temper tantrums for what they were: standard, if boring, budget impasses. Now, though, in a hilariously non-ironic flail for ratings, news outlets have taken Nigel Tufnel's famous line from "Spinal Tap" seriously, turning the volume up to 11 by portraying the latest standoff as a harrowing "fiscal cliff," replete with ...

Updated: Fri Jan 04, 2013

Coaches Over the Common Good for 12/21/2012

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Selective outrage speaks volumes in this country. For instance, deficit-focused anger about Medicare spending but not about Pentagon profligacy tells the story of a political establishment that too often prioritizes militarism over the health of its citizens. Similarly, rage about auto bailouts but not about Wall Street bailouts reveals a Republican Party that treasures Manhattan bankers more t ...

Updated: Fri Dec 21, 2012