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features

The Other Democratic Convention

The radical cheerleaders were the only thing lacking in turning the gymnasium at the University of Massachusetts-Boston into a… more

By Michael Blanding   

State of Emergency

Comedian Margaret Cho speaks out on revolution, haters, and same-sex love

By Silja J.A. Talvi   

Political Realities

Documentaries rush in to fill journalism void

By Jessica Clark   

A Milli Vanilli President

President George W. Bush has claimed that that God speaks to him. More worldly voices, it now appears, may… more

By Dave Lindorff   

Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

In the early '90s, something remarkable happened in Uganda: While the AIDS epidemic spiraled out of control in the… more

By Christopher Hayes   

The End is Near

I am writing this before the election, so I cannot know whether George W. Bush or John F. Kerry will be our President, God willing...

By Kurt Vonnegut   

The Liberal Waterloo

(Or, finally some good news from Washington!)

By Slavoj Zizek   

Beyond God, Guns and Gays

Tuesday marked Election Day—not a trend

By Cynthia Moothart   

The Next Campaign: Ideas

While the Democratic Leadership Council and Democratic National Committee stubbornly retool their centrist Southern and Western strategy, the liberal/progressive… more

By Christopher D. Cook   

Democracy’s End

In a democracy, an inauguration should be a day of celebration, not only for the victors, but also for… more

By Steven F. Freeman   

Celebrations of Iraqi Democracy Mask Uncertain Future

On Sunday, millions of Iraqis, in spite of a lack of overall security, left their homes to vote in… more

By Burhan Wazir   

Howard Zinn Gets to the Source

Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States was first published in 1980, and has sold more than… more

By Aaron Sarver   

The Subject Supposed to Loot and Rape

Reality and fantasy in New Orleans

By Slavoj Zizek   

James Weinstein: 1926 – 2005

James Weinstein, a noted historian and longtime publisher and editor of the progressive magazine In These Times, died last… more

By Miles Harvey   

Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media

"What is surprising, is how little attention [the memo] has received in some of the most important news mediamore

By David Michael Green   

Labor Split a Mixed Bag

Union threats to leave AFL-CIO generate waves, new possibilities

By David Moberg   

Women's Work

Female union members are gaining clout, but are still shut out of top labor positions

By Kari Lydersen   

Gods and Mortals

The AFL-CIO's split may impact smaller state and local federations the most

By David Moberg   

Partisan War Syndrome

The left falls victim to a debilitating affliction

By David Sirota   

Dueling Dynasties

With Chicago's Mayor Daley embroiled in scandal, Jesse Jackson Jr. eyes the 2007 race

By Ethan Michaeli   

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Sexist antics and union-busting cast doubt on American Apparel's progressive cred

By Ari Paul   

Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive

Extraordinary remedies are still required to protect minority enfranchisement

By Salim Muwakkil   

A New Standard?

China's decision to revalue its currency may mark a change in the world's deal with the dollar

By Jehangir Pocha   

Give Iranian Nukes a Chance

In a mad world, the logic of MAD still works

By Slavoj Zizek   

Addressing the State of the Movement

Three perspectives on our 'Environmentalism is Dead' package

By In These Times Staff   

Will Withdrawal Make Gaza a Frontier Ghetto?

Now that the withdrawal from Gaza is underway, and the settlers being relocated have failed to transform their personal… more

By Neve Gordon   

Here Comes the Neighborhood

Richard Rodriguez examines the Hawaiianization of the United States

By Richard Rodriguez   

Will History Repeat Itself?

A flooded New Orleans 78 years ago helped pave the way for the New Deal. Could it happen again?

By David Moberg   

Brothers in Arms

The United States moves a step closer to restoring military aid to Indonesia, despite its massive human rights abuses

By Ben Terrall   

Operation Enduring Boredom

Far from celebrating free expression, the Pentagon's September 11 Freedom Walk was expression free

By Christopher Hayes   

Bad on the Basics

John Roberts' affability masks a callous indifference to some of our most fundamental rights

By Stephen J. Fortunato Jr.   

Judging Harriet Miers

Democrats must rise up and challenge conservative claptrap about "activist judges"

By Stephen J. Fortunato Jr.   

Kurt Vonnegut's In These Times Opus

On November 11, In These Times Senior Editor Kurt Vonnegut will turn 83. Here at the magazine we raise… more

By Joel Bleifuss   

Opening the Lines

While federal communications flopped, a small band of wireless technicians helped Katrina victims reconnect with the world

By Christopher Hayes   

Mo Money for Monogamy

Pro-life organizations are receiving millions of federal dollars in the name of "abstinence education."

By Silja J.A. Talvi   

Why The Law Is In Shambles

An interview with Chicago labor lawyer, Tom Geoghegan

By Christopher Hayes   

Voter Disenfranchisement by Attrition

With friends like FEMA, who needs Jim Crow?

By Benjamin Greenberg   

The Rise of Professional Journalism

Reconsidering the roots of our profession in an age of media crisis.

By Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols   

The Three Alitos

When it comes to Supreme Court nominees, conservatives face a quandary. They want a justice who is a conservative… more

By Christopher Hayes   

Backdoor Draft, Back Again

Despite signaling that it would no longer tap the Individual Ready Reserve, the Army calls up more troops just in time for the holidays.

By Christopher Hayes   

Masking New Orleans

On Mardi Gras Day, the nation will be looking to New Orleans to see if we are wearing masks.… more

By Fatima Shaik   

China Dissidents Disappeared

Officials round up 'bad elements' as the National People's Congress starts its session

By Jehangir Pocha   

Raising a Million Voices for Darfur

Right now, hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the Sudanese government's genocide in Darfur are packed into… more

By Christopher Hayes   

The Logic of Withdrawal

We find ourselves in a remarkable situation today. Despite a massive propaganda campaign in support of the occupation of… more

By Anthony Arnove   

Reporting on Americas Most Unwanted

Immersion journalists Sasha Abramsky and Steve Bogira bring the lives of the impoverished, adjudicated and disenfranchised to life.

By Silja J.A. Talvi   

New Orleans Defendants Lost in Legal Swamp

Post-Katrina, thousands still wait in jail for justice from a broken system

By Christopher Hayes   

Who Is Hoekstras Secret Source?

Russell Tice may not be the one who tipped off Rep. Peter Hoekstra, but he wanted to be.

By Leah A. Nelson   

Privatized Warfare: The Summer of Discontent

A new documentary by Robert Greenwald - "Iraq For Sale" - details the corporate profiteering of the increasingly privatized U.S. military.

By Bill Scher   

How A Few Harm All

Police abuse may arise from just a few "bad apples," but if left unpunished, it rots the entire instititution.

By Jamie Kalven   

Abandon Hope, All Who Enter Here

A falsely accused "enemy combatant" describes his imprisonment in Guantanamo.

By Moazzam Begg   

Face-to-Face With the Fundamentalist Base

Christian evangelicals fight culture war to save America.

By Abby Scher   

Virginity or Death!: A Conversation With Katha Pollitt

Nation writer Katha Pollitt is interviewed about her new book Virginity or Death! And Other Social and Political Issues of Our Time

By Jessica Clark   

The Crazy Kazakh Correspondent

How Borat reveals American bigotry and foreign policy double standards.

By Adam Doster   

Oaxaca in Crisis

Just as the teacher's strike in Oaxaca appeared ready to end, paramilitary violence breaks out.

By John Gibler   

Progressive Caucus Rising

This election was no victory for centrists

By Nick Burt and Joel Bleifuss   

Voting Security Issues Plague Maryland

No matter who wins today in Maryland, election advocates vow to keep fighting for verifiable, paper receipts.

By Andrew Ramsey-Moor   

What Did the Voters Say?

Economic insecurity trumps the politics of fear

By David Moberg   

Filling the Void

With the federal government failing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, many mayors are beginning to think globally and act locally.

By Jessica Tobacman   

At What Price Victory?

In order to pass their budget, House Democrats have proposed increasing the funding of a harmful abstinence-only program

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

The Battle for the Air

The EPA will decide today whether to strengthen its smog standards

By Megan Tady   

The Great Spectrum Giveaway

This October might be the last chance for local community radio stations to receive high-power licenses from the FCC.

By Megan Tady   

A Win in the Water War

Stockton, Calif., residents have stopped one multinational company from taking over their water system, but other localities remain threatened

By Megan Tady   

Equating Stillbirths with Murders

Just how legally viable is Maryland's Viable Fetus Act?

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

Perverse Justice

Jose Padilla’s conviction raises questions about whether detainees who undergo extreme isolation can be given fair trials

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

Who Does U.S. Food Aid Benefit?

Current policies favor giant shipping companies and agribusinesses over the starving populations they are supposed to serve

By Megan Tady   

Training Satellites on the United States

Homeland Security plans to share spy satellite data with domestic agencies

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

Merc is the New Crack

America's deadly dependence on private security contractors in Iraq

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

Feeding the Hungry is a Crime

City councils are cracking down on charity groups that feed the homeless without a permit

By Megan Tady   

A Resolution Too Far?

U.S.-Turkish relations, already strained by the war in Iraq, are being tested further by the controversial congressional resolution recognizing the 1915 genocide of Armenians.

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

Rudy Guiliani: Criminal or Liar?

An investigation into Guiliani's claims of familiarity with "intensive questioning" techniques

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

When Protectors Become Predators

Perhaps the greatest danger to endangered species is the Bush administration

By Megan Tady   

The Military's Stealth Test

School districts are beginning to keep the results of a dodgy student aptitude test out of the hands of military recruiters

By Megan Tady   

Kiriakou and the Kite Runner

The CIA agent who just admitted to waterboarding a high-ranking al Qaeda operative has had an interesting retirement.

By Lindsay Beyerstein   

Why Is Yazan Sawalha in Prison?

Israel has detained the son of a prominent Palestinian peace activist, and refuses to say why.

By Megan Tady   

Meaningless in Michigan

If voters in this economically ravaged state want their votes in today's primary contest to count, it's the GOP or nothing

By Paul Berg   

Why Have Latinos Started Voting For Obama?

Connecticut, the first state where they did, provides some instructive clues.

By Melinda Tuhus   

The War That Never Ends

Iraq Veterans Against the War's 'Winter Soldier' hearings revealed the awful truths of the occupation and the ongoing struggle for those who have returned home.

By Jacob Wheeler   

The Healthcare Union War

Tensions between the California Nurses Association and SEIU escalate at the Labor Notes conference

By David Moberg   

Letter From Bucharest

The NATO Summit was a gigantic flop.

By Paul Hockenos   

Hillary for Class President

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Her Eighth Grade Campaign

By Betsy Vandercook   

Gunning for the Prize

An interview with Noam Chomsky

By Roger Bybee   

The Whole World Was Watching

40 years ago this week, Chicago police battled protesters at the DNC. Two '60s radicals remember the madness, and look to Denver for change

By Laura S. Washington   

Bringing Baghdad to Denver Streets

DENVER -- "This is not street theater! This is real!" shouted a man wearing a baseball cap into a… more

By Jacob Wheeler   

Was Hillary’s speech a turning point?

Many Clinton supporters in Denver swallow doubts, support Obama

By Jacob Wheeler   

Loyalty First

Palin's selection doesn't augur well for Washington's warped nomination process

By Hans Johnson   

The $700 Billion Questions

Wall Street and Washington's wrecking crew aim to get the most expensive free lunch in American history

By David Sirota   

Dreaming Green

The Green Party's 5 percent campaign is both modest and ambitious. Can Cynthia McKinney pull it off?

By Felix Holmgren   

A Stunning Victory. Now What?

In These Times editors around the country react to Barack Obama's historic victory

By In These Times editors   

Origins of the Obama Machine

The farmworkers movement brought community organizing strategies to the electoral arena, writes Randy Shaw, in this excerpt from his new book

By Randy Shaw   

The Crisis of Wage Theft

Billions of dollars in wages are being illegally stolen from millions of workers each and every year, writes Kim Bobo, in this excerpt from her new book Wage Theft in America (The New Press)

By Kim Bobo   

Republic’s Battle Cry

Workers occupying a closed Chicago factory are sending a strong message to Washington: protect workers' rights.

By David Moberg   

The Rise and Fall of Rod Blagojevich

The governor's apparent misdeeds were audacious even by Illinois standards, Senior Editor David Moberg says during this interview with "Democracy Now!" co-host Juan Gonzales, which aired Wednesday.

By David Moberg   

Obama's Labor Pick Is Good News for Workers

Senior Editor David Moberg looks at this week's labor news, including Obama's labor secretary pick, Detroit's holiday package, and the recent death of labor leader Ron Carey.

By David Moberg   

Change Has Come: Scenes from the Inauguration

One man's quest to glimpse history through the elusive Purple Gate.

By Pete Redington   

To the Streets

The killing of Oscar Grant inspired a Bay Area movement now coming to terms with its own complexity.

By Sam Stoker   

You Say You Want a Revolution

A founding member of the Weather Underground looks back at an organization unable to come to terms with its own violence.

By Howard Machtinger   

The Anti-Blago

Amid a crowded field of Democratic contenders, Tom Geoghegan stands out.

By David Moberg   

‘Kidnapped’ in Gaza

A BBC correspondent's book--now available in the United States--details his Gaza kidnapping and collects balanced reportage from the Middle East and Central Asia.

By Ralph Seliger   

An End to the War on Weed?

Marijuana advocates believe legalization is on the horizon.

By Nathan Comp   

The Psychologists of Torture

Medical professionals designed and helped to implement Bush administration interrogation practices.

By Frederick Clarkson   

The Past and Future of Human Rights

Barack Obama could become America's first human rights president.

By Julie A. Mertus   

Prairie Fire

A bitter labor conflict ultimately failed in Decatur, Ill., during the mid-'90s. But a new book argues that tactics developed there by locked-out workers strengthen today's labor movement.

By Stephen K. Ashby and C.J. Hawking   

Why Wal-Mart Workers Need the Employee Free Choice Act

America's largest private employer has systematically harassed and fired pro-union workers.

By Nelson Lichtenstein   

The Legacy Lives On

The Republic Windows and Doors factory occupation in Chicago inspired a similar revolt halfway across the country.

By Kari Lydersen   

The Honduran Connection

The U.S. right, including Bush appointee Otto Reich, mobilizes to support the putsch.

By Bill Weinberg   

Rethinking Venezuelan Politics

Ten years after Chavez's election, the movement he inspired remains divided over goals and strategies.

By Steve Ellner   

Democracy and Action

Afghanistan's historic August election was marred by widespread voting inconsistencies, despite efforts by U.S. and Afghan soldiers—and warlords—to keep the peace.

By James Foley   

The Lonesome Death of Pedro Munoz

A young Honduran activist was almost certainly tortured and killed by the military.

By Jeremy Kryt   

Casualties of the ‘Bloodless’ Coup

No matter what prominent U.S. apologists say, the military takeover of Honduras was—and is—violent and unjust.

By Jeremy Kryt   

frontline

Haiti Investigation Instigated

Despite U.S. pressure, Caribbean nations force an examination into Aristide’s removal

International Court of Justice to Rule on Israeli Wall

On July 9, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled in favor of the Palestinians in… more

Protesters Give Peace a Chance

Politics, pundits and even the weather report seemed to be conspiring against a massive turnout at Sunday’s New York… more

Protest? What protest?

Amid crystal chandeliers and filet mignon appetizers, South Carolina’s delegates munched and mingled just hours after hundreds of thousands… more

A New York Giuliani Wouldn't Like

It’s ironic that the man who once said “freedom is about authority,” who never supported any expression that could… more

Coalition Needed For Common Interests

Eighth Avenue south of Madison Square Garden on Sept. 1 blooms with union colors: kelly green for the city… more

On the Streets of New York: Opportunity

The New York protests were also peppered with bursts of humor and a spirit of satire from Chicken Hawks,… more

On the Streets of New York: Security

At times, New York looked like a totalitarian dystopia as heavily armed soldiers and cops blocked streets, declared frozen… more

On The Streets of New York: Courage

During the weeklong protests, New York City Police arrested more than 1700 people, including bystanders, journalists, and legal observers,… more

On the Streets of New York: Compassion

Celeste Zappala marched alone holding the photo of her son, killed this April in Iraq. He was the first… more

On the Streets of New York: Patriotism

Inside their convention, Republicans spoke as though they had a lock on the values that Americans treasure. But onmore

Government Approved

Journalism in the age of terror

Why the Vietnam War Still Matters

According to conventional wisdom, we wasted weeks of the 2004 presidential campaign in refighting the Vietnam War. In a… more

Recapturing Kansas

How did conservatives win the heart of America? That is the question Tom Frank explores in his bestselling book… more

The Writing on the Wall

In September 2002, Israel began constructing a “security fence,” claiming it was a preventative measure to forestall Palestinian attacks.… more

New Fair Trade Model Needed

Sweeping changes in the export of textiles have forced a difficult reappraisal among U.S. sweatshop monitors: How best to help workers in a relentless industry?

Unnatural Disaster

How policy decisions doomed New Orleans

No Discounted Transit for Oil

As part of a broad PR campaign this winter, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered discounted home heating oil… more

Sins of Omission

As the FAA seeks to expand air travel, is it giving concerns about aviation's effects on climate change the attention they deserve?

Change We All Believe In

Progressive activists, leaders gather in Denver for convention kick-off event

Same-Sex Marriage in the Heartland

Iowa becomes the first state in the Midwest to extend the right to marry to gays and lesbians.

Labor Limbo

Philadelphia museum guards fighting for union recognition highlight the potential power of "card check."

Flower Power

Colombian plantation workers are fighting an uphill battle to unionize and secure better working conditions.

Cloning Rabin

After 23 years of domination by Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, Israel's largest political party has selected a new… more

Solidarity Reunited?

Unions rally around shrunken UNITE HERE as it takes on its former ally.

Protesting the G-20 Summit

A photo essay from Pittsburgh's streets.

culture

The Big Shill

“He had in him an iconoclastic, even revolutionary vein which he obviously wanted to follow up and yet somehowmore

By James Hynes   
art

Tacitly Tactical

Heaven and Buddy are two conjoined rooftops and raw loft spaces along the stretch of Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue that… more

Imperial Amnesia

Gore Vidal on America’s current imbroglio

By Emily Udell   

Too Little, Too Late

George W. Bush’s electoral victory is chilling proof that conservatives have achieved dominance over the flow of information to… more

By Robert Parry   

Have I Got a Car for You!

I used to be the owner and manager of an automobile dealership in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, called “Saab Cape… more

By Kurt Vonnegut   

Climate Change Needed

The notion of what makes a "good business climate" needs to be radically rethought

By David Moberg   
By Mark Engler   
books

When Lost Is Found

On the surface, it would seem that getting lost requires little instruction, and that few of us would want… more

Hiroshima: The Falsehood Fallout

As the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima arrives, two recent books examine the history of atomic weapons

By Phyllis Eckhaus   
books

The Real Case for Israel

What lies behind Alan Dershowitz's campaign against Norman Finkelstein?

By Neve Gordon   

The Georgia Preach

Jimmy Carter's new book about fundamentalism is long on diagnosis, but thin on remedies

books

Katrina: After the Storm

Historian Karen Sawislak talks about what's old in New Orleans

By Christopher Hayes   

Organizing the Religious Left

Berkeley polymath Rabbi Michael Lerner returns with his latest book, The Left Hand of God: Taking Back our Countrymore

Just Say No to Uncle Sam

To keep the war in Iraq going, the military needs soldiers, lots and lots of them. So they've underwritten… more

By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg   
books

Reading The Onion Seriously

Combining irreverent humor and acerbic critique, a handful of new media outlets -- including The Onion -- are transforming American politics and culture, writes Theodoe Hamm, in his new book The New Blue Media.

By Theodore Hamm   
film

From Russia With Mercy

12 is a stunning revision of a classic American film.

By Ralph Seliger   
By Ralph Seliger   
books

The Genesis of Peoplehood

A review of Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (Columbia University Press), by Rashid Khalidi.

books

Rethinking the Future

Fossil fuels can't last forever. A new book plans for a world without them.

By Mike Lynn   
By Ralph Seliger   
books

The Way The Wind Blew

A review of The Way The Wind Blew: A History of the Weather Underground (Verso), by Ron Jacobs.

books

The Israel Lobbies: Left, Right and Center

A new book helpfully details Jewish-American lobbying organizations spanning the political spectrum.

By Ralph Seliger   
books

In and Out of the Working Class

Radical economist and labor educator Michael Yates moves beyond the classroom to examine—with striking honesty—his own life.

By Seth Sandronsky   
books

Einstein and Israel

The great scientist was both a Zionist and bi-nationalist—a fact too complex for the author of a new book to accept.

By Ralph Seliger   

Can the Rich Really Save Us?

Surprisingly, Ralph Nader says yes.

By Pete Redington   
Vol. Web, Iss. Web

viewpoints

Bush’s Churchillian Dreams

As the torture of Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison was being exposed, the Bush administration launched a public relations campaign to cast itself… more

Cops and Harm Reduction Hotties, Oh My!

Burly LEAPers were treated like celebrities in their own right, easy to spot because of their buzz cuts, cowboy hats and/or extremely large lettering on their brightly colored t-shirts: "Cops Say Legalize Drugs. Ask Me Why."

Making Lemons out of Lemonade

TRANSCRIPT: CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT SCHADENFREUDE HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, D.C. 11.4.04, 2 PM EST (Applause) Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Bob. Kelly, up there in the… more

A Memo From the Desk of Billionaires For Bush

To: Ruth Liss, Horace P. Greedy, C. Bill Press, Chicago Chapter, Billionaires for Bush From: Sir Harris Tocracy, President, Chicago Chapter Billionaires For… more

Progressive Priorities Survey Results

“Moral values” has become the hot-button phrase since November 2. To counter the implication that progressives have no “morals” or “values,” In These… more

Katrina, Cosby and Class Divisions

The class divide within the black community is at a point I would characterize as a low intensity conflict.

House Call

Democratic Dos and Donts

The Bush Administration and Republican Congressional leaders have plenty of reason to be worried. Large majorities of Americans believe the country is going… more

Katrinas Racial Wake

Hurricane Katrina and its disastrous aftermath have stripped away the Mardi Gras veneer and casino gloss of the Gulf Coast region, and disclosed… more

Freedom Archived

There's this danger of history becoming nostalgia for people who lived through it. We're really trying to avoid that, and instead craft history that captures the essence of what happened, but that can also lead people down a path of further exploration.

television

The President's Husband

In casting Calloway as the quintessential political spouse who selflessly puts his wife's career above and beyond all else in his life, the script writers have taken the first genuine risk of this fledgling season.

film

When Boys Will be Jarheads

The book exposes the single greatest lie about war: Heroism among soldiers lies not in facing death but inflicting it upon the enemy.

Torture in the Homeland

Even after former Illinois governor George Ryan granted four death row inmates pardons once he concluded their confessions were tortured from them by police commander Jon Burge and his men, Chicago officials failed to prosecute.

Cowboys in Love

Where lovers once battled against social norms, they now wrestle with each other's inner demons, which seem to be just as effective in keeping us apart.

Gay Rights Win in Maine Heralds Progress in 2006

The Maine win rebuffed right-wing efforts to tar anti-bias statutes with the marriage brush.

Alito Hearings Drowning in Words

In the hearing room, when Democrats weren't posing Judge Alito tough questions, they were giving him judicial advice, bolstering the feeling that this was a done deal.

Reflections on Tookie's Execution

Is our fondness for the death penalty a legacy of America's "frontier spirit," which fueled the massive massacre of indigenous inhabitants?

A Progressive State of the Union

We believe Americans deserve a government at least as fair and as honest as they are.

Dems on Ethics: A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Only the Democrats could come up with such an underwhelming plan on ethics reform when a strong proposal would have been a political grand slam.

Sex and the Septuagenarians

When I grow up, I want to be old. Old as in proudly, imperiously fat like my grandmother, free from the need to… more

Louder Than a Bomb: an Interview with Chicago Hip-Hopper Kevin Coval

Hip-hop has the ability to open a progressive discussion between what's appropriate and what's appropriated.

The Kanye West Effect

I'm convinced that Kanye West is in the vanguard of a new progressive wave in black popular music.

Why Ned Lamont is a Democrat

Joe Lieberman is a Republican. He may call himself a Democrat--he can call himself anything he wants--but really he's a Republican. And, in… more

The Israel Lobby and its Discontents

An 83-page study, published by Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, forcefully argues that pro-Israel partisans within the U.S. government's policymaking apparatus, including think tanks, politicians, journalists, academics and professional lobbyists, are manipulating America's foreign policy.

Cant Make a Decision, Ladies? Call Bill Napoli.

If anti-abortion politicians are so sure they can tell women what to do with their bodies, why not make them deal with the… more

Massachusetts Universal Coverage Bill is No Such Thing

Odds are good that Romney will rue the day he took credit for this bill.

Troublemakers Are Great--But Are They Enough?

While worker actions in solidarity on the job are essential, much of the battle for workers in the United States must be political.

Convict Nation

Let me tell you what hurts the most I'm a convicted felon and I can't workNo matter where I go to trymore

Irans Powerless President

At every juncture of the post-revolutionary period where there have been even hints of serious rapprochement between Iran and the United States, Iran's military power structure has sabotaged this rapprochement quite blatantly.

What Was Missing At YearlyKos

YearlyKos made it clear that the netroots is a vanguard—a smart, savvy, compassionate and courageous vanguard, but a vanguard nonetheless. There's nothing wrong with vanguards, but they do not a majority make.

Black Politics Paradigm Paradox

The winning campaigns of Dellums and Booker confound attempts to chart black politics as a linear progression

DeLay May Be Gone, But His Legacy Isnt

Every so often a documentary film comes along that makes you think, "If only more people could see this." The Big Buy: Tommore

Two Faces of GOP Hate

On the surface, Shawn Stuart and Ralph Reed have little in common, other than their quest for public office this year as Republicans.… more

Immigrations Echoes

Blacks and Browns have a shared history of resistance against oppression.

What Not to Watch

"What Not to Wear's" distinctly military approach is all the more striking when compared to the maternal attitude of its male counterpart, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," where male participants are instead coaxed, teased and gently jollied into changing their wicked sartorial ways.

The Persecution of the American Taliban?

Like the white "nigger lover" in the segregationist South, many white Americans see Lindh as a traitor to his culture.

Police Torture and the Need for Repair

Racial bias is systematic in policing institutions because they were structurally designed to contain rather than serve the black community.

The True Temptations of the West

What makes Mishra seem overly eager to demonize all things Western is his refusal to acknowledge his own debt to the processes of globalization that he so decries.

Israel's September 11 Effect

Not unlike the effect September 11 had on Bush's Administration, Israel's second Lebanon war is turning out to be a blessing.

No Cause For Celebration

Instead of real solutions, countries routinely get empty pledges from the international community. The UN's Global Fund to collectively combat TB, malaria and AIDS still lacks the funds wealthy nations agreed to donate five years ago.

Pushing Back Against Ad Censorship

If this were an isolated incident, it would be hard to conclude that there's a systematic effort at work to keep progressive voices off the airwaves. But, in fact, we've seen this script play out multiple times in recent years.

Corporal Punishments Hidden Costs

If the civil rights community began a movement to discourage corporal punishment among African Americans, I believe it would do more to stem the tide of interpersonal violence than any other strategy.

Fighting the Larger War

The war on terrorism is historically distinctive because its political, temporal, and geographic borders are unbound and unknown, and it is fought against an enemy whose identity is ill-defined and therefore fluid.

Katrina and the Politics of Disposability

In the current blitz of media remembrance, memories of the 9/11 victims legitimate the discourses of militarism, national honor and patriotism, while Katrina invokes memories of pathology.

End Medical Experimentation on Prisoners Now

Medical experimentation on prisoners in the United States never went away; researchers just got savvier about keeping their prison studies out of the public eye.

In Loco Parentis: A Gay Pages Experience

Due to the culture of distrust that is emerging in the wake of the Foley page scandal, the friendships I made with some Hill staffers might be no longer possible.

The Role of the Religious Right in the Foley Affair

Complete lack of independence from the GOP is one reason the religious right has a hand in the scandals like the Foley affair.

George W. Bush v. The U.S. Constitution

In July 2005, 122 members of Congress, along with more than 500,000 Americans, sent a letter to President George W. Bush, asking himmore

Go Midwest (and Border State), Young Progressives

In his impressive tome, American Populism: A Social History 1877-1898, historian Robert C. McMath, Jr., discussed how populist reformers "understood that old rules… more

Middle America Confronts Its Own Taliban

Indeed, Michigan Republicans have a choice. They can confront the Taliban in their ranks and show them the door, or they can look on as Democrats tie them to scapegoating and stagnation, turn them out of office, and take the lead in keeping educated young people and entrepreneurs in the state.

The Odd Couple: Nixon and Lieberman

Is Joe Lieberman working to bring the troops home? The only way to judge is by his actions. And every time a smart resolution has come up in the Senate to change course, he has voted against it.