The Other Democratic Convention
The radical cheerleaders were the only thing lacking in turning the gymnasium at the University of Massachusetts-Boston into… more
features
State of Emergency
Comedian Margaret Cho speaks out on revolution, haters, and same-sex love
By Silja J.A. Talvi
Ready or Not, RNC, Here’s What’s Coming
Questions looming over the RNC protests are numerous and unlikely to be answered until the moment of truth.… more
By Alexandra Tager
A Milli Vanilli President
President George W. Bush has claimed that that God speaks to him. More worldly voices, it now appears,… more
By Dave Lindorff
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 election 2004 politics war in iraq
The Three Alitos
When it comes to Supreme Court nominees, conservatives face a quandary. They want a justice who is a… more
By Christopher Hayes judiciary
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… more
By Christopher Hayes international
The Next Campaign: Ideas
While the Democratic Leadership Council and Democratic National Committee stubbornly retool their centrist Southern and Western strategy, the… more
By Christopher D. Cook
The Rise of Professional Journalism
Reconsidering the roots of our profession in an age of media crisis.
By Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols media
Democracy’s End
In a democracy, an inauguration should be a day of celebration, not only for the victors, but also… 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… more
By Burhan Wazir
Voter Disenfranchisement by Attrition
With friends like FEMA, who needs Jim Crow?
By Benjamin Greenberg government: agencies
Why The Law Is In Shambles
An interview with Chicago labor lawyer, Tom Geoghegan
By Christopher Hayes labor
Mo Money for Monogamy
Pro-life organizations are receiving millions of federal dollars in the name of "abstinence education."
By Silja J.A. Talvi gender
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… more
By Aaron Sarver
The Subject Supposed to Loot and Rape
Reality and fantasy in New Orleans
By Slavoj Zizek social justice
James Weinstein: 1926 – 2005
James Weinstein, a noted historian and longtime publisher and editor of the progressive magazine In These Times, died… 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… more
By David Michael Green administration war and peace
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 labor
Dueling Dynasties
With Chicago's Mayor Daley embroiled in scandal, Jesse Jackson Jr. eyes the 2007 race
By Ethan Michaeli elections politics
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Sexist antics and union-busting cast doubt on American Apparel's progressive cred
By Ari Paul corporations gender labor
Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive
Extraordinary remedies are still required to protect minority enfranchisement
By Salim Muwakkil congress race
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
Addressing the State of the Movement
Three perspectives on our 'Environmentalism is Dead' package
By In These Times Staff environment
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… more
By Neve Gordon middle east military
Here Comes the Neighborhood
Richard Rodriguez examines the Hawaiianization of the United States
By Richard Rodriguez media race
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 environment
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 asia international
Operation Enduring Boredom
Far from celebrating free expression, the Pentagon's September 11 Freedom Walk was expression free
By Christopher Hayes civil liberties
Bad on the Basics
John Roberts' affability masks a callous indifference to some of our most fundamental rights
By Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. judiciary
Judging Harriet Miers
Democrats must rise up and challenge conservative claptrap about "activist judges"
By Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. judiciary
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… 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 technology
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 military
Masking New Orleans
On Mardi Gras Day, the nation will be looking to New Orleans to see if we are wearing… more
By Fatima Shaik government: agencies
China Dissidents Disappeared
Officials round up 'bad elements' as the National People's Congress starts its session
By Jehangir Pocha asia
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… more
By Christopher Hayes international
The Logic of Withdrawal
We find ourselves in a remarkable situation today. Despite a massive propaganda campaign in support of the occupation… more
By Anthony Arnove war and peace
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 criminal justice media
New Orleans Defendants Lost in Legal Swamp
Post-Katrina, thousands still wait in jail for justice from a broken system
By Christopher Hayes criminal justice race
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 intelligence national security politics
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 economy iraq war movies war and peace
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 corruption policing social justice
Abandon Hope, All Who Enter Here
A falsely accused "enemy combatant" describes his imprisonment in Guantanamo.
By Moazzam Begg criminal justice guatanamo military terrorism
Face-to-Face With the Fundamentalist Base
Christian evangelicals fight culture war to save America.
By Abby Scher election 2006 elections politics religion
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 activism art culture books gender politics
The Crazy Kazakh Correspondent
How Borat reveals American bigotry and foreign policy double standards.
By Adam Doster movies race
Oaxaca in Crisis
Just as the teacher's strike in Oaxaca appeared ready to end, paramilitary violence breaks out.
By John Gibler activism mexico social justice
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 election 2006 elections politics voting
Progressive Caucus Rising
This election was no victory for centrists
By Nick Burt and Joel Bleifuss election 2006 elections politics voting
What Did the Voters Say?
Economic insecurity trumps the politics of fear
By David Moberg economy election 2006 elections politics voting
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 environment regulation
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 gender medical health politics
The Battle for the Air
The EPA will decide today whether to strengthen its smog standards
By Megan Tady environment
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 media reform technology
Perverse Justice
Jose Padilla’s conviction raises questions about whether detainees who undergo extreme isolation can be given fair trials
By Lindsay Beyerstein criminal justice war on terror
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 corporation water
Equating Stillbirths with Murders
Just how legally viable is Maryland's Viable Fetus Act?
By Lindsay Beyerstein abortion gender womens rights
Training Satellites on the United States
Homeland Security plans to share spy satellite data with domestic agencies
By Lindsay Beyerstein civil liberties intelligence technology
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 agriculture foreign policy
Merc is the New Crack
America's deadly dependence on private security contractors in Iraq
By Lindsay Beyerstein corporation iraq war military military military
Feeding the Hungry is a Crime
City councils are cracking down on charity groups that feed the homeless without a permit
By Megan Tady activism class
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 middle east military military military
Rudy Guiliani: Criminal or Liar?
An investigation into Guiliani's claims of familiarity with "intensive questioning" techniques
By Lindsay Beyerstein election 2008 torture
When Protectors Become Predators
Perhaps the greatest danger to endangered species is the Bush administration
By Megan Tady administration administration administration administration environment
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 education military military military
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 civil rights middle east
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 asia movies torture war on terror
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 election 2008
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
Hillary for Class President
Chocolate Chip Cookies and Her Eighth Grade Campaign
By Betsy Vandercook
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… 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… more
Protest? What protest?
Amid crystal chandeliers and filet mignon appetizers, South Carolina’s delegates munched and mingled just hours after hundreds of… 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… more
Coalition Needed For Common Interests
Eighth Avenue south of Madison Square Garden on Sept. 1 blooms with union colors: kelly green for the… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… more
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… more
Recapturing Kansas
How did conservatives win the heart of America? That is the question Tom Frank explores in his bestselling… more
The Writing on the Wall
In September 2002, Israel began constructing a “security fence,” claiming it was a preventative measure to forestall Palestinian… 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… 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?
culture
art
Tacitly Tactical
Heaven and Buddy are two conjoined rooftops and raw loft spaces along the stretch of Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue… more
Too Little, Too Late
George W. Bush’s electoral victory is chilling proof that conservatives have achieved dominance over the flow of information… more
By Robert Parry administration election 2004 media politics
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… more
By Kurt Vonnegut
The Georgia Preach
Jimmy Carter's new book about fundamentalism is long on diagnosis, but thin on remedies
Climate Change Needed
The notion of what makes a "good business climate" needs to be radically rethought
By David Moberg
books
When Lost Is Found
On the surface, it would seem that getting lost requires little instruction, and that few of us would… 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 books international middle east
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… more
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… more
By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg military
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… more
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… 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… 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… more
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.
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.
movies
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.
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."
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.
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.
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… 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… more
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 Tookies 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… 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,… 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… 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… more
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:… more
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… 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.
Israels 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… more
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… 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.
