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Why WikiLeaks's Julian Assange Isn't a Journalist
Tweet Share on Facebook January 31, 2011 Comment (19)Julian Assange still doesn’t know who he is.
The man behind WikiLeaks is not a victim of government persecution, he is not a courageous teller of the truth, and he is certainly not a journalist, as he suggested in a self-serving interview on 60 Minutes Sunday night. He is an agitator, and one whose ego (and operating budget) is driven by masses of people who feel disempowered and like the idea of making governments and businesses as nervous as so many people have been during this era of war and recession.
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Gun Control Opponents Have Nothing to Worry About
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2011 Comment (21)The answer to the question of why Democrats aren’t upset about gun control is obvious. What’s perplexing is why those opposed to gun control are worried about it.
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State of the Union Bipartisan Seating Made a Difference
Tweet Share on Facebook January 26, 2011 Comment (2)It was a show. A charade, arguably. A public relations ploy that was all about trying to look bipartisan in the wake of the Tucson tragedy, without the true substance of cross-party cooperation behind it.
And I still loved it.
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Return of 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Is An Insult to Haiti
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2011 Comment (5)Of all the wrenching scenes I have witnessed in several visits to Haiti—and there are many—the one that haunts me to this day is the one I witnessed in Fort Dimanche.
Residents of the neighborhood around the former prison offered a grim tour of the old prison where the Tonton Macoutes, the brutal paramilitary force established under Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, tortured political opponents of the Haitian regime. Some of the tiny cement cells still showed the evidence of torture, although imprisonment in the hellish conditions was surely torture enough.
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Green Bay Packers a Model for NFL, All Pro Sports
Tweet Share on Facebook January 24, 2011 Comment (7)As we prepare for the celebration of obscene profits, commercialism, and grandstanding so unfortunately displayed in increasing amounts at each Super Bowl, let us give thanks for an exception to the profit-driven madness: the Green Bay Packers.
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Hu Should Consider China's Human Rights Record Before Lecturing U.S.
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2011 Comment (12)Most countries don’t like being lectured by foreigners, although sometimes a well-worded criticism from outside sources is worth heeding. One wishes that the United States, for example, had paid a bit more attention to the skepticism and outright opposition to the Iraq War expressed by the international community. That would have been a better response than demonizing the French, including by re-naming the (Belgian-invented) French fries as “Freedom Fries” in Capitol restaurants.
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Health Reform Repeal Vote a Republican 2012 Campaign Ploy
Tweet Share on Facebook January 20, 2011 Comment (12)We've just been through a nasty political campaign season, and we're reeling still from the tragic attacks in Tucson on public servants—and by extension, democracy. One would think Congress could take a breather before starting the 2012 campaign.
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Honor Sargent Shriver by Increasing Peace Corps Funding
Tweet Share on Facebook January 19, 2011 Comment (6)As Sargent Shriver is eulogized for his deep and enduring commitment to public service, Congress should take the opportunity to put numbers behind their words. They should expand funding for the Peace Corps, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and of which Shriver was the first director.
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New York Jets Spoiled Win Over Patriots With Bad Behavior
Tweet Share on Facebook January 18, 2011 Comment (13)If the country engaged in any soul-searching, post-Tucson shootings, about how we behave and speak to one another, the message was clearly lost on many in professional football.
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To Sarah Palin, the Arizona Shooting Is All About ... Sarah Palin
Tweet Share on Facebook January 13, 2011 Comment (83)A nine-year-old girl who just wanted to meet her congresswoman is dead. Democracy itself is under assault with the shooting death of a federal judge and a congressional aide, and the attempted murder of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The accused shooter has a troubling history that raises questions about how we care for the mentally ill and whom we allow to have a gun. Heroes emerged, including citizens who threw themselves atop the shooter to stop further bloodshed, and the congressional intern who used his first aid training to attend to his wounded boss, possibly saving her life. Doctors in Tucson have performed medical miracles, saving a woman who arrived at the hospital after having a bullet go straight through her head. [Photo Gallery: Gabrielle Giffords Shooting in Arizona.]
