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Still a Good Read…Maybe Now More Than Ever? »

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws [...]

Incarceration Nation Revisited: Webb to the Rescue! »

It is a scandal. It breaks families and our economy. My first post on the crises in our prisons got a great response from many of you, but we didn’t come up with many solid answers. Then I got an email from the Press Secretary for Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) who had actually seen [...]

Searching Savana »

Middle School was the pits.
The only kids who weren’t self-conscious in the extreme about their evolving bodies and appearance were those few precocious jocks destined for high school football glory. To minimize exposure of the shiny wire braces on his teeth, one of my friends refused to speak unless absolutely necessary. Another [...]

Plugging the Donut Hole: Help or Hype? »

The pharmaceutical industry is having a half-off sale! President Obama just couldn’t gush over it enough.
Soon, seniors trapped in the so-called Medicare drug coverage donut hole will be able to purchase their medications for 50% off the usual outrageous rate. As of now, Medicare helps pay for seniors’ medications (75%) up [...]

You Can Tell a Lot About a Man… »

My Grandmother always said you can tell a lot about a man by the necktie he chooses to wear.
She was absolutely convinced that she could identify who was good, dishonest, mean, wealthy, struggling, splashy, sharp, silly, arrogant, modest, stupid, intelligent, boring, and so on by the design on his tie.
I doubt that, of course. [...]

Incarceration Nation »

We have a big problem here!
For the first time in our country’s history, one of every 100 Americans is behind bars.* Ten out of every 100 Black Americans between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars. Men are about 13 times more likely to be incarcerated than are [...]

I See Nothing… I Smell Nothing… »

While issuing a parking ticket, you’d think that New York’s Finest would notice a dead man in the back seat. Or the by the second ticket…or third…or fourth. Yet it was a month later when a disintegrated body was discovered in a minivan covered with parking tickets and dust.
How could this [...]

Who Went Bankrupt? »

The stereotype of who goes bankrupt is hardly complimentary. The image comes to mind of irresponsible people spending more than they know they have on whatever strikes their fancy, and then look for easy outs when the shit hits the fan. But, you probably know the correct answer to the question posed in [...]

Henry and the Great Log Caper »

I was moved today by the ceremony at Buchenwald, the former German concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops in 1945. Elie Wiesel’s recollection of the death of his father while both were imprisoned there reminds us all that life is fragile, human beings are capable of extreme prejudice and cruelty, and family stays in [...]

Walls »

Marcus Welby? He’s history. So says Ronald Glasser in a stinging Washington Post editorial. It’s not that a Dr. Welby won’t be coming to your house because he doesn’t care to do that sort of thing any more. Your doctor is no longer available because your doctor is probably no [...]

David v. Goliath? Should Joe Run? »

In the 2010 Senate primaries, should the dashing retired Navy Admiral who currently represents Pennsylvania’s 7th district as a Democrat in Congress take on the grisly, high-profile, five-term Republican Senator who only recently dumped the GOP to declare himself a Democrat? Either man would likely prevail over the right-wing conservative Republican contender.

Losing Las Vegas »

As I put together this illustration, Obama was on his way to do a fundraiser for Senator Harry Reid in Las Vegas, Nevada.
So why isn’t the state’s governor willing to meet with the President of the United States? And why is the Las Vegas Mayor demanding that Obama offer an apology?
Well the [...]

D Day in California! »

(Bumped up from Saturday evening.)

California!. What a state! We are known for our whacky politics and all-around open-minded, fun-loving, Hollywood-inspired ways. Calling us “yogurt-loving, latte drinking, text-messaging, vegetarian neurotics” is taken as a compliment. If you have a pulse, you are a friend and deserve a big hug.
So you [...]

Vets Going Green »

The New York Times carried an interesting little story about what some vets are doing when they return home. It seems many have special skills that are being put to good use on the environmental front.

Let the Credit Card Games Begin! »

“Usurers” is a dirty word. In dark streets, we call them “loan sharks.” Otherwise we call them “credit card companies.” It’s shocking that the interest they can charge along with the other little gouging games they play are legal. But we do have little stones to toss at this Goliath…

Science, Industry, and You »

Biomedical researchers are under no ethical obligation to find a cure for every physical affliction. That goal remains unreachable by even the best scientsts. However, they are obligated to hold the patients’ welfare paramount and to minimize every risk possible.
It was with great concern, then, that I read a press release [...]

Marijuana—The New Money Tree? »

It’s Bill Maher’s wet dream. And if you know the area where I live (Santa Cruz, California) you also know what the response to legalizing marijuana would be. (If you don’t know Santa Cruz, it’s an ocean front/redwoods playground south of San Francisco where the “Love Children” in the 60s came to visit. [...]

Ponies in the Poop Pile: Ten Potential Positive Outcomes of the Economic Meltdown »

An optimist has been defined as one who would, should a ton of crap be dumped on his doorstep, jump right in and rummage through it, convinced that there must be a pony in there somewhere. I tend towards optimism.
So, while not for one second denying that millions of citizens have been [...]

Mothers Day As You’ve Never Known It »

Many may not realize that the beginnings of “Mothers Day” in the United States was NOT to honor mothers, but rather to bring mothers together to protest war.
(The early settlers had abandoned a British tradition of “Mothering Day.”)
The American Founder was a remarkable woman who created the Mother’s Day Proclamation of [...]

Humans Who Give Vultures a Bad Name »

(bumped up from this morning)

The economy is booming in at least one sector, namely fraudsters out to separate you from your money. These human stains have always existed, of course, but the meteoric rise in the sheer number of scams in recent weeks is startling.
And what better target than the already weakened? People [...]