Though inalienable, universal, and probably self-evident, U.S. liberties today are based on workarounds that satisfy the power elite. In his speech celebrating the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, Obama warned of strongman politics that “. . . seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning.” Before getting worked around yourself, perform this quick reality check. Continue reading
Proud citizens of the most powerful democracy in history, we Americans grew a little smug, then got faked out. They still figure plump and posh in our minds, but our rights got dressed down to grunt status to serve the superrich a while ago. We just don’t seem to know it. Continue reading
The man who wants to connect everyone on the planet, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, recently cut off the man who needs his social media tools most. Why? Because Putin told him to. Continue reading
The amount of campaign money spent neatly determines who gets elected and that should have us all very worried. We can cool it all down by limiting campaign spending in eight simple fixes. Continue reading
Every oppressive power structure seduces its sufferers into believing in an oversimplified salvation. So East German writer Christa Wolf may be excused for getting it wrong. Continue reading
This conservative political commentator and stinker was one of 22 people barred from entering the United Kingdom for fostering extremism or hate. Sixteen of the names on the UK’s list were made public in early May 2009. This commentator’s brilliant mind-set was captured by our interviewer sometime later and reproduced faithfully here word for word. Almost. Continue reading