A portrait of Mississippi. It has a lower percentage of high school graduates than almost any other state. It has an unemployment rate higher than almost any other state. Mississippi’s fourth-graders perform more poorly than any other children in the country in math. Also in reading. Its smoking rates are among the highest in the […]
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Who decides what is moral or ethical?
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — In a recent interview for the BBC2 series “Inside Obama’s White House,” President Obama sounded somewhat wistful as he spoke to an interviewer about how he has tried to use his voice “to move things toward a more ethical and moral outcome.” The question of morals and ethics has been debated […]
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Obama has been successful in transforming U.S. policies
NEW YORK — In an interview during the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama explained that Ronald Reagan had changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton did not. Clearly, Obama aspired to be a transformational president like Reagan. At this point, it’s fair to say that he has succeeded. Look […]
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Trump maintains core constituency
WASHINGTON — Yes, the big Wisconsin story is Ted Cruz’s crushing 13-point victory. And yes, it greatly improves his chances of denying Donald Trump a first-ballot convention victory, which may turn out to be Trump’s only path to the nomination. Nonetheless, the most stunning result of Wisconsin is the solidity of Trump’s core constituency. Fundamentalist […]
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Sometimes you have to choose to see the good that happens
My husband’s story starts with an ambulance ride in the middle of a horrible ice and snow storm late Wednesday night, March 12, 2014. A CAT scan showed pancreatitis. He was admitted for IV fluids and was told that he would be going home within the next couple days. However, by Friday, March 14, things […]
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Help available for LBGTQ+ people
For five years, I have worked for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services as the outreach coordinator. The position involves working to connect services with people who are traditionally under-served and to ensure that the organization develops services that are informed, meaningful and culturally appropriate. One area of outreach is providing services to people who […]
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Dog bites woman, and now it’s a federal case
Dog bites man may not be a news story — but in nine western states, it’s grounds for a constitutional case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has allowed a lawsuit by a woman who fell asleep in her office after a hard night’s drinking, accidentally tripped a burglar alarm, and was […]
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Obama hubris displayed in interviews
Donald Trump, sure to be a mystery to future historians, is heading for his preordained crackup, tripping over a tongue bigger even than his hands. To some, his performance has been appalling, not to mention frightening. To others, though, it has been downright fortunate. Among other things, Trump has averted our eyes from Barack Obama. […]
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Trump’s plan for federal debt is pure fantasy
WASHINGTON — Trumpanomics doesn’t compute. The media keep piling on Donald Trump, because he keeps saying things that are controversial, impractical, undesirable and — in some cases — simply impossible. Into this last category has now tumbled something new: Trump told Washington Post reporters Robert Costa and Bob Woodward that he could eliminate the $19 […]
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Awkward revelation stigmatizes politicians
A sophisticated global sewer system of law firms and banks located in accommodating locales serves the dirty financial demands of corrupt political leaders and their cronies. The so-called Panama Papers, obtained via leak by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, provide an astonishingly detailed look at this mucky system. The ICIJ is a Washington-based non-profit […]