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Open Mike

Blogger Profile: David Swanson

David Swanson's Blogs

Page 1 of 4 Last

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

May 2nd, 2012

"We Did Not Choose This War" and Other Hypocrisies

By Leah Bolger and David Swanson "We did not choose this war.  This war came to us on 9/11.  We don't go looking for a fight.  But when we see our homeland violated, when we see our fellow citizens killed, then we understand what we have to do."  These are ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

April 30th, 2012

Sibel Edmonds Finally Wins

Sibel Edmonds' new book, "Classified Woman," is like an FBI file on the FBI, only without the incompetence. The experiences she recounts resemble K.'s trip to the castle, as told by Franz Kafka, only without the pleasantness and humanity.  I've read a million reviews of nonfiction books about our government ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

April 25th, 2012

What a Real Peace Candidate Looks Like

I recently wrote about a conversation I'd had with a fairly typical Democratic candidate for Congress (O.K. perhaps he was below average) -- a former military officer who claims to be for peace, but whose every solution involves war.  I asked him to make commitments on what sort of things ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

April 22nd, 2012

Veteran Disrupts CNN's War Mongering

Scott Camil, a veteran of the second-longest U.S. war in history, that on Vietnam, radically changed a discussion of the longest war in U.S. history, that on Afghanistan, on CNN on Sunday. CNN's Don Lemon tried repeatedly to explain troops posing with body parts as an inscrutable result of war, ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

April 19th, 2012

Is Peace Getting in the Way of Our War Plans?

What a bizarre circumstance this is.  The irrational Iranians are behaving too reasonably.  The unmovable Iranians seem to be compromising too readily. This past weekend, the United States and other major nations finally spoke with Iran. In 10 hours of talks (or 5 with translations), minus a lunch break, Iran ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

April 10th, 2012

As We Ruin Our Kids' Planet, They Take Us to Court

Here in the land of the free lunch and the home of the instant gratification, most people make a huge deal out of children's rights or fetuses' rights, or occasionally both.  Which is extremely bizarre -- crazier perhaps than bombing houses in Afghanistan to protect the rights of the women ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

March 29th, 2012

The Statues in Our Public Spaces Lie

There are lies of omission as well as commission, and the statues in Charlottesville, Va. -- typical of other towns -- do both.  We have statues of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, a generic Confederate soldier, George Rogers Clark, Lewis and Clark (with Sacagawea kneeling like their dog), and on ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

March 21st, 2012

Robots Kill, But the Blood Is on Our Hands

In her spare time, between nonstop peace activism and leading international exchanges, Medea Benjamin has somehow managed to write the best book yet on the most inhuman form of war yet.  The book is called "Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control."  The foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich and a form to ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

March 18th, 2012

No Justice Without Peace

Remarks at Left Forum Last night in New York City, by my unscientific estimate, two-thirds of the people on the streets had alcohol in them.  A young man celebrating his wedding engagement was stabbed to death.  A party a third floor apartment to collapse into the second floor.  And the ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

March 9th, 2012

Hunger-Striking Students Finally See Some Progress for University of Virginia Workers

Crossposted from AlternetA living-wage campaign at the University of Virginia has been pressing the university's six-figure-salary administrators to treat its workers better for the past 14 years, sometimes winning higher wages, but always watching them be wiped out by the soaring cost of living in Charlottesville. The workers, lacking a ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

March 7th, 2012

The Peace Movement Needs Kucinich, With or Without Congress

If Congressman Dennis Kucinich becomes simply Dennis Kucinich sans the "Congressman" his value to the peace movement need not diminish.  I admit it's been nice having someone in Congress who would say and do what he would.  There have been and remain other relatively strong voices for peace, but none ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

February 28th, 2012

Un-Cheating Justice: Two Years Left to Prosecute Bush

Elizabeth Holtzman knows something about struggles for justice in the U.S. government.  She was a member of Congress and of the House Judiciary Committee that voted for articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon in 1973. She proposed the bill that in 1973 required that "state secrets" claims be evaluated ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

February 18th, 2012

Why Students Are Hunger Striking in Virginia

Twelve students at the University of Virginia on Saturday began a hunger strike for a living wage policy for university employees.  They've taken this step after having exhausted just about every other possible approach over a period of 14 years.  I was part of the campaign way back when it ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

February 8th, 2012

An Election We Should Be Following

For progressives and populists around the country who take an interest in Congressional races there are always a few good challengers we might hope to send to Washington.  Incumbents, we assume, can take care of themselves.  But in Northern Ohio, redistricting has thrown two incumbents into one district.  It's a ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 31st, 2012

A Crazy Republican Attack That Obama Himself Agrees With

Imagine if a bunch of the craziest war-hungry Republicans in the House filmed themselves in a nutty bat-guano video packed with lies addressed to the President of the United States.  And then imagine President Barack Obama almost immediately agreeing with them.  I can think of two ways in which such ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 26th, 2012

Panetta: Military Spending Is Going Up

On Thursday, Leon Panetta held a press conference announcing what he called "cuts" to military spending.  The first question following his remarks pointed out that the "cuts" are to dream budgets, while the actual spending will be increased over Panetta's 10-year plan.  Is there any year, the reporter asked, out ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 23rd, 2012

The State of Obama's 2008 Promises

Presidential candidate Barack Obama won the Democratic primary last time around largely on the strength of his extremely limited and inconsistent opposition to the war on Iraq.  Then he chose as his running mate Senator Joe Biden, a man who had led efforts in the U.S. Senate to support the ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 19th, 2012

Constitutional Amendment to Create Public Financing Introduced by Kucinich

I recently recommened a comprehensive Constitutional amendment addressing the corruption of our elections. The largest piece of it, largely inspired by an amendment drafted by Russell Simmons, had not been introduced in Congress . . .  until now. Congressman Dennis Kucinich has just introduced HJRes100 which proposes this Constitutional Amendment: ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 17th, 2012

Charlottesville, Va., City Council Passes Resolution Opposing War on Iran

The City Council of Charlottesville, Virginia, home of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and the University of Virginia, passed on Tuesday evening, January 17, 2012, a resolution believed to be a first in the country, opposing the launching of a war on Iran, as well as calling for an end to ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 16th, 2012

Corporate Personhood Cannot Withstand Organized Persons

There are many schemes now for undoing the doctrines under which corporations claim constitutional rights and bribery is deemed constitutionally protected "speech." Every single one of these schemes depends on a massive movement of public pressure all across the homeland formerly known as the United States of America. With such ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 9th, 2012

Corporate Personhood Worse, Ending It Easier, Than You Think

Don't take it from me.  Take it from the book being published today that will mainstream the movement to end corporate personhood: "Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do, And What You Can Do About It," by Jeff Clements with foreword by Bill Moyers. Clements ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

January 6th, 2012

Why Not Attack Iran?

The push to attack Iran has been on for so long that entire categories of arguments for it (such as that the Iranians are fueling the Iraqi resistance) have come and gone. At DontAttackIran.org we've been collecting the arguments for and against attacking Iran for years. We've campaigned against an ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

December 31st, 2011

Obama Crowned Himself on New Year's Eve

These were among the complaints registered the last time this nation had a king: "He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good."He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

December 27th, 2011

24 Items Not to Hoard

1. Toilet Paper. Instead of hoarding toilet paper for the coming disaster and anarchy that should never be out of your mind if you want to remain easily manipulable by cynical demagogues, invest in providing clean and accessible bathrooms for the homeless. This will radically improve the lives of millions ... continue reading

David Swanson

Activist and Author, War Is a Lie

December 22nd, 2011

Prospects for Peace on Earth

This time of year is ideal for reflecting on the miracle of Christmas 1914, that famous temporary truce and friendship between opposing sides in the midst of a war. Here was a new type of slaughter confronted with a new type of humanism, the leading edges of two opposing trends. ... continue reading

Page 1 of 4 Last

@TeoMitrovich: @MMFlint where was this walk?” Here. There. Everywhere. And Burbank. #miketakesawalk

May 16th
2:37 AM
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He's handled 1 more opportunity 2 go after WallStreet & not only can he NOT do it, he has to preface it by talking about how great they are.

May 15th
10:54 PM
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President Obama, today on 'The View': JP Morgan Is "One of the Best-Managed Banks" http://t.co/QtSZr5bN

May 15th
10:53 PM
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Stephen Wright: "Everywhere is within walking distance if u have the time." I have the time. U 2? 8pm PT 11pm ET (apologies to east coast)

May 15th
10:34 PM
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This is where I walked, amongst the flora & the fauna, mostly fauna. Can u guess where it is? http://t.co/v1Rl9prm

May 14th
9:58 PM
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"@82ndVet: @MMFlint why don't u walk down the streets of your beloved #Detroit?" Honestly sir, that is probably the safest place 4 me 2 walk

May 14th
9:03 PM
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Tonight's stroll down the Left Coast will begin at 6pm PT. Where's the best place to go for a walk between Seattle and San Diego?

May 14th
7:47 PM
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http://t.co/9IZTVTkG One thing I'm sure of: College students will not take this abuse much longer. The rumblings are everywhere.

May 13th
11:21 PM
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1st walk in California. The 9th week begins. 11 weeks ago tonite a teenager in FL went 4 a walk... http://t.co/LonMToKl

May 13th
10:59 PM
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Hello west coasters - I'm in your time zone now. The sun's still up - let's go for a walk. 7pm PT #miketakesawestcoastwalk

May 13th
9:31 PM
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Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there. Here's where the idea came from: http://t.co/o09H95yK

May 13th
11:28 AM
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Only 2 days left of free streaming for my musical contribution to the benefit CD "Occupy This Album" Listen here: http://t.co/AQEU0qmn

May 13th
11:21 AM
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"@Moneysnatcher69: How much weight have u lost?" Sorry, this must've landed in my Twitter feed by mistake. I think its meant 4 someone else.

May 12th
6:01 PM
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"@MichaelBrandl: More of us out here than u may realize! #walkwithMike" Well, if it's just 1% of u(10K), we've walked 2 the moon &back #newt

May 12th
5:55 PM
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I'm not sure how many thousands of us are walking. Even if it's only 1K, that means together we've walked around the Earth-twice! 6pmET 2day

May 12th
5:13 PM
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Today's walk marks the end of our 8th wk of walking. For me, I've walked the equivalent of Flint to Detroit.Should we continue on 2 Toledo?

May 12th
5:05 PM
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Bill Maher, last night: "More Biden gaffes - please!" http://t.co/9Gi8pbYp Hilarious - and spot on.

May 12th
3:10 PM
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Rachel's handle is @maddow. Let's thank her for her tireless work over the years. It played a role in this week's historical moment.

May 11th
11:11 PM
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Ok, time to walk! Beautiful night in NYC.

May 11th
10:59 PM
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"@TracyHover: @MMFlint a Michigan hat? Seriously? :)" I lost a bet. $ went 2 charity. Felt hair disintegrating while hat was on. #spartans

May 11th
10:57 PM
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I'm be speaking with Cornel West in a special benefit for New York City's Brecht Forum this Friday, May 18th at 7:00 PM at Hunter College's...

May 15th
7:13 PM
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'Occupy This Album,' with 99 songs performed by David Crosby & Graham Nash, Steve Earle, Tom Morello, Willie Nelson, Ani DiFranco, Third Eye...

May 15th
10:15 AM
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Deficit Reduction: The Great Distraction ...by Dean Baker www.michaelmoore.com Once again our "leaders" are distracting the public from the...

May 15th
10:13 AM
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In the “Loop” with Morello Standing Against ‘Grotesque Income Inequality’ ...by Donna Smith www.michaelmoore.com I listen to the lyrics of one of Tom’s songs...

May 14th
6:06 PM
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This week's This Modern World on DailyKos: Daily Kos: The Austerions www.dailykos.com Readers should imagine the Austerions speaking in full, booming...

May 14th
2:44 PM
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Plutocrats Deserve Public Scorn ...by Carl Gibson www.michaelmoore.com The only way to get the GOP (Guardians Of Plutocracy) out of office is to vilify them...

May 14th
2:13 PM
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One thing I'm sure of: college students will not take this abuse much longer. The rumblings are everywhere. Student Loans Weighing Down a Generation...

May 14th
5:16 AM
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Mother's Day for Peace www.youtube.com Gloria Steinem, Vanessa Williams, Felicity Huffman, Fatma Saleh and Alfre Woodard read the Mother's Day...

May 13th
5:48 PM
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Militarization of the Mothers: You've Come a Long Way, Baby, from Mother's Day for Peace ...by Colee www.michaelmoore.com The five most powerful...

May 13th
5:13 PM
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Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Here's where the idea came from: Mother's Day Proclamation, by Julia Ward Howe, 1870...

May 13th
4:59 PM
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...and here's my segment talking to Rachel about the Silverdome, and how Michigan is capitalism's laboratory: Rachel Maddow Show www.msnbc.msn.com...

May 12th
3:12 PM
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Here's the segment from The Rachel Maddow Show just before I was on, about the Pontiac emergency manager selling the Silverdome for $500,000: Rachel...

May 12th
3:08 PM
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Rachel Maddow will have me on her show tonite at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on MSNBC. Among other things, we'll talk about the State of Michigan's...

May 11th
4:19 PM
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What If Kobe Bryant Were an Imprisoned Palestinian Soccer Player? ...by Dave Zirin www.michaelmoore.com Imagine if a member of Team USA Basketball were seized...

May 11th
12:30 PM
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The Energy Wars Heat Up ...by Michael Klare www.michaelmoore.com Here are the six areas of conflict – all tied to energy supplies – that have made news in...

May 10th
7:50 PM
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I will do a special live Facebook Q & A tonight at 11pm ET to discuss the historic announcement by President Obama today that same-sex marriage should be...

May 9th
11:37 PM
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I am deeply moved by the announcement made a short while ago that President Obama has gone back to his original position in 1996 and come out publicly in...

May 9th
7:27 PM
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Turns out the city of Chicago is terrified of Tom Morello and a bunch of unionized nurses: City of Chicago Pulls Permit for Nurses Rally After Event Adds Tom...

May 9th
1:27 PM
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This week's This Modern World from Tom Tomorrow on Daily Kos: Daily Kos: Circular debate www.dailykos.com

May 8th
11:20 AM
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To the Hague: Justice for the May 4th Kent State Massacre? ...by Laurel Krause www.michaelmoore.com The killing of American protesters remains effectively...

May 8th
10:20 AM
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My conversation and Q & A with all of you tonight was a blast! Let's do this again. My spirits are lifted by all the good people out there who care...

May 8th
12:07 AM
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I'm back from the daily walk with me. I'll be here on Facebook from 10pm to 10:30pm ET tonight if anyone would like to ask me any questions or talk...

May 7th
10:00 PM
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Wow. There's been over 60,000 downloads/listens of my version of "The Times They Are a Changin'" in just the first 72 hours! Thank you!...

May 7th
7:03 PM
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On Saturday, President Obama said: "Corporations aren't people. People are people." Right the eff on! Now, how do we make that the law of the...

May 7th
6:25 PM
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Michael Moore Talks Movies in Montclair (Video) montclair.patch.com Documentary filmmaker speaks to sold-out audience on final day of Montclair Film Festival.

May 7th
4:58 PM
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Adam 'MCA' Yauch: Our Ambassador From Atlantis ...by Dave Zirin www.michaelmoore.com Adam Yauch and the Beastie Boys stood for more than just hip...

May 7th
4:13 PM
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Too Hot Not to Notice?: A Planet Connected by Wild Weather ...by Bill McKibben www.michaelmoore.com As long as this remains one abstract problem in the long...

May 7th
12:35 AM
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Hey, just crossed the 600,000 mark for number of Facebook friends/fans! Shouldn't we celebrate or share or poke or something? I'm game for anything....

May 5th
4:45 PM
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My recording of "The Times They Are a-Changin'" is on the CD "Occupy This Album." Release date: May 15th.

Many musicians...

May 4th
12:34 PM
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And now for a surprise: MY FIRST-EVER RECORDING! "The Times They Are a-Changin'" Listen here -- it's part of a fundraiser CD for Occupy...

May 4th
12:24 PM
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Open Mike

  • May 2nd, 2012

    "We Did Not Choose This War" and Other Hypocrisies

    By Leah Bolger and David Swanson "We did not choose this war.  This war came to us on 9/11.  We don't go looking for a ...

  • April 30th, 2012

    Sibel Edmonds Finally Wins

    Sibel Edmonds' new book, "Classified Woman," is like an FBI file on the FBI, only without the incompetence. The experiences she recounts resemble K.'s trip ...

  • April 25th, 2012

    What a Real Peace Candidate Looks Like

    I recently wrote about a conversation I'd had with a fairly typical Democratic candidate for Congress (O.K. perhaps he was below average) -- a former ...

  • April 22nd, 2012

    Veteran Disrupts CNN's War Mongering

    Scott Camil, a veteran of the second-longest U.S. war in history, that on Vietnam, radically changed a discussion of the longest war in U.S. history, ...

  • April 19th, 2012

    Is Peace Getting in the Way of Our War Plans?

    What a bizarre circumstance this is.  The irrational Iranians are behaving too reasonably.  The unmovable Iranians seem to be compromising too readily. This past weekend, ...

  • April 10th, 2012

    As We Ruin Our Kids' Planet, They Take Us to Court

    Here in the land of the free lunch and the home of the instant gratification, most people make a huge deal out of children's rights ...

  • March 29th, 2012

    The Statues in Our Public Spaces Lie

    There are lies of omission as well as commission, and the statues in Charlottesville, Va. -- typical of other towns -- do both.  We have ...

  • February 9th, 2011

    Nonviolent Activism Is Middle Eastern

    Muslims can look back to the classic nonviolent struggle against British empire waged by the Pashtuns from 1930-1934 in what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan.  ...

  • May 19th, 2011

    'Support Killing People or Lose Your Job'

    "Ban the bombers are afraid of a fight "Peace hurts business and that ain't right "How do I know? I read it in the Daily ...

  • June 24th, 2011

    Freedom Riding to Gaza

    Fifty years ago, freedom riders traveled by bus into the U.S. South.  Now American freedom riders are joining their allies from around the world on ...

  • September 2nd, 2011

    I Just Found 29 Million Jobs

    No, not 29 million job offers. I'm no better at applying for jobs than you are, and my town offers nothing but dead-end McJobs or ...

  • July 1st, 2011

    How We Really Get Rid of Clarence Thomas

    Am I the only one who noticed that ex-Nixon lawyer John Dean's article "John Dean Knows How to Get Rid of Clarence Thomas" concludes thus: ...

  • May 2nd, 2011

    Killing Resolves Nothing

    The plane I was on landed in Washington, D.C., Sunday night, and the pilot came on the intercom to tell everyone to celebrate: our government ...

  • October 8th, 2011

    Pepper-Sprayed for Peace

    I've been coughing and vomiting, and my head aches from pepper spray. Video from what happened is below. We intended to hold signs and sing inside ...

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