James Earl Carter is nearing the end. In an extraordinary press conference last week, the 39th president discussed his impending death from metastasizing liver cancer, with a grace, humor, and wisdom the rest of us can only hope to emulate when our own time comes. Soon will come the eulogies: then, the assessments. Forgive […]

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  In Citizens United, the 5-4 conservative minority on the John Roberts Court ruled that free speech is essential to a democracy and political contributions are a form of free speech, including contributions from corporations and unions. Since 2010, corporations and unions are much more free to spend money in primary and general elections. Writing […]

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  After President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. will reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, a collective “Oh no!” permeated the internet. And it persists. Not from right-leaning Cuban Americans in Miami, but from American liberals. The untouched, idyllic island they dreamed of visiting would soon be spoiled by corporate investment. Cuba will be ruined […]

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  At the New York premier of the documentary Citizenfour, Glenn Greenwald explained that the film presented an opportunity for audiences to make up their minds about the type of person Edward Snowden is. The captivating documentary by Pulitzer prize-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras is an account of Snowden setting in motion one of the most […]

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  There’s some good news about the news business for a change. The big head wound traditional media venues like newspapers and TV suffered with the advent of Internet ads is starting to heal. The bleeding has either stopped or slowed to a less-painful trickle for most divisions of the Fourth Estate, according to the […]

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