September 21, 2009 Issue

Cover art by: Cover and issue design by Steven Brower, cover and issue illustrations by Tim Robinson

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Feature

Another Mysterious Electrocution Death in Iraq

The death of a Triple Canopy contractor in Iraq bears a striking resemblance to an earlier electrocution ruled to be a “negligent homicide.”
Jeremy Scahill
Afghanistan by the Numbers

How to measure “success” in Afghanistan, the metrics for a war gone to hell.
Tom Engelhardt
Working Without Laws

Employment and labor law violations are still persistent in America. There is hope for change with the new administration.
Annette Bernhardt , Ruth Milkman and Nik Theodore
Zelaya Speaks

In an exclusive Nation interview, the deposed Honduran president assesses the significance of his recent meeting with Secretary of State Clinton.
Tom Hayden
Zelaya’s Coup

In an exclusive Nation interview, the ousted Honduran president calls the new State Department aid cutoff a “direct blow” against the regime that exiled him.
Tom Hayden
Mississippi Growing

An African-American community with New Deal roots finds some hope in a farmers’ market.
Habiba Alcindor
Wendell Berry’s Wisdom

Today’s conversation about food was started by dot-connecting writers like Berry in the 1970s.
Michael Pollan
Green Shoots in New Orleans

A frustrating quest for food security has led some residents to grow their own.
Dayo Olopade
Cafeteria Consciousness

Concerned about global warming, students are pushing for change–in their dining halls.
Anna Lappé
Ending Africa’s Hunger

Bill Gates’s fortune is funding a new Green Revolution. But is that what Africans need?
Raj Patel , Eric Holt-Gimenez and Annie Shattuck
Food is Freedom

To engage a broader audience, food-justice activists need to change their language.
LaDonna Redmond
Detroit’s ‘Quiet Revolution’

How we came to see vacant lots not as blight but as opportunities to grow our own food.
Grace Lee Boggs
An American Right to Food

People are beginning to understand the connection between our stomachs and our common destiny.
Dave Murphy
A Healthy Constitution

School lunch reform is the best way to teach democratic values.
Alice Waters
Why Cooking Matters

The campaign for food democracy needs to start with boning knives and cast iron skillets.
Dan Barber
How to Grow Democracy

Five leading figures of this country’s food movement reflect on how food democracy can be achieved, here and now.
The Nation

Editorial

Obama Shows His Progressive Spine

The president’s healthcare speech was not a full-fledged antidote to decades of Reaganism. But it was an eloquent call for a new progressive role for government. We must build on it.
Katrina vanden Heuvel
The Nightmare of Christianity

Matthew Murray, a disturbed young gunman behind the the shootings in Colorado Springs, chose to end his nightmare and rebel against Christian-right self-help gurus and cult-like doctrines.
Max Blumenthal
Remember the Real Villain–Wall Street

In confusing times like these, it’s important to keep the story straight.
Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh
Ten Things You Can Do to Start a Community Garden

Band together to gain control of your own food.
The Nation
Food Without Fear

Bad peanuts and killer spinach: that’s the food story of 2009. But in the coming months we may see a huge turning point in the fight for safety.
John Nichols
Vigilantes: Free to Roam?

Our investigation into the shootings of African-Americans in the days after Hurricane Katrina seems to have gotten the feds’ attention; but in New Orleans, the wheels of justice have rusted.
Esther Kaplan
By Any Means Necessary

The window is open for President Obama and a Democratic Congress to finally reform our healthcare system. Success means a bill with a strong public option, not a watered-down “bipartisan” measure.
The Editors
By the Numbers

Rising healthcare costs are killing wage increases.
David Cay Johnston
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Column

A 9/11 Reality Check

What if eight years ago the World Trade Center had been leveled by a small nuclear bomb that took out most of lower Manhattan as well?
Robert Scheer
The Female Gourmet

A movie about women’s struggle to express their gifts through work? Delicious.
Katha Pollitt
Obama’s Last Chance

We crave drama, but we’re not getting it, except in the form of racist rallies.
Alexander Cockburn
Cheney Offers Sharp Defense of C.I.A. Interrogation Tactics

Again, Dick says that torture’s good.
Calvin Trillin

Books & the Arts

The Female Gourmet

A movie about women’s struggle to express their gifts through work? Delicious.
Katha Pollitt
Cornucopia Blues

How will the good-food revolution move beyond its evangelical phase?
Brent Cunningham
Aracataca and Sucre

Will narrowed on a single object and fixed in the face of adversity–such is the recurring story of Gabriel García Márquez's work and life.

William Deresiewicz
The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

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Letters

Letters

Four-Star Food Favorites
We invited readers to tell us about their most beloved food institutions.
Our Readers

Crossword

Puzzle No. 3183

ACROSS

1 and 6 You can get such things beneath the vendor’s place of business being so bodied. (14)
Frank W. Lewis

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September 21, 2009 Issue

Feature

The death of a Triple Canopy contractor in Iraq bears a striking resemblance to an earlier electrocution ruled to be a “negligent homicide.”

How to measure “success” in Afghanistan, the metrics for a war gone to hell.

Employment and labor law violations are still persistent in America. There is hope for change with the new administration.

In an exclusive Nation interview, the deposed Honduran president assesses the significance of his recent meeting with Secretary of State Clinton.

In an exclusive Nation interview, the ousted Honduran president calls the new State Department aid cutoff a “direct blow” against the regime that exiled him.

An African-American community with New Deal roots finds some hope in a farmers’ market.

Today’s conversation about food was started by dot-connecting writers like Berry in the 1970s.

A frustrating quest for food security has led some residents to grow their own.

Concerned about global warming, students are pushing for change–in their dining halls.

Bill Gates’s fortune is funding a new Green Revolution. But is that what Africans need?

To engage a broader audience, food-justice activists need to change their language.

How we came to see vacant lots not as blight but as opportunities to grow our own food.

People are beginning to understand the connection between our stomachs and our common destiny.

School lunch reform is the best way to teach democratic values.

The campaign for food democracy needs to start with boning knives and cast iron skillets.

Five leading figures of this country’s food movement reflect on how food democracy can be achieved, here and now.

Editorial

The president’s healthcare speech was not a full-fledged antidote to decades of Reaganism. But it was an eloquent call for a new progressive role for government. We must build on it.

Matthew Murray, a disturbed young gunman behind the the shootings in Colorado Springs, chose to end his nightmare and rebel against Christian-right self-help gurus and cult-like doctrines.

In confusing times like these, it’s important to keep the story straight.

Band together to gain control of your own food.

Bad peanuts and killer spinach: that’s the food story of 2009. But in the coming months we may see a huge turning point in the fight for safety.

Our investigation into the shootings of African-Americans in the days after Hurricane Katrina seems to have gotten the feds’ attention; but in New Orleans, the wheels of justice have rusted.

The window is open for President Obama and a Democratic Congress to finally reform our healthcare system. Success means a bill with a strong public option, not a watered-down “bipartisan” measure.

Rising healthcare costs are killing wage increases.

GET UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS FOR LESS THAN $3 A MONTH!

Column

What if eight years ago the World Trade Center had been leveled by a small nuclear bomb that took out most of lower Manhattan as well?

A movie about women’s struggle to express their gifts through work? Delicious.

We crave drama, but we’re not getting it, except in the form of racist rallies.

Again, Dick says that torture’s good.

Books & the Arts

A movie about women’s struggle to express their gifts through work? Delicious.

How will the good-food revolution move beyond its evangelical phase?

Will narrowed on a single object and fixed in the face of adversity–such is the recurring story of Gabriel García Márquez's work and life.

The stakes are higher now than ever. Get The Nation in your inbox.

Letters

Four-Star Food Favorites We invited readers to tell us about their most beloved food institutions.

Crossword

ACROSS 1 and 6 You can get such things beneath the vendor’s place of business being so bodied. (14)

Four-Star Food Favorites
We invited readers to tell us about their most beloved food institutions.

ACROSS

1 and 6 You can get such things beneath the vendor’s place of business being so bodied. (14)