Tsunami. Hurricane. Earthquake. War. Poverty. Injustice. It’s been a
tough year, but here’s a list of extraordinary groups who deserve a
place on your holiday gift list.
Samuel Alito once boasted he was a member of Concerned Alumni of
Princeton, which opposed bemoaned the impact of co-education and
affirmative action. What does this say about his character and the kind
of place he would like America to be?
Tennessee once had a visionary health care plan for that left only 14
percent of residents uninsured. But with federal cuts and a governor’s
misguided attempt to privatize Medicaid, Tennessee is just another
state unable to protect its citizens.
When George W. Bush met Muhammad Ali at the White House last week, the
Champ had one last rope-a-dope up his sleeve. You don’t have to guess
who won this match.
Capitalizing on Bob Woodward’s revelation that he was one of the first
to learn about Valerie Plame’s CIA status, Scooter Libby’s legal team
hopes that will get their client off the hook. That turkey won’t fly.
Lack of candor is not surprising from Bush or Ahmad Chalabi, but why does the New York Times continue to struggle with the truth about Judith Miller? The Gray Lady might solve the problem by banning anonymous Administration sources in its news reports. If they’re going to lie to us anyway, why not under their own names?
Is Commander-in-Chief softening up the country for President
Hillary? Americans may not not be ready to put a woman in the White
House, but they may have calmed down enough to contemplate the
pleasures of female power.
Until the Bush Administration is held accountable by Congress for
its propaganda, manipulation of the truth and assaults on journalism,
freedom of the press will exist in name only.
Power-friendly reporters like Judith Miller are easily manipulated
by selective leaks. But what we need now is more civil disobedience by
whistle-blowers exposing renditions, acts of torture and the flagrant
abuse of power.
When Joe Louis defeated Nazi sympathizer Max Schmeling in 1938, it
was the boxing match that reverberated across the world. Three new
books chronicle the match and all the racial and political turmoil of
which it was an emblem.