From the Archive: Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum’s accusation that President Obama follows a “phony theology,” one not “based on the Bible,” revives the right-wing notion that the United States must be a “Christian nation” and that “separation of church and state”…
Category: Human Rights
Taking a Bite Out of Apple
The late Steve Jobs was perhaps the most acclaimed businessman of his generation, making the iconic Apple products both stylish and efficient, even if that meant pushing his work force to extremes. But those extremes sometimes meant cruelly exploiting overseas…
Americans Abandon International Law
After a decade of “war on terror” rhetoric and President Obama’s failure to reverse many of George W. Bush’s extrajudicial policies the U.S. public has come to accept that American “exceptionalism” puts the nation beyond the reach of international law,…
Beating the Drums of War, Again
The U.S. news media is in harness again, pulling the latest bandwagon for war, this time with Iran. So, Americans should expect soft coverage of U.S.-Israeli provocations of Iran and media outrage over any Iranian retaliation, as the Independent Institute’s…
‘Night Raids’ Stall Afghan War Talks
The Obama administration’s hopes for a negotiated end to the Afghan War are hung up on a dispute with the Karzai government over the future use of night raids by U.S. Special Forces, a tactic very unpopular with Afghans, as…
Manipulating Reality; Hurting Democracy
Over the past few decades in America, reality has been put in play as never before, with powerful interests using sophisticated “perception management,” the shaping of how the public perceives the outside world, a threat that Lawrence Davidson says is again leading…
Theocracy Comes to Virginia
Exclusive: Virginia’s Republican-controlled government is moving to enact extreme anti-abortion laws based on a doctrinal belief that human life begins at conception, even if that judgment conflicts with the personal beliefs of many state residents — the latest round of…
Which Way for the Occupy Protests?
The Occupy movement is at a divide, with the initial encampments mostly disbanded but with new plans for marches and civil disobedience this spring. There are also schisms between non-violent activists and some anarchists who favor more aggressive action, a…
Standing Up to War and Hillary Clinton
From the Archive: A year ago, ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern protested a speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by standing in protest, before being assaulted by security guards and arrested. McGovern’s non-violent act became part of a year of…
Failure of ‘Pro-Democracy’ Wars
A key justification for three recent U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya was to oust brutal dictators and pave the way for a more democratic future. But these violent strategies have fallen short on the pro-democracy front, writes…