News at Home

Statistically, It's Never Been Safer to Be Black in America. But That Doesn't Mean Black People are Safe from White Violence.

by Ian Reifowitz

A black person today is half as likely to be murdered as a black person in 1980. But when the murderer of Trayvon Martin walks free, and the murderer of Jordan Davis is not convicted of his gravest crime, it's naive to think race doesn't matter.

How Obama Became a Publicist for His Presidency (Rather Than the President)

by David Bromwich

The truth is that Obama’s convictions were never strong, and they were untested until he became the president.

What's Missing from Obama's Presidency

by Kenneth Weisbrode

If Obama the president is supposed to embody a "stable pluralism," how can he inspire the rest of us to transcend it?

Even If Arizona Made Its Anti-Gay Bill Law, It Wouldn't Have Mattered -- It Would Have Been Unconstitutional

by John A. Kirk

It's *so* unconstitutional it's laughable -- these issues were supposed to be settled fifty years ago.

Remember Way Back When White Men Killed Black Men to "Defend" White Women? (Hint: We're Talking About 2013)

by Crystal R. Sanders

The justifications of the killers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis draw upon the dark, bloody history of the fear of black men and white women.

Inside the Republican War on Women

by Ruth Rosen

Mike Huckabee thinks women "need to be liberated from their libidos."

Three Myths About Reagan, Debunked on His 103rd Birthday

by Monica Gray

Reagan wasn't an empty-suit actor or a nuclear cowboy, but nor was he as natural leader as he seemed.

The Pete Seeger I Remember

by Allan M. Winkler

Seeger was more than just a musician or activist: he was my friend.

Pete Seeger: Singing Out To Seek a Better World

by Ron Briley

Born into a life of privilege, Pete Seeger turned his back on classical music and embraced the music of the people.

Remember the Latinos in the "So God Created a Farmer" Super Bowl Ad Last Year? Neither Do We.

by Frank P. Barajas

Here's hoping Dodge takes a more inclusive approach this year.

Remember the 1970s, When Congress Actually Stood Up to the Intelligence Community?

by John Prados

Otis G. Pike, the New York congressman who investigated CIA abuses in 1974, died last week. Politicos today could use his integrity.

Enough With the State of the Union Already

by Scot Faulkner

The speech is a pointless exercise in Washington excess, and isn't even in the Constitution.

Ed, Do You Really Want to Invoke Ted?

by Michael Patrick Cullinane

UK Labour Party leader Ed Miliband is fond of citing Teddy Roosevelt's anti-trust crusades, but that's not going to be enough for an electoral victory.

You Won't Believe What Anti-Pot Crusaders Said About Weed in the 1970s

by Emily Dufton

Reefer madness, eat your heart out: One congressman from the '70s sais that youth marijuana use will leave America "with a large population of semi-zombies."

Can Buddhists Be Activists?

by David P. Barash

Buddhism is widely seen as quietistic, but that doesn't mean Buddhists can't be engaged in the world.

Is Obama Brave Enough to Give an Address as Radical as Grover Cleveland's?

Now this was a Message to Congress Americans would remember.

Why is Hemp Illegal?

by Bradley J. Borougerdi

The real reason hemp is illegal may surprise you -- it has everything to do with Orientalism.

#NotYourAsianTigerMom: The Backstory

by Ellen D. Wu

The history behind Twitter's best response to Amy Chua's new book.

African American Poverty: Concentrated and Multi-Generational

by Richard Rothstein

Not only that, African American poverty has become MORE geographically concentrated over time.

Dear Tiger Mom: The 1920s Called and They Want Their Racial Theories Back

by David J. Leonard

Amy Chua's new book, co-authored with her husband Jed Rubenfeld, recycles the same sort of faux-scientific racism that was discredited decades ago.