Under most circumstances, it would have been hard to begrudge Hillary Clinton too much for saying a few nice things about Nancy Reagan at her funeral earlier this year. Regardless of your feelings towards either woman, it is usually considered good… Read More ›
US Politics
Consenting Adults: Does Jessie’s Law Help or Harm People With Substance Use Disorders?
There are few things that inspire a deeper sense of apprehension and dread in someone in recovery from a substance abuse disorder than the prospect of a major surgery. Rare is the recovering drug addict who doesn’t know a contemporary… Read More ›
Race Based Red Baiting: Why The Right Wing Pegs President Obama As A Communist
Over the past 7 years, the splenetic rage that has been nurtured by the political right in America against President Obama has splintered off into a number of separate, but not mutually exclusive, strands that highlight the various issues driving… Read More ›
The Pro-Life Paradox: Can A State’s Views on Abortion Predict The Health Of Its Citizens?
When does a human life begin? At first glance it would seem like, given the myriad advances in science’s understanding of human reproductive biology in modern times, a simple question that should have a concrete answer. However, ask a dozen… Read More ›
There’s No Such Thing As A Mild Mob: Putting Trump’s Followers In Context
Warning: Some of the details of the historical events discussed below are by their nature extremely disturbing. If, for any reason, you feel as if reading about racially-motivated lynchings would cause you undue emotional or psychological distress, you may want to… Read More ›
Sentiment Over Substance: How Presidential Candidates Talk About Addiction Without Saying Much Of Anything
It happened at the beginning of the New Hampshire Forum on Addiction and the Heroin Epidemic, well before the 5 mid-card presidential candidates who participated in the event showed up to speak. About halfway through the morning portion of the… Read More ›
Exit Jail, Do Not Collect Ballot: Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin Revokes Voting Rights For Ex-Felons
At it’s most basic level, incarceration is exchange between an individual and the society in which he or she lives. Before the advent of the carceral punishment, this exchange was pretty direct and tangible. Steal a loaf of bread and… Read More ›
Brain Surgery Would Have Been Easier: Ben Carson’s Struggles With Foreign Policy
On the morning of September 5th, 1987, a brilliant young neurosurgeon named Ben Carson stood over the motionless, butterflied bodies of the 7-month old Binder boys at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Surrounded by an extensive team comprised of some of the… Read More ›
We Have Nothing To Fear But Trump Himself
Middle of Nowhere, North Georgia ain’t a bad place to be on a Monday night for an itinerant traveler. Provided you’re near a highway, there’s nothing you’re going to want for that you couldn’t stand to go a night without…. Read More ›
Big Man On Campus: How Bernie Sanders Is Trying To Lock Down The College Vote in Iowa
If you’re looking for an American city that embodies the myriad successes and shortcomings of Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, you could do worse than Cedar Falls, Iowa. Located in the northeastern quadrant of the state, the demographics of Cedar Falls… Read More ›