Politics
Smell the Insidious Violence
Doris O'Brien writes: Who can fault frightened people for blaming the metal instead of the mentality? The concept of a ban on a commodity as a way of preventing bad behavior is nothing new. In the 20s, Prohibition was enacted to do just that. A law was passed making the sale and use of liquor illegal. If we didn't have access to booze, the argument went, there wouldn't be so many drunken brawls, accidents, killings. But Prohibition failed. more »
CultureWatch — The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy; The Mysteries and International Negotiating of Midsomer Murders and Kidnap and Ransom
Reviewed by Jill Norgren: David Nasaw does not ask his readers to like Joe Kennedy. He does not hold back on the damning stories of deceit and unbridled ambition. He does, however, appear utterly convinced that Kennedy doted on his children — beyond needing them to fulfill his ambitions, and that they returned his love. Joe Kennedy “had pledged to faithfully love and support [Rose] and the children they might have together …. What he did not intend to do was give up being a ‘ladies man’.” And he did not. more »
In Minnesota, Democratic Grandmothers Gather Data About Their Neighbors
Much of the data the Grandma Brigade collects is prosaic: records of campaign donations or voters who have recently died. But a few volunteers see free information everywhere. They browse the listings of names on Tea Party websites. They might add a record of what was said around the family Thanksgiving table — Uncle Mitch voted for Bachmann, cousin Alice supports gay marriage.
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In Minnesota, Democratic volunteers scour their local newspapers each morning for letters to the editor with a political slant. They pay attention to the names of callers on radio shows. They drive through th… more »
2012, A Dubious Banner Year: From State Family Planning Funding to Reproductive Toxins
Against the backdrop of a contentious presidential campaign in which abortion and even contraception were front-burner issues supporters of reproductive health and rights were able to block high-profile attacks on access to abortion in states as diverse as Alabama, Idaho, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
2012 Saw Second-Highest Number of Abortion Restrictions Ever
January 2, 2013
Reproductive health and rights were once again the subject of extensive debate in state capitols in 2012. Over the course of the year, 42 states and the District o… more »