Has the United Nations outlived its usefulness? For Bolivia’s Bol Press, Professor Alvaro Cuadra of Chile’s Universidad ARCIS writes that just as the League of Nations collapsed when World War II broke out – making it’s failure obvious, the U.N., born out of WWII, has similarly proven itself incapable of many of its central tenets, including ‘saving future generations from the...

The Importance of Being Tony Kushner by Michael Winship Coincidence combined with foresight on the part of my girlfriend Pat — she bought the tickets months ago — landed us at a performance of Tony Kushner’s new play, just days after the executive committee of the City University of New York’s (CUNY) board of trustees held an emergency meeting and scrambled to reverse an earlier board...

As almost anyone with a comprehensive world view well knows, America’s future lies not in having the mightiest military but in marshaling its extraordinary assets — its people, its infrastructure and its renewable resources — to assure a more secure 21st century. That the wonks at Foreign Policy magazine recognize that reality in publishing a paper titled “A National Security Narrative”...

The contrast between the way we approach national security and defense in the United States and the way we approach public education could not be more stark. This is not just a matter of budget allocations. It’s about the paradigm we use to evaluate the effectiveness and success of our military missions, versus the paradigm we use to evaluate the effectiveness and success of public education in this country....

I’m eagerly looking forward to being instructed on why this isn’t racist (emphasis is in original):

In an increasingly global economy that permits multinational private enterprises to pit near slaves against working people with the full support and acquiescence of most sovereign governments, who do you think is going to win? It has become a meaningless mantra and a silly shibboleth to say we need better educated workers in order for Americans to compete globally. It’s Pure Bullshit. Despite endless campaign...

The burly man with two days growth of beard at the ticket booth looked down at the young lad. “How old are you, son.” “I’m seven, sir.” “How come you’re not is school?” “My school’s closed, sir.” “You come to see the circus?” “Yes, sir.” “That’ll be five bucks. Plus the extra sales tax for education. And, I’ll need to see your citizenship papers.” “Enjoy the circus,...

Yesterday TMV’s Resident Ranter Marc Pascal posted an article titled “WHEW! Thank you Governor Brewer! But it’s just not enough anymore”. In his piece, Marc praised Arizona’s governor for vetoing the Birther Bill that would have required presidential candidates to provide proof of natural born citizenship and the Guns on Campus bill. Both bills passed the legislature with large majorities. He went...

For those seeking to understand the growing suspicion in Mexico that the “drug war” is being used as a pretext for U.S. intervention if not outright invasion, this article by Gilberto Lopez y Rivas of Mexico’s La Jornada will undoubtedly prove illuminating. This is history from a Mexican point of view – and it is anything but flattering to the the United States. For La Jornada, Gilberto...

Milt Priggee, www.miltpriggee.com This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I — of nearly 5 million Americans who served during that war — died last month at age 110. Buckles, who served in England and France, was a member of a steadily aging and shrinking group of heroes from our “early” major wars — where I am also including World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War — the Veterans...

Some of the ancient Greek philosophers stressed moderation in all things. That entails avoiding extremes in any direction in how we think, speak, act, believe and organize our lives and societies. It is a simple call for balance, flexibility, openness to various ideas, fidelity to all the facts, an honest effort to find the truth, and a good-faith effort to negotiate reasonable compromises. It is a plea for...

Is this all they are demanding? Shutting down the Federal government over less than $50 billion dollars when projected annual deficits are $1.5 trillion as far as the eye can see? The wimps haven’t even completely axed Amtrak, mass transit and High Speed Rail. They’re still arguing about the current fiscal year from October 2010 thru September 2011. Just wait till they debate raising the total federal...

UPDATE: April 9 Legislation that would legalize concealed handguns on Texas college campuses for students 21 years and older has suffered a temporary setback, falling short of votes in its first attempt at passage by the Texas Senate. However, the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, intends to bring it up for consideration again Monday. According to the Austin American-Statesman: …even though the...

One thing about Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts over at the Miami Herald, he doesn’t mince words. In his most recent article about “birthers,” Pitts calls them “morons,’’ ‘‘jackasses,” “imbeciles,” “idiots,’’ “doofuses” and “pinheads.” After admitting that name calling “lowers the level of discourse… forestalls thoughtful response and…does not suggest an excess...

The American Dream is dead. The country that I have bled red, white and blue for is abandoning its youth, its elderly and its poor. It is imprisoning millions of its citizens for the most trivial of offenses. It is suffocating its middle class, turning its back on newcomers and giving corporations and fat-cat financiers obscene tax breaks. It is ignorant of its own history, core values and virtues, and many...

All of the articles I’ve linked to below came to me via my Twitter feed.

Here’s an incredibly powerful statement of conviction about what goes on, still, in most classrooms and what educating is all about. I’d love to have him compose a similarly-toned response for me and other local electeds when we’re getting abused for reminding people about the finite nature of resources and the short and long-term consequences of making decisions for a municipality based purely...

I’m a professional engineer. I love building roads and bridges. I tell people I never got past building them in the sandbox. I understand how blessed I am to be able to combine passion with a vocation. Truth is, I would probably do it for free. Being a pro engineer, however, I get paid to do it. I get paid a lot. People don’t have to tell me how lucky I am. Well, maybe lucky is not a good choice of words....

by Walter Brasch As expected, Michael Moore, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka were in Madison, Wisc., to support and rally the workers in their fight against the union-busting governor and Republican-dominated state legislature. But, so were union members Bradley Whitfield, Susan Sarandon, Tony Shaloub, and dozens of musicians and singers, including Peter Yarrow who, as part of...

Alabama state Republican Executive Committee member claims racial disparity in Huntsville City Schools is the result of genetics, not society. by Heather Hopkins Before you panic, consider the source. In December 2007, Huntsville Alabama City School Board attorney J.R. Brooks mailed four boxes of data to Washington with the hope of convincing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to lift the 1970 court order that...

Texas State Representative Leo Berman, R-Tyler, has sponsored a bill “relating to the establishment of English as the official language of Texas” and the requirement that official acts of government be performed in English. The proposed legislation cites several reasons why such a bill is necessary, including: * the people of the United States have brought to this nation the cultural heritage of...

Some have written today about a disgraced former counsel, named Kevin Maher, who is alleged to have made some beastly comments about Asians in Okinawa and Japan. Maher was then also removed from shuffling forward incoming stories for the Japan desk for the State Department, apparently. That this story runs today merits a response, I think. Just this: There is massive regard carried by the masses of Americans...

by Walter Brasch Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett may be the most adept politician in America. With the nation focused upon the union-busting Tea Party-backed Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Corbett has snuck in a plan to mine the state’s resources, increase employment, reduce educational problems, and whack unions upside the head at the same time. Miraculously, the public sector unions, so happy they wouldn’t...

A Guest Voice cartoon from the talented cartoonist Kay Wood: