Good People Are Leaving the Government

Good People Are Leaving the Government

I’ve long admired Norm Ornstein, a public intellectual who leans conservative and has written several books that illuminate the current political dysfunctions in the United States.  See, for example, It’s Even Worse than it Looks, reviewed here by Robert Kaiser for...
Elon Musk:  Tech Giant, and Moral Midget?

Elon Musk:  Tech Giant, and Moral Midget?

Elon Musk might just be one of the most interesting people on the planet: head of Space X, Tesla, and the Boring Company, he seems to be everywhere all at once.  Without his Starlink system (part of Space X), Ukraine would lack the ability to track Russian drone...
Witch Hunt!

Witch Hunt!

by Don Mayer “Witch hunt!”   We’ve heard that phrase from Donald Trump as a stock response to any number of investigations, indictments, and impeachments.  The Mueller investigation, both impeachment proceedings, the Georgia investigation (of a...
Criminalizing Criticism in Turkey

Criminalizing Criticism in Turkey

In the March 6 podcast from PRI’s The World, we learn that Turkey’s autocratic ruler, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, pushed through a law that criminalizes reporting on the damages from the massive earthquake that recently shook southern Turkey and northern Syria....
Unaccountable Capitalism

Unaccountable Capitalism

One of the sad but seldom mentioned realities about the U.S. legal system is how it protects corporations by failing to hold them fully accountable for the harms they inflict on ordinary people, and often leave the public to pay for the damages done.   All...