Going Along with the Donkey as Long as the Elephants are Worse

When the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has its annual howling convention in the Washington, DC area, the mainstream mass media expands its coverage like an accordion from the weeks leading up to the gathering to the analysis of the aftermath. Why? Because a demanding CPAC summons all the Republican contenders for the presidential nomination and woe be the potential …

It’s Time for Atheists to Stop Debating God’s Existence and Decide What to Do About It

It’s time for atheists to move past theoretical questions about the existence of God and onto more practical pursuits – like how to fight for justice. The atheist community is quickly coming up against the limits of debating whether God is real. The New Atheist movement made a splash in the early 2000s with its brash assertion that the existence …

The Shocking Tax Loophole for Corporations that Commit Crimes

“Do the crime, do the time,” the old saying goes. Unless, of course, the criminals are corporate executives. In those cases, the culprits are practically always given a “Get out of jail free” card. Even the corporate crimes that produce horrible injuries, illnesses, death, massive pollution, consumer ripoffs, etc. are routinely settled by fines and payoffs from the corporate treasury, …

In Florida, officials ban term ‘climate change’

The state of Florida is the region most susceptible to the effects of global warming in this country, according to scientists. Sea-level rise alone threatens 30 percent of the state’s beaches over the next 85 years. But you would not know that by talking to officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the state agency on the front lines …

Private Police: Mercenaries for the American Police State

“Corporate America is using police forces as their mercenaries.”–Ray Lewis, Retired Philadelphia Police Captain It’s one thing to know and exercise your rights when a police officer pulls you over, but what rights do you have when a private cop–entrusted with all of the powers of a government cop but not held to the same legal standards–pulls you over and …

Americans Turning Away From Organized Religion in Record Numbers

With fire-breathing religion figuring anew in global conflicts, and political discussions at home often dominated by the nuttery of the Christian right, you might get the sense that somebody’s god is ready to mug you around every street corner. But if you’re the type who doesn’t like to hang your hat on organized religion, here’s a bit of good news: in …