Новости за 06.04.2016

As the country’s politics take a right turn, an unlikely progressive wins office as mayor of a major U.S. city. In an era marked by conformity and the primacy of business interests over the common good, he has the temerity to call himself a socialist. Both locally and nationally, his example serves as a beacon of hope for the waning left and a lightening rod of criticism for the resurgent right. His fundamental decency and fealty to the democratic process and the public good see him continually reelected... Читать дальше...

In In These Times' Hillary vs. Bernie roundtable last July—oh, what a faraway, innocent time July was—I was aware that I was making nice rather than making my case. My reticence was due to a fear that I voiced at the end of the conversation: that “Sanders vs. Clinton will become ugly, and we’re going to get to the finish line unable to get behind the nominee, and then I am going to wake up one day and Ted Cruz will be president.”

Everyone knows Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream company, but far fewer know Ben and Jerry, the men behind the company. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are not only businessmen but passionate activists deeply invested in a range of social and political issues. For years, they used their company to push for progressive causes, advocating wage hikes, fighting for environmental justice and embracing the LGBT cause.

Bernie Sanders’ campaign may be one of the best arguments for the pointlessness of predictive punditry. From the day he announced his run to today, for much of the media, no loss was too small a setback for Sanders, no moment too early to call the race for Clinton.

This article first appeared at TomDispatch.

Let’s face it: In times of war, the Constitution tends to take a beating. With the safety or survival of the nation said to be at risk, the basic law of the land—otherwise considered sacrosanct—becomes nonbinding, subject to being waived at the whim of government authorities who are impatient, scared, panicky, or just plain pissed off.

The examples are legion. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln arbitrarily suspended the writ of habeas... Читать дальше...