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Josh Mitteldorf, a senior editor at OpEdNews, was educated to be an astrophysicist, and has branched out from there to mathematical modeling in a variety of areas. He has taught mathematics, statistics, and physics at several universities. He is an avid amateur pianist, and father of two adopted Chinese girls. This year, his affiliation is with the University of Arizona, where he studies the evolution of aging.
Monday, February 13, 2012 Death by Smoking: Still shockingly high in the USA (9 comments)
United Nations / WHO recently released a report, finding that the American death rate from smoking is the highest in the world.
Monday, September 12, 2011 "Skeptics" for 9/11 Orthodoxy (12 comments)
The proper subject of this Tenth Anniversary retrospective ought to be a call for open and independent investigation, so that the diverse tools and brains of science can be recruited for illumination of the defining political event of the last decade.
Monday, July 11, 2011 The Designated Hitter (8 comments)
Is President Obama, as portrayed in the media, a weak negotiator, too eager to accommodate, ineffective at bringing his goals and policies to fruition? Or is he a face of reason and intelligence pasted onto the Republocrat far-right agenda? Goals that he has pursued quietly, outside public scrutiny, make it hard to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Saturday, June 4, 2011 Kucinich: End the Fed & Create Full Employment (22 comments)
The Founders did not intend for America to be run by big banks and Wall Street. The Constitution put the ability to create money in the hands of Congress. The Fed took away that power in 1913. We need to get that power back to invest in our economy, to create jobs, to put America back to work, to rebuild America without going into debt. We must reclaim our destiny by reclaiming control over the money system.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Half a Million Protestors on the Streets of London; Silence in the US Media (12 comments)
In Britain as in the US, an economic crisis that was caused by rogue bankers is being used as an excuse to slash public services, even as the Wall St thugs get bailed out at public expense.
The British government has announced massive cuts in government services and employment. In response, 500,000 people flooded into the streets this weekend, in a protest march. Have you read anything about it, or seen it on TV?
Thursday, February 24, 2011 PayPal cuts off Bradley Manning Legal Defense; Backs Off under Grass Roots Pressure
PayPal froze the account of the Bradley Manning Support Network, a group raising funds for the legal defense of alleged Wikileaks source Pfc. Manning has been held without charge or trial in solitary confinement for 8 months. The Defense Fund is trying to get him a hearing. PayPal claimed their action had nothing to do with politics, but after receiving thousands of calls and emails, they have re-opened the account.
Monday, February 14, 2011 Love Lessons from Abu Ghraib (1 comments)
No one wants to think about torture. But if no one thinks about it, who will stand up and put a stop to it? "Love Lessons from Abu Ghraib" is a one-woman show that offers an engaging and uplifting way to begin taking in the horrors that are being perpetrated in our name.
Sunday, February 13, 2011 "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger.' (1 comments)
A new take on aging and health. Our bodies don't "wear out" with age. What happens to us is more like a time bomb, internally programmed. We can't protect ourselves by avoiding toxins and pesticides, or by taking anti-oxidant supplements. In fact, moderate challenges to the body lead to greater health and longer life. The most effective challenges are hunger, vigorous exercise and novel challenges at every stage of life.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Is Manning Being Tortured Merely to Set an Example? (8 comments)
US Pvt Bradley Manning is suspected of being the conduit for diplomatic cables delivered to Wikileaks last year. He is being held without charge and without trial in solitary confinement. Now NBC reports that after having devoted vast resources to the investigation, the government has been unable to get enough evidence to indict Manning, let alone to convict him.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Raise the Debt ceiling NOW to avoid Blackmail next Spring (5 comments)
Alan Simpson has suggested that next spring would be a dandy time to blackmail the President, using the debt ceiling. He has good reason to believe that Obama will be a far easier target than Clinton was in 1995. For four more weeks, the Congress is controlled by Democrats. This is the time to raise the debt ceiling.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010 The Scoop on Election Theft 2010 (1 comments)
Consistent differences between exit polls and the official tally have led in the past to suspicions of election theft. Yesterday's election seems to fit the same pattern. Exit polls were reported for 18 Senate races and 12 Governorships, and in 11 of these, the official count was significantly higher for the Republican. California is the only state that looks "clean".
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Democracy and Legitimate Government (2 comments)
Though many of us are too shell-shocked to see the pattern, the government of Barrack Obama, which you and I worked so hard to install in Washington, is now cementing in place, and even expanding, some institutional violations of the Constitution that were initiated under Bush. Those of us with eyes open are appalled.
Saturday, October 2, 2010 10-2-10 : Report on the Rally (5 comments)
Hundreds of thousands rallied in Washington today. It was a start.
Thursday, September 2, 2010 Who is rigging our elections? Clues from Massachusetts. (9 comments)
A new analysis demonstrates convincingly that in the special election for Ted Kennedy's "60th Senate seat", the vote count was skewed to give the victory to the Republicans. Both the "Liberal media" and the Democratic candidate herself appear to be complicit in corrupting the vote count.
Thursday, June 17, 2010 BP is Bankrupt. Nationalize BP. (11 comments)
It is absurd to apply standards of moral responsibility to corporate behavior. President Obama's show of anger and CEO Tony Hayward's display of attrition must be seen as public relation ploys. The proper remedy is for the Federal government to take charge of cleanup, applying an effort commensurate with the damage. BP's assets, and control of its corporate HQ, should be seized to pay for the effort.
Sunday, May 16, 2010 Understanding Deep Politics (7 comments)
Report of Peter Dale Scott's presentation at the conference, "Deep Politics" in Santa Cruz this weekend. Dr Scott pulls together hints that Cold War era plans for "Continuity of Government" have been re-worked to create an pretense for extra-constitutional government.
Sunday, March 28, 2010 Mumbai terror: US says "Case closed". India is Irate (2 comments)
In a plea bargain deal, a Pakistani-American who was accused of planning the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, agreed to cooperate with American investigators. A New York Times blog raises suspicions that the accused might be a double agent for the CIA. Indians are furious, and charge that the US is hiding its role in the Mumbai attacks.
Monday, March 8, 2010 Sheehan Announces Peace Camp in DC
Cindy Sheehan is spearheading a project to set up camp across the street from the White House, and sustain a program of ongoing civil disobedience in Washington until all the troops come home from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Monday, February 22, 2010 A Modest Proposal (5 comments)
"Medicare for All" would cover every American for less money than we now pay to insure only some of us. With the savings, we could bribe every Senator, every Congressman, and every Insurance and Pharma executive, assuring support of the bill from all interested parties.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Obama worked for the CIA (11 comments)
Your assignment, sir, should you choose to accept it, is to take the radical anti-democratic program of the Bush Republicans and give it the imprimatur of the Eastern Intellectual Establishment.
Sunday, December 13, 2009 Why the Silence on Escalation? (20 comments)
Please comment: Why do so few people who oppose the escalation in Afghanistan come out to protest?
Friday, December 4, 2009 Torture continues at US prisons in Afghanistan (4 comments)
Torture by US military continues in Afghanistan, at a site specifically exempted from a Presidential order to shut down torture sites earlier this year.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 Afghan War: Realities on the Ground
A series of recent articles describes the way the U.S. is fighting against itself in Afghanistan, funding the enemy through extortion payments, stirring up the hatred of the people whose lives are ruined by the war, paying poppy growers to produce less, while trafficking in drugs in order to fund covert CIA operations. Continue this war? This is what Obama calls a tough decision.
Monday, November 23, 2009 Author of 9/11 Commission Report: Don't Believe Us (12 comments)
Review: The Ground Truth by John Farmer
In recent public opinion surveys, roughly half the country believes the official account of what occurred on 9/11/2001 to be substantially true, and half is skeptical. Apparently John Farmer, the man who penned the official 9-11 Commission Report in 2003, is in the latter group.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Can Stockholm Afford to Take a Chance?
The Nobel Prize of Alfred Nobel's will was intended to be edgy and current. It has become stodgy and the epitome of establishment. The difference is whether the prize commmittee seeks to reward current discoveries, or to wait until they pass the test of history.
Friday, October 9, 2009 Seize the Day - Demonstrate for Peace (4 comments)
President Obama's award of the Nobel Prize is our opportunity to amplify the message with which we elected him. Massive demonstrations at such a time are not angry and divisive, but a unifying expression of the mandate for peace.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 "Unary Executive" is now Bipartisan Consensus (1 comments)
Concentration of power in the Executive undermines the balance of powers among three government branches, which is one the key safeguards in our Constitution. Historically, concentration of power has been associated with despotism, corruption and abuse. Obama has lent credibility to extra-Constitutional powers assumed by his predecessor and this may block the road back to balance for generations to come.
Saturday, July 25, 2009 'Dismantle the Fed!' hits the Mainstream (7 comments)
Until recently 'Abolish the Fed!' has been the rallying cry of a fringe of libertarians. But there are now 200 Congressmen who are shocked, Shocked! to discover that the Fed has been creating money and giving it away to Wall St without accountability. And William Greider, writing this week in The Nation, makes the case for abolishing The Fed.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Karl Rove and the Permanent Republican Majority (2 comments)
During the Bush Administration, Rove's office engaged the Justice Department to target hundreds of local politicians (Democrats and a handful of liberal Republicans) that got in their way. Justice would assign investigators to find dirt on each target, then coerce friends and family members into testifying against them using more political prosecutions.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 Sticks and Stones (1 comments)
Talk to the disabled people in your life. Ask them what it is like to be blind or lame or to have a chronic disease. Chances are they will move very quickly from talking about the disability to the disability's effects on the way they are perceived and the way they are treated. This article reviews a new book by Marsha Saxton.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 We Still Torture (5 comments)
The United States has always used torture, though it was officially acknowledged to be illegal, and the practice was hidden from the public. With the Bush regime, torture was mainstreamed. Now we cannot go back, argues Luke Mitchell in Harper's Magazine. We must either abolish the practice in reality, or accept this grotesque derangement of our constitutional democracy.
Thursday, April 9, 2009 More Real than Realpolitik: A Conversation Opener (1 comments)
The 'Realistic view' of American politics is that democracy has been eclipsed by a cynical electoral calculation. But reality is stranger than this - the Democrats seem to be oblivious to their own self-interest in one area after another. Who is really in charge?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 China Proposes a New International Medium of Exchange (1 comments)
In advance of the Economic Summit in London next week, China has proposed a new international currency to replace the US $ as the world's standard medium of exchange. Every American has benefited enormously from the US license to print money. We have behaved less than responsibly with the world's financial trust. Does China have the clout to change the rules of the game?
Thursday, March 19, 2009 Madoff : the Story behind the Story (6 comments)
Investigative reporter Wayne Madsen has pieced together a plausible story about the larger scandal behind Madoff's hedge fund. It involves a giant casino project for Manhattan and links the judge who will decide Madoff's prison sentence
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Obama disses Blackwater - then Renews their Contract (4 comments)
Pres Obama has announced that he wants to end the US practice of hiring mercenaries to do the work of American soldiers, paying six times as much per soldier per day, and losing control over their behavior. Blackwater is the worst, earning the hatred of Iraqis everywhere. So why has Obama just renewed Blackwater's contract?
Thursday, March 12, 2009 Single-Payer Health Care: 93 Co-sponsors and Counting (5 comments)
Just a few days ago, Rep John Conyers (D-MI) was lone voice in the darkness calling for national single-payer health insurance. As of this writing, his bill, HR 676, has 93 co-sponsors, and popular support is pouring out. Despite the power of the insurance lobby, it may be an idea that is too sensible to resist.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 New Smoking Bill in Congress based on Compromise with Philip Morris (2 comments)
Legislation was introduced to Congress this week that would subject tobacco products to regulation by the FDA. This sounds like a good thing. But HR 1256 has been compromised, and has the support of Philip Morris.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 Obama poised to fulfill Reagan's dream (15 comments)
Obama signaled he will attack the Federal deficit by reducing Medicare and Social Security payments. This fulfills a cherished Right-wing goal since Reagan. We find ourselves in a cycle: Republicans create huge deficits with irresponsible tax breaks for the rich and bloody foreign wars. Then Democrats face huge deficits, and do the 'responsible' thing by cutting support to the poor and working class.
Thursday, January 1, 2009 Support Obama - Demonstrate for Peace (4 comments)
Obama needs a big show of force from the peace constituency in order to do the right thing in Iraq. Obama's first week in office is a perfect time for a peace march. He has promised an administration that is more open and responsive. If we wait three months and demonstrate for peace, it will reported as a rebuke; if we demonstrate now as Obama takes office, it can only be interpreted as a mandate.
Sunday, August 31, 2008 Conspiracy Theorist! (10 comments)
Two computer experts who have been Bush insiders have now come forward with details about how Republicans have stolen elections. They are Mike Connell and Stephen Spoonamore. Where are the headlines?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 Chemical Traces of High Explosives in WTC Debris (45 comments)
A new article in a journal of environmental science describes chemical evidence that the World Trade Center towers were demolished not by fires but by high-explosives and thermal beam-cutter charges.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 Open letter to Jonathan Schell (4 comments)
Suggestion to Jonathan Schell, lifelong advocate for nuclear disarmament, that he is the right person to bring 9/11 truth into the mainstream media. The Kean report was replete with contradictions and physical impossibilities. We need to call for a new, clean investigation in to the events of 9/11, and Schell's patient, unflinching style is exactly what is called for.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Open Letter to Eliot Spitzer
We need you to stand tall and denounce the only prostitution that is of consequence to the public: that is the prostitution of the Federal Justice Dept to the partisan interests of a criminal administration.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 In memoriam, MLK
Philosophers and religious sages tell us in absolute terms that war is an abomination. Political realists tell us that war is sometimes necessary. In this case, it is the philosophers who are being realistic.
Saturday, December 29, 2007 Who killed Benazir Bhutto? (1 comments)
We don't know who killed Benazir Bhutto. There is no credible evidence, and no one we trust who is investigating. It is not beyond the pale that our own government could have had a hand. We have no 'free press' that we might count on to investigate and report on such a sensitive and charged event.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007 Welcome, Stranger (1 comments)
The man who passes us on the street doesn't want to be separate or private any more than we do. We greet each other with smiles, and heartfelt if tentative openness. We speak of something that is real to us: It is a thought or a perception that we imagine makes us different and separates us from The Others around us. We are surprised and delighted to find that he has been thinking the same thing.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007 A Political Halloween (1 comments)
The specter of an international terrorist threat is a fabrication of the Bush Administration. They have invented this myth and promoted it with relentless propaganda, explicitly in order to justify war profiteering, constraint of civil liberties, domestic spying and government secrecy.
Sunday, April 29, 2007 The Pivotal Ohio vote in 2004: Who did the counting? (1 comments)
Election night 2004. Despite trashed registrations, voter intimidation, and selective machine shortages, it looks as though Kerry will still beat Bush in Ohio, and assume the presidency. There is only one thing left to do. The job of counting votes is 'redirected' from the computer designated by the Ohio Dept of State to a computer run by the RNC - the same computer on which White House emails are protected from Congress' eyes
Sunday, April 8, 2007 Resveratrol: candidate for anti-aging pill
An extract of red wine may provide some of the longevity benefits of weight loss without the dietary restriction.
Monday, March 19, 2007 Lives of Others and Our Own Lives
The Bush Administration's power is founded in lies. Keeping the truth from the public requires a web of coercion and intimidation that touches all our lives.
Friday, December 8, 2006 Why we're not getting out of Iraq (4 comments)
There's a reason we can't withdraw our troops from Iraq. We're there to protect the oil fields which we have privatized for the profits of Western multinationals. The day that we are crying in the streets, 'Give the Iraqis back their oil!' is the day Congress will compel the Administration to effect a military withdrawal from Iraq.
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 Election Editorial Spiked by Phila Daily News
This Guest Editorial speaks about the 2006 election in the context of stolen elections in 2000, 2002 and 2004. It was submitted to the Daily News last week and accepted for publication the day before Election Day, and spiked by management at the last minute. The Daily News and Phila Inquirer were recently sold by Knight-Ridder to Philadelphia Media Holdings.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Former FDA Commissioner says FDA is Grossly Underfunded
A new report from the Woodrow Wilson Ctr warns that the agency's $1.9B budget is less than half what it needed to do its 'old' job. The report focuses on its new responsibilities: microencapsulation technology that promises to deliver medication where it is needed, to enhance the effectiveness of everything from cancer therapies to skin creams. FDA doesn't have the funds to begin the job of managing this promising new field.
Monday, October 2, 2006 Letter to my Comrades (1 comments)
So, you find grounds for pessimism in the observation that the Congress has just granted a psychopathic president an arrogation of power not seen since 1215, and the fix is in for another rigged election? Take courage from lessons of biology as well as history!
Thursday, September 14, 2006 An Independent, Public Interest Exit Poll
An election activist and a mathematician have teamed up with a polling expert to conduct independent, public interest exit polls designed from the ground up to verify election results. A pilot program will be collecting data this November in a hotly-contested Congressional district.
