7 Articles

Sunday, October 25, 2009
On Torture: The Issue of Collective Guilt
(9 comments) After Hitler, Germany had to deal with collective guilt. Now that the USA has its own issue of the violation of the Geneva Convention regarding torture, the question of collective guilt needs once again to be raised. As far as I can tell, there has been essentially no discussion of our common, shared responsibility for what we have allowed to happen.

Friday, September 26, 2008
Toward a New Economy
(2 comments) The proposed bailout is a rescue effort for an economy that has not served the nation well. But the alternatives are not up for debate. As the bailout is unlikely to be effective in the long run, it is best to explore alternative economies now.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A Revitalized Liberal Agenda
A reflection on a liberal resurgence on the basis of foreseeable technological developments that imply a moral mandate for our society.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Musings on the Fed
(2 comments) The center of power in our country has already gravitated from Washington to Wall Street. Its incestuous marriage to the Fed completes the hegemony of capital over our political institutions. On the one hand, capital claims the freedoms accorded all private ventures. And on the other hand the Fed has been deliberately insulated from public pressures.The people hardly matter anymore. This is the essence of fascism.

Monday, March 24, 2008
Assuring a Progressive Future
(1 comments) The opposition has no intention of playing fair. Too bad the press is otherwise engaged. It is not our press anymore, simple as that. It has become the mouthpiece for interests not our own. In this fragile state of our democracy, it is not enough for us to shove Barack out front as our gladiator against the forces of evil. It is not enough to mobilize for the election and then retire to the sidelines.

Monday, July 17, 2006
Tantrum Politics
A couple of years ago our California ballot offered voters the opportunity to support stem cell research in the form of a $3B state funding commitment to a targeted research program. I recall only the vaguest details of what I voted for, and I certainly had misgivings about many aspects of this initiative. This is not the kind of issue where direct democracy should be exercised.

Friday, September 23, 2005
A Reflection on our Times