American democracy—or, at least, the flawed, but better-than-the-alternative system that we call democracy—is under attack, and not from Muslim terrorists. Our democratic system, with
Author: Gloria Shur Bilchik
Gloria Shur Bilchik is a freelance writer and community volunteer in St. Louis, Missouri. She is the editor of Occasional Planet. She views the preservation of democratic values and progressive programs as vital to making the US a humane, livable place for her children and grandchildren.
Show-and-tell in Congress, starring floor charts
Charts, graphs and, occasionally, weird things that look like fourth grade science projects have proliferated in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
MO hurries up death sentences before death drugs die: Insane
The very existence of the death penalty in American law is troublesome, to say the least. But, to make matters worse, the 32 U.S.
On Syria: Can we take “yes” for an answer?
There’s so much “no” in Washington, that you have to wonder if, given the opportunity to get it right, Washington [politicians and pundits included]
Voting rights watch: KS and AZ want to move voter suppression upstream
For many years, the federal voter-registration form used in virtually all states has required that the person filling it out swear that he/she is
Election Passport reveals a world of election results
During the 2012 presidential campaign in the U.S., it was easy to hyper-focus on our own election issues and to ignore elections in the
President Obama [re]installs solar panels on White House roof
While political power struggles are on temporary hold during the 2013 Congressional summer recess, there’s a new source of power at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Voting rights watch: Florida restarts its [previously squelched] voter purge
The fallout continues. States that previously wouldn’t have dared to impose voting restrictions that disenfranchised minorities–and, of course, Democrats–are back in business. Florida is
Legislatures pray: Will the Supreme Court grant their wishes?
Does beginning a legislative session with a prayer violate the separation of church and state by endorsing one religion over another? That’s the question
Student loans for pre-school?
As if the student-loan crisis wasn’t bad enough, now there’s a proposal to create a market for loans for pre-school. The idea comes from