President Obama says that the NATO coalition enforced the no-fly zone in Libya to protect innocent human lives. The idealist in me views that
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.
Mallard Fillmore: Not funny, not true
As someone whose morning bowl of Cheerios cannot be properly digested unless accompanied by a perusal of the comics page, I’ve been looking at
Five shocking, secret plans for a nation at wars
A recent report from a subsidiary of Wikileaks has blown the lid off some shocking secret plans for America’s three wars. Unfortunately, no mainstream
March of crimes: Lessons from a grand jury
You don’t volunteer for Grand Jury duty in St. Louis County for the money. Few can get off work for 18 consecutive
Redistricting: Out of smoke-filled rooms, onto citizens’ laptops
Move over, politically appointed, behind-closed-doors, state redistricting commissions: There’s a new kid in town–a new, data-driven, non-political website that’s challenging old ideas about how
Hidden costs of “free” photo voter IDs
Once again, the Missouri legislature is attempting to change election laws by restricting voting to people who can present approved, state-issued photo identification. And,
More AZ shenanigans: a personal “army” for the governor
A bill currently in play in the Arizona legislature would establish a State Defense Force (SDF) that could be called up for whatever reason
Solidarity rally draws big St. Louis crowd
In an encouraging development for Missouri labor union members and progressive activists, a solidarity rally on March 11 drew more than 4,000 people to
High-speed rail: fast-track or slow-down?
Florida’s Governor Rick Scott has slammed on the brakes, turning down $2 billion in federal funds for an 84-mile high-speed train between Tampa and
National Institute for Civil Discourse opens in…Arizona?
In a development whose irony cannot be ignored, the University of Arizona launched the National Institute for Civil Discourse [NICD] at the end of