Hi All, I want to forewarn you that there may be some disruptions on the site. I am taking the plunge and upgrading the site's software. This will be a multi-step process. The upgrade is necessary for security (damn the spammers and hackers) and to add capabilities not available with the current version of the s

By John Chuckman I am disappointed with the view of some knowledgeable commentators over Scotland's release of the dying man who was convicted of the Lockerbie-airline bombing.

By Stratofrog Dr. Christsakes took a yawning breath and pushed the oars deeper into the Stygian river. Sticks and stones can break my bones, he thought, but death panels won't hurt my business. His ferry to the other side was full of previously middleclass baby-boomers and his palliative crew was busy setting the

By Ramzy Baroud With elections just around the corner in Afghanistan, it might be timely to reflect on the US engagement with that stricken nation and consider just how much foreign intervention has contributed to the prospect and possibility of free and democratic elections. More, it is fitting to consider what

By Rob Kall. Republished from OpEdNews. The health reform debate is roaring, as it should be, and we are engaged in pressing the spineless Dems - including Obama - to stand up to the insurance com

By Stratofrog Editor's note: Here is another literary friction by Stratofrog. While most can figure out the cast of characters, here's some help. Widdledub is George W. Bush, and Blunderdick is Richard Cheney EERIE, Pa. Recently reclusing and reproofing his forthcoming storybook at a lib

By Rowan Wolf In the heat of healthcare reform and the mobilization of radical shock troops, the economy has drifted with little public discussion. When it comes up, it is frequently within the context that "the worst is behind us;" "we're leveling off;" or "recovery is just around the corner." While I wish all o

We all know the privileged need our support or they might lose their ill gotten gains. Here's Billionaires for Wealthcare by Humanleague002. Thanks Kelly for bringing this to my attention

By Thom Hartmann. Republished from CommonDreams. Dear President Obama, I understand you're thinking of dumping your "public option" because of all the demagoguery by Sarah Palin and Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich and their crowd on ri

Elizabeth Warren appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on August 12th. She offers insights into the current toxic asset situation, and warns of the upcoming commercial mortgage resets which could hit the economy hard - again and through 2012. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News

By Ramzy Baroud This is hardly the rational order of things. An overpowering military occupation was meant to be resisted by an equally determined, focused and unyielding national movement, hell-bent on liberation at any cost and by any means. This is the unwritten law that has governed and shielded successful na

By Martha Ireland. Republished from Speaking Truth to Power. There exists today, a trinity of situations that confronts those of us who live in Western culture: global climate change, the peak and eventual end of non-renewable sources

By Stratofrog Editor's Note: I am introducing a new author to Uncommon Thought. I believe that you will find Stratofrog's work incisive, highly pertinent, and humorous - I know I do. Stratofrog characterizes this style of writing as "literary friction." It fits. Welcome Stratofrog! ~Rowan Wolf

By Joel S. Hirschhorn As we approach the eighth anniversary of 9/11 consider this paradox. In the post 9-11 years the scientific evidence for disbelieving the official government story has mounted incredibly. And the number of highly respected and credentialed professionals challenging the official story has si

By Rowan Wolf Across the country there is a vocal minority who are loudly protesting certain issues. We have the "birther" folks who think that Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States. We have the "deathers" (including Sarah Palin) who apparently think the government is going to use health care r

By Ramzy Baroud When seen from a distance, kites in Gaza may look quite ordinary. But while Gazan children, in many respects, are just children, their kites are hardly ordinary. Often adorned by the red, black, green and white of the Palestinian flag, Gazan children's kites are expressions of defiance, hope and t

By Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power In Part 3 of this series, we spotlight Freeacre and Murph, two "anarchist farmers" living in rural Oregon. They share with us their journey of collapse preparation from a working class perspective. Pl

By Rowan Wolf The U.S. and the world have major crises to address. There is the economy, resources, environment, and global warming. Each of these intersect in complex ways to create other massive problems: loss of jobs, failed crops, and war. And these in turn create other crises: mass migration and xenophobic r

By Kip Sullivan. Republished from Physicians for a National Health Plan The people who brought us the "public option" began their campaign promising one thing but now promote somethi

By Karen Weise, Republished from ProPublica ( July 20, 2009 10:56 am EDT) Editor'

By Colleen Fuller. Simulposted with Cyrano's Journal Online The U.S. health care debate again sorts out for us the parasites and demagogues in our midst, while the despicable corporate media (how do these people get through the night?) does its be

By Rowan Wolf The Obama administration is continuing to actively pursue the Bush administration's assertion of immunity for those who crafted, approved, and engaged in torture. Yesterday, the Department of Justice and John Yoo were handed a stinging rebuke by Bush appointed Judge Jeffrey White of the Northern Dis

By N. Gutierrez. Editor's Note: This paper from one of my students offers some exceptional insight into whiteness in the United States. It is published here with permission. I had been thinking about the white ethnicity lately. Once upon a time they were all singled out too. Wasn't it the Irish immi

By Rowan Wolf The charge of "identity politics" has come up in relation to the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. It has been an ugly attack with claims of Sotomayor's racism, belonging to the Hispanic version of the KKK, and that she is more concerned about issues of race than issues of la

By Dahr Jamail. Republished from TruthOut Transgress The geo-strategic expansion of the American empire is an accepted fact of contemporary history. I have been writing in these columns about the impact of the US occupation on the people

By Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power Many years ago when I was a child, this holiday was not called Memorial Day, but rather, Decoration Day, owing to the standard practice of families visiting cemeteries to place flowers not o

By Joel S. Hirschhorn Americans need a civics lesson. And so do politicians. Of all the wrong and delusional thinking about the US Constitution the one that is most thoroughly incorrect and routinely used for political propaganda purposes is that there are three coequal branches of the federal government.

By Rowan Wolf As North Korea was preparing for its satellite launch using a long-range missile, there was a lot of debate about what the U.S. should do. Newt Gingrich sounded off with his opinion that the U.S should stop the launch, and that it threatened a potential nuclear missile attack on the U.S. (in the fut

By John Pilger. Originally published at Information Clearing House These are extraordinary times. With the United States and Britain on the verge of bankruptcy and committing to an endless colonial war, pressure is building for their crimes to be

By Farideh Hassanzadeh-Mostafavi. Originally published at Foreign Policy In Focus "I am the one, whom they will kill in the end, because he himself has never killed." Miklos Radnoti If as a tourist your son comes to my country my son wil