It’s Not the Candidate, Stupid
Watching Governor Romney speak to the extremist wing of his own party, it is remarkable how much he resembles a kidnapped man who must say what his captives want, at…
Update on Ranked Choice Voting in San Francisco
I am happy to report that we were able to beat back the attacks on Ranked Choice Voting in both San Francisco and Oakland. These were very serious and well-coordinated…
You’re Going Where? A Glimpse of Life Inside the Hermit Kingdom
I tried to break the news to my father as casually as I could - almost as an afterthought. "I won't be reachable for a while," I said. "I'll be…
Thoughts on Killing of U.S. Ambassador Stevens
While anti-American feeling is strong in parts of the Middle East, the attacks in Egypt and Libya were really a case of political opportunism by the Salafist Islamic extremists who…
Planetary Pessimism
At the ending of his important new book, “The Social Conquest of Earth,” evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson writes: “Earth, by the twenty-second century, can be turned, if we so wish,…
Restrictive Voting Laws: Making it Harder for Some to Vote
In the 2008 presidential election, approximately 5 million more Americans voted than in 2004. And the voters were the most racially diverse in American history, with African-Americans, Latino, and Asian-American…
Chevron’s Richmond Refinery Fire: Another Case of Environmental and Community Destruction
Chevron's Richmond Refinery - the company's second largest refinery - recently spewed toxic smoke over Richmond and San Pablo sending more than 14,000 people in the East Bay to medical…