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"I can't, as President of the United States, comment on the decisions about particular prosecutions. That's the job of the Justice Department, and we keep those separate so that there's no political influence on decisions made by professional prosecutors."
If only that were what President Obama really believed and how he actually comported himself.

The US imagines itself a great democracy, yet most Americans despise its politics. Which is why direct democracy inspires them

Inspired by protests from Tunis to New York, activists and people's assemblies have collaborated on a vision for a new global governance

Too often associated with mayhem on the streets, for centuries anarchists have actually sought a more ordered society

We have the evidence: the hardpressed US taxpayer is being fleeced by profiteering contractors and corrupt military personnel

The debt deal will hurt the poorest Americans, convinced by Fox and the Tea Party to act against their own welfare

The 'legal high' of bath salts, or mephedrone, is the new target of drug prohibitionists. Because that worked so well before

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that people assume that there is no difference between the way they experience the world and the world as it exists.

I'm surprised people are willing to assume that metaphysical claims (i.e. claims outside of the purview of human testability/experience) are absolutely true.

It seems that the only honest position one can have on "God" (in quotes to emphasize the lack of consensus on its definition) is to hold that "God" or "The Kingdom of Heaven" or "enlightenment" seem to be possible states of human consciousness; as such they may have individual normative value and seem to me to be generally socially desirable.

I n certain circles, it has become fashionable to argue that monetary policy is a superior instrument to fiscal policy - more predictable, faster, without the adverse long-term consequences brought on by greater indebtedness. Indeed, some advocates wax so enthusiastic that they support recent drives for austerity in many European countries, arguing that if there are untoward effects they can be undone by monetary policy. Whatever the merits of this position in general, it is nonsense in current economic circumstances.