Author: Common Dreams

We live in a time of change, when people are questioning old assumptions and seeking new directions. In the ongoing debate over health care, social justice, and border security, there is, however, one overlooked issue that should be at the top of everyone’s agenda, from Democratic Socialists to libertarian Republicans: America’s longest war. No, not the one in Afghanistan. I mean the drug war. For more than a century, the U.S. has worked through the U.N., and its predecessor the League of Nations, to build a harsh global drug prohibition regime – grounded in draconian laws, enforced by pervasive...

We rely on our media to gather and report facts on the challenges and opportunities facing our country and communities so we can make informed decisions and participate in our society. Even in the internet era, broadcast radio reaches almost 90 percent of Americans per week, and broadcast television remains the most popular source for local news and information. Countless journalists are reporting news and information in an environment that is increasingly hostile to them. Meanwhile, the internet is rife with disinformation, fraud and orchestrated chaos. If we are going to foster journalism that actually meets community needs, we...

Ten years ago, in January 2010, the Supreme Court released its disastrous Citizens United decision. The court, either through remarkable naivety or sheer malevolence, essentially married the terrible idea that “money is speech” to the terrible idea that “corporations are people.” The ruling put a for sale sign on our democracy, opening up a flood of corporate, special interest, and even foreign money into our politics. Through Citizens United and related decisions, the Court made a bad situation worse. We saw the proliferation of super PACs, which can accept and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections, and...

The ACLU was among the critics denouncing the National Archive on January 18 after it was reported the U.S. government agency admitted it had doctored photos of Women’s March demonstrations that took place the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017. Displayed for an exhibit celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement, the Washington Post reported Friday night that the Archives “acknowledged in a statement this week that it made multiple alterations to the photo of the 2017 Women’s March showcased at the museum, blurring signs held by marchers that were critical of Trump.” Referencing the...

Our institutions are weakened now by Trump and his coterie, but we must stay strong, our democracy depends on us. Current partisan politics frequently returns to questions and debates about the supreme law of the land — The Constitution — as it should, because two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump passed on December 18, 2019. This affirmed an ugly truth about Trump’s illegitimate use of the office of the White House. Trump will go down in history for his transgressions. Forget the bizarre Republicans like Barry Loudermilk who defended the crimes by comparing Trump with Jesus. The greater...

Almost immediately after the United States assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike on January 2, major American weapons manufacturers and defense contractors, from Northrop Grumman to Lockheed Martin to Raytheon, saw their stocks surge as investors sensed the growing likelihood of another costly and deadly war in the Middle East. The surge in defense stocks was readily highlighted on corporate television programs like Fox Business and in publications like Investor’s Business Daily, which noted that “Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) were big winners in Friday’s stock market trading, along with Raytheon stock.” “Northrop Grumman...