Why the Police Wouldn't Tase Me When I Asked Them to

Danielle Egan, The Tyee

Rights and Liberties: Police explain to a journalist who wants to know what being tasered feels like, "we really don't fully understand and know the risks."

Proof of Citizenship? Missouri Vies for the Worst Voting Law in the Country

Art Levine, Huffington Post

Democracy and Elections: Missouri lawmakers are rushing to pass a law that would, among other things, deny some nuns the right to vote.

Misogyny Rampant in the Armed Forces: 1 in 3 Military Women Experience Sexual Abuse

Nancy Van Ness, The Wip

War on Iraq: Speaking out against the war, female veterans describe regular abuse at the hands of their peers -- and the military's failure to address it.

Will Bush Crony Scott Bloch's Gay-Hating Finally Catch Up with Him?

Bill Berkowitz, Talk To Action

Election 2008: The FBI is now investigating the man who declared war on equal protection for gays in federal workplaces.

It Isn't Morning in America Anymore -- It's Dusk on Planet Earth

Bill McKibben, Tomdispatch.com

Environment: If we want to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed, we've got to cut CO2 emissions.

Nixon's Savage Attack on the Greatest Anti-War Movement in U.S. History

Rick Perlstein, AlterNet

ForeignPolicy: As millions of Americans came together to fight the war in Vietnam, Nixon's politics became more ruthless.

Anti-Feminist Backlash Out in Full Force

Katha Pollitt, The Nation

Reproductive Justice and Gender: Republican hegemony, conservative Christianity and misogynist media are taking their toll.

Battle Against al Qaeda in Iraq Has Turned Mosul into a Ghost Town

Patrick Cockburn, Independent UK

War on Iraq: Five years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Mosul, one of the world's great cities, has become a desolate battleground.

Hillary's Grotesque Insult to African-Americans

Bob Herbert, The New York Times

Election 2008: It's one thing to lack class, but it's quite another to deliberately try and wreck the presidential prospects of your party's likely nominee.

The Healing Power of Pets

Rebecca Armstrong, The Independent UK

Health and Wellness: Studies show that contact with domestic animals can prevent illness.

Sex Work vs. Trafficking: Understanding the Difference

Melissa Ditmore, RH Reality Check

Reproductive Justice and Gender: There are big differences between women trafficked into sexual slavery and voluntary sex workers. So why are we treating them the same?

The Human Rights Crime in Gaza

Jimmy Carter, The Guardian

ForeignPolicy: A million and a half human beings are being imprisoned with almost no access to the outside world -- we can't sit idly by.

The Cards Are Stacked Against Mothers in America -- Here's How We Can Fix It

Don Hazen, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Joan Blades, founder of MomsRising.org, discusses bias against mothers in the workplace and the "mommy wars." (with video)

Was It Easier Being a Mother in 1908?

Marilyn Gardner, Christian Science Monitor

Reproductive Justice and Gender: On the first Mother's Day 100 years ago, moms had a tough -- but rewarding -- job, just as they do today.

Hillary Is McCain's Dream Candidate, Not Obama's

Guy T. Saperstein, AlterNet

Election 2008: Before the talk of a Obama/Hillary "dream ticket" goes too far, are we talking about the the Republicans' dream, or everyone else's?

How Food Riots, Pricey Gas and Home Foreclosures Point to a Better Future

Marjorie Kelly, Paul Raskin, AlterNet

Environment: We are beset today by a systemic global crisis that could open the way to hopeful transformation. It is up to us.

If We All Started Driving Priuses, We'd Consume More Energy Than Ever Before

Robert Bryce, Public Affairs Books

Environment: While energy efficiency is laudable, history shows that it leads to people consuming more energy.

Editorial: The Disaster in Burma -- How You Can Help

AlterNet

Environment: International aid groups are facing problems getting to disaster-stricken areas of Burma, but a group of monks is on the front lines right now.

The Sexy Path to Good Health

Sue Katz, Consenting Adult

Sex and Relationships: Healthy doses of sex with yourself and others is good for you.

Drive 1,000 Miles or Feed a Person for a Year? The Biofuels Dilemma

Stan Cox, AlterNet

Water: Can the pumping of ethanol into American fuel tanks really make it harder for parents to feed their families?

NYC's Staggering Arrest Rate for Pot Achieved By Police Deception and Scams

Steven Wishnia, AlterNet

DrugReporter: New study says New York's cannabis crackdown is both racist and fraudulent -- and that more have been arrested under Bloomberg than Giuliani.

Will the Mortgage Industry Pay for Its Crimes?

Danny Schechter, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Borrowers are being crushed under the credit crisis. Someone needs to pay.

Who Are the Gitmo Prisoners Released With Sami al-Haj?

Andy Worthington, Andy Worthington's Blog

Rights and Liberties: The release of al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj last week made headlines. But few have mentioned the others prisoners freed from Guantánamo.

Our Media Have Been So Wrong for So Long

Jayne Lyn Stahl, AlterNet

MediaCulture: In his new book, E&P editor Greg Mitchell offers a stinging indictment of the media's complicity with Washington's war-marketing machine.

The Superdelegate Problem

Bernard Weisberger, Truthdig

The conflict between popularly chosen delegates and powerful, unelected "superdelegates" may seriously wound the Democratic Party.

How Should States Deal with Polygamous Sects?

Faye Bowers, Christian Science Monitor

Rights and Liberties: Utah and Arizona have mostly ignored the FLDS since the infamous 1953 raid of Short Creek. Now, political pressure may force them to crack down.

The Military's Pricey Restaurant Tastes: Gone Are the Days of Grunts Peeling Potatoes

Nick Turse, Metropolitan Books

ForeignPolicy: Judging by the Pentagon's own accounting, the army, navy, air force and marines have been very hungry -- and they've been chowing down.

Are Immigration Authorities Going After School Children Now?

Amanda Martinez, New American Media

Immigration: If true, then it's hard to imagine the cruelty that resides in these people's hearts.

VA Retreats on Voter Registration Efforts for Wounded Veterans

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet

Democracy and Elections: The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will help ex-soldiers to register and vote, yet it won't allow registration drives on VA facilities.

The Iraq Supplemental: A Three-Ring Circus

Erik Leaver, AlterNet

War on Iraq: Congress thinks it's being cute in dealing with all of the funding for Iraq this year in one fell swoop.

Will Democracy Make You Happy?

Eric Weiner, Foreign Policy

Politicians have long clung to the notion that free nations breed happy people. Now, a new 'science of happiness' turns that equation on its head.

A Return to the Tap: Why Bottled Water Is on the Way Out

Melissa Knopper, E Magazine

Water: Environmental concerns are sending people back to their taps and putting bottled water companies on the defensive.

Satisfied Sex Worker or Domestic Trafficking Victim?

Kari Lydersen, AlterNet

Reproductive Justice and Gender: New legislation could expand the definition of trafficking to treat many sex workers as crime victims instead of criminals.

Marketing Ethnic Cleansing: Israel Parties Like It's 1948 on its 60th Birthday

Linda Mamoun, AlterNet

ForeignPolicy: The frenzy around Israel Independence Day is an attempt to freeze history in 1948 when public support of Israel was unequivocal.

Computer Makers Race to Create $100 Laptop

Gregory M. Lamb, Christian Science Monitor

New lines of tiny PCs are small enough to fit in your purse and affordable enough for students in around the world.