Personal Voices

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Self-Declared Liberals Have Nothing to Be Afraid of

By Greg Colvin, AlterNet. September 21, 2007.
Should we bury the word "liberal" and try to define ourselves along a spectrum that puts progressives on the left side and conservatives on the right? No, for several good reasons.

Riverbend: "Leaving Home," Joins Millions in Iraqi Diaspora

By Riverbend, Baghdad Burning. September 5, 2007.
World: Riverbend, the "girl blogger from Baghdad," captivated people from around the world with her great heart and first-person perspective. Now, she and her family are safe in Syria.

Is Eating Local Even Possible?

By Suzi Steffen, AlterNet. August 25, 2007.
Environment: The author samples some of the growing list of how-to books on eating local -- including the latest from Barbara Kingsolver -- and follows their recipes for the slow food lifestyle.

Bratz Dolls: Worse Than Barbie?

By Abby West, Sirens Magazine. August 22, 2007.
How a saucer-eyed, saucy-dressing line of dolls made Barbie the far lesser of two feminist evils.

Legalized Loan Sharking: The Sleeper Issue of 2008

By Marney White, Commondreams. August 20, 2007.
Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: The presidential candidates could get the attention of even the most apathetic voters by talking seriously about the crushing interest rates that are burying more and more Americans.

Seven Iraq Vets: "The War as We Saw It”

By Seven U.S. Iraq War Veterans, The New York Times. August 20, 2007.
World: A group of U.S. veterans fresh from Iraq describe the political debate in Washington on the war as "surreal."

The Stone Age Diet: Why I Eat Like a Caveman

By Jimmy Lee Shreeve, Independent UK. August 16, 2007.
Health and Wellness: Desperate to lose weight, one person found that only one diet did the trick: that of Paleolithic man. Bring on the meat.

I Was Tried (and Acquitted) for Protesting the Iraq War

By Gordon Clark, AlterNet. August 1, 2007.
World: The story of seven war protesters who got their day in court and won.

High Plains Water Crisis Will Force Farmers to Think Like Environmentalists

By Julene Blair, CounterPunch. July 30, 2007.
Environment: If Midwest farmers continue pumping water at current rates, they'll be forced to revert to dry-land agriculture within decades.

U.S. Abandons Iraqi Translators to Their Fates While Diminutive Denmark Rescues Its Own

By Maura Stephens, AlterNet. July 27, 2007.
World: A followup to the harrowing tale of "Andy," the local interpreter who is fighting for his life after serving the U.S. military in Iraq.

Recruiter Sexual Abuse: Friendly Fire at Home?

By Aimee Allison, AlterNet. July 24, 2007.
Rights and Liberties: As more women are joining the military, they are becoming the victims of sexual assault before they even take their oath. A former Army specialist explains the growing problem with abuse by recruiters and how the military is turning a blind eye.

After Reporting in Iraq, America Feels Like a Bizarre Disneyland

By Dahr Jamail, Tomdispatch.com. July 20, 2007.
World: After years of witnessing the apocalyptic violence in Iraq first hand, life in America is "nothing short of a schizophrenic experience" for veteran reporter Dahr Jamail.

Michael Moore to CNN: Say You're Sorry, and Correct Your Story!

By Michael Moore, MichaelMoore.com. July 14, 2007.
Health and Wellness: After CNN ran a hit piece on SiCKO, Moore demands, "I expect CNN to put this matter to rest. Say you're sorry and correct your story -- like any good journalist would."

Fidel Castro: Reflections from a Target of the CIA

By Fidel Castro, CounterPunch. July 11, 2007.
The release of the CIA's "Family Jewels," which exposes its clandestine operations to overthrow and assassinate foreign leaders between 1959-73, details its efforts to take out Castro. The Cuban leader shares his views.

Can Women Separate Love and Sex?

By Jennifer Armstrong, Sirens Magazine. July 11, 2007.
Sex and Relationships: Sex, like eating, is a biological drive, and you will lose your mind if you repress it for too long. But some women stave off the need much longer than others.

U.S. Failing to Help Iraqi Translator and Family Targeted for Execution

By Maura Stephens, AlterNet. July 10, 2007.
World: He thought he could rebuild his country by helping the Americans. Now an Iraqi translator and his family have been targeted for execution, and instead of helping, U.S. officials have trapped him in an endless Catch-22.

Forever Foreigners: The American Dream Shattered

By Nida Khan, Women's Media Center. July 4, 2007.
Rights and Liberties: No matter their personal achievements, the people from other lands unfortunately will never be accepted as full-blooded Americans. An immigrant who manages to attain the house with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids will still be reminded that she/he doesn't belong.

Why Is My Dog's Health Care Better Than Mine?

By Sharon Glassman, Huffington Post. June 29, 2007.
Health and Wellness: A side-by-side comparison of how one woman's health plan compares with that of her dog.

Reflections of a Vietnam War Widow: It Doesn't End When They Come Home

By Penny Coleman, AlterNet. June 25, 2007.
World: The Department of Defense recently announced that it was hiring additional mental health professionals to deal with the stream of traumatized vets returning from the occupation of Iraq. A widow of an earlier war warns that the effort may be too little and too late.

Gay Arabic Translator: "I'm Here, I'm Willing to Serve" [VIDEO]

By Adam Howard, AlterNet. June 20, 2007.
World: Over 11,000 service members have been discharged from the military in the past 14 years because of their sexual orientation. It's time to lift the ban on openly gay people in the military.

My 30 Days of Consumer Celibacy

By Wendee Holtcamp, OnEarth Magazine. June 18, 2007.
Environment: For a whole month, one writer practiced a kind of abstinence so she could better understand her own complicity in our throwaway culture. It wasn't easy.

What's So Wrong With Wearing Heels and Makeup?

By Susan Park, Sirens Magazine. June 18, 2007.
World: Women in the military are expected to suppress as many of their feminine qualities as possible -- as if that will make them more competent. Why do so many people still think that dressing femininely translates into being silly?

A Veteran Speaks of the Forgotten Wounded of Iraq

By Ron Kovic, Truthdig. May 28, 2007.
World: A Vietnam veteran, paralyzed in the war, talks about his own struggles, those that the recently wounded in Iraq face, and how we can break this cycle of violence and begin to move in a different direction.

Sexy with a Disability

By Alessandra Djurklou, Sirens Magazine. May 14, 2007.
Sex and Relationships: The media rarely portray the disabled as sexy. Brave, yes. Melancholy, sure. Angry about their lot, check. One woman shares her story of dating while disabled.

Michael Moore Responds to Treasury Secretary's Investigation Threat

By Michael Moore, AlterNet. May 12, 2007.
Environment: Under investigation by the Bush administration for taking ill 9/11 clean up workers to Cuba for better treatment than they received in America, Moore answers, "I have broken no laws and I have nothing to hide."

My Lingering Doubts about Obama's Foreign Policy

By Bill Fletcher, Jr., The Black Commentator. May 12, 2007.
From his uncritical stance of Israel's treatment of Palestinians to his statements about Iran, Barack Obama seems to be trying to prove his hawkish credentials.

My Response to the McCain Campaign's Attacks on Planned Parenthood

By Cecile Richards, Huffington Post. May 11, 2007.
Rights and Liberties: A McCain staffer has called Planned Parenthood "one of the most radical pro-abortion groups in the country." Here's Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards' response.

Video: Felicity Huffman, Vanessa Williams, Alfre Woodard Teach Us The True Story of Mothers Day

By Robert Greenwald, Brave New Foundation. May 7, 2007.
World: The original Mother's Day was not conceived to sell us stuff we don't need, it was a day started by mothers to bring warfare to an end!

Former Intelligence Officials Hold Ex-CIA Chief George Tenet's Feet to the Fire

By Former CIA Officers, AlterNet. April 29, 2007.
World: Former CIA officers write to Tenet: "You were a willing participant in a poorly considered policy to start an unnecessary war and you share culpability with Dick Cheney and George Bush for the debacle in Iraq."

Why I Am Not a Moderate Muslim

By Asma Khalid, Christian Science Monitor. April 28, 2007.
I'd rather be considered "orthodox" than "moderate." True orthodoxy is simply the attempt to piously adhere to a religion's tenets.

My Father, 9/11 Scapegoat

By Laila Al-Arian, Huffington Post. April 26, 2007.
Rights and Liberties: My father was arrested over four years ago on trumped-up terrorism charges and was subjected to a six month trial that bordered on the farcical -- though he was acquitted, he's still languishing in jail.

Culture of Fear: Poetry Professor Becomes Terror Suspect

By Kazim Ali, New America Media. April 24, 2007.
Rights and Liberties: A poetry professor in a small college in the Northeast decides to recycle old manuscripts and becomes an object of suspicion.

Reflections on Kurt Vonnegut, a Man of Funny Fearlessness

By Reverend Billy, AlterNet. April 13, 2007.
In memory of Kurt Vonnegut, the novelist, socialist and humanist whose friendship and late-in-life peace activism should inspire us all.

The American Ghosts of Abu Ghraib

By Sam Provance, Consortium News. April 6, 2007.
World: In this first-person account, former Army Sgt. Sam Provance -- one of the heroes of the Abu Ghraib scandal -- describes what he learned when he attended a special screening of the documentary "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib."

On Barack: An Open Letter and Invitation to Thoughtful Brothers and Sisters In America

By Bacardi L. Jackson, BlackProf.com. April 2, 2007.
A widely circulated email among the Black community warns that Black leaders shouldn't demand that Barack Obama's record be scrutinized more closely and meet a higher standard than his white counterparts simply out of jealousy.

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