Category Archives: United States

A Look at Some of the Driving Forces behind the School Reform Movement and the Effort to Privatize Public Education

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro NOTE: I originally posted this article at Res Ipsa Loquitor on March 3, 2013. Having worked as a public school teacher for well over three decades, I became concerned about the “school reform” movement—which brought us the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Education, Education Policy, Media, Politics, Propaganda, Society, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

“Losing Our Way”: Bob Herbert Talks with Bill Moyers about How America Has Become a Country with an Abundance of Wealth and a Serious Problem with Income Inequality (VIDEO)

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

  By Elaine Magliaro Back in 2011, Bob Herbert, who was then a columnist for the New York Times, wrote an op-ed for the paper titled Losing Our Way. In his column, Herbert looked at the income inequality plaguing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Economics, Justice, Oligarchy, Society, United States | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

John Oliver Skewers Law Enforcement for Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws (VIDEO)

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro John Oliver did a hilarious segment on civil forfeiture on his HBO program last night. I thought readers of this blog would enjoy watching it so I’m posting it at FFS for you. About Civil Asset Forfeiture: … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Courts, Financial, Government, Justice, Law Enforcement, United States | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

The Case of the Secret Recordings: A Tale about Bank Examiner Carmen Segarra, the New York Fed, and Goldman Sachs

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro Last week, I read ProPublica’s story about Carmen Segarra, a bank examiner and whistle-blower who made secret recordings while she was working at the New York FED. Segarra had been hired by the FED in late 2011 … Continue reading →

Posted in Financial, Investing, Stock Market, United States, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Catholic Bishops and Religious Rights vs. Women’s Rights…and Women’s Health

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro NOTE: I originally posted the following article at Res Ipsa Loquitor on March 4, 2012. I decided to repost it at Flowers for Socrates after reading Mike Spindell’s article Proof Most “Right to Life” People Are Liars. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Conservatives, Equal Rights, Health Care, Health Care Insurance, Hospitals, Politics, Religion, Reproductive Rights, Roman Catholic Church, Society, United States | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Tim Dickinson of “Rolling Stone” Looks at the Koch Brothers’ “Toxic Empire”

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro Tim Dickinson has an interesting article about the billionaire siblings Charles and David Koch over at Rolling Stone. Dickinson’s piece is titled Inside the Koch Brothers’ Toxic Empire. He notes below the title of his article that … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Oil, Campaign Finance, Fascists/Corporatists, Justice, Oligarchy, Politics, Tea Party, United States | Tagged | 5 Comments

John Oliver Provides the Most Thorough “News” Coverage on America’s Predator Drone Strikes to Date on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight”

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro It seems to me that we get much of our best coverage of news stories from comedians/comedy programs these days. I’m a big fan of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Last Week Tonight—which is hosted … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, CIA, Media, Pakistan, Propaganda, Short Video, United States, US Military, War on "Terror" | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Case of the “Houdini Handcuff Suicide”: Young Black Man Supposedly Shoots Himself in Back Seat of Police Cruiser in Louisiana (VIDEOS)

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro Here’s an interesting story about a young black man who was shot while in police custody earlier this year. Twenty-two-year-old Victor White III died in a Louisiana hospital on March 3rd. He was the “victim of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Countries, Crime, DOJ, FBI, Law Enforcement, Local Government, Louisiana, Racism, United States | Tagged , | 3 Comments

DIRTY TRICKS?: Koch-Backed Group Americans for Prosperity Mailed Out Incorrect Voter Information to Residents of North Carolina

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro Americans for Prosperity, a right-wing advocacy group founded by the infamous Koch brothers, is up to its old voter suppression tactics again. This time the group sent out voter registration forms to people in the state of … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Fascists/Corporatists, Politics, RNC, States, United States | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

Regarding the Killing of John Crawford III in a Wal-Mart Store in Ohio: Should the Police Officer Who Shot Him Have Been Indicted?

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro Previously, I wrote a post titled The Killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and John Crawford III: It’s Not about Race…It’s Never about Race!. John Crawford III, an African American, was shot and killed by a white police … Continue reading →

Posted in Courts, DOJ, Law Enforcement, Racism, Society, United States | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments