On Monday, September 10, 2001, I was walking home from Union Station. I worked at the UN (in WDC) and was going home. It was a beautiful evening and I remember thinking, after reading reports about death and war from all over the world, that we were lucky in the United States. We are lucky that we have two giant oceans protecting us from all that death and violence.
The next day, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, was another beautiful day. I had forgotten about my thought from the night before but it would come back to haunt me later. The…
This week, the Supreme Court declined to weigh in on a new, controversial Texas law on abortion. The law makes it illegal for women to have abortions after their pregnancies reach six weeks. Unlike other laws, enforcement is left to the general public. Add to that the lack of exceptions for rape or the life/health of the mother and you have the most draconian abortion law in the nation.
Most women are well past six weeks when they learn they are pregnant. This is a draconian law that, even if it survives and goes into effect, will not stop abortion…
Almost a year ago, Hotel Rwanda humanitarian Paul Rusesabagina was kidnapped, taken to Rwanda, arrested, tortured, and put on trial. From the get-go, this “trial” has been seen as a farce by a host of international organizations. This Friday, August 20th, the verdict will come in. Though, President Paul Kagame has already sealed Rusesabagina’s fate by calling him guilty before the judicial proceedings even began.
If U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken doesn’t act here, no permanent U.S. resident is safe.
Would you sign our petition urging him to do more to bring Paul Rusesabagina home?
Rusesabagina has been denied…
Dear Samantha Bee,
My name is Alyson Chadwick and as an aspiring comedian, you have always been one of my heroes. From your days as a fearless correspondent for The Daily Show to the development of your own show on TBS, your work has been inspirational to me and others. Your work on behalf of refugees and for social justice has been equally inspiring. This is why your decision to gloss over the gross human rights abuses and other crimes against humanity committed by Rwandan President Paul Kagame is so upsetting.
Your recent segment on Rwanda and the ways the…
There are two factions on the left. One wants to focus on the existential threat posed by Donald Trump (and he does pose one) and the other wants the Democrats to push a bold, domestic agenda. Which way should we go? We can do both.
We’ve been here before. During World War II and the Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned his attention to the war and away from his domestic agenda. That was another existential crisis that couldn’t wait. Eleanor would not be deterred. She pushed and that pushing led to the continuation of the New Deal programs they implemented…
The time has come to put people before procedure.
I think everyone has heard this about President Joe Biden. He spent more than 30 years in the Senate and has a great deal of respect for that institution and its traditions. That may be true but he needs to move past that. The time has come to look at those traditions and jettison those that are hampering things from being done to make the country better.
- The filibuster needs to be reformed. Note: I did not say “abolished.” Way back in 2013, I wrote a piece for The Daily Banter, “In defense of the filibuster.” In that article, I…
More needs to be done but wages seem to be going up
Like many progressives, I was disappointed when the Senate failed to include an increase to the minimum wage in March. Unlike many progressives, it wasn’t a “make or break” moment for me because a, that amendment didn’t go far enough (raising the minimum wage to $15/hour by 2025 is too little, too late), b. it can still be done and maybe the bill will be better — like $22/hour sooner than 2025, and c. that’s not the only way to raise wages.
There were things that were included in the Covid Relief Bill that have helped people. (Side note: Another…
No, I don’t care for Donald Trump but I am not going to lie. I find all things Qanon to be fascinating. I think Michael Flynn’s recent statements strange but strangely, like a car wreck on the road, I cannot look away.
Before Flynn fell in with Qanon and Trumpworld, he had a long and respectable career. He served in the military for years — and gets a pension of more than $100,000 every year. He served as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) under President Obama. During that time he also served as the commander of the Joint Functional…
If you follow tennis or sports, you probably know that tennis superstar Naomi Osaka dropped out of the French Open yesterday. She had run afoul of the tennis authorities when she said she wasn’t going to do any of the mandatory press conferences. She cited her mental health.
The response to Osaka’s decision was swift. She was fined $15,000 and threatened with being forced out of the French Open and denied access to other Grand Slam events. So yesterday, she took to Twitter:
Osaka wanted out. She said she needs time away from the court. I find it an…
When I was growing up when a woman was raped people would ask, “what was she wearing? What was she doing?” As if, wearing the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing made raping her ok. That has changed (a little) but we do that when Black and Brown people are killed by the police. We expect the victims of a system they did not develop or maintain to be able to fix it. That is ridiculous and it has to stop.
When the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial came out, I cried out with relief that he was…
Alyson Chadwick
I am a sports and news junkie, writer and comedian. I also spent at least one lifetime working in politics and campaigns. https://bit.ly/2CUgcAg
