At a fundraising party for The Veterans Project last Saturday night in Los Angeles, three compelling speakers helped us connect somewhat different stories, all of which involve allegations that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) habitually deprives veterans of services to which they are entitled.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Supreme Court has never ruled Congress has authority under the Commerce Clause to impose an economic mandate on the general population, and until it passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) last year, Congress had never claimed it is so authorized. But a majority of American taxpayers will be required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty starting in 2014 - if the new law isn’t overturned or revised sooner (as I predict it will be).
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
19 years after former Philadelphia police commissioner and mayor Frank Rizzo passed away, My Letters to Dead People: A Book You Should Write has just been published. Written by political consultant Richie Ross, it includes a letter from the author to Rizzo which begins as follows: Dear Asshole, You’re dead. I’m not. You were such a fucking creep [...]
Thursday, January 20, 2011
With a majority of states now challenging the constitutionality of requiring Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, Northwestern law professor Andrew Koppelman, writing at Balkinization, takes a swipe at one of the plaintiffs’ biggest concerns: If the federal government can force us to buy insurance, doesn’t that mean it could also force [...]
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
When someone who habitually drinks to excess vomits from the flu, it’s not an indication he threw up from drinking too much. Though it would likely be beneficial for him to curtail his imbibing, it’s not a good time to make that point. Telling him then anyway, and expecting a favorable response, is like using the Tucson tragedy as an excuse to scold right-wingers, and expecting them to see the light.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
In an op-ed published January 5 by the Guardian, Naomi Wolf argues that Julian Assange’s alleged Swedish victims - and all sex crime accusers – should be publicly identified by their real names. Wolf is mostly right. But in her zeal to promote the benefits of disclosure, she neglects to mention that women who have been raped still tend to endure a type of hardship which rarely – if ever – affects any other crime victims who seek justice.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Award-winning Rolling Stone columnist Matt Taibbi comes to Largo at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles on November 12 to celebrate the release of his new book, Griftopia, the dramatic story behind the most audacious power grab in American history. Whistleblower journalist Nomi Prins, who worked on Wall Street as a managing director at Goldman Sachs, will join him. Her latest book is It Takes a Pillage. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Michael Penn will open. Click here for tickets/info and here for a preview.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Comedian Jann Karam (Letterman, Tonight Show, Seinfeld) will perform when American Speakeasy returns to 1629 Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice on Friday night, October 22 at 8 PM. Rick Shapiro (“an explosive comedic talent…part Iggy Pop, part Philip Roth” - New York Observer),
Saturday, September 18, 2010
American Speakeasy is a pop-up cultural revival fueled by artists, authors, performers, thinkers and doers. The premiere event will feature food, drinks, live music and provocative conversation. With a Bible and a Gun, a band that plays full-contact Johnny Cash music, will perform. No cover, no minimum. A portion of food/drink proceeds will benefit The Veterans Project. Click here for more info.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Toward the end of The Tillman Story, a riveting new documentary about football/war hero Pat Tillman and his family’s reaction to the circumstances of his death in Afghanistan, Vietnam war veteran Stan Goff describes the film as “an opportunity for reality to break through.”
Monday, July 11, 2011
1 Comment