Are You Brainwashed? Seven Principles for Free Government

John W. Whitehead February 8th, 2010

Brainwashed in our childhood

Brainwashed by the school…

Brainwashing us in Washington…

Brainwashed by the media…

Brainwashed by computer

Brainwashed by mobile phones

Brainwashed by the satellite

Brainwashed to the bone.

—George Harrison, “Brainwashed”

Precisely because Americans are easily distracted–because, as study after study shows, they are clueless about their rights–and because the nation’s schools have ceased teaching the fundamentals of the Cons … (Read More)

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Destruction in Haiti (and the Destructiveness of Words)

Susan Isaacs February 2nd, 2010

My husband Larry used to travel a lot when he wrote for World Vision. He visited countries all over the world that suffer from poverty. World Vision's mission is to help the poor with basic needs and education. Larry's a pretty idealistic guy, but Haiti was the only country he felt was beyond hope. He could physically feel the oppression and despair. He couldn't wait to leave. In fact, the official he interviewed encouraged him to do so as soon as possible. Get out of Dodge.

We& … (Read More)

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Pregnant, single teen… gives birth to Saviour!

Susan Isaacs December 22nd, 2009

This past Sunday’s New Testament reading was from Luke 1: Mary Visits Elizabeth and Mary’s Magnificat. If you’re like me and you’ve been going to church for years, it’s easy to gloss over the Christmas stories with detached calm. You know it turns out OK: Joseph doesn’t divorce Mary, Jesus is born, and the wise men return home by another way. Personally, I have a hard time visualizing the players as anyone other than the figurines from my childhood crèche: blonde Mary in her pink dr … (Read More)

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Is Tweeting Now a Felony Under Federal Law?

John W. Whitehead November 18th, 2009

Say you want a revolution.

We better get on right away.

Well you get on your feet

And out on the street.

–John Lennon, "Power to the People"

The ominous rise of the surveillance state continues unabated. With each passing day, hope fades that the Obama administration will diverge from George W. Bush's erection of a police state.

The government's treatment of Elliot Madison is a case in point. Madison, a 41-year-old self-styled anarchist and social worke … (Read More)

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Rejected by eHarmony!

Susan Isaacs November 11th, 2009

How do you get rejected by eharmony? Start by telling the truth.

Two and a half years ago, I decided I needed to get over my ex. It had been five months since we broke up, and he managed to meet someone the following week. So I did something I swore I would never do. I tried internet dating.

Five years ago, internet dating felt like a realm reserved for the desperate. Mail-order brides, ex-nuns with facial hair, obese IT nerds who live alternate lives online as robo-cut Japanese animé heroe … (Read More)

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Everything Else is Small Stuff!

Steve Brown November 4th, 2009

A friend of mine sent me a copy of a letter submitted to the St. Petersburg Times (Florida) in response to the paper's query about how readers would "fix the economy."

One letter was addressed to the President of the United States and suggested that, instead of giving billions of dollars to companies who will squander it, the president should send a million dollars to each person in America over a certain age in the work force. It would include millions of people.

It sounds like, … (Read More)

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