Commentary
From Marion to Vietnam, governments don’t like secrets exposed
This commentary originally appeared in the Kansas Reflector. Kansas newspapers and media have been falling all over themselves to cover the efforts by the Marion police, assisted by a search warrant signed by a magistrate judge, to confiscate files and computers and other stuff of the Marion County Record. This was a small town newspaper […]
MAGA malignancy arrives in a Colorado courtroom
A Colorado judge fears for her safety. In the context of history, that’s an extraordinary situation, but as part of the Trumpist erosion of constitutional order, it’s routine. It’s how the ascendant fascist forces on the American right do their thing. Physical intimidation from former President Donald Trump and his followers is present throughout their […]
The most dangerous idea in a library? Empathy
This commentary originally appeared in the Alabama Reflector. My 9-year-old daughter recently asked me if reading really makes you smarter. Put on the spot, I garbled my answer. I was driving, and we had to get to a softball practice on time. But here’s what I wanted to say: Reading teaches you new things. But […]
Idaho physicians must have greater discretion over when abortion exceptions are warranted
This commentary originally appeared in the Idaho Capital Sun. I have always considered myself pro-choice on the issue of abortion for all circumstances, but I never had to think about what that really meant until my husband and I were faced with that choice for me and our family last November. Up until that point, […]
Long Covid isolates sick people and their loved ones
This commentary originally appeared in Source NM. My girlfriend’s idea felt brilliant to me: Put out a call on Facebook for Covid-cautious people in our area to rent a theater together. We could watch the Barbie movie while wearing high-quality masks to keep each other safe. The plan turned out to be quixotic. No one […]
California is suing big oil. Why doesn’t Colorado?
California last week filed a landmark lawsuit that seeks to hold the biggest oil and gas companies accountable for their role in causing the climate crisis. The lawsuit cites decades of deceit by fossil fuel executives, who knew from internal reports that their products would warm the planet but told the public a different story, […]
Colorado is in the minority of states keeping comprehensive police officer data secret
This commentary was originally published by the Invisible Institute and the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. After the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill requiring the state’s Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) board to publish a public database containing some basic disciplinary information about police officers. But […]
Let’s see that same Hunter Biden fervor applied to everyone who shouldn’t have gun access
This commentary originally appeared in the Louisiana Illuminator. There’s no question Hunter Biden is a troubled person. His problems were well documented before his indictment Thursday on a federal firearms charge. The president’s 53-year-old son has admitted to having a crack cocaine problem that he didn’t disclose when he purchased a handgun in October 2018, […]
Under DeSantis, FL has become the bellwether state for voter disenfranchisement
This commentary originally appeared in the Florida Phoenix. The book “Laboratories of Democracy” appeared in 1988, positing that individual states were poised to experiment with progressive policies that could transform the political landscape if adopted in other states or the national level. A new edition might be called “Laboratories of Autocracy,” since Republican-run states these […]
Real conversations with family taught me about life after loss
This commentary originally appeared in Source NM. Editor’s note: This commentary discusses grief, loss and suicide. I learned about suicide through my young childhood curiosity when I wondered out loud why my mom’s father was never around. Explanations were slow-going and came in bursts. I was told things like: He’s not here. He died before […]
Jena Griswold should live up to her own election standards and bar Trump in Colorado
Colorado last week became a testing ground for a challenge to the candidacy of former President Donald Trump. With the nation’s eyes on a lawsuit that seeks to bar Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot as constitutionally disqualified, Secretary of State Jena Griswold has a special responsibility to maintain Colorado’s record for high elections standards […]
Enforcement-only approaches to homelessness don’t make us safer
Across the state of Colorado — and much of the country — homelessness is on the rise. At the last point-in-time count, Boulder County had over 800 homeless or housing-insecure residents, with around 450 in the city of Boulder itself. By comparison, July’s point-in-time count recorded over 9,000 people experiencing homelessness in Denver, a 31% increase […]