Drug Company Fined $515 Million
From the Associated Press: Bristol Settles Drug Marketing Probe Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and a former subsidiary have agreed to pay more than $515 million to settle federal and state investigations into their drug marketing and pricing practices. The civil settlement announced Friday resolves a broad array of allegations against Bristol-Myers Squibb, dating from 1994 through [...]
The Politics of Protection
At various times, President Bush has asserted that his “biggest job is to protect the American people.” However, the last 6+ years have amply demonstrated that the Decider has a decidedly narrow notion of what it means “to protect,” as evidenced by the habitual favor granted to corporate fat cats at the expense of the [...]
Students Exercise Democracy in Colorado
While democracy may be withering on the vine in the corridors of the White House, it appears to be considerably less atrophied in the corridors of Boulder High School, as the following news story from the Denver Post suggests: Boulder students protest “God” in Pledge About 100 students at Boulder High School walked out after [...]
Poetry in a Time of War
Poetry is a powerful medium. In its eloquence and concision, poetry can convey shades and depths of meaning unlike any other form of literature. Consider the following poem by Brian Turner, a veteran of the Iraq War: Ashbah The ghosts of American soldiers wander the streets of Balad by night, unsure of their way home, [...]
Jackvony Ponders the Nature of Nappylies.com
Randy Jackvony, former Chair of the Cranston Republican City Committee and writer at The Cranston Herald, discusses Nappylies.com in his column this week. For those who need a little history, Randy was kicked off the Cranston Republican City Committee in 2004. He stated that he was told to tender his resignation. When I asked him [...]
Cranston High School Class Sizes Improved
Steve Stycos of the Cranston School Committee sends good news about the class sizes at Cranston’s High Schools. Stycos writes: HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SIZES IMPROVE Last year, School Committee member Paul Archetto and I publically called for lower high school class sizes. At the time, 51 classes at East and 81 classes at West had [...]
Will Private Student Loans Follow Sub-Prime Mortgages in Default Crisis?
Writer Eric Dash of The New York Times says there are dangerous parallels between the subprime mortgage market problems and the private student loan industry, which reportedly signs up borrowers at variable rates which later skyrocket and make loan payments unmanageable. From The Times: ON a sunny June morning, Daniel M. Meyers stands at the [...]
Reed Calls Bush SCHIP Veto Threat Spiteful
Jack Reed spoke on the floor of the Senate yesterday, calling for the President to support health insurance for children in the US. Behind him in the picture are John Kerry (D-MA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Floor Statement by U.S. Senator Jack Reed September 26, 2007 MR. REED: Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I [...]
Where Were You?
Where were you on Saturday when Army Specialist Joshua Reeves, a 26-year-old from Watkinsville, Georgia, was killed after “a bomb detonated as [his] Humvee drove down a Baghdad street”? Where were you when his wife Leslie, who had given birth to their son just the day before, “learned she was a widow” while “still in [...]
A Decision Against “Extra-Constitutional Authority”
Kudos to U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken for issuing a ruling yesterday that repudiates the unconstitutional excesses of the Bush administration. Occasionally, justice and common sense prevail. From the Washington Post: Patriot Act Provisions Voided A federal judge in Oregon ruled yesterday that two provisions of the USA Patriot Act are unconstitutional, marking the second [...]
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