Eric Alterman: Scammed by the Right

  "We know that bureaucrats and, even more, Fedzilla, are not the solution; they are the problem. I'd be proud to share a moose-barbecue campfire with the Palin family anytime, so long as I can shoot the moose." That's Ted Nugent on Sarah Palin from the current "100 Most Influential People in the World" cover package of Time.

  I ask you, dear reader, has any other allegedly reputable magazine ever published a stupider article about a putatively serious subject? Nugent also provides a stirring character reference for the quitter of the Alaska governorship: "The tsunami of support proves that Sarah, 46, represents what many Americans know to be common and sensible. Her rugged individualism, self-reliance and a Herculean work ethic resonate now more than ever in a country spinning away from these basics that made the U.S.A. the last best place. We who are driven to be assets to our families, communities and our beloved country connect with the principles that Sarah Palin embodies."

Chuck Collins: How to talk to a Tea Party activist

Progressives and tea party activists: Where we agree, disagree, and how we can find common good.

  We heard a lot about the tea party movement on Tax Day. They were angry, and some of that anger at the tax system is justified.

  Like all social movements, the tea party wave is not monolithic. There are hard-core libertarians, white supremacists, and partisan Republicans that are not interested in dialogue. But in my conversations with rank-and-file tea party activists, there are important points of common ground.

Charles C. Haynes: At the high court, balancing religious freedom and nondiscrimination

  On April 19, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez — setting the stage for what could be a landmark decision further defining the extent to which religious groups have a right to be exempt from government nondiscrimination policies.

  The case arose in 2004 when a chapter of the Christian Legal Society tried to become a registered student organization at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law. Although CLS was allowed to meet on campus, officially recognized groups receive a variety of benefits, including use of the school name, access to school media and eligibility for student activity-fee funding.

  Hastings denied CLS recognition on the grounds that the group violates the school’s policy prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religion and sexual orientation by barring non-Christians and non-celibate gays and lesbians from becoming voting members or leaders. CLS opens its meetings and activities to all students, but only those who agree to its statement of faith can vote and serve as officers.

Fast facts on Arizona’s immigration crack down

  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed what is now the most punitive and sweeping anti-immigrant state law in the nation Saturday. This law’s full effects will not be measurable for months to come, but it is already clear that it will be challenged in court because it denies rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. And until the legal issues are settled, the new law will have a detrimental effect on Arizona’s economy, as well as city and state budgets.

The law essentially legalizes racial profiling

-The law puts communities of color in the crosshairs by requiring state and local government workers to determine if a person is illegally in the United States based on a “reasonable suspicion.”

Gary Palmer: Americans more concerned about cool economy than warm planet

  Last fall’s blockbuster revelation that some of the leading global warming proponents had manipulated data, destroyed data files and suppressed research that refuted their findings added to the public’s declining belief that global warming is a major issue. In fact, poll data indicates that the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in the United States will not be as well received as in the past.

  A Gallup Poll released in March found that Americans’ concern about environmental issues has hit a 20-year low. It seems Americans are more concerned about a cold economy than a warming planet. A record 53 percent of those surveyed now say that economic growth takes precedence, even if it hurts the environment. In fact, of the eight environmental issues listed in the survey, global warming was ranked last.

James Bovard: The Slippery definition of extremist

  Americans are once again hearing of the perils of extremism. But the definition of this offense is more slippery than a politician’s campaign promise. The definition of extremism has continually been amended to permit government policies that few sober people previously advocated.

  Prior to 2000, anyone who asserted that the Census Bureau was deeply involved with the roundup of Japanese-Americans for internment camps in 1942 was considered an extremist. The Census Bureau spent 60 years denying its role but finally admitted its culpability ten years ago after academics uncovered undeniable proof. Regardless of the Census Bureau’s past abuses or perennial deceit, only extremists believe that their answers to this year’s census could ever be used against them.

Joe Bageant: Anderson Cooper and class solidarity

You cannot man the barricades with a mouth full of Cheetos...

  Class solidarity was such a good idea. It really was. Obviously, most of the people who need solidarity are in the world's laboring classes. After all, the rich have more than enough solidarity already, as was recently demonstrated by their successful execution of the greatest global financial heist in history. Oh sure, we'll see some state-sponsored mock show trials of a few of them -- they always throw a few of their own out of the sleigh to the wolves during their escapes. The big heist was big news. Working Americans will be applying Preparation H to their keisters for a long time to come.

Sen. Hank Sanders: Senate Sketches # 1194

  My Mamma used to say, “Son, some things are just beyond understanding. They simply do not make sense. So don’t try to make them make sense.” I experienced such a “something” this week.

  The Alabama New South Coalition (New South) Membership and Endorsement Convention was set for the following weekend. Some of its leaders decided to hold a press conference to inform the public. That was understandable.

  Robert Avery as president and I as president emeritus spoke at the press conference. We said that New South would be endorsing candidates in all statewide and some district races at the convention. We highlighted the governor’s race because it had a number of interesting issues: potential making of history; racial challenges; national implications; broad state impact; high media profile, etc. The press conference, however, brought a response that was beyond understanding.

Earl Wagner: Good kids and school officials, “You’ve got to be kiddin‘”

  Well, it’s been a long time since you have read any of my musings, but I am glad that the editors have given me the opportunity to again contribute some of my work to the Capital City Free Press. What a fast-paced year - it seems like only yesterday we celebrated the beginning of 2010. As for myself, I have had to overcome a few medical issues but thanks to God’s grace I’m still here.

  I’m not one known to be at a loss for words but there have been so many events occurring worthy of commentary that I have had a difficult time making decision on the matters. But as I recollect my thoughts and look at some of the issues in the news I am beginning to see a common thread being evidenced in some of the irrational, unkind and inhumane behavior that some adult members of our society have committed or facilitated against their neighbor(s), and worse, such behavior is looked upon as being acceptable by the community. Time and again, not a word of condemnation comes from the community, but when bad consequences become the result of such negative behavior both the community and those involved suddenly emulate those three famous anthropoids: “see no evil," “speak no evil,” and “hear no evil.”

Gene Policinski: Amid wrenching change, some hopeful signs for journalism

  Headlines — ironically, given this subject — have proclaimed for some time that newspapers in the United States are dying, have documented bankruptcy filings by companies that own large news groups, and have noted thousands of lost newsroom jobs.

  All of this is good reason for all of us to be concerned, not so much about the survival of any one newspaper or even a news group, but rather about the collective damage to the notion of a “free press” — a private industry, largely producing news printed on paper, that is charged with the unique civic roles of holding government accountable and providing the information needed in a representative democracy.

  And yet, there’s also this undeniable fact: We now have access to more news, in more ways, more quickly and in more detail, than ever before.