Cheryl Massaro, director of the Flagler County Youth Center, describes how the Trump administration disbanded and stopped the work of the Federal Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice she was appointed to two years ago.
Guest Columns
Journalists Say Trump’s Caravan Claims Are ‘Evidence-Free.’ It’s a Lot Worse Than That.
Journalists have a duty to give context, not just to report on whether a sound bite contains truth on a sliding scale. Otherwise, it’s journalistic malpractice.
Even As Voter Registration Soars, Bogus Fraud Claims and Real Voter Suppression Live On
Experts are predicting record-high midterm voter turnout. But millions of U.S. citizens are being systematically inhibited — either blatantly or covertly — from casting votes this November.
Elizabeth Warren’s Identity Problem
Trump’s racism is obvious. He’s using the name Pocahontas as a racial slur. But Elizabeth Warren stepped into a controversial issue without much sensitivity for the people who are most affected by it.
A Better Way To Fight Homelessness: Decriminalize It
Law enforcement is often used as a first response to address homelessness. Many communities criminalize it instead of connecting the homeless with essential services, assuming they’re available.
The GOP’s Kavanaugh Playbook Was Textbook Abusive Behavior
Kavanaugh defenders said a lot about the presumption of innocence. But in truth they were following a much more menacing playbook, common to many abusers called out for their behavior.
The Cruelty of the GOP’s Kavanaugh Charade
A few of us posted about sexual assault in general or about our own past assaults on our Facebook pages. Then the private messages began. The details are painful to talk about.
Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault
That urge to discredit accusers of sexual assault like Christine Blasey Ford is exactly why it takes so long for some to come forward in the first place.
Nobody In the White House Is Part of ‘the Resistance’
Administration insiders admit Trump’s dangerous, but they’ll stick with him as long as he cuts billionaires’ taxes, deregulates corporations, and feeds the military-industrial complex.
Stand Your Ground Vigilantes
Instead of allowing the police to perform their jobs, some gunslingers hiding behind stand-your-ground laws take the responsibility of pursuing criminals upon themselves.
When McCain’s Odes to Honor and Civility Ring False
The “straight talk” people praise McCain for is actually what most of them can’t stand about politicians: They say noble words but cast ignoble votes.
If Your Boss Makes Millions, It’s Not Because of the ‘Market’
On average, America’s CEOs make 312 times what their workers take home — and that has nothing to do with supply and demand. Simply put, markets don’t set executive pay. Board rooms do.
I Grew Up In the Segregated South. For Me, Supreme Court Rulings Are Personal.
The author shares her grave concern for what Brett Kavanaugh’s influence could mean for communities of color, women, the LGBTQ community, and others who’ve fought to advance civil rights.
If Ireland Can Get Out of Fossil Fuels, “Tree-City” Palm Coast Can Too
Almost 900 cities, universities, and governments have divested over $6 trillion from the fossil fuel industry by requiring pension funds and other such investments to be green. Why not yours?
Flagler’s Elections Supervisor Urges Confidence in Voting System: Your Ballot Won’t Be Hacked
Flagler County Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart outlines the latest measures to make the county’s election system hack-proof and challenges voters to turn out and cast a ballot.
Amazon’s Deceptive Bargain With Local Government Purchasing–at Local Business’ Expense
Amazon’s bid to dominate local government purchasing has gone under the radar. IKt’s appealing on the surface, but could make it harder for agencies to buy from local vendors.
Protest and the Double-Edged Sword of ‘Civility’
Uncivil action may be a necessary strategy, just as civil disobedience, bearing witness, and making politicians uncomfortable were critical to the civil rights movement.
Restricting Food Stamps Use at Farmers’ Markets Is One More Way To Hurt the Poor
The government just canceled its contract with the company that makes the card readers necessary to read food stamps cards at farmers markets.
Local Police Should Not Collaborate With Immigration and Customs Enforcement
As reports of abuse at ICE emerge and increase, robust sanctuary policies that end the collusion with local law enforcement that ICE relies on gain urgency.
Before Vilifying Russia, U.S. Policy Apologists Might Try Looking in the Mirror
A bellicose stance toward Russia has become so routine and widespread that we might not give it a second thought. That makes it all the more hazardous.
Sheriff Staly on Operations Center: “I Will Not Tolerate Blaming Victims of This Building, My Employees”
Sheriff Rick Staly delivered a 2,000-word statement on the troubled Operations Center during Monday’s workshop on the matter. The full text is reproduced here.
What’s At Stake If Brett Kavanaugh Joins the Supreme Court
All Americans say they value personal freedom, especially the right to make our own decisions about our private lives. Expect that to end.
Drug War Blowback: Why Those Central American Immigrants Are Still Coming
Between the drug war and the backing of brutal regimes, the U.S. created conditions in Central America that families are desperate to flee — even if they risk being separated.
Abolish ICE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is supposed to keep Americans safe. Instead, it’s terrorizing refugees, families, and small children.
From Food Stamps To Housing Allowances, There’s an All-Out War On Kids
It’s not just on the border: the Trump administration is targeting food stamps eligibility, rent subsidies and other safety-net measures that protect children.
A Dagger in the Heart of Unions, Workers and Democracy: Behind the Janus Ruling
Their end game is to overturn a fundamental premise of majority rule, and lock in place permanent Constitutional changes to bar any limits on oligarchical rule.
Being Separated From My Child Nearly Destroyed Me
The administration’s policy of separating families is torture, and Trump’s executive order to incarcerate families together doesn’t solve the crisis.
Ralph Nader’s Open Letter to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Given your successful tax avoidance mania, you should be ashamed of yourself, Nader tells the Amazon founder. “You should spend some personal time” with the homeless.
We Get It. Trump Is Awful. But Standard-Issue Democrats Are Not an Alternative.
The neoliberal establishment that runs the Democratic Party party holds fast to the very policies that are making it shrink into oblivion, argues John Atcheson.
If Trump Is Giving Diplomacy a Chance in Korea, His Critics Should, Too
The North Korea negotiations are far from over, and could still tip from a fragile diplomacy back to middle-school insults, but diplomacy isn’t just the better way. It’s the only way.
The Truth About ‘Sanctuary Cities’
The term “sanctuary city” typically refers to a jurisdiction that wants to limit the use of local law enforcement resources to carry out federal law enforcement work, in violation of constitutional protections.
Ex-Sheriff Jim Manfre on Troubled Operations Center: How We Got Here
Former Sheriff Jim Manfre, who completed his term in 2016, offers his side of the history of the acquisition of and subsequent issues with the potentially sick Sheriff’s Operations Center.
Questioning War Is No Disrespect to Veterans. It’s a Civic Duty.
Americans remain unconcerned about wars the U.S. is currently fighting (at last count, we’re bombing at least 7 countries) though they foot the bill both in tax dollars and lives.
Want to Attract Women? Try Not Hating Us.
The recent attack in Toronto by a man who identifies as an “incel” has called attention to the disturbing and flourishing online incel community.
Advice for High School Graduates: Learn a Trade
The shameful practice of tracking poor students into blue-collar jobs contrasts with millions of rewarding, high-paying trade jobs sitting empty.
For Working Poor’s Sake, Bring Back May Day
Nearly one in five families have zero or negative net worth. That number rises to over a quarter of Latin American households and 30 percent of black households.
The Latest Assault on Food Stamps Holders
The draconian work requirement to receive food stamps could throw 1 million people off the rolls and cause more job losses than job gains.
With Social Media Surveillance, Flagler School District Is Breaching Community Trust
With its contract with Social Sentinel, a social media snooping company, the Flagler school district is going into the secretive surveillance business for a much heavier cost than advertised.
105 Missiles Fired at Syria Is 10 Times The Number of Syrian Refugees We’ve Taken In All Year
“This is about humanity,” President Trump said of attacking Syria. A look at his response to other regional catastrophes shows his claim doesn’t begin to add up.
It’s Up to Grown-Ups To Stop Bullying, Not Kids
Speaking of her own experience with bullying, the author holds the adults who watched and did nothing far more responsible than those who perpetrated it.
Nurses Are Calling #TimesUp on Domestic Abuse, And on Those Who Doubt Victims
Emergency room encounters reveal the work that remains to be done to curb intimate partner violence. Too often, helpers abandon victims if they return to their abuser after attempting to leave.
No Love for Working Families This Valentine’s Day
A secretary gets an extra $1.50 a week from the GOP tax bill. The Koch brothers get an extra $27 million (minus a $500,000 thank-you note that went to Paul Ryan’s re-election committee).
Urging Opposition, Flagler Beach’s Jane Mealy Says Vacation-Rental Proposals Could Change City’s Look
In an open plea to residents circulated by letter, Flagler Beach Commission Chair Jane Mealy warns of vacation-rental proposals that could change the make-up of the city, eliminating distinctions between residential and commercial zones.
What Trump Wants on Immigration Is Ethnic Cleansing
Trump’s offering a fig leaf of legal status for a relatively small slice of the undocumented population in return for a drastic cut of all immigration to the U.S.
America, Oprah is Not Your Savior
This country has a history of looking to black women to save Americans from themselves — while not recognizing or respecting their efforts.
Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State: Full Text
Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State address, his last, as prepared for delivery today at the Florida Capitol, before a joint session of the House and Senate.
Not To Worry, Estate Planners: Help For Struggling Millionaires Is On The Way
The estate tax was just slashed to exempt millionaire families up to $22 million, a doubling of the previous exemption, which had covered 99.8 percent of taxpayers.
As Seas Rise Over South Florida: When’s the Last Time I’ll Go Home for Christmas?
By the author’s count, she’ll get 13 more holidays before the sea threatens to swallow her family’s home in South Florida, where the risk of a storm surge within four feet of high tide lines has doubled.
3 Reasons The Trump Tax Plan Is a Disgrace
Robert Reich’s three-step guide on the rubbish of the Trump-Republican tax plan for when you confront your Republican Uncle Bob during the holidays.
The Trump Tax Scam
The deeper costs of the $1.5 trillion tax plan are so large and so obvious that the failure of Republican leaders to disclose them is, for all practical purposes, a lie.