I’ve been fortunate enough to call Peace Studies scholar and teacher Colman McCarthy a friend for a number of years now. Last month, he wrote a commentary on singer, songwriter and activist Joan Baez. In the piece, Baez reflects on the fact that today, we are missing the “glue” that connects us to others with struggles similar to our own....

Thank God It’s Vacation time! While the media continues to give this President the attention he craves, I’m unplugging from it all. In the meantime, I’ve selected some of the most popular commentaries. From the Philippines to Saudi Arabia; from the Netherlands to the United States, all continue to receive strong interest. I’ll return after Labor Day. The Mueller Report,...

“SEND HER BACK! SEND HER BACK! SEND HER BACK!” We’ve heard it all before. “LOCK HER UP! LOCK HER UP! LOCK HER UP!” You may laugh it off, but this is what fascism sounds like. Don’t be fooled just because there are no tanks in the streets or brown shirts running around arresting people. Fascism,  » Read more about: The Echo...

There is no longer any doubt that prescription opioids have become a health crisis in America. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 130 people die each day from overdosing on opioids. “The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well...

The actions taken by Kyle Kashuv, and the ubiquity of social media are troubling on several levels. Eighteen-year-old Kashuv was one of the survivors of the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida. However, unlike his fellow students who have spoken around the country about the need for more restrictive gun legislation, Kashuv has become a very vocal gun-rights advocate. While...

Don’t get on Jon Stewart’s bad side. As the host of The Daily Show, Stewart was always on point in political skewering, but last Tuesday, Stewart, respectful and solemn, lectured Congress – specifically, the House Judiciary subcommittee – to a mostly empty room. He spoke about accountability, respect and most importantly, responsibility… theirs. “… as I sit here today,” Stewart...

Last week I wrote how the outcome of James Holzhauer’s loss on the game show Jeopary! was leaked the Sunday before the show aired on Monday, (I’ll take ‘Best Penalties’ For $1,000, Alex). The show’s executive producer, Harry Friedman, believes he knows who leaked the information and said that “very, very, very appropriate” action will be taken. At the end...

June 5, 1944, Allied Supreme Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower had under his command the largest invasion task-force in history: 175,000 British, American and Canadian assault troops; 5,000 vessels; 20,000 vehicles; and 11,000 aircraft. His directive – “You will enter the continent of Europe and, in conjunction with the other United Nations, undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany...

Earlier this month, Warwick Public Schools in Rhode Island announced that it would ban any student from the school’s hot meal service if they had not paid any outstanding balance owed. Their only choice at lunchtime: a sandwich made from “sun butter and jelly,” (sun butter?). The unpaid amounted to $77,000. After word quickly spread on Facebook, outrage built against...

One night in December 1968, SP4 Dennis E. Haines’ life changed literally in a flash. “Our mission was to encircle a village,” his buddy John Miller recalls. “It was on this path that Dennis and I were sent to act as a listening post, waiting for darkness until the rest of the company would join us. “There was a problem....