Voices
Guns and Religion
Where and When Constitutional Rights Apply
When cities and states can pass laws restricting Constitutional rights, and when they can't: Legal theories shed light on judicial "activism" vs. "restraint." Read story.
Smoking Out Legislator’s Position on Pot
On Running Into Assemblyman Nava at a Wine Store
I ran in to Pedro Nava at a local wine store recently. I had been writing, calling, and emailing him since April 1st. Read story.
Protecting Sources
Protecting a Free Press
Only when there is a free flow of information from the government to its people can we truly appreciate the beauty and power of a democracy. A bill now in the U.S. Senate, S.448, will protect the sources on whom journalists rely from having their identities exposed in all but a few circumstances. Read story.
We Were Lucky It Was BP . . .
And Not PXP
Instead of BP's $100 billion, PXP has a net worth of $3 billion. Read story.
Red Face Minstrel Show Unamusing
“Cowboys and Findians” Not Merely Dumb, It’s Abusive
In May 2010, the MTV reality show The Dudesons in America aired a new episode called “Cowboys and Findians.” Read story.
Expensively Educated and Underemployed
Adventures in the Library
It’s 11:30 on a Thursday morning. I’m sitting at a worn, round table next to the stairs in the Santa Barbara Public Library. I just came from outside, where I was having an impromptu conversation with Kenny the hobo from Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Read story.
Squeezing Algae for Oil
Light Sweet Crude
It uses no cropland, displaces no food crops, uses and purifies non-potable water, is carbon neutral, delivers up to 100 times more energy per acre than corn, is the same price as foreign oil, and it’s American. Read story.
Prayer for Revival of Feelings
War Memorials and the Gate to the Human Heart
Help me to tolerate authentic expressions of emotion in my family and workplace, rather than continuing the suppression of feeling. Read story.
What Will Be Legacy of Deepwater Horizon Tragedy?
Hopefully a New National Plan, as Spelled Out in Ocean Policy Task Force Policies
No comprehensive law protects our oceans, despite the fact that the oceans comprise 70 percent of the earth. Read story.
What Health Care Reform Means to You Right Now
Better Already
A concise primer on new consumer protections and benefits for seniors, young people, small businesses, employees, and aspiring medical workers. Read story.
Digital Maoism
A Review of Jaron Lanier’s You Are Not a Gadget
A review of You Are Not a Gadget, in which Internet pioneer Jaron Lanier warns against the hive mind, cloud lords, and digital serfdom. Read story.
Goleta’s Oscillating Shoreline
What Caused the Erosion of Sand at Goleta Beach
While most geologists like rocks, as a coastal geologist, I prefer cobbles and sand and the natural processes which keep beaches healthy. Read story.
Reflections on a Raid
Marijuana Dispensary Founder’s Letter to Supporters
Vows to help co-defendants, counters accusation that Pizza Guru was money-laundering operation. Read story.
Challenging the Arts
Beyond Landscapes
Creation of a new culture based on human partnership with nature is the great challenge of the century. Read story.
Mayor Schneider Visits the Gulf
What She Saw
A firsthand account of what she saw and did in the oil-inundated region. Read story.
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