• Up Front

No School Breaks The Ongoing Struggle to Preserve Secularism in Education

Ever think we’re finally approaching a clear understanding of the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution? Think again. Every week seems to bring a fresh controversy about the separation of church and state in public... Read More

Never a Magic Bullet The Personal and Public Dimensions of Gun Ownership and Gun Violence

My father, a volunteer police officer, kept a .44 Magnum under lock and key in the drawer beside his bed. This is the gun made famous by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry films, along... Read More

Death & Data What should the punishment be for a crimethat’s often benign in nature and consequence?

This past January Aaron Swartz, a brilliant young computer programmer and activist, committed suicide after apparently being harassed for over a year by federal prosecutors. Swartz, the twenty-six-year-old who helped develop the social news site... Read More

Done In by the Patriot Act The Grand Irony of the Petraeus Sex Scandal

There’s a delicious irony to the story of the crash-and-burn career of four-star general and former Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus. The man who was elevated to the ethereal ranks of a General Eisenhower... Read More

Beyond the Box

The day after Hurricane Sandy flooded the lowlands of New York City, a flurry of media inquiries flooded the Occupy Wall Street PR team’s inbox. Days before any aid organizations arrived, hundreds of Occupy Wall... Read More