I have been involved in tobacco prevention and control for at least 30 years, but over the years I have been consistently impressed by the creativity and determination of the tobacco industry to assure the continued use of its products. Filter-tips have been introduced, women have been persuaded to believe that tobacco made them glamourous, […]

First, a disclaimer: our Town Common, though satisfyingly treed and amply berried, has no resident bears, though some of us may hope for the odd transient, who has a mind to summer at the coast. Still, the nuts and berries found there bring on the mindset of a bear, and so, today I am his or her […]

The Democrats are afraid. They hold the presidency and control both houses of Congress. Yet they are afraid. They fear passing their bills over the objections of united Republicans and exercising what history calls the “Tyranny of the Majority.” Some voters, including supposed independents, say they favor compromise. It the parties could agree, the threatened […]

Christmas season 1949: Nineteen-year-old Sarah Arnold had given up all hope. She had convinced herself that the world would be better off without her. She went to the 23rd floor of Detroit’s Hudson’s Department store where she worked; there was a chute that ran the full height of the building. She had thrown boxes down […]

Like many non-profits, Oasis Free Clinics has core values – a set of principles that makes clear to our patients and partners what we stand for. They guide our decision making, inspire our team, and shape how we do our work.   One of our values at Oasis is service. As an organization that started 26 years ago […]

The U.S. Constitution has been in continuous use since 1789 – our best claim to being “the world’s oldest democracy,” or “democratic republic,” if you prefer.   But is it in good health? There, signs are less encouraging.  Among the oddest of recent legal doctrines has been the “originalist” school, which finds the Constitution adequate exactly as the Framers left it. The absurdity that a Constitution […]