“Discrimination,” he said, “is horrible. It’s hurtful. It has no place in civilized society …” You would think that statement, delivered recently in the Kansas legislature, a noble sentiment no right-thinking person could argue with. But we are gathered here today to argue with it. Because it turns out that when Republican legislator Charles Macheers […]

“You can get killed just for living in your American skin.” — Bruce Springsteen On Aug. 7, 1930, two young black men were lynched in Marion, Ind. A photographer named Lawrence Beitler had a studio across the street from the lynching tree. He came out and snapped what became an iconic photo, which he made […]

“I hate that thug music.” This, according to Rhonda Rouer’s testimony last week, is what her fiance, Michael Dunn, said when they pulled into a Jacksonville, Fla., gas station next to an SUV full of black kids who had the stereo up high, pumping some obnoxious, bass-heavy rap. Rouer was inside the convenience store when […]

Doug Varrieur likes to shoot. Problem is, it’s 25 miles to the nearest range, where they charge $45 an hour. What’s a gun enthusiast to do? Lucky for him, Varrieur lives in Florida. Problem solved. Just erect a makeshift range in the back yard and fire away. It’s perfectly legal. Re-read that if you want. […]

“But it works.” That, in three syllables, has been the go-to argument of the last two presidential administrations to justify assaulting civil liberties in the name of rooting out terrorists. It’s a dubious line of reasoning, proceeding as it does from the implicit assumption that if a thing works, if it achieves the important goal […]

Everybody’s got something. Maybe it’s something you were born with, maybe something that happened to you, maybe something you did to yourself through bad habits or neglect. But everybody’s got something, some physical or emotional blemish measuring the distance from you to perfection. Maybe you’re a short guy or a gawky woman. Maybe you’re ugly. […]