Author Archives: mdbwell

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government … Continue reading →

Yes, I own a Blackberry, as do many individuals for personal and professional use.  Because the cell-phone business is highly competitive, the fact that numberless people—allegedly ninety percent of the U.S. population—own a cell phone is a bad market reality … Continue reading →

As a pacifist, I appreciated the boldness of the dean of Harvard Law School when she challenged free and full access of U.S. military recruiters on campus because of the unconstitutional “don’t ask, don’t tell” decree.  She had guts, and … Continue reading →

Certainly, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 is a step in the right direction!  The crackdown on crack cocaine that eventuated in the maltreatment and disparate sentencing of persons of color compared with users of powder cocaine was prima facie … Continue reading →

Some folks seem to be under the impression that the Taliban and al-Qaeda are synonymous.  That cannot be further from the truth!  The Taliban are Afghan natives, and the members of al-Qaeda are insurgents of various national or cultural stripes.  … Continue reading →

When the Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, was Governor of Iowa, he supported making English the official language of the state.  He was not adept at addressing issues of race with sensitivity and sophistication, and this inadequacy has reared its … Continue reading →

No vaunted or pompous discussion about fiscal responsibility can substitute for the necessity of the country’s attending to the emergent needs of its citizens. Continue reading →

Black youth between the ages of sixteen and nineteen have been experiencing massive unemployment to the tune of forty-five percent. What type of nation are we that permits pernicious poverty to permeate the core of tomorrow’s adults? Continue reading →

Byrd was a man with many flaws, great oratorical skills, who brought dignity into the chambers, and, for what it is worth, all irony aside, was dubbed the “conscience of the Senate.” Continue reading →

When we think about violence in our society, we are quick to talk about physical violence such as assault, domestic abuse, rape, shooting, stabbing, fisticuffs, terrorism, warfare, and so forth. We have been socialized to think of violence in these … Continue reading →