By Margo Schulter. (Note from jane24: I am pleased to be able to post, on behalf of Margo Schulter, this excellent essay written in opposition to the death penalty. Due to Margo’s ongoing difficulties in accessing the comments threads, I will also be posting Margo’s responses to your comments on

Even though the death verdict delivered by the jury yesterday in the Tsarnaev case did not surprise me, I can’t stop thinking about it. Given the relatively short amount of time the jury took to arrive at its verdict, I believe most jurors probably started the deliberations having already decided

An Iraqi-born US citizen in Mesquite, Texas, was arrested by the FBI for allegedly lying to agents about whether he had pledged allegiance to the “self-proclaimed” leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. A federal judge ruled a day later that he is a “danger to the community” and

Rest in peace B.B. King. International Politics Overall – Jamal Abdi, policy director at the National Iranian American Council, talks to The Real News about the current relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. – With at least $2 billion in Afghanistan, the U.S. military can spend on a lot of useless things

Watson and the Shark, by Copley (Picture courtesy of Eric Wilcox at flickr.com.) Colonial America produced more industry than art, but even for this time Copley gained stature in English-speaking society for his depiction of the figures of his time, and of historically and physically true representation in artwork.  

Walk The Moon — Shut Up And Dance. What’s on your mind?

[Editor’s Note: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by a jury. Attorney General Loretta Lynch stated, “The ultimate penalty is a fitting punishment for this horrific crime,” and claimed it will bring victims’ families “closure.” In contrast, while condemning what Tsarnaev did, Amnesty International said it is “outrageous” that the

President Barack Obama defended his recent decision to allow Royal Dutch Shell to drill in the Arctic Ocean by saying he was reassured there were “strong safeguards” in place. Josh Earnest, press secretary of the White House, elaborated more on the Obama administration’s decision as part of the “all-of-the-above approach” at a

George Stephanopoulos acknowledges giving money to Clinton Foundation http://t.co/vHgq0JV6GU pic.twitter.com/3ksece5MEO — NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) May 14, 2015 ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos has agreed to not moderate an ABC News-sponsored Republican primary debate after it was revealed that he had given $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation. Stephanopoulos acknowledged the donation

Fitting song as I finish my last day of class for this semester. Now I enter into the following week with five finals. I think I can do it. International Politics Overall – Gallup: Fifty-nine percent of Africans approve of American leadership, while 39 percent of Asians say the same;