Commentary

Prioritize the public good over private profit on public lands

BY: - July 11, 2023

As mothers, we understand, at the most profound level, the benefits of balance. Every day we strive to achieve it. For us, sustainability isn’t just a goal, it’s a foundational requirement. Without it, without the measured flow between give and take, everything crumbles. The growth, happiness, and health of our families depend on our, and […]

‘Pride’ is so successful, those being protested are finally noticing

BY: - June 8, 2023

I often forget that Pride celebrations began as and continue to be protests. How could I forget? There are two main reasons. First, the rights being fought for aren’t specifically mine, and second, the celebrations are so wonderful, so happy, so fun, it is a protest like no other. But it is still a protest. […]

Are you hungry? Prove it.

BY: - June 6, 2023

I want to thank the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives for reminding us that we are, in fact, not a Christian nation. Even though some within their own party insist that the nation was founded by a bunch of holy-rolling churchgoers, the conservatives have demonstrated their secular bonafides by insisting that people who […]

Happy Pride Month. Creepy, bully Republican lawmakers are fixated on assaulting our community

BY: - June 5, 2023

Happy Pride Month, Ohio, where LGBTQ+ people are under constant assault by bully Republican lawmakers who are weirdly obsessed with our community, especially the transgender members of it. Transgender people — especially transgender people of color — have been leading the activist charge toward LGBTQ+ human rights and equality since the beginning, literally throwing the first […]

A Texas National Guardsman observes as Border Patrol agents pat down migrants who have surrendered themselves for processing at Gate 42, some after waiting near the wall for days, May 10, 2023.

As Title 42 ends, U.S. immigration policies will be more restrictive against people seeking asylum

BY: - May 11, 2023

The Biden administration is not treating the end of Title 42 as the expiration of a public health policy but rather as a pivot point where a crisis will justify a massive investment in border externalization. Border externalization occurs when wealthy countries like the U.S. set up policies and make programs to ensure that asylum […]

An aerial view of the American flags flying over an international bridge as immigrants line up next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence to seek asylum on Dec. 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas.

‘Single most restrictive border policy’ in U.S. history ends May 11

BY: - May 10, 2023

Title 42 was never understood to be about public health but rather a convenient and vicious way to empower the Department of Homeland Security to turn asylum seekers away at the border. It closed the border for asylum seekers and Title 42 has been an extraordinarily effective tool for law enforcement to push people back […]

Kid Rock & friends trying to find a beer to cry in

BY: - May 1, 2023

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw the video of Kid Rock using an assault rifle to blow apart a case of Bud Light. (If you just thought to yourself, “What’s a Kid Rock?” advance 10 spaces and collect my undying admiration.) A quick explanation: Kid Rock is a multi-genre singer-songwriter […]

Indigeneity’s data dilemma

BY: - April 17, 2023

What kind of story does the data tell about Indigenous communities? That, dear reader, is a trick question. Any answer is complicated and nuanced. And this is especially true because there is no shared definition of race or ethnicity (on the other hand, tribal citizenship is clear. You are either a member or not.) The […]

Gun violence is a proxy war on the American public

BY: - April 4, 2023

As the riot of gun violence in America produces fresh massacres by the day, firearm fundamentalists refuse to acknowledge the blood on their hands, and their suicidal stance in the face of escalating carnage is that more guns are the answer. But it’s worse than that. Take a close look at the arguments that gun […]

Memories that start with a pickup truck

BY: - March 9, 2023

I am flooded today with memories of Peterson Zah. The first time I met him was when I was covering the 1982 Navajo Nation election between Zah and Peter MacDonald Sr. One of the stories he told – and I used high up in the story – is now legend. If elected, he promised to […]

Restoration of voting rights is critical to reintegrating back into society

BY: - March 1, 2023

Many who have been formerly incarcerated, including myself, agree that connection to our community is our most critical lifeline when reintegrating into society after the completion of a prison sentence.  We are thrust into society and are told to find a job, a place to live, and support ourselves financially, while all these processes present […]

White-throated swifts carry insects to feed their young, nestled against the bottom of bridges along the Rio Grande.

Still Pools: Teeming with life at the edge

BY: - February 27, 2023

SUNLAND PARK — Below the crags of Mount Cristo Rey, a string of little pools in the riverbed reflect its steep hills and white cross perched atop the peak. Black-necked stilts pick their way across on shocking pink legs, pushing through vibrant grass. A lone peacock, gone feral, zips through the streambed, interrupting the mountain’s […]