Portside

Colbert belongs in a distinctly American satirical tradition that stretches back to Benjamin Franklin. The great American satirists have used humor not to reject the national project, but to expose the gap between its ideals and its realities.

A new generation of scientists views politics differently. By attacking the basic settlement between scientists and the state, the US president has proved that experts can’t avoid these fights.

“But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States….” -Section 4, 14th Amendment

After the Irish author declined an Israeli deal for a recent novel, we saw a chance to help strengthen the boycott movement — and clarify its aims.

Critics say employers spend money hiring union-avoidance consultants and lawyers while not investing in workers

Poet Beau Beausoleil, in a moment of introspection, considers the necessity and the limits of activism.

At the airport in La Lima, Honduras, planeloads of deportee arrive every day—many without their children.

“At a time when Republicans are polling at historic lows, Democrats need to capitalize and offer a better vision for the country,” said one critic. “This isn’t it.”