Portside

The struggle for justice continues now outside the Florida courtroom. The NAACP is petitioning the United States Department of Justice to seek justice for slain teenager Trayvon Martin by filing civil rights charges against Zimmerman. Within three hours of the online posting of the petition late Saturday evening, more than 100,000 Americans had signed it. The response was so intense that the group’s website crashed Sunday morning.

Researchers are coming to understand just how individualized human physiology and human pathology really are. That’s one reason that, despite the rigorous monitoring of clinical trials, 16 novel medicines were withdrawn from the market from 2000 through 2010, a figure equal to 6 percent of the total approved during the period. The pharmacogenomics of each of us — the way our genes influence our response to drugs — is unique.

The hope reformers once had that risky trades made overseas by American banks might be regulated were crushed on Friday. Democrats cozy with Wall Street are just fine with that.

Amid the ruckus over its voting rights and gay marriage rulings, the justices quietly accepted a pair of cases that could make it nearly impossible for private sector unions to organize new members.

BART strike aftermath: Arrogant techies channel Russian aristocracy and declare class warfare.

A political solution must be found.

“Although this showdown is likely still several months away, we must remain vigilant against any proposed cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. We will not allow far right politicians to hold our vital benefit programs hostage to their irresponsible threat to shut down the government.”

Two million workers nationwide who are employed by private businesses contracted with the government struggle to make ends meet.