In the circus known as Illinois politics, the center ring corruption trial of former Governor Rod Blagojevich is coming to an end. Closing arguments are set for Monday, and a verdict is expected in August.read more

The World Cup is getting lots of coverage these days. But we're not hearing enough about the demonstrations taking place in South Africa.read more

The World Cup is getting lots of coverage these days. But we’re not hearing enough about the demonstrations taking place in South Africa.read more

It was back at the 2007 social forum in Atlanta where the National Domestic Workers Alliance was formed. So it’s amazing and inspiring to come back to the social forum three years later and hear about their victory in New York State.read more

“Great organizing campaigns are like great love affairs. You begin to see life through a different lens. You change in unexpected ways. You lose sleep, but you also feel boundless energy. You develop new relationships and new interests. Your skin becomes more open to the world around you. Life feels different, and it’s almost like you’ve been reborn. And, most importantly, you begin to feel things that you previously couldn’t have even imagined are possible.read more

Community gardens are a way to do community organizing, and community organizing is at the heart of the U.S. Social Forum.read more

The U.S. Social Forum kicked off Tuesday, June 22, in Detroit. The social forum is a gathering of activists from around the country. It’s a chance to catch up, network, and organize under the banner of “another world is possible.” Organizers are expecting as many as 20,000 people to participate.
I tried to register today several times but the lines were incredibly long. At one point registration was closed so folks could participate in the opening march.read more

The U.S. District Court just concluded the case on Prop 8, the California initiative passed by voters in November 2008 that banned gay marriage. Now we’re all waiting for the verdict.read more

The U.S. District Court just concluded the case on Prop 8, the California initiative passed by voters in November 2008 that banned gay marriage. Now we’re all waiting for the verdict.
Some say a ruling in favor of gay marriage would mark a huge cultural shift. But pop culture shows the shift is already happening. As with many other social issues, we’re just waiting for the courts to catch up.read more

I was a liberal the day I was born, and I will be until the day I die.read more

The folks at If It Was My Home created an amazing map that shows what the BP oil spill would look like in your backyard.
I knew the extent of the oil spill was massive, but seeing it mapped over Wisconsin really shocks. From Dubuque, Iowa, to Green Bay, Wisconsin, we’d be covered.

Protests around Arizona's new immigration law are spilling into baseball. Considering that 27 percent of baseball players on Opening Day were born outside the United States, this boycott isn't just symbolic.read more

It’s exciting to see the outpouring of support for human rights in light of Arizona’s sweeping new immigration law.
The protests are spilling now over into baseball. New York City Congressman Jose Serrano is calling for Major League Baseball to pull the 2011 All-Star game out of Phoenix.read more

Elected officials need to be visionaries like Gaylord Nelson, and create policies that will end pollution-based prosperity.read more

It’s hard to imagine that 40 years ago, 20 million people, or 10% of the U.S. population, participated in Earth Day.
Earth Day was the brainchild of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson.
On April 20 and 21, the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies held a conference entitled “Earth Day at Forty: Valuing Wisconsin’s Environmental Traditions, Past, Present and Future.”read more