Jim Caton lives in Southeast Michigan where he teaches English and works as a freelance writer. A graduate of Wayne Law School, he writes on matters of constitutional law, public policy and international affairs. He is currently at work on a book of economic and social criticism entitled Ass Backward.
Over 30 lawsuits have been filed so far in connection with the Flint water scandal, with more on the way. Already the potential damages claimed against public officials and private businesses amount to more than $40 million. To this point, however, the Flint lawsuits stop short of naming Governor Rick Snyder, who took responsibility for
The future has decided not to wait for us to address climate change. In Eugene, Oregon, a group of 21 elementary and high school students has taken matters into its own hands and is suing the federal government as well as trade groups representing energy companies such as British Petroleum and Exxon Mobil over their
On Friday March 11th, thousands of protesters disrupted and eventually caused the cancellation of a rally for Donald Trump to be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The protesters objected to the candidate’s far-right rhetoric and a series of violent incidents at previous Trump rallies. How accurately were they gauging the Trump danger?
At the heart of the Flint tragedy is the unaccountability of corporate power. That power and that unaccountability were on display Sunday night in Flint when the two Democratic candidates for president vied to out-pander each other to the beleaguered Michigan city. The necessary condition for corporate power that is unaccountable, however, is a political
What was once unspeakable is now being said. In pre-September 11th America, no president or politician could have so much as hinted at an all-encompassing electronic surveillance program, yet now the White House and intelligence leaders speak calmly about finding a “balance” between security and privacy. In 2007, George W. Bush’s attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez,
Insanity is at the wheel. The U.S. Air Force launched a Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last Thursday, the U.S.’s second ICBM launch in one week. The missile, fired from a bunker in California, was aimed at an area of ocean near the Marshall Islands. The acknowledged purpose of the launches was intimidation of
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has been called to testify on the Flint water crisis before a House oversight committee at a hearing to be held March 17, the committee has announced. Snyder had not been among the witnesses called for a previous hearing held by the panel February 3, though more than one committee member
You are allowed no secrets. The Obama administration announced Monday that an attorney representing unspecified victims of the December 5 San Bernardino mass shootings will, upon the administration’s request, file a brief supporting a court order to compel Apple Inc. to provide the government a “back door” to its iOS operating system. The Federal Bureau
One reads with grim amusement that General Motors is on a quest for a new “culture.” No sooner has the corporation demonstrated to stockholders its religious devotion to profits, complete with ritual human sacrifice, than it decides it’s time for a makeover. Of course, with the bad press that came from willfully killing perhaps hundreds
Prepare to be shocked. A Big Three automaker knowingly risked people’s lives to save a few pennies per part. No, this time it isn’t General Motors and ignition switches in the spotlight. Information has come out that Ford Motor Company continued to use asbestos-lined brakes for twenty years after internal memos expressed concern for the