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South Central Farm, Los Angeles—The showdown is likely here this week over the preservation of this nation’s largest urban farm worked by 350 families for 13 years to feed themselves and their neighbors a dazzling variety of organic produce. Will the Sheriff of Los Angeles County move on this 14 acre farm with dozens of…
As the Little League season gets into full swing for millions of young baseball and softball players across the country, their health and safety on the playing field will significantly benefit from an addition in the Little League rules this year — a requirement for breakaway bases. Rule 1.06 of the 2006 Little League Baseball…
The Honorable Tim PawlentyGovernor of Minnesota Dear Governor Pawlenty: The Minnesota Twins’ stadium bill before you is an affront to taxpayers and voters, and I urge you to veto the legislation. Press coverage indicates that you will sign the bill into law prior to the Twins game on Friday. If you sign, not only will…
In a recent column I wrote about police interrogation tactics that lead a surprising number of people to confess to crimes they didn’t commit. It turns out that corporate America has followed suit. Many large corporations take a “loss prevention” approach that utilizes training manuals modeled after the leading police manuals — using the very…
May 15, 2006 Richard WagonerChairman and Chief Executive OfficerGeneral Motors Corporation 300 Renaissance CenterDetroit, MI 48226 Chet HuberPresidentOnStar 400 Renaissance CenterDetroit, MI 48226 Dear Mssrs. Wagoner and Huber: We are writing to request that you immediately stop advertising unsafe driving practices in connection with your OnStar telematics system and that you reengineer OnStar to disable…
Al Lord is thinking about building his own private golf course. Not bad for an ex-corporate socialist. The former CEO of Sallie Mae is worth about a quarter of a billion dollars, running a company that Uncle Sam virtually guarantees against any losses while it makes enormous profits in the college student loan business. In…
May 8, 2006 President George W. BushThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20500 Dear President Bush: Your scheduled meeting with the leaders of the American auto industry is unhelpfully lopsided. Numerous news sources report that you have agreed to meet later this month with the leaders of the domestic auto industry, but the accounts…
There are enough injustices in our society without innocent people being convicted of heinous crimes. Yet, it turns out that happens with far greater frequency than we ever imagined. DNA testing, a relatively new phenomenon, has already exonerated 175 people convicted of crimes. Then the more amazing part: one fifth of them had confessed to…
“I think a lot of people don’t exactly get where I’m at,” said Senator John McCain last month. So the G.O.P. candidate for President is going around the U.S. to loyal Republican gatherings to set them straight. “I’ve always been a conservative,” he told the New York Times. As the clear and active Republican front…
What a week it has been for the giant oil companies! Billions in record quarterly profits rushing into their coffers. An even bigger round of quarterly profits coming up. Gargantuan executive pay bonanzas. And a pile of “forces beyond our control” excuses to publicize in response to the empty outrage of Washington politicians and the…