Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Three years after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut where a lone 20-year-old gunman wielding an assault weapon snuffed out 26 child and teacher lives, our nation has done shamefully little to protect children instead of guns.

As we do every year, we are pre-empting our regular "Friday Talking Points" column, in order to bring you our "best and worst of 2015" list.

In the wake of the Paris terror attacks of November, 13 that left 130 dead and the San Bernardino, Calif. terror attack of December 2 that killed 14 and left another 22 wounded, anti-Muslim hate crime attacks appear to have risen sharply across the United States to a level nearly three times the monthly average of the last five years.

Brian Levin, J.D.

Director, Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, California State University

It's increasingly clear that Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, isn't acting as a neutral party Chair, trying to insure a fair and democratic primary and building the Democratic Party in the states. Rather, she's acting as a shill for Hillary Clinton, doing everything in her power to ensure that no one will effectively challenge Hillary's coronation as the nominee.

The networks have grasped Donald Trump to their collective bosom like the winner of one of those misogynistic, televised beauty pageants he owns. Each pronouncement from the Sultan of Slur is treated as epic, no matter how deeply insulting, bigoted or just plain ridiculous.

Bill Moyers

Managing Editor, Moyers & Company

Michael Winship

Senior writer, BillMoyers.com. Former senior writing fellow, Demos. President, Writers Guild of America, East.

Sleep has been a part of HuffPost -- an obsession, really -- since we launched our dedicated sleep section in 2007, prompted by my own collapse from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. And now I'm delighted that we're taking this commitment to the next level with Sleep Wellness, a new platform, sponsored by Sleep Number and dedicated to furthering the conversation on sleep as a public health issue and on all the ways sleep can enhance our lives.

Robert Reich

Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley; author, 'Saving Capitalism: For http://greater-dandenong.infoisinfo-au.com/card/rapid-services-group-pty-ltd/1400933 Analyst, Muslim American

When the movies by and about women do come out, in equal numbers and with equal budgets, hopefully the men who review them will have evolved enough to see a woman-child doing crass, gross-out comedy with her female co-star and find it funny.

Like a lot of progressive-minded folks, I'd grown more aware in recent years of Sen. Bernie Sanders, and his cast-out-the-money-changers rants against income inequality, corporate greed, and billionaire influence in American politics.

Sinatra: The Chairman is coming out in the 100th anniversary year of Sinatra's birth, and it does as good a job as any book has of showing why Sinatra is truly an artist and a man for the ages.

One of the more attractive features of the new philanthropy is also one of its potential pitfalls: Many tech billionaires may not fully appreciate the fact that rapid cycles of testing, failing, and fine-tuning may work better in software development than in social welfare programs on which lives depend.

The world chess champion Magnus Carlsen won the Chess Grand Tour, a three tournaments bonanza played in Norway, the USA and England, and involving the world's best players.

As I survey the post-2016 alternatives, I'm increasingly concerned that, for the immediate future at least, what we got over the last two terms is as good as it gets.

John Feffer

Director, Foreign Policy In Focus and Editor, LobeLog

President Obama signed today represents months of negotiations by the House and Senate. And while some of the loudest and largest passengers on that omnibus include defense spending, tax reform, and homeland security, a number of critical animal causes fortunately found seats as well.

Every Student Succeeds Act represents a substantive shift: It returns a fair amount of control over education policy to the states. This has led to celebration in some quarters and worry in others. I believe both reactions are misconceived -- or at least overstated.

We pilgrimaged to a lonely spot on the outskirts of the city and another site in the town of Wetumpka. We dug dirt from the holy ground and placed it in those jars. We remembered and prayed for those lynching victims by name. It was a powerful and moving experience for all.

Jim Wallis

Christian leader for social change; President and Founder @Sojourners

I first started working at the strip club as a waitress. My "interview" was me walking into a cluttered manager's office, on the top floor of a downtown club. The manager took one look at me and then called a different manager of another club to tell him "I have a beautiful girl for you that will be dancing in no time."

Let's downgrade them from "joined at the hip" to "pretty good friends." This will enable us to pursue a more aggressive policy against ISIS, because the address main constraint against doing so in the past has been our closeness to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which have opposed an aggressive policy against ISIS.

Lee's new film, Chi-Raq, might not be "likable" but it definitely follows his previous films as it prompts viewers to think critically about unresolved tensions and problems in the film and the broader social world.

In September, the IRS proposed giving nonprofits the option of providing more information about people who contribute $250 or more. What kind of information you ask?

Adam Levin

Author of Swiped. Former Director New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs; Chairman of Credit.com and IDT911

Progressives need to build the infrastructure and the foundation at the state level to lay the groundwork for policy wins -- now is the time to dig deeper into the states. We must make progress now and over the long-term to help families make ends meet.

My concern is not whether Trump really is a Christian, though I admit I have serious doubts. Rather, my concern is whether his stated views and beliefs line up with Christian thought. And it is clear that many of them do not.

The reality is that polls today contradict the belief that Clinton will run away with the nomination. Democrats won't vote for a candidate they don't trust, no matter how many poll say Sanders is behind Clinton. Ultimately, Bernie Sanders will win the Democratic nomination because he's more trustworthy than Clinton, and few people can dispute this fact.

H. A. Goodman

Columnist published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Baltimore Sun, The Hill, Salon, The Jerusalem Post www.hagoodman.com

The justification for Turkey's membership in NATO and America's defense guarantee for Ankara long ago passed. Turkey's irresponsible action proves that it is no U.S. ally.

With the release of the super-deluxe Tusk and its abundant, additional content--including a vinyl pressing--this head-scratcher of an album both gets its due and a thorough examination.

I really believed I couldn't have a healthy baby AND pain medication. Hashtag face in palm.

Ashley Abramson

Hope-hungry mama wielding words until the world changes. ashleyabramson.com