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Kay Steiger

Kay Steiger is managing editor at Raw Story and a former Prospect editorial assistant.

Recent Articles

COMPASSIONATE TORTURE.

Kay SteigerAug 17, 2007

COMPASSIONATE TORTURE. Jason Zengerle says the "quote of the day" is John McCain saying that as president he would "never torture another person in American custody." Before liberals start swooning over McCain, let's remember he voted to authorize the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which was billed as a fix to put our detention policies in line with the Geneva Conventions, but really ended up granting unchecked power to the executive branch, and contains a lot of loopholes.

ARMY SUICIDE RATES AT ALL-TIME HIGH.

Kay SteigerAug 17, 2007

ARMY SUICIDE RATES AT ALL-TIME HIGH. Via C&L. The AP reports that in the last year there were 99 suicides, half of which were by soldiers under the age of 25. A Pentagon psychological consultant put the blame on "failed intimate relationships," but it's hard to believe that relationships suddenly got more stressful in the last year. The consultant, Col. Elspeth Ritchie, grudgingly admitted that extended deployments can add to relationship stress. This is true, but relationship stress I'm sure isn't the only cause of suicide.

DIVIDED BY DISASTER.

Kay SteigerAug 16, 2007

DIVIDED BY DISASTER. The NYTimes reports on how, less than two weeks after the Minneapolis bridge collapse, partisanship is showing. I'm always surprised by the mistaken belief that disasters will cause the parties to set aside their differences and work together. That sounds rosy, but the reality is that the two parties have fundamental differences, and how to handle a disaster naturally exacerbates these differences rather than diminishes them.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, CAMPAIGNER.

Kay SteigerAug 15, 2007

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, CAMPAIGNER. This story in yesterday's WaPo about Elizabeth Edwards assailing her husband's rivals was one of many I've seen lately that features her taking an extremely active campaign role, more so than either of the other frontrunner spouses Michelle Obama or Bill Clinton.

BECAUSE A 'REASONABLE PERSON' SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DISCRIMINATION.

Kay SteigerAug 14, 2007

BECAUSE A 'REASONABLE PERSON' SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DISCRIMINATION. In an editorial today titled "Fair Pay, the Right Way," the WaPo says that the Ledbetter ruling was bad, but doesn't quite endorse Congress' legislative reaction:

This isn't as terrible as some business squawking might lead you to believe: It was a standard that was in use in many parts of the country before the Supreme Court decision, without dire consequences, and businesses would still be protected from abusive claims by existing provisions that cap punitive damages at $300,000 and prevent workers from collecting more than two years' worth of back pay.

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