Just when you though healthcare was dead...

Here are some links gathered from round the web, with a little bit on what to expect from Obama's healthcare summit, and the fallout (or progress) that will ensue:

What we can expect the summit to look like...

Those trusty old Republican rabble-rousers...

How the Dems are regrouping their healthcare strategy...

The White House is dropping the ball on cutting rising healthcare costs...

What the public REALLY wants...

And finally, a call to action for those of you who want reform to pass already!

Live Blogging the State of the Union

Hey everyone! Hope your semester's starting off well. This is both a reminder and an announcement: the State of the Union address will be on tonight at 9pm, EST. The Contemporary will be live blogging the speech, so stay tuned and come back to this page tonight!

My Obama Wishlist (part 2 of 6)

Continue unmanned drone attacks in Pakistan
While this policy might only marginally fit into the framework of “a list of policy goals Obama shouldn’t forget about” (hopefully military operations always take some sort of temporal precedence), Obama should nevertheless continue the Bush administration’s robotic violations of sovereignty to attack bad guys in Pakistan.

Sometime in the past, U.S. unmanned aerial drones began entering Pakistani airspace, hovering around, and performing targeting missile strikes on insurgent targets. Six al-Qaida leaders have thus far been killed by the attacks.

Yes, these drone attacks reek of G.W. Bush’s lack of concern for national sovereignty and bilateral cooperation. But the attacks have been surprisingly effective both in terms of killing targets and reducing civilian casualties, especially compared with traditional ground assaults.

Opponents of the attacks have pointed to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s vocal denouncements of the policy as evidence that these types of operations are not conducive to the international cooperation required to sustain a global war on terror. But recent reports have concluded that these denouncements are simply the product of a tacit deal between the U.S. and Pakistan; according to DeYoung and Warrick of the Washington Post, Pakistan agreed to allow the attacks as long as it could loudly complain to appease its population. Deceptive? Sure. But an inventive, narrowly-tailored, and effective policy? Yes. Obama should continue these strikes, which may represent the terror-fighting future.

Winter Issue of the Brown Contemporary available!

Check out the new Winter issue of the Brown Contemporary, Brown's
journal of progressive political thought! Copies are available all
around campus.

Also, read and download the Contemporary online at
www.browncontemporary.org, and check out the Contemporary blog!

We are also looking for writers and editors for our Spring issue!
Email browncontemporary@gmail.com or visit our website for more
information!

4 days...

Call for Articles!

The Contemporary is looking for new writers and articles for its Spring 2009 edition. Describe your idea for a story and why it would be of interest to the Brown community, and send your idea to browncontemporary@gmail.com.

Writing for the Contemporary is a great way to exercise freedom as a writer. Our articles are typically 1,500-3,000 words in length; we'll consider any topic, but give preference to stories about the Brown community. We like anything that takes an informed, critical look at am important issue.

Read the current and past issues of the Contemporary on our website to see what we're all about. We look forward to reading your story ideas!

Check out the Winter edition of the Contemporary

Visit our newly updated website to check out the Winter edition of the Contemporary. We hope you enjoy it!