OPINION (satire): Let us all give thanks for the passing of unindicted war criminal Richard "Dick" Cheney. Remember: no tears need to be shed when something so vile ceases to exist, so let's all celebrate his departure from this mortal dimension.

OPINION: Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy has to overcome many obstacles. In addition to battling the right-wing nut-jobs in the Treason Party, there are also challenges from progressive people. And then, of course, there's the matter of gender.

Note: Hold off on your rejoicing: Antonin Scalia is still alive. But since he is obviously brain-dead, we present this pre-eulogy. No moment of silence...

OPINION: Americans are fond of claiming that ours is the greatest country on earth. Yet when measuring quality-of-life, education, healthcare, voting rights, equality, and so much more, we aren't even in the top ten nations. So what needs to be done? Plenty.

OPINION: From the Big Apple to Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta, people are understanding the importance of giving gratitude to Mother Earth on the Solstice for all Her gifts, like the gentle rains and snows. And multi-cultural groups around the world are hosting an unprecedented number of ceremonies this June 21st.

OPINION: Campaigning for president is a protracted and torturous slog through a fiery burrow of abuse, attacks, speculation, condemnation, vituperation, ignominy, pettiness, lies, false accusations, and humiliation. Bad stuff happens, too.

OPINION: What's the difference between polling and propaganda? Legitimate poll-taking is a research activity in which the current knowledge of the electorate is revealed. Propaganda polling from rightwing organizations emphasizes the mental aberrations of frightened, stunted, and racist simpletons.

OPINION: From Gracie Allen and Will Rogers to Harold Stassen and Ron Paul, the joke candidate for president is a fine tradition in the USA. Carrying the ritual forward are the many entries in the GOP's 2016 clown car cavalcade. People may cringe at the likes of Jindal, Perry, and Carson, but comedians and comedy-writers are giving thanks.

OPINION: With a deficit of intellect and a surfeit of bile, Rick Santorum is scrambling to find enough numbskulls to bankroll another failed run for the presidential nomination of the American Taliban Party. If it weren't for the entertainment value of his snide and sniggering superciliousness, Santorum's main qualification would be that he's a killjoy.

OPINION: Scott Walker, rightwing nutjob governor of the state of Wisconsin, remains in office due to the prodigious amounts of money poured into his campaigns by Charles and David Koch, rightwing nutjob residents of the state of denial, I mean Kansas.