GOP’s Scott Walker: Pitches possible Syria War to make us Like Him by Juan Cole Likely Republican presidential candidate, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, says he might favor sending US ground troops to mount a conventional war against Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) in Syria or at least wouldn’t rule it out. Really?

The Boehner-Netanyahu Cabal by Lawrence Davidson Remember Citizen Genet?

The True History of the Origins of Police -- Protecting and Serving the Masters of Society by Sam Mitrani The liberal way of viewing the problem rests on a misunderstanding of the origins of the police.

Why There Is No Massive Antiwar Movement in America by Tom Engelhardt What’s missing today is any sense of connection to the government, any sense that it’s “ours” or that we the people matter. In its place -- and you can thank successive administrations for this -- is the deepest sort of pessimism and cynicism about a national security state and war-making machine beyond our control.

How playing with dangerous x-rays led to the discovery of radiation treatment for cancer by Dr. Howard Markel One of the first Americans to use X-ray radiation to treat cancer was a Chicago chemist and homeopathic physician named Émil Grubbé (1875-1960).

The Theft and Half-Century Journey of Einstein’s Brain by Matt Blitz The removal of the brain and eyeballs were against Einstein's final wishes.

The New Republic's Legacy on Race by Jeet Heer A historical reflection

Rethinking One of Psychology's Most Infamous Experiments by Cari Romm What's the lesson of Stanley Milgram's electric shock experiments? No one is sure.

Was Abolitionism a Failure? by Jon Grinspan The movement didn’t end slavery; the Civil War did.

A fixed constitution has no place in a modern democracy, so why is the founding document of the US still seen as sacred? by Daniel Lazare Thanks to a Senate that gives equal representation to all 50 states even though the largest (CA) is now some 65 times more populous than the smallest (WY), US government is arguably more undemocratic now than it was even in the 19th century.