Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Remembering Mort Sahl, a trailblazing comedian

Mort Sahl explains politics - 1967

Mort Sahl arrived on the comedy scene in the 1950s, well before his time, using comedy to express uncomfortable truths about politicians, society and his audiences.

He died Tuesday at his home in Mill Valley, Calif., at the age of 94.

He made us laugh at the absurdity of what he saw as a political circus. He called attention to the misinformation and the posturing amongst politicians. He understood like few others the low level of discourse and understanding that politicians exhibited on a daily basis.


He saw it all as a charade: the dishonesty, misleading statements and ethical lapses. He saw the hypocrisy and called out politicians for their lack of accountability, for the promises unkept and for the disregard for their less powerful constituents.

In 1955 Sahl recorded "At Sunset," which has been added to the National Registry at the Library of Congress. As noted in the archive: "Mort Sahl ventured very far from the clownish mother-in-law joke or such vaudevillian patter." His groundbreaking album is described as "a well-pun pastiche of sophisticated ideas, an understated celebration of free-speech, and a tightly packed time capsule of mid-fifties lore."

In the more naive and peaceful 1950s, Sahl was a shock to the system and laid the groundwork for comedians of the future like Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

In a society awash in social and political dysfunction, in which reality in many ways differs from the ideals of our Founding Fathers, comedy is still used to confront us and to effectively to open our minds and, yes, to make us laugh.

Sahl's one-liners from the '50s survive the test of time:

"There's a danger our fiscal bankruptcy might overtake our moral bankruptcy."

"If you maintain a consistent political position long enough, you'll eventually be accused of treason."

Sahl was an equal opportunity offender being equally offensive at times to those on the left as to those on the right.

Surely conservatives are offended by: "Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen."

And progressives by: "Now that Obama is at war in a third country, does that mean he has to give back his Nobel Peace Prize?"

Comedy certainly can separate and divide us, as we have seen through many examples in the news today. Dave Chappelle's jokes about the LGBTQ community in his recent Netflix comedy special was deeply offensive and exemplified the potential for comedy to feed hate and to divide us as Americans.

At its best comedy can engage and inform and encourage us to unite as Americans.

Stewart, the satirist made famous as host of "The Daily Show", was the Mort Sahl of his time, with his form of no-holds-barred satire on his generation. Stewart famously said, "I'm not going to censor myself to comfort your ignorance." A strong statement indeed that in many ways embodies Sahl's work.

Mort Sahl famously joked through all the criticism bestowed upon him that "My life needs editing." Dead at the age of 94, but his legacy lives on. Relive the satirical uniqueness of Mort Sahl as he explains politics in 1967 and decide for yourself if his life needs editing.

Read More

Musician Nimo Patel Reminds Us To Take Our Time

Empty Hands Music Founder Nimo Patel’s new music video, "Takin' My Time," reminds us that taking time for yourself allows us to heal and thrive.

Getty Images, pocketlight

Musician Nimo Patel Reminds Us To Take Our Time

So far in 2025, we honored and celebrated culture as a bridge to the latest news and analysis of politics, policy, and the birth of a new civic and political voice to build greater social cohesion, civic engagement, and problem-solving.

We hope you have taken the journey with us as we shared stories, music, poetry, and dance to inspire our better angels as part of our continuing coverage of the problems and solutions of our times.

Keep ReadingShow less
Red, White, and Blue-tiful: America's Sporting Hype
Getty Images, vm

Red, White, and Blue-tiful: America's Sporting Hype

By now, you've seen the highlight reels: Christian Pulisic juking defenders like he's dodging TSA agents at JFK. Coco Gauff digging deep, her serve as fierce as her post-match interviews. The U.S. Women's National Team is still fighting for greater pay and respect, even after collecting more World Cup trophies than the men's team has, and still has excuses. It's another summer of global competition, and Team USA is, as always, performing for an audience of millions—many of whom only care about soccer every four years but will die on the hill that "we invented sportsmanship."

Welcome to the American sports paradox, where patriotism is a jersey worn as needed. We drape ourselves in flags when we win and drape our failures in "well, it's not our real sport anyway" when we lose. We're a nation obsessed with winning but allergic to the humility that comes with actually playing the world's games on the world's terms.

Keep ReadingShow less
From Vision to Action: 
Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship
blue and brown globe on persons hand
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

From Vision to Action: Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurs are people who launch ventures aimed at promoting positive change in their community and in the world. I am such a person. In 1982, I founded a nonprofit organization called Search for Common Ground (informally known as “Search”). My bottom line was not financial gain but making the world a better place.

My credentials as a social entrepreneur grew out of my hands-on involvement in building Search from zero into the world’s largest nonprofit group involved in peacebuilding. My partner and closest collaborator wasand ismy wife, Susan Collin Marks. By the time we stepped down from Search’s leadership in 2014, we had a deeply committed staff of 600 employees working out of offices in 35 countries. In 2018, Search was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bruce Springsteen Speaks Out: Rise With Us and Raise Your Voices

Bruce Springsteen and Max Weinberg perform during the first night of 'The Land of Hopes and Dreams' tour at Co-op Live on May 14, 2025 in Manchester, England.

Getty Images, Shirlaine Forrest

Bruce Springsteen Speaks Out: Rise With Us and Raise Your Voices

During Bruce Springsteen’s recent Land of Hope and Dreams tour in Europe, the legendary musician drew the ire of President Trump at a concert in Manchester, England, on May 14, 2025. Springsteen openly criticized the Trump administration, calling it "corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous" and urging the audience to stand against authoritarianism.

He expanded on his concerns during the introduction to My City of Ruins, delivering a powerful statement on the state of democracy. Addressing the crowd, he declared: "There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now."

Keep ReadingShow less