They say that an editor should never brag about his publication. Well, if you’re looking for the kind of editor who listens to what “they say”, I think you’re in the wrong place.  Besides, I can’t help myself. The group of activists who put out CS2 are some of the finest people I know. Whether writing about politics, art and culture or the literary world, the one thing you can depend on is that they are talking to you straight from the heart. They’re never trying to play you. What you see is what you get. As a group they make me look a hell of a lot better than I am. Apparently, the public agrees. Our March 2010 shattered all  previous CS2 viewership records. The progressive viewpoint is alive and well here. I salute all our contributors and staff for making this journey with them such a pleasure. Thanks guys and gals!

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I am pleased to announce the return to our pages of one of the most popular authors CS2 has ever published: Eric Johnson. Eric, who teaches at Kutztown University, has authored some of the finest pieces to ever appear in CS2. This one is no exception. In Lone Star Lunacies,  Eric  looks into the ramifications of the “rewrite the history of the U.S. in the school textbooks” crowd.

I urge all our readers to take a close look at Ron and Rosie’s No Insurance Company Left Behind  and Dorothy Reilly’s  Not The Next Best Thing Since Sliced Bread.  Whatever your stand is on the recently passed health care bill, the more we can look behind the selling jobs that both sides are currently engaged in, the clearer we can see what’s really going on. I think these two articles represent some of the best writing I’ve seen on the subject. You also might like to check out my editorial about what this bill’s passage says about our politics. In a related article Kutztown Area Democratic Club President Karen Feridun talks about the fissure among Democrats that the health care debate has created. Check out this thoughtful piece: Aren’t You Tired of Being Afraid?

The most popular series ever published in CS2 is Kevin McClosky’s look at the radical protest art of Oaxaca. In this issue Kevin profiles the artist and illustrator Peter Kuber and takes a look at his Oaxaca Diary. Peter Kuber will be appearing at Kutztown University this month.

Lynn M. Petrovich continues to hold down the New Jersey fort for CS2. It seems that her husband runs a non-profit that has the purpose of trying to keep people in their houses during this era of foreclosure-mania. So Lynn decided to interview him to give CS2 readers the lowdown on what’s happened to our imploding housing market. Read Freddie and Fannie’s Ultimate Free Fall. You’ll learn something. I did.

Did you grow up as baseball crazed as I was? Growing up in Queens and then Long Island, I thought the Brooklyn Dodgers were the greatest thing on the face of the earth. And I thought that the New York Yankees were the ultimate evil in the world. Okay, so I still think that. But that’s another essay for another time. Check out my sweet childhood with Willie, Mickey and the Duke of Flatbush Avenue.

James Patrick has a very difficult task at hand.  It’s not easy to inspire me to try and read John Updike. I’ve tried on many occasions and never got past 5 or 6 pages. I don’t know why, but John doesn’t speak to me. However, there’s a conundrum here. I always like what James likes. Which means I must be missing something here. So I read James’s review titled Bech: A Book by John Updike. Okay James, I’ll give him another try and let you know what happens.

We are here with the conclusion of our interview with graphic artist and novelist  Rich Barrett.  Rich is writing his graphic novel on line one page a week. It is titled Nathan Sorry.  Invest a half hour now and catch up on what has already been written and drawn. Then you can keep up with each weekly installment.

Of course, for all the friends of Breezy, The Breezy Page is here with updates throughout the month.

Darree Sicher is here with The Toilet Paper: The April newsletter of The United Sludge-Free Alliance.

Walter Brasch is here with a look at The  Specter of Bigotry In Health Care Demonstrations.

Jack Lindeman is here with the 10th installment  of his series on literary criticism and free-form thought with Thoughts From An Unquiet Mind.

We have two pieces of humor this month. First, Frank Lee is here with the GOP Star Wars. I must say, Rush Limbaugh makes a more gruesome Jabba than the original Hut. And Sarah Palin is quite fetching as Princess Leah. Then we have Thomas Reed with Play It Again Sam…

Poetry editor Jack Romig has outdone himself this month. Taken together, I’m sure you’ll agree that these are some of the finest we’ve ever offered. Check out these must reads:

Father-in-Law by Will Kiffer

Lord by Holly Day

Customs by Lucille Gang Shulklapper

Anniversary by Jack Lindeman

Six Untitled Poems by Simon Perchik

The Crow by G.K. Thomas

Well, that’s it for now.  We’ll be back in mid-month with Sheila Dow Ford.

Until then, keep on keepin’ on.

Charlie