Goat Rope Update

No rollbacks on child labor (This column by Lida Shepherd was published today in the Charleston

January 23, 2026 In loving memory of Jane (We apologize if you got this more than once. Goat Rope is

Looking for light This piece was written by AFSC colleagues Lewis Webb, Amy Gottlieb, and myself

Hope in dark times? by Lida Shepherd, director AFSC WV Economic Justice Project I was listening

No to another war When the world learned of the Trump administration's aggression this weekend,

Reconsidering the definition of crime I've been thinking lately the definition of crime—or at

Shutdown hunger games Over a century ago Will Rogers, famous for both his acting and pithy social

(Note: this article appeared in Waging Nonviolence) As people across the United States face massive

The American Friends Service Committee issued this statement on the occasion of the signing of the

Eight years ago, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was up for repeal, then-Governor Jim Justice and

Big bad ugly bill British author and poet George Orwell wrote in his 1946 essay Politics and the

Senate needs to step up for SNAP I hope that West Virginia's congressional delegation brings some

Saving Medicaid: in their own words While going through some old files, I came across a copy of an

Budget bill a disaster for West Virginia The US House of Representatives recently voted on a proposed

WV needs to renew SNAP stretch In many parts of the world, autumn is a time for harvest festivals

Roll the union! The United Autoworkers strike against the Big Three car companies in late 2023 gained

Criminalizing homelessness? Yesterday, April 22, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in what is

Want to help reduce child hunger? Here's one way Everybody's got to eat It's no secret

One more push for an expanded Child Tax Credit Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in

The end of an era It's hard to believe that this (now irregular) blog started 18 years ago t next

Reflections on Gaza (A photo I took there in 2015) In 2015, I was part of a delegation to Palestine,

A holiday tradition (It's been a while since posting here. With all the awful things going on in

The thing with feathers A few weeks back, there were plenty of things I wanted to post about. The (

A time for solidarity It's been over five years since the historic teachers strike in West

The legacy of the UMWA In happier times, my home state of West Virginia was known as a union

JULY 24, 2023 Some shameless punning on the Farm Bill (You've goat to read this) As someone who

Pipeline blues The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 prevented a US default which would have sent

Two easy actions to protect food assistance There are a lot of scary things about the debt ceiling/

Why work requirements don't work The recent proposal to increase work reporting requirements for

Political blackmail The US House of Representatives recently voted on a bill that will, if enacted,