Roger Martin, 1/16/12

Author, 'Fixing the Game'

How could the Patriots do so poorly in the expectations game while kicking proverbial butt in the real game? It is because expectations know no bounds.

Russell Simmons and Dylan Ratigan, 1/16/12

Today, the march for civil rights isn't about convincing Americans that racism is wrong. It is about getting money out of politics, so that the profit from institutional racism is eliminated.

Maureen Ryan, 1/16/12

TV critic, The Huffington Post

If Ricky Gervais doesn't get invited back by the Golden Globes in 2013, it might be because he was so boring at Sunday night's ceremony.

Lisa Belkin, 1/16/12

Senior Columnist on Life/Work/Family, Huffington Post

Amelia Rivera is 3 years old. Born with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, doctors have told her parents that she will die in 6 months to a year without a kidney transplant. They also said that they would not perform that transplant.

Sally Bedell Smith, 1/16/12

Author, Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair

None of the guests at the wedding party could have known that Charles and Diana's marriage was already beginning to unravel. The Queen couldn't avoid Diana's disquieting behavior. Nobody had ever flouted protocol as Diana did, or shown such disrespect to the Queen.

Rev. Al Sharpton, 1/15/12

President, National Action Network

How many of us take the time to emulate Dr. King's teachings? How many of us actually understand the fight he waged on our behalf? How many of us emulate his nonviolent dedication to defending the poor and seeking economic justice in society?

Delaine Moore, 1/16/12

Author, The Secret Sex Life of a Single Mom

I'm going to come right out and say it: I despised having sex with my husband when we were married. And I'm not saying this to suggest that he was a bad person or I was a bad person, it was just my truth. And there were many reasons contributing to my disinterest.

Michelle Vale, 1/16/12

Fashion designer

I was underwhelmed to see that most celebrities went for brand names and popular choices versus exciting and new, emerging talent.

Cara Santa Maria, 1/16/12

Science correspondent, Huffington Post; editor, Talk Nerdy to Me

In Dr. King's honor, today, let us celebrate brotherhood, sisterhood -- humanhood -- and the scientific spirit that allows us to learn about the wonders of the universe as one unified people.

Leo W. Gerard, 1/16/12

International President, United Steelworkers

What Rev. King preached and what many Occupiers seem to believe is that paramount in a republic is job creation, not wealth creation. The duty of government is not to ensure that the rich get richer but to establish equal opportunity.

Michael Brune and Bill McKibben, 1/16/12

Any Keystone XL permit issued now would be a blank check written to an oil company with a proven record of disregarding the rights of the American farmers and ranchers whose land the pipeline would cross and threaten.

Shaun Donovan and Eric H. Holder, Jr., 1/16/12

African-American and Latino families have been hit especially hard by economic recession. Most outrageously, these communities were also targets of many of the practices that helped cause it -- including discrimination, predatory lending and fraud.

Sophia A. McClennen, 1/16/12

Professor, Penn State University; Author, 'America According to Colbert: Satire as Public'

Colbert isn't making a joke of the electoral process. He is showing us that our electoral process already is a joke. He is only able to mock it so easily because it is an absurd system that favors corporate power and political elites.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, 1/15/12

Rabbi and Writer

Why does all this matter? Because a battle is being waged for the soul of Judaism between a lunatic fringe and those who believe Judaism must always be informed, educated, open and loving.

Jane White, 1/16/12

Author, 'America, Welcome to the Poorhouse'

In a logical world, retirement reform would be Obama's reelection campaign promise given that retirement inadequacy affects 80% of the population. But we clearly don't live in a logical world, and the biggest corporations are laughing all the way to the bank.

Russell Bishop, 1/16/12

Author, Consultant and Executive Coach

How can you discover opportunity or an unseen blessing when life presents you with what may seem like an unwelcome event?

Deepak Chopra, 1/16/12

Author, 'War of the Worldviews'; Founder, The Chopra Foundation

There is a widespread shrug of the shoulders among Democrats -- "Romney wouldn't be so bad." But this in essence is a silent vote for unreason and a kick in the teeth to President Obama and his complete loyalty to reasoned policies.

Sara Vakhshouri, 1/16/12

Fmr. advisor to the Director of the National Iranian Oil Company International

Since there is no ongoing dialogue between the US and Iran, the threat to close the Straight of Hormuz should be seen as an act of subtle diplomacy in the absence of ambassadors and embassies.

John Silvanus Wilson Jr., 1/16/12

It is reasonable to speculate that Dr. King's deep concern about equity would have extended to American higher education. He would have recognized economic disparity as a common root of the challenges facing African-Americans, HBCUs and the American future itself.

Nick Turse, 1/16/12

Associate Editor, TomDispatch.com

Over the last decade, a more-is-better mentality has led to increased numbers of drones. Drones may be effective in terms of generating body counts, but they appear to be even more successful in generating animosity and creating enemies.

Robert Creamer, 1/16/12

Political Organizer, Strategist, Author; Partner Democracy Partners

Mitt Romney's career on Wall Street -- which he apparently hoped would allow him to tout his credentials as a "job creator" -- will instead weigh down his election hopes like a massive millstone. There are six reasons why.

Jeffrey Sachs, 1/15/12

Director, Earth Institute at Columbia University; author, 'The Price of Civilization'

Ron Paul's libertarianism is beguiling. Like many extreme ideologies, libertarianism gives a single answer to a complicated world. It seems to cut through the fog and get to the heart of solutions; illusions, alas, but powerful ones nonetheless.

Michael Russnow, 1/16/12

Screenwriter, former Member WGAW Board of Directors, former U.S. Senate aide

It's oddly intriguing that a lackluster show and a diluted dose of Ricky Gervais appeals to me greater than his shockmeister two prior appearances.

Gretchen Rubin, 1/15/12

Writer, The Happiness Project

One of my key realizations about happiness, and a point oddly under-emphasized by positive psychologists, given its emphasis in popular culture, is that outer order contributes to inner calm. More than it should.