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VIDEO: Lobbyist Poses as Mechanic in Anti-Union Super Bowl Ad

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:14:33 GMT

America just got rickrolled. There we were last week, innocently partaking in the annual testosterone-fest that is the Super Bowl, when we were treated to an ad featuring a group of supposed auto mechanics lamenting that they never voted for the union they’re in. But look closely. One of these “mechanics” is sporting a gold watch, [...]

How Alabamaâ€™s Extreme Anti-Immigration Law Could Cost The State Billions of Dollars

Michele Waslin, Immigration Impact — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:01 -0800

The harsh law could cost Alabama up to $11 billion in GDP and nearly $265 million in state income and sales tax, a new report found.

Sunday is Darwin Day. How Will You Celebrate It?

Glenn Branch, AlterNet — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:01 -0800

February 12 is Darwin's Birthday -- a holiday for the reality-based community

CLOSE READING: The Saudis, A Twitter Investment, And The End Of Arab Spring?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:41:03 GMT

By Russ Baker on Feb 2, 2012 (WhoWhatWhy.com)Is Twitter (a) a leading vehicle for freedom movements, or (b) primed to control and shut down open discourse throughout the world? This question emerged recently when we learned that the global messaging service was planning to abide by the rules of each country in terms of content it carries. [...]

Ellen Stands Up to Right-Wing Gay Bashing Group

Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:00:01 -0800

"One Million Moms" is angry JC Penny is sticking by Ellen, their spokesperson. Ellen had some choice words for them in return.

Tucson Teacher Calls for Return of Banished Books, As Arizona Pushes Bill for Guns and Bibles in Classrooms

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:10:16 GMT

While the Arizona state legislature moves along two bills that will legally place guns and Bibles into public school classrooms, one Mexican American Studies teacher approached Tucson Unified School District administrators today with a simple request on the eve of the state’s centennial celebrations: Release the locked up Mexican American Studies textbooks, so Tucson children [...]

More and More States Introduce Costly Anti-Immigration Bills

Seth Hoy, Immigration Impact — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:00:01 -0800

Despite the devastating consequences of state immigration laws in Alabama and Arizona, legislators in other states have introduced similar enforcement bills this year.

Fashion Model/Filmmaker Launches Workers' Rights Organization for the Modeling Industry

Paul Harris, The Guardian — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:01 -0800

Model Sara Ziff, who made a film called "Picture Me" that revealed the seedy underbelly of the fashion industry, wants to help models fight for their rights.

Why Young People Are Fleeing Conservative Evangelicalism

Eleanor J. Bader, RH Reality Check — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:01 -0800

Some leave because they oppose the church's doctrinal stance. Others are turned off by its hostility to science. Others reject the limitations placed on sex.

Obamaâ€™s Unprecedented War on Whistleblowers

Peter Van Buren, TomDispatch.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:01 -0800

From Manning to Kiriakou, critics are aggressively targeted as the White House turns a blind eye to abuses.

With Runaway Greed Infecting Corporate America, Maybe It's Time to Start Talking About a Maximum Wage Again

Sam Pizzigati, AlterNet — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:01 -0800

Today we take the idea of a minimum wage for granted. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?

Top 12 Things Wrong With the Mortgage Settlement

Yves Smith, Naked Capitalism — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:01 -0800

Forty-nine of 50 states have agreed to join the so-called mortgage settlement. Here's why it's a major letdown.

Fear of Banking Hex-Prayer

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:29:08 GMT

We believe that bank lobbies need to be violated quickly. By "bank lobby" we mean the entry-spaces, the quiet, clean theaters that radiate outward from the bank’s power, with the secret vaults and super computers at the center. These fore-rooms secure the control of consumers, reducing our ability to influence the institutions, which are killing [...]

David Koch's Non-Profit Flouts Law And Spends $700,000 Against Wisconsin Recall

Brendan Fischer, PR Watch — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:01 -0800

The non-profit founded by the oil billionaire injects $700,000 to retain the embattled Wisconsin governor, possibly violating various laws on political activities.

Bill McKibben: Climate Denial Is Creating "The Great Carbon Bubble"

Bill McKibben, TomDispatch.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:01 -0800

Telling the truth about climate change would require pulling away the biggest punchbowl in history. That's why the fight is so pitched.

The 10 Most Seductive Drugs -- And Their Fascinating History

Jacqueline Detwiler, The Fix — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:01 -0800

A brief journey through time, from ancient Sumeria to modern New Jersey, uncovers the mysterious origins of the world's most beloved substances.

The White House’s Dangerous Dance With the Birth Control Mandate

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:22:14 GMT

Written by Editor-in-Chief Jodi Jacobson for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. This week, on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Obama campaign senior advisor David Axelrod signaled that the White House, having finally decided to include coverage of birth control as part [...]

Falling Between the Cracks: Why Abortion Funds Exist and How You Can Help Them Help Women

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:52:21 GMT

Written by Eesha Pandit and Steph Herold for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Melissa is 26 years old. She has a husband serving in the U.S. military overseas and a young daughter with numerous special health care needs. When [...]

Why is the Obama Administration Suddenly Fixated on Stomping out Medical Pot?

Paul Armentano, AlterNet — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:01 -0800

At the same time public support for marijuana legalization reached record highs, Obama shifted from one time medicinal cannabis sympathizer to White House weed-whacker.

Should Sugar Be Regulated Like a Controlled Substance? Why Some Folks Are Saying Yes

Ari LeVaux, AlterNet — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:00:01 -0800

An opinion piece in the journal Nature suggests ways the government could regulate added sugar, including a sugar tax, distribution controls and age limits.

Facebook IPO Will Boost 1%, But the Rest of Us Won't Be Sharing

Lynn Parramore, AlterNet — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:01 -0800

When it comes down to business, FB just looks like another triumph of the superrich. With friends like that, who needs enemies?

How a Few Ãœber-Wealthy Donors Helped Buy Republicans a Presidential Field They Hate

Joshua Holland, AlterNet — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:01 -0800

In the era of Citizens United, early money from deep-pocketed donors played a major role in shaping the GOP field.

5 Amazing Places in the US in Danger of Being Destroyed by Dirty Energy

Erik Loomis, AlterNet — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:01 -0800

We've won a temporary reprieve from the Keystone XL Pipeline, but there are still places greatly at risk in the country.

What the Koch brothers say online but won’t say under oath

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:16:34 GMT

Why will Charles and David Koch produce a video about their position on the Keystone XL oil pipeline and not testify before Congress about it? The Koch brothers have refused to answer questions about how they stand to profit from the Keystone XL pipeline, a 1,700-mile long boondoggle that would cut through six states and [...]

Do We Need a More Nuanced View of Sexuality?

Jill Dolan, AlterNet — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:01 -0800

People should be able to choose their sexual practices, and not be penalized when their partners donâ€™t mirror the conventional norm.

The Mammogram Diversion: Is Komen Laying the Groundwork to Reject Planned Parenthood Proposals?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:16:05 GMT

Written by Editor-in-Chief Jodi Jacobson for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Is the Susan G. Komen Foundation using a “mammogram diversion” as a precursor to denying Planned Parenthood state affiliates access to future grants for breast cancer education and [...]

Revealed: How Syngenta Investigated the Press and Shaped the News About its Controversial Weed-Killer Atrazine

Beau Hodai, Lisa Graves, PR Watch — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:01 -0800

A new investigation shows the global chemical company spent millions spinning news coverage and tracking journalists as concern grew over potential health risks of atrazine.

America’s Failed Mole-by-Mole Trade Policy

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:19:25 GMT

Last week several groups, including the United Steelworkers, petitioned the federal government to whack the latest trade mole – illegally traded auto parts from China. With President Obama announcing creation of a new trade enforcement unit in his State of the Union Address, the feds probably will investigate. But even if they whack down the auto [...]

iEmpire: Apple's Sordid Business Practices Are Even Worse Than You Think

Arun Gupta, AlterNet — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:00:01 -0800

New research goes beyond the New York Times to show just how disturbing labor conditions at Foxconn, the "Chinese hell factory," really are.

Thomas Frank Talks to Joshua Holland About the 'Hard-Times Swindle' and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right

Editorial Staff, AlterNet — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:00:01 -0800

Frank talks about Communism, the Tea Party and his new book, "Pity the Billionaire."

Mammograms, Contraception, and Abortion are Always Political, Even Religious. We Ignore This At Our Peril

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:37:39 GMT

Written by TrustingWomen for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. “Keep politics out of women’s health.” In the extraordinary amount of activity surrounding the Komen’s foundation decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood for mammograms, you have probably heard something along the [...]

How Conservative Elites Stoke Racist Anxieties to Gain Power and Split Blacks and Whites

Chauncey DeVega, AlterNet — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:00:01 -0800

Conservatives have created a story of white victimhood, because it is easier than critically engaging the real problems facing America.

Corporate Education Reformers Plot Next Steps at Secretive Meeting

Dustin Beilke, PR Watch — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:00:01 -0800

Hundreds of state legislators from across the nation went to an "island" resort on the coast of Florida to a unique "education academy" sponsored by ALEC.

An Apology, But Not A Reversal, From the Susan G. Komen Foundation

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:40:15 GMT

Written by Will Neville for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Cross-posted with permission from Amplify Your Voice. See all our coverage of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s break with Planned Parenthood here. Earlier today, the Susan G. Komen Foundation issued a [...]

If We Can Stop the Keystone Pipeline, We Can Stop Mountaintop Removal Mining in Appalachia

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:41:24 GMT

One of the most heartening moments of solidarity in the Tar Sands Action movement took place last summer: A contingent of Appalachian coalfield residents, whose homes are literally under siege from daily blasting and stripmining fallout, took their place at a White House sit-in and went to jail in an appeal to President Obama to [...]

New York City: Still The Marijuana Arrest Capital Of The World

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:29:54 GMT

Low level marijuana arrests in New York City rose for the seventh straight year in 2011 to 50,680. The arrest total is the highest total on record since former pot smoker Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office and it is the second highest total of pot arrests ever recorded in the history of the city (just [...]

Susan G. Komen: Can You Trust a Breast Cancer Organization Whose Staff and Board Members Lie About Breast Cancer?

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:11:35 GMT

Written by Editor-in-Chief Jodi Jacobson for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Can you trust a breast cancer organization whose staff and board lie about medical science, including breast cancer? Today, amidst the outcry surrounding the decision by the Susan G. Komen [...]

No History Is Illegal: Teach-Ins Target Arizona’s Mexican American Studies Ban, As National Organizations Demand Return of Banished Books

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:45:37 GMT

From the high plains of Wyoming to the urban centers of Atlanta, Chicago and New York City, hundreds of schools launched a historic teach-in movement today to incorporate lesson plans from the banished Mexican American Studies program in Tucson in their own classrooms. Organized by the Teacher Activist Groups and joined by Rethinking Schools and other [...]

The Cancerous Politics and Ideology of the Susan G. Komen Foundation

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:30:09 GMT

Written by Editor-in-Chief Jodi Jacobson for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. This week it became clear there are things more important to the Susan G. Komen Foundation–the fundraising giant that each year during breast cancer awareness month virtually [...]

Child Abduction for Adoption and the Tangled Web of Deceit in Guatemala: A Review of Erin Siegal’s “Finding Fernanda”

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:02:55 GMT

Written by Karen Smith Rotabi for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post.Because much of my research has focused on reforming intercountry adoption and most especially Guatemala, I opened Siegal’s “Finding Fernanda” cautiously. She began the story by capturing the meager [...]

Wag The Seal

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:12:07 GMT

By Russ Baker, WhoWhatWhy.com Everyone but the emotionally dead had to feel joy at the news that a pretty young blonde American had been rescued from her Somali pirate kidnappers. Equally thrilling was to learn that the rescue had been a pinpoint operation by our courageous Navy SEALS, who managed to snatch the maiden, and kill [...]

Retirees Occupy Century Aluminum

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:32:36 GMT

On Dec. 18, a dozen retirees, men and women in their 60s, 70s, even 80s, began occupying a median strip along Route 33 in front of the closed Century Aluminum smelter in Ravenswood, W.Va. In tents and under tarps, a small group stays overnight, despite hypertension, arthritis and other old age ailments. One has suffered [...]

So Pa, So Good…But Must Activists Always Align With Corporations To Win?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:53:56 GMT

By Russ Baker, WhoWhatWhy.comIt’s exciting to see how a coordinated Web blackout this Wednesday got members of Congress to reverse themselves so quickly—and do the right thing. By the end of the day, the number of Senators publicly opposing PIPA (the anti-piracy legislation that threatens free speech) jumped to 35 from five the week before. By [...]

Hauling the Koch brothers into Congress

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:46:49 GMT

Imagine Charles and David Koch testifying, under oath, in Congress. Even though the billionaire oil industry brothers continue trying to dodge accountability, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) invited the Koch brothers to testify and answer a few simple questions about how the Kochs are positioned to gain financially by the Keystone XL oil pipeline, a 1,700-mile long [...]

In Bad Faith: New Study Further Underscores Lack of Truth in Anti-Choice Claims

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:52:00 GMT

Written by Amanda Marcotte for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. One of the most frustrating parts of dealing with the modern conservative movement is their incredibly practiced disingenuousness. From a bunch of white people denying racism while pushing racist policies [...]

Are black pastors opposing marriage equality for religious right money?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:26:13 GMT

A 2005 article on now disgraced Atlanta pastor Eddie Long highlights a disturbing perspective to this issue of the National Organization for Marriage utilizing the black church and leaders against marriage equality that very few people are openly talking about. The article theorizes that there was a tie between Long’s 2005 anti-marriage equality march [...]

Covering Romney? Some Tips for Journalists Tracking Mitt’s Changing Position on “Personhood”

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:52:54 GMT

Written by Jason Salzman for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Reporters are having a real hard time sorting out Mitt Romney’s position on personhood. Here’s a quick and easy way for journos to think about the issue, and Romney’s evolving [...]

Are You Still Eating Butterball Turkeys?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:32:58 GMT

“People love turkey. We love turkey, too,” says the corporate website for Butterball, the nation’s largest vertically integrated turkey producer. Butterball is certified by the British Retail Consortium, says the site, on “300 elements related to food safety and quality, as well as worker safety, environmental impact and management commitment.” The turkey processor practices “good citizenship” [...]

Woman Who Would Say that Air Force Chief of Staff is Part of a New Jewish Holocaust to Speak at Air Force Base

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:57:31 GMT

On February 14, Scott Air Force Base in Illinois will be holding its annual National Prayer Breakfast. The guest speaker this year will be Esther Jungreis, a Holocaust survivor who founded the international Hineni movement in 1973 to discourage intermarriage and Jewish participation in cults, according to the Jewish Women’s Archive.In her speeches and writings, [...]

Hansel and Gretel and Israel/Palestine

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:02:53 GMT

Crossposted on Tikkun Daily. by Craig Wiesner Children have been told horror stories for as long as storytelling has existed. Should a child become traumatized hearing a story like Hansel and Gretel, where the witch plans to throw the children into the oven to make a nice meal, parents can tell the child not to worry, “That’s [...]

The Sound of Silence: Where Is the Anti-Choice Outcry Over North Carolina’s Forced Sterilization of Women of Color?

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:44:51 GMT

Written by Pamela Merritt for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. A task force in North Carolina recently ruled that survivors of that state’s eugenics program should be paid $50,000 each in financial compensation. Eugenics is often defined as the science [...]

Arizona Unbound: Educators, Librarians, Writers, Civil Rights Groups and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Launch National Actions

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:10:35 GMT

What happens in Arizona doesn’t stay in Arizona. As Tea Party state education chief John Huppenthal retreats into his office after an embarrassing national media tour on Arizona’s extremist Ethnic Studies crackdown, and Tucson Unified School District administrators continue their slide into a public relations disaster over banishing Mexican American Studies curricula and books, [...]

Gingrich In Video Which Claims Constitution Is Based On The Old Testament

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:52:26 GMT

There are no explicit references to God or Christianity in the U.S. Constitution, the foundational document for American government. But in advance of the 2012 election, a well-funded voter registration initiative called Champion The Vote, which seeks to register 5 million conservative Christian “biblical values” voters in advance of the 2012 election, is distributing a [...]

Being Pro-Choice is About Much More Than Just the Right to Abortion Care

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:19:32 GMT

Written by Danielle Zielinski for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. With the anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Jan. 22, the words “pro-choice” seem to be everywhere. You’ll hear them in impassioned speeches, and see them on colorful posters, on [...]

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Unmet Need for Contraception and Unsafe Abortion Are Widespread

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:02:35 GMT

Written by the IPPFWHR for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. January 22nd marked the 39th anniversary of one of the most significant legal decisions of the 20th century, Roe v. Wade. This landmark ruling from the United States Supreme Court [...]

Redefining Chutzpah: More Bad Ideas to Burden Women

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:49:41 GMT

Written by On The Issues Magazine for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Originally written by Aram A. Schvey for On The Issues Magazine. What’s chutzpah? Until December 2011, I would have deferred to the classic definition in Leo Rosten’s The Joys [...]

Are the Koch brothers teaching you? [VIDEO]

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:15:50 GMT

What’s happening to academia in Florida demands national attention. Billionaires Charles and David Koch are infringing on intellectual freedom and independence in colleges and universities. It’s an old fashioned quid pro quo where the Koch brothers get allied professors who’ll preach Ayn Rand, supply side economic policies and the values of the 19th century Guilded [...]

Fukushima Update: Why We Should (Still) Be Worried

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:07:37 GMT

By Karen Charman, WhoWhatWhy.comAfter the catastrophic trifecta of the triple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan last March—what the Japanese are referring to as their 3/11—you would think the Japanese government would be doing everything in its power to contain the disaster. You would be wrong—dead wrong. Instead of collecting, isolating, and guarding the [...]

Emblematic of 1 Percenters, Cooper Tire Punk’d Workers

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:29:58 GMT

Four years ago, Cooper Tire told its workers they’d have to sacrifice to save the company. With a straight face, Cooper executives said it was essential for the corporation’s survival that workers take tens of millions in pay and benefit cuts. The workers understood the link between their livelihoods long term and Cooper’s success. Dedicated [...]

Students Step Up Tucson Walkouts: Protest School District Folly and Mexican American Studies Banishment

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:40:27 GMT

As the nation watches the Tucson Unified School District’s spiral into disarray, hundreds of students have walked out of their Tucson schools today in a coordinated protest against the banishment of the district’s acclaimed Mexican American Studies program. Pouring into the downtown Tucson area from Pueblo, Cholla and Tucson high schools, among other institutions, the [...]

Gone Too Far? Reproductive Politics in the Time of Obama

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:08:54 GMT

Written by On The Issues Magazine for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Originally written by Carole Joffe for On The Issues Magazine. UPDATE, 11:07AM, Monday, January 23, 2012: On January 20, 2012, to the relief of many reproductive health organizations, the Obama Administration [...]

Hey NBC, Monday’s Debate Panelists Need To Better Represent!

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:02:22 GMT

“Jose Antonio Vargas Speaks” Photo by Campus Progress On Monday night, January 23rd, NBC will host the 18th candidate debate of this Republican primary season. It will be moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, and include panelists Adam C. Smith of the Tampa Bay Times and Beth Reinhard of National Journal. Presumably these panelists have [...]

Kentucky Governor Firmly Rejects Hospital Merger with Catholic Health Initiatives

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:33:23 GMT

Written by Rev. Matthew Westfox and Carol Savkovich for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear said January 9, 2012 for the second time in two weeks that he was rejecting a hospital merger of the publicly-funded University [...]

Bone Scan Mania: A 12 Year Drug Industry Con Finally Exposed.

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:54:55 GMT

Where did the medical establishment get the idea that women are in such danger of osteoporosis they need regular bone scans? An idea debunked in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine? In 1994, a year before Fosamax, Merck’s blockbuster bone drug, was approved, Merck began marketing the dangers of osteoporosis “far beyond ailing old [...]

The Onerous Toll of the Helms Amendment and What Obama Can Do To Change It

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:44:51 GMT

Written by Jessica Mack for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. It’s been almost three years since President Obama repealed the global gag rule, one of the most ludicrous and paternalistic U.S. foreign policies in history. But as we celebrate the [...]

Mitt Romney Debates Martin Luther King and Lies about his Father

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:59:48 GMT

Kill the Bill: The “Stop Online Piracy Act” and Why It Matters

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:56:40 GMT

Crossposted on Tikkun Daily. by Max Coleman I’m fairly certain that, as you read this sentence, you match a certain demographic. In fact, I can say with 100 percent confidence that you do. You are an Internet user and, by virtue of this fact, should be filled with tremendous outrage at the legislation that is set to [...]

“Art is My Occupation”: Rethinking the Role of Artists in the Movement

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:05:35 GMT

Crossposted on Tikkun Daily. by Josh HealeyAs a member of the self-identified “slash profession” – writer/organizer/educator/whatever pays the rent that month – I have learned how to wear multiple hats. How to move between different worlds and code-switch my headgear to meet a particular place and community. Alright, I got [...]

America Has Woken Up to the Reality: Inequality Matters

Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, BillMoyers.com — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:01 -0800

While police have cleared many Occupy encampments, a collective cry, loud and clear, has gone up from countless voices across the country: Enough's enough.

Scouting a New Path: Girl Scouts of America Creates Inclusive Gender Policy

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:53:09 GMT

Written by Avital Norman Nathman for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. A few months ago, the Girl Scouts of America (GSUSA) found themselves in the midst of a unique controversy. A Denver, Colorado troop initially refused to let 7-year-old Bobby [...]

Reproductive Health Services in the Military: It’s Time to Stop Denying Servicewomen The Basic Rights For Which They Fight

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:48:26 GMT

Written by Kelsey Holt and Kate Grindlay for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post. At the end of last year the Senate blocked the Shaheen Amendment to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which would have restored insurance coverage of abortion [...]

Ike’s Nightmare

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:35:39 GMT

Fifty-one years ago today, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued his final, prescient warning about the rising power of the military industrial complex. More than half a century later, we find ourselves in a political system which has ignored Eisenhower’s sound advice as the influence of the war industry on our society reaches a crescendo. Nowhere [...]

Classroom Ethnic Cleansing in Tucson

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:15:40 GMT

Crossposted on Tikkun Daily. by Craig Wiesner It’s Martin Luther King Day and we should all be thinking about progress we’ve made on King’s dream. Well… this morning I woke up to more of a bit of a sad vision of at least one part of America. My friend Nancy Schimmel sent me a note this morning [...]

“The Madness” of the Tucson Book Ban: Interview with Mexican American Studies Teacher Curtis Acosta on “The Tempest”

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:15:18 GMT

Returning to the classroom after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, students and teachers will be greeted by a tremendous amount of confusion and potentially traumatizing fallout from last week’s extraordinary ban on books in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), as part of the suspension of the nationally acclaimed Ethnic Studies/Mexican American Studies program. Nowhere [...]

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