NewsTrust - Racism - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Independent)

Everything Americans Think They Know About Drugs Is Wrong: A Scientist Explodes the Myths

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Kristen Gwynne - Jun. 16 (Interview) - There are multiple false conclusions. There is a belief, for example, that crack cocaine is so addictive it only took one hit to get hooked, and that it is impossible to use heroin without becoming addicted. There was another belief that methamphetamine users are cognitively impaired. All of these are myths that have have been perpetuated primarily by law enforcement, and law enforcement deals with a limited, select group of people—people who are, in many cases, behaving badly. But to generalize that to all drug users is not only shortsighted and naive, it’s also irresponsible. The impact of that irresponsible behavior has been borne primarily by black communities.

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Poverty Expert Peter Edelman Explains How Low Wages and Racial Politics Line the Pockets of the Rich

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Adelle M. Stan - Apr. 16 (Opinion) - in 1996, Edelman resigned his post as an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human services to protest President Bill Clinton's signing the Republicans' welfare-reform bill into law. Since then, Edelman has held fast not only to his critique of that law -- which, he says, has left some 6 million people with no income other than food stamps -- but to his assessment of why poverty in the world's richest nation has become so intractable.

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Racial entitlement? You’ve got to be kidding Justice Scalia

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0800

seattletimes.com - By Leonard Pitts jr - Mar. 03 (Opinion) - I’ve spent much of my life ... being disabused of that naiveté. Watching media empires built upon appeals to racial resentment, seeing the injustice system wield mass incarceration as a weapon against black men, bearing witness as the first African-American president produced his long-form birth certificate, all helped me understand just how silly we were to believe bigotry was done.

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Did Scalia Really Say That He Was, 'White and Proud'?

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0800

readersupportednews.org - Mar. 03 (Editorial) - The historical truth, Clyburn argued, is that the 1965 law has "had a positive impact on the voting rights of people traditionally denied the right to vote. To ignore that, to me, is beyond the pale. It means you went to the bench with an agenda." "Playing around with the Voting Rights Act is playing with fire."

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How Right-Wing Media Tricked Republicans into Fearing a Group that Doesn't Even Exist

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Stephen Colbert - Feb. 22 (Comedy News) - Besides offering us a joke for the ages, the “friends of Hamas” mess also revealed the ugly lengths that conservatives will go to hurt the president. Colbert ended his bit on this piece of wisdom: "President Obama, you must withdraw the nomination of Chuck Hagel, or you will lose the support of every moderate Republican — another group that doesn't exist."

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Israel, Palestine and the Oscars

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

nationofchange.org - By Amy Goodman - Feb. 21 (Opinion) - What does a Palestinian farmer wear on the red carpet in Hollywood? We were almost prevented from knowing, as Burnat, his wife and 8-year-old son were detained at Los Angeles International Airport and threatened with deportation. Despite his formal invitation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Oscar-nominated filmmaker, it took the intervention of Oscar-winning documentarian Michael Moore, who now sits on the Academy Board of Governors, followed by Academy attorneys, for Burnat and his family to gain entry into the country.

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The Vote Is the Emblem of Equality -- and Now It is Under Attack

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - By Elizabeth MacNamara - Feb. 14 (Opinion) - The Voting Rights Act is an essential part of American democracy. The thought that the Supreme Court might overrule Congress and take away voting rights should send a chill down the spine of every American. Based on an extensive record of current discrimination, Congress reauthorized the VRA in 2006 and President Bush signed it into law. It would be wrong for the Supreme Court to challenge the role of Congress and the President in our constitutional system.

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You can't sell us on charters

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

socialistworker.org - By Rory Fanning - Feb. 10 (Comment) - In front of a largely African American and Latino crowd, Hampton finally handed the microphone over to the all-white, suit-clad lineup of analysts from Loran Marketing Group. They picked up where Hampton left off and began to inaudibly outline the CPS/Walton Foundation "vision" for Chicago schools. The slides--seemingly intended to sedate the audience--were blanketed in impossible-to-read fine print and graphs. At first, much of the audience didn't know what to make of the interruptions, but soon a majority was stomping their feet, clapping their hands,and yelling in unison: "No charters!" "The money is there!" "You have money to arrest our kids, but none to educate them!" "The people united will never be defeated!" and "They say cut back. We say fight back!"

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America's White Male Problem

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Frank Schaeffer - Jan. 08 (Opinion) - . I’m talking about the white far-right males who hijacked the 112th Congress and are set to destroy the 113th. They have metaphorically done to our country what the killer in Newtown literally did to 20 children, and for the same apparent reason: alienation from the mainstream and retreat to a paranoid delusional fantasy land of -- literal -- mental impairment.

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No Thanks for Thanksgiving

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Robert Jensen - Nov. 22 (Opinion) - In fact, indigenous people have offered such a model; since 1970 they have marked the fourth Thursday of November as a Day of Mourning in a spiritual/political ceremony on Coles Hill overlooking Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, one of the early sites of the European invasion of the Americas. Not only is the thought of such a change in this white-supremacist holiday impossible to imagine, but the very mention of the idea sends most Americans into apoplectic fits

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Why a Romney Presidency May Be Worse Than You Think

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Alex Pareene - Nov. 05 (Opinion) - Mitt Romney (would) be working with a Congress full of Republicans and his Cabinet and administration will be full of Republican political appointees, and that adds up to disaster, especially with the current, insane Republican Party.

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The Party of Religious Fanaticism and Falsehood

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0700

nationofchange.org - By Veena Trehan - Nov. 04 (Opinion) - I’ll say it, since the Democrats aren’t. The Republicans have become a party of radical extremism and oppression. Election stealing? Check. Agenda to keep women second class citizens? Check. Religious lawmakers who reject science and reality? Check. Lying demagogue who will say anything to gain power? Check.

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Colin Powell's Former Chief Of Staff: 'My Party Is Full Of Racists'

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Peter Finocchiaro - Oct. 27 (Interview) - My party, unfortunately, is the bastion of those people -- not all of them, but most of them -- who are still basing their positions on race. Let me just be candid: My party is full of racists, and the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the White House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to do with his competence as commander-in-chief and president, and everything to do with the color of his skin, and that's despicable.

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Marian Wright Edelman: Inspiring Lessons From Ruby Bridges: A True American Heroine

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Marian Wright Edelman - Oct. 13 (Statement) - Ruby Bridges is an inspiring reminder that our nation owes a huge debt of gratitude not just to the adults who took a stand during the Civil Rights Movement, but to the extraordinary children and youths who were front-line soldiers in the war to overthrow Jim Crow in American life.

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Palestine Conditions “More Brutal” Than in U.S. South of 50 Years Ago, Says Author Alice Walker

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Sep. 28 (Interview) - We continue our conversation with the legendary poet, author and activist, Alice Walker, who has also been a longtime advocate for the rights of Palestinians.

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A Test for the Right’s Machine

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Consortium News - By Robert Parry - Sep. 09 (Opinion) - The Right’s imposing media/political machine is facing a tough test. Can it put an unappealing Republican in the White House by using false propaganda and by systematically suppressing the votes of minorities? The outcome may define the future of American democracy, says Robert Parry.

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Bill Maher Hits Republicans for Voter ID Laws

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Crooks and Liars - By Bill Maher - Aug. 22 (Comedy News) - Republicans must finally quit pretending that their new voter ID laws have anything to do with fraudulent voting and instead start passing laws where if poor black people want to vote, they must first jump through an actual hoop.

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The discipline gap: Racism or bad behavior? — Joanne Jacobs

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

joannejacobs.com - By Joanne Jacobs - Aug. 10 (Opinion) - The Departments of Education and Justice have launched a campaign against disproportionate minority discipline rates,” ignoring the possibility that students’ behavior, not educators’ racism,” is the explanation. Nationally,the homicide rate among males between the ages of 14 and 17 is nearly ten times higher for blacks than for whites and Hispanics combined.

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Sikh Community Activist Simran Jeet Singh: After Wisconsin Attack, I Refuse to Live In Fear

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman, Simran Jeet Singh - Aug. 07 (Interview) - As memorials are held to remember the Sikh worshippers shot dead at a Wisconsin temple, we're joined by Simran Jeet Singh, a Sikh community activist and doctoral candidate in religion at Columbia University. In response to the Sunday's shooting, he posted a commentary called, "As A Sikh-American I Refuse To Live In Fear And Negativity." Singh writes: "Although it will be important to understand what motivated the violence, this should not color the inspiration behind our own reactions. We should draw from our American and Sikh traditions by continuing to respond with love and compassion. Let us stand up together and turn the tragedy in Wisconsin into a turning point for our nation." We also speak with on Don Walker, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covering the Sikh temple shooting. [Transcript to come. Check back soon.]

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Reporters Know What the 'Voter ID' Push Is Really About. Why Don't They Just Say So?

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Dan Froomkin - Jul. 30 (Opinion) - Does any journalist who is not an overt shill for the right actually believe that Republicans are pushing voter ID laws because they’re concerned about voter fraud?

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Texas, Justice Dept. Square Off Over Voter ID Law As Part of Dispute That Could Decide 2012 Election

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman, Ari Berman, Robert Notzon - Jul. 09 (Interview) - The Justice Department and the Texas legislature are squaring off in court today over the state’s controversial voter ID law. The law requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, and Texas hopes to implement it before the November election. The DOJ blocked Texas’ voter ID law in March, saying it will disenfranchise at least 600,000 voters — a disproportionate number of which are Latinos and other minority groups. Currently, 16 states have passed restrictive voting laws that have the potential to impact the 2012 election, including vital swing states such as Florida and Pennsylvania.

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WATCH: 'Daily Show' Tears Apart Florida Voter Purge

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Jon Stewart - Jun. 13 (Comedy News) - Why do politicians think they can get away with these kinds of rules? I guess because they do and get reelected which is why you they need to be watched. mbi11: Why do politicians think they can get away with these You have not right to carry out this op

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AP Wins Pulitzer for Exposing NYPD's CIA-Linked Intel Program, Leading Widespread Spying on Muslims

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Apr. 17 (Interview) - We speak with Matt Apuzzo, co-author of the Associated Press series that revealed the New York City Police Department has extensively spied on Muslim Americans not only in the tri-city area, but throughout the eastern United States. The series won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. Beginning last August, the AP detailed how the NYPD established a vast operation to monitor Muslim neighborhoods after the 9/11 attacks. Hundreds of mosques, businesses and Muslim student groups were investigated, monitored and, in many cases, infiltrated. Police observed and cataloged daily life in Muslim communities, from where people ate and shopped to where they worked and prayed. Police used informants, known as "mosque crawlers," to monitor sermons, even without any evidence of wrongdoing. Also falling under NYPD’s scrutiny were imams, cab drivers and food cart vendors. According to the AP, many of these operations were built with help from the CIA, which is prohibited from spying on Americans.

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The Daily Show Mocks Tucson Mexican-American Studies Ban (VIDEO)

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Jon Stewart - Apr. 03 (Comedy News) - The Daily Show's Senior Latino Correspondent Al Madrigal (also known as their Señor Latino Correspondent) went down to Tucson on Monday to investigate the city's recently instated Mexican-American studies ban. Madrigal spoke with local proponents of the

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Robert Greenwald on the New Film "Koch Brothers Exposed" -- the 1% at Its Very Worst

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - Mar. 29 (Interview) - One of the problems in the progressive movement, all too often -- and, you know, people have talked about this endlessly -- the separate silos, the single-issue folks who are both focused and funded to do a single issue -- but how do you encourage and work so that the issue people come together and see the importance of the fact that the people who are attacking the environment are attacking Social Security, are attacking public education, are attacking and buying politicians, are attacking an African-American community, etc., etc.

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