November 25 protest march
As one grand jury after another refuses to indict police who have killed black men, #BlackLivesMatter protests continue across the United States. I marched on November 25, missed Saturday’s MOA protest, and will probably march again. Like many people, I keep hearing the same questions on Facebook and from friends and family. Before the next family gathering, here’s my short question-and-answer. Continue reading
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Workers need humane working conditions and vigorous enforcement of laws protecting their rights
I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera.
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The chemical arms race in farm fields is increasing the agrochemical industry’s control of our food supply
“In October the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the registration of Enlist Duo, a new herbicide to fight superweeds resistant to other weedkillers. The chemical combines glyphosate, originally developed and marketed by Monsanto as Roundup, with the older, more toxic 2,4-D, one of the ingredients in Agent Orange. The approval applies to six states, and the EPA is accepting public commentuntil Dec. 15 to register the pesticide in 10 additional states. The registration, which came a month after the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved new corn and soybean seeds genetically engineered to resist both herbicides, is subject to a six-year limit and some monitoring requirements.”
I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera.
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Obama ignores that migrants at border are being denied even the minimum protection afforded by US law
” … Border agents routinely intimidate, coerce and deport refugees, ignoring their expressed fear of returning to their home countries when agents should instead refer them for credible-fear interviews with asylum officers. The abusive and illegal treatment of asylum seekers is a result of the U.S. government’s increased reliance on expedited border removals.”
I’m writing regularly on Al Jazeera: click here for the rest of the article on Al Jazeera.
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“Discussing political views is not advisable.” This 1905 rule for Iowa teachers apparently also applies to Delta Airlines workers in 2014.
The Story County, Iowa teaching contract was explicit in saying teachers should not talk politics — or loiter in ice cream parlors, play cards, dance, or indulge in “undue use of cosmetics.” While the code of conduct for teachers seems antiquated and laughable, the continuing right of employers to control workers’ speech and conduct, on and off the job, is no laughing matter.
First published in Workday Minnesota, 12/14/2014.
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The long-secret “torture report” from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is out. Sort of. The full report, still classified, is 6700 pages of “comprehensive and excruciating detail.” What we got on December 9 was a mere 525 pages of Findings and Conclusions and Executive Summary. Even with lots of names and details neatly blacked out, this gut-twisting account shines an unforgiving light on evil done in our name. Continue reading
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Police break up Colorado drug ring! Oops — no, they didn’t. What actually happened: police arrested 40 people on the basis of unreliable and vindictive informants, splashed their names and faces all over local front pages and TV news, and later dismissed all the charges. This story of policing — journalism — gone wrong demonstrates the perils of relying on the “official story.” Continue reading
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Photo by http://www.e-magineart.com, https://www.flickr.com/photos/emagineart/4741451457, published under Creative Commons license
Vox tells the story: a miracle pill that cures hepatitis C restored normal life, liver function, the ability to walk, and even hair to 74-year-old Philip Mason. The new drug, Sovaldi, sells for a thousand dollars per pill or $84,000 for the full course of treatment, making billions of dollars in profits for its owner, the Gilead drug company. That makes Sovaldi the latest example of the runaway greed and profit-taking by drug companies. Continue reading
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On the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot, November 22, 1963, a classmate told me that she could see why I was upset, as I was a Democrat, like the president. But why should she, a Republican, feel bad? Something like that is going on now, with the Ferguson/Michael Brown grief and protests. Now, as in 1963, the voices that say “their sorrow, their problem, not mine” are wrong. We are all in this together. Continue reading
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In the morning, South High School students held a sit in for four and half hours (the length of time Michael Brown’s body was on the street after he was killed). Then they walked out and marched to the Minneapolis police 3rd precinct. Police cars blocked traffic for the march. 2014-11-25 This photo and text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License by Fibonacci Blue
What can any one person do in the face of #Ferguson and grief over a child’s death and despair over a country’s continuing racism and failure? What can any white person say, in the face of so much white failure, white racism, white guilt? Continue reading
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Seems like every week brings more news of government surveillance. You’d think the right wing would be up in arms about this government overreach and invasion of privacy—but it’s their folks who are taking the photos and setting up the databases of protesters and immigrants and anyone else who happens to get captured on some […]
On June 16, Kash Patel announced on social media that an alleged plot to mount a drone attack on Trump’s UFC fight had been “stopped cold.” And then the story went away. Why? This attack was not international terrorism. Even Patel could not spin it as a left-wing plot. Those arrested came from home-grown, right-wing […]
Bombing schools and hospitals is a war crime. Deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Yesterday’s fulminations from the Führer in the White House go beyond war crimes to announce that he intends genocide: the wiping out of an entire people and civilization.
ICE is only one of the federal agencies surveilling people. Federal surveillance reaches far beyond immigrants. Federal agents use massive databases, facial recognition, cell phone photos, and license plate records. Beyond surveillance, they target and threaten people involved in protests, bringing the full weight of federal power to bear on individuals. Their actions often remain […]
Five years after the violent attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, the attacks on democracy and on elected officials continue. Yesterday, two politicians currently under attack by the Trump administration spoke out with anger and eloquence.
Mary Turck