The USA PATRIOT Act was passed on October 26, 2001, with only one U.S. Senator voting against it. The House passed the Act by a 357 to 66 margin. Most Senators and Congresspeople had not read it. Most Americans had never heard of it. Since then it has become one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in U.S. history and the centerpiece of U.S. secret investigation and … [Read more...] about The War on Civil Liberties Continues
Archives for July 2006
Top Lies About Iraq from the Bush Administration
(1) Iraq was a “grave and gathering threat”After years of pre-invasion propaganda about the threat from Iraq as “imminent,” “immediate,” “urgent,” “serious,” “real,” and “dangerous,” the Administration fell into line with the studied message of “grave and gathering.” It was not. Crippled by 10 years of sanctions, Iraq had one of the weakest militaries and economies in the … [Read more...] about Top Lies About Iraq from the Bush Administration
Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women
Kevin Powell in Notes of a HipHop Head writes, “Indeed, like rock and roll, hip-hop sometimes makes you think we men don’t like women much at all, except to objectify them as trophy pieces or, as contemporary vernacular mandates, as baby mommas, chickenheads, or bitches.“But just as it was unfair to demonize men of color in the 1960s solely as wild-eyed radicals when what … [Read more...] about Hip Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women
Legitimizing Palestinian Bantustans
The Occupation has a “new” scheme to ensure Palestinian rights continue to be negated and violated: the “Convergence Plan.” Offering the media as much excitement as the “Disengagement Plan,” it aims to legitimize the annexation of all territories and resources west of the apartheid wall, including Jerusalem. Palestinians are to be left under siege in Bantustans, sealed in from … [Read more...] about Legitimizing Palestinian Bantustans
Has the Gay Rights Movement Hit a Brick Wall?
The gay rights movement has hit a brick wall. Yes, we have same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Yes, the Supreme Court overturned state anti-sodomy laws. Yes, gay characters are all over mainstream TV. Still, after 35 years of slow, incremental progress, we are at a decisive crossroads. Simply put: to bring about social change—dependent on truly transforming hearts and minds—we … [Read more...] about Has the Gay Rights Movement Hit a Brick Wall?