Social Justice Magazine
Take it from David Axelrod. “Almost the entire Republican margin is based on the enthusiasm gap,” the president’s senior adviser said last week. “And if Democrats come out in the same turnout as Republicans, it’s going to be a much different election.”But we don’t get to have a different election. After more than 20 months of White House insistence that the only useful role for … [Read more...]
Autumn 2010 is a time of disillusionment for many who deplore the USA’s current political trajectory. Some who’ve been active for progressive causes are now gravitating toward hope that individual actions -- in tandem with higher consciousness, more down-to-earth lifestyles and healthy cultural alternatives -- can succeed where social activism has failed. It’s an old story that is also … [Read more...]
On my way to the Los Alamos National Laboratory a few years ago, I found it listed in a New Mexico phone book—under "University of California."Since the early 1940s, UC has managed the nation's top laboratories for designing nuclear bombs. Today, California's public university system is still immersed in the nuclear weapons business.Sixty-five years after the atomic bombings of … [Read more...]
Washington’s spin machine is in overdrive to counter WikiLeaks' massive leak of documents on Afghanistan. Much of the counterattack revolves around the theme that the documents aren’t particularly relevant to this year’s new-and-improved war effort.The White House seized on the time frame of the documents released by WikiLeaks. “The period of time covered in these documents (January … [Read more...]
For the warfare state, it doesn’t get any better than 99 to 0.Every living senator voted Wednesday to approve Gen. David Petraeus as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.Call it the unanimity of lemmings -- except the senators and their families aren’t the ones who’ll keep plunging into the sea.No, the killing and suffering and dying will be left to others: American soldiers … [Read more...]
Statistics might not lie — but they easily go flat as wallpaper when high unemployment is routine.On paper or screen, the latest jobless numbers look tidy and self-contained. But in real life, for many individuals and families, the effects of unemployment are messy, sprawling and devastating.High jobless rates have become normalized, with the most painful effects often hidden in plain … [Read more...]
When the wheels are coming off, it doesn’t do much good to change the driver.Whatever the name of the commanding general in Afghanistan, the U.S. war effort will continue its carnage and futility.Between the lines, some news accounts are implying as much. Hours before Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s meeting with President Obama on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that “the firestorm … [Read more...]
When Israel attacked the Gaza aid flotilla, Congresswoman Jane Harman was engaged in a parallel assault. Israel’s government relied on the efficacy of violence; Harman’s campaign was counting on the power of paid media. In both cases, the targets were advocates of human rights for Palestinian people.Brandishing guns and stun grenades, in international waters, Israeli commandos rappelled … [Read more...]
Many are familiar with the adage, “When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” But what happens when people enable leaders to follow the dictates of the powerful?These days, the answers are arriving in the form of a news drumbeat that’s apt to seem like a dirge.From Afghanistan to Wall Street to the Gulf of Mexico, policies of military action and regulatory inaction are … [Read more...]
If President Obama has his way, Elena Kagan will replace John Paul Stevens -- and the Supreme Court will move rightward. The nomination is very disturbing, especially because it’s part of a pattern.The White House is in the grip of conventional centrist wisdom. Grim results stretch from Afghanistan to the Gulf of Mexico to communities across the USA.“It turns out, by the way, that oil … [Read more...]
This is a grim story about the care and feeding of a Blue Dog.Right now, Congresswoman Jane Harman is facing a serious primary challenge from a genuine progressive, Marcy Winograd, in Southern California’s 36th congressional district.Last Saturday afternoon, I sat on stage with both candidates and other panelists at a forum during the California Democratic Party convention in Los … [Read more...]
Numb to the Human Cost of WarPlaywright Lillian Hellman said: "I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions."The statement was in a letter to the House Un-American Activities Committee. The year was 1952. We tell ourselves that the McCarthy era was vastly different than our own -- but what about the political fashions of 2010?This year's fashions cut mean figures … [Read more...]
When the U.S. military began a major offensive in southern Afghanistan over the weekend, the killing of children and other civilians was predictable. Lofty rhetoric aside, such deaths come with the territory of war and occupation.A month ago, President Obama pledged $100 million in U.S. government aid to earthquake-devastated Haiti. Compare that to the $100 billion price tag to keep 100,000 … [Read more...]
This isn't "defense."The new budget from the White House will push U.S. military spending well above $2 billion a day.Foreclosing the future of our country should not be confused with defending it."Unless miraculous growth, or miraculous political compromises, creates some unforeseen change over the next decade, there is virtually no room for new domestic initiatives for Mr. Obama or … [Read more...]
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