This week in OtherWords, Robert P. Alvarez takes stock of the disastrous new voting law in Texas, which saw nearly 20 percent of mail-in votes in some counties get rejected in the recent primary there.
Even worse, Robert cautions, similar laws are being pushed in critical swing states like Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin. It’s a five-alarm warning for democracy, but there’s still time to stop most of these.
Also this week, in the latest from our series of first-person experiences with poverty, Britnie Remer talks about growing up poor only to struggle as an adult. Poverty, she writes, impacts everything from the food you eat to the air you breathe and the water you drink — the latter being a special concern in her Wisconsin community.
But it can also be a powerful force for change when poor people start working together. Don’t miss her story this week!
Finally this week, cartoonist Khalil Bendib illustrates the double standard in how refugees from different conflicts are treated. That was also the subject of an important OtherWords op-ed by Farrah Hassen, which is worth another look if you haven’t read it yet.
We’ll be a little light this week and next as we catch up on some institutional homework, but we’ll have more new op-eds coming your way soon. Thanks for reading!
New This Week…
A Five-Alarm Emergency for Democracy | Robert P. Alvarez
The GOP’s voter suppression laws are working. They need to be stopped before more states adopt them.
Lessons About Poverty in America’s Heartland | Britnie Remer
Being poor affects everything from your health to the water you drink. It can also be transformed into a powerful force for change.
We Are All Ukrainians… | Khalil Bendib
… Except you, you, and you.
In Case You Missed It…
Two Years In, We Need to Learn the Lessons of This Pandemic | Domenica Ghanem
America’s pre-existing condition when the pandemic hit was inequality. That’s not a “normal” we should return to.
How A ‘No-Fly Zone’ Could Lead to Nuclear War | Mitchell Zimmerman
Launching a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine means starting an air war with Russia. The risks are incalculable.
We Must Stop Family Separation — And We Can Do It Now | Wendy Cervantes
The Biden administration has tools it can use right now to put kids and families first in immigration policy.
Covering War Without Prejudice | Farrah Hassen
Ukrainians deserve our compassion — and their rights under international law. So do victims of war everywhere else.
