Rights and Democracy
We’re Not Colorblind
Tea partiers get upset when you call them racists. “We’re not racists,” they yell. “We’re God-fearing Americans who don’t like Obama’s socialist, affirmative-action ways. We just want freedom from government interference in a colorblind society.”
Whistleblowers Get a Refuge
Iceland certainly needed a PR boost. It has never received proper credit for its strict and sustainable management of fisheries. Other nations would do well to follow suit. Instead, it’s more publicized for its shame as one of the world’s few remaining nations that won’t stop hunting whales. It scored low on global popularity polls for whaling. Then it proceeded to lose its shirt in the international banking meltdown. Followed by that annoying volcano, which devastated air travel for weeks. Plainly, Iceland isn’t a place to emulate.
The Lineup: Week of August 9-15, 2010
Here’s what you’ll find in the latest OtherWords editorial package.
Dishonoring MLK’s Legacy
This year’s anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington promises to be memorable.Though big commemorations aren’t typical for 47th anniversaries, thousands will be in the streets on August 28 commemorating the march, including many people advancing a social agenda that would make Martin Luther King Jr. roll over in his grave.
Remembering George Steinbrenner
Do we really have to say nice things about George Steinbrenner just because he’s…you know…dead?
Our Grandchildren Deserve Better Politicians
We live in grim times, which is why you have to take your laughs where you can get them. For example, in Washington, where Republican congresspeople keep talking about their concern for their grandchildren as an excuse for voting against…well, practically everything: economic stimulus packages, financial reform, immigration reform, etc.
GOP Goes ‘Grassroots,’ Washington-Style
Congressional Republicans have spent the first two years of the Obama administration as the rock-solid party of “no,” “uh-uh,” “no way,” “forget about it,” “nothing doing,” “we’re-agin-it-and-we’ll-kill-it.” This is one reason their job approval rating is in the ditch.
Our Prisons Don’t do us Justice
Prison numbers are tough to pin down. There is the federal system, there are 50 state systems, and no one is just sure how many local jails or military brigs. All told, professionals estimate that one in every 100 Americans resides in one of them.
Let’s Get Sensible about Immigration
On Mother’s Day, three months before Arizona’s draconian new immigration law was to go into effect, a mother of two addressed a vigil outside of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. The woman had been intercepted, without papers, on her way to work. Unable to fight back tears, she told the crowd of the months she spent in this privatized detention center, wondering if she would ever see her children again.
Remembering John Wooden
Wooden died at the age of 99 in June, 35 years after retiring as the most successful (and many would say best) basketball coach of all time. During the final 12-year stretch of his career, his UCLA teams won 10 national championships, a record unlikely ever to be broken.
