Rights and Democracy
Remembering Jaime Escalante
When Jaime Escalante died, we lost a pioneering teacher who changed people’s ideas of what children are capable of learning. Many people know about Escalante’s work from the popular movie “Stand and Deliver,” which depicted his success teaching Advanced Placement (AP) calculus classes to students at East Los Angeles’s Garfield High School. The Bolivian-born teacher died at 79 of cancer on March 30.
Palin’s Contract with Stanislaus
She stands up for the rest of us before retiring to her mandatory suite in a luxury hotel and an additional two single rooms for her entourage.
Obama’s Inauguration Didn’t End American Racism
It’s not that American racism ever went away. If things seemed to pick up for minorities during the artificial boom years, it had little to do with public intention. If African Americans had an easier time buying a house, it was more because the market was overbuilt than because of any greater tolerance. If mortgages were easily available, it was more due to the need for new swindle victims than to bankers experiencing a sudden vision of racial harmony.
Church’s Sex Abuse Scandal Reflects Deep Flaw
The sexual abuse scandal that began in Boston eight years ago, involving the Church hierarchy’s widespread refusal to protect youngsters from child-molesting priests, spread inexorably around the world–Canada, Brazil, Australia, Ireland, Germany–until it finally reached the heart of the Mother Church, the Vatican, where it now rests at the feet of the Pope himself, Benedict XVI.
School Resegregation
Eternal U.S.-Cuba Tensions Leave Families Weary
Regardless of which side you come down on, at least for now, we seem destined to continue the 50-plus year dance of mutual animosity between the two countries. The U.S. trade embargo will continue. The war of words won’t abate.
Yes, Virginia, Slavery Happened
McDonnell proclaimed April to be “Confederate History Month,” purportedly to honor soldiers who fought for the pro-slavery South in the Civil War. McDonnell sparked widespread outrage and criticism for failing to acknowledge slavery during his proclamation.
GAP Files Complaint Against World Bank Agency
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) has filed a complaint with the Washington, DC Bar Association against Suzanne Folsom, former Director of the Department of Institutional Integrity (INT) at the World Bank from 2006 to 2008.
Let’s Hear from Candidates–Not their Spokespeople
Journalists can still give us the coverage we need, even with shrunken newsrooms, but they have to try not to be manipulated by candidates. Reporters need to take the time to fight politicians who think that busy journalists will willingly serve as conduits for campaign talking points.
Empower the People, Restore Trust in Government
From city hall to the halls of Congress, important policy and spending decisions have been made for far too long by a handful of politicians behind closed doors, working in concert with corporations and special interests. This old way of doing the public’s business has bred anger and mistrust of all levels of government.
