Friendship and faith: The WISDOM of women creating alliances for peace
In Metro Detroit, a mostly segregated area of isolated and sometimes hostile communities, with almost every person affected by the failing economy, a devastated auto industry, sky-rocketing unemployment, an area where homes have been devalued by as much as 50%, I saw a spark of hope. A spark ignited by my friends from WISDOM (Women's...IDF order will enable mass deportation from West Bank
April 20th, 20100 A new military order aimed at preventing infiltration will come into force this week, enabling the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, or their indictment on charges carrying prison terms of up to seven years. Palestinians hold signs during a protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 13, 2010,...The limits of ‘state secrets’
Four and half years after the Bush administration was caught eavesdropping on Americans without court approval, a federal judge in San Francisco has ratified a conclusion many Americans reached long ago: that the administration exceeded its legal authority in the war on terror. But U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker's ruling does more...Accountability needed at DHS
The Department of Homeland Security must make drastic changes in its policy and personnel. There is a crisis of leadership at the Department. The right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. How else to explain an enforcement policy memo that directly contradicts the President, the rescue of Haitian evacuees only to jail them once...Peace for Israelis and Palestinians? Not without America’s tough love.
More than 20 years ago, many Americans decided they could no longer watch as racial segregation divided South Africa. Compelled by an injustice thousands of miles away, they demanded that their communities, their colleges, their municipalities, and their government take a stand.As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a...Time to stand up to Israel
As I listened to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address an animated crowd of supporters on March 22, I felt physically sick. The man has already displayed time and again a complete lack of moral sense or ethical framework in his words and actions. A protester puts a Palestinian flag on an uprooted tree during a...Rise of right wing extremist groups cause for alarm
April 4th, 20100 The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) recently documented 34 militia groups in Michigan - a staggering number when one considers that a year earlier the SPLC found only 42 militias in the entire country. As citizen militias formed across the country during the 1990s, few states were closer to the heart of the antigovernment...Palestinians should now declare their independence
March 19th, 20100 This week the Obama administration – which gives Israel $3bn a year, more than they dole out to any other nation on earth – made a meek and craven request for Israelis to simply have a pause in seizing even more land, and to sit down with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with a big concrete slap: the...Welcome to Israel, Joe!
When he visited the Middle East, then Senator Barack Obama had a rude awakening. He was on the ritual visit for American presidential candidates to Israel, which usually consists of touring sites of significance to Jews and declaring support for the state of Israel. This is important for American politicians who pay homage to an...Gaza’s youth not ‘superfluous’
"To cut down on gang-related crimes, policies could be put in place to curb the African-American population growth in places like Harlem and Compton. The government could consider cutting off welfare benefits for families in these urban areas to discourage births of blacks and cut down the supply of 'superfluous young men' who have...Helping Michigan’s job providers now
Michigan can again be a state with a thriving economy and abundant jobs if we reform government so it works with job providers rather than against them. There is no time to waste. Bouchard As governor, I will make one of the largest economic policy changes in decades. The majority of my focus will be on businesses already...The new freedom agenda: Will push meet pull again?
In his June 2009 Cairo speech to the Muslim world, President Obama paid lip service to the need for greater Middle East democracy. But since then he has done very little concretely to back this up in terms of quiet pressure for democratic change on the part of allies like Egypt, Jordan or Morocco. Indeed, the administration's ramping up...The Tea Party movement frightens me
February 20th, 20100 Last weekend, when Washington was being hit by its worst-ever snow storm, the Tea Party Movement was holding its first national meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. With nothing else to do, and unable to travel, I watched parts of their convention on television and became quite concerned by what I saw and heard. After reviewing two sets of...NY Times’ Ethan Bronner should be reassigned
The fact that the son of The New York Times' Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner is serving in the Israeli military has highlighted an issue that should have been in the spotlight long ago. Ali Abunimah makes some important points about the NYT’s coverage of the Middle East on the Mondoweiss site. Although the paper has a Palestinian...Peaceful Palestinian resistance paying off
February 13th, 20100 For many, the idea of Palestinian resistance is synonymous with terrorism, conjuring up images of suicide bombings and rockets. This is a distortion shaped by the media and our politicians. Beyond the headlines, Palestinian resistance has always included nonviolent tactics. Today, in rural villages from Bilin and Jayyous to Nilin......
One year on: We should have known
As the first year of the Obama presidency comes to a close, it's worth noting an article that appeared in the progressive news website, AlterNet, on Dec. 24, by Clancy Sigal, that sums up the mood of progressives: "My personal breaking point, after months of jaw-dropping astonishment at Obama's betrayals, was his refusal almost alone of...Negotiating is a process of give and take
January 23rd, 20100 The Dearborn Federation of Teachers Local 681 (DFT) is the union that represents the teaching staff in the Dearborn Public Schools (DPS). It is important to understand that to be a member of the DFT, and a teacher employed by DPS, a person must possess a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university and pass a state certification...He said, she said…
During the last few months we have heard a lot of "he said, she said" types of comments in the local papers, blog sites, and at Board of Education meetings. I thought that perhaps searching for a different type of "he said, she said" comment might help us navigate the difficult change that we face in the weeks ahead. Personally, I could...Rebuild Michigan’s economy through opportunities for our skilled trades
Within Michigan's unemployment rate, which has been among the nation's highest for years, is another disturbing statistic: one-third of our construction industry is jobless. Bouchard: "Now more than ever, we need people to deepen their investment and commitment to this great state. Under my plan, they can do so without being......
Dearborn students need us
January 16th, 20100 As the budget crisis in Dearborn schools deepens, as tempers flare and public debates intensify, we must remind ourselves how important it is to stop the bickering and the finger pointing and focus on working together as one city to find a viable solution to this crisis. After all, it is about our kids and our future. Dearborn schools...Gaza must be rebuilt now
December 24th, 20090 It is generally recognized that the Middle East peace process is in the doldrums, almost moribund. Israeli settlement expansion within Palestine continues, and PLO leaders refuse to join in renewed peace talks without a settlement freeze, knowing that no Arab or Muslim nation will accept any comprehensive agreement while Israel retains......
Weathering the storm at schools
December 18th, 20090 During these times of economic crisis, when our state is scrambling to balance the generation of revenue against the spending required to maintain services needed for our citizens, it is not uncommon for the blame game to begin. Many rumors and accusations have been launched over the past few months. Fingers are being pointed from our...Iran sanctions are counterproductive
Following his vote against H.R. 2194 — Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009 — Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) released the following statement outlining his opposition: I strongly oppose the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009. This legislation obstructs the Obama administration's ongoing negotiations with......