Protest Politics 101: An Interview with Frances Fox-Piven
Editor's note: Frances Fox Piven is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the City University of New York. She is author of a number of books on class, including Regulating the Poor, Poor Peoples’ Movements, and The New Class.
Karl Rove Disinforms Again
Karl Rove, who serves as Bush’s key political strategist and unofficial minister of propaganda, hit a particularly low note, even by his standards, last week. At Conservative party meeting in New York, Rove said 'conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.'
Main St. to Democrats: No Compromise with GOP Plans for Social Security
People on Main St. have rejected the idea that Social Security needs to be fixed, despite the claims of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Democrats in Congress are responding to that grassroots opposition, an expression of progressive family values.
Republican Stinginess on VA Spending Angers Veterans...Again
During congressional hearings last week, Jonathan B. Perlin, the Veterans’ Administration undersecretary for health, admitted that the VA is short $1 billion and may not be able to cover current needs this year.
Health Care: Nationwide hearings support HR 676
From California to New York, from Alabama to Michigan, single-payer health care activists are organizing hearings to press Congress to listen to the human voices of the health crisis. The Campaign for a National Health Program NOW is calling on communities nationwide to organize citizen/congressional hearings to spotlight the need for action to secure a system of comprehensive health care for everyone in the United States.
The Bush Administration vs. Human Rights: The Double Standard that Threatens America
The Bush administration has rejected bipartisan calls for an independent Guantanamo Bay prison commission. The White House insists that the military, the very organization suspected of systematically violating human rights, is perfectly capable of investigating the situation and punishing any offending parties.
Republican Social Security Privatization Plan is a 'Bait and Switch'
Retirees groups, labor, and House Democrats yesterday criticized a new congressional Republican plan to privatize Social Security. Worried about a sinking approval ratings and a stalled political agenda, the Republican leadership in the House offered a modified version of the privatization plan heavily promoted in past months by President Bush.
Challenge to Guantanamo 'Gulag' Continues
Human rights organization, Amnesty International, last week described the Bush administration’s decision to expand the prisons at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as a 'wrong decision.' Amnesty International calls for closing the Guantanamo prisons and for charging the prisoners held there under US laws in US courts or release them.
Global Disarmament Groups Slam US for the Failure of NPT Review Conference
NOT unexpectedly, the Non Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) month long (from May 2 to May 27) five-yearly Review Conference failed after the US spent the entire period either arguing about procedure or demanding that disarmament obligations of nuclear weapon states were outside the scope of discussions.
Republicans to Big Bird: What Have You Done for Me Lately?
What do Big Bird, Elmo and Snuffleupagas have in common? They are a target of the Republican Party. Once again, Congressional Republicans are cutting the budgets of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
