Child Killer Represented National Anti-Immigrant Group

Written by Eric Ward

Shot twice in the face, Brisenia Flores’ life was cut short by the “direct action” of anti-immigrant activists—individuals who had internalized the rhetoric of a larger movement that claims the United States is every-minute-of-every-day being attacked and invaded. For years alleged pundits like Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin have sold this racial fantasy to the American public. Consequently, a nine-year old girl has paid with her life.

For Shawna Forde, 41, Jason Bush, 34, and Albert Gaxiola, 42, Brisenia was not a young child with her whole life ahead of her; she was a member of an alleged “foreign army” whose lives hold no worth.

Existence is Bleak for Women Incarcerated Globally

Written by Amy Spicer

With the devastating sentencing of two American journalists, North Korea once again is thrust into the spotlight. With no due process Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been sentenced to 12 years in the notorious labor camps of North Korea. One can only hope that with the power behind these two women there will be a swift resolution and they will be returned home to their families.

However, what about the thousands of women who simply don’t have the resources or people working on their behalf as these two women do? Women are at risk constantly in countries where they are both marginalized and economically disadvantaged.

Minutemen Members Murder Nine Year Old and Father

Written by Jill Garvey

On May 30 three members of the Minutemen American Defense (an anti-immigrant group) broke into the home of the Flores family and killed them. They murdered Raul Junior Flores, his 9 year old daughter, Brisenia, and injured her mother. Jason Bush, Shawna Forde, and Albert Gaxiola have been charged with two counts each of first-degree murder and other charges. The suspects believed that there would be large amounts of cash and possibly drugs in the home. They shot the family because they did not want to leave witnesses. The suspects allegedly believed that two little girls would be at the home and looked for the second girl so they could also kill… Read more

News

Sheriff Joe Called Upon to Renounce Neo-Nazi Followers

Written by Jill Garvey

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon came out swinging at Sheriff Joe last week, demanding that he renounce his neo-Nazi fan base in light of the Holocaust Museum shooting. Phoenix New Times Reports:

In a response to the tragedy today at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum where 88-year-old white supremacist James von Brunn allegedly opened fire killing a security guard before being severely wounded himself, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon called on Sheriff Joe Arpaio to distance himself from his neo-Nazi and racist supporters.

“I’m calling upon the sheriff of Maricopa County to denounce the neo-Nazis and the Nazis today,” said Gordon during a press conference this afternoon.”Not that I believe that… Read more

Fundraising When Money is Tight

Written by Joan Flanagan

Mal Warwick is what diplomats would call the Old China Hand. He has simply done more than anyone else. He has raised money and taught others how to raise money on every continent except Antarctica. This year he developed the first online viral fundraising conference that reached 400 sites in 42 countries. He has helped create more progressive organizations than most activists join in a lifetime, including Business for Social Responsibility co-founded with Ben Cohen, the “Ben” of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. His marketing savvy has enabled scores of national and international organizations to grow and prosper, including the NAACP and the Global Fund for Women. As a die-hard progressive he has done the… Read more

News

Holocaust Museum Shooting Implies Deeper Domestic Terror Threat

Written by Jill Garvey

Yesterday’s shooting was pre-meditated and foreseeable. Everything about the shooting at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington was intentional. Even James Von Brunn’s age, 88, may have been meant to send a message. 88 is a number revered by Hitler-worshipers. The letter ‘H’ is the eighth letter in the alphabet. 88 is code for “HH”, or in neo-Nazi speak “Heil Hitler”.

Considering Von Brunn’s background, this number probably held special significance for him. A twisted sort of golden birthday perhaps or an inside nod to the white nationalist movement he was active in for several years.

Von Brunn’s attack is another in a series of major planned or executed attacks by individuals… Read more

Politics

Racist British National Party Wins Two Seats in European Parliament

Written by Stephen Piggott

Scandals and resignations have rocked British politics over the past few weeks, leaving Prime Minster Gordon Brown clinging to his job. On Sunday evening, the news went from bad to worse when the results of the European Parliament Elections for Britain were announced. In news that came as no surprise to followers of British politics, the British Nationalist Party won 2 seats in the European Parliament in Brussels. The seats were won by Andrew Brons and the BNP leader, Nick Griffin.

The British National Party (BNP) was founded in 1982. For the last 25 years its members have promoted racism, anti-immigration, holocaust denial and anti-Islamic views. There are no non-white members allowed to join the… Read more

Holocaust Museum Shooting: The Rising Tide of Racism and Anti-Semitism

Written by Rev. David L. Ostendorf

James W. Von Brunn is a cold-blooded anti-Semite and white supremacist, and nothing less than a domestic terrorist. His assault on people in the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. today is yet another incident in the rising tide of deadly attacks across the nation by those who hate peoples of color, Jews, immigrants, and “others.”

For years Von Brunn has had deep roots in the nation’s white supremacist movement. His relationship to Willis Carto, the vile anti-Semite founder of the Liberty Lobby and The Spotlight newspaper is long-standing, as revealed in his rambling 2004 diatribe against Jews, the Federal Reserve, and African Americans (“Federal Reserve Caper and Precedents”).… Read more

Immigration

Deal-cutting the 14th Amendment: At the Intersection of Racism and Immigration

Written by Rev. David L. Ostendorf

In a cynical move to build support for his campaign for the governorship of Georgia, US Representative Nathan Deal has rekindled racist fervor to gut birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

By doing so he has once again – boldly and baldly – positioned himself at the intersection of racism and immigration.

HR1868, the “Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009,” would permit citizenship status to children birthed in the US only if at least one parent is a citizen or legal permanent resident. Now co-sponsored by seventy-three Members of the US House of Representatives – fifty-three of whom are members of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) fueled anti-immigrant House Immigration… Read more

Immigration

Is Water a Privilege?

Written by Jill Garvey

No, it’s not. Water is a basic human right. But some people in this country seem to think (or pretend to think) otherwise. I’ll start with an incident I heard about last week. A volunteer with No More Deaths, an organization that provides humanitarian aid to migrants crossing the desert in Southern Arizona, was found guilty of littering (yes, littering) after leaving fresh water jugs for migrants lost in the desert. Feetin2worlds reports:

[Walt] Staton, 27, a volunteer with No More Deaths, was cited by the Border Patrol for leaving water containers in the park south of Tucson. Staton, who faces up to a year in prison for the charges, told the Arizona

… Read more