Politics

Sarah Palin’s New Low: Targeting High School Students

Written by Jill Garvey

Sarah Palin has crossed the line from political joke to political jerk.

Last week, an Illinois high school girls basketball team pulled out of a December tournament in Arizona because of the State’s new anti-immigrant law. Highland Park High School’s Assistant Superintendent Suzan Hebson stated via a letter on the district’s website, “This decision is not a political statement regarding the state of Arizona’s recently enacted legislation regarding immigration. District 113 boasts a diverse student population and, as a school district, we believe in equal opportunity for each of our students. When our students travel, the school district is responsible, both legally and ethically, for their safety, security and liberty.”

Public school administrators,… Read more

Politics

“Liberty Convention 2010” Comes to Montana

Written by Guest Blogger

By Travis McAdam, Montana Human Rights Network

The University of Montana will be the venue for a gathering of anti-government “patriots” over the weekend of May 21-22, 2010. Organized by Bitterroot Valley’s Celebrating Conservatism, the “Liberty Convention 2010” features a slate of prominent anti-government speakers, including three individuals the Southern Poverty Law Center has named to its list of activists “at the heart” of the resurgent “patriot” movement across the country.

On Friday the Montana Human Rights Network released a special report entitled “Liberty Convention 2010 Speakers” with background on seven of the speakers listed on promotional fliers. One of these speakers is anti-Semitic “tax protestor” Red Beckman.

In addition to his tax… Read more

Immigration

Lewis Black Is A Genius

Written by Jill Garvey

Thank you to Jon Stewart for making Lewis Black a part of the program. Often Stewart’s wit is a hard act to follow, but last week Lewis Black was the funniest, most concise person on TV. Black simultaneously took down Arizona’s racist ‘Papers, Please’ law and America’s most sensationally stupid commentator, Glenn Beck, in just under six minutes. It was awesome.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c

Back in Black – Glenn Beck’s Nazi Tourette’s

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes
Political Humor
Tea Party

Politics

Mexican Soccer Powerhouses Cancel Friendly Match in Arizona

Written by Stephen Piggott

Club America and Pachuca, two of Mexico’s biggest soccer clubs, have pulled out of a friendly match that was due to be played on July 7th in Glendale’s University of Arizona Stadium. Club America stated that its reason for pulling out was the signing of the racist law, S.B. 1070:

“Club America would like to inform you that due to the latest developments regarding the new immigration bill… our team will not participate in any friendly match during the preseason 2010 within the state of Arizona.”

Mexican clubs are extremely popular in Arizona. In recent years many Mexican league clubs and the Mexican men’s national team have played there. Arizona was one of… Read more

Immigration

One More Thorn In The Heart of America

Written by Axel Fuentes

From coast to coast in the United States, thousands of hard working families have marched to raise their voices against Arizona’s recent law S.B. 1070 which represents another thorn in the heart of America. I hope the voices of immigrants in the U.S. are heard. Lawmakers should not put their political careers ahead of making important decisions in favor of these families.

There are already enough thorns hurting the hearts of millions of human beings – especially those who are feeding Americans and strengthening the economy of this nation through their hard work.

Several people have said to me, “I am okay with immigrants, but only legal immigrants.”

I always ask them, “Do you know… Read more

Politics

Population and Fake Progressives

Written by Rebecca Poswolsky

William Ryerson, president of Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR), wrote a response to Julia Whitty’s recent article on population in Mother Jones magazine. Whitty’s piece, “Population the last Taboo: What unites the Vatican, lefties, conservatives, environmentalists, and scientists in a conspiracy of silence? Population” explores population growth, consumption and the connection between the two on a global scale. She delves into the “taboo” issue of population, including the rather controversial anti-immigrant history within US environmental constituencies namely the Sierra Club.

Ryerson responds to Whitty to set the record straight. It seems he and many others online don’t find the topic taboo, rather they are happy to speak up to defend their… Read more

Politics

Anti-immigrant Network Inflicting Legislative Damage Nationally

Written by Chris Bober

If it wasn’t already apparent, Arizona’s anti-immigrant law (which legalizes and mandates racial profiling), is a civil-rights nightmare that is quickly spilling out into other states.

Last week Seth Freed Wessler wrote a chilling article in Colorlines that detailed the political agenda of a far-right movement seeking to use Arizona Senate Bill 1070 as model for the rest of the country. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and its legislative arm, State Legislators for Legal Immigration (SLLI) are drafting and introducing legislation similar to Arizona SB1070 in at least 11 more states. In addition to Wessler’s reporting, other news sources verify that local and state legislators from around the country… Read more

Politics

FAIR’s Hole of Deceit Keeps Getting Deeper

Written by Jill Garvey

A few weeks ago the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) was slammed on The Rachel Maddow Show for its racist origins and associations. Then FAIR’s president, Dan Stein, came on the show for an interview and lied to Rachel Maddow about stuff that was pretty easy for her show to expose. It took all of one hour for the show to fact-check Dan Stein’s lies. In fact, Rachel Maddow seemed so disgusted that a guest had come on her show and lied to her viewers that she devoted Read more

Immigration

SB 1070: Battle at the Grassroots

Written by Guest Blogger

By Joel Olson

In the struggle over the notorious anti-immigrant, anti-Latino, anti-working class law SB 1070, a person might be tempted to see this as a conflict that plays out among the elites of Arizona politics: legislators, governors, sheriffs, newspaper editors, judges, lawyers, and nonprofits. This view would be understandable, but wrong. The real battle is at the grassroots.

On the one hand, there is a strong nativist movement afoot in Arizona that is overwhelmingly white, mostly over the age of fifty, and largely male. They fear that “illegals are invading” and causing all manner of mayhem, from home invasions to overcrowded emergency rooms to automated voices forcing them to “press 1 for English.” They… Read more