Politics

Cross-Post: Legal Observer Arrested by Arpaio Deputies During AZ Protests

Written by Imagine 2050 Editors

Posted by Joshua Holland, July 30, 2010 on Alternet.org.

Did you hear about this act of alleged terrorism in France?

Two employees of the U.S. embassy in France have left hospital following medical tests in Paris after they handled a “suspicious” envelope.

Both employees “are fine and have left the hospital” Paul Patin, a U.S. embassy spokesman, said in a telephone interview. They were exposed to tear-gas fumes, according to Associated Press report, citing French police officials.

Tear gas. I’ve been subjected to this kind of terror perpetrated by rioting police time and time again while peacefully protesting the international “trade” regime — and a few times while covering

… Read more

Culture

Neo-Nazi Leader Is a Secret Porn Star

Written by Jill Garvey

One of the nation’s largest neo-Nazi organizations, the National Socialist Movement (NSM), suffered a humiliating blow today when one of its prominent leaders was revealed as a porn actor.

In a statement released on the website Portland Indymedia, the anti-fascist group Portland Anti-Racist Action detailed the appearance of Oregon NSM leader Corinna Luray Burt on several hardcore pornographic DVDs and websites. This revelation is expected to cause internal strife for the NSM, a white supremacist organization that has recently been engaged in high-publicity armed patrols along the Arizona border. Border vigilante groups, which have historically included the minutemen, now include neo-Nazis like National Socialist Movement members.

Health

Food Companies Put Profit First, People Last

Written by Axel Fuentes

The working class is being oppressed by employers that only want to grow wealth regardless of the sacrifices or conditions for their workers. The primary and only goal for this type of employer is to make more money.  Few of these employers care to be fair to employees.

In a recent regional meeting, immigrant and refugee workers gathered again to address health and safety issues in meat processing plants. It was very clear from their discussions that plant owners, the people they work for, are more worried about an increase in profits than the workers’ lives. The high speed of work lines and the lack of attention to dangerous plant conditions are just two… Read more

Food Justice

Is Nothing Sacred? (Sacred Oppression)

Written by Charlotte Williams

Faith-filled people bestow a level of practical reverence to the offices of pastor, deacon, lay minister, etc.  In addition to word and sacrament, protocols instruct believers and followers to concern themselves with justice, civil and human rights, community outreach and advocacy, which extends well beyond the physical walls of the church.  Those who’ve shared regarding their faith experiences, speak of a relationship with the minister (and or chaplain) that is purposeful, confidential, dictates mutual respect, and offers an anticipatory sense of hope and prophetic relief.

In what some would define as an act of blasphemy, a program initiated by a global leader in food processing offers spiritual support and edification to its oppressed and abused… Read more

Health

NY Doctor Injects Steroids in Fetuses to “Cure” Homosexuality

Written by Cloee Cooper

Dr. Marie New of Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City is experimenting with steroid injections in fetuses that will “make girls ‘more feminine’ and reduce odds they turn out gay,” according to an article in the Oregonian.

Back in mid-June, Time magazine wrote on article entitled, “A Prenatal Treatment Raises Questions of Medical Ethics,” which focused on Marie New and a controversy concerning “cures” for a condition they refer to as CAH, short for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The condition has to do with the adrenal gland, but in many cases results in ambiguous genetalia in females.  Apparently 1 in every 16,000 babies is born with this condition.  In many cases doctors in… Read more

Ecopolitics

Imagine 2050 Releases Special Green Issue

Written by Jill Garvey

Imagine 2050’s second anniversary magazine was released today with an entire issue devoted to ecology, politics, and national identity. The issue is available for download here and on Center for New Community’s website.


For two years the writers at Imagine 2050 have visited and revisited issues related to migration, race, and the environment. The newest issue of the magazine compiles our favorite “green” articles from the past year. The magazine includes in-depth commentary on topics such as the controversial activities of anti-immigrant groups from within the environmental movement, and the interconnectedness of climate change and structural racism.

Culture

Post-Racial America Still Just a Dream

Written by James E. Johnson Jr.

As this is a milestone blog for me, I was hoping to write about any number of things.  I thought maybe since NFL training camps are underway another blog about the chances of my beloved Raiders was in order. Or I could blog about the recently leaked documents regarding the Afghan War and draw the parallel to the Pentagon Papers and how they brought a quicker end to the Vietnam War.  Or maybe even the joys of summers in Colorado when my daughter comes to visit us.

However, race kept coming up and I feel the need to talk about the issue again.  As we know race is the one issue in America that… Read more

Politics

Anti-Immigrant “Progressives” Defended On White Nationalist Website

Written by Stephen Piggott

Last week we reported that the anti-immigrant group Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR) had its column on Huffington Post cancelled after the group’s connections to white nationalists were exposed. Apparently this was news to PFIR’s executive director, Leah Durant, who only found out about the cancellation after reading about it on Imagine 2050.

Durant sent a letter to Stuart Whatley, the Associate Blog Editor at the Huffington Post. Below is an excerpt from Durant’s letter:

About a week ago, our staff was confronted with a piece by Stephen Piggott, a writer at Imagine 2050. The piece announced that PFIR’s postings on Huffington had been “pulled” due to PFIR’s… Read more

Economy

Senate hosts tea party: Black Farmers, Native Americans, Shirley Sherrod Not Invited

Written by Rev. David L. Ostendorf

Even  as Shirley Sherrod captured the attention of the nation last week, Senate Republicans torpedoed appropriations due tens of thousands of Black farmers and Native Americans after years of litigation aimed at rectifying  federal discrimination and mismanagement.  Stripping the appropriations from a bill to fund the war—with the final bill passing by unanimous consent—the Senate tea party marked a new low in the chamber that fails consistently to address the persistent legacy of racism in America.

As a result, some sixty thousand Black farmers were denied $1.2 billion in settlement funds emerging from litigation with the Department of Agriculture; Native Americans were denied $3.4 billion appropriated to settle litigation with… Read more

Immigration

New Report Exposes Nativists, Environmentalism & the Hypocrisy of Hate

Written by Stephen Piggott

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released a new report today titled, Greenwash: Nativists, Environmentalism & the Hypocrisy of Hate.

The report details decades-old attempts by anti-immigrant groups – all part of the John Tanton Network – to lure environmentalists and environmental groups into adopting their anti-immigrant agenda.

The SPLC report comes less than a week after a report released by the Center for New Community showed how anti-immigrant forces have corrupted the dialogue on population and the environment, called Apply The Brakes: Anti-immigrant Co-optation of the Environmental Movement.

At the heart of both reports is the Tanton Network and its efforts to avoid accusations of racism by cloaking its anti-immigrant… Read more