The Coming Year of Complex Intersections
As anticipation surges for January 20th and the possibilities for an Obama Administration, short-term solutions to long-standing problems dance illusively and elusively before our eyes: we did not get to this precipice overnight and we will not get off of it soon.
Tens of thousands of families are newly unemployed; home foreclosures are non-stop; businesses crumble; poverty and racism endures; new war rages in the Middle East—the economic-political chaos at home and worldwide is nothing short of sordid. Yet we hope, even audaciously. Read more
Attention to Israeli Attacks Should be Examined for Anti-Semitic Undertones
I’ve received several email alerts urging me to attend rallies protesting the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza, and while I do lend my voice to condemning Israel’s actions, I won’t attend any rallies.
Israel is ruled by a far right-winged government, much like our current administration, so it is unsurprising that they would emulate us and resort to unchecked violence. What is surprising is that so many American activists are deeply disturbed by a government behaving in the same manner as their own. Read more
White Nationalists Prepare to Oppose Obama Administration
The Republican Party is in disarray after its loss to Barack Obama, and on the sidelines white nationalists are skillfully preparing political attacks on the new American president.
Since the weeks leading up to the most significant elections ever to take place in the United States, federal law enforcement agencies, the media and human rights organizations have paid close attention to threats made against Presidential-Elect Barack Obama. Some of these threats have been made by individuals with ties to the neo-Nazi movement in the United States.
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Saddleback or Brokeback? The President-elect’s Penchant for Preachers.
For Barack Obama to wander from the progressive United Church of Christ to the conservative Saddleback Church, from a prophetic pastor to a placid one in such a short period is a stunning religious-political journey on many levels. This is a journey from a historic church rooted in the abolitionist movement and fundamentally committed to civil and human rights—including gay rights—to a church with little visible connection—save a few recent forays—to the perils of human oppression. Read more
Obama & the Ghost of Clinton’s Past
President-elect Obama’s initial cabinet choices are disappointing. Rather than represent new thinking, they suggest policies based on political positioning, timidity, and the culture of K St.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s appointment as Secretary of State bodes poorly for American troops that have been bogged down in an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq. American deaths are fast approaching 4,200 according to the Department of Defense. Clinton supported this unpopular war up until time public support turned overwhelmingly against it. Read more
The DePaul Conservative Alliance: the Next Generation of Anti-immigrants
The DePaul Conservative Alliance is a group that has received a lot of attention during my time at DePaul University. The Alliance cannot get enough of the limelight and is constantly stirring up controversy at DePaul. The first time I saw it was in January of 2006 when the group held a “bake sale” in the DePaul University Student Center. The bake sale was a platform for the group to push their anti-affirmative action agenda. Conservative Alliance members sat around a table with cookies and brownies that they offered to anyone who walked by. Read more
Today We Stand for Human Rights
Today is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - a document that has had a profound affect globally on human dignity. Despite 60 years of clearly defined and generally accepted freedoms, we are still struggling to meet the standards set down in that Declaration. Today is a particularly crucial time in our nation’s history to recommit ourselves to upholding human rights. Read more
Fight for Citizenship Should Engage Blacks and Gays
California’s recently passed Proposition 8, a constitutional measure, now defines “marriage as between a man and woman” and eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry. Many people, either in error or racist intent, have attempted to argue that Proposition 8 passed because of the large black voter turnout for President-Elect Barack Obama.
The real truth, devoid of bigotry, according to Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight, is that new voters for Obama overwhelmingly voted to defeat the measure. New black voters were stronger supporters of gay rights than the “more experienced voters” that the mainstream LGBT leaders were focusing on for support. Read more
Reader Poll: White Nationalism
Here at Imagine 2050 we often write about controversial issues. We include items that are of mainstream interest, but also strive to highlight stories and points of view that don’t receive much attention. Sometimes those stories discuss the activities of hate groups and extremists, for example Stephen Piggott’s blog on white nationalism a few days ago.
Some people think writing about white nationalists gives them the attention they normally don’t enjoy or deserve. Others believe staying silent lends them legitimacy. We want to know what you think.
Should white nationalism be confronted?
Or should it be ignored?
Leave a comment on this post or email us at imag2050@gmail.com. We’ll update this article with your thoughts and opinions.
Thanks for sharing! Read more
Obama’s Citizenship: Will the Haters Ever Give Up?
While scanning a white nationalist message board I came across an interesting thread entitled “Obama: Don’t Miss Next Week’s Tribune.” The originator of the post was notifying other white nationalists to look at the Chicago Tribune on December 1st and December 3rd for a full page ad which would question Mr. Obama’s US citizenship.
The man who funded the ad is Robert L. Schulz, a New York tax protest activist. He claims to have spent tens of thousands of dollars to run the ads. Schulz is the founding member of the We The People Foundation. In the ad, Schulz accuses Obama of not providing an authentic live birth certificate from his birth state of Hawaii. The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times both ran articles refuting the ads’ claims. Read more
Nebraska Laws Undermine Families in Crisis
By Jessica Acee
The debacle surrounding the Nebraska Safe Haven law highlights a hidden crisis within American families.
Last week Nebraska amended its Safe Haven law and social workers and hospital employees across the state breathed an uneasy sigh of relief. Now, only infants 30 days or younger may be dropped off at hospitals and firehouses with no fear of prosecution for the parents. For the last two and a half months, parents have been able to drop off kids as old at 17, and many have done so. Read more
Obama Victory A Massive Setback for White Nationalists
After Obama’s landslide victory on November 4th we saw scenes of joy throughout the country and all over the world. People everywhere were speaking about their renewed hope. We also saw the reactions of those who voted for McCain, many of them blaming George W. Bush for McCain’s record loss. The media however did not portray the white nationalist community’s reaction to Obama’s victory. To gauge their reaction I paid a visit to arguably the most influential and popular white nationalist website; Stormfront. It was founded in 1995 by former KKK member Don Black. The website’s motto is “White Pride World Wide.” According to a June 2008 article in the Washington Post, Stormfront draws more than 40,000 users to its message boards every day. The message board is split into many categories including forums dealing with youth, education, activism and even a white nationalist singles forum. The forum also has an international section with different message board set aside for countries such as Britain and Serbia. Read more
Parades in Northern Ireland: A Veiled Excuse to Spread Hate
Sunday in Belfast, Northern Ireland a parade was held for local British troops returning from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Talk about the parade has dominated the Irish and English news over the past week because of the anticipation of trouble. In many nations around the world a parade for returning troops brings a sense of belonging and pride to the people who attend but in Northern Ireland parades mean a very different thing. Since the beginning of the troubles in the region, parades have been used most notably by the loyalists who want Northern Ireland to remain part of Great Britain. The parades in Northern Ireland in the past have been very bloody and violent, and even though the Troubles are over, marching British troops in the area were bound to stir up controversy. Read more
The Morning After: Let Our Work Begin Anew
Heading to canvassing headquarters last weekend, I walked with another volunteer who said she was so pumped up and excited about the prospects of this new day that she hadn’t slept well in weeks. We both laughed knowingly—it has indeed been difficult to focus on anything else as the possibility of this day loomed large, within grasp, but still elusive. Amid tears of deep joy, now it is real. One cannot help but reflect on the costs, the sacrifices that made it so, or the dream-like quality of its truth. It is a day to celebrate as never before.
We have not, however, reached the promised land. Perhaps it’s in distant view, but the journey toward its gates is still going to be difficult and arduous. Read more
Anti-Immigrant Groups Spread Lies & Contribute to Voter Discrimination
Social Contract Press spreads lies about voter fraud and contributes to suppression of the voting rights of Latino citizens. Anti-Latino groups, like the FIRE Coalition, are using SCP’s false findings to encourage their followers to man the polls and discriminate against whomever they perceive as “illegal aliens”. This is voter suppression and it’s downright un-American.
It’s Morning in America Again
I love those mornings!
You know the type of morning I’m talking about. The kind of morning when you wake up early and you have the whole day ahead of you. The sun is slowly rising in the east and your calendar is clear. You don’t have to work, your bills are paid (or at least up to date), there’s food in the fridge and no one gets to dictate what the day will hold for you. You can sit and quietly read the paper, take in the guilty pleasure of early morning TV, or surf the net without a care in the world.
Maybe you surprise the kids and take them to the park. Maybe you spend the time fishing, enjoying the quiet of the river. It’s not what you do that matters, but rather that the day is yours. These mornings are like a breath of fresh air that chase away the tension and stress of life. You savor the day, and at night when you close your eyes you know that it will be the memory of this day that will sustain you through the hard times. Read more
Questioning Obama’s Campaign Tactics
With the presidential election wrapping up in less than a week a change will certainly be a-coming. Whatever the results of Tuesday’s election may be, the lives of countless Americans will be forever changed.
The lives of people like Joe the Plumber and Bill Ayers will go back to relative obscurity, at least beyond their close circle of friends and associates. This may be a good thing or a bad thing, but I must warn you, be prepared for a resurgence in the future. This year’s election has seen unprecedented things many of which will be studied. The successes and failures of Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s campaigns will be studied closely and will help form new strategies for future elections. Read more
Why is Wells Fargo Flirting with Anti-Immigrant Extremists?
Respected business leader Wayne Calloway once remarked that “[n]othing focuses the mind better than the constant sight of a competitor who wants to wipe you off the map”. Over the last several years it appears that Wells Fargo has not only embraced Calloway’s insight but taken it a step further by putting the enemy right inside its very own bedroom.
For several years nativists under the guise of “immigration reform” have waged endless attacks against Wells Fargo, even going so far as to create web pages such as Embargo Wells Fargo. Having declared a racial war against our nation’s immigrant and refugee communities, anti-immigrant organizations and leaders targeted Wells Fargo as part of their growing “war of attrition”. In short, make life a living hell for immigrants and anyone else who defends their inalienable rights to simply be treated like a human being. The anti-immigrant movement is demanding that Wells Fargo choose sides between community and barbarism.
However, Wells Fargo appears to have done the opposite. Rather than taking responsibility as a community leader and drawing a clear moral barrier against hate, Wells Fargo instead chooses to lend its indirect support to the anti-immigrant movement itself. According to the Center for New Community during the 2005-2006 election cycle the Wells Fargo and Company Employee PAC made fifty-eight contributions totaling $108,250 to members of the House Immigration Reform Caucus (HIRC). Read more
Questioning McCain’s ‘guilt by association’ Logic
There has been a lot of buzz in the news about Barack Obama’s ties with UIC professor Bill Ayers. Due in large part to the assertions of John McCain’s campaign, the Obama-Ayers ties that were touched upon in the Democratic primary race were not only brought up in the last few weeks, but have intensified so much that McCain recently released a political ad discussing the subject.
The ad, endorsed by McCain, questions Obama’s loyalties to America due to his ties with Ayers, saying at the end, “Barack Obama, too risky for America.” This attempt to use Obama’s political ties to undermine his overall campaign is interesting because Obama is not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, politician to have questionable political affiliations. Read more
Talking Truthfully About Abortion
After the debate last night a friend asked me what I thought about abortion. I immediately felt a sense of dread, not wanting to get pulled into a chat that might rile me up when I should be winding down for the evening. You see, I’m passionate about women’s rights, and discussions about women’s issues with men make me nervous. After a long day, I was liable to blow a fuse that would alienate my friend and keep me up tossing and turning for the rest of the night.
“What do you mean?” I asked, “I’m pro-choice, of course”.
“Yeah, but how do you feel about it?” he asked. This is where I started to get prickly. There’s a habit of defensiveness I’ve gotten into when it comes to the issue of abortion. A holding pattern developed in response to questions meant to entrap me in my own morality. Read more
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