People Before Profit blog

Suddenly it's OK to call a judicial nominee a racist

Sun, 31 May 2009 06:50:00 +0000

Original source: Media Matters

When the nation learned in 2005 that Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito had belonged to a Princeton University alumni organization that advocated a cap on the number of women and minorities allowed at Princeton, the news media quickly circled the wagons to protect the Bush nominee.

When Alito was asked by Senate Democrats about his membership in the organization -- which he touted while applying for a job in the Reagan administration -- the media denounced them for going too far. The merest hint of a suggestion of an implication that Alito was a member of a racist organization was shouted down as an unfair slander; Democrats were pilloried for making Alito's wife cry with their inappropriate questions (though Mrs. Alito didn't actually start crying until Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham took to the microphone).

Gloria Borger, for example, said that the pertinent question was not whether Alito agreed with the Concerned Alumni of Princeton's clearly racist and sexist stance on university admissions, but 'whether the Democrats took this a step too far today.' Katie Couric added: 'Too much to take: Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito's wife driven to tears after Democrats question his integrity. Did they go too far?' The media consensus that Democrats went 'too far' in questioning Alito continues to this day. Fox News' Megyn Kelly recently claimed that during Alito's confirmation hearings, his wife was 'crying hysterically after Ted Kennedy made her cry.'

So it seems the news media treat even a suggestion that a Supreme Court nominee might be guilty of involvement in a bigoted organization as a vile slur. Even if the nominee touted his membership in a group that sought to limit the number of women and minorities accepted into his alma mater. Even then, such questions are treated as inappropriate and abusive scrutiny that have no place in civil discourse.

As long, that is, as the nominee in question is a conservative white male, nominated by a conservative white male president.

But as we learned this week, if the nominee is a progressive Latina nominated by a progressive African-American president, you can just come right out and call her a racist -- based on nothing more than a distorted quote and a ruling nobody has read -- and the media will take you seriously. They will amplify your complaints. Far from denouncing you for going 'too far,' they will pretend that your false descriptions of her comments are accurate.

Eight years ago, Sonia Sotomayor said that she would hope that in judging cases involving discrimination, a Latina woman would reach a better decision than would a white man who hasn't had her experiences. Past Republican Supreme Court nominees like Samuel Alito have said similar things, and it really isn't particularly controversial.

But if you change what Sotomayor said a bit -- drop a word here and there, change a few others -- to pretend that she said Latinas are better than white men ... well, that's racist!

And that's just what the right wing did. Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, and other conservative media figures quickly insisted that Sotomayor is a racist and a bigot. They even compared her to David Duke. (Now, at first, you might think that if Rush Limbaugh is calling someone a racist, he must mean it as a compliment. But if you listen to his tone of voice and the full context, it's clear he means it as an insult.)

And the media, particularly cable news, took their complaints seriously. They quoted them, and they adopted the right's inaccurate shorthand version of Sotomayor's comments in order to explain why the conservatives were upset. News reports that explained that conservatives are distorting Sotomayor's comments were few and far between; reports that noted that conservatives have said similar things in the past were even rarer.

Just a few years ago, the mere suggestion that Samuel Alito should explain his membership in an organization that sought to limit the number of women and minorities at Princeton was met with outrage by the media. How dare the Democrats! They've gone too far! But now, with conservatives explicitly calling Sotomayor a 'racist' based on manufactured evidence, the media can't even be bothered to point out that they are distorting her comments. Instead, the conservative complaints get taken seriously, as though they are a reasonable and fair interpretation of what Sotomayor said.

So it seems that lying about a Latina in order to call her a racist is just fine, as far as much of the media is concerned. Just don't you dare question why a white male belonged to an organization that sought to keep women and minorities out of his college. That's over the line.

Jamison Foser is a Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America.

Are you ready?

Fri, 29 May 2009 05:49:00 +0000

Hey, PWW readers, are you ready for a new, sleek, fresh and modern website? Well that’s what we have in store for you and we can’t wait for you all to see it.

So here is a sneak peak of the new People’s World website.

• Plenty of space for wonderful photos

• Daily stories with the potential of reaching millions

• Labor features, opinion, analysis, international solidarity, the fight for peace, culture and sports can be easily reached and circulated at the click of a mouse.

The PWW is taking responsibility to be up to par with other online media outlets because of the growing importance of working-class and people’s news.

This sneak peak will be part of an awesome new site, which we will share with partner publications and organizations. A “one stop” portal for “people before profits” news, views and activism.

This investment in the future will cost $100,000. It costs close to a million dollars a year to produce the PWW online and in print.

So help us help you make this world a better place. Donate today.

Report calls for fairer treatment of Latino youth in justice system

Thu, 28 May 2009 00:24:00 +0000

Original source:

A new report released by the National Council of La Raza and the Campaign for Youth Justice yesterday finds that the U.S. justice system incarcerates more Latino youth than White youth and treats them more harshly for similar offenses.

The justice system incarcerates nearly 18,000 Latino youth each day and holds nearly one in four in an adult jail or prison. The report shows that holding Latino youth in adult facilities subjects them to significant dangers, such as suicide and rape, and causes severe emotional damage due to unjust treatment and the lack of therapeutic care.

The report calls on Congress to provide funds for community-based programs and alternative treatments to incarceration that effectively promote educational and emotional development among Latino youth and to reauthorize and update the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act this year to reduce racial disparities in the justice system and ban youth from being housed in adult jails. It also recommends that state and local policymakers stop housing Latino youth in adult jails and transfer resources from incarceration to effective, community-based programs.

Closed! Pools, libraries placed on budget chopping block

Tue, 26 May 2009 13:23:00 +0000

PHILADELPHIA -- Protesters rallied outside of the City Council here where the city’s $3.8 billion budget passed unanimously on May 21.

The Coalition for Essential Services organized the protest to bring public attention to the cuts in city services which include closing libraries on the weekends and cuts in library programs, cuts in after school programs and closing 30 pools.

The increased sales tax also angered the group. In order to close the budget gap City Council increased the sales tax from 7 percent to 8 percent for five years.

Change to the accounting rules for the city’s pension fund will also generate funds for the city. But the majority Republican State Legislature will have to OK the tax increase and changes in pension plan rules.

Mayor Michael Nutter had tried to increase property tax by 20 percent but a storm of protest forced him to withdraw that plan. Earlier Nutter tried to close 11 libraries, but Philadelphians organized and took it to court. A judge’s ruling prevented the closings.

“Low income families will suffer the most,” said protestor Sherrie Cohen, “they can’t afford to pay for summer camps or after school childcare and depend on city programs.”

Plus, she added, “The sales tax is a regressive tax because lower income people pay a higher percentage of their income for sales tax than wealthy people do.”

Twenty-four percent of Philadelphia’s population is at or below the poverty line.

The Coalition for Essential Services is composed of many progressive groups and unions such as ACORN, AFSCME District Councils 33 and 47, Jobs with Justice, Citizens for Children and Youth, Health Care for America Now, Coalition of Labor Union Women and many more.

The Coalition for Essential Services offered alternatives for closing the budget gap:

By ending the 10 year local property tax abatement, the city would save $3 million immediately;

If the city collected 50 percent of uncollected taxes it would add $200 million to the budget;

Collecting a payment from tax exempt institutions like the University of Pennsylvania for the city services they receive could raise $38 million;

Collecting 10 percent of the bail money owed the city would add $100 million;

Rolling back the Wage Tax to the 2004 level while exempting low wage families making $35,000 a year or less would add $112 million for the city;

Rolling back the Gross Receipts Tax to the 2003 level for businesses with gross sales over $500,000 a year would bring in $36 million;

By converting Wage Tax into Income Tax $38 million could be added to the budget.

The Coalition wants to close the corporate loopholes in state taxes and create a revenue sharing stream for stressed PA cities.

Mayor Nutter began 2008 with a $119 million surplus but the national financial crisis caused Philadelphia to end up with a $108 million deficit and a $1.4 billion deficit over five years. The meltdown on Wall St. resulted in huge losses for the city’s pension plan and city funds had to be used to stabilize the fund. Revenues from real estate and business decreased. Job cuts include about 220 layoffs, eliminating 600 open positions, unpaid furloughs for employees in 2009 and 2010, salary cuts for the top staff including the mayor, salary freezes, elimination of some contracted out services and boosting efficiency in every department to reduce costs.

If the State Legislature does not OK the sales tax increase, Philadelphia faces big trouble.

U.S. appreciates JCP letter on elimination of nuclear weapons

Tue, 26 May 2009 05:45:00 +0000

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on May 19 made public a letter he received from the U.S. government in response to his April 28 letter calling on U.S. President Obama to take the initiative for starting international negotiations to conclude a treaty abolishing nuclear weapons.

The following is the opening statement Shii made at the news conference.

I make public a letter from the U.S. government responding to my letter sent on April 28 to U.S. President Obama. In my letter, I called on him to take the initiative to eliminate nuclear weapons. The U.S. letter in response is signed by Assistant Secretary of State Glyn T. Davies on behalf of President Obama. We make available the original text of the letter with the translation we prepared. The signature by Mr. Davies is not shown on the copy of the letter from the U.S. for the purpose of protecting privacy.

In my letter to the U.S. President welcoming the president's call for a 'world without nuclear weapons' in his Prague speech, I stated our views as to how best this call can be implemented effectively.

The U.S. letter of response appreciated the favorable impression I had of President Obama's speech in Prague and our views conveyed to him regarding 'how we can best achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.' The letter expressed appreciation of our 'passion for this issue' and concluded by stating, 'Thank you again for your thoughtful correspondence.'

This official response to my letter proves that President Obama is serious about, and has enthusiasm for, the elimination of nuclear weapons. I want to welcome this response.

In my letter, I requested that President Obama take action in order to (1) start international negotiations for the abolition of nuclear weapons and (2) have the nuclear-weapons countries promise at the next year's NPT Review Conference to fulfill their commitment to the complete elimination of their nuclear arsenals. We hope to see President Obama take concrete action in response to these requests.

In this regard, we note the message President Obama sent on May 5 to the Preparatory Committee for the NPT Review Conference reiterating that the United States will 'seek the peace and security of a world free of nuclear weapons' while reaffirming the 'United States' commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty'. This is a step forward that represents a welcome move away from the previous Bush administration's denial of the nuclear-weapons countries' 'undertaking'.

The outcome regarding the issue of nuclear weapons will be heavily influenced by global public opinion. In preparation for the next NPT Review Conference in 2010, the 2008 World Conference against A & H Bombs launched an international signature campaign in support of the 'Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World,' which calls 'on the nuclear weapons states and all other governments to agree to commence and conclude negotiations of a treaty, a nuclear weapons convention, to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons without delay.' It is very important to increase the influence of this signature campaign, which is underway, along with many other grassroots movements, for the abolition of nuclear weapons in many countries, in particular Japan, the only atomic bombed country. The JCP will do its utmost to contribute to the development of the movement.

Bring troops home from Afghanistan

Wed, 20 May 2009 02:19:00 +0000

The U.S. Senate is poised to vote before Memorial Day on funds to continue the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through Sept. 30. The House of Representatives has already approved a supplemental appropriation, but we can still urge our senators to focus spending on ending both wars as soon as possible.

Two recent developments cast the U.S. role in Afghanistan in an ominous light:

On May 4, U.S. air strikes killed up to 140 civilians in western Farah province; Afghan officials said the majority were children.

On May 11, the Obama administration appointed Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal as U.S. commander there.

The civilian deaths – though the highest reported to date from U.S. and NATO air strikes – were just the latest. The United Nations says such attacks killed over 2,000 Afghan civilians last year. Drone attacks into western Pakistan are killing civilians there, too.

President Obama has repeatedly said diplomacy and civilian aid must play major roles in Afghanistan, and there can be no solely military solution. But the increase in troops, and the appointment of McChrystal, whose experience is in targeted raids and air strikes against insurgent leaders in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, move in the opposite direction.

Representative Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) pointed to a different way when during the House debate on the supplemental appropriation, he introduced H.R. 2404. The House resolution, with 73 co-sponsors including several Republicans, calls on the administration by the end of this year to project a strategy for U.S. military forces to leave Afghanistan.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus’ just-released report urges reversing the present spending ratio so 80 percent of funds would help develop health care, education, transportation and other civilian needs. The CPC also calls for an immediate end to U.S. air strikes and drone attacks, along with increased dialogue with the country’s ethnic and tribal leaders.

Some 685 U.S. troops and 465 soldiers from other countries have died so far in Afghanistan, and an estimated 20,000 Afghans have died as a result of the U.S. invasion. The U.S. has already spent over $170 billion on the Afghan war to date; tens of billions more are included in the supplemental appropriation, and analysts say total costs could ultimately exceed the recent bailout of Wall St.

Action now can help stem this rising toll on people and resources by Memorial Day next year.

Hundreds rally at Bank of America to stop home foreclosures

Tue, 19 May 2009 15:34:00 +0000

CHICAGO – Elia Santana lives here on the southwest side with her husband, four children and mother. In January 2008 Santana’s father passed away putting an emotional and financial strain on her family. The Santana family was unable to make payments on their mortgage and became two months overdue.

Santana tried several times to contact Countrywide, their loan department to resolve the situation. They said someone would contact her soon. After waiting for a month with no reply, Santana called back and continued to get no additional information.

Frustrated, Santana went to the nearest Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago where a counselor was finally able to access Countrywide personnel.

After four months working with Countrywide a Partial Claim was offered to make up for missed payments. At one point Santana had to resubmit paperwork, which took weeks to prepare because she was missing the middle initial from her signature. The negotiations took so long, in fact due to lost documents, missing faxes, and staff turnover on the part of Countrywide, that the Partial Claim offer had expired.

Santana is still seeking assistance from NHS to resolve the matter after working diligently for the past 12 months. Today, the loans are now in the hands of Bank of America, and on June 5th the Santana home is expected to foreclose.

Santana and her family joined more than 200 residents here May 16, including faith-based, local school and neighborhood leaders at a southwest side branch of Bank of America urging the bank to fix bad loans and stop foreclosures wreaking havoc within their communities. The rally, led by the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), wants the bank to be more accountable and proactive, and to partner with housing rights groups in the area in order to develop an effective response to the foreclosure crisis.

“My husband lost his job,” said an emotional Santana to the World. “We can’t sleep at night and we have nightmares because we are so sad and sacred of losing our home.”

Santana added, “The bank does not want to listen to us, they just want their money and we have tried and tried to reason with them that we are in a real desperate situation. This is an injustice and the bank will not even hear us out. The voice of my family is the voice of hundreds of families in Chicago and we’re here to stand up for our rights.”

Dennis Ryan is a strategy team member with SWOP and vice president of community and external affairs with Holy Cross Hospital.

“We want to put an end to the foreclosures that are wrecking our neighborhood and tearing apart families,” said Ryan during the rally. “The lenders foreclosing on these homes need to play a more proactive approach but instead they are acting shamelessly. They need to become part of the solution not the problem,” he said.

Ryan noted that the Bank of America branch is located in the old Talman Federal Savings Bank building, an historic financial institution recognized by many long-time residents as the bank that refused to foreclose on neighborhood homes during the Great Depression.

“This used to be a bank that people revered,” said Ryan. “Today you stand before one of the worst foreclosure banks in this community.”

David McDowell, a senior organizer with SWOP, added, “The most important thing is to keep families like the Santana’s in their homes. And we can’t have vacant homes everywhere because it’s dangerous.”

McDowell said a young boy was beaten, shot, set on fire and left to die in the gangway of an abandoned and foreclosed home in the area recently. “If there was a family living there, maybe the boy’s life would have been saved,” he said.

SWOP is a broad-based organization of 26 churches, mosques, schools and other institutions on the city’s southwest side that works to enable families to exercise common values, determine their own future and connect with each other to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Since January 2008, more than 3,000 homes in four southwest side zip codes entered foreclosure. According to SWOP, Bank of America and its subsidiary, Countrywide, were responsible for 240 of those foreclosures. The bank is on pace to double their numbers this year, having already initiated foreclosures on 117 homes in the first quarter alone.

Local southwest side HUD-certified housing counseling agencies have tripled their services over the last year and still have waits in excess of 3-4 weeks before a resident can get an appointment. Each counselor has over 50 clients they are working with at any given time. With each client taking up to several months to work out a solution, they are able to impact only a fraction of the foreclosures that the neighborhood is facing.

Over 45,000 foreclosures have been reported last year throughout Cook County and more are expected this year. Critics charge the banking industry’s insistence on correcting this crisis on a one-at-a-time approach is failing. According to the Woodstock Institute, 98 percent of homes failed to sell at the initial foreclosure auction in 2008, reverting back to the banks. This dramatically increased the number of boarded-up homes, causing existing home values to plummet, which puts more and more homeowners at risk.

Leaders at the rally say the southwest side is losing vital community leaders like church lectors, parents involved in schools, local business owners, and block club presidents. The cornerstones of these neighborhoods, they say, are eroding as empty lots and boarded-up homes become the face of once-emergent communities.

State Rep. Esther Golar was at the rally and said there are 4,000 vacant homes in the African American Englewood community in her district.

“These people are out here suffering because of this housing crisis and they don’t know what to do,” said Golar.

The banks, including Bank of America were bailed out with taxpayer dollars and now they should do the right thing and keep these families in their homes, she said.

At the end of the rally a small delegation of resident and community leaders announced that Bank of America senior management agreed to meet with the leaders there, later in the month.

American Idol stars ordered to have swine flu checks in Manila

Sat, 16 May 2009 05:33:00 +0000

MUNTINLUPA, the Philippines, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Alarmed over the rapid spread of Influenza A/H1N1, Philippine health officials on Thursday said they have demanded two arriving 'American Idol' stars to daily report their temperature readings before their Manila concert this weekend.

David Cook, the winner of the 'American Idol' Season 7, together with the runner-up David Archuleta, arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday and will hold a much anticipated concert on Saturday night at the outdoor performing ground near the Manila Bay that can accommodate tens of thousands of Davids' fans.

Compared to fervent young Filipino fans, Edgardo Sabitsana, the Quarantine chief of the Philippine Department of Health, told media that he is more concerned about the daunting Influenza A/H1N1 issue as the two Davids and their 8-men team were coming from the United States where 3009 human cases were reported, including three deaths.

On the other hand, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told a press conference held here at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine that as of Thursday the Philippines has 'zero case' Influenza A/H1N1.

Duque said people traveling from the flu-affected countries and regions are required to be screened for signs and symptoms of the virus.

Sabitsana said it cost him three hours on Wednesday to have the 'Idols' to comply with the health rules, especially after he threatened to cancel the concert for public health concerns.

'After our discussion, they realized that it is for their own good and they became very cooperative,' he said.

Sabitsana said the group are not found to be affected by the flu virus as of now and the artists and their team agreed to report their temperatures to the health authorities twice a day from late Wednesday to Saturday.

Sabitsana said the stars and event organizers were also briefed on the proper precautionary measures that they are recommended to take on Saturday night.

'Make available adequate hand washing facilities with disinfectant soap or sanitizers, observe social distancing and personal hygiene and etc.,' Sabitsana said.

But a brief fans-greeting event on Wednesday has testified that the health authorities' recommendation on 'social distancing' is almost impossible to be implemented.

Hundreds of screaming Filipino young girls pushed each other in a large crowd to get close to David Archuleta from the second he appeared inside a shopping mall. Girls literally chased him as security personnel escorted the cute-faced Archuleta out of the mall after the five-minute say-hi event.

New ILO study emphasizes possible impact of global economic crisis on forced labour

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Brussels, 12 May 2009: The ITUC has welcomed a new ILO Global Report on forced labour worldwide, which will be submitted to the ILO’s annual International Labour Conference in Geneva in June.

Entitled “The Cost of Coercion”, it details, among other aspects, the growing number of unethical, fraudulent and criminal practices that can lead people into situations of forced labour, and calls for increased efforts to eradicate these forms of exploitation. The report also charts the significant international and national progress in reducing and preventing forced labour, but warns of the possible negative impacts of the global economic and jobs crisis on efforts to eliminate it.

The report’s USD 20 billion estimate of the “opportunity cost” of the coercion of workers affected by these abusive practices, in terms of lost earnings, puts the economic case alongside the clear moral and legal imperatives to eliminate forced labour.

It also points out that among intensified international and national efforts to reduce and prevent forced labour, are new laws and policies at national and regional levels as well as growing provision of social protection for those most at risk of forced labour and trafficking. In addition, it offers much-needed guidance and expertise on effective means to combat these practices.

The ITUC, through its own forced labour programme, is supporting union action on the issue in general, along with specific attention groups, such as domestic workers, where the extent of forced labour is not widely recognized. One area of growing concern which the report did not emphasise concerns the use of forced prison labour, which is regulated by ILO Convention 29, and which is also subject to WTO restrictions under article XXe of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

“The fact that forced labour still exists, and especially on such a huge scale, is an absolute scandal which the international community simply should not tolerate. Governments must work together, especially to combat the scourge of human trafficking, through effective laws and proper enforcement,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder, adding that “trade unions, often working with NGOs and governments, are actively working to prevent forced labour and to identify and assist those affected.”

Lima bean soup

Wed, 13 May 2009 03:51:00 +0000

A hearty, nutritious soup that will feed 12.

1 16 oz bag of dried baby lima beans 1 smoked turkey leg or wing low salt chicken broth, canned or home made (optional) 2 medium onions, chopped 1 to 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 or 4 potatoes (not bakers), cut up into chunks 3 or 4 carrots, cut into coins or ovals or wedges 1 stalk celery, sliced 1 16 oz can tomatoes (whole or diced) 1 or 2 dried bay leaves ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes other dried or fresh herbs to taste DO NOT ADD SALT

The day before you are cooking the soup: wash and pick over the beans, save the bag. Put beans to soak in a large pot of water. The water level should be at least a couple of inches over the beans. Set the pan of soaking beans aside overnight.

At least 2 hours before serving: dump out the soaking water and add fresh water, a little less than directed on the bag. If you will be using low salt cooking broth use this for an equal amount of water. Wash the smoked turkey leg or wing under running water and add to the pot, pushing it down into the beans. Bring the pot to a full rolling boil, then turn down the heat and cook at a very low boil or simmer for an hour.

After the first hour the beans are pretty well cooked and you can add the vegetables and seasonings. Add the tomatoes including all the liquid. If using whole tomatoes, break them up with your hands as you add them to the soup. Stir well, bring the soup back up to the boil, reduce heat and continue to simmer another hour.

Before serving: remove the turkey leg or wing and let it cool before handling. There will be some usable meat that you can remove from the bone, cut up and add to the soup. At this point taste the soup. It probably does not need any salt. Served with a hearty bread this makes a nourishing, inexpensive meal for a crowd. Leftover soup can be refrigerated for 3 or 4 days and reheated — some say it’s even better this way.

(When my mother made this soup she used a ham bone, of course, not a smoked turkey leg. But few of us cook up a ham these days and smoke turkey legs and wings are readily available.)

Calcium is key to strong bones for a lifetime

Tue, 12 May 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Drink your milk—it’s often a message to children, but adults can also benefit from this advice.

Drinking milk—and for that matter—eating yogurt, leafy green vegetables, nuts, seafood, and fortified juices and cereals are all great ways to boost your daily intake of calcium, a mineral that plays a vital role in maintaining the body’s structure and function. Calcium builds bones and keeps them strong. It also helps muscles to contract, blood to clot, and your heart to pump.

Getting enough calcium combats the bone loss that naturally increases with age. This is especially important for women, who are much more likely than men to have problems related to weak bones. Eighty percent of the 10 million Americans who have osteoporosis, a debilitating disease marked by porous, fragile bones, are women. Another 37 percent–50 percent of women over 50 have osteopenia (low bone mass). Both conditions put sufferers at risk for bone fractures, which can take longer to heal as you age and can cause major mobility problems, or sometimes death.

You may be at higher risk if you have a personal or family history of bone fractures, eat a diet low in calcium, do not exercise, weigh 127 pounds or less, have a history of falls, are Caucasian, are in poor health, or use alcohol and tobacco. Regardless of whether risk factors are present, many women are unaware that their bones are brittle until they break one. To prevent fractures and identify bone weakness, ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) recommends that women age 65 and older or women who have had a fracture be tested for bone mineral density. Postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors for osteoporosis should also be tested.

The average American only gets 500 to 750 milligrams of calcium each day, far short of the recommended daily intake. Premenopausal women, or menopausal women who take estrogen, need 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day. Post-menopausal women who do not take estrogen should get 1,500 milligrams. Daily intake of vitamin D, the fat soluble vitamin that helps the body absorb calcium, should be between 200 and 600 IUs (International Units) depending on a woman’s age. Drink milk, eat vitamin D-fortified foods, or get 15 minutes of sun exposure on your hands and face or arms a few days a week to ensure you get enough. Your doctor can also suggest a calcium and vitamin D supplement if you don’t get enough from your diet alone.

You can further help strengthen bones by engaging in weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, tennis, dancing, yoga, or tai chi. Additionally, certain types of hormone therapy and other drugs containing bisphosphonates, estrogen, and calcitonin can also help prevent fractures. Talk to your doctor about medications that may work for you. ♀

Gerald F. Joseph, Jr, MD, is president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

BOOK REVIEW A Red Family

Sun, 10 May 2009 09:56:00 +0000

A Red Family By Mickey Friedman University of Illinois Press, 2009, 216 pp

The 2002 death of former Communist Party activist and longtime civil rights/labor activist Junius Scales concluded one of America's most distinctive lives. Convicted of a felony in the 1950s solely for his party membership, Scales appealed his case to the Supreme Court, where the ruling was upheld. He began serving a six-year prison term in 1961, but had his sentence commuted by President John F. Kennedy amid appeals by prominent citizens. His case was turned into a play, The Limits of Dissent, in 1976.

More than a sensational case, the life of Junius Scales was one where a passion for a better country frequently put a young man from a privileged Deep South background regularly in harm's way. In A Red Family (University of Illinois Press, 2009), Scales' life is examined through his own eyes as well as through the words of his wife Gladys and daughter Barbara. The result is an intimate book offering a look at a family richly defined by social justice struggles, especially the civil rights movement.

A Red Family follows the trajectory of Junius' Communist years, including grassroots work he did in the South at a time when the Ku Klux Klan was rampaging in many areas, and local as well as federal officials were impotent at best and actively collaborating at worst. Harassment, arrests and campaign rigors -- Scales lived underground for various stretches of time, despite occasional disagreements with Party leadership over the strategy -- might have steeled his resolve, but all the hardships the family faced took their toll. Nevertheless Junius and Gladys Scales together refused to be broken in their commitment.

In these times, when words like 'socialist' are hurled like daggers, A Red Family is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made to make racial and labor justice a reality.

Ernesto Aguilar is program director of KPFT radio station in Houston, Texas.

Ronald Reagan reaches out from his grave, ties up National Labor Relations Board

Sat, 09 May 2009 06:52:00 +0000

The “Gipper” apparently knew what he was doing when he stacked the federal courts with young right-wing lawyers back in the 1980s. The now old right-wing judges are still on their benches and are busy, these days, doing whatever they can to slow the advance of the labor and progressive movements.

The National Labor Relations Board has put a freeze on consideration of all contested cases because of a recent ruling by a right-wing federal judge who was one of the many appointed by President Ronald Reagan..

Judge David Sentelle of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled May 1 in favor of a company that challenged a board ruling that it had violated numerous labor laws. Sentelle, appointed to the bench in 1987 by Ronald Reagan, has a long history of making anti-worker and even unethical decisions.

To understand how he was able to throw a wrench into the entire NLRB operation and endanger numerous efforts by workers fighting for rights on the job, it is helpful to review a bit of history.

The five-member NLRB has, since Dec. 31, 2007, had only two sitting members, Democrat Wilma Liebman and Republican Peter Schaumber, and three vacancies. Before the last two left the board at the end of 2007, the then group of four decided to delegate NLRB’s authority to a panel of three. Even if the third member was a phantom, in cases where Liebman and Schaumber agreed on a solution there would be a quorum of two. Since then, the two have agreed upon and decided 300 cases, all 2-0.

Appellate Judge Joel Flaum in Chicago said the 2-0 rulings are legal when he upheld the Liebman-Schaumber ruling that New Process Steel, an Indiana steel maker, violated labor law by not accepting a signed contract with the Machinists.

Judge Sentelle in Washington, D.C., however, said the 2-0 rulings are illegal when, on the same day, he threw out the Liebman-Schaumber 2-0 ruling that Laurel Baye Healthcare violated labor law in a dispute with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1996.

Sentelle also ruled that all 300 past cases decided by that margin should be put on hold and decided all over again, once the NLRB has a quorum.

David Parker, a top assistant to Liebman, said the NLRB “is considering all its legal options.” These include requesting that the full D.C. court, within 45 days, re-hear the case that Sentelle ruled on. “Meanwhile, Liebman and Schaumber are not going to issue any rulings on contested cases,” Parker said.

The delay has the potential to cause serious problems because, except for airlines and railroads, the NLRB oversees labor-management relations, determines whether unions can seek recognition elections at worksites, decides which jobs are covered in potential bargaining units, and whether unions can be ousted as the result of particular decertification efforts.

The board also rules on whether a particular class of workers may or may not be covered by labor law, therefore having the right to organize.

Judge Sentelle has a long judicial record in service of right wing causes. He backed elimination of habeus corpus for prisoners at Guantanamo and he ruled against freedom of the press by insisting journalists must reveal sources upon court demand. As a sitting judge he met with and schemed with Republican senators to help get Kenneth Starr appointed as special prosecutor in the Whitewater case during the Clinton administration.

jwojcik @ pww.org

12 fun family spring/summer activities that won't break the bank

Sat, 09 May 2009 06:14:00 +0000

1) Take a trip to the Farmers’ Market. Farmers’ markets are unexpected family-oriented places that offer great stimulation for children. They present a fun learning opportunity where kids can experience various colors, shapes, sounds and smells. Kids can touch and taste. And there are plenty of freebies, which means mom and dad don’t always have to buy! Frequent visits allow a family to develop relationships with local farmers and vendors in their community. To find a local farmers’ market near you, visit: .

2) Do a little gardening. This is an inexpensive way to teach your kids about nature. Buy a packet of seeds from a local hardware store or gather some leftover seeds from the fruits and vegetables you bring home from the market. Kids can plant flowers, fruits or vegetables in your backyard garden, a flower pot, or a widow box, and watch them grow. Plus, girls and boys love to play in the dirt!

3) Visit the schoolyard or playground. Head to an elementary school playground outside of school hours, or any local park or playground. When your kids have tired of the swings and jungle gym, go for a walk or take a bike ride.

4) Go on a picnic. Pack up some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and juice boxes and spread out a blanket at a nearby park. Meet up with other moms and dads and their kids. Feed the birds or ducks day-old bread—just watch out for those pesky squirrels! You can even bring the family dog or a favorite doll or stuffed animal along for the fun.

5) Make your own bubbles. Whether you’re at home in the backyard or at the park, blowing bubbles is always a fun activity for kids. Take the fun one step further and make your own bubbles together! All you need is a shallow pan, a little dish soap, water and glycerin (available at your local pharmacy). A house fly swatter doubles as a wand for lots of teeny bubbles. Check out some great bubble recipes and tips at .

6) Hold a neighborhood bicycle parade. Round up the children on your street and hold a bicycle and tricycle parade through the neighborhood! Use newspaper comic strips as handlebar streamers. Attach playing cards to the part of the bike that holds the wheels in place, and when the wheels turn, the spokes will make all sorts of noise.

7) Have a garage sale. Get rid of “stuff” in the house that you no longer want or need. Parents are always looking for “gently used” children’s things. Let your school age kids manage their own lemonade stand—always a big hit! Or, if you’re in the market, take your kids to a neighborhood garage sale. Let your kids pick out a “new” toy. Remember, another kid’s old toy is new to your child! Garage sales are also great places to find gently used books for all ages to read. Check your local community newspaper for garage sale listings.

8) Chalk is Cheap. Sidewalk chalk is a great invention. It’s thicker than blackboard chalk (easier for small hands to maneuver), it lasts longer, and it comes in colors and fun shapes. Any sidewalk or driveway becomes a canvas for “works of art” and will attract children of all ages. This is a fun mess that is easy to clean up with a garden hose or families can just wait until it rains. And for rainy days or those days when it’s just too hot to be outside, here are some great indoor activities to try!

9) Walk the Mall. Many local malls open their doors for walkers before the stores open. Get a group of moms and dads together, grab the kids and strollers, and head out bright and early to get some exercise. Moms and dads can visit the coffee shop afterward and bring some juice boxes for the kids. Call your local mall to learn more about their walking program, as some require registration.

10) Visit the Public Library. The public library is a terrific and often underutilized resource for families. Because early literacy is a huge part of the library’s mission, most libraries have a number of free programs including story times, author readings, reading contests, and even craft activities. Check your local phone book for library and branch information.

11) Make Your Own Clay! 1 Cup flour 1 Tbsp oil ½ Cup salt 1 Cup water 2 tsp. Cream of tartar Food coloring or beet juice or carrot juice Combine flour, salt, cream of tartar in bowl. Gradually stir liquids into dry ingredients. Stir in food coloring or juice (add small amounts at a time).Cook in saucepan over medium heat until a ball forms. Clay will darken slightly when cooked. Remove from heat and knead until smooth. If sticky, cook for a few minutes longer. Have fun – just be careful of the furniture!

12) Spend Time on the World Wide Web. More and more parents are using computers with their young children, as the Web can help teach important skills. The Internet offers a wealth of knowledge and activities for children to do on their own or with parents or older siblings. There are some phenomenal Web sites and resources out there. I like , , and . Or Google “free stuff for kids” for a host of other options!

Bette Holtzman has been a family therapist and children’s advocate for more than twenty five years. And is the vice president of consumer and family advocacy for Goldberger Company, a 93-year-old family owned and operated toy company that specializes in dolls and playthings for children aged 0 to 3.

Three reasons to donate TODAY

Fri, 08 May 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Three reasons to give – or make a pledge – TODAY!

1. The People’s Weekly World/Nuestro Mundo is sending our labor reporter, John Wojcik, to cover the America's Future Now conference in June - the major gathering point for labor and progressive elected officials and organizations. 2. The PWW is now a DAILY again, online - and expanding our daily news and analysis. 3. The PWW is getting ready to launch a terrific newly redesigned web site that will help reach millions of readers around the country.

Click here to donate today

Planned Parenthood tells Judy Blume: We are there!

Fri, 08 May 2009 05:48:00 +0000

Planned Parenthood is mounting a campaign to support young people’s author Judy Blume.

Blume has faced a barrage of hate mail and phone calls from anti-reproductive rights extremists after she wrote a letter about Mother’s Day for Planned Parenthood.

In an e-mail, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said, “We rarely respond to these outrageous attacks, but when it comes to Judy Blume ... well, I can't stand by and do nothing. I just can't. Please, let her know how much we appreciate her courage!”

Blume wrote a Mother’s Day letter and donation pitch for Planned Parenthood. She said, “I'm a mom, and I'm also a writer and an activist. Nothing has made me prouder than seeing my own children -- and really, all young people -- grow up to be healthy, educated, and in charge of their bodies and their lives.

“That's where Planned Parenthood comes in. There is no organization that I know of that supports motherhood and all that it means more than Planned Parenthood. That's why I'm honoring moms everywhere with my gift to Planned Parenthood today.”

Blume has been a target of attacks before by far-right extremists. She won the “distinction” of being No. 2 on the American Library Association's list of top 10 most frequently challenged authors from 1990 to 2004. “Challenged” means some individual or group filed a formal request to ban her books on public or school library shelves.

Why? Because in her writing she discusses frankly and appropriately challenges children and young adults face growing up – including sexual relationships, supporters say.

Among the books this award-winning author has written are, 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret'; 'Blubber'; 'Just as Long as We're Together'; and the five book series about the 'irrepressible' Fudge.

Whether it's hate mail or banning books, such actions seek to limit freedom of speech, supporters say, and urge the public to stand up for Blume, mothers, families and freedom of speech, this Mother's Day.

Click here to send Blume a thank you note.

Red Cross says US bombs hit civilians in Afghanistan

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:45:00 +0000

Original source:

Women and children were among the victims of a US air raid in Afghanistan, the Red Cross have confirmed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross reported on Wednesday that its officials had seen women and children among dozens of bodies in two bombed villages.

The first images from the bombings in Farah province emerged on Wednesday.

They showed villagers burying the dead in about a dozen fresh graves, while others dug through the rubble of demolished mud-brick homes.

A team from the international Red Cross travelled to Bala Baluk district in Farah on Tuesday, where the officials saw 'dozens of bodies in each of the two locations that we went to,' said spokeswoman Jessica Barry.

Former Bala Buluk district government official Mohammed Nieem Qadderdan said that between 100 and 120 people had been killed in the attacks.

He said villagers were still uncovering bodies, some of which were missing limbs or were torn into small pieces.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered an investigation into the killings and the US military sent a brigadier-general to Farah to head a US investigation. Afghan military and police officials were also part of the investigative team.

Provincial authorities have told villagers not to bury the bodies, but instead to line them up for the officials conducting the investigation to see.

Mr Karzai, who is currently in the US, will raise the issue of civilian deaths with US President Barack Obama. The two presidents were scheduled to hold their first meeting yesterday.

The bombings occurred after fighting broke out in the area on Monday. Provincial police chief Abdul Ghafar said 25 Taliban guerillas and three police officers had died in a battle near the village of Ganjabad in Bala Baluk district, a Taliban-controlled area near the border with Iran.

Villagers sheltered children, women and elderly men in housing compounds in the village of Gerani - about three miles to the east of the battleground - to keep them safe. But fighter aircraft later targeted those compounds, killing most of those inside.

A Western official in Kabul said US marine special operations forces called in the air strikes.

Villagers brought about 30 bodies to Farah city on Tuesday to show the governor.

Protesters at Minnesota ICE office call for immigration reform

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:23:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON - (Workday Minnesota) Members of community, labor and faith organizations gathered at the Minnesota headquarters of ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Wednesday to call for a moratorium on raids and the passage of comprehensive immigration reform. About 30 people were arrested in acts of civil disobedience.

The early morning demonstration was held at the ICE office in Bloomington. Demonstrators called on the Obama administration to immediately stop raids at workplaces, homes and other locations that have resulted in the arrest and deportation of thousands of undocumented immigrants.

Raids have disrupted the life in many communities and torn families apart. To dramatize the family separation, several participants held up baby clothes.

Instead of raids, comprehensive immigration reform is needed to address the root causes of migration, recognize the contributions made by noncitizens in the United States and move toward a humane immigration policy, organizers said.

Maine gov. signs marriage equality bill

Thu, 07 May 2009 13:26:00 +0000

This statement was released by Gov. John Baldacci's office on May 6, 2009.

May 6, 2009 Governor's Office

AUGUSTA -- Governor John E. Baldacci today signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.

'I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully,' Governor Baldacci said. 'I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.'

'I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue,' Governor Baldacci said. 'This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.'

'In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,' Governor Baldacci said. 'I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.'

'Article I in the Maine Constitution states that 'no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person's civil rights or be discriminated against.''

'This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,' Governor Baldacci said.

'It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine's civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.'

'Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word,' Governor Baldacci said. 'Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.'

'While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do,' Governor Baldacci said.

Nepal PM resigns in row over army chief

Wed, 06 May 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Original source:

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who heads the Unified Communist Party of Nepal - Maoist (UCPN-M), made the announcement on live television on Monday, one day after his firing of the army chief was rejected by President Ram Baran Yadav - who officially leads the army - and which caused some of his key political allies to withdraw from the ruling coalition.

'The unconstitutional and undemocratic move by the president has pushed the country toward a serious political crisis,' Mr Dahal warned in his resignation speech.

'The president has no power to act alone without prior approval of the cabinet on such matters,' he went on, adding: 'It is a fatal attack on the infant democracy.'

The UCPN-M fought a 10-year 'people's war' against the Western-backed autocratic former regime before accepting a UN-brokered peace agreement and joining the political mainstream in 2006.

It subsequently won elections last year, leading to the establishment of a republican administration that swept away the country's centuries-old Hindu monarchy.

But many UCPN-M cadres who participated in the conflict remain restricted to UN-monitored barracks, despite the fact that the UN peace deal specified that the former guerillas should be freed and integrated into the national army.

Army chief General Rookmangud Katawal has stopped the deal from being implemented, sparring repeatedly with the government.

After Mr Dahal dismissed Gen Katawal on Sunday the main coalition partner of the UCPN-M the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist and other key coalition members withdrew from the government, accusing the PM of acting 'unilaterally.'

Mr Dahal said yesterday that he had decided to step down 'to create a conducive environment and save the peace process.'

Earlier in the day, thousands of Maoist supporters rallied in Kathmandu to show support for the government and denounce the president's action.

Elsewhere in the city, supporters of Mr Yadav's centre-right Congress Party blocked traffic with burning tyres, chanting slogans against the government and the Maoists.

There were no reports of any clashes between the two sides, but Home Ministry official Navin Ghimire said that security forces were preparing for unrest.

In neighbouring India the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) urged Nepal's politicians to resolve their differences at the negotiating table.

CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury said that the crisis 'should be resolved through democratic means and discussion in political process.

'Otherwise, whatever the people have achieved in Nepal through struggle will be derailed,' Mr Yechury warned, adding that there should be no external interference in Nepal.