People Before Profit blog

On deficit, Obama says "corporate jet owners" should pay fair share

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:14:00 +0000

President Barack Obama ratcheted up the pressure yesterday on Republicans to get off their our-way-or -the-highway position in the debt/deficit talks between the White House and Congress.

The president said Republicans' refusal to raise revenues to close the $4 trillion debt by ending tax breaks for corporate jet owners and oil and gas corporations is a "maximalist" position and "unsustainable."

He said the American people would agree that it's more important to invest in education than it is for billionaires and millionaires to have tax breaks that no one else has.

"Before we ask our seniors to pay more for health care, before we cut our children's education, before we sacrifice our commitment to the research and innovation that will help create more jobs in the economy, I think it's only fair to ask an oil company or a corporate jet owner that has done so well to give up a tax break that no other business enjoys. I don't think that's real radical. I think the majority of Americans agree with that," he said.

Vice President Joe Biden and Republican House leader Eric Cantor headed the talks and identified $1 trillion in cuts before Cantor walked out refusing to consider ending government subsidies for billionaires and Big Oil.

The president said everyone, except Republicans in office, agrees there has to be a "balanced approach" between budget cuts and raising revenue "from folks who are doing extremely well, and enjoy the lowest tax rates since before I was born."

"They can still ride on their corporate jet. They just have to pay a little more," he said.

Obama said Republicans have to make some "tough choices" that would rile their tea party constituency, and that he took on some "sacred cows" that affected his Democratic base.

"Now is the time to go ahead and make the tough choices. That's why they're called leaders. And I've already shown that I'm willing to make some decisions that are very tough and will give my base of voters further reason to give me a hard time. But it's got to be done," he said.

The U.S. government is coming up against a "debt ceiling," which requires Congress to OK more borrowing.

Obama challenged rumors that it wouldn't be a big deal if the U.S. government couldn't borrow more money to pay its bills, and linked it to the larger issue of job creation and getting out of the economic crisis.

"I want everybody to understand that this is a jobs issue. This is not an abstraction. If the United States government, for the first time, cannot pay its bills, if it defaults, then the consequences for the U.S. economy will be significant and unpredictable," he said.

He took on other notions that all the government has to do is pay the interest for bondholders, saying you still have to decide which bills to pay.

"So are we really going to start paying interest to Chinese who hold treasuries and we're not going to pay folks their Social Security checks?"

This debt is based on money that Congress had already spent, he said.

"These are bills that Congress ran up. The money has been spent. The obligations have been made. This is not a situation where Congress is going to say, okay, we won't -- we won't buy this car or we won't take this vacation. They took the vacation. They bought the car. And now they're saying maybe we don't have to pay ... "

Analysts say Republicans want to make the U.S. government default to send the economy into chaos in order to recapture the White House in 2012.

Former Associated Press journalist Robert Parry compared the Republican maneuvers to CIA destabilization schemes to unseat democratic governments like in 1970s Chile.

Parry said Republicans want to make "America as ungovernable as possible by using almost any means available, from challenging the legitimacy of opponents to spreading lies and disinformation to sabotaging the economy."

He said Republicans are organized and armed with a potent propaganda machine and possess an extraordinary political will to even push "the U.S. economy off the cliff and blame the catastrophe on Obama" as perhaps "their best hope for winning" in 2012.

Photo: President Barack Obama listens to a question during a press conference in the East Room of the White House, June 29, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Rhode Island passes civil unions bill, with controversy

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:05:00 +0000

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Rhode Island state Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions. The measure already passed the state House, and Gov. Lincoln Chafee is expected to sign the bill. It will make Rhode Island the fifth state to recognize same-sex civil unions, following Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey and Delaware.

The action is somewhat anti-climactic after New York's legalization of same-sex marriage just last week, the sixth state to do so. In addition to New York same-sex marriage is now recognized by Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut, as well as the District of Columbia.

But in Rhode Island, House Speaker Gordon Fox, an openly gay Providence Democrat who supports marriage rights for same-sex couples, dropped a same-sex marriage bill last month, saying there were not enough votes to pass it.

The bill passed by the state Senate on a 21-16 vote yesterday allows gay couples to enter into civil unions that offer the same "rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities" given to married couples under Rhode Island law.

However it contains a controversial amendment stating that religious organizations and their employees "shall not be required to" provide services for civil-union ceremonies or "treat as valid any civil union."

State Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, a Democrat who opposes same-sex marriage but supported the civil unions bill, called the bill "a compromise" and "a vote for equality."

But before the Senate vote, local and national marriage equality advocacy groups sent a letter to the governor urging him to veto the bill if it included the amendment.

The exemptions provided in the amendment "would create onerous and discriminatory hurdles for same-sex couples that no other state has ever put in place," said the letter. It was signed by Marriage Equality Rhode Island along with Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Family Equality Council, and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Other states, most recently New York, have included exemptions for religious institutions in their marriage equality laws. But Ray Sullivan, campaign director for Marriage Equality Rhode Island, said his group believes the language in Rhode Island's bill is far more discriminatory. "It allows private organizations to pro-actively discriminate against gay and lesbian couples," he said.

For example, Sullivan said, because of the way the bill is written, an emergency room at a religiously affiliated hospital could keep a civil union spouse out of the treatment area, barring the spouse from participating in treatment decisions. Likewise, a human resources clerk at a religiously affiliated college could deny an employee family medical leave to care for a civil union spouse.

Meanwhile, anti-gay-marriage groups in Rhode Island strongly oppose the bill, calling it a step toward same-sex marriage.

Gov. Chafee, an independent who supports legalizing same-sex marriage, has said he will probably sign the bill. Chafee told the Providence Journal he opposes the exemptions included in the bill but added, "Sometimes you don't get it all."

"Rhode Island, by our demographics, it's a difficult state to make some of these changes," he said. "Changes come a little slow when you have a high elderly population, the highest Roman Catholic state in the country. It's just demographic factors."

Photo: Rhode Island lawmakers speak on behalf of marriage equality legislation on the steps of the Statehouse in Providence last month. Marriage Equality Rhode Island

Letter to Washington: Don't cut deficits on backs of poor

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:24:00 +0000

WASHINGTON - The Coalition on Human Needs and other defenders of the poor wrote to President Obama and the Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress June 27 urging them to reject any cutbacks in low-income benefit programs that would increase poverty and hunger in their current negotiations on deficit reductions.

The letter is signed by scores of low-income advocacy groups, many part of a newly formed religious coalition called "Circle of Protection." The letter warns, "Cuts in programs that help low-income people meet their basic needs or provide them with opportunity to obtain decent education and employment inevitably increase poverty and hardship."

The letter points out that negotiations on deficit reductions in the past 30 years have been guided by a bipartisan agreement that spending cuts should not increase poverty. But this time, the Republican right is driving ruthlessly to slash the low-income safety net. It concludes, "We call on Congress and the White House to commit to the principle of protecting low-income people in deficit reduction."

The message comes as Obama exerts pressure on Republicans to drop their efforts to extort sweeping cuts in Social Security, Medicare and other federal programs as the price for their agreement to an increase in the debt ceiling. Obama is demanding an agreement by July 1, before Congress recesses for the Fourth of July.

Coalition Executive Director Deborah Weinstein assailed the "fanaticism among those who want to shrink the government, reduce its capacity, in a way that, frankly, weakens our nation."

The proposed 2012 federal budget approved by the Republican-majority House, she continued, "is an example of that kind of fanaticism. It makes cuts in program after program that protect the vulnerable, but it also dramatically cuts taxes for the richest individuals and corporations."

It reduces the top corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent, she noted, "and that will cost the Treasury $2 trillion over ten years," a huge addition to the Federal deficit. "That's from Chairman (Paul) Ryan who touts himself as someone concerned about deficits," she said.

This is a program, she continued, obsessed with "shrinking government and further concentrating wealth and power in a very few hands. To us, that is un-American. The threats to our nation are so very grave."

The National Low Income Housing Coalition appended it's own message addressed to Obama and Vice President Biden demanding that they "hold firm and prevent harmful cuts or caps to low income programs in the negotiations to reduce the deficit." The coalition urges the administration to "insist on fair increases in revenues to prevent reckless cuts to housing programs, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps and other essential services."

One signer of the letter, Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, wrote, "With more of our nation's men, women and children facing hunger today than ever before, it would be unconscionable for the Congress and administration to cut the first line of defense against hunger in America."

Escarra added, "Feeding America food banks are already overburdened as we struggle to keep pace with historic levels of need for emergency assistance, and private charity cannot fill the gap if nutrition assistance programs are cut."

Federal nutrition programs "are the difference between enough to eat and not for one in four Americans," she concluded.

Other organizations signing the letter include the Children's Defense Fund, United Way, National Council of La Raza, Families USA and the NAACP.

Funding for Food Stamps, now called SNAP, was increased in 2009 and early 2010 while the Democrats held a majority in the House and Senate. Those increases, Weinstein said, "did a remarkable job of preventing a dire increase in food hardship at the same time that poverty and unemployment were rising."

In 2008, the rate of food hardship had risen to 19.5 percent; in 2009, it fell to 18.3 percent. In 2010, it dropped again to 18 percent. Weinstein said 18 percent is still a "terribly high" rate of food hardship. But hunger fighters had expected "a gigantic increase in hunger."

The fact that the rate fell "proves that these nutrition programs really do work," she said. A mother receiving SNAP benefits told Weinstein, "These nutrition programs enabled me to buy food until the end of the month."

Ryan's budget proposes to transform SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) from an entitlement with automatic increases in funds to meet increased need, into a block grant, a fixed amount of money distributed to the states no matter how many are hungry.

The states, grappling with budget shortfalls, would be forced either to tighten eligibility, terminating benefits for an estimated 8 million current recipients, or they could reduce benefits across the board. "A family of four would lose $147 per month in food benefits, a devastating cut," Weinstein said.

The Coalition for Human Needs and its affiliates are struggling to block Ryan's savage cuts. "It is inconceivable that any elected official would even consider cutting back programs with such a proven record of success in combating hunger."

Black Panther Party founder urges coalition building and “community control”

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:24:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES - On a warm and otherwise typical Saturday evening, Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale spoke to an eager crowd of nearly 100 listeners representing an array of political organizations in the region.

The event, which took place at the Los Angeles Workers' Center, was organized by the Southern California Chapter of the Socialist Party.

Solidarity and unity were recurring key elements in Seale's speech. At the podium, the 74-year-old reflected on his days with the Black Panthers. He spoke about their successful community breakfast program for children, not just as an example from the party's long list of community accomplishments, but as a model of coalition work.

"Ninety percent of African Americans supported what the Black Panthers were doing," Seale said.

Additionally, Seale went on to say that the Black Panthers enjoyed a diverse support, with many of its followers "young white left radicals."

"That truly upset J. Edgar Hoover and the power structure ... That's why they attacked us. They came after us ... They killed 28 of us by the end of 1969," he said.

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover once called the Black Panthers "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country."

During a two-hour speech, Seale spoke mainly on the need for community control, such as over the police department, and coalition politics.

"I'm not a socialist; I'm a community control economist," Seale said. "I believe in community control. Now, talk about the 'greed control' of average crooked monopoly capitalists. Your definitiveness, your antithesis to them is greater community control."

He continued, "Even the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - the Black Panther Party worked with them. When they created the Poor People's March, we did all the work in Oakland to pack that auditorium with 7,000 people to participate with Dr. Martin Luther King's Poor People's March."

In addition, Seale remarked that the Black Panther Party worked with several organizations with the main task of uniting the African American community and directly challenging racism.

During their many run-ins with the courts, the Black Panthers worked closely with the NAACP and the National Lawyers Guild for its legal defense team. The team helped the Black Panthers win 95 percent of the cases against them. This success was due to coalition politics, according to Seale.

"Overall, I thought the speech was very informative and highly motivating," said Juan Guevara, of the Southern California Young Communist League. "Especially working with coalitions; we're working with other groups so that hit a thread."

According to the Socialist Party's Los Angeles website, "The turnout was fantastic, it was peaceful, Bobby delivered as would be expected, and he was seemingly pleased."

Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton founded The Black Panther Party in 1966 as a response to rampant police brutality and the specific terrorizing of the African American community. After internal disputes and the well-documented heavy FBI investigation, infiltration and covert systematic attack through the bureau's Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), the party finally disbanded in 1982.

"We crossed racial lines and we crossed organizational lines. And we learned to coalesce around issues. We learned to coalesce around direction. So the movement [has] gotta keep going," Seale said.

Photo: Bobby Seale. San Francisco Foghorn // CC 2.0

"Golden State" finally has a budget, but it's ugly

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:37:00 +0000

After months of struggling to put together a two-thirds majority to pass a budget extending some temporary tax increases and making billions in cuts to human needs programs, California's Democratic legislators in a night session June 28 passed a "majority vote" budget based on further cuts to education, health care and other services. A "trigger" provision would cut billions more if revenue falls short of anticipated levels.

Though a ballot measure voters approved last year allows legislators to pass a budget by majority vote, raising taxes still requires a two-thirds majority. Democrats lead both legislative houses but fall short of that level, and nearly all Republican legislators have signed a Grover Norquist "no new taxes" pledge.

Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, sought for months to convince a small handful of Republican legislators to support the Democrats' proposal. He is expected to sign the budget before the end of the fiscal year June 30. Two weeks ago he vetoed an earlier proposal by Democratic legislative leaders, saying it included too many "gimmicks."

Brown originally proposed closing a nearly $27 billion budget gap by a combination of deep cuts and extending existing temporary increases in sales and income taxes and vehicle license fees.

Putting measures on the ballot to keep the temporary increases for another five years required a two-thirds legislative vote, and Republican legislators refused even to let voters decide the issue.

Echoing developments in Midwestern states, the Republicans held up the ballot measures over their insistence that voters must also decide on a new spending cap and cuts to public employees' pensions. Democrats refused to compromise on these issues.

In the last several years, health, education and other human needs programs have endured repeated severe cuts. Earlier this year legislative Democrats passed bills further slashing welfare programs, higher education, aid to old and disabled people, and many other programs. The budget that finally passed included still deeper cuts.

Democrats still want to put measures on the ballot in 2012, to restore the about-to-expire tax increases, in an effort to redress some cuts and balance the state's budget for a longer period.

Reactions were mixed including some relief at passage of a budget before the end of the fiscal year - for the first time in many years - yet with continuing distress at the depth of cuts mainly to social programs.

Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, a nonpartisan public policy research group, said in a statement that it is "deeply disappointing" that the budget "does not reflect a balanced approach that combines additional revenues with spending reductions to move the budget toward balance. Unfortunately," she said, "this goal will likely prove elusive without a change to budget rules that allow a handful of legislators to block passage of a spending plan that reflects the priorities of a majority of Californians."

California Federation of Teachers President Josh Pechthalt commended the governor and Democratic legislators for finalizing the budget under difficult conditions, but added, "Unfortunately, because of Republican obstructionists, this budget continues to hurt public education and millions of Californians who depend on state services," while continuing to "protect the wealthiest 1 percent of Californians and the corporations at the expense of the vast majority of Californians."

In an action June 28 that greatly distressed the United Farm Workers union and its labor and community allies, Gov. Brown vetoed SB 104, which would have given the state's farm workers the right to organize through majority sign-up, or "card check," in addition to the present secret-ballot elections.

The UFW and supporters had campaigned vigorously for the measure, repeatedly vetoed by former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During an earlier term as governor, Brown signed the state's Agricultural Labor Relations Act. This time he said he believes SB 104 "alters in a significant way" the ALRA's "guiding assumptions."

UFW President Arturo Rodriguez told KQED public radio, "We're very disappointed, we're frustrated, that the governor decided to side with the powerful agribusiness industry, which is a $36 billion industry, as opposed to siding with farm workers."

Photo: Pepe Lozano/PW

Blagojevich lesson: take the money out of politics

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:13:00 +0000

CHICAGO - "Politics is a dirty business," remarked a juror after former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was convicted on 17 counts of corruption June 27. Blagojevich is expected to serve years in prison for attempting to sell President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, among other crimes.

The media feeding frenzy is over for the moment. Left in its wake is the wreckage of Blagojevich's family, whose two children will now have to grow up without him around.

But the long-term damage also includes reinforcing deadly cynicism among voters about politics generally. A lot of people around here shrug their shoulders as if to say, "So what's the big deal, what did Blagojevich do that isn't done by them all?"

Dick Simpson, former Chicago alderman and current University of Illinois political science teacher, co-authored a study entitled "Curing Corruption in Illinois." The study said corruption has been a fact of life for over 150 years in the state. In addition to three governors, over 1,000 Illinois elected officials have been imprisoned for corruption since 1970.

This is about more than sending a few bad apples to jail. Unfortunately, swept under the rug with Blagojevich's conviction is the wider system of corruption rooted in politics dominated by big corporate money showered on candidates in exchange for bigger returns.

The history of capitalist politics and government has been riddled with corruption. Anytime you have money and greed involved in politics you will have corruption. The more money involved, the more corruption.

And socialism historically has not been immune either, although for different reasons. This shows the need for checks and balances, transparency and grassroots democratic watchdogs.

After Blagojevich was impeached in 2009, public outrage was high, and there was a lot of support for passage of far-reaching anti-corruption reforms.

The General Assembly passed some limited reforms that were signed by Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. But they didn't get to the crux of the problem and dismantle the system that gives rise to it.

Corruption is not only about an individual elected official benefiting. It's about the wealthy and well connected benefitting and taxpayers losing.

The jury forewoman in the Blagojevich trial, Connie Wilson, said the "veil of corruption in Illinois is one of the reasons the state struggles with solving problems," she said.

Simpson tied the corruption to the machine patronage system that has dominated Chicago and state politics. Graft and "pay to play" politics, a nice euphemism for bribery, are deeply endemic to the system.

Blagojevich's father was a steelworker, and he always had liberal inclinations, later as a lawmaker. His populist appeal and refusal to always be a "team player" with the political bosses endeared him to a lot of voters.

But once the younger Blagojevich was introduced to the "Chicago way" through his father-in-law, Alderman Dick Mell, he was on a track that would eventually lead him to his day in court.

Political contributions by wealthy and big corporate interests demand some favor in return. Privatization of public assets widens the door for corruption. Big money pours in to determine who gets the spoils and represents a whole new system of patronage.

The potential for corruption is far worse after the Supreme Court ruling in the Citizen's United case. Unregulated and unlimited corporate money is flooding the electoral arena.

Even the best of candidates and elected officials are vulnerable. With the cost of elections at every level making it almost prohibitive for working people to run, raising money is a full-time occupation. It's almost inevitable that promises will be made.

The main solution to corruption in politics is to remove the influence of money through publicly funded elections. It would mean the election of reform governments at the local, state and federal level dedicated to carrying out such a reform.

In fact, the coalition that is fighting for jobs, equality and a green, demilitarized economy that works for all must make electoral reform a part of its program to limit and do away with corruption and to provide transparency.

And reform candidates who represent the labor-led coalition must stick to the grassroots coalition. Once elected, they need an active, mobilized grassroots constituency to ensure they are doing the right thing.

Feds show Massey faked safety records in deadly W Va mine

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:21:00 +0000

BEAVER, W.Va. (AP) - Federal investigators say they have proof that Massey Energy kept fake safety records to throw off inspectors at a West Virginia coal mine where 29 men died last year, the deadliest U.S. coal field disaster in four decades.

In a private briefing June 28, officials with the Mine Safety and Health Administration showed relatives of the Upper Big Branch miners side-by-side comparisons of books that purported to document the same shift. The agency was holding a public news conference on its findings Wednesday.

In one authentic report, Massey recorded that a mining machine was shut down because of problems with ventilation and a potentially explosive accumulation of methane gas. The on-shift inspection report, meanwhile, indicated no problems with gas, said underground miner Bobbie Pauley, whose fiance Howard "Boone" Payne was among the men killed in the April 5, 2010, blast near Montcoal in southern West Virginia.

"You put in an inspection report what you wanted the inspectors to see," Pauley said. "The books, they told two different stories. But I already knew that because I worked there."

Massey was bought by Alpha natural Resources this month. Alpha spokesman Ted Pile said Wednesday the company was hearing about the faked reports for the first time.

"It's a claim I'm sure we'll look into as we conduct our own review of what happened at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine." Pile said in an email.

Pauley returned to Upper Big Branch only briefly after the explosion and now works at another former Massey operation bought out by Alpha. She was among about 30 people - nearly half of them lawyers - who attended the briefing for several hours at a mine safety training academy in Beaver.

A public presentation for MSHA's latest findings was set for Wednesday morning. But Pauley and two other relatives, Gary Quarles and Clay Mullins, said the federal team offered nothing new and pushed back the timeline for completion of its final report for at least four more months. They'll now have to wait until October, at the earliest, for a comprehensive report.

The explosion remains the subject of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, and MSHA has said it won't release some information to avoid hindering that probe. It largely reiterated its past public statements, offering detail but no blockbuster revelations, family members said.

MSHA contends the explosion started with a small, naturally occurring release of methane gas that was then fueled by coal dust into a devastating inferno that tore through the mine in a series of explosions over a few minutes. The agency has blamed a poorly maintained cutting head on a piece of mining equipment for sparking the blast and a malfunctioning water sprayer for failing to douse it.

An independent investigation commissioned by former Gov. Joe Manchin reached the same conclusion last month.

Mullins, whose brother Rex died in the blast, said he was frustrated that MSHA continues to blame Massey for the well-documented and serious safety problems at Upper Big Branch, rather than accepting blame for its own failures.

"It's a finger-pointing game: 'It's your fault. It's this guy's fault,'" he said. "This whole thing has been very frustrating. We didn't learn anything new.

"Massey didn't do their job, providing these men with a safe work area. MSHA didn't do their job by enforcing the law and making them provide the men with a safe working environment. Same with the state. I blame all three parties," Mullins said. "And I still do. And I will, until the day I die."

Although MSHA acknowledged it needs to do better, he said, it stopped short of apologizing.

"I think they know they're a guilty party in this, too," he said. "They didn't say it that way, but they know."

Manchin's study blamed former owner Massey Energy for ignoring the most basic safety practices in the industry, allowing highly explosive coal dust and methane gas to accumulate when it failed to provide either enough fresh air flow or enough pulverized limestone on the mine's walls to render coal dust inert.

MSHA offered some more detail Tuesday, Pauley said, "but the bottom line is the same: It was preventable. It didn't have to happen."

Quarles said the history of violations spoke for itself. MSHA knew there were problems at Upper Big Branch, he said. Inspectors were in the mine the day of the blast and did nothing.
"Somebody should have stepped up and said we need to take a better look at this mine and, if we have to, go in and shut it down," he said.

"I thought this meeting would give us quite a bit more, and then in a month that it would all be over," said Quarles, whose son Gary Wayne also died. "We didn't learn nothing I didn't already know."

Quarles credited MSHA for acknowledging it could have done a better job.

"And I hope they do," he said. "We don't want to see any more families going through what we had to go through."

For previous coverage on this topic click here.

Photo: From left, Candi McMillian, her husband Tony Jones, and Elena Newson stand over the casket of miner William Roosevelt Lynch of Oak Hill, W.Va., during funeral services on Sunday, April 11, in Beckley, W.Va. Lynch was one of 29 miners who died in the explosion at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W. Va. (AP/Jeff Gentner)

Wake-up call: media overload among minority youth

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:40:00 +0000

According to a new study, young people of color are spending an average of 13 hours daily using television, mobile devices, computers and other forms of media - about 4.5 more hours than their white counterparts.

The study, "Children, Media and Race: Media Use Among White, Black, Hispanic and Asian American Children," is the first national analysis of its kind that focuses exclusively on youth ages eight to 18 by race and ethnicity. The findings will be presented to childhood and telecommunications experts in Washington, D.C.

Co-author Ellen Wartella, head of Northwestern University's Center on Media and Human Development, says the study should serve as a wake-up call. She notes the difference between media use among whites and blacks and Latinos is growing. The research questions what it means for children's health and education.

"In the past decade, the gap between minority and white youth's daily media use has doubled for blacks and quadrupled for Hispanics," said Wartella to the Associated Press. She said the numbers suggest too many young people have a sedentary lifestyle and risk further exacerbating ongoing problems, including child obesity.

Authors of the report say media in the lives of children is incredibly important. They write, "The purpose of this report is to briefly hit a national 'pause' button: to stop and take note of these differences, to consider the possible positive and negative implications for young people's health and wellbeing, and to reflect on how each of us can respond in our own realm."

Compared to whites, minority youth spend on average two hour more per day watching TV, one hour more listening to music, 90 minutes more using a computer and up to 40 minutes more per day playing video games.

Asian American use media the most (13 hours, 13 minutes a day), followed by Latinos (13 hours), blacks (12 hours, 59 minutes) and whites (8 hours, 36 minutes). Black (84 percent) and Latino (77 percent) youth are also more likely to have televisions in their bedrooms and eat meals in front of the TV.

Reading for pleasure, however, in pre-teens and teens was equal across races, averaging only 30 to 40 minutes daily. Yet for kids six and under, it was more likely that children of white parents were reading or read to every day. White parents were more likely to set rules for what their children could consume.

Most parents do not set limits on the amount of time children can spend interacting with media for pleasure, says the study.

"Children may turn to media if they feel their neighborhoods lack safe places to play or if their parents have especially demanding jobs that prevent engagement," Frederick Zimmerman, chair of the department of Health Services at UCLA School of Public Health, told USA Today. "These findings should be a clarion call to minority communities to protect their children's future and wellbeing by insisting on a right to more media-free time," he said.

However, Malkia Cyril, executive director of the Center for Media Justice, says the report illustrates why it's crucial that minority communities be involved in the political fight to regulate media. Cyril told Colorlines that many young people of color don't think about the telecommunication and media industries that shape the media and technology they're using. Minority communities need to be empowered to hold the media and technology industries they help keep in business accountable, says Cyril.

Cyril is not surprised that young people of color use more media. "We're building up this technology infrastructure to avoid and relieve stress, and we're losing public and community infrastructure [that could help youth relieve stress]." Cyril adds, "Recreation facilities are being decimated. Arts programs are being decimated. Basically, all the places a person goes to transform stress."

The study also shows that black and Latino youth were the biggest users of mobile phones and, along with their adult counterparts are the biggest users of mobile Web technology.

Meanwhile, Colorlines points out that despite this trend, advocates caution that mobile phones aren't the sole answer to bridging the digital divide. They argue that broadband home connections remain costly and inaccessible and that mobile phones don't replace the Internet and computers in activities like job seeking.

In conservative New England state, voter ID vetoed

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:22:00 +0000

New Hampshire might be the most conservative state in New England, but John Lynch, the Democratic governor, isn't following the tea-party crowd. He vetoed June 27 a bill that would require all residents to present photo identification before voting.

"There is no voter fraud problem in New Hampshire," Lynch said upon vetoing the bill. "We already have strong elections laws that are effective in regulating our elections."

Stricter voting laws have been pushed in New Hampshire and in states across the country by the Republican Party and its tea-party allies. They argue that civic groups like ACORN have manipulated the voting process. Opponents point out that no significant cases of voter fraud have actually been uncovered.

Further, opponents argue, the new rules would make it harder - impossible for some people - to vote. The laws have been shown to disproportionately affect poor and minority communities, and have been considered by some to be akin to a new form of the poll tax. New Hampshire is about 94 percent white, and many against the rules change argue that it is aimed especially at keeping students, a demographic that tends to vote less Republican, away from the polls.

According to the New Hampshire bill, SB 129, voters would have to present a valid photo identification issued by federal or state government agencies. If they failed to do so, they would be made to cast a provisional ballot, which would be rejected unless the hopeful voter returns within 2.5 days with an acceptable identification.

Lynch took issue with problems this could cause people. "Seniors, students, those who are disabled or do not drive, and those who do not already have a state-issued or federal-issued photo ID," he said, "may not be able to arrange to obtain a valid photo ID within the tight 2 and a half day timeframe."

New Hampshire's limited government structure adds to the woes. "Many town offices are closed or have only limited hours on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, when those voters who received a provisional ballot would be expected to return to produce a photo ID and have their vote counted," Lynch continued.

In some areas of the state, Department of Motor Vehicles offices were consolidated, meaning that a number of small towns no longer have ready access to the DMV, which provides the most-used photo ID, the drivers license. For people who don't have a license to begin with, getting to the DMV so quickly presents a problem.

Lynch echoed arguments made by others, including the League of Women Voters, the New Hampshire City and Town Clerks Association and the American Association of Retired Persons.

Some pointed to what they see as a discriminatory measure inherent in the bill, by which federal or state workers have an easier time voting than city or town workers. A state- or federal identification card, given to employees of the national or state government, can be used. Even an out-of-state identification issued by a state government can be used in this "two-tier" system. Municipal workers have a tougher time: The law does not allow for city and town identifications to be taken as proof of identity.

The right-wing state legislature has overridden several other Lynch vetoes recently, including on a bill that would restrict the right of young women to an abortion and, yesterday, on a law tying the state's minimum wage to the federal. Another measure, targeted against labor, called the "Right to Work" law, was passed by both houses and vetoed by Lynch as well. However the anti-union law and the voter ID law vetoes seem less likely to be overridden by the legislators.

The voter ID rule passed with the necessary two-thirds majority, 259-116, in the state's House, but not in the 24-member State Senate. Republican Speaker of the House William O'Brien will not seek to override the "Right to Work" veto until fall. The state's AFL-CIO, as well as its national parent, applauded the governor's decision, and has vowed to keep the legislature from undoing it.

For his part, Lynch isn't worried about voter fraud. "Voter turnout in New Hampshire is among the highest in the nation, election after election," he said. "There is no voter fraud problem in New Hampshire."

In other states, where Republicans dominate both the legislature and the governor's mansion, as in Wisconsin and Ohio, the fight waged by opponents of voter ID, "right to work" rules and other such measures will be far harder.

Photo: Gov. Lynch. Ryan Szepan // CC 2.0

Wisconsin elections board disqualifies Republican candidate

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:19:00 +0000

Republicans in Wisconsin were dealt a major blow June 27.

The state's Government Accountability Board ruled that state Rep. John Nygren, one of two Republicans who filed to challenge Democratic state Sen. Dave Hansen, is disqualified from the ballot because he filed an inadequate number of signatures. The GOP challenges are an effort to punish Democratic state senators who fled Wisconsin in February to block a vote on Gov. Scott Walker's bill destroying collective bargaining rights for state workers.

To appear on the ballot, Nygren was required to submit 400 valid signatures. He filed only 424 and the GAB ruled that only 394 of them were valid.

Unions note that workers and their allies have been able to collect more than 15,000 valid signatures in each of the six districts where they are recalling GOP state senators who backed the anti-union measure. By contrast, Nygren, who had the full backing of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate, was able to collect only a few hundred valid signatures.

The development means the Democrat Hansen will now face a far weaker Republican challenger, David VanderLeest, in a July 19 general election. The six Republicans' recall election is a week earlier, July 12

VanderLeest's past has been the subject of material for the media and strong criticism from the Democratic Party.

In 2007 he pleaded no contest to two different disorderly conduct charges. He has a court record of two misdemeanor convictions.

He has received fines for multiple building code violations.

An ex-wife sued him for child abuse in Oconto County in 2011, but the case was dismissed.

In the past he has been charged with battery and domestic abuse. Those charges were also later dismissed.

VanderLeest has admitted to drunk driving while in college.

"I have made mistakes in my past," VanderLeest told greenbaypressgazette.com, "but Hansen made a mistake in February when he left the state." He said that "any scrutiny of court records or filings will show that my ex-wife recanted all statements ever made against me in any courtroom in Wisconsin."

Six Republican senators who voted for Gov. Walker's bill are facing recalls this July: Alberta Darling of River Hills, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, Robert Cowles of Green Bay, Dan Kapanke of La Crosse, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Luther Olsen of Ripon.

Unions say the recalls result from a grassroots effort far bigger than anything the Republicans have been able to mount. In order to get on the ballot in those districts pro-union volunteers had to engage several hundred thousand voters on a one-on-one basis.

Republicans challenged the Democrats' signatures but all their claims were thrown out by the Government Accountability Board.

Democrats have to win only three of the six recall elections against Republicans to take control of the Senate.

Republicans appear to be bracing for defeat.

The local press reported last month that Kapanke fears it is the public service workers whose rights he voted to take away that will put him out of office. In a talk he gave at a country club, which was leaked to the press, he said: "We've got tons of government workers in my district - tons. From La Crosse to Prairie du Chien and to Viroqua and to Ontario and to Hillsboro, you can go on and on. We have to overcome that. We gotta hope that they, kind of, are sleeping on July 12 - or whenever the election date is."

Photo: Activists in Wisconsin have begun collecting pledges to support an eventual recall of Gov. Scott Walker. Democrats want to recall six Republican state senators this summer, and they hope to also recall Walker next year. Dinesh Ramde/AP

"Good Jobs" tour: Detroiters say we need jobs, not spending on war

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:04:00 +0000

DETROIT - What could be better? A warm summer night and songs played over loudspeakers from Motown legends like The Temptations and the Four Tops, plus a fantastic performance from a church choir. This is how Detroit got a standing room only crowd fired up for a June 27 rally. And Rev. Charles Williams of the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church where the rally was held said the hall held 1200!

What drove the huge outpouring, and what was missing in the lives of many in attendance was the right to a job.

Detroit was the second stop of the Congressional Progressive Caucus's "Good Jobs" tour. Reps. Hansen Clarke and John Conyers, D-Mich., joined with Keith Ellison, D-Minn., Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson listened to the stories and thinking of the people.

In their brief remarks, the leaders issued a call to redirect money from wars, Wall Street and the rich to a rebuilding of America. It was music to the ears of those in attendance.

Jackson said war spending is "breaking our cities." He was seconded by Clarke who said the money we're spending in Afghanistan is ours, "it should come back to us."

Kaptor said we need to tax the financial giants asking, "Why can't we tax hedge funds like we do the corner bakery?"

Ellison emphasized that unity is required to win, saying being angry will not bring jobs but banding together, speaking together, and fighting together can. "We will use our strength in numbers to fight corporate greed," he said.

Conyers said we are "getting ready" to re-elect President Obama but we need the President to get behind job creating legislation like the Humphrey Hawkins jobs bill he has introduced.

"We are going to Washington to tell him we want him to lead in the fight for jobs. We will tell him we are ready to help," said Conyers.

The audience lined up at two mics to respond. Labor was well represented. Autoworkers spoke to the unfairness of trade pacts, the need to save what remains of New Deal legislation and the necessity of using closed plants to make Detroit the new center for production of hi-speed mass transit vehicles.

Others spoke about how budget cuts and the worse than depression like local economy - even Detroit's mayor has said unemployment in the city is likely near fifty percent - are making life hard.

Infrequent bus service makes getting to jobs difficult. Too many homes, that would create jobs if rehabilitated, stand empty and neglected. Fields in city parks are not mowed and have become unsafe for children.

Privatization is driving the unemployment rate higher. A former public safety worker with the Detroit Public Schools said that after 18 years of employment, she and fellow workers found on a Friday they would not have a job on Monday. "Privatization is eliminating the few good jobs we have," she said.

Several called for marching on Wall Street. "That's where the money and the real decision makers are," said one.

Next stop in the Jobs Tour is Milwaukee. A national movement is being born.

Photo: Church choir warms-up crowd. John Rummel/PW

Deaf activists launch campaign against Netflix

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Deaf and hard of hearing activists have launched a social media "bombing" campaign, an online petition and a federal lawsuit to get Netflix to provide better access to subtitles for its online streaming movies.

Netflix is the nation's leading provider of streamed television and movies over the Internet. Online "instant-play" streaming video is quickly becoming the main way that Americans watch movies and even television shows.

But without subtitles, some 36 million deaf or hearing-impaired Americans are being left out of this media revolution.

Sebastian St. Troy, a consumer-rights activist in Texas, initiated the social media "bombing" campaign, urging the public to bombard the company's Facebook page with comments telling Netflix to "get on top of" the issue, as one commenter put it.

"My daughter has a hearing disability," the commenter wrote, "and captioning is VITAL to her understanding of programming. This is something Netflix should be on top of, as a large portion of your audience and potential audience is hearing-impaired. Please consider making this a priority."

Another Facebook commenter told Netflix, "Please caption live-stream movies so we can enjoy what others take for granted."

St. Troy has also launched an online petition via Change.org, asking Netflix to make it easier for users to find what is currently available with subtitles, "as Netflix works towards providing subtitles for all of the current and future Netflix content."

St. Troy, who is living with HIV, lost most of his hearing last December, probably as a result of a non-cancerous brain tumor. Since then, he said, "I've learned how few entertainment options exist for the deaf and hard-of-hearing."

"I have always greatly enjoyed movies and have been an avid Netflix subscriber," he commented in an email note to this reporter. "As I started to lose my hearing depression was the largest challenge, along with frustration, as I could no longer enjoy films."

"I learned how to use the closed captioning on my DVD player and television, but my frustrations increased when I could no longer watch films on Netflix because they didn't offer captioning on a majority of their streaming content," he wrote. "What little content offered by them with subtitles had limited search options, which caused even greater frustrations."

Researching the issue, he said he found "years of promises by Netflix to provide subtitles," with little progress.

St. Troy previously supported other successful campaigns on Change.org, so starting an online campaign there was "the obvious choice," he said. "As a consumer, and knowing that if enough customers take action when a company doesn't provide for the needs of customers, I decided that I wanted to affect change."

Clara Long of Change.org says the online campaign is based on today's reality that "companies' reputations (like our reputations) are displayed and created online."

"Online activists fill Netflix's Facebook page with comments pointing out that they are not taking the deaf and hard of hearing into account and that affects Netflix's reputation," she said. And over 1,200 people have signed the online petition so far.

Meanwhile, the National Association of the Deaf filed a federal lawsuit against Netflix on June 16. The lawsuit charges the entertainment giant with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide closed captioning for most of its "watch instantly" movies and television streamed on the Internet.

The New York Times has described Netflix as the "only major player in the online-only video subscription business," with over 60 percent of streamed video services market share, the association noted in announcing the lawsuit.

"The deaf and hard of hearing community has repeatedly expressed concerns - via letters, petitions, blogs, and social media - to Netflix about its failure to provide equal access to 'Watch Instantly'," the NAD said.

"We have tried for years to persuade Netflix to do the right thing and provide equal access to all content across all platforms," said NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins.

"They chose not to serve our community on an equal basis; we must have equal access to the biggest provider of streamed entertainment. As Netflix itself acknowledges, streamed video is the future and we must not be left out."

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that all "places of entertainment" provide "full and equal enjoyment" for people with disabilities. Arlene Mayerson, an attorney with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, said, "For people who are deaf and hard of hearing, captions are like ramps for people who use wheelchairs."

The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that Netflix's behavior constitutes a violation of Title III of the ADA, and to require that Netflix provide closed captions on all of its streaming content.

In addition to NAD, other plaintiffs include the Western Massachusetts Association of the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired and a deaf Massachusetts resident.

St. Troy said he is optimistic that with the online campaign and the lawsuit, "Netflix will be forced to do what is right - provide subtitles for all of their streaming content."

Update, 7/1/11: A reader in California, Don Cullen, has informed us that he filed a class action lawsuit against Netflix in March over the same issues, charging the company with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and California law. See more information here.

Photo: MoneyBlogNewz CC 2.0

Hip Hop gains popularity among Native American youth

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:13:00 +0000

Hip-hop music and culture has been one of the greatest cultural contributions that America has ever given the world. From France, to Japan, to South Africa the thumping bass and rhythmic lyrical accompaniment that is hip-hop has swept the globe. And now, America's original inhabitants are bringing it back home in an effort to save their own culture.

Flex, an Ojibwe hip-hop artist, told Newspaper Rock, a Native American pop culture blog, "Hip hop has been in African-American culture for over thirty years, but for Natives, as hip hop artists, it's something new to us."

He continued, "Some of us have been doing it for years, but we really just got on the radar. Because it's so new, we're kind of where African Americans were with hip-hop 30 years ago, when it was about the message. These are intelligent people, they see how the world is run, they come from low-income areas with a lot of poverty and abuse, carrying shame, fear, and guilt along with them, and this is how they express themselves, this is how they let that stuff go."

These hip-hop artists are not only working to reclaim their identities, some are using it as a way of passing their original language to a whole new generation.

It's said that a language disappears every 14 days, and artists like Native Folks of the Ojibwe Nation are making sure that doesn't happen to ojibwemoen, the language of many of the tribes of the northern Midwest.

Traditional culture has been going through a revival among the youth as a result of this kind of effort, with the young learning the traditional language and culture such as dance, dress, and story telling.

The new blend is perched to work its way into the mainstream with artists like Yelawolf, a Cherokee MC who was recently signed to Shady Records, the record label of Eminem.

With cultures all over the world losing the interest of youth and facing extinction, the success or failure of adapting ancient customs to modern youth culture will be a test of the possibility to keep these cultures and languages alive and kicking for generations to come. By speaking the language of youth these artists are hoping to encourage other young people to find their voice through speaking theirs.

Photo: Yelawolf

Supreme Court OK’s violent video games

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:11:00 +0000

On Monday, June 27th, a Supreme Court ruling struck down a California law that would have banned the sale of violent video games to children.

If the law had gone through, the government like firearms would have regulated video games.

Ultimately, reported Bloomberg Businessweek, the court ruled that games, like other art forms, are protected under the First Amendment.

It was a 7-2 vote, and the whole affair was closely watched by the video game industry, which Businessweek said had been cautiously optimistic. The law would have precluded the sale of violent games to anyone less than 18 years of age.

In a report by An Hour Ago, Justice Stephen Breyer remarked that it was hypocritical to block children's access to something like pornography yet allows them to be exposed to violent games.

"What sense does it make," Breyer said, "to forbid selling a 13 year-old boy a magazine with an image of a nude woman, while protecting the sale to that [boy] of an interactive game in which he actively, but virtually, blinds and gags the woman, then tortures and kills her?"

According to NPR, Justice Antonin Scalia said that the U.S. "had no tradition of restricting depictions of violence for children."

Several troubling facts would seem to back up Scalia's assertion. According to Live Science, the U.S. military is vocally supportive of video games, which are used to recruit and train young gamers. Moreover, the U.S. Army has its own official game - "America's Army," which, for better or worse, allows players to participate in virtual training missions and fight and kill one another online.

MIT researchers arrived at the conclusion that these games have become a more powerful tool for the Army than all other Army advertisements combined.

Peter Singer, a Brookings Institute defense expert, in Foreign Policy says the melding of entertainment and warfare could have undesirable consequences. Singer notes the "fog of war" effect, where the game America's Army lets players experience the vicarious sensation of a battle during the invasion of Iraq.

Yet, when the virtual unit initiates an airstrike, they leave out an important real-world detail. "The airstrike accidentally hit some of their own and also killed some of our Kurdish allies," adds Singer.

But this virtual replication would perhaps have young, impressionable players believing that they are undefeatable.

"Just because you excel in the video game of something," notes Singer, "it doesn't mean you'll excel in the real world version."

The question remains: Are violent video games actually dangerous to young minds?

Daphne Bavelier, assistant professor in the department of brain and cognitive science at the University of Rochester, told the Associated Press, "People that play these games have better vision, better attention, and better cognition." He added, "We are testing the hypothesis that when you play an action video game, you learn to better allocate your resources. In a sense, you learn to learn. You become very good at adapting to whatever is asked of you."

Critics continue to ask if video games are good or bad for teen's. Some argue, as with anything else, that video games can be bad if they dominate someone's life. However, others note that some games are cheap, great entertainment, and could be used as a great social event.

Yet the dilemma at hand is a question of where, in regard to children, the line between education and exploitation should be drawn.

Sources indicate the U.S. Army wanted kids to be able to start playing its America's Army video game at the age 13.

Some past developments suggest the Army and the video game industry have become bedfellows in the name of profit and recruitment.

According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, GameStop's 2007 release party for the game Halo 3 included a military recruitment drive. Local Air Force recruiters hung out at a nearby strip mall, where underage kids ate pizza, drank Mountain Dew, and played Halo 2 on a large screen on the back of an SUV.

Joe Turcotte, an Iraq war veteran and member of the New Hampshire chapter of Iraqi Veterans Against the War, does not approve of petty video game recruitment tactics being used to enlist youth into the military.

Turcotte says a clear line needs to be drawn between reality and gaming.

"It cheapens the honor and sacrifice when you turn it into a video game," he said. "There's something about this that just doesn't seem right. I would like to know if there's a disclaimer, warning kids that their actual experience may vary. War is not a game."

Photo: This screenshot, taken from the America's Army official website, depicts the third entry in the official video game series of the U.S. Army.

War comes home: the traumatic brain injury epidemic

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:27:00 +0000

"We are facing a massive mental health problem as a result of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a country we have not responded adequately to the problem. Unless we act urgently and wisely, we will be dealing with an epidemic of service related psychological wounds for years to come."

- Bobby Muller, President Veterans for America

"The multiple nature of it [multiple tours and longer deployments] is unprecedented. People just get blasted and blasted and blasted."

- Maj. Connie Johnmeyer, 332^nd Medical Group

According to official Defense Department (DOD) figures, 332,000 soldiers have suffered brain injuries since 2000, although most independent experts estimate that the number is over 400,000. Many of these are mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI), a term that is profoundly misleading.

As David Hovda, director of the Brain Injury Research Center at the University of California at Los Angeles, points out, "I don't know what makes it 'mild,' because it can evolve into anxiety disorders, personality changes, and depression." It can also set off a constellation of physical disabilities from chronic pain to sexual dysfunction and insomnia.

MTBI is defined as any incident that produces unconsciousness lasting for up to a half hour or creates an altered state consciousness. It is the signature wound for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bombs are the principal weapon for insurgents.

Most soldiers recover from mTBI, but between five and 15 percent do not. According to Dr. Elaine Peskind of the University of Washington Medical School, "The estimate of the number who returned with symptomatic mild traumatic brain injury due to blast exposure has varied from the official VA [Veterans Administration] number of 9 percent officially diagnosed with mTBI to over 20 percent, and, I think, ultimately it will be higher than that."

Serious consequences from mTBI are increased when troops are subjected to multiple explosions and "just get blasted and blasted and blasted," in the words of Maj. Connie Johnmeyer. Out of two million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, over 800,000 have had multiple deployments, many up to five times or more.

But mTBI is difficult to diagnose because it does not show up on standard CAT scans and MRIs. "Our scans show nothing," says Dr. Michael Weiner, professor of radiology, psychiatry and neurology at the University of California at San Francisco and director of the Center for Imaging Neurodegenerative Disease at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center.

They do now.

An MRI set to track the flow of water through the brain's neurons, has turned up anomalies that indicate the presence of mTBI. However, the military has blocked informing patients of results of the research, and if history is any guide, the Pentagon will do its best to shelve or ignore the results.

The DOD has long resisted the diagnosis of mTBI, as it has avoided paying for a successful - but expensive - way to treat it. The price of that resistance is escalating suicide rates and domestic violence incidents among returning soldiers. In 2010, almost as many soldiers committed suicide as fell in battle.

MTBI is hardly new. Some 5.3 million people in the U.S. are currently hospitalized or in residential facilities because of it, and its social consequences are severe.

A Mt. Sinai Hospital study of 100 homeless men in New York found that 80 percent of them had suffered brain trauma, much of it from child abuse. A study of 5,000 homeless people in New Haven, Conn., discovered that those who had suffered a blow that knocked them unconscious or into an altered state were twice as likely to have alcohol and drug problems and to be depressed. It also found mTBI injuries were correlated with suicide attempts, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. And a recent study by Dr. Elaine Peskind of the University of Washington School of Medicine found that mTBI is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease.

In spite of the documented consequences of mTBI, the military has been extremely tardy in dealing with it. Part of the problem is military culture itself. The Pentagon found that 60 percent of the soldiers who suffered from the symptoms of mTBI refused help because they feared their unit leaders would treat them differently. Many were also afraid that if they reported their condition it would prevent them from getting jobs as police and fire fighters after they got out of the service.

Even if soldiers wanted treatment, there are few resources available to them. "There are two things going on regarding vets," says Col. (ret) Will Wilson, chair of the American Psychological Association's Division 19 (Military Psychology). "One, there are not enough care providers available, and, two, there are not enough people focusing on the problem outside the military."

Indeed, there are not enough military psychologists to treat the problem, and since the military pays below-market rates for civilian psychologists, up to 30 percent of private psychologists are unwilling to take on soldiers as patients. The cheapest and easiest solution is to shoot up the vets with drugs. A study by Veterans for America found that some soldiers were taking up to 20 different medications, many of which canceled out the effect of others.

The situation appears to be even worse for National Guard and Reserve units, who make up almost 50 percent of the troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Veterans for America found that such troops "are experiencing rates of mental health problems 44 percent higher than their active duty counterparts" and that their health care is generally inferior.

A Harvard study found that 1.8 million vets under 65 have no health care or access to the Veterans Administration. "Most uninsured veterans are low-to-middle income workers who are too poor to afford private coverage but are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or free VA care," the study found.

Treating mTBI injuries is difficult, but by no means impossible. Dr. Alisa Gean, chief of Neuroradiology at San Francisco General Hospital, who has worked with wounded soldiers at U.S. Army's Regional Medical Center at Landstuhl, Germany, says the old conventional wisdom that brain damage was untreatable is wrong. "We now know that the brain can heal. It has an intrinsic plasticity that allows it to recover, and this is particularly true for the young brain."

A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that "neurons in the adult brain can remodel their connections," thus "overturning a century of prevailing thought."

One method that has worked effectively is cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) that retrains patients for tasks like counting, cooking, and memory. But CRT takes time and it can be expensive, ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 per patient. However, the DOD's health program - Tricare - refuses to endorse CRT, because it says there is no scientific evidence that justifies the expense involved.

However, an investigation by T. Christian Miller of ProPublica and Daniel Zwerdling of National Public Radio found that the vast majority of researchers, even those associated with the DOD, sharply disagreed with Tricare's evaluation of CRT. According to the two reporters, "A panel of 50 civilian and military brain specialists convened by the Pentagon unanimously concluded that cognitive therapy was an effective treatment and would help many brain damaged troops."

The therapy is also endorsed by the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Neurophysiology and the British Society of Rehabilitative Medicine.

Instead of accepting the advice of its own researchers, however, Tricare hired ECRI - a company which had already done a study concluding that CRT was ineffective - to examine the therapy. Critics charge that the study was so narrow, and the assumptions behind it so loaded, that it was almost a given that the study would conclude the benefits of cognitive therapy were "inconclusive." Outside researchers blasted the ECRI study, one of them describing it as "hooey" and "baloney."

In spite of the criticism, then Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England concluded, "The rigor of the research ... has not met the required standard."

However, Miller and Zwerdling concluded that Tricare's resistance to CRT was not about science, but the bottom dollar. According to the reporters, a Tricare-sponsored study found "that comprehensive rehabilitative therapy could cost as much as $51,480 per patient. By contrast, sending patients home from the hospital to get a weekly phone call from a therapist amounted to only $504 a patient."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has already made it clear that he intends to cut the military's $50 billion annual health budget. No matter how effective CRT is, it's not likely to get past the brass, who would rather spend the money on weapon systems than on healing the men and women who they so casually put in harm's way.

So far, the military has put the clamps on the new MRI technique. Dr. David L. Brody, an author of the study, told the New York Times that researchers were blocked from giving the MRI results to patients. "We were specifically directed by the Department of Defense not to so," adding, "It was anguishing for us, because as a doctor I would like to be able to help them in any way. But that was not the protocol we agreed to."

Given that mTBI is so difficult to diagnose, and sufferers are many times told there is nothing wrong with them, that seems an especially cruel protocol. "Many of them [the doctors] were hoping we could give results to their care providers to document or validate their concerns."

In the end it will come down to treatment, and whether the wounded vets will get the care they need, or sit by a phone and wait for their once a week call from a therapist.

Originally published at Dispatches From the Edge.

Photo; U.S. Army Pfc. is taken to a military helicopter for evacuation after being injured by a roadside bomb, June 17, in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan. U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP

Rebuild the Dream movement launched in New York

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:40:00 +0000

NEW YORK - Over 1,000 people filled New York's Town Hall last week for the kickoff of an ambitious attempt to launch a progressive new social movement.

According to the event's organizer, Van Jones, the "Rebuild the Dream" movement fashions itself as a progressive alternative to the tea party. The goal is to address working-class concerns that Washington is not listening to says the former Obama administration official. "We are not fighting against our opponents, we're fighting for them, too," he said recently in a Rolling Stone interview.

"We see a huge disconnect between what the political elite is talking about in Washington, D.C. - now in both parties - and what ordinary Americans are talking about," Jones said. "There is much, much more concern about jobs, and much more openness to solving the budget crisis by more balanced means - including raising taxes on rich folks - than D.C. seems to understand."

The Rebuild the Dream launch featured performances by Shepard Fairey DJ and The Roots.

Jones, in a lively presentation, argued that the American people are being fed four lies: that the country is broke; that asking the rich to pay is bad for the country; that hating the U.S. government is patriotic; and that the battle against Wall Street is hopeless.

"We are not helpless," he told the crowd. "They just want us to shut up, sit down, and suffer."

Beginning July 5 the Rebuild the Dream movement seeks to hold 1,000 house meetings across the country.

The meetings will be organized with the help of Moveon.org, who is a major sponsor along with the AFL-CIO, Change to Win, True Majority and US Action.

The new movement hopes to have "no superhero, no single leader, no messiah," but rather focus on the economic concerns the "thousands of middle class workers who have lost their jobs, their homes, and their livelihoods in the past few years," writes Lucas Kavner.

It will help give a fresh start to the movement that arose to elect President Obama in 2008.

Too much emphasis has been placed on the ability of President Obama to get things done without help, Jones told Rolling Stone: "In 2008, we would never have had a movement called, 'Yes, he can.' It was 'Yes, we can.' But in the past two years, the 'we' was not present. You can blame anybody you want to for that, but I think we have to start taking personal responsibility for the shape of American politics."

"The peace and prosperity agenda that most of us voted for in 2008 doesn't have a center of gravity anymore" Jones told The Nation after the Netroots conference in Minneapolis earlier this month where he announced the launch. " He continued, "and that's why people feel so demoralized. But we're about to re-establish that center of gravity."

In 2010 similar efforts were undertaken with the One Nation movement organized by the NAACP and several unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

Rebuild the Dream hopes to have a massive summit in Washington D.C. in October. The movement was inspired, its organizers say, by the fightback in Wisconsin against the GOP's attempt to end collective bargaining for public workers. Its goal is "to move beyond dependence on President Obama and the national Democratic Party by building and boosting independent sources of power," writes Ari Berman in The Nation.

Photo: People's World

Naki’o: the amazing bionic puppy

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:02:00 +0000

When an abandoned puppy lost his paws to frostbite, reported USA Today, Martin Kaufmann, founder of Orthopets, decided to lend a paw - or four.

A family fleeing their foreclosed home abandoned young Naki'o, leaving the puppy, along with his brothers and sisters, without a home in the middle of a harsh winter, said Incredible Features. Weak and famished, Naki'o stepped into a puddle in the cold basement, getting all his paws stuck in freezing water. As a result, his paws were lost to frostbite, leaving healed rounded stumps in their wake.

When Naki'o and his fellow pups were five weeks old, they were found and taken to an animal rescue center. It was veterinary technician Christie Tomlinson who discovered Naki'o; she had been looking for a playmate for her own dog, Poki, and spotted Naki'o, who was now forced to crawl along on his belly.

Christie organized a fundraiser to pay for Naki'o to receive two brand new bionic paws on his hind legs. Kaufmann's Orthopets, located in Denver, Colo., provided the new appendages, which Naki'o adapted to so well that the company gave him two prosthetic front paws free of charge.

In other words, Orthopets' slogan ought to have been, "We can rebuild him. We have the technology." And the compassion, as well.

And rebuilt Naki'o was, making history as the first pet to have a complete set of bionic legs. Though walking was initially a grueling process, Naki'o got used to his new paws, the purpose of which were to mimic the muscle and bone of real dog limbs.

Throughout the nation, noted Live Leak, the foreclosure crisis has forced millions of people out of homes - but peoples' pets are also being left behind.

Like Naki'o, Sydney was a two-year-old Golden Retriever who was abandoned when people lost their home in 2008 - this time, in California. She was rescued and began living at the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a non-profit animal welfare organization working to save animals who are abandoned or victims of cruelty and abuse.

"The reason Sydney is here," said SPCA Director Rick Johnson, "is she was given up by people who are moving. And she's a wonderful dog and we've adopted her."

Though pups like Naki'o and Sydney were fortunate, there are many dogs that are not so lucky, and it seems imperative to understand that, with the current unstable economic landscape in America, both people and animals are suffering.

Sarah Varanini, an SPCA Animal Services Worker, told Live Leak, "We had about 33 dogs come in on Saturday alone, so it's just increasing every day."

Varanini had heard many stories of people who had to leave foreclosed homes - and their animals, too.

"A lot of times," said Varanini, "they file for bankruptcy and they have to move into an apartment complex; a lot of apartment complexes don't take certain dogs, so they end up having to bring their animals here."

Moreover, she said that people couldn't always afford the pet deposits for apartments, which run $300 and up.

Rescue owners want to encourage people who can't afford to keep their pets to take the time to give local shelters a call, rather than simply leaving the animals alone and frightened on the streets.

If more people kept that in mind, perhaps heartbreaking incidents such as Naki'o losing his limbs need not happen.

Nevertheless, after a few days with his bionic paws, Naki'o got the hang of it, and was running and bounding all over the place. Christie was pleasantly surprised by the animal's joy and motivation.

Now, Christie said, "Naki'o can not only chase after a ball with other dogs, but he can beat them to the catch!"

Illustration by Blake Deppe/PW

Parents stage second sit-in over broken promises

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:07:00 +0000

CHICAGO - Parents and community leaders in the predominantly Mexican Pilsen neighborhood here say they are staging an around-the-clock sit-in at an elementary school field house until Chicago Public School officials and elected representatives meet with them.

The field house, known as "La Casita," is adjacent to the Whittier Dual Language Elementary School.

The parents claim Chicago Public School officials are breaking an agreement they made with the parents' group last fall after the parents led a 43-day sit-in to save the field house. The parents said all they wanted was a new library for their children. They asked that La Casita serve as its home as well as a community center.

Whittier is one of more than 150 schools in Chicago without a library and the parents saw the field house on school grounds as the ideal location.

The first sit-in drew national headlines and ended after both sides agreed the field house would not be demolished and be turned over to the Whittier Parents Committee. And no future plans would be made for a new library without CPS-parent dialogue.

But parents claim CPS is breaking that promise.

The school board says it is following through on the commitment made by former-CPS CEO Ron Huberman to renovate the field house and build a new library.

On Thursday, June 23, CPS began preparations to start work on the new library inside the main school building on the second floor, which parents say was not part of their agreement. The parents decided to form a picket line blocking the entrance to the playground as a trucker tried to deliver a dumpster that would be used to cart away debris from the second floor.

Building a library inside the main building rather than using the field house as agreed upon would displace special needs students in an already overcrowded school, parents charge.

Police were called to the scene, but no arrests were made.

"We just want to be heard," said parent Lisa Angonese. "The field house has been ignored by CPS for years, and they don't want to help us fix it," she said.

Angonese said the space has been a safe haven for the children and is used as a lending library with all donated books, many of which are in Spanish. After school programs, including English, writing and various art classes for the children and adults, are held there, she added.

"We're like a family here and we just want CPS and our elected officials to address our concerns," said Angonese. "But they're making us feel like we have no voice, and it's a crying shame."

Parents note a non-profit architectural firm drafted a pro-bono design for the parents to renovate La Casita, which would be turned into an all-green environmentally friendly library and multi-purpose instructional room.

After the first sit-in ended, the parents said they were promised two sources of money for La Casita's renovation. They were promised $364,000 through 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis on top of another $200,000 of state funds set aside by State Rep. Eddie Acevedo. Both elected officials represent the area where the school is located.

The school board says it has no intent to tear down the existing field house and says the building will remain rented to the parents group for $1 a year. However, the parents say they came across a demolition permit, dated May 31, that clearly calls for La Casita's removal, as well as the conversion of the occupied classroom for the new library use.

In a correspondence with the parents, new CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard wrote, "We are currently making very difficult decisions and financial sacrifices across the school district to offset the massive $712 million deficit, and unfortunately, we still do not have capital funds for the project you are requesting."

But Gema Gaete, a member of the parent group says this is not about the money, it's about holding CPS accountable.

"Of course we're not against building a library in the main building but there is absolutely no space for it," said Gaete. "This is a bigger issue than just saving La Casita, its about building political and community empowerment. We're asking CPS to stop spending our money and come talk to us. If Brizard says he's about social justice and the community, then he should meet with us, not send 15 police officers. We're not criminals; we only want what's best for our children and our community."

Gaete added, "We plan to be here all day and night. We just want to start a dialogue, and Brizard has the power to not rush this decision."

Photo: Whittier Parent Committee member Lisa Angonese with a young student inside the La Casita lending library, June 23, 2011. (Pepe Lozano/PW)

Prize-winning reporter reveals he is undocumented

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:03:00 +0000

Over the past 14 years, Jose Antonio Vargas, 30, originally from the Philippines, has pursued his education and built a career as a journalist working for some of the nation's most prestigious news outlets. As a Washington Post reporter, he shared a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 after covering the deadly Virginia Tech shootings.

"On the surface, I've created a good life. I've lived the American dream," wrote Vargas in a revealing story for the New York Times Magazine.

"But I am still an undocumented immigrant. And that means living in a different kind of reality. It means going about my day in fear of being found out. It means rarely trusting people, even those closest to me, with who I really am. It means keeping my family photos in a shoebox rather than displaying them on shelves in my home, so friends don't ask about them. It means reluctantly, even painfully, doing things I know are wrong and unlawful. And it means relying on a sort of 21st-century underground railroad of supporters, people who took an interest in my future and took risks for me."

"There are believed to be 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.," he wrote. "We're not always who you think we are. Some pick your strawberries or care for your children. Some are in high school or college. And some, it turns out, write news articles you might read. I grew up here. This is my home. Yet even though I think of myself as an American and consider America my country, my country doesn't think of me as one if its own."

In the article, "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant," Vargas says, "I'm done running. I'm exhausted. I don't want that life anymore."

He recalls coming to the U.S. at age 12 in 1993 to live with his grandparents in California.

His grandparents emigrated legally to the U.S. in 1984 from Zambales, Philippines, a province of rice fields and bamboo houses. His grandfather worked as a security guard and his grandmother as a food server. They became naturalized citizens. Vargas notes his mother wanted to give him a better life, so she sent him to live with them in America. It's been almost 18 years since Vargas has seen his mother.

When Vargas turned 16, he went to his nearby DMV office to get his driver's permit. The clerk said his green card was false and told him not to come back. Vargas confronted his grandfather and learned he was undocumented.

Over the years, Vargas graduated high school, won a scholarship to attend college and began working as an aspiring journalist. He used false information, including a false Social Security card, and was even issued a drivers license in 2003.

"I convinced myself all would be O.K. if I lived up to the qualities of a 'citizen': hard work, self-reliance, love of my country," writes Vargas.

"The deceit never got easier. The more I did it, the more I felt like an imposter, the more guilt I carried - and the more I worried that I would get caught. But I kept doing it. I needed to live and survive on my own, and I decided this was the way."

He began working for The San Francisco Chronicle and the Philadelphia Daily News while in college, before landing a fulltime job with the Washington Post. He joined the Huffington Post in 2009.

Vargas said coming out about his sexual orientation seemed less daunting than coming out about his legal status.

But Vargas said it was time to come forward about his story, including reaching out to his former bosses and employers to apologize. It was the courage of young undocumented students risking deportation while advocating for the DREAM Act that inspired him.

Rory O'Connor, a colleague of Vargas, writes in the Huffington Post that Vargas is an American hero.

"[He] is incredibly brave to risk everything he has accomplished in this country in order to tell the truth and to shine yet another, but still much-needed, light on the pressing need for comprehensive immigration reform in this country. He, and millions like him, have much to contribute to America - and without people like them, our country will be far poorer," writes O'Connor.

He adds, "If there isn't room in the U.S. for people like Jose Antonio - the precise type of people who made this country great - I despair for our collective future. I urge you to read his inspiring story, and then to take action to ensure that Jose Antonio - and the many others like him - aren't forced to choose between hiding in the shadows or risking it all by telling the truth."

Michigan lawsuit challenges “dictator law”

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:36:00 +0000

DETROIT - Twenty-eight plaintiffs from across Michigan announced Wednesday they are taking the state's controversial emergency manager law to court. Their lawsuit charges Gov. Rick Snyder and the legislature with implementing an unconstitutional law that will silence citizens.

They said the law, Public Act 4, passed by the Republican-dominated legislature in March, gives Republican Gov. Snyder the power to appoint emergency managers for cities and towns across the state for any of a broad set of criteria.

Detroit Councilwoman JoAnn Watson termed the law a shameless power grab, noting that some have called it a "dictator law."

Speaking in Detroit, at one of seven press conferences held across the state on June 22, attorney John Philo, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, said Public Act 4 is unconstitutional because it establishes "a new form of government," unlike anything we have seen before.

Philo, legal director of the Maurice and Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice here, said the law gives financial managers and the governor "dangerous" powers over not just financial matters but every aspect of policy. Those powers, he said, enable un-elected managers appointed by the governor to nullify local laws and contracts and replace locally elected town councils and school boards, thereby abolishing the right of citizens to vote for their representatives.

Emphasizing the significance of the lawsuit, Philo said the court will decide whether the "Constitution has any meaning."

Up to 150 Michigan cities and towns are in financial distress and therefore potential targets for appointment of emergency managers. Philo noted that communities of color are among the first to be affected. Benton Harbor and Pontiac, two cities with large minority populations, have already had emergency managers appointed. Benton Harbor's emergency manager has suspended the decision-making power of the city commissioners. Pontiac's manager has begun to void union contracts.

Philo said that emergency managers are a wrong response to an economic crisis that was not caused locally but rather by an unregulated Wall Street and federal policies.

Philo was joined in the press conference by two of the plaintiffs, Edith Lee-Payne and Evelyn Forman.

Lee-Payne said that 48 years ago she marched with Dr. Martin Luther King for the right to vote. Nearly half a century later, she said, this legislation violates the Voting Rights Act that the civil rights movement had fought to win.

We are experiencing a "turning back of time," she said. "They are taking my vote away."

Foreman, a retired Detroit school teacher, remarked that conditions in the city's schools have declined, not improved, during the state's takeover of the Detroit Public Schools. Because of inadequate funding, she said buildings have gone without heat and their ceilings are falling down.

New York Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Darius Charney said there is an attack on fundamental constitutional rights taking place around the country, but he singled out Michigan's law as "a huge abuse of executive power."

Pointing out the nationwide importance of the case he said, "We have to stop it here or we'll see other states do the same."

Photo: Signs at a rally at the Michigan state Capitol in Lansing earlier this year. PW/John Rummel