People Before Profit blog

Florida rally says: "Buzz off, Monsanto"

Fri, 31 May 2013 16:05:00 +0000

ORLANDO, FL - More than 400 Central Floridians turned out here on May 25 for the March Against Monsanto, part of an international day of protest targeting the U.S.-based biotechnology mega-corporation (2012 sales of $13.5 billion) and its role in the propagation of genetically modified seeds.

The event began with a rally at City Hall, followed by a march through downtown Orlando.

Many participants held signs with slogans such as "Monsanto Kills" and "Monsanto Is Bad For Our Health." They strongly supported mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients because of concerns about their environmental and health impact, including allergic reactions, cancer and degenerative diseases. Such labeling already is required in 64 countries - including all member states of the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia and China.

"I don't trust them [Monsanto] at all because of their proven history of poisoning people, and lying about it on top of that," said Rich Hillwig, one of the organizers of the Orlando march. "This is the same company that swore for decades that PCBs [polychlorinated biphenyls] were safe, that swore that bovine growth hormone was safe, that manufactured Agent Orange [an herbicide used by the U.S. in the Vietnam War], and we're just supposed to take their word for it, that [GMO foods are] safe?"

Polls conducted by MSNBC, Reuters/NPR, the Washington Post and others show that more than 90 percent of the American public want labeling of genetically modified foods. Up to 75 percent of processed foods include GM ingredients, according to the Center for Food Safety.

"I want to know what I'm eating," said Donna McMillan, who carried a sign that said, "No Labels, No Peace."

Many of the seeds Monsanto markets under the name Roundup Ready have been genetically modified to be resistant to herbicides such as glyphosate, which the company sells under the name Roundup. Around 90 percent of the soybeans and 75 percent of the corn produced in the U.S. are grown from Monsanto seeds.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a "controversial" study by French scientists, published last year in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, found that rats fed corn grown from Roundup Ready seeds had "developed health problems, including tumors and trouble with their livers and kidneys."

Jeanie Economos, pesticide project coordinator for the Apopka, Fla.-based Farmworker Association of Florida, told the rally about the effects of pesticide exposure on agricultural workers, including breathing problems and the potential to develop other health issues, such as neurological diseases.

"In the shadow of this beautiful downtown Orlando, 10 miles away [in Apopka], we have a community of people, mostly brown and black, who work every day in the hot sun in all kinds of conditions to grow the food that we eat," said Economos. "In your campaign to hold Monsanto accountable, don't forget about the most vulnerable people - the farmworkers in the field who are the first line of exposure to Monsanto's horrible, dastardly deeds."

Nation of Change reported May 5 that "a new review of hundreds of scientific studies surrounding glyphosate - the major component of Monsanto's Roundup herbicide" had shown how it could cause health problems in humans, including diabetes, heart disease, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

Biotechnology companies, such as Monsanto, tout genetically modified seeds as a way to reduce the use of chemical herbicides; however, research has shown that this impact is, at best, temporary. Eventually the evolutionary process of natural selection causes the appearance of herbicide-tolerant "superweeds" because only the weeds that survive the herbicides can pass on their genes.

A 2012 report by Earth Open Source, a UK-based NGO that works for the sustainability, security and safety of the global food system, found that:

"GM herbicide-tolerant crops have led to massive increases in herbicide use and a resulting spread of herbicide-resistant weeds. Farmers have to resort to spraying more herbicide, or mixtures of herbicides, to try to control weeds. This 'chemical treadmill' model of farming is especially impractical for farmers in the Global South, who cannot afford to buy more or different herbicides in an effort to control resistant weeds."

The Center for Food Safety reports that since the use of GM seeds began in the U.S. more than a decade ago, the use of herbicides on corn, soybeans and cotton has increased by more than 527 million pounds.

The authors of the Earth Open Source report also looked at the results of 10 research projects on the safety of GM foods that were funded by the European Union, and noted that "the [research projects] were not able to conclude that the GM foods tested were safe."

GMO seeds also may be one of the factors in the decline of bee populations in North America in recent years. The Daily Beast reported (May 8) that just this winter nearly a third of U.S. bee colonies had died. One theory is that genetic modification of flower pollen leads to bees becoming malnourished and losing their resistance to diseases and parasites.

"Monsanto needs to stop killing our pollinators," said Pam Treadwell, an Orlando beekeeper, who carried a sign that said "Buzz Off Monsanto." "There's a whole host of problems occurring due to these pesticides, and the damage being created by them and the GMO plants is far more extensive than the problems they're trying to cure."

Photo: March Against Monsanto Orlando Facebook page

Protesters to Obama: "400,000, not one more deportation"

Thu, 30 May 2013 12:41:00 +0000

CHICAGO - Twelve undocumented Chicagoans were arrested May 29 as they blocked morning rush hour traffic to demand that President Obama stop deportations. They have all been subsequently released.

The 12 brought traffic on Michigan Ave. to a standstill as they sat down in the street around a banner with the number 400,000 painted onto it. That is the number of people scheduled for deportation this year, they noted, under White House quotas. The banner, which read "400,000, not one more deportation," was spread out in the street in front of the Hilton Hotel, where the president spoke later in the day at a fundraiser.

That afternoon fundraiser drew scores of other immigrant protesters and more than 100 allies who rallied across the street from the hotel.

At the Hilton rally, as at the civil disobedience actions in the morning, demonstrators demanded an end to deportations which, they note, are proceeding at a record pace even as Congress wrestles with the issue of immigration reform.

"Plans and promises of immigration reform are not enough," said Stephanie Camba, 22, one of the 12 arrested, as she sat in the street on Michigan Ave. "While Congress is talking about passing immigration reform, I'm scared that my own parents will be one of the 1,100 who are deported every day. The president can't be a bystander in reform when he could stop our suffering and stop deportations with the stroke of a pen."

Camba was born in the Philippines in 1990. Her family left there in groups, starting with her grandparents, older sister and aunt and eventually all of them, including her parents, ended up in the United States.

She said that missing from the current debate on immigration is adequate discussion of what causes people to migrate from country to country in the first place. "We have to talk about the uneven economic opportunities across the world, many of which have been tied to U.S. foreign/economic policy. Immigration is a complex narrative that cannot be boiled down to terms like 'legal' and 'illegal.'"

At least one of the protesters arrested yesterday has already benefitted from one of Obama's actions. Ireri Unzueta Carrasco, 26, is a recipient of the president's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). "It doesn't make sense to keep deporting people that could qualify for immigration reform. We want our families to still be here when a path to citizenship opens. We're calling on the president to give our parents and everyone in our community the same relief he gave us."

Unzueta Carrasco was born in Mexico City and has lived in Chicago since she was 10 years old. She is the co-founder of the Immigrant Youth Justice League, one of the groups sponsoring yesterday's demonstrations. In 2012 she graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a masters in Latin American and Latino Studies.

Speakers at the evening rally outside the Hilton highlighted the cases of two Chicago residents facing immediate deportation.

Lourdes Moreno Castro, one of the two, is a mother of four who was wrongfully arrested after another driver backed into her car. She is eligible for prosecutorial discretion but instead ICE has issued her a deportation order for today, May 30.

The second case is that of Octavio Nava Cabrera who was pulled over in front of his house in Melrose Park for allegedly running a stop sign two blocks earlier. Those charges were later dropped but ICE agents surrounded his house three weeks later and took him to the Dodge County facility in Wisconsin where he has been detained for over a month.

The pain and anguish suffered by his family has been enormous, speakers at the rally said. They said his young son is a U.S. citizen and that his younger brothers need him too. The activists hope that public support for him could help convince ICE to return him to his home.

"Lourdes and Octavio are just two examples of the 1,100 deported every day while Congress debates," said Camba. "We need the President to use his executive authority to expand the relief he granted some Dream-eligible youth to the rest of those who could potentially be included in reform."

Photo: Demonstrators perform civil disobedience, calling on President Obama to suspend deportations, Chicago, May 29 (via National People's Action).

Chicago joins 12-city protest against Koch Tribune grab

Wed, 29 May 2013 16:20:00 +0000

CHICAGO - People from all over this city jammed the entrances of the Chicago Tribune today demanding that it not be sold to Koch industries, the company owned by David and Charles Koch, top fundraisers for the tea party.

They were among crowds that gathered in 12 cities across the country outside of other newspapers that the Tribune Company is planning to sell to the brothers. Included in the list of papers the Koch brothers have their eyes on include the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courant and the Orlando Sentinel.

"We are delivering over 500,000 signatures from members of the public who oppose this sale," declared Shani Smith, a spokesperson for Stand Up Chicago, as she and others held up petitions and banners in front of the Chicago Tribune's main entrance.

She urged people to go online to view and sign the petition.

"Billionaire oil barons David and Charles Koch are major funders of the tea party and right-wing think tank politicians, " Smith said. "We don't want a historic Chicago newspaper to become their mouthpiece for destroying unions, defunding public education and denying global warming."

Frank Venezia, a member of the Lakeview Coalition, an organization that fights for fair housing, was among the demonstrators. "Those of us who want to see affordable housing in this city know that the fight will be tougher if these Koch brothers take over the newspaper," he said. "Anyone who wants to privatize Social Security or eliminate the minimum wage is not going to be a friend of fair housing."

Groups participating in the "Save our News Coalition" include much more than just Stand Up Chicago and fair housing and public education advocacy groups in this city. Also involved are the AFL-CIO, Forecast the Facts, the Climate Reality Project, Common Cause, CREDO, Free Press, Greenpeace, the Other 98, the Service Employees International Union and many other groups are participating.

"Ownership of the Tribune newspapers would give Koch brothers control of papers read by 5.6 million people on weekdays and 8.7 million on Sundays," said Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO.

"The Koch brothers have given millions to right wing organizations. It is hard to imagine how the Tribune newspapers would continue to provide quality independent journalism to the communities they serve if they were under the control of the Koch brothers."

Photo: Community members speak against the Koch brothers buying the Chicago Tribune May 29 (PW/John Wojcik).

GOP attempts to defund, block Obamacare

Wed, 29 May 2013 15:56:00 +0000

Republicans in Congress are continuing to try everything possible to obstruct, delay or outright prevent the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare.

Aside from the merely symbolic "repeal" votes taken in the House of Representatives, now up to 37 and counting, the GOP is trying to forestall the nitty-gritty process of implementation by attempting to block funding of the administrative costs of various agencies involved in rolling out the program.

For example, as reported on his website May 15, Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada has introduced an amendment to the Senate farm bill that would prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from receiving funds to implement Obamacare.

Earlier this month, Speaker John A. Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced they would ignore a provision in the health care law calling on each leader to pick a person for a new panel with the power to dictate Medicare spending reductions without fear of congressional reversal.

As Jamelle Bouie reported in the Washington Post April 26:

"Republicans aren't just opposed to the Affordable Care Act; they disagree with the whole notion of universal insurance, and health care as a right, not a privilege. There's no possible configuration of health care reform that could have preempted Republican attempts to repeal the law, and barring that, undermine its implementation."

It is clear from these recent attempts at obstruction that implementation of the ACA is going to be hotly contested every step of the way by opponents who simply do not believe in health care for all. Workers without sufficient health care benefits, the unemployed and the marginalized along with their allies and advocates will need to be vigilant and ready to apply pressure politically, in the media and in the streets as necessary to ensure that this landmark (if imperfect) legislation is fully implemented as scheduled in 2014.

Photo: Flickr

Anti-Monsanto rally draws Texas protesters

Wed, 29 May 2013 14:18:00 +0000

BELTON, Texas (Texas Media Collective) - A misty sky didn't dampen spirits at the May 25 March Against Monsanto rally here. Local organizers pronounced themselves pleased with the turnout, which numbered some 60 people.

"This is the Memorial Day weekend, and we didn't have a whole lot of time to put it together," said co-organizer Cole Kelly. "It really says something, to draw this many people with no local media coverage."

Speakers at the rally, which was one of hundreds staged around the world, pulled no punches in attacking corporations that value profit over consumer health.

Said speaker (and co-organizer) Kathe Berg Kitchens, "Why I'm here is because years ago I was poisoned by ag chemicals used by a neighbor. It made me sick. But, I'm not involved just for me. It's the right thing to do. You start by becoming more active."

Local activists have already helped bring organic fertilizer and organic foods to the shelves of "big box" stores. "That's us as consumers saying, 'If you bring it, we'll buy it.' We voted on it with our purchases and with our voices," said Berg.

Kitchens pointed out that a particular problem for consumers is finding out what foods contain GMO (genetically modified organisms), since lax regulations on labels make it hard to find out. "If I choose to buy [GMO], that's one thing, but they're slipping it into foods and feeding animals with it, and not letting us know - that's wrong."

Kitchens' concerns were echoed by another speaker, John Duck, who at times wore an Anonymous mask, evoking memories of the Occupy Wall Street protest. "Monsanto is pushing laws that only benefit it, and not thinking of the health of our children and pregnant women ... The more people that are aware of the issues, the more we can get done."

Speaker Ruth Brown addressed the threat Monsanto poses to traditional farmers.

"Companies like Monsanto are filing patents on their seeds and trying to outlaw farmers saving seeds from year to year. They'll tell us how to raise our food and push their seeds on us. Don't let them dictate what you can do."

Protesters signed several petitions available at the rally that addressed issues of crony capitalism (government agencies run by "ex" corporate executives), banning immunity for biotech companies who violate regulations, maltreatment of stock animals, bee-killing pesticides, and other grassroots issues.

Charlie Weaver, one of those in attendance, said he and his wife heard about the event at the local Natural Grocers store. "We wanted to meet some like-minded people," he said.

Building on the momentum and local interest displayed at the rally, Kelly announced that a rally is planned in October in connection with World Food Day. Those wanting to get involved are invited to visit Kelly's March Against Monsanto-Belton Facebook page, which is the contact spot for now.

Said Kelly about his organizational role, "I saw a need and stepped in. I don't want to be the leader. I want you coming in alongside me, and everybody joining forces, getting organized. Let's try to put companies like Monsanto out of business."

Photo: Monsanto protest rally in Benton, Texas, May 25. (Leslie Robinson)

Health care may be problem in House immigration bill

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:04:00 +0000

Now that the Senate Judiciary Committee has reported the major Senate immigration bill, S 744, out of committee and the full Senate is about to start debate on the measure, focus is beginning to turn to the House of Representatives. Getting a bill out of the House may be harder, mostly because the Republicans have a 233 to 201 majority there.

Media reports suggest that a major stumbling block may be the issue of access to health care. Under present law, undocumented immigrants do not have access to federally funded, non-emergency health care including Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and "Obamacare" (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).

Many undocumented workers pay into Medicare through deductions from their paychecks, and all contribute, directly or indirectly, to the fiscal base for federal, state, county and local health care programs through the taxes they pay.

And remember that the work of the between 7 and 8 million undocumented workers in this country creates great fortunes for the companies big and small who employ them, and who are themselves under-taxed and thus are not supporting health care services at a fair rate.

Some undocumented workers have health insurance through their jobs, but most do not, and at any rate as Obamacare is implemented, we also see a pattern of employers stopping or cutting back on the provision of health care as an employee benefit.

When Obamacare was debated before being passed in 2010, there was discussion around exclusion of undocumented workers. The Republicans yelled that inclusion of undocumented workers would have amounted to a giveaway to criminals. The Democrats and the administration backed down, saying that pushing the matter at that point would undermine the chance of passing health care reform. The result of this is that today, undocumented immigrants are excluded from Obamacare to the extent that they are not even allowed to buy insurance through the federal and state exchanges using only their own money, with no federal subsidy.

Under proposed Senate and House legislation, they would probably be able to buy into the exchanges, but could not get federal aid for doing so.

In a number of states, arrangements have been made to cover the undocumented with Medicaid but only with money provided by the state government, not federal money. Also, in mixed-status families - those with some undocumented members and others who are U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents - the undocumented family members are excluded.

Now the fight in the House is about whether former undocumented immigrants undergoing legalization (in the status the Senate bill calls "Registered Provisional Immigrants") will have access to any kind of non-emergency health care paid for with federal money. The consensus seems to be "no," with the Republicans (as in 2010) yelling about giveaways to lawbreakers, and the Democrats (as in 2010) disagreeing but not wanting to insist for fear that pushing the health care access issue will scuttle the legislation.

The Democrats are saying that under federal law, undocumented immigrants undergoing legalization will still be able to go to emergency rooms for care. But Republicans such as Congressman Raul Labrador of Idaho point out that going to the emergency room generates costs which eventually are passed on to the general public. They say immigrants undergoing legalization should be forced to buy health insurance on the ordinary commercial market and/or pay their emergency room bills. Not having the income to afford this should lead to deportation, in these Republicans' view of things.

As the situation is, few undocumented workers can afford health insurance, so they either go to the emergency room immediately when sick, or wait until the illness has advanced to an emergency stage and then go to the emergency room. The reader can appreciate what this means for people ignoring, for example, early stages of cancer. Sometimes people go to the emergency room at an earlier phase of illness, which is better from a health point of view, but obviously not a good use of those "taxpayer funds."

There are also reports of hospitals themselves effectively "deporting" uninsured immigrant patients through a system euphemistically called "repatriation."

Though the undocumented immigrant population tends to be healthier overall than the general population, this is an obvious public health hazard. As it is, there are problems in this country with people who work in food service, home health care and other things but who have no health insurance or paid sick days (or any sick days), so come to work while suffering from infectious diseases, which endangers themselves and others. But for some it's a question of come to work sick or don't have money to pay the rent.

But our right-wing politicians appear not to believe in the concept of public health. Their concern is not the protection of the health of the public. They just like to yell about "costs to the taxpayers" and "handouts to criminals" as "gotcha" political tactics.

As the situation in the House stands, most Democrats seem to concede the point that undocumented immigrants undergoing legalization would not have access to non-emergency, federally funded health care. As the Senate bill keeps these "Registered Provisional Immigrants" in this limbo status for 10 years, and the House will probably do something similar, this means that for 10 years the current unsatisfactory situation of health care for the undocumented will continue, with the added twist of possible deportation if one gets sick.

This is another essential fight, for the immigrant workers and their families and for the well-being of the whole U.S. population.

Photo: This boy marches with his family at a recent Chicago demonstration for comprehensive immigration reform (PW/Winona Albano Bachtell).

March against Monsanto unites global food activists

Wed, 29 May 2013 12:01:00 +0000

CHICAGO - Just 48 hours after the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods, more than 1,000 people filed into the Federal Plaza May 25 here to march against Monsanto, the company whose policies have brought the problem of genetically modified food to the forefront.

The Chi-Nations of the American Indian Community began the demonstration with a hand drum song and round dance.

Justine Pochel, an active member in the American Indian community and mother of two said, "The world is being introduced to what's been an Indian problem for years. Our heirloom seeds are almost gone, bees are dying off.... our culture is under attack. We need to honor our relationship to land and these plants are that connection. These plants are our relatives."

When asked what we can do to counter Monsanto's aggressive agenda, she said, "Traditional culture will be the salvation. Mitakuye Oyasin means [in Lakota] living as one - water, plants, animals, the earth, and people are all related. People need to realize we're all connected like a spider web. If one piece of the web breaks than we're all in danger."

Monsanto's opponents say the food system has become more corrupt highlighting the relationship between the food industry and the federal government. According to Mike Durschmid, one of the march organizers, "What's going on here is this revolving door between government and industrial agriculture. These giant companies are becoming more and more in collusion as they look to corporations to run government. It's to the point where the FDA even created a new position, deputy commissioner of foods to push public policy specifically for Monsanto, a seat being held by former Monsanto attorney Michael Taylor."

Taylor has been accused of developing public policy to fit the needs of his former employer Monsanto, an accusation that he denies.

"This is an attack on working-class people," according to Anthony Scorzo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. "With low wages becoming the norm, purchasing non-GMO products is economically unsustainable. Non-GMO products are inaccessible to a majority of the working class so it's basically another form of oppression and division."

GMO stands for genetically modified organism, which means its genetic material has been altered by mutating, inserting, or deleting genes through genetic engineering.

Elijah Montress, a state public aid caseworker, has noticed the negative impact of GMOs as many of the clients coming to his office with diabetes and high blood pressure are young people, something that was unheard of 10 years ago. "There's definitely a correlation between the insurance and food industries. People on public aid don't have a choice. When you have less variety of food for a community it hampers their health without them knowing about it. If we were to have a single payer health care system, this problem could be easily addressed."

As a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Montress sees food safety as an issue that the labor movement should be a part of, "because it needs to grow solidarity.... needs to expand beyond craft and trade. A threat to humanity anywhere is a threat to labor everywhere."

Currently there is a bill, SB 1666, being proposed in the Illinois Senate that will require companies to label foods as GMO. "The main thing is to organize our communities," says Dorschmid, "and get to the people who vote and support policy makers who support SB 1666. We want supporters of SB 1666 to be supported as they push it through state. We need to let them know, we will remember in November."

The demonstration on May 25 brought together a wide variety of groups. "This is a march bringing together many different groups," said Earchiel Johnson, a member of the Young Communist League who was among the marchers. "I see anarchists, conservatives, libertarians, liberals and communists and people of all ages and ethnic groups. We are uniting to fight for healthy and safe food. This is what a mass movement against corporate greed looks like."

As the day proceeded, the crowd swelled as demonstrators marching through the streets continued to enter the Thompson Center. At one point the march was seven blocks long, taking two lanes of La Salle with people walking in both the street and on the sidewalk. It is estimated the total turnout was around 2,500 people.

This action was part of a movement that spread via social media as people on the West Coast set up event pages in dozens of cities and then invited friends to attend with those friends, in turn, inviting their friends.

Protests took place in 52 countries across the globe against the lack of labeling for bio-engineered products and Monsanto's responsibility for the problem.

Photos: (PW/Julio Gomez and David Bender)

Sheriff Joe Arpaio found guilty of racial profiling

Tue, 28 May 2013 22:52:00 +0000

PHOENIX (ACLU) - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio relied on racial profiling and illegal detentions to target Latinos, a federal district court said May 24. The ruling comes following a three-week trial in July and August over a pattern of unlawful practices by Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on immigration sweeps and traffic stops.

"This is a victory for everyone," said Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. "Singling people out for traffic stops and detentions because they are Latino is unconstitutional and just plain un-American. Let this be a warning to any agency trying to enforce the 'show me your papers' provision of SB 1070 and similar laws - there is no exception in the Constitution for immigration enforcement."

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and the law firm Covington & Burling LLP represented a class of Latino residents and a Latino community organization, Somos America.

On Sept. 25, a federal appeals court confirmed that Arpaio's office cannot detain people solely on the suspicion that they are undocumented by refusing to reverse a lower court's ruling. U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow issued a decision in Melendres v. Arpaio that found the policies and practices of Arpaio and his office are discriminatory, violate the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"Today's decision vindicates the rights of Latinos in Maricopa County who've been terrorized by discriminatory MCSO practices and have had their communities torn apart," said Dan Pochoda, legal director of the ACLU of Arizona. "The court recognized that racial profiling within the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is a pervasive and widespread problem that can only be addressed through substantive, meaningful changes to eradicate this egregious practice and begin rebuilding public trust."

"I applaud the many individuals who came forward to tell their stories with courage and dignity. This decision brings us one step closer to justice," said Lydia Guzman of Somos America. "I look forward to working together to ensure that the MCSO is not allowed to profile our community any longer."

"The evidence fully supports the finding of an equal protection clause violation," said Stanley Young, a partner with Covington & Burling. "We proved a discriminatory intent, through the sheriff's own internal correspondence and public statements, as well as admissions that the MCSO uses Hispanic ethnicity as a reason to pursue immigration inquiries. We also proved a harmful effect, in the form of higher stop rates and longer stop times for Hispanics. Even apart from racial discrimination, we also proved that the MCSO improperly detains motorists and passengers without having an adequate basis. All of these violations will now need to stop."

"The voices of Sheriff Arpaio's racial profiling victims have been heard," said Nancy Ramirez, western regional counsel, MALDEF. "Today's decision vindicates Maricopa County community members who have long suffered from the sheriff's discriminatory and illegal practices. We look forward to seeing much needed reforms implemented at the MCSO."

MCSO's rampant racial profiling had created a culture of fear in Maricopa County. Latinos and others who look or sound "foreign" have worried that a trip to the grocery store or to work will end with interrogation by armed officers or incarceration at the county jail. Today's decision is a major step in ending that culture of fear. With this victory, plaintiffs' attorneys will make a detailed submission to the district court by outlining steps that should be taken to put an end to the MCSO's illegal practices.

For a copy of the decision:

aclu.org/racial-justice/ortega-melendres-et-al-v-arpaio-et-al-decision

More information on the case is available at:

aclu.org/immigrants-rights-racial-justice/ortega-melendres-et-al-v-arpaio-et-al

Photo: AP

Monsanto protesters demand GMO labeling

Tue, 28 May 2013 22:27:00 +0000

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - More than 200 protesters participated in a march against biotechnology giant Monsanto here May 25. The march was part of an international effort that drew some 2 million people to similar marches held in 436 cities around the globe. The focus here was to draw attention to legislation passed that does not require food consisting of genetically modified organisms (GMO) to be labeled.

GMOs are a plant or meat product which has had its DNA artificially altered. GMOs are altered as well to have an internal generated pesticide and are engineered to tolerate Roundup, a weed killer manufactured by Monsanto. The seed can also contain traces of antibiotics, transferable to humans. Also produced are seeds coined "terminator" seeds. These seeds are sterile grain seeds, which are unable to germinate. The rationale being that farmers must buy new seed yearly rather than reusing seed the next year. Instead, a contract is formed between farmer and given entity that the farmer will purchase new seed each year.

As of 2011, GMOs were found in 80 percent of all packed foods in the United States. Crops include alfalfa to canola to cotton as well as meat products and milk. The AAEM (American Academy of Environmental Medicine) links the consumption of GMO products with health hazards such as infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging and faulty insulin regulation. Other known side effects are allergies (e.g., gluten), changes to major organs and gastrointestinal system. The Federal Drug Administration has previously warned that children should not consume any GMO food.

Alex Arnold, 59, of Occupy Jacksonville, felt the issue was of a global concern. When asked of his group's involvement in the march, he pointed out the Occupy Garden concept, which is an encouragement for all to stop buying produce at the store and cultivate their own crops.

"Monsanto puts profit over humanity and the environment we live in...we seek to put an end to their unethical practices," said Betty Jackson, a registered nurse. Jackson said her main concern about GMOs is they are found in baby formula. She cited a study done of GMO soy versus organic soy. The lab mice that were fed the genetically altered soy had tumors and lesions, while the mice that were feed organic soy remained healthy. Jackson expressed her anxiety about low-income households, as those who receive WIC have no choice other than GMO-laced baby formula.

"I am a humanist. And this is a human problem," another marcher said.

Photo: Jacksonville Monsanto protesters pause for a photograph May 25 (PW/M. Djordjevic).

Yahoo grabs Tumblr: Will the blog site be corporatized?

Sat, 25 May 2013 00:46:00 +0000

Popular news site Yahoo purchased social network/microblogging site Tumblr for $1.1 billion on May 20. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who had been itching to obtain properties that would attract a younger online user base, was a longtime executive for Google until summer of last year. And anyone could tell you what a profiteering, privacy-meddling corporation Google is.

Yahoo is cut from the same cloth, its influence albeit less widespread. Yahoo's acquisition of Tumblr, a favorite go-to site for teens and young adults, has got bloggers worried. Many now ask the question, "Will Tumblr be ruined by capitalism?"

Tumblr, as of late, has been exploding with popularity, but older Internet users may not be familiar with it. Created in 2007 by founder and CEO David Karp, the service had 75,000 users within two weeks of its launch. Despite its semi-corporate origins, Tumblr was surprisingly un-Big Business-like; Karp downright refused to have ads on the site, and bloggers appreciated the simple, minimalist look and feel of it. As of May 2013, Tumblr hosts over 108.2 million blogs, with 75.8 million new posts made each day.

Many celebrities and artists have Tumblr pages, including Lady Gaga; actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt; actor Norman Reedus ("Daryl" on The Walking Dead); Paramore singer Hayley Williams; and director Eli Roth. Clearly, Yahoo wanted to sink their teeth into this valuable network.

The prime concern amongst Tumblr users is that the site will now be commodified; that it will be inundated with bothersome ads and cleverly-placed "messages" and "posts" from "sponsors."

Another concern is that the site, known for allowing a wide range of controversial content, might be censored under the ownership of Yahoo. Tumblr has always allowed adult content, including content of a sexual nature, so long as posters tagged the entries "NSFW" (Not Safe for Work), so other users could avoid or omit those kinds of posts if they so chose. Yahoo may disallow those kinds of posts, though Mayer has yet to comment on the matter.

The bottom line is that now Tumblr-lovers are holdiong their breath in regard to what changes Mayer will make to the site, if any.

Marissa Mayer's past is steeped in corporatism, beginning with her work with Google. She also currently sits on the board of directors for Walmart, the big-box corporation with a messy legacy of union-busting, wage theft, small business extermination, and pure capitalism. Mayer has praised Walmart as "an amazing story of entrepreneurship and the world's most powerful brand, which touches millions of lives every day." She made no mention of how Walmart touches the lives of the underaged slave laborers who toiloverseas to make most of the products.

Mayer said that Tumblr users ought not to worry - that Tumblr will not be turning "purple," nor will there be any Yahoo branding on Tumblr, and that Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business with Karp staying on as CEO. But in the same breath, she said that the new deal will give Yahoo the chance to "monetize" Tumblr, though she was not very clear on what that will entail.

Mayer also compared the success of the purchase of Tumblr to that of Google's purchase of YouTube. But YouTubers would be quick to note that the video site has become overwhelmed with ads and, more recently, pay-to-watch videos since Google's acquisition. That fact does nothing to alleviate concerns over this deal.

This is also seen as an effort by Yahoo to get its name out there among the younger generation, who are not as familiar with the site. Fearing the news site will fade into obscurity, the company is trying desperately to appeal to that crowd who would ask, "What's AOL?," "What's MSN?," and "What's dial-up Internet?" As Time Magazine put it, "Ultimately, Yahoo did the deal to get into social networking, create more advertising inventory, and because upon hearing the news, 40 million 20 year-olds asked, 'Ya-who?'"

Yahoo's next venture? It was just reported that Mayer has joined the bidding war for popular video streaming site Hulu. Other bidders include DirecTV and Time Warner Cable, and it's unlikely they'll outbid Yahoo. It seems that Yahoo will, like Google, begin to gobble up all the smaller websites out there, assimilating them into itself. In other words, welcome to 2013, where no small businesses can survive - not even on the Internet.

Photo: Marissa Mayer speaks at a Google event. Giorgio Montersino/Flickr (CC)

Obama proposes end to "state of perpetual war"

Sat, 25 May 2013 00:04:00 +0000

In a speech at the National Defense University yesterday President Barack Obama declared the nation must move away from the "state of perpetual war" that has existed since 9/11. He repeated President James Madison's warning, "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

The president issued his call in a speech addressing controversies over the carrying out of drone strikes, U.S. efforts to break hunger strikes by Guantanamo Bay prisoners who have long been approved for transfer and seizures of Associated Press records.

In the speech, the president defended his administration's use of drones, arguing that the policy has stopped terrorists who clearly were about to carry out major attacks on Americans, international aviation or other targets important to the United States. He said, on the issue of U.S. citizens having been among those killed, that citizenship cannot be used as a "shield" to protect someone engaging in or planning an attack on Americans.

Civil liberties and human rights groups immediately took issue with those arguments.

"The president still claims broad authority to carry out target killings from any battlefield, and there is still insufficient transparency," Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. "We continue to disagree fundamentally with the idea that due process requirements can be satisfied without any form of judicial oversight by federal courts."

President Obama said that in keeping with his intention to move the nation out of its state of "perpetual" war he will slash the number of drone attacks, send Guantanamo detainees who were eligible for transfer to Yemen and step up efforts to shut down Guantanamo altogether. He said the CIA will cede its control over the drone war to the Pentagon in six months, opening the way for greater transparency. Pentagon budgets are the subject of public discussion, CIA budgets are not.

Clearly indicative that the administration has felt the pressure of antiwar critics was the president's request that people imagine, 20 years from now, how the continued presence of Guantanamo would be explained. "History will cast a harsh judgement on this aspect of our fight against terrorism, and those of us who failed to end it," he declared.

It hasn't been lost on leaders in the peace movement that the president's speech yesterday reflected concerns that their movement has been raising since 9/11.

"The peace movement has been steadily pressing for demilitarization of foreign policy," said Judith LeBlanc, national coordinator for Peace Action. "The speech shows we have had an impact and now we will have to step up our efforts."

Obama promised to engage Congress about the existing Authorization to Use Military Force, calling it "near obsolete" and in need of eventual repeal. He threatened to veto any proposal that expanded the so-called "war" on terror and he said drones will not be used after U.S. ground forces leave Afghanistan.

"While there are some, particularly the more hawkish Congressional Republicans, who say this war should last forever," The New York times wrote editorially after the president's speech. "Mr. Obama told the world that the United States must return to a state in which counterterrorism is handled, as it was before 2001, primarily by law enforcement and the intelligence agencies. That shift is essential to preserving the democratic system and the rule of law for which the United States is fighting, and for repairing its badly damaged global image."

Obama also promised to curtail the use of "lethal force" to only those targets considered to be "continuing, imminent threats to Americans" even as he acknowledged for the first time that drone attacks have killed civilians.

The president declassified the official information that the U.S. killed Anwar al-Awlaki and three other Americans. While defending al-Awlaki as a justifiable security threat, the administration is now saying the other three deaths, including aw-Awlaki's 16-year old son, were not specifically targeted.

The Center for Constitutional Rights said in response to the president's comments on use of lethal force against individuals, including Americans, that "though the president suggested a return to normal at some point in the future, the essence of his speech was to reassert the legally-flawed and dangerous premise of the targeted killing program - namely that the U.S. continues to be engaged in a global war with Al Qaeda and undefined 'associated forces.'"

The civil liberties group acknowledged the "imminent danger" policy change was "narrower" than the previous policy, but it also "raised questions" and "despite its 'refinements,' sets a dangerous precedent for future administrations and other countries."

Yesterday's speech also reflected pressure on the administration resulting from Justice Department collection of phone records from Associated Press journalists. Obama has asked Congress to pass a law that would protect the press.

"Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs. Our focus must be on those who break the law," he said. "That is why I have called on Congress to pass a media shield law to guard against government overreach."

He said that there will be consultations with the media and a report on a new whistleblower set of guidelines by July 12.

Photo: President Barack Obama prepares to take the stage as he is introduced at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., May 23, 2013. (White House/Pete Souza)

Unions gather aid for tornado victims

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:18:00 +0000

Unions, led by the fire fighters and the AFL-CIO, are gathering aid for their members and other victims of the tornadoes in Oklahoma and Kansas.

International Association of Fire Fighters Communications Director Tim Burn said first responders, including those from his union, are busy helping their neighbors in digging out and reassembling their lives after the May 20 tornadoes. But some 30 IAFF members are victims, too, he said.

"Some 1,700 IAFF members are located in the path of the massive tornadoes that devastated Moore, Okla., and a number of other Oklahoma cities, as well as communities in Kansas. The international has begun damage assessments, and the need for relief to IAFF members affected by the storm is critical," he said.

Besides the 30 "who suffered total loss of their homes and personal belongings, dozens more have severe to moderate damage. With the massive path of destruction, we expect these initial reports will be ratcheted up significantly." The union seeks donations to its disaster relief fund for members, run by its foundation.

The AFL-CIO seeks donations for the tornado victims, union and non-union alike.

Federation Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker suggested donors send checks to the United Way of Central Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. "Oklahoma needs us right now," after the "mile-wide tornado," she said. "Money from the fund will be able to buy important supplies like blankets, food and water for survivors. It will keep rescue efforts moving forward at full capacity."

The United Food and Commercial Workers and the National Association of Letter Carriers said members in Moore lost homes, goods and cars. UFCW said checks should go to Local 1000's regional headquarters in Grapevine, Texas. NALC President Fredric Rolando said his union's members should funnel contributions to Branch 458 through the union's Postal Employees Relief Fund.

"The Moore station took an indirect hit," the letter carriers said. "While it is too early to assess the damage and communication is difficult, it appears that all carriers' personal vehicles in the Moore Post Office parking lot were destroyed. Several carriers suffered damage to, or total loss of, their homes but all letter carriers are accounted for and thus far there are no reports of injury or loss of life involving carriers."

"When a storm like this hits, we must match its ferocity with our own generosity to help our brothers, sisters and co-workers rebuild after this tragedy," Rolando said.

Photo: On May 20, this category EF5 tornado passed through Moore, Oklahoma, and other communities, leaving devastation and death in its path (CC).

In response to school closures, a new movement is born

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:27:00 +0000

Mindless destruction.

That's the immediate reaction to the vote to close 50 schools by the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education (BOE) on May 22. The BOE voted unanimously for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan, in reality a continuation of the same policy dating back 20 years.

There was never much doubt about the outcome by the deaf, rubberstamp BOE. It is after all an unelected, unaccountable board appointed by the mayor and composed of corporate CEOs, millionaires and billionaires.

The closures are the largest in U.S. history and follow similar closures based on similar policies in Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Sacramento, and other school systems.

The vote was a direct outcome of a corporate "market based" approach to public education. No longer are educators in charge of public education. Now big business is in charge and they're looting public education and turning it into a profit making venture.

Such an approach involves creating a two-tier public educational system: one for the wealthy, which gets showered with abundant funding and resources, a rich curriculum, small class sizes and experienced educators.

The other, reserved for the working class and children of color, is starved of resources, has a bare bones curriculum in which students are considered expendable and warehoused accordingly in overcrowded classrooms in dilapidated buildings.

That the policies are patently racist is evidenced by the fact that 90 percent of children affected are African American. This prompted a lawsuit by the Chicago Teachers Union that the closures violate the federal Civil Rights Act.

That children with disabilities will be warehoused and denied funding to address special needs also prompted a similar lawsuit claiming violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Meanwhile the education profession is being destroyed and teachers are becoming merely unskilled low-wage classroom managers, easily replaced as they burn out after a couple of years.

The entire system is opened to privatization and looting by Wall Street hedge funds and the likes of billionaires Gates, Walton, Broad and their ilk.

The BOE approved the plan despite broad based opposition by the Chicago Teachers Union, parents, students and communities around the affected schools and the community at large.

High school and elementary school students boycotted classes and sat-in to protest the plan and joined their teachers, parents, and community activists in marching, rallying and being arrested in civil disobedience actions.

Emanuel and CPS officials conducted themselves disgracefully throughout the process, presenting shifting reasons for the closures and justifying them on the basis of lies, distortion, and omission. When one justification was exposed as a lie, they shamelessly shifted to another.

First it was a billion dollar budget crisis and underutilization. Then it was underutilization and low performance.

Even this was too much for the corporate media mouthpieces like the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times who voiced growing skepticism.

When the expose of the lies became too much, CPS simply imposed a news blackout.

All along they hid the real CPS agenda of privatization.

Those who opposed the closures warned that they would only deepen the education crisis in Chicago, and place the children in greater danger of exposure to gang violence. In addition advocates warned shutting school doors would mirror past closures and not result in educational gains.

They warned the closures would continue to destroy the fabric of communities that are already reeling from deep poverty and economic crisis.

A school closure is akin to a plant shutdown. It is destruction of human community and institutions built up over generations from the hard work, blood, sweat and tears and creativity of thousands.

As CTU President Karen Lewis said, "This battle is far from over." A new movement has already begun in the political arena to register 250,000 voters and unseat Mayor Emanuel and his supporters in City Council and pass legislation to establish an elected school board.

To win, such a movement must be far broader than present, reach deeper into the grassroots and go beyond communities so far affected, and unite our multi-racial working class and mobilize the entire labor movement while effectively countering the corporate lies and setting out a vision for the future of public education.

A new national movement for education justice has been born all across the country, to defend public education from those who would destroy it, to end the corporate looting and privatization and to provide a fully funded, equitable public education for all. Chicago is on the frontlines of this fight.

Photo: Seth Perlman/AP

New York veterans chart a way forward

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:04:00 +0000

Veterans of the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars gathered last Saturday at a local New York Area Veterans for Peace conference.

The one-day meet was devoted to the group's attempt to address the challenges of today's peace movement. The main topic of the day was to build a culture of peace at the grassroots level. Susan Schnall, a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran and activist nurse along with Michael McPhearson, a Gulf War veteran and past executive director of the national organization moderated the conference.

One of the day's highlights were remarks by James J. Yee a former U.S. Army chaplain and a graduate of West Point.

Yee had served as the Muslim chaplain for the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. While ministering to prisoners, Captain Yee advised camp commanders on detainee religious practices and objected to the cruel and degrading abuses to which the prisoners were subjected.

When on leave he was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida on September 10, 2003 and charged with sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage, and failure to obey a general order, and spent 76 days in solitary confinement at the Navy brig in Charleston, South Carolina.

After months of government investigation, all criminal charges were dropped.

Yee stressed the importance of veterans sharing their personal stories and its importance to the national dialog on war and peace. Yee said when I tell my personal experience it blows people away.

A plenary discussion continued this theme focusing on organizing veterans on the basis of their unique circumstances as former soldiers.

Frank Stearns, a Vietnam vet stressed the importance of dealing with the war economy.. "We're at the end of declared wars, with drone technology you can fight without soldiers. The military-industrial complex is one of the biggest growth industries. We need to grapple with this new stage of privatizing the war industry."

The meeting paid tribute to the late David Cline the group's former past president and one of the founders of Veterans for Peace. Cline initiated the Veterans Peace Council of Metro NY to help coordinate anti-war activities by local veterans groups.

Photo: Flickr (CC)

Senate judiciary committee approves immigration bill

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:44:00 +0000

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted 13 to 5 to send the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization act of 2013, S 744, to the full Senate for debate and a vote, a process that will probably begin in early June.

The vote came after the committee performed its "markup" function of dealing with most of the 300 amendments to the mammoth bill. Voting "no" were Republican Senators Sessions (Alabama), Grassley (Iowa), Cruz (Texas), Cornyn (Texas), and Lee (Utah).

The bill was supported by a bipartisan group of eight senators (the "Gang of Eight"), which included Democrats Bennett (Colorado), Durbin(Illinois), Schumer (New York) and Menendez (New Jersey) as well as Republicans McCain (Arizona), Flake (Arizona), Graham (South Carolina) and Rubio (Florida). Durbin, Schumer, Graham, and Flake are also Judiciary Committee members.

The markup process consisted of efforts by the Republican right to achieve two main objectives: To make the bill much harder on undocumented immigrants, and to make it easier for U.S. corporations to bring in more foreign workers in both high skills and lower skills categories.

In the first category was an amendment offered by Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to make it impossible for anybody who has ever knowingly been in the United States without papers to become a U.S. citizen. Other anti-undocumented amendments would have excluded from legalization anyone whose income was less than four times the poverty rate, forbidden immigrants in the process of legalizing themselves from even briefly visiting their relatives in their countries of origin, denied all means tested public benefits to such immigrants even after they become citizens, and not allowed the process of legalization to begin until the government could attest that it had the border "sealed" to the point that 90 percent of unauthorized entries were stopped.

Most of these were defeated handily. The one on "sealing the border" and another that requires the government to set up a system of biometric data collection to make sure that people who come here on temporary visas leave when they are supposed to, were decoupled from the legalization process. If the bill becomes law, all this will not delay the process of legalizing the estimated 11.5 million undocumented immigrants.

But the committee largely acceded to Republican demands to make it easier for corporations to bring in new guest workers, and to retailor visa procedures to suit the interests of business. For example, the original minimum of 65,000 new H-1B visas for highly skilled workers was raised to 110,000 to please high tech industries. This is strongly opposed by organized labor, which strongly supports, on the other hand, the legalization of the undocumented. This concession was supposedly made to get the support of influential Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, for passage of the bill. Even though S 744 passed the Judiciary Committee stage quite easily, a bigger fight is expected in the full Senate. The Democrats have a majority there of 53 to 45 Republicans, plus two independents who will probably vote in favor. However, this is not enough to ensure cloture and a vote, which is the reason given for the further concessions to the Republicans on what is already a problematic bill.

A major progressive amendment to the bill, presented by Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, would have allowed U.S. citizen spouses of same-sex couples to petition for green cards (permanent legal resident visas) for their spouses. This was seen by the White House, the other members of the "Gang of Eight" and Leahy's fellow Democrats on the committee as endangering the passage of the bill because of the level of Republican animosity it would generate, and Leahy reluctantly withdrew his amendment.

The bill as passed by the Judiciary Committee, is already very problematic, although the AFL-CIO leadership and most immigrants' rights organizations see it as better than nothing, and as a start.

To legalize themselves, undocumented immigrants will have to jump through many hoops. They must first register as "Registered Provisional Immigrants" (RPIs), from which they are barred if they were not already in continuous presence in the country since December 31 2011 at the latest. They must pay a $500 fine, then manage to live and work here for 6 years without being unemployed for more than 60 days and with an average income of at least 125 percent of the poverty line. They also must not have felony convictions or more than two misdemeanor convictions (defined differently depending on the state). After the initial 6 years, they can apply to stay for another 4, paying another fine. After 10 years as RPI's, they can apply for green cards, and after that, they can apply for U.S. citizenship in another 3 years (2 years less than the regular wait). There are more generous conditions for "dreamers" (undocumented youth who were brought here without papers before they were 16 years old will have only a 5 year wait as RPIs), and farm workers.

But the main problem is that during this entire 10 year initial waiting period, "Registered Provisional Immigrants" will be at the mercy of their employers as well as of economic conditions. This time period needs to be much shorter, and the income and employment requirements eliminated. Otherwise this is just a gift to the most unscrupulous employers.

What is a "felony" and a "misdemeanor" for immigration purposes needs to be clearly defined. We cannot assume that in every state of the union a regime of perfect justice prevails, and that there are no bigoted or corrupt police officers, prosecutors or immigration agents. There are plenty of cases of U.S. citizens being "accidentally" rounded up and deported because they look "Hispanic" or have Spanish names, let alone non-citizens who should be protected by the legislation.

The extension of E-Verify to eventually include all employers, and thus all employees, is also a problem. So is the elimination of the "diversity lottery" of visas, which will make coming to the United States much harder for most would be-immigrants from Africa.

And there will be strong pressure in the House of Representatives to move the legislation further to the right, because of the 233 to 201 Republican majority. That fight now starts.

But immigrants' rights and labor activists say they will fight to make further changes, and point out that whatever happens in Congress this year is not the end but the beginning of the struggle for justice for immigrants. Even if some are unjustly excluded from legalization (and then are faced with greater repression), the prospect of millions acquiring the right and ability to defend themselves legally, in workplace and community, makes the effort worthwhile.

As the legislative struggle continues, so does the struggle to get the government to stop the current high level of deportation of immigrants who, under the new law, would be eligible to apply for legalization.

Photo: Activists in Washington, D.C. march for immigrant rights. ep_jhu/Flickr

A call for “foreclosure-free zones” at Detroit “people’s hearing”

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:26:00 +0000

DETROIT - United Auto Workers International Vice-President Cindy Estrada has called on union members to mobilize to create "foreclosure-free zones," to halt the eviction threats that have affected more than 16,000 families in southeastern Michigan since 2008.

Addressing a "People's Hearing" attended by more than 150 Detroit-area residents May 20, Estrada and two dozen homeowners, neighborhood leaders, and legal workers shared their experiences in facing down the attempts by banks, mortgage holders, and the federal-backed mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to kick people out of their homes.

Northwest Detroit resident Jerry Cullors testified how he and his wife awoke on Halloween last fall to see a dumpster and wrecking crew outside their home. Anti-eviction fighters from the UAW, the Detroit Eviction Defense group, and others quickly filled the dumpster with fallen leaves, leaving no room for the family's possessions. At the same time, legal workers were in court to win a stay of the eviction.

"Right now, despite Fannie and Freddie, we're still in our house," Cullors said. "And we're not leaving."

"Our dream as Americans is to own what we work for," he added. "There's nothing wrong with owning your dream. Why do banks think they should have the right to destroy the dream?"

While Cullors and some other threatened residents have been able to stay in their homes thanks to community supporters blocking dumpsters, and legal efforts seeking stays of evictions, thousands of others are facing the imminent loss of their homes. Ted Phillips of Detroit's United Community Housing Coalition testified that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have made 3,203 requests for bailiffs to evict families in Wayne County's 36th District Court alone.

Victims of foreclosures often are families who have suffered unemployment or medical problems and who have asked for loan modifications or reductions in principal. But, as many homeowners and community leaders testified, more often than not, banks will deny or stall such requests and then, without proper warning, will foreclose on the homes and put them up for sale at sheriff's auctions.

Edward Khammo of suburban Sterling Heights testified that after becoming seriously ill, he asked for help from his bank to modify his "underwater" mortgage. "They told us they'd work something out with us," he said. "Instead they sent people to our house, took pictures, and told us we owed $240,000, even though houses on our block are selling for $40,000. We've been in our home 20 years, but to them it's like we don't exist. We've made our payments but they're still trying to evict us."

"But we're fighting back," he said. "We're like David and Goliath, and you know how that story ended."

Once homes are foreclosed and sold at a sheriff's auction and families are evicted, one of two things happen, Phillips said. The houses sit vacant, adding to neighborhood blight, or are sold for bargain-basement prices to outside investors who often "flip" them to sell at market rates. Even if the occupants of the foreclosed homes offer to buy them back at market prices to avoid eviction, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not deal with them.

Representatives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had promised to attend the hearing. But at the last minute, they refused to come, and two vacant chairs labeled with the agencies' names faced the audience.

"They can't face us," said Estrada. "Shame on them."

Referring to the UAW's history of fighting injustice, Estrada urged the many union members in the audience, "Go back to our local unions and tell the stories you've heard here. Go back and make foreclosure-free zones. Anything we can do, we're going to do." (The UAW has a long record of fighting evictions; during the 1930s it was not uncommon for union members to pick up furniture that bailiffs had put curbside and take it back into the evicted families' homes.)

Detroit attorney Jerry Goldberg reminded the audience that during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Michigan had a law providing a five-year moratorium against foreclosures. "We need such a law again in Michigan and across the country," he said.

Hanging in front of the union hall was a banner urging President Obama to issue an executive order for a two-year moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. Organizers of the hearing distributed a publication, "A Hurricane Without Water," that points out the federal government halted foreclosure and reduced mortgage principal for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Organizers said they would send a videotape of the hearings to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac so they could see and hear the testimony that they refused to hear in person, and that they would plan demonstrations at the agencies' headquarters.

Detroit Eviction Defense meets every Thursday. Further information is available at www.DetroitEvictionDefense.org.

Photo: "People's Hearing" on foreclosures, May 20 in Detroit. At right is attorney Jerry Goldberg. Photo courtesy of Bob Ingalls.

Texas plant blast explainable, not excusable

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:09:00 +0000

The April explosion at the West, Texas, fertilizer plant that killed 14 people, injured about 200 others and destroyed dozens of homes was so powerful it could be felt 50 miles away, registering as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake.

The blast should continue to rumble throughout the country since the plant's owner apparently didn't disclose the dangers there, and the government agencies responsible for protecting the area also failed. Profoundly.

The regulatory failure was explainable but not excusable.

The catastrophe reveals an abdication of responsibilities by corporations and government to protect workers and communities. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigated and it seems likely the tragedy was an accident caused by ignorance, negligence, and greed.

Government agencies supposed to oversee such operations didn't, or couldn't, and underfunding them is no accident. Choices were made. A company's financial interests seemingly took precedence over public safety or the well-being of employees. A business played down or ignored the risks.

"It is unlikely that the owners of the West plant intended to kill anyone," said Penn State law professor Ellen Dannin. "But there was, at least, gross neglect in the siting of the plant in the midst of a town, where the company was situated - so close to the town, schools, and other infrastructure.

"There were many other red flags that cast doubt on the integrity of this company," continued Dannin, author of Taking Back the Workers' Law: How To Fight The Assault On Labor Rights. "Those flags can be found in the way they stored the ammonium nitrate, in construction of the building, and in their violation of federal law by failing to report the amounts of the chemical they had on hand."

Donald Adair's West Fertilizer Co. and its parent company Adair Grain, Inc., have a history of violations, according to Agence France Presse, which noted the company "paid more than $5,000 in fines in 2012 after being cited for mislabeled cargo tanks and inadequate transport practices, and had been cited by state authorities for a lack of permit in 2006."

In 2011, the company told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that there was no risk of fire or explosion (despite another 27 tons of toxic, flammable anhydrous ammonia there).

The EPA fined the plant in 2006, according to WFAA-TV news in Dallas, which cited evidence the facility paid a $2,300 fine then for "failing to have a risk management plan that met federal standards." That's just an outline to ensure chemical accidents don't happen and to show there are safeguards making such tragedies preventable.

Also, Adair failed to report it was storing 270 tons of ammonium nitrate - 1,350 times the amount that should alert the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it should monitor the site, according to Reuters. Any facility holding 400 lbs. of ammonium nitrate is required to report that to DHS.

The danger was obvious. American terrorist Timothy McVeigh used the same fertilizer in 1995 to blow up the Oklahoma City federal building.

"Texas, at least, had every reason to take the hazard of fertilizer explosions seriously," reported the Society of Environmental Journalists. "An ammonium nitrate fertilizer blast in 1947 at Texas City, Texas, killed at least 581 people - the worst single industrial accident in U.S. history."

Where was the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or its state and local counterparts? OSHA last inspected West Fertilizer in 1985, according to Bloomberg News.

OSHA is hampered by anti-regulation zealots who hamstring its authority and cut its budget. In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled OSHA needed search warrants to inspect employers' facilities, weakening the agency's mandate. Also, lobbied by the chemical industry, Congress during the GOP Bush administration made risk management plans mandated in 1990s Clean Air Act more difficult for the public to find.

Finally, although the worldwide trend is for "privatized regulation" where companies being examined fund the examiners, in the United States, the trend is to starve agencies.

Either way, the results can be deadly.

Required to ensure each worker has safe and healthful working conditions, OSHA has two main functions: Inspecting workplaces and furthering health and safety standards. But OSHA is woefully understaffed and underfunded. With 2,200 inspectors and more than seven million workplaces where 130 million people work, it would take more than 100 years for OSHA inspectors to look over each workplace, says the AFL-CIO.

Compare that to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"Although Americans were 270 times more likely to die in a workplace accident than a terrorist attack in 2011, the DHS' budget that year was $47 billion, while OSHA's budget was only $558 million," wrote labor journalist Mike Elk.

Besides OSHA, EPA and DHS, various agencies should have kept track of the plant. "This tragic explosion points to the need for more resources allocated to OSHA," said Tom O'Connor, director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. "With adequate funding for more OSHA inspectors, more potentially dangerous sites - like this fertilizer manufacturing plant - can be inspected and hazards abated."

Former OSHA official Celeste Monforton told Elk that communicating just about terrorist threats shows a system that doesn't see workplace accidents as a danger.

"A wise public protection system would look at these risks in a more integrated way," she said. "If you are looking at the hazard of ammonium nitrate, you would look at from a variety of potential ways, it could be mishandled whether it could be stolen or used in a terrorist attack or being used by a company in a way that puts the community and workers at risk."

There are businesses that are safe and also profitable, of course. But there's also a mindset that there's never enough profit and that maximizing income must finally sacrifice safety, workers' rights and product quality.

So will neighborhoods continue to unknowingly have hazardous facilities near nursing homes, schools and apartment, like at West, Texas? They will if there's no counterweight to the power of unscrupulous employers.

Writing in the Progressive Populist, former broadcast journalist and business consultant James Moore said: "Generations from now...people may find it hard to understand what we allowed to happen in order to hold down our tax burden and to let industry create jobs and find energy without government meddling."

Bill Knight is editor of The Labor Paper

Photo: Investigators carry off debris from the destroyed fertilizer plant. LM Otero/AP

Scandal, smandal, sign me up for Obamacare!

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:01:00 +0000

A rumor in Washington reports that President Obama has ordered the White House staff to spend no more than 10 percent of its time on the rash of scandals which, in sum, amount to a desperate Republican attempt to unseat a sitting president, recalling the shameful Gingrich impeachment campaign against President Clinton, to stop the president's agenda - especially on health care.

I agree with the president's directive, if it's true. Here's my 10 percent even though I'm hardly part of the the White House staff!

With regard to Benghazi, it's a sideshow that's going nowhere, except as bait to suck the U.S. into military intervention Syria - an unwise course Obama has so far held at bay.

No doubt there are political splits in the military, as the cuts imposed by both the budget and sequester process have already been painful for many projects - and their civilian contractors and employees.

In fact, one of the most underreported aspects of the entire budget and sequester debate - and now scandal reporting - is the multitude of vile, hurtful, racist, homophobic and false insults hurled at federal workers of every description, especially by tea party types. They have been treated as the butt of reactionary one-liners ever since Reagan, and they are not happy.

Which takes us to the IRS scandal. For the ordinary person, I think he or she must be absolutely stunned to learn that it took more than 10 minutes to determine that the tea party should NOT be given a tax exemption as a "social welfare," "non-partisan" organization.

Now, it's true that liberal and progressive - frankly political - organizations have taken advantage of the 501(c)(4) tax exempt provisions too, though not on the scale of the tea party.

But consider, if the tea party can be called non-political for tax purposes, what's left of political organization and activity that you can't smuggle into tax-exempt status by one means or another? Why not just say political parties are also tax exempt? There is a vast disconnect between the public's perception of "political" and the current IRS policy.

Obama needs to repair that disconnect. The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision now enables anonymous corporations and billionaires to funnel unlimited political funds through supposedly "social welfare" organizations, completely perverting the original intent of the classification. Either eliminate the "political" loophole, or rewrite it to block its corruption. Personally, knowing more than a few government workers, there is no question in my mind that the attacks, freezes, insults, and defunding maneuvers from Congress against the IRS have taken a large toll on the morale of its workforce.

Lastly, on the issue of bugging the Associated Press, we have yet to hear the real reason for it. Until then, the administration is guilty until proven innocent of excessive use of the "war on terror" executive privilege.

But what are the scandals really about? They're about Obamacare: they're about about doing everything possible to either kill it, or slow it down until the Republicans get another chance at the White House. They know, they know, what will happen politically to the millions who get insurance for the first time under Obama. They remember, they remember, that FDR and Social Security, gave the Democrats supremacy in Congress for 30 years until that scab Reagan backstabbed the country on the behest of GE and Business Roundtable.

The House has passed bills 37 times repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Think of how much time is taken up JUST investigating scandals and repealing the ACA? Add to that reactionary forces in 18 states have tried to stop the expansion of Medicaid.

Since the anemic, but still positive, growth in recent months has begun to reduce the budget deficit, and since the Republicans themselves have had to start doing complete turnarounds on the sequester of services that affected them, they find themselves without the budget issue to nullify Congress. As a last (legal) resort, they are drawing from the despicable Gingrich playbook with a plan to waste enormous amounts of precious time needed to improve the economic recovery and reckon with the obvious truths emerging in climate change research.

Full enrollment in the ACA is, I submit, a game changer for labor, the progressive movement and the progressive majority, and for working-class security and empowerment - for all the reasons that the right fears it!

The National Employment Law Association reports that the ACA contains important protections against firing or discriminating against for workers who assert their right to health benefits. Under the act OSHA is assigned enforcement responsibility for reinstatement and back pay awards of workers who are fired or discriminated against for exercising their rights. In addition, there is a very important provision in the law: Department of Labor sanctions against employers violating or evading the ACA cannot be enjoined or postponed by appeals to higher courts.

This would be a dramatic improvement of the National Labor Relations Board decisions on reinstatement -- which can be postponed years through appeals. Furthermore, representation before OSHA or the Department of Labor proceedings do not require lawyers - rank-and-file activists can be trained to perform most representation activities.

So, as my 10 minutes are up, ignore the scandals. Organize everywhere to enroll the millions and millions into the ACA. Today!

Photo: flickr.com/photos/progressohio/ / CC BY 2.0

New York City mayoral hopefuls debate stop and frisk, union busting

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:50:00 +0000

NEW YORK -- A number of mayoral candidates in New York are making an effort to distinguish themselves from current Mayor Michael Bloomberg in some important policy areas. Unlike Mayor Bloomberg they are saying, for example, that unions are not to blame for the city's economic problems and at least one candidates says he does not like what the current mayor says is necessary to fight crime - a police department policy of "stop and frisk."

The policy differences emerged at a recent debate sponsored by DC 37, a big union representing many city workers.

The debate, held at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, drew not only workers who are members of unions but people impacted by the economic crisis in many different ways.

It opened with a statement by radio personality Bob Hennelly that "one in five New Yorkers live in poverty; the number of New Yorkers on food stamps more than doubled; in 2010, there were 800,000 people on food stamps, now, that number is closer to 1.8 million."

The Coalition for the Homeless reported that 50,000 people stay in shelters every night; half of those are children. Rents in the city account for 49 percent of income budgets.

The questions directed to the candidates came from the groups that sponsored the debate: the unions, and community and tenant group like La Fuente, TenantsPac and Community Voices Heard.

Sal Albanese (former city council member), Pastor Eddie Delgado (endorsed by Rubin Diaz), Bill DeBlasio (current Public Advocate), John Liu (current NY City Comptroller) and Bill Thompson (past NY City Comptroller) participated. DeBlasio, who arrived first, and Thompson last both received polite applause, but when Liu entered it was clear that he was the favorite of this audience. And during the question and response Liu received the most enthusiastic reaction.

Christine Quinn, the front runner, did not show and when the moderator made the announcement, the audience reacted with what seemed to be moderate disappointment but because of Quinn's positions-that are too close to Mayor Bloomberg's - they were not surprised.

The Bloomberg administration has said unions are the roadblocks to the recovery - not Wall Street. DeBlasio had this to say on this question, "I've fought Bloomberg every step of the way. This administration has been practicing union busting with a velvet glove. Contracting out and undermining not only the labor movement but the city's economy."

All of the candidates were in agreement with the above statement from DeBlasio. Liu said, "This is a discussion on the future of New York City, the future after Michael Bloomberg is out of here."

Liu was the only candidate that said he would end the Stop and Frisk policy of this administration while others talked in terms of modification. Raglan George, Executive Director of DC 1707, asked about the continuing cuts to early child care. "Are you going to try to have a line in the budget every year for children?"

Bill Thomson answered, "Restore 10,000 slots. This is a war against women and workers. We have to move this city in a different direction. Restoring and expanding these slots means openings for children and jobs for the people of New York."

Other major questions that will impact the quality of life for working class New Yorkers in the near future were also addressed, and all of the participants expressed basic agreement on those issues.

In spite of the conviction of two of Liu's fundraisers, Liu remains in the race and the clear favorite at this event in this campaign. However, it will become clear in the near future as to whether the convictions will be too much to overcome. City matching funds and/or big union endorsements are in the balance.

Photo: DC 37 Facebook page.

Massive twister ravages Oklahoma town

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:35:00 +0000

The people of Moore, Oklahoma, are still picking up the pieces after the May 20 monster tornado that tore its way through the town, just outside Oklahoma City. It left 24 dead - including at least nine children - and countless more missing. At one point, the tornado was 2 miles wide. In its wake, the town is a disaster area.

The tornado carved a 20-mile-long slash through Moore, leveling the Briarwood and Plaza Towers elementary schools. Moore Medical Center, though it survived, also sustained incredible damage. This has proven to be the deadliest tornado since the one that hit Joplin, Missouri, in 2011, and the worst Oklahoma tornado since the one that hit on May 3, 1999. It is also being called one of the worst tornadoes in world history.

President Obama talked about the tragedy today, remarking, "As a nation, our full focus right now is on the urgent work of rescue, and the hard work of recovery and rebuilding that lies ahead. But if there is hope to hold on to, it's the knowledge that the good people there are better prepared for this type of storm than most. And what they can be certain of is that Americans from every corner of the country will be right there with them, opening our homes and our hearts to those in need."

T h e Oklahoma AFL-CIO is working with the United Way of Central Oklahoma, which has activated its disaster relief fund. Donations can be made through their website, and also by traditional mail to United Way of Central Oklahoma, P.O. Box 837, Oklahoma City, OK, 73101, with attention to May Tornado Relief. The Oklahoma AFL-CIO is asking every local union to notify the federation if any union member was affected by the storm.

One of the surefire ways that Oklahoma will pull through is through federal aid, something that might put the state's U.S. senators Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn - both Republicans - in an uncomfortable position. The two senators have repeatedly voted against funding federal disaster aid for other parts of the country, and both backed a plan to cut disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy, with Coburn calling it "wasteful spending." They have also opposed increased funding for FEMA, which is on the ground now in Moore, along with the National Guard, organizing search and rescue efforts.

In a fit of hypocrisy, Coburn sang a different tune in regard to his own state. After a powerful ice storm in January 2007, he urged federal officials to speed up disaster relief aid for Oklahoma. He is expected to do the same in regard to the disaster in Moore, though his spokesman John Hart has tried to justify the hypocrisy by noting, "The senator will seek to ensure that funding for tornado disaster relief in Oklahoma will be offset by cuts to federal spending elsewhere in the budget."

For Inhofe's part, this Republican insisted that federal aid for Oklahoma will be "totally different" than the Hurricane Sandy aid. He claimed that the Sandy relief bill was "supposed to help New Jersey, but they were getting things in the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C." What he failed to acknowledge was that, while New Jersey was among the states touched the hardest by Sandy, 24 states overall suffered from that storm, some of them rather severely.

Meanwhile, for those left to sift through the wreckage, perhaps the problems are only just beginning. The people of Moore cannot be expected to merely pick up where they left off; rebuilding and recovering will cost money that few of them are likely to have. And preparing for the next tornado is a daunting prospect for this largely working-class community. Not all of the homeowners can afford to have storm shelters built beneath their houses, and the lack of such shelters may have played a factor in the damage and death toll this time around.

It seems that old-fashioned storm bunkers are fading away as developers build more and more homes without them. In an area like Oklahoma, which lies right in Tornado Alley, that could be a death sentence to a homeowner, who would be left with nowhere to go but a hallway or bathroom in the event of a twister. Why, one might ask, do so many new houses lack these shelters, or even full basements? The profiteering of Big Real Estate could have something to do with it. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, "experts" in the business feel that buyers are less likely to purchase a house if they feel that a storm shelter or basement adds to the overall price of it.

"If anything, we're moving away from having a place to go to during a storm," said Steve Melman, director of economic services for the National Association of Home Builders.

Those who have shelter-less homes could have such bunkers installed, but at what would be considered an exorbitant price for a working- or middle-class resident. According to Home Advisor, FEMA suggests roughly 6 square feet of space per person for a tornado shelter. The average cost of that is reportedly $9,667, with the lowest someone is likely to find being $5,500. The maximum is $17,500. Then there are the prices of installation and delivery. For an average estimate on the cost of that, one can look at Louisiana-based company F-5 Storm Shelters & Safe Rooms, which charges a $2,195 installation fee for its smallest "safe room" and a $2.65-per-mile delivery charge. All in all, the process is neither easy nor cheap.

Recovering from this storm alone will be costly enough for residents. They're expected to have a very hard time putting their lives back together in the aftermath of what state highway patrol trooper Betsy Randolph called "mass devastation."

Randolph added, "The debris field is so high, and so far and so wide. There are wounded people walking the streets. I saw people that had stuff sticking out of their bodies from things that were flying around in the air. There are cars crumpled up like little toys and thrown on top of buildings. Everywhere you look, things are bloody."

Photo: The Moore Medical Center, severely damaged by the tornado. Alonzo Adams/AP