Port Chicago disaster remembered
PORT CHICAGO, Calif. ― In what would become a pivotal moment in the civil rights struggle, 320 men died July 17, 1944 in a munitions explosion aboard a ship being loaded at the Port Chicago Navy Magazine with armaments bound for the war in the Pacific. This base was the largest weapons transfer facility on the West Coast. Some 1,431 Black enlisted personnel served there together with 71 officers, 106 Marines who guarded the base, and 231 civilian skilled workers.
COMMENTARY Recession related suicides skyrocket in Houston, Texas
HOUSTON – An article in the Houston Chronicle recently documents a dramatic jump in suicides in Houston since the onset of the recession. It points out that many suicides are directly related to the loss of jobs and property as a result of the economic crisis. Total number of suicides in Harris County jumped from 364 in 2004 to 455 in 2008.
President Obama challenges GOP 'misinformation' on health care reform
President Barack Obama got right to the point on health care reform and answered every GOP charge at the July 22 White House press conference.
Student loan bill clears House committee
President Barack Obama’s proposal to make the process of going to college affordable, accessible and fair for all students under the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act passed the House education committee July 21.
Higher minimum wage equals best economic stimulus package
Scheduled to bump up to $7.25 per hour this Friday, July 24, a higher federal minimum wage is the best kind of economic stimulus for working families, said workers’ rights advocates and even some business owners this past week.
COMMENTARY Immigration reform: Castaneda and Jacoby are wrong
In a guest column in the Washington Post on Tuesday, July 21, former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castañeda and US commentator Tamar Jacoby criticize projected comprehensive immigration reform on the grounds that it does not provide US industry with massive new numbers of temporary workers, and Mexicans with enough opportunities to go and work (temporarily) in the United States.
Stakes in health care fight couldnt be greater
Determined to turn back a tide of right-wing propaganda about costs, a negative drumbeat from Republicans and complaints from conservative Democrats, President Obama will use a televised news conference tonight to mobilize the American people in support of a sweeping reform of the U.S. healthcare system.
Immigration and organizing at Tucsons Food City
TUCSON -- 'The immigration issue is a labor issue' was how Immigration rights activist, Isabel Garcia, summed up discussion at a July 21st 'Worker and Immigrant Rights Solidarity Forum' at the First Christian Church here. The well attended community forum was sponsored by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), with active support from Jobs with Justice, Derechos Humanos Coalition, and other community organizations.
COMMENTARY Challenging Morning Joe on health care
Sometimes don't you fantasize about jumping through the TV onto a talk show set? Well, I did exactly that this Monday morning while watching MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' (Joe Scarborough, former Republican Congressman).
Californias budget: Something for everyone to hate
After weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, legislative leaders and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on the night of July 20 that they had reached tentative agreement on how to cope with the state’s $26.3 billion budget deficit. The legislature could vote as early as July 23 on the pact, which must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both legislative houses
