Civil & Human Rights

A ‘post-racial society’? Backlash to Cheerios ad says otherwise

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Over the next few weeks, perhaps as early as Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide the affirmative action case of Fischer v. University of Texas at Austin, (11-345), involving the University of Texas at Austin’s
use of race in undergraduate admissions decisions; and  Shelby County v. Holder, (12-96), which involves the question whether Congress’ decision in 2006 to reauthorize Section 5 of
the Voting Rights Act under the pre-existing coverage formula of Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act exceeded its authority.

It would be a fairly safe bet that Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas will state with certainty, and no sense of irony, that the United States is now a "post-racial society" where racism no longer exists, and public policies to eliminate the vestiges of institutional racism like affirmative action and the Voting Rights Act are no longer needed in a "race-neutral society." One has to wonder what America they live in.

This story over the weekend should cause the Justices to question their "post-racial society" certitude. Backlash greets Cheerios ad with interracial family:

Here we go again, with more proof, if anyone needed it, that the
post-racial American society some hoped the election of an African
American president signified is far from here.

Who would have thought that breakfast cereal would trigger the latest
racial battle line? In this case, a Cheerios ad much like every other
homespun Cheerios ad — with a heart healthy message and loving family –
ran into trouble from some commenters because of the kind of family it
featured. Mom is white, dad is black and their cute little daughter is a
mix of the both of them.

That’s it.

Nuns On The Bus Tour in Arizona

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Nuns On The Bus Tour for comprehensive immigration reform is coming to Arizona. Go to Nuns on the Bus – Network for more tour information and to RSVP. Date Type of Visit Place Jun 11, 2013 (10:00 AM) Voices from Annunciation House Casa Vides325 Leon St, El Paso, TX 79901 RSVP Jun … Read more

Never, Mr. President?

by

Posted by Bob Lord

Joe Nocera's column in today's Times, Is Force-Feeding Torture?, exposes the cynical hypoccirsy of Presdent Obama's statements regarding Guantanamo and torture. 

First, Nocera leaves no room for argument in making the case that the force-feeding of prisoners at Guantanamo is torture, and illegal under international law. 

But not long ago, Al Jazeera got ahold of a 30-page document that detailed the standard operating procedures used by the military to force-feed a detainee. The document makes for gruesome reading: the detaineeshackled to a special chair (which looks like the electric chair); the head restraints if he resists; the tube pushed painfully down his nose; the half-hour or so of ingestion of nutritional supplements; the transfer of the detainee to a “dry cell,” where, if he vomits, he is strapped back into the chair until the food is digested.

Detainees are also apparently given an anti-nausea drug called Reglan, which has a horrible potential side effect if given for more than three months: a disease called tardive dyskinesia, which causes twitching and other uncontrollable movements. “This drug is very scary,” said Cori Crider, the legal director of Reprieve, a London-based group that represents more than a dozen detainees. “My fear is that it is being administered without their consent,” she added. Although the military refuses to discuss the use of Reglan — or any aspect of force-feeding — that’s a pretty safe bet.

Poverty by the Numbers Report Reveals a Cruel Nation

by

Flag-99-862-sig-sm72by Pamela Powers Hannley

As Republicans in Congress are poised to cut billions from the food stamp program, a new report about poverty in America reveals how many millions of Americans need social safety net programs like food stamps.

Ever since President Lyndon Johnson declared the War on Poverty in 1964, capitalists and their Republican lackeys have been working hard to dismantle the collection of progressive policies that Johnson and the Democratic Congress passed– food stamps, Head Start, Medicaid, Medicare, low-cost student loans, work study programs and more.

In 1964, the rate of poverty in the US was 20%; with the War on Poverty in full swin, it had dropped to 11% by 1973. Now, thanks to the slow dismantling and defunding of anti-poverty programs, the US poverty rate is 15%, according to the new report published by The Nation and Bill Moyers; 46.2 million Americans are living in poverty. This translates to a family of three with an income of less than $17,916. The most impoverished Americans are children with 22% of all American children living in poverty; this includes 39% of African-American children and 34% of Latino children. Women are far more likely to be poor than men, and that scenario is gradually worsening.

Highlights– or lowlights, depending upon how you look at it– of the report after the jump.

Planned Parenthood wins defunding case

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal from Indiana in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals involving that state's attempt to defund Planned Parenthood from use of federal Medicaid funds on the theory of "indirectly subsidizing" abortions (state and federal law bans use of these funds for abortions).

The Indiana law is nearly identical to the Arizona law that seeks to defund Planned Parenthood on the same specious grounds, which is on appeal before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Arizona Republic reports today, Supreme Court declines to hear abortion case:

In a decision that may have implications for Arizona, the
Supreme Court refused to consider Indiana’s appeal of a lower-court decision
striking down its denial of Medicaid funds to health-care providers that
perform abortions. The law was challenged by Planned Parenthood.

A similar Arizona abortion law is on hold pending appeal
to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A hearing in that case is
scheduled for June 12.

* * *

The Indiana law aimed to deny Planned Parenthood funds
from the joint federal-state Medicaid health program for the poor that
are used for general health services, including cancer screening.