This week on a special edition of Information Underground: Year in headlines! From the red light cameras in College Station to the pro-democracy protest in Iran; listen to the countdown of this year’s top ten headlines. Post a comment on Facebook or Twitter, or call 979-779-KEOS to join in the conversation on the air.
Listen to Information Underground on 89.1FM KEOS on Sundays from 5-6pm after Tavis Smiley, for all the alternative news, politics, and commentary that you don’t hear in the mainstream media. To listen to Information Underground online and to listen to past episodes visit Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio. Tune in every week to hear headlines, interviews, and political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
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Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Where's the Change?
The Brazos Coalition Against War is sponsoring a protest against the Obama Administration’s escalation of the War in Afghanistan and the continued War in Iraq.
The Brazos Coalition Against War is sponsoring a major protest on January 20, 2010, which marks a year since Barack Obama’s inauguration as a President who campaigned on ending the foreign policy of President George W. Bush. However, the Obama Administration has continued the foreign policy of the Bush Administration, continuing the occupation of Iraq and escalating the war in Afghanistan.
The purpose of the protest is and to demand that our leaders end the United States occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, and that all military service members and civilian contractors are brought home. The protest will be held from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the corner of University Drive and Texas Avenue in College Station, Texas. Members of both community chapter of Brazos Coalition Against War and the Texas A&M student chapter will be in.
The Brazos Coalition Against War, active for over three years in the Bryan-College Station area, includes individuals, students, and community groups opposed to the War in Iraq. The Brazos Coalition Against War can be found on Facebook.
The Brazos Coalition Against War is sponsoring a major protest on January 20, 2010, which marks a year since Barack Obama’s inauguration as a President who campaigned on ending the foreign policy of President George W. Bush. However, the Obama Administration has continued the foreign policy of the Bush Administration, continuing the occupation of Iraq and escalating the war in Afghanistan.
The purpose of the protest is and to demand that our leaders end the United States occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, and that all military service members and civilian contractors are brought home. The protest will be held from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the corner of University Drive and Texas Avenue in College Station, Texas. Members of both community chapter of Brazos Coalition Against War and the Texas A&M student chapter will be in.
The Brazos Coalition Against War, active for over three years in the Bryan-College Station area, includes individuals, students, and community groups opposed to the War in Iraq. The Brazos Coalition Against War can be found on Facebook.
Headlines
Local News
Jobless Rate Shows First Decline in Three Months
According to an article in the Brenham Banner-Press, the jobless rate in Washington County dropped slightly last month, figures from the Texas Workforce Commission show. The county’s unemployment rate for November was 6.7 percent, the first decrease in three months. The jobless mark was 6.9 percent in August, September and October. The jobless rate decline came even as the labor force grew to 16,901, the highest for the year. A total of 1,137 people were unemployed. The state unemployment rate dropped to 8 percent in November, the first decrease in Texas in 16 months. The jobless rate fell from 8.3 percent in October and Texas added 17,300 nonagricultural jobs for a total of 70,000 jobs added over two months, according to figures released by TWC. The last monthly decrease came in June 2008, when the rate fell to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent the previous month.
Local Politics
New Republican Candidate Enters District 17 Primary
Wealthy Bryan businessman Bill Flores announced that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the District 17 U.S. House seat that represents Brazos County. The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports that Flores filed his application with the Republican Party of Texas this week. Flores has spent his career involved in energy and oil and gas exploration and is chief executive officer of Phoenix Exploration in Houston. He also is a major donor to Texas A&M and served as the chair of the school’s Association of Former Students. Two College Station Republicans, nurse Timothy Delasandro and terrorism expert Dave McIntyre, have also filed to run. Waco businessman Chuck Wilson plans to file Friday, his campaign said. Several other Republicans have announced that they plan to get in the race, including 2008 candidate Rob Curnock, Granbury resident Eric Finley and Fort Worth resident J.W. Autem. Incumbent Democrat Chet Edwards, who has held the seat since 1990, filed to run for re-election last week.
Texas A&M News
Third Female Student Assaulted on the Texas A&M Campus
According to a report from KRHD Channel 40, Texas A&M students are being told to stay aware of their surroundings after another female student was assaulted on campus. There have now been three assaults in just over a week. University police say they're determined to find the suspect, who in all three cases was described as wearing dark baggy pants and a black hoody. In the meantime, campus police say the best thing students can do is be aware of their surroundings and walk with confidence and purpose to wherever they're going. If you have information about any of these incidents call University Police at 979-845-2345.
National News
CEOs Received $28.9 Million Average Annual Salary
The CEOs of 10 Wall Street firms that either failed or received taxpayer bailouts were paid an average of $28.9 million per year in the years leading up to the Wall Street meltdown, according to a Public Citizen report released today. Their average pay this decade, calculated through 2007, equaled 575 times the median American family’s 2007 income. The report recounts that former Countrywide CEO Angelo R. Mozilo was paid $244.8 million in the two years leading up to his firm’s demise; former Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld received $246.3 million in the three years preceding his firm’s bankruptcy; and former Merrill Lynch CEO Stanley O’Neal received a $161.5 million golden parachute when he was removed in 2007.
National Politics
Lawsuit Is Threatened Over Councilman’s Lack of Belief in God
According to an article in the New York Times, City Councilman Cecil Bothwell of Ashville, North Carolina does not believe in God, and his political opponents say that is a sin that makes him unworthy of office, and they have the North Carolina Constitution on their side. Detractors of Mr. Bothwell, who was elected in November, are threatening to take the city to court for swearing him in last week, even though the state’s antiquated requirement that officeholders believe in God is unenforceable because it violates the United States Constitution. Mr. Bothwell cannot be forced out of office over his atheist views because the North Carolina provision is unenforceable, according to the supremacy clause of the Constitution. Six other states have similar provisions barring atheist officeholders. In 1961, the United States Supreme Court reaffirmed that federal law prohibits states from requiring any kind of religious test for officeholders when it ruled in favor of a Maryland atheist seeking to be a notary public.
Foreign Policy
U.S. House Passes Iran Sanctions Act
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure by a vote of 412 to 12 that will sanction companies that sell gasoline to Iran. United Press International reports that U.S. lawmakers passed the Iran Refined Sanctions Act this week that adds additional measures to the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act. The 1996 measure forbids companies from investing more than $20 million in the Iranian energy sector. The measure was met with bipartisan praise. California's Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House, said Washington must have the means to persuade Iran to step in line with the international community.
War and Peace
Drone Attacks May be Expanded in Pakistan
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Senior U.S. officials are pushing to expand CIA drone strikes beyond Pakistan's tribal region and into a major city in an attempt to pressure the Pakistani government to pursue Taliban leaders based in Quetta. The proposal has opened a contentious new front in the clandestine war. The concern has created tension among Obama administration officials over whether unmanned aircraft strikes in a city of 850,000 are a realistic option. Proponents, including some military leaders, argue that attacking the Taliban in Quetta -- or at least threatening to do so -- is crucial to the success of the revised war strategy President Obama unveiled last week. But others, including high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials, have been more skeptical of employing drone attacks in a place that Pakistanis see as part of their country's core. Pakistani officials have warned that the fallout would be severe.
Economy
Economic Reports Show Slow and Steady Recovery
Evidence that manufacturers are helping the economy slowly recover emerged this week in a report that industrial production rose a better-than-expected 0.8 percent in November. The Associated Press reports that the gain showed that consumers are spending more, causing manufacturers to produce more goods. Eventually, the economic rebound could raise inflationary pressures. One reminder was a separate report this week that wholesale inflation surprisingly surged last month. Still, many analysts said the economy remains so weak that they didn't think the price increases would last. Wholesale prices jumped 1.8 percent in November, the Labor Department said. That's more than double the 0.8 percent gain analysts had expected. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, rose 0.5 percent, the sharpest increase in more than a year.
Human Rights
Human Rights in Middle East Deteriorated in 2009
This week the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies released its second annual report on the state of human rights in the Arab world for the year 2009. The report, entitled Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of Reform, concludes that the human rights situation in the Arab region has deteriorated throughout the region over the last year. The report observes the grave and ongoing Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, particularly the collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through the ongoing blockade and the brutal invasion of Gaza at the beginning of 2009 which resulted in the killing of more than 1,400 Palestinians, 83 percent of them civilians not taking part in hostilities.
Women’s Issues
Iran Cracks Down on Women's Rights Activists
According to an article in Ms. Magazine, Somayeh Rashidi, an Iranian women's rights activist with the One Million Signatures Campaign, was targeted this week with a search of her home and a summons to court. She told Change for Equality, that she "asked the security officials to provide me with identification, but they refused, claiming instead that [she] will find out in the future what intelligence agency they are working with. [She] also objected to the search and seizure of property belonging to [her] roommates, but the security officials did not pay any attention to [her] protests." Rashidi was also arrested in November in connection to public protests and spent two days in prison. Today's search is just the latest in a series of arrests of or attacks/threats towards Iranian women's rights activists. The One Million Signatures Campaign, which seeks to collect one million signatures against the legal discrimination women face under Iranian law, has been particularly targeted. A number of activists associated with the campaign have been arrested and imprisoned in recent years, including American graduate student and feminist activist Esha Momeni.
GLBT Issues
Houston Elects First Openly Gay Mayor
Annise Parker told voters in November she would be Houston's new mayor, and though low voter turnout made it a tighter race than predicted, she's made good on her promise. The Advocate reports that the city controller beat out former city attorney Gene Locke at the polls Saturday. With all of the precincts reporting, Parker won 53% to Locke's 47%, making Houston the largest city in the United States to elect an openly gay mayor. Parker had been endorsed by both the Victory Fund and the Houston Chronicle and was an early favorite to win. Though antigay fliers attacking her sexual orientation were circulated late last month, they appear to have had little effect of the race.
Race and Racism
Pennsylvania Police Officers Indicted in Cover-Up of Immigrant’s Killing
According to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, indictments were unsealed this week against three police officers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania., including the chief, on obstruction of justice and other charges in connection with the beating death of an undocumented Mexican immigrant there in July 2008. A fourth officer was indicted on unrelated corruption charges, meaning that more than half of the seven officers on the force, including its three highest-ranking, face federal criminal charges. Shenandoah is the racially tense Pennsylvania coal town where three white teens were charged in the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez while shouting racial epithets. In May, an all-white jury acquitted Brandon Piekarsky, then 17, of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation, and Derrick Donchak, 19 at the time, of aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation. Each was convicted of a misdemeanor assault charge and sentenced to a maximum of 23 months imprisonment, setting off angry criticism from immigrant rights groups who saw them as having gotten away with murder.
Jobless Rate Shows First Decline in Three Months
According to an article in the Brenham Banner-Press, the jobless rate in Washington County dropped slightly last month, figures from the Texas Workforce Commission show. The county’s unemployment rate for November was 6.7 percent, the first decrease in three months. The jobless mark was 6.9 percent in August, September and October. The jobless rate decline came even as the labor force grew to 16,901, the highest for the year. A total of 1,137 people were unemployed. The state unemployment rate dropped to 8 percent in November, the first decrease in Texas in 16 months. The jobless rate fell from 8.3 percent in October and Texas added 17,300 nonagricultural jobs for a total of 70,000 jobs added over two months, according to figures released by TWC. The last monthly decrease came in June 2008, when the rate fell to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent the previous month.
Local Politics
New Republican Candidate Enters District 17 Primary
Wealthy Bryan businessman Bill Flores announced that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the District 17 U.S. House seat that represents Brazos County. The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports that Flores filed his application with the Republican Party of Texas this week. Flores has spent his career involved in energy and oil and gas exploration and is chief executive officer of Phoenix Exploration in Houston. He also is a major donor to Texas A&M and served as the chair of the school’s Association of Former Students. Two College Station Republicans, nurse Timothy Delasandro and terrorism expert Dave McIntyre, have also filed to run. Waco businessman Chuck Wilson plans to file Friday, his campaign said. Several other Republicans have announced that they plan to get in the race, including 2008 candidate Rob Curnock, Granbury resident Eric Finley and Fort Worth resident J.W. Autem. Incumbent Democrat Chet Edwards, who has held the seat since 1990, filed to run for re-election last week.
Texas A&M News
Third Female Student Assaulted on the Texas A&M Campus
According to a report from KRHD Channel 40, Texas A&M students are being told to stay aware of their surroundings after another female student was assaulted on campus. There have now been three assaults in just over a week. University police say they're determined to find the suspect, who in all three cases was described as wearing dark baggy pants and a black hoody. In the meantime, campus police say the best thing students can do is be aware of their surroundings and walk with confidence and purpose to wherever they're going. If you have information about any of these incidents call University Police at 979-845-2345.
National News
CEOs Received $28.9 Million Average Annual Salary
The CEOs of 10 Wall Street firms that either failed or received taxpayer bailouts were paid an average of $28.9 million per year in the years leading up to the Wall Street meltdown, according to a Public Citizen report released today. Their average pay this decade, calculated through 2007, equaled 575 times the median American family’s 2007 income. The report recounts that former Countrywide CEO Angelo R. Mozilo was paid $244.8 million in the two years leading up to his firm’s demise; former Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld received $246.3 million in the three years preceding his firm’s bankruptcy; and former Merrill Lynch CEO Stanley O’Neal received a $161.5 million golden parachute when he was removed in 2007.
National Politics
Lawsuit Is Threatened Over Councilman’s Lack of Belief in God
According to an article in the New York Times, City Councilman Cecil Bothwell of Ashville, North Carolina does not believe in God, and his political opponents say that is a sin that makes him unworthy of office, and they have the North Carolina Constitution on their side. Detractors of Mr. Bothwell, who was elected in November, are threatening to take the city to court for swearing him in last week, even though the state’s antiquated requirement that officeholders believe in God is unenforceable because it violates the United States Constitution. Mr. Bothwell cannot be forced out of office over his atheist views because the North Carolina provision is unenforceable, according to the supremacy clause of the Constitution. Six other states have similar provisions barring atheist officeholders. In 1961, the United States Supreme Court reaffirmed that federal law prohibits states from requiring any kind of religious test for officeholders when it ruled in favor of a Maryland atheist seeking to be a notary public.
Foreign Policy
U.S. House Passes Iran Sanctions Act
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure by a vote of 412 to 12 that will sanction companies that sell gasoline to Iran. United Press International reports that U.S. lawmakers passed the Iran Refined Sanctions Act this week that adds additional measures to the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act. The 1996 measure forbids companies from investing more than $20 million in the Iranian energy sector. The measure was met with bipartisan praise. California's Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House, said Washington must have the means to persuade Iran to step in line with the international community.
War and Peace
Drone Attacks May be Expanded in Pakistan
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Senior U.S. officials are pushing to expand CIA drone strikes beyond Pakistan's tribal region and into a major city in an attempt to pressure the Pakistani government to pursue Taliban leaders based in Quetta. The proposal has opened a contentious new front in the clandestine war. The concern has created tension among Obama administration officials over whether unmanned aircraft strikes in a city of 850,000 are a realistic option. Proponents, including some military leaders, argue that attacking the Taliban in Quetta -- or at least threatening to do so -- is crucial to the success of the revised war strategy President Obama unveiled last week. But others, including high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials, have been more skeptical of employing drone attacks in a place that Pakistanis see as part of their country's core. Pakistani officials have warned that the fallout would be severe.
Economy
Economic Reports Show Slow and Steady Recovery
Evidence that manufacturers are helping the economy slowly recover emerged this week in a report that industrial production rose a better-than-expected 0.8 percent in November. The Associated Press reports that the gain showed that consumers are spending more, causing manufacturers to produce more goods. Eventually, the economic rebound could raise inflationary pressures. One reminder was a separate report this week that wholesale inflation surprisingly surged last month. Still, many analysts said the economy remains so weak that they didn't think the price increases would last. Wholesale prices jumped 1.8 percent in November, the Labor Department said. That's more than double the 0.8 percent gain analysts had expected. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, rose 0.5 percent, the sharpest increase in more than a year.
Human Rights
Human Rights in Middle East Deteriorated in 2009
This week the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies released its second annual report on the state of human rights in the Arab world for the year 2009. The report, entitled Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of Reform, concludes that the human rights situation in the Arab region has deteriorated throughout the region over the last year. The report observes the grave and ongoing Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, particularly the collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through the ongoing blockade and the brutal invasion of Gaza at the beginning of 2009 which resulted in the killing of more than 1,400 Palestinians, 83 percent of them civilians not taking part in hostilities.
Women’s Issues
Iran Cracks Down on Women's Rights Activists
According to an article in Ms. Magazine, Somayeh Rashidi, an Iranian women's rights activist with the One Million Signatures Campaign, was targeted this week with a search of her home and a summons to court. She told Change for Equality, that she "asked the security officials to provide me with identification, but they refused, claiming instead that [she] will find out in the future what intelligence agency they are working with. [She] also objected to the search and seizure of property belonging to [her] roommates, but the security officials did not pay any attention to [her] protests." Rashidi was also arrested in November in connection to public protests and spent two days in prison. Today's search is just the latest in a series of arrests of or attacks/threats towards Iranian women's rights activists. The One Million Signatures Campaign, which seeks to collect one million signatures against the legal discrimination women face under Iranian law, has been particularly targeted. A number of activists associated with the campaign have been arrested and imprisoned in recent years, including American graduate student and feminist activist Esha Momeni.
GLBT Issues
Houston Elects First Openly Gay Mayor
Annise Parker told voters in November she would be Houston's new mayor, and though low voter turnout made it a tighter race than predicted, she's made good on her promise. The Advocate reports that the city controller beat out former city attorney Gene Locke at the polls Saturday. With all of the precincts reporting, Parker won 53% to Locke's 47%, making Houston the largest city in the United States to elect an openly gay mayor. Parker had been endorsed by both the Victory Fund and the Houston Chronicle and was an early favorite to win. Though antigay fliers attacking her sexual orientation were circulated late last month, they appear to have had little effect of the race.
Race and Racism
Pennsylvania Police Officers Indicted in Cover-Up of Immigrant’s Killing
According to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, indictments were unsealed this week against three police officers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania., including the chief, on obstruction of justice and other charges in connection with the beating death of an undocumented Mexican immigrant there in July 2008. A fourth officer was indicted on unrelated corruption charges, meaning that more than half of the seven officers on the force, including its three highest-ranking, face federal criminal charges. Shenandoah is the racially tense Pennsylvania coal town where three white teens were charged in the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez while shouting racial epithets. In May, an all-white jury acquitted Brandon Piekarsky, then 17, of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation, and Derrick Donchak, 19 at the time, of aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation. Each was convicted of a misdemeanor assault charge and sentenced to a maximum of 23 months imprisonment, setting off angry criticism from immigrant rights groups who saw them as having gotten away with murder.
Friday, December 18, 2009
This Week on Information Underground
This week on Information Underground our studio guest is Reverend Eric Posa from the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley and Reverend Dan De Leon from the Friends Congregational Church, and the topics of conversation will include the current state of religion and spirituality in America and the involvement of religion in political and social justice activism.
Listen to Information Underground on 89.1FM KEOS on Sundays from 5-6pm after Tavis Smiley, for all the alternative news, politics, and commentary that you don’t hear in the mainstream media. To listen to Information Underground online and to listen to past episodes visit Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio. Tune in every week to hear headlines, interviews, and political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
Information Underground on Facebook
Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio
Listen to Information Underground on 89.1FM KEOS on Sundays from 5-6pm after Tavis Smiley, for all the alternative news, politics, and commentary that you don’t hear in the mainstream media. To listen to Information Underground online and to listen to past episodes visit Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio. Tune in every week to hear headlines, interviews, and political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
Information Underground on Facebook
Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Headlines
Local News
College Station City Council Approves Tree Ordinance
According to an article in the Bryan-College Station Eagle, the College Station City Council voted this week to approve an ordinance that states that every new single-family home or townhouse in College Station must have at least one tree on the property. The City Council voted unanimously to amend the city's landscape and tree-protection ordinance to require developers to include two trees at least 2 inches in diameter or one tree at least 4 inches in diameter. The new rule does not apply to existing subdivisions. The change also gives developers more credit for preserving trees during construction and additional credit for landscape plans prepared by qualified landscape professionals.
Local Politics
Waco Republican Party Battles Hispanic Republican Group
A new political club that aims to bring McLennan County minorities into the Republican is being criticized by the McLennan County Republican Party. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that the Hispanic Republican Club of McLennan County was founded by Duke Machado and a group of conservative activists, including some in the Tea Party movement. The group’s stated mission is to reach out to Hispanic, black and young adult voters, whom leaders say the party has ignored. However, the McLennan County GOP leadership responded with e-mail emphasizing that the club “is not sanctioned by, nor is it affiliated with, the Republican Party of McLennan County.” The two groups have exchanged criticisms over the way in which to reach out to minority voters.
Texas News
Texans Face Long Delays for Food Stamps
According to an article in the Texas Tribune, pending food-stamp applications have soared, from about 38,000 a year ago to more than 65,000 in October. Two-thirds of those people had waited longer than the federally mandated 30 days and nearly half had waited more than 60 days. The worst delays have stranded families without help for months on end. And those figures tend to undercount the total case load because they don't capture many applications until a worker starts processing them. The Texas Health and Human Services recently made a host of changes, sparked by a lawsuit and federal compliance demands. The agency has added about 500 employees, showed the first decrease in pending cases, to about 62,000 in November, a drop of about 3,000. In 2005, Texas privatized food sates and hired Accenture to take over enrollment under a $900 million contract that was canceled two years later after a host of foul-ups.
Texas Politics
Legislature to Focus on Veterans' Issues
Senate leaders promised this week to focus on Texas veterans' employment, education and mental health needs as they work toward the 2011 regular legislative session. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst joined Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and retired Army Reserve Maj. James R. Cunningham at a San Antonio news conference to announce the areas on which Dewhurst formally is asking the Senate Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee to focus. For the veterans committee, that includes a study of veteran employment and veteran-owned small business issues; utilization of the new GI Bill; advantages of a centralized call center for referring veterans to benefit providers; ways to coordinate state veteran workforce programs; and how Texas can better address veterans' mental health needs.
National Politics
Much Opposition to Health Care Plan Is From Left
According to the political polling blog FiveThirtyEight.com, much of the opposition to the current health care legislation is coming from liberals. In a recent poll, Ipsos did something that no other pollster has done. They asked the people who opposed the bill why they opposed it: because they are opposed to health care reform and thought the bill went too far? Or because they support health care reform but thought the bill didn't go far enough? It turns out that a significant minority of about 25 percent of the people who opposed the plan -- or about 12 of the overall sample -- did so from the left; they thought the plan didn't go far enough. Ipsos also asked a parallel question of people who supported the plan: did any of them support the plan because they oppose health care reform and thought that the plan was sufficiently watered-down so as to "keep health care reform from happening"? A small number of people picked this response: about 10 percent of those in favor of the plan, or 3 percent of the entire sample.
Economy
Without More Federal Aid State Budget Cuts Could Cost Economy 900,000 Jobs
States face a serious fiscal problem that could force them to institute additional deep budget cuts and tax increases in 2010, weakening the fragile economic recovery and harming vulnerable children, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the federal assistance that states received for their Medicaid programs under this year’s economic recovery legislation is scheduled to end with a “cliff” on December 31, 2010, and the assistance states received for education and other services also will be largely exhausted by then. Although that date is more than a year away, the problem is coming to a head now. The outlook for state fiscal year 2011 is grim; actions states will have to take to eliminate deficits for that year are likely to drag down GDP by more than 0.9% and could cost 900,000 jobs.
Environment
EPA Rules that Greenhouse Gases are Harmful to Human Health
According to an article in the Christian Science-Monitor, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced this week its final determination that greenhouse gases are a hazard to human health – a widely expected move whose less-than-expected timing came on the first day of climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. Obama administration is using to nudge Congress toward new climate-energy legislation. If the Senate – where the bill is bogged down – won’t act, then it’s clear the EPA now stands ready to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, analysts say. It underlined several moves already begun by the administration during the past 11 months, including: Establishing a new greenhouse gas emissions-reporting system. Mandating that, beginning next month, large US greenhouse-gas emitters work with the EPA to monitor their emissions. Also, requiring that, beginning in 2011, large greenhouse-gas emitters for the first time submit information that will allow tracking of greenhouse-gas emissions over time and be publicly available.
Health Care
Cancer Rates Continue to Fall in the U.S.
Cancer diagnoses and deaths continued to decline in the U.S., according to the latest available data, helped by efforts to reduce risk, provide early detection and develop therapies. The Wall Street Journal reports that the report, from a group of cancer and health organizations including the National Cancer Institute, trumpets the successes of improved screening and comes amid calls for less and later screening for breast and cervical cancers. A federally funded task force created an uproar last month when it said women could wait until they are older to begin routine mammograms and have them less often, a call echoed by a similar pronouncement on cervical-cancer screening from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. New diagnoses for all types of cancer combined in the U.S. fell on average almost 1% per year from 1999 to 2006. Cancer deaths decreased 1.6% a year from 2001 to 2006. Overall cancer rates continue to be higher for men than for women, but men experienced the greatest declines in new cases and deaths.
Civil Rights
New Report Questions "Suicides" at Guantanamo
According to an article in Salon.com, on the night of June 10, 2006, three Guantanamo detainees were found dead in their individual cells. Without any autopsy or investigation, U.S. military officials proclaimed "suicide by hanging" as the cause of each death, and immediately sought to exploit the episode as proof of the evil of the detainees. However, a major new report from Seton Hall University School of Law released this week raises serious doubts about both the military's version of events and the reliability of its investigation. The Report details that the three men "died under questionable circumstances"; that "the investigation into their deaths resulted in more questions than answers"; and that "without a proper investigation, it is impossible to determine the circumstances of the three detainees' deaths." The 54-page, heavily-documented Report raises numerous troubling questions.
Human Rights
Rescued Child Prostitutes Not Receiving Help
More than a month after the FBI announced it had rescued 52 children from "sexual slavery" in a nationwide crackdown on child prostitution, none of the victims is receiving the help experts say is necessary to overcome such trauma and rejoin society. The Los Angeles Times reports that at least one, a 15-year-old Sacramento girl held on an unrelated charge, remains in a juvenile detention center, according to a Los Angeles Times check of the children's situations. Others have been sent home or into foster care. The victims need intensive residential treatment, experts say, and only three such programs exist in the country. When America's child prostitutes are identified by the FBI or police, they are incarcerated for whatever reason possible, whether it be an unrelated crime or “material witness hold.” Child victims are often sent home or to foster families after moving through juvenile court.
Reproductive Rights
Women of Reproductive Age Disproportionately Uninsured
According to a report by the Guttmacher Institute, publicly funded family planning providers are struggling to meet a growing need for subsidized contraceptive care, which is being driven by more women wanting to postpone childbearing during tough economic times. This surge in demand is straining already-limited resources, and is exacerbated by rising unemployment that has resulted in more women losing employer-based insurance coverage. According to the new report, some family planning centers have been able to expand their hours of operation to meet the growing need. Unfortunately, many more centers have been forced to cut back on services due to budgetary constraints. More than half the surveyed centers reported one or more service delivery challenges related to staffing or cutbacks in services. Nearly half reported staff layoffs or a hiring freeze. One-third reported cutbacks in the number of contraceptive methods offered, typically the long-acting and more effective methods like the IUD and implant (which have high up-front costs) and some brands of birth control pills. A quarter reported longer wait times for clients seeking care.
Women’s Issues
Extremist Threat to Women Increasing, Government Failing to Protect
Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, women and girls suffer high levels of violence and discrimination and have poor access to justice and education. Human Rights Watch released a report this week that said that the Afghan government has also failed to bring killers of prominent women in public life to justice, creating an environment of impunity for those who target women. The 96-page report, "We Have the Promises of the World: Women's Rights in Afghanistan," details emblematic cases of ongoing rights violations in five areas: attacks on women in public life; violence against women; child and forced marriage; access to justice; and girls' access to secondary education. One nationwide survey of levels of violence against Afghan women found that 52 percent of respondents experienced physical violence, and 17 percent reported sexual violence. Yet because of social and legal obstacles to accessing justice, few women and girls report violence to the authorities.
Race and Racism
Latinos Rarely Mentioned in U.S. Media
According to a report by New America Media, an in-depth study of nearly 35,000 articles in major media outlets between Feb. 9 and Aug. 9, 2009, which was released this week by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Project for Excellence in Journalism, found very little coverage of Latinos and even less of other minority groups. During the six months examined, 2.9 percent of the news content studied contained substantial references to Hispanics. Of 34,452 articles, only 654 made any reference to Latinos and 57 focused directly on an aspect of Latino life in the United States. Fifty-five English-language U.S. media were studied, including 13 newspapers, 15 cable TV shows, morning and evening TV news shows, 12 Web sites and nine radio programs.
College Station City Council Approves Tree Ordinance
According to an article in the Bryan-College Station Eagle, the College Station City Council voted this week to approve an ordinance that states that every new single-family home or townhouse in College Station must have at least one tree on the property. The City Council voted unanimously to amend the city's landscape and tree-protection ordinance to require developers to include two trees at least 2 inches in diameter or one tree at least 4 inches in diameter. The new rule does not apply to existing subdivisions. The change also gives developers more credit for preserving trees during construction and additional credit for landscape plans prepared by qualified landscape professionals.
Local Politics
Waco Republican Party Battles Hispanic Republican Group
A new political club that aims to bring McLennan County minorities into the Republican is being criticized by the McLennan County Republican Party. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that the Hispanic Republican Club of McLennan County was founded by Duke Machado and a group of conservative activists, including some in the Tea Party movement. The group’s stated mission is to reach out to Hispanic, black and young adult voters, whom leaders say the party has ignored. However, the McLennan County GOP leadership responded with e-mail emphasizing that the club “is not sanctioned by, nor is it affiliated with, the Republican Party of McLennan County.” The two groups have exchanged criticisms over the way in which to reach out to minority voters.
Texas News
Texans Face Long Delays for Food Stamps
According to an article in the Texas Tribune, pending food-stamp applications have soared, from about 38,000 a year ago to more than 65,000 in October. Two-thirds of those people had waited longer than the federally mandated 30 days and nearly half had waited more than 60 days. The worst delays have stranded families without help for months on end. And those figures tend to undercount the total case load because they don't capture many applications until a worker starts processing them. The Texas Health and Human Services recently made a host of changes, sparked by a lawsuit and federal compliance demands. The agency has added about 500 employees, showed the first decrease in pending cases, to about 62,000 in November, a drop of about 3,000. In 2005, Texas privatized food sates and hired Accenture to take over enrollment under a $900 million contract that was canceled two years later after a host of foul-ups.
Texas Politics
Legislature to Focus on Veterans' Issues
Senate leaders promised this week to focus on Texas veterans' employment, education and mental health needs as they work toward the 2011 regular legislative session. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst joined Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and retired Army Reserve Maj. James R. Cunningham at a San Antonio news conference to announce the areas on which Dewhurst formally is asking the Senate Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee to focus. For the veterans committee, that includes a study of veteran employment and veteran-owned small business issues; utilization of the new GI Bill; advantages of a centralized call center for referring veterans to benefit providers; ways to coordinate state veteran workforce programs; and how Texas can better address veterans' mental health needs.
National Politics
Much Opposition to Health Care Plan Is From Left
According to the political polling blog FiveThirtyEight.com, much of the opposition to the current health care legislation is coming from liberals. In a recent poll, Ipsos did something that no other pollster has done. They asked the people who opposed the bill why they opposed it: because they are opposed to health care reform and thought the bill went too far? Or because they support health care reform but thought the bill didn't go far enough? It turns out that a significant minority of about 25 percent of the people who opposed the plan -- or about 12 of the overall sample -- did so from the left; they thought the plan didn't go far enough. Ipsos also asked a parallel question of people who supported the plan: did any of them support the plan because they oppose health care reform and thought that the plan was sufficiently watered-down so as to "keep health care reform from happening"? A small number of people picked this response: about 10 percent of those in favor of the plan, or 3 percent of the entire sample.
Economy
Without More Federal Aid State Budget Cuts Could Cost Economy 900,000 Jobs
States face a serious fiscal problem that could force them to institute additional deep budget cuts and tax increases in 2010, weakening the fragile economic recovery and harming vulnerable children, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the federal assistance that states received for their Medicaid programs under this year’s economic recovery legislation is scheduled to end with a “cliff” on December 31, 2010, and the assistance states received for education and other services also will be largely exhausted by then. Although that date is more than a year away, the problem is coming to a head now. The outlook for state fiscal year 2011 is grim; actions states will have to take to eliminate deficits for that year are likely to drag down GDP by more than 0.9% and could cost 900,000 jobs.
Environment
EPA Rules that Greenhouse Gases are Harmful to Human Health
According to an article in the Christian Science-Monitor, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced this week its final determination that greenhouse gases are a hazard to human health – a widely expected move whose less-than-expected timing came on the first day of climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. Obama administration is using to nudge Congress toward new climate-energy legislation. If the Senate – where the bill is bogged down – won’t act, then it’s clear the EPA now stands ready to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, analysts say. It underlined several moves already begun by the administration during the past 11 months, including: Establishing a new greenhouse gas emissions-reporting system. Mandating that, beginning next month, large US greenhouse-gas emitters work with the EPA to monitor their emissions. Also, requiring that, beginning in 2011, large greenhouse-gas emitters for the first time submit information that will allow tracking of greenhouse-gas emissions over time and be publicly available.
Health Care
Cancer Rates Continue to Fall in the U.S.
Cancer diagnoses and deaths continued to decline in the U.S., according to the latest available data, helped by efforts to reduce risk, provide early detection and develop therapies. The Wall Street Journal reports that the report, from a group of cancer and health organizations including the National Cancer Institute, trumpets the successes of improved screening and comes amid calls for less and later screening for breast and cervical cancers. A federally funded task force created an uproar last month when it said women could wait until they are older to begin routine mammograms and have them less often, a call echoed by a similar pronouncement on cervical-cancer screening from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. New diagnoses for all types of cancer combined in the U.S. fell on average almost 1% per year from 1999 to 2006. Cancer deaths decreased 1.6% a year from 2001 to 2006. Overall cancer rates continue to be higher for men than for women, but men experienced the greatest declines in new cases and deaths.
Civil Rights
New Report Questions "Suicides" at Guantanamo
According to an article in Salon.com, on the night of June 10, 2006, three Guantanamo detainees were found dead in their individual cells. Without any autopsy or investigation, U.S. military officials proclaimed "suicide by hanging" as the cause of each death, and immediately sought to exploit the episode as proof of the evil of the detainees. However, a major new report from Seton Hall University School of Law released this week raises serious doubts about both the military's version of events and the reliability of its investigation. The Report details that the three men "died under questionable circumstances"; that "the investigation into their deaths resulted in more questions than answers"; and that "without a proper investigation, it is impossible to determine the circumstances of the three detainees' deaths." The 54-page, heavily-documented Report raises numerous troubling questions.
Human Rights
Rescued Child Prostitutes Not Receiving Help
More than a month after the FBI announced it had rescued 52 children from "sexual slavery" in a nationwide crackdown on child prostitution, none of the victims is receiving the help experts say is necessary to overcome such trauma and rejoin society. The Los Angeles Times reports that at least one, a 15-year-old Sacramento girl held on an unrelated charge, remains in a juvenile detention center, according to a Los Angeles Times check of the children's situations. Others have been sent home or into foster care. The victims need intensive residential treatment, experts say, and only three such programs exist in the country. When America's child prostitutes are identified by the FBI or police, they are incarcerated for whatever reason possible, whether it be an unrelated crime or “material witness hold.” Child victims are often sent home or to foster families after moving through juvenile court.
Reproductive Rights
Women of Reproductive Age Disproportionately Uninsured
According to a report by the Guttmacher Institute, publicly funded family planning providers are struggling to meet a growing need for subsidized contraceptive care, which is being driven by more women wanting to postpone childbearing during tough economic times. This surge in demand is straining already-limited resources, and is exacerbated by rising unemployment that has resulted in more women losing employer-based insurance coverage. According to the new report, some family planning centers have been able to expand their hours of operation to meet the growing need. Unfortunately, many more centers have been forced to cut back on services due to budgetary constraints. More than half the surveyed centers reported one or more service delivery challenges related to staffing or cutbacks in services. Nearly half reported staff layoffs or a hiring freeze. One-third reported cutbacks in the number of contraceptive methods offered, typically the long-acting and more effective methods like the IUD and implant (which have high up-front costs) and some brands of birth control pills. A quarter reported longer wait times for clients seeking care.
Women’s Issues
Extremist Threat to Women Increasing, Government Failing to Protect
Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, women and girls suffer high levels of violence and discrimination and have poor access to justice and education. Human Rights Watch released a report this week that said that the Afghan government has also failed to bring killers of prominent women in public life to justice, creating an environment of impunity for those who target women. The 96-page report, "We Have the Promises of the World: Women's Rights in Afghanistan," details emblematic cases of ongoing rights violations in five areas: attacks on women in public life; violence against women; child and forced marriage; access to justice; and girls' access to secondary education. One nationwide survey of levels of violence against Afghan women found that 52 percent of respondents experienced physical violence, and 17 percent reported sexual violence. Yet because of social and legal obstacles to accessing justice, few women and girls report violence to the authorities.
Race and Racism
Latinos Rarely Mentioned in U.S. Media
According to a report by New America Media, an in-depth study of nearly 35,000 articles in major media outlets between Feb. 9 and Aug. 9, 2009, which was released this week by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Project for Excellence in Journalism, found very little coverage of Latinos and even less of other minority groups. During the six months examined, 2.9 percent of the news content studied contained substantial references to Hispanics. Of 34,452 articles, only 654 made any reference to Latinos and 57 focused directly on an aspect of Latino life in the United States. Fifty-five English-language U.S. media were studied, including 13 newspapers, 15 cable TV shows, morning and evening TV news shows, 12 Web sites and nine radio programs.
Friday, December 11, 2009
This Week on Information Underground
This week on Information Underground our studio guest is Julie Ribardo, the Director of Health Education at the Brazos Valley Community Health Centers. The Brazos Valley Community Health Centers are a Federally Qualified Health Center whose mission is to eliminate health disparities by offering primary and preventive care to the medically underserved of the Brazos Valley. As Director of Health Education, Julie oversees the patient education, community education all-staff development, and HIV prevention programs at the Center.
Listen to Information Underground on 89.1FM KEOS on Sundays from 5-6pm after Tavis Smiley, for all the alternative news, politics, and commentary that you don’t hear in the mainstream media. To listen to Information Underground online and to listen to past episodes visit Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio. Tune in every week to hear headlines, interviews, and political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
Information Underground on Facebook
Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio
Listen to Information Underground on 89.1FM KEOS on Sundays from 5-6pm after Tavis Smiley, for all the alternative news, politics, and commentary that you don’t hear in the mainstream media. To listen to Information Underground online and to listen to past episodes visit Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio. Tune in every week to hear headlines, interviews, and political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
Information Underground on Facebook
Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Political and Social Thought to the Left of College Station
Obama’s War: Choosing Escalation and Occupation
It was not like the other speeches. It was not a speech that I looked forward to hearing. It was not a speech that when it ended I wanted to hear it again. It was a speech that I did not want to hear in the first place. It was a speech that should have been different. Last night President Obama gave a speech announcing a new strategy in Afghanistan, which translates to deploying 30,000 more American service members to the war torn country.
“We did not ask for this fight.”
However, this is no longer the same fight. President Obama reminded the country of the initial reason that we invaded Afghanistan: a military response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. But instead of declaring war on the terrorist who committed the attacks former President Bush declared war on an idea. When President Obama was inaugurated he inherited a war that was no longer based on a clear mission or idea. It was a fight that we may have not asked for, but it was a fight that we asked to continue.
“Under the banner of this domestic unity and international legitimacy…we sent our troops into Afghanistan.”
War in Afghanistan is no longer being fought underneath a banner of domestic unity. According to a recent Gallup poll, while most Americans still believe that the initial invasion of Afghanistan was not a mistake; the views on the current situation are decidedly diverse. When asked about whether or not the United States should increase troop levels by the initial 40,000 requested by General McChrystal or decrease troops levels, 37% of those surveyed supported the increase in troop levels while 39% supported the decrease in troop levels. While the election of President Obama may have increased the world view America’s international legitimacy, the support of the international community may soon start to diminish.
During his speech President Obama described the precarious situation in Afghanistan, but the situation is only going to be exacerbated by a continued American military presence. Make no mistake, the military is being asked to build a nation. At the enormous cost of American lives and treasure, the military is being asked to build a nation out of a country of clans and villages, and asking a people who have only known war for a generation that we will be different than the other occupying forces.
“The review has allowed me ask the hard questions and to explore all of the different options.”
But did President Obama ask the hardest question: If the American military does not leave now, then how does this end? The President probably asked this question, and the response was probably that no one knows how it ends. If you do not know how this war ends later, then you should end this war now. That is the most important option that I fear was never on the table, and it is probably the most important option that was never considered.
“This is the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al-Qaeda.”
The President spoke about the number of terrorist that are recruited and trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that attacks are being planned there. However, terrorist are recruited and trained throughout the world, and the terrorist attacks on western countries where planned throughout the world. The root of terrorism cannot be fought with soldiers and tanks, but with construction workers and bulldozers. Foreign aid, not foreign invasion, is the best weapon against terrorism.
When I voted for President Obama I voted for a President that would end, rather than extended, two wars.
It was not like the other speeches. It was not a speech that I looked forward to hearing. It was not a speech that when it ended I wanted to hear it again. It was a speech that I did not want to hear in the first place. It was a speech that should have been different. Last night President Obama gave a speech announcing a new strategy in Afghanistan, which translates to deploying 30,000 more American service members to the war torn country.
“We did not ask for this fight.”
However, this is no longer the same fight. President Obama reminded the country of the initial reason that we invaded Afghanistan: a military response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. But instead of declaring war on the terrorist who committed the attacks former President Bush declared war on an idea. When President Obama was inaugurated he inherited a war that was no longer based on a clear mission or idea. It was a fight that we may have not asked for, but it was a fight that we asked to continue.
“Under the banner of this domestic unity and international legitimacy…we sent our troops into Afghanistan.”
War in Afghanistan is no longer being fought underneath a banner of domestic unity. According to a recent Gallup poll, while most Americans still believe that the initial invasion of Afghanistan was not a mistake; the views on the current situation are decidedly diverse. When asked about whether or not the United States should increase troop levels by the initial 40,000 requested by General McChrystal or decrease troops levels, 37% of those surveyed supported the increase in troop levels while 39% supported the decrease in troop levels. While the election of President Obama may have increased the world view America’s international legitimacy, the support of the international community may soon start to diminish.
During his speech President Obama described the precarious situation in Afghanistan, but the situation is only going to be exacerbated by a continued American military presence. Make no mistake, the military is being asked to build a nation. At the enormous cost of American lives and treasure, the military is being asked to build a nation out of a country of clans and villages, and asking a people who have only known war for a generation that we will be different than the other occupying forces.
“The review has allowed me ask the hard questions and to explore all of the different options.”
But did President Obama ask the hardest question: If the American military does not leave now, then how does this end? The President probably asked this question, and the response was probably that no one knows how it ends. If you do not know how this war ends later, then you should end this war now. That is the most important option that I fear was never on the table, and it is probably the most important option that was never considered.
“This is the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al-Qaeda.”
The President spoke about the number of terrorist that are recruited and trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that attacks are being planned there. However, terrorist are recruited and trained throughout the world, and the terrorist attacks on western countries where planned throughout the world. The root of terrorism cannot be fought with soldiers and tanks, but with construction workers and bulldozers. Foreign aid, not foreign invasion, is the best weapon against terrorism.
When I voted for President Obama I voted for a President that would end, rather than extended, two wars.
Headlines
Local Politics
Twenty-Four Candidates File for Local Office
Twenty-four candidates filed for local office on Thursday, the first day that candidates could officially file paperwork to run. The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports that Thomas Van Kinerd filed as a Republican for Brazos County treasurer. He joins Republicans Jerry Pitts and Tanya Kay Skinner in the race to replace Kay Hamilton, who will retire at the end of her term. Two Republican candidates filed for Brazos County Judge -- Bryan Mayor Mark Conlee and former Bryan Mayor Ernie Wentrcek -- and two Republicans filed for Precinct 2 county commissioner - former Bryan police Sgt. Jerry Fickey and rancher Sammy Catalena. Gerald "Buddy" Winn, former tax assessor-collector for Brazos County, filed for District 14 state representative. His three opponents, incumbent Fred Brown, former judge Rick Davis and Blinn administrator Blanche Brick did not file with the local party on Thursday, according to a list provided by party officials. The filing period lasts until Jan. 4. In all, 20 Republicans and four Democrats filed for office. In addition, Maggie Charleton filed to continue as chair of the Brazos County Democratic Party.
Texas News
Fort Hood Unit Deploys Despite Losing Soldiers in Shootings
According to the Dallas Morning News, nearly a fourth of the Wisconsin-based 467th Medical Detachment's soldiers died or were injured in the shooting rampage last month at the sprawling Texas post. The accused gunman, Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan, was supposed to deploy with the unit. The 43 members of the Army Reserve combat stress unit were deploying to Afghanistan this week; Department of Defense officials decided only recently that the unit would deploy as originally scheduled.
Texas A&M News
Unlikely Tuition at Texas A&M Will Rise
Leaders of all 11 universities in the Texas A&M system, including the flagship campus in College Station, have been warned that they may not be able to raise tuition in the coming year. The Houston Chronicle reports that could affect everything from student services to faculty pay raises. A final decision won't be made until next spring, but system Chancellor Mike McKinney said Thursday that campus presidents have been told that even if tuition isn't frozen, not to expect it to go up more than 3.95 percent. Tuition went up 4 percent this year. Members of A&M's governing board have talked for months about their desire to keep tuition affordable, even embarking on a systemwide savings drive that McKinney said has yielded $4.3 million in actual savings so far, plus another $12.9 million in expected savings. The Texas House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution asking university governing boards to keep increases to 3.95 percent or below.
National News
Isolationist Sentiment Surges to Four-Decade High
The general public and members of the Council on Foreign Relations are apprehensive and uncertain about America’s place in the world. In polling conducted by the Pew Research Center before President Obama’s decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, both groups expressed pessimism about prospects for long-term stability in Afghanistan. Fewer than half of the public (46%) and CFR members (41%) say it is very or somewhat likely that Afghanistan will be able to withstand the threat posed by the Taliban. While half of the CFR members (50%) favor increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan, just 32% of the public agrees.
War and Peace
NATO Countries Pledge 7,000 More Troops for Afghanistan
The Christian Science Monitor reports that NATO countries are responding positively to President Obama's plan to ramp up the international counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan, committing to sending 7,000 more troops to complement the 30,000 additional US forces that Obama announced this week. The 7,000 NATO forces announced at a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels this week does not yet match the 10,000 additional international forces that the Obama administration is said to be seeking. That number, when joined with the new US forces set to begin arriving in January, would add up to the 40,000 additional troops that the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has called for. But NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen suggested at the meeting that the 7,000 forces from 25 countries was not the limit of what NATO countries would contribute, predicting there were "more to come."
Economy
States May Shed Another Million Jobs
According to a report by New America Media, state and local governments could shed almost a million jobs next year, further worsening our national unemployment rate. The nation’s unemployment rate already stands at 10.2 percent, its highest rate in 26 years. Unemployment is even higher for blacks (15.7 percent) and Hispanics (13.1 percent). The Labor Department says more than one in four teenagers is unemployed. Unions and liberal lawmakers hope the president will use his jobs forum to get the ball rolling on a second stimulus package that builds on the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) he signed in February. That Recovery Act contained a $53.6 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which the government reports saved 250,000 education jobs across the country. Other provisions of ARRA helped prevent layoffs of police officers, firefighters and health care workers. But that money has all been spent and the financial picture of most state and local governments remains grim. So unless Congress ponies up new money, many of those workers whose jobs were saved by the stimulus will have to be let go.
Environment
Texas Environmental Agency Creates Office of Water
To cope with severe drought and a rising population, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced Tuesday that it has established a new Office of Water. The Environment News Service reports that the new office will include the three existing water divisions in the agency - Water Planning, Water Supply, and Water Quality. The new Office of Water will be a busy place. The TCEQ has begun internal preparations for the next revision of the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards including criteria development for nutrients, toxics, and bacteria. The TCEQ says revisions to the standards and the Standards Implementation Procedures are needed to incorporate recently developed site-specific standards for individual water bodies, incorporate new research on the toxicity of specific chemicals, and improve the way that the standards are used and applied.
Health Care
Dramatic Surge in Diabetes Expected by Year 2034
According to Health News, more and more adults and children are getting type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the cells of the body don’t use insulin properly. In fact, according to CDC investigators, the prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. has risen by about 5 percent annually since 1990 and today about 24 million Americans have the disease. Researchers based at the University of Chicago say if the current trend continues, the number of diabetes cases will nearly double in the next 25 years, climbing from the current 23.7 million to about 44.1 million in 2034. At the same time, the cost of treating people with diabetes is expected to triple, rising from an estimated $113 billion $336 billion.
Immigration
New Arizona Law Rattles Immigrant Community
A new Arizona law aimed at denying public benefits to undocumented immigrants could hurt U.S. citizens as well. New America Media reports that pastors, community activists and non-profit directors in Arizona are warning that the bill which took effect last Tuesday could have a chilling effect on immigrant communities and their U.S born children in need of health care, food and housing services. HB 2008 requires state, cities and any government employee in Arizona to report to immigration authorities any undocumented immigrants who request a public benefit. Government workers could face up to four months in jail if they fail to make a report. The law also gives taxpayers the right to sue a state or city agency if they believe the law is not enforced properly. Arizona is considered a testing ground for immigration laws for the rest of the nation. Over the past five, years Republican have enacted legislation that ranges from banning scholarships for undocumented students to denying bail to undocumented people charged with a crime.
Civil Rights
Report Examines Civil Rights During Bush Years
According to an article in the New York Times, when the Bush administration ran the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, career lawyers wanted to look into accusations that officials in one state had illegally intimidated blacks during a voter-fraud investigation. The 180-page report is densely packed with statistics about civil rights enforcement by the division’s sections. The accountability office also examined a sampling of matters that were closed without further action, finding several cases — including the curtailed voter intimidation inquiry — in which supervisors rejected the recommendations of career lawyers to go forward. The report represents a comprehensive review of the division’s litigation activity in the Bush administration. When compared with the Clinton administration, its findings show a significant drop in the enforcement of several major antidiscrimination and voting rights laws.
Twenty-Four Candidates File for Local Office
Twenty-four candidates filed for local office on Thursday, the first day that candidates could officially file paperwork to run. The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports that Thomas Van Kinerd filed as a Republican for Brazos County treasurer. He joins Republicans Jerry Pitts and Tanya Kay Skinner in the race to replace Kay Hamilton, who will retire at the end of her term. Two Republican candidates filed for Brazos County Judge -- Bryan Mayor Mark Conlee and former Bryan Mayor Ernie Wentrcek -- and two Republicans filed for Precinct 2 county commissioner - former Bryan police Sgt. Jerry Fickey and rancher Sammy Catalena. Gerald "Buddy" Winn, former tax assessor-collector for Brazos County, filed for District 14 state representative. His three opponents, incumbent Fred Brown, former judge Rick Davis and Blinn administrator Blanche Brick did not file with the local party on Thursday, according to a list provided by party officials. The filing period lasts until Jan. 4. In all, 20 Republicans and four Democrats filed for office. In addition, Maggie Charleton filed to continue as chair of the Brazos County Democratic Party.
Texas News
Fort Hood Unit Deploys Despite Losing Soldiers in Shootings
According to the Dallas Morning News, nearly a fourth of the Wisconsin-based 467th Medical Detachment's soldiers died or were injured in the shooting rampage last month at the sprawling Texas post. The accused gunman, Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan, was supposed to deploy with the unit. The 43 members of the Army Reserve combat stress unit were deploying to Afghanistan this week; Department of Defense officials decided only recently that the unit would deploy as originally scheduled.
Texas A&M News
Unlikely Tuition at Texas A&M Will Rise
Leaders of all 11 universities in the Texas A&M system, including the flagship campus in College Station, have been warned that they may not be able to raise tuition in the coming year. The Houston Chronicle reports that could affect everything from student services to faculty pay raises. A final decision won't be made until next spring, but system Chancellor Mike McKinney said Thursday that campus presidents have been told that even if tuition isn't frozen, not to expect it to go up more than 3.95 percent. Tuition went up 4 percent this year. Members of A&M's governing board have talked for months about their desire to keep tuition affordable, even embarking on a systemwide savings drive that McKinney said has yielded $4.3 million in actual savings so far, plus another $12.9 million in expected savings. The Texas House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution asking university governing boards to keep increases to 3.95 percent or below.
National News
Isolationist Sentiment Surges to Four-Decade High
The general public and members of the Council on Foreign Relations are apprehensive and uncertain about America’s place in the world. In polling conducted by the Pew Research Center before President Obama’s decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, both groups expressed pessimism about prospects for long-term stability in Afghanistan. Fewer than half of the public (46%) and CFR members (41%) say it is very or somewhat likely that Afghanistan will be able to withstand the threat posed by the Taliban. While half of the CFR members (50%) favor increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan, just 32% of the public agrees.
War and Peace
NATO Countries Pledge 7,000 More Troops for Afghanistan
The Christian Science Monitor reports that NATO countries are responding positively to President Obama's plan to ramp up the international counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan, committing to sending 7,000 more troops to complement the 30,000 additional US forces that Obama announced this week. The 7,000 NATO forces announced at a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels this week does not yet match the 10,000 additional international forces that the Obama administration is said to be seeking. That number, when joined with the new US forces set to begin arriving in January, would add up to the 40,000 additional troops that the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has called for. But NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen suggested at the meeting that the 7,000 forces from 25 countries was not the limit of what NATO countries would contribute, predicting there were "more to come."
Economy
States May Shed Another Million Jobs
According to a report by New America Media, state and local governments could shed almost a million jobs next year, further worsening our national unemployment rate. The nation’s unemployment rate already stands at 10.2 percent, its highest rate in 26 years. Unemployment is even higher for blacks (15.7 percent) and Hispanics (13.1 percent). The Labor Department says more than one in four teenagers is unemployed. Unions and liberal lawmakers hope the president will use his jobs forum to get the ball rolling on a second stimulus package that builds on the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) he signed in February. That Recovery Act contained a $53.6 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which the government reports saved 250,000 education jobs across the country. Other provisions of ARRA helped prevent layoffs of police officers, firefighters and health care workers. But that money has all been spent and the financial picture of most state and local governments remains grim. So unless Congress ponies up new money, many of those workers whose jobs were saved by the stimulus will have to be let go.
Environment
Texas Environmental Agency Creates Office of Water
To cope with severe drought and a rising population, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced Tuesday that it has established a new Office of Water. The Environment News Service reports that the new office will include the three existing water divisions in the agency - Water Planning, Water Supply, and Water Quality. The new Office of Water will be a busy place. The TCEQ has begun internal preparations for the next revision of the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards including criteria development for nutrients, toxics, and bacteria. The TCEQ says revisions to the standards and the Standards Implementation Procedures are needed to incorporate recently developed site-specific standards for individual water bodies, incorporate new research on the toxicity of specific chemicals, and improve the way that the standards are used and applied.
Health Care
Dramatic Surge in Diabetes Expected by Year 2034
According to Health News, more and more adults and children are getting type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the cells of the body don’t use insulin properly. In fact, according to CDC investigators, the prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. has risen by about 5 percent annually since 1990 and today about 24 million Americans have the disease. Researchers based at the University of Chicago say if the current trend continues, the number of diabetes cases will nearly double in the next 25 years, climbing from the current 23.7 million to about 44.1 million in 2034. At the same time, the cost of treating people with diabetes is expected to triple, rising from an estimated $113 billion $336 billion.
Immigration
New Arizona Law Rattles Immigrant Community
A new Arizona law aimed at denying public benefits to undocumented immigrants could hurt U.S. citizens as well. New America Media reports that pastors, community activists and non-profit directors in Arizona are warning that the bill which took effect last Tuesday could have a chilling effect on immigrant communities and their U.S born children in need of health care, food and housing services. HB 2008 requires state, cities and any government employee in Arizona to report to immigration authorities any undocumented immigrants who request a public benefit. Government workers could face up to four months in jail if they fail to make a report. The law also gives taxpayers the right to sue a state or city agency if they believe the law is not enforced properly. Arizona is considered a testing ground for immigration laws for the rest of the nation. Over the past five, years Republican have enacted legislation that ranges from banning scholarships for undocumented students to denying bail to undocumented people charged with a crime.
Civil Rights
Report Examines Civil Rights During Bush Years
According to an article in the New York Times, when the Bush administration ran the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, career lawyers wanted to look into accusations that officials in one state had illegally intimidated blacks during a voter-fraud investigation. The 180-page report is densely packed with statistics about civil rights enforcement by the division’s sections. The accountability office also examined a sampling of matters that were closed without further action, finding several cases — including the curtailed voter intimidation inquiry — in which supervisors rejected the recommendations of career lawyers to go forward. The report represents a comprehensive review of the division’s litigation activity in the Bush administration. When compared with the Clinton administration, its findings show a significant drop in the enforcement of several major antidiscrimination and voting rights laws.
Human Rights
Afghans Allege Abuse at Bagram Air Base
Two Afghan teenagers held in U.S. detention north of Kabul this year said they were beaten by American guards, photographed naked, deprived of sleep and held in solitary confinement in concrete cells for at least two weeks while undergoing daily interrogation about their alleged links to the Taliban. The Washington Post reports that the teenagers presented a detailed, consistent portrait suggesting that the abusive treatment of suspected insurgents has in some cases continued under the Obama administration, despite steps that President Obama has said would put an end to the harsh interrogation practices authorized by the Bush administration. The two teenagers said in interviews this week that they were punched and slapped in the face by their captors during their time at Bagram air base, where they were held in individual cells.
Reproductive Rights
Study Finds Reduction in Maternal Deaths and Decline in Newborn Deaths Within Reach
According a new report by the Guttmacher Institute, maternal deaths in developing countries could be slashed by 70% and newborn deaths cut nearly in half if the world doubled investment in family planning and pregnancy-related care. Currently, more than half a million maternal deaths and 3.5 million newborn deaths, many of them easily preventable, occur each year, in developing countries. The new report also found that investments in family planning boost the overall effectiveness of every dollar spent on the provision of pregnancy-related and newborn health care. Simultaneously investing in both family planning and maternal and newborn services can achieve the same dramatic outcomes for $1.5 billion less than investing in maternal and newborn health services alone.
Women’s Issues
Report Finds High Rates of Rape, Closed Hearings, and Confusing Laws on College Campuses
A nine-month investigation by the Center for Public Integrity has found that a thick blanket of secrecy still envelops cases involving allegations of sexual assault on college campuses. One national study reports that roughly one in five women who attend college will become the victim of a rape or an attempted rape by the time she graduates. But while the vast majority of students who are sexually assaulted remain silent — just over 95 percent, according to a study funded by the research arm of the U.S. Justice Department — those who come forward can encounter mystifying disciplinary proceedings, secretive school administrations, and off-the-record negotiations. Many college administrators believe the existing processes provide a fair and effective way to deal with ultra-sensitive allegations, but alleged victims say these processes leave them feeling like victims a second time.
Race and Racism
College Degree Can’t Close Racial Gap
Race remains a serious obstacle in the job market for African-Americans, even those with degrees from respected colleges. The New York Times reports that there is ample evidence that racial inequities remain when it comes to employment. Black joblessness has far outpaced that of whites. The disparity for the first 10 months of this year has been even more pronounced for those with college degrees, compared with those without. According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for black male college graduates 25 and older in 2009 has been nearly twice that of white male college graduates, 8.4 percent compared with 4.4 percent. A recent study published this year in The Journal of Labor Economics found white, Asian and Hispanic managers tended to hire more whites and fewer blacks than black managers did.
Afghans Allege Abuse at Bagram Air Base
Two Afghan teenagers held in U.S. detention north of Kabul this year said they were beaten by American guards, photographed naked, deprived of sleep and held in solitary confinement in concrete cells for at least two weeks while undergoing daily interrogation about their alleged links to the Taliban. The Washington Post reports that the teenagers presented a detailed, consistent portrait suggesting that the abusive treatment of suspected insurgents has in some cases continued under the Obama administration, despite steps that President Obama has said would put an end to the harsh interrogation practices authorized by the Bush administration. The two teenagers said in interviews this week that they were punched and slapped in the face by their captors during their time at Bagram air base, where they were held in individual cells.
Reproductive Rights
Study Finds Reduction in Maternal Deaths and Decline in Newborn Deaths Within Reach
According a new report by the Guttmacher Institute, maternal deaths in developing countries could be slashed by 70% and newborn deaths cut nearly in half if the world doubled investment in family planning and pregnancy-related care. Currently, more than half a million maternal deaths and 3.5 million newborn deaths, many of them easily preventable, occur each year, in developing countries. The new report also found that investments in family planning boost the overall effectiveness of every dollar spent on the provision of pregnancy-related and newborn health care. Simultaneously investing in both family planning and maternal and newborn services can achieve the same dramatic outcomes for $1.5 billion less than investing in maternal and newborn health services alone.
Women’s Issues
Report Finds High Rates of Rape, Closed Hearings, and Confusing Laws on College Campuses
A nine-month investigation by the Center for Public Integrity has found that a thick blanket of secrecy still envelops cases involving allegations of sexual assault on college campuses. One national study reports that roughly one in five women who attend college will become the victim of a rape or an attempted rape by the time she graduates. But while the vast majority of students who are sexually assaulted remain silent — just over 95 percent, according to a study funded by the research arm of the U.S. Justice Department — those who come forward can encounter mystifying disciplinary proceedings, secretive school administrations, and off-the-record negotiations. Many college administrators believe the existing processes provide a fair and effective way to deal with ultra-sensitive allegations, but alleged victims say these processes leave them feeling like victims a second time.
Race and Racism
College Degree Can’t Close Racial Gap
Race remains a serious obstacle in the job market for African-Americans, even those with degrees from respected colleges. The New York Times reports that there is ample evidence that racial inequities remain when it comes to employment. Black joblessness has far outpaced that of whites. The disparity for the first 10 months of this year has been even more pronounced for those with college degrees, compared with those without. According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for black male college graduates 25 and older in 2009 has been nearly twice that of white male college graduates, 8.4 percent compared with 4.4 percent. A recent study published this year in The Journal of Labor Economics found white, Asian and Hispanic managers tended to hire more whites and fewer blacks than black managers did.
Friday, December 4, 2009
This Week on Information Underground
This week on Information Underground our studio guest is Dr. Nikki Van Hightower, professor at Texas A&M University and teaches state and local government and women in politics. Dr. Van Hightower has conducted extensive research on domestic violence and related public policies, and is former director of the Program for the Prevention of Rural Family Violence and the Houston Area Women’s Center. Our topics of conversation will include the current state of politics in Texas, and women in government and politics include Dr. Van Hightower’s experience.
Listen to Information Underground on 89.1FM KEOS on Sundays from 5-6pm after Tavis Smiley, for all the alternative news, politics, and commentary that you don’t hear in the mainstream media. To listen to Information Underground online and to listen to past episodes visit Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio. Tune in every week to hear headlines, interviews, and political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
Listen to Information Underground on 89.1FM KEOS on Sundays from 5-6pm after Tavis Smiley, for all the alternative news, politics, and commentary that you don’t hear in the mainstream media. To listen to Information Underground online and to listen to past episodes visit Information Underground on BlogTalkRadio. Tune in every week to hear headlines, interviews, and political and social thought to the Left of College Station.
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