In These Times

16.11.2004 To Iraqis, the invasion and occupation of their country smack of old-time western-imposed colonialism, a force that Middle Easterners fought bitterly to free themselves from in recent living memory. Some western leaders have offered noble justifications for the war, but this is a region where actions matter more than words and where history matters most, writes Middle East expert Rashid Khalidi.

15.10.2004 Across the nation, environmental activists and sickened neighbors are up in arms against toxic air emissions from cow, pig and chicken warehousing facilities while federal regulators implement a so-called “voluntary air monitoring program.” Though regulators are aware that animal husbandry operations contribute 73 percent of all ammonia released into the air nationwide, there is still “essentially no pollution controls on these operations whatsoever,” says Sierra Club attorney Barclay Rogers.

25.08.2004

Fuerza Bolivariana de Trabajadores © Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep

Hugo Chavez’s victory at the recall referendum was a rejection of the Venezuelan opposition’s “do-nothing-but-oppose-Chavez” stance and the Bush administration’s interference in the country’s affairs, says Steve Ellner. With the recall vote over, it is time for all parties to give Chávez a breathing room and test his claim to be the leader who “represents an alternative for Latin America.”

18.08.2004

© CCOO de Catalunya

Prison reform experts believe that a majority of ex-convicts across the United States are disenfranchised by complex suffrage laws that differ from state to state, and by limited information about those laws. With about nine million ex-convicts nationwide, prison reform groups and voting rights organizations are working in unprecedented numbers across the country to educate and register ex-felons and ensure that election officials get it right.

08.07.2004 For unions and corporate clothing giants who are almost always at opposite ends with respect to worker’s rights, the 40-page report released by The Gap earlier this year has been a rallying point because its “discoveries corroborate activists’ portraits of an industry that often fails to respect basic rights.” Bruce Raynor, president the Textiles and NeedleTrades Union (UNITE) says the report creates “positive change for workers” because it takes the sweatshop issue head on.