It’s hard to understand why the Free Trade agreement the US has made with Colombia is a bad thing, but this article lays the issues out pretty well. Basically, workers aren’t treated too well down in Colombia and when labor activists try to step in and organize unions for the workers’ protection, the activists are, “assassinated, threatened, and intimidated, and the perpetrators enjoy almost complete impunity.”
Postpone Colombian trade agreement until workers are treated right
Posted in All, Culture, Gov't & Trade
Tagged Colombia, free trade, human rights, labor
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Wealthy steal children – that’s not news in the US
After Encarnación Bail Romero was arrested for being an undocumented United States resident, Judge David Dali ruled that because she was in jail, Encarnación had abandoned her son and was an unfit mother. The judge allowed Seth and Melinda Moser of Carthage, Missouri, to adopt Carlos, who is called Jamison by his new parents. Although Seth Moser has a criminal past, the judge ignored it. In 18 federal detention centers around the country this story is played out time and again. Now, ABC news reporters are showing the pain caused to families on both sides of the involuntary adoption issue whose lives are torn apart by difficult immigration issues. Continue reading
Posted in All, Change the World, Culture, Find the Truth
Tagged black code, black laws, reconstruction, slavery, steal children
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Banks must give back to the people
You just know the Washington suits and Wall Street sharks are going to try to rip Obama into shreds for his effrontery. They’ll demand to know how the president could suggest that banks pay a fee to finance the restructuring of mortgages to lower interest rates, when just the restructuring alone is going to cost them money. Well, I understand that this interferes with these people’s notion that nothing should get in the way of their (apparently) G-d given right to endlessly make money on the backs of the 99%, but I’m awfully glad voices are emerging in America who stand up to these guys and tell them, “enough is enough.”
Block Facebook invites (without unfriending people)
When I create an event on FB it’s easiest for me to just invite everyone, but two friends messaged me today asking to be removed from my announcement list. They live far from me and aren’t going to attend any of my events. I found a really easy solution from CIO.com that requires my friends to take action, but it should work great. How to block annoying Facebook invitations without blocking your friends. Continue reading
Intention to Deprive (Blacks, Latinos and Seniors)
There’s so much more intentional deprivation of what the vulnerable among us need to be well, than decent people imagine: of the poor, the uneducated and also, the elderly. Intentional deprivation of some leads to the humongous prison population in the United States and, as a cousin recently pointed out on Facebook, seniors suffer from a type of forced incarceration too. Tucked out of public sight in nursing homes where they, according to Laura, “have cold meals, lights off at 7pm, two showers a week, live in (rooms smaller than some prison cells) and pay rent at $4,000 a month!”. The cost for both prison and nursing home housing is unconscionably high and in some cases the service delivery is dismal too, because these facilities are increasingly, privately owned. That means investors are concerned more about profiting from owning these places, than they are about the welfare of the residents inhabiting them. In the case of seniors, oversight is also an issue.
Posted in All, Find the Truth, Help . .
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BIGGER attacks on internet freedom
People have a right to privacy and also a right to develop our own minds and make thoughtful decisions. Every time major corporations and governments acquire one more way to track our activities and interests, compile statistics about what we like and what we do, and use that information to control our behaviour by limiting us, selling us and brainwashing us, our independence as autonomous beings is eroded. Privacy is not something we can give up on fighting for. Continue reading
Posted in All, Digital Life, Find the Truth, Privacy & You, Save the Net!
Tagged erosion, internet, privacy rights
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Just how bad is Chris Christie?
Why wouldn’t wealthy conservatives love Chris Christie? He zealously protects their interests: keep the poor working without perks and benefits for the benefit and comfort of the wealthy. Eradicate environmental friendly laws that put more value on people’s health than on businesses dumping toxic waste in communities where people live or incinerating it into their air supply; on developing projects that deplete, or destroy, natural resources which are everyone’s concern and responsibility, or pollute beyond imagination the land they occupy. Get the most money possible away from the public school system because an educated customer is not the most easily manipulated consumer or citizen. Raise transportation costs so high people need to work longer hours just to pay the cost of traveling to and from work. Fierce political competition? No problem, just beat them with a bat, call them names, or arrest them!
Posted in All, Find the Truth
Tagged cancel ARC tunnel project, Chris Christie, new jersey, school aid, sting operation
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Early Lessons In Justice and Economics – at Foodtown
When I was a pretty young kid growing up in Englewood, New Jersey, Foodtown supermarket was the store that my mom used one day to teach me about a few important life issues. Mom always kept a shopping list going in the kitchen. One of the times her list had gotten pretty long and we were out running other errands in town, Mom stopped by the Foodtown which was located about a mile from our home and asked me to run in and purchase a couple of items for her. “I forgot there was a grocery store so near our home, Mom. We always shop somewhere else. Why don’t you park and we can go buy all of the items on your list?” I wanted to know.
Posted in All, Eat the World, Find the Truth, Wei Family
Tagged economic justice, predatory stores, Social Justice
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Christie Plans New Ways to Block Vulnerable NJ Students From Quality Education
Political conservatives, lead by arrogant politicians who clearly want to deprive the poor and vulnerable of any chance of escaping roles as menial laborers or fodder for a privatized prison system eager to house an expanding prison population: societal roles that coincidentally, provide creature comforts, and even riches, to too many – have a new plan for making quality education even less attainable for New Jersey’s most vulnerable students. They’ve appropriately named this tool of destruction the “Urban Hope Act”, as it hopes to make possible the future exploitation of young urban poor for many, many years to come. Sad to say that although Christie is spearheading this initiative, which makes sense given his politics, seriously misguided South Jersey Democrats have apparently gotten on board the bandwagon to help him destroy these kids’ futures, and that’s Just Not Right.
Posted in All, Education, Gov't & Trade
Tagged sabotage, school construction, stall, urban poor
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Low-income Students Still Without Insurance
The Obama health care changes ensure that adult students continue to be insured on their parents’ health insurance policies until age 26. This is great for students with parents who have private health insurance through their jobs or can afford to buy a private policy if they don’t. But, what about low-income students covered by Medicaid or a state family care program? In New Jersey, students lose their health insurance entirely at exactly age 21 when they are dropped from the New Jersey Family Care program. There seem to be no satisfactory alternatives out there to provide them with affordable, quality health care after that. I wonder if health care limbo plays out for students in other states too.
Posted in All, Education, Kids & Earth
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