Aaron Cantú, Truthout: When proponents claim that the broken windows policing strategy reduces crime, they overlook that it has marshaled state power for a very unfair model of urban development in every city it has been applied.
The Book of Trans-Genesis: Protecting the World’s Seeds
Roberto Rodriguez, Truthout: At the recent international “Justice Begins With Seeds” Biosafety Alliance conference in Portland, Oregon, people with biological and scientific backgrounds, educators, attorneys, human rights activists and organic farmers contrasted the apocalyptic consequences of genetically modified crop cultivation and people’s preference for non-GMO food.
We Must Demand the Impossible to Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change
Naomi Klein, Truthout: Klein’s new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate, resets the debate over global warming by focusing on how it is integrally related to the current economic system that spans the globe.
For Oil and Gas Companies, Rigging Seems to Involve Wages, Too
Naveena Sadasivam, ProPublica: US Department of Labor investigations have uncovered hundreds of cases in which oil and gas workers, many involved in dangerous jobs, are being cheated of earnings.
Truthout Interviews Featuring Paul Armentano on Marijuana, Alcohol, and the Law
Ted Asregadoo, Truthout: Ted Asregadoo talks to Deputy Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Paul Armentano about the health impacts of marijuana (cannabis) and alcohol and the way alcohol is exempt from Drug Enforcement Administration regulations while cannabis is classified under the strictest enforcement category.
Fact-Checking Feinstein on the Assault Weapons Ban
Lois Beckett, ProPublica: The senator says “the evidence is clear: the ban worked.” Except there’s no evidence it saved lives – and the researcher behind the key statistic Feinstein cites says it’s an outdated figure that was based on a false assumption.
Pledges Can Work, But It Will Take International Law to Fight Climate Change
Luke Kemp, The Conversation: The choice the world now faces is whether to accept a useful, yet likely insufficient, pledge-based approach, or find a way of having a climate treaty without US ratification.
Uruguay’s Legalization of Marijuana Makes Sense in a Senseless Drug War
Benjamin Dangl, teleSUR: In December of last year, Uruguay became the first country in the world to fully legalize and regulate the cultivation, sale, distribution and use of marijuana.
Some Arguments Deserve to Be Uncivil
Paul Krugman, Krugman & Co.: Civility is a gesture of respect, and the loudest demands for civility come from those who have done nothing to earn it. Uncivil remarks by people like, well, me, you’ll find are similarly aimed at people arguing in bad faith.
Victoria Young discusses the failures of education “reforms” in the third installment of her series “Thirty Years Adrift on an Ocean of Reforms”; William C. Baker reveals what life is like in Chesapeake Bay, the “front line” of climate change; Darius Shahtahmasebi points out the continuity between the foreign policies of Presidents George W. Bush and Obama;Roberto (Dr. Cintli) Rodriguez reflects on his book, Our Sacred Maíz Is Our Mother, which was banned by Arizona schools as part of the state’s racist push to eliminate Raza Studies programs; Sarah Blum criticizes the NFL’s history of silently allowing and covering up domestic violence by its team members; Lawrence Davidson describes how educational elites have yet to catch up with Israel’s loss of popular support globally; Bill Hendersondeclares that since politicians refuse to lead on climate change, activists must step up to the plate; Shepherd Bliss reports back from the Village Building Convergence in Sebastopol, Northern California; and more.
BuzzFlash
The BuzzFlash commentary for Truthout will return soon.
The Economic Case for Paternity Leave
Read the Article at The Atlantic
Bay Area Activists Again Prevent Unloading of Israeli Ship
Read the Article at Electronic Intifada
Police Officer Shot in Ferguson as Protests Continue
Read the Article at Crooks and Liars
Hong Kong Police Use Teargas and Pepper Spray to Disperse Protesters
Read the Article at The Guardian
Dozens of Hikers Apparently Dead Near Peak of Erupted Volcano in Japan
Read the Article at The New York Times
Why Obama’s Assurance of “No Boots on the Ground” Isn’t So Reassuring
Read the Article at The Washington Post
US-Led Airstrikes Hit Islamic State Near Syria-Turkey Border
Spirit In Action 