Want the Truth About New York’s Human Trafficking Courts? Ask a Sex Worker
Mike Ludwig, Truthout: A New York State prostitution court model of treating defendants as “trafficking victims” needing social services is gaining popularity. However, sex workers claim the human trafficking narrative is based on an unreliably narrow view of the sex trade, which should be decriminalized altogether.
Brutal Crimes Don’t Justify Bad Laws
Jean Trounstine, Truthout: A true tragedy, driven by a media frenzy, often provokes a misguided need to do something as quickly as possible and leads to bad public policy – like California’s Three Strikes sentencing law.
Greek Politics in the Age of the Euro Crisis and the Urgent Task for Left Unity
C.J. Polychroniou, Truthout: As a politically, economically and socially underdeveloped Balkan country in which corruption, cronyism and clientelism largely constitute the driving forces of “development,” “social mobility” and “social progress,” Greece’s only hope of revival from its moral and social morass is a unified left.
Super PACs Exploit Disclosure Loophole
Dave Levinthal, The Center for Public Integrity: Thanks to a contentious quirk in federal law, at least six new super PACs may hide their funders from public scrutiny until early December, no matter how much money they raise or spend from now until Election Day.
The Stealth Campaign to Buy US Courts
Zoë Carpenter, The Nation: With ideological groups increasingly eager to buy seats on state-level benches, judges are forced to act more like politicians, turning to lawyers and other parties who may later appear before them in court to raise campaign cash.
Truthout Interviews William Rivers Pitt on Chemical Weapons in Iraq
Ted Asregadoo, Truthout: William Rivers Pitt discusses a recent New York Times piece on chemical weapons found in Iraq between 2004 and 2011 – and Bush administration efforts to silence news of their discovery.
The Second American Revolution Is Brewing in Oregon
Evaggelos Vallianatos, Truthout: In Oregon, the capture of local government by the timber industry results in the destruction of the natural world and the poisoning of the populace, but a Josephine County ballot initiative would ban tree spraying by corporations and government entities.
Victims of Domestic Violence Getting Longer Prison Sentences Than Their Children’s Abusers?
Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet: At least 29 states have failure-to-protect laws, such as injury to a child “by omission,” by “permitting child abuse” or “enabling child abuse.” Maximum prison sentences for breaking these laws vary from one year to life, and in some states, they carry the same sentence as child abuse itself.
Japanese Wartime Medical Orderly on Army’s Role in Maintaining “Comfort Women” System
David McNeill, The Asia-Pacific Journal: Matsumoto Masayoshi, a former medical orderly with the Japanese army, has spoken out this year. In this disturbing interview, he says during World War II, Korean women were used like public toilets, with soldiers lining up to rape them.
Read the Article and Watch the Interview
Sticking Texas-Sized Hurdles on the Path to Polls
Marc Morial, OtherWords: Voter suppression and disenfranchisement far outweigh any trumped up and spurious claims of Election Day confusion. Don’t let anything keep you from the polls on November – even if you’re a Texas voter.
On the 25th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, David Krause memorializes its impact on homelessness; Josephine Simmons describes corruption in Greek soccer; theDrug Policy Alliance reports that marijuana arrests in Bill de Blasio’s New York have not only increased, but also continue disproportionately to target people of color; Ann Wrightlauds the young people who have spearheaded ongoing protests over police violence and racial discrimination in Ferguson; David Swanson comes out in defense of the free speech of prisoners; Dr. Hakim discusses the heartbreaking story of Imal, an Afghan child whose father was killed by a US drone; high school senior Giovani Serrano considers the causes and impacts of poverty; Reprieve reports GCHQ has demanded the British government stay in compliance with international law on its drone program; Dean Baker criticizes The Washington Post’s efforts at downplaying crack rolled into Los Angeles streets by the CIA;John Boik and Lorenzo Fioramonti propose a framework to end poverty and maximize well-being; and more.
Read the Articles The BuzzFlash commentary for Truthout will return soon.
Law Lets IRS Seize Accounts on Suspicion, No Crime Required
Read the Article at The New York Times
UK Troops and US Marines Officially End Military Operations in Afghanistan
More Cities Are Making It Illegal to Hand Out Food to the Homeless
Indigenous Communities Take Chevron to Global Court for Crimes Against Humanity
Read the Article at Common Dreams
New Device Tracks When Cop Pulls Trigger
One-Third of Top Websites Restrict Customers’ Right to Sue
Read the Article at The New York Times
Desert Hawks: Paramilitary Veterans Group Stakes Out US-Mexico Borderlands
Read the Article at Al Jazeera America
Spirit In Action 