Wind Powers “Green” Growth in Kenya, but for Whom?
Chris Williams, Truthout: Lake Turkana, in northern Kenya, is a remote, arid region, home to nomadic pastoralists. It’s also part of a government development plan to increase domestic energy production with a 310-megawatt wind farm, along with new paved roads. But who really benefits from this development?
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Executive Action Leaves Many Undocumented Immigrants in State of Apprehension and Uncertainty
Erika L. Sánchez, Truthout: While many undocumented immigrants are relieved and excited about the Obama administration’s immigration executive action, some fear that the policy will only be temporary, and that giving information to the government can possibly put them in a more vulnerable position.
The Native American Genocide and the Teaching of US History
Tanya H. Lee, Truthout: In many classrooms, the United States is left out of the list of countries where genocide has occurred. In this piece, Native American history professors discuss the controversy over including indigenous genocide on the AP US history exam, as well as the larger picture of how that history is taught.
The Rise of Islamic State Offers Policy Lessons for US Hawks
Patrick Glennon, Truthout: Patrick Cockburn’s new book, The Rise of Islamic State, looks at the legacy of recent wars. It emphasizes how convoluted ongoing conflicts in the Middle East truly are, and how we must search for nuanced approaches to diplomacy.
Student Debt Strikers Grow in Number and in Power
Kate Aronoff, Waging Nonviolence: Today, there are more than 100 debt strikers. Their goal is to ramp up pressure on the US Department of Education to relieve not only the debt they incurred, but all the loans of students at Corinthian Colleges. They declare that for-profit colleges are not, in fact, too big to fail.
The Great Game in Afghanistan: The US Is Losing Out
Dilip Hiro, TomDispatch: Having spent an estimated $1 trillion and sacrificed the lives of 2,150 US soldiers, Washington finds itself increasingly consigned to observer status in Afghanistan. A new chapter could unfold in war-torn Afghanistan, in which the Chinese role would only grow, while the United States might end up as a footnote in the long history of that country.
Indiana Scrambles to Contain Growing Corporate, Public Outcry Over Anti-LGBT “Religious Freedom” Law
Amy Goodman and Juan González, Democracy Now!: As Indiana faces pressure to repeal a new “religious freedom” law, Arkansas lawmakers have passed a similar bill that could allow business owners to refuse service to LGBTQ customers.
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Who’s on Your Side – Elizabeth Warren or Jamie Dimon?
The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: Sure, some politicians like Elizabeth Warren do speak out about issues that affect everyday people, but by and large, corporations and the rich get their way, much as they did over 200 years ago when the British parliament passed the Tea Act. The solution is to get money out of politics once and for all.
Grassroots Movement Blocks Water Privatization in Mexico
Alfredo Acedo, The CIP Americas Program: The rapid and massive response by peasant and indigenous organizations has, for now, made it clear that the privatization measures of the current government will have an increasingly high political cost.
Pledges for Humanitarian Aid to Syria Fall Short of Target by Billions
Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service: The third international pledging conference for humanitarian aid to Syria was able to raise only about $3.8 billion against an anticipated $8.4 billion. Nearly half the world’s top donors didn’t give their fair share of aid to the Syrian humanitarian effort in 2014, based on the size of their economies.
Los Angeles Teachers Escalate Action to Demand Fair Treatment
Karla Griego, Labor Notes: New leaders have mobilized around a platform modeled on a similar initiative by the Chicago Teachers Union. Demands include safe, clean and fully staffed schools; smaller class sizes; a commitment to arts, music and physical education; and good salaries and benefits to encourage teacher retention.
Nature Needs a New Pronoun: To Stop the Age of Extinction, Let’s Start by Ditching “It”
Robin Wall Kimmerer, YES! Magazine: Objectification of the natural world reinforces the notion that our species is somehow more deserving of the gifts of the world than the other 8.7 million species with whom we share the planet. Using “it” absolves us of moral responsibility and opens the door to exploitation.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) have introduced the Surveillance State Repeal Act (H.R.1466). This bill would end the mass surveillance of US citizens under the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act, restoring instead the use of the Fourth Amendment’s requirement of a warrant for any search.
BuzzFlash
Protesters Arrested for Charging Supreme Court With Permitting the Selling of Democracy
Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: As with the civil rights movement, as with Gandhi’s campaign for independence in India, when five people commit nonviolent protests and are stopped, ten more need to take their place – and then hundreds and then thousands.
Anti-LGBTQ Indiana Law Complicates GOP Presidential Campaigns
Read the Article at The Washington Post
Blackwater: Still the Top Pentagon Contractor for Afghanistan Training
Read the Article at The Nation
Palestinians Formally Join International Criminal Court
Black America’s State of Surveillance
Read the Article at The Progressive
David Swanson: Television Commercial in California Asks Drone Pilots to Stop Killing
Read the Article at War Is A Crime
In the Belly of the War on Drugs Beast
Read the Article at Alongside a Border
The Right’s Made-Up God: How Bigots Invented a White Supremacist Jesus
Spirit In Action 