National
29 November 2012 – The General Assembly today voted to grant Palestine non-member observer State status at the United Nations, while expressing the urgent need for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians leading to a permanent two-State solution.
The resolution on the status of Palestine in the UN was adopted by a vote of 138 in favour to nine against with 41 abstentions by the 193-member Assembly.
“We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a State established years ago, and that is Israel; rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of the State that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine,” the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, told the Assembly before the vote.
Mr. Abbas noted that the world was being asked today to undertake a significant step in the process of rectifying the “unprecedented historical injustice” inflicted on the Palestinian people since 1948.
“Your support for our endeavour today,” he said, “will send a promising message – to millions of Palestinians on the land of Palestine, in the refugee camps both in the homeland and the Diaspora, and to the prisoners struggling for freedom in Israel’s prisons – that justice is possible and that there is a reason to be hopeful and that the peoples of the world do not accept the continuation of the occupation.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, said his delegation could not accept today’s resolution. “Because this resolution is so one-sided, it doesn’t advance peace, it pushes it backwards,” he stated, adding that peace could only be achieved through negotiations.
“There’s only one route to Palestinian statehood and that route does not run through this chamber in New York. That route runs through direct negotiations between Jerusalem and Ramallah that will lead to a secure and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” he added. “There are no shortcuts. No quick fixes. No instant solutions.”
The Israelis and Palestinians have yet to resume direct negotiations since talks stalled in September 2010, after Israel refused to extend its freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Today’s vote underscores the urgency of a resumption of meaningful negotiations,” Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon said after the vote was finalized. “We must give new impetus to our collective efforts to ensure that an independent, sovereign, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine lives side by side with a secure State of Israel. I urge the parties to renew their commitment to a negotiated peace.”
Addressing the same gathering, the President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, appealed to “my dear friends from Palestine and Israel” to work for peace, to negotiate in good faith, and ultimately, to succeed in reaching the historical settlement.
“I have no doubt that history will judge this day to have been fraught with significance – but whether it will come to be looked upon as a step in the right direction on the road to peace will depend on how we bear ourselves in its wake,” he said. “Let us therefore have the wisdom to act in furtherance of the goal I’m sure we all share.”
In the resolution, the Assembly also voiced the hope that the Security Council will “consider favourably” the application submitted in September 2011 by Palestine for full UN membership.
The Palestinian bid for full UN membership stalled last year when the 15-nation Council, which decides whether or not to recommend admission by the Assembly, said it had been “unable to make a unanimous recommendation.”
Today’s action comes on the same day that the UN observed the annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Established in 1977, the Day marks the date in 1947 when the Assembly adopted a resolution partitioning then-mandated Palestine into two States, one Jewish and one Arab.
"This campaign was not about public safety, fairness or justice. This was about big names, big money, and big lies. This was about angry white men scaring the public."
That was then 66-year-old California Three-Strikes reform activist Teresa Valdez in 2004 reacting to a jaw dropping media blitz featuring Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warning of mass releases of felons that led to a last minute about face by 2 million voters and a sound defeat of Prop 66 an initiative aimed at reforming California much maligned Three Strikes and You're Out law. The ads hit the public days before the election.
Eight years later Valdez woke up on Nov. 7 to find California voters had given her a priceless gift: hope.
By an overwhelming margin, they'd passed Proposition 36 to revise the state's tough Three Strikes Law. The new law prohibits judges from imposing a life sentence on most repeat offenders who commit minor crimes. But it also includes a provision that could result in an early release or shorter sentence for Valdez's son who is serving 53 years to life for possession of a small quantity of marijuana.
"I will not be here to see my son released," a teary eyed Valdez told reporters during a protest rally in 2009. For activists and three strike family members like FILO (Families of Incarcerated Loved Ones) founder and president, Barbara Ellis, the three-strikes law epitomized the mass-imprisonment fever that swept the nation in recent decades. Soaring prison costs and overcrowding have been particularly acute in California, which is currently under a federal court order to cut its prison population, and where three-strikes cases account for about a quarter of all inmates.
Ellis who has since moved to Louisiana was at the forefront of three strikes reform locally and at the state level.
"Oh my God, I'm just so elated and grateful,'" Ellis said. "It's not just my brother who has been incarcerated. I've been incarcerated, waiting for him."
Ellis' journey to reform Three Strikes began more than a decade ago when her brother was sentenced to 25 years to life for a third strike conviction on a charge that normally carries a 1-3 year sentence.
Her brother sits in a state prison clinging to life.
"His body is riddled with disease much of it due to benign neglect," said Ellis. "We've seen fathers taken from their children for life for stealing pizza, mothers locked up for 25 to life for possession of marijuana. Many family members have died or are too sick to celebrate a new life for their family."
Ellis and Valdez aren't the only ones who envision a new life for their family. Clevon Booker is serving 17 years of a life sentence for stealing a credit card in San Bernardino County. His previous strikes also were burglaries.
Booker who has since gotten his GED and formed a prison cooking class was overjoyed by the news.
"It was like waking up and feeling a thousand pounds lighter," said Booker. "It's a blessing for me, my family and a long line of activists and supporters who persevered."
Many elected officials have said privately that the law was unjust and disputed claims that it led to a reduction in California's crime rate. Still most refused to publicly carry the reform banner.
One exception was Los Angeles County district attorney, Steve Cooley, a Republican, who criticized the law when he ran for office in 2000.
"DA Cooley did the right thing when others turned a blind eye to years of injustice," said Ellis. "He knew this law was not only financially burdensome but grossly unfair," she said.
"All eyes are on California. California started this trend, as it starts so many trends, and people are really looking to see what people in the state are going to do with the three strikes law," Adam Gelb, Director of Public Policy Safety Research at the Pew Center on the States, said.
Gelb says other states have also started to temper sentencing laws.
"Those states may be willing to revisit what they've done and maybe go a little further and the other half of the states that haven't approached this issue in a serious way yet probably are going to say, 'Maybe now it's time,' "he said.
D.C.'s Savoy Elementary Noted for Its 'Turnaround Arts Initiative'
First lady Michelle Obama told a group of youth mentors, educators, students and their families during a recent White House event that they've seen first-hand, the "transformative power" of the arts and arts education.
Mrs. Obama made the remarks while hosting the 2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth Programs Awards ceremony in the East Room on Monday, Nov. 19.
"That's why it is so critical that we preserve arts education in our schools," said Mrs. Obama. "It is absolutely critical because we know how important it is for our children's development. It helps shape their character in so many ways . . . Because of the program [our] young people are learning break dancing, hip hop, African drumming, putting on plays, publishing poems and articles and working on museum exhibits, becoming historians, and champion debaters."
The event, which honored 12 community-based after-school projects from across the country that cater to underprivileged youth, serves as the umbrella organization for students enrolled in the nationwide "Turnaround Arts Initiative." Students who participate in Turnaround at their individual schools, learn to be "persistent, tenacious and bold," said Mrs. Obama, who added that among them, there has been a marked increase in grade point averages, and that almost all of them are poised to attend college. Overall, the Turnaround initiative focuses on inspiring creative development for at-risk students through the use of music, dance, poetry, debate, theater and other artistic outlets.
The event also featured remarks by members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH), that partners with the National Endowment for the Arts – of which Mrs. Obama is the honorary chairperson. There was also a performance by the Marachi Master Apprentice Program of San Fernando, Calif., which has recorded a CD, and a reception.
Savoy Elementary School in Southeast, is one of eight low-performing schools from across the country selected to participate in Turnaround. Although Savoy was not listed among the 12 honoree school programs, PCAH co-chair George Stevens acknowledged during the 40-minute ceremony, that he and an entourage visited the Anacostia community school earlier that day and were impressed.
"It was so thrilling and so alive. The walls are filled with creativity," Stevens said. "Just to see the engagement of these children and the principal, contributes so much to the arts programs that bring them alive."
Savoy principal Patrick Pope, said that although his school wasn't honored this year, it was still an achievement to be part of the White House program.
"We weren't among the schools to receive PCAH recognition, but to be invited was a wonderful experience," Pope said.
Mrs. Obama also hailed the mentors and educators who work tirelessly to keep arts and humanities curriculums alive and well in the nation's public schools.
"You make all this happen on shoestring budgets; you do it in unbelievable ways, in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable," she said."
Guyot Leaves a Void That Cannot Be Filled
Lawrence Guyot never encountered a fight he didn't relish and that willingness to put his body, ideals and life on the line is what those who knew him remember in the days since his death on Friday, Nov. 23.
Guyot, a renowned civil rights activist, died at his home in Mt. Rainier, Md., following a long illness. He is survived by wife Monica, two children, Lawrence III, Julie and four grandchildren.
The Mississippi native was one of the young foot soldiers – black and white – who fought to topple the centuries-old tradition of segregation and who faced down savage packs of white racists intent on maintaining the status quo.
"My best recollection is that I've known him since 1962 when I met him in Mississippi," said Ward 8 Council member and four-term D.C. Mayor Marion Barry – one of the students who heeded the call for freedom. We were revolutionaries in our own thinking who stayed in Mississippi until black people were empowered. Only three percent of the registered voters in Mississippi were black but blacks made up 42 percent of the population. Everything was segregated."
Barry, 76, said Guyot came to the District in the 1960s and worked on his mayoral campaign in the late '70s.
"A bunch of SNCC [Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee] people worked at the grassroots level," Barry recalled. "He worked in D.C. government but could not be contained by a 9-5 job. He worked for people at the city council and as an advisory neighborhood commissioner. He was an unsung hero. While a lot of people were all over TV, he was in the trenches."
Guyot became an integral part of the fabric of District politics and advocacy.
Denise Reed said she first met Guyot when she worked on Eleanor Holmes Norton's first congressional campaign in 1990.
"He was always a step ahead in everything. I can't tell the number of times he foretold something and a year later, I would say, 'He was right."' said Reed, a government employee. "When Tony Williams was chief financial officer, he said Williams was going to be our next mayor. A lot of times he would sit back and not say anything and when he talked, you got an earful. He was his own EF Hutton."
Reed recalled the long conversation she had with Guyot late last year when he regaled her and a friend following a PBS screening of "Freedom Riders."
"He talked a lot about his Civil Rights days," Reed said. "He touched on it when we met that night. It is a lesson to us all about oral history. I think what first comes to mind is he just wasn't afraid to speak his mind and he was always seeking to impart wisdom. He connected the past with [the present], so people would learn from it, gain strength from it, not forget and keep in mind the relevance of his experience.Whatever he said, I was always happy to hear."
Dorie Ann Ladner, a close friend of Guyot's and another of his Civil Rights compatriots, called him a fearless warrior in civil rights, housing, jobs and justice.
"He was a political animal. I'd call him every day and ask what was on the agenda," said Ladner, 70, who met Guyot as a teenager in 1961.
Ladner was a founding member of the Council of Federal Organizations in Clarkesdale, Miss., an umbrella organization which included Civil Rights martyr Medgar Evers, SNCC, the NAACP, the Congress on Racial Equality and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
"We launched 'Freedom Summer' and in the summer of '61, '62, I went home and told my mother I was going back to Jackson to get my freedom," she said.
Ladner said she met Guyot at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss., in 1961 when she was a sophomore and he was an upperclassman. She said she and her sister Joyce got involved with Freedom Riders "in the body of Diane Nash, James Bevel, Paul Brooks, and Marion Barry, who remained in Mississippi around the right to vote."
"When I met them, it was like Hallelujah. We wanted to get involved and those few of us went into Jackson to talk ... about our rights," said Ladner. "I asked Guyot if he wanted to go with us. We lived about 10 miles from the city limits. It was something he liked and he stayed with it."
Ladner said Guyot paid a horrific price in his fight for freedom and equality.
"He was in Parchment Prison at least two times that I know of," she said. "In Greenwood, he looked like one of the Somali refugees. He'd lost 100 pounds and had his head shaved. They turned on the heat at night, tortured them. Once, they had to jump out of a window in Greenwood. I often joked with him about how he got out the window because he was always robust, but he said 'you gotta do what you gotta do...'"
In 1962, Guyot began work with SNCC and two years later was named director of the Freedom Summer Project in Hattiesburg, Miss. He was also the founding chairman of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which sought to include African Americans in the Democratic Party's Mississippi delegation.
Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans (D), said he'll miss his friend.
"I knew him very well, he was a longtime friend," said Evans, who has served on the council since 1991. "He was always an activist in the community, stood up for the little guy and promoted justice. He was very much in that school."
Evans, 59, said he learned that Guyot was "beaten, hosed and dogged" and was very impressed with his activism.
"A sense of justice drove him from the beginning of his life," said Evans. "He was a good advisor on sticky issues. He would give me advice in the hallway or come to my office. I don't think a lot of people knew what he did. He did not get his due. I don't know what the comparable situation is, probably a soldier on the frontlines. He did his job, did it well. He deserved and deserves all the accolades."
Evans' colleague, Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), spoke fondly about the political environment of Rutgers University in the early '70s where the pair attended law school.
"D.C. and the nation have lost one of the Civil Rights movement's perhaps less well-known, yet enormously influential figures," said Cheh, 61. "Lawrence Guyot was a remarkable man, who made extraordinary sacrifices for voting rights and equality for all. Among his many contributions to our country's political and social progress, I am especially grateful for his voice in the D.C. statehood fight and his service to the District. Up to the last moments of his life, he appeared before the council and other bodies to argue for workers' rights and the rights of the less fortunate."
D.C. Mayor Gray also praised Guyot.
"With the passing of Lawrence Guyot, the District of Columbia and the nation as a whole have lost a stalwart champion of justice," said Gray, 70. "As a young student and activist in his native Mississippi, he was steadfast in his advocacy for guaranteeing Civil Rights and voting rights for all Americans. After Lawrence became a District resident, he continued that legacy of advocacy for enfranchisement, organizing and cheerleading for D.C. statehood."
Ken Fealing, former ANC commissioner and 49-year-old political activist, said he's deeply affected by Guyot's death.
"To me, he was the model of citizen activism," he said. "As a fellow ANC commissioner, I saw him as an intellectual giant for civil and human rights. His was a voice that we seldom hear today because of complacency and limited activism ... His energy, intellect, and voice was a model for citizen activism and citizen leadership."
ATLANTA – If there's anyone who is supremely familiar with the issues facing historically black colleges and universities, it is the newly appointed president of Morehouse College John S. Wilson.
As the current head of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Wilson worked directly with black college presidents on a critical issue facing black colleges in America: survival.
"John has been a trusted voice, helping my administration follow through on our commitment to strengthen historically black colleges and universities. I wish John the best as he takes on this important new role as the president of Morehouse College."
– President Barack Obama
This January, Wilson will become the 11th president of Morehouse College, one of the nation's most prestigious institutions of higher learning. He will succeed fellow alumna Dr. Robert M. Franklin who is leaving the post at year's end.
Selected after a nationwide search. Wilson is considered by many to be the ideal selection for the post.
"Dr. Wilson has the vision, experience and passion to ensure that Morehouse continues to advance its aim of producing global leaders who will continue to make a difference in the world," board chairman Robert C. Davidson Jr., said in a statement. "His record of academic excellence and public service is exemplary of the standard we hold for Morehouse Men."
"The board and I are confident that, with his leadership, we will be well-positioned to continue delivering the educational environment that prepares our students for lives of leadership and service," he added.
Observers say Wilson will have his work cut out for him.
Officials announced last month that a drop in enrollment and declining revenue has forced the school to make several cuts, including trimming department budgets, cutting staff and putting several staff and faculty on furlough.
Interim provost Willis Sheftall said last month that the college is teaching 2,360 students – about 125 fewer than projected. Sheftall attributed the drop to the sluggish economy and changes to a federal loan program.
The U.S. Department of Education says tighter regulations protect taxpayer money and prevent people from accumulating debt they can't afford.
Prospective borrowers can't have any defaults, foreclosures, bankruptcies, tax liens or wage garnishments with the past five years.
Other nearby colleges such as Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College also say enrollment dropped due to the new rules.
Several observers say that Wilson is just the man to help turn the tide at the historically black institution.
A 1979 graduate of the college, Wilson comes to Morehouse with more than 25 years of leadership in higher education and a strong and successful record in institutional fund raising. He also has experience in advancing the interests of black colleges through his research at George Washington University, his service on the Spelman College Board of Trustees and as executive director of the White House initiative on HBCUs.
As executive director of the White House initiative, Wilson worked to strengthen the capacity of 105 HBCUs and led his team to work with the White House, 32 federal agencies, and the private corporate and philanthropic sectors in securing capital.
"Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Wilson has demonstrated his commitment to supporting the critical role HBCUs serve within our national educational landscape," said Franklin, the college's 10th president. "Our institution and our students will be very well served by Dr. Wilson's experience, focus and passion."
Saying he is honored to lead the college, Wilson praised Franklin's service at the college and said he will continue the push to produce global leaders.
"Dr. Franklin's efforts to raise the international profile of the college and advance our mission through his 'Morehouse Renaissance Men' are just a few among the many significant accomplishments by which he will be remembered," Wilson said. "I thank the Board for its confidence in my leadership and look forward to working with faculty, students and staff, and continuing our proud tradition of producing global leaders."
As executive director of the White House Initiative, Wilson worked to strengthen the capacity of 105 HBCUs and led his team to work with the White House, 32 federal agencies, and the private corporate and philanthropic sectors in securing capital.
"John has been a trusted voice, helping my administration follow through on our commitment to strengthen historically black colleges and universities," said President Barack Obama.
"I wish John the best as he takes on this important new role as the president of Morehouse College and as he continues to inspire more of our nation's youth to pursue higher education," Obama added.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed earlier this month to hear a challenge to the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The court will hear arguments relating to the federal Voting Rights Act's requirement that states with a history of racial bias must obtain Justice Department approval prior to implementing changes in their election laws. The current prior approval process is call "preclearance".
The challenge comes in a lawsuit by Shelby County, Ala. which is seeking an end to preclearance by the Justice Department of changes sought at the local level to election laws governing Alabama and 15 other states and towns with a history of discrimination in voting practices.
"The Supreme Court's decision to hear the Shelby County case is deeply disappointing," Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Coalition for Civil Rights, said in a statement released Nov. 9, hours after the high court agreed to take the case.
The justices' statement indicated that it will hear arguments, likely in early 2013, about the critical section of the Voting Rights Act.
But, Henderson and other voting rights advocates said they view the Supreme Court action as a potential threat to voting rights, especially in states where there is a history of voting law bias.
In light of the "Voting Right Act's continuing importance," especially just three years after the high court, in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder reaffirmed a critical section of the law, Henderson said, to accept a fresh legal challenge to the law "is beyond comprehension."
"At that time, the Court recognized that 'Congress amassed a sizable record in support of its decision to extend the preclearance requirements' and noted extensive evidence of ongoing racial discrimination in covered states," he said, citing the wording of the court's ruling.
In a climate defined by widespread attempts at voter suppression, to consider challenging the law raises fears that progress in the battle against state bias is eroding, according to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
"Given the extensive voter suppression we've seen around the country, I think Section 5′s relevance could not be clearer," Elise Bodied, the group's litigation director, told Reuters.
The court's decision to hear the challenge was applauded by Edward Blum, director of the Project on Fair Representation, which launched the suit and opposes race-based policies.
"The America that elected and reelected Barack Obama as its first African-American president is far different than when the Voting Rights Act was first enacted in 1965. Congress unwisely reauthorized a bill that is stuck in a Jim Crow-era time warp," Blum said in a Nov. 9 statement.
The court's decision in 2009 skirted ruling on the constitutionality of the law. And Chief Justice John Roberts, dissenting from a 2006 ruling on the Voting Rights Act, has assailed what he calls "a sordid business, this divvying us up by race."
But Henderson voiced concern about the fate of the Voting Rights Act. "Over the past year, we have witnessed the most well-funded and well-coordinated assault against the right to vote since Democrats and Republicans first rose above partisan politics to pass the VRA almost fifty years ago. He said in the statement, "Now is hardly the time to turn back the clock on democracy."
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Michigan's ban on affirmative action, enacted by voters in 2006, is unconstitutional.
In an 8-7 decision, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit struck down the amendment to the state's constitution, known as Proposal 2, on the grounds that it creates unfair barriers to minority participation in the political process. A three-judge panel of the same court had overturned the ban on race-conscious admissions in 2011, but later vacated the decision.
Thursday's decision explains: A white student who wanted to alter the University of Michigan's admissions policies to include alumni relationships as a factor could petition university leadership or present her case to the board, but a black student seeking to have race included as a factor in admissions would be forced to attempt to amend the state's constitution. Such a structure, the court found, is a violation of the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees all citizens fair opportunity to enter the political process.
"It is also a guarantee that minority groups may meaningfully participate in the process of creating these laws and the majority may not manipulate the channels of change so as to place unique burdens on issues of importance to them," the decision says.
Proponents of Proposal 2 argued that changing a university's admissions policy is not part of the political process, but the court countered that because an elected board is ultimately in charge of all university policies, policy changes are a political process.
The decision explicitly notes it is ruling on whether or not the proposal violates the equal protection clause, not on the constitutionality of affirmative action, an issue that has been tried before in Michigan in the Grutter v. Bollinger case, which concluded in a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing for the consideration of race in admissions.
The constitutionality of affirmative action is once again being discussed by the Supreme Court this year, and experts note that a decision in the Fisher v. University of Texas case could impact the eventual outcome in Michigan, potentially making Thursday's decision moot -- if the Supreme Court rules against race-conscious admissions. Likewise, that ruling could affect whether the Supreme Court would hear an appeal of the Sixth Circuit Court's ruling.
The dissent in the case stressed that the Grutter ruling found that consideration of race in admissions decisions was "permissible," but not "compelled." The dissent argued that Michigan's voters were following the principles that have led states over the years to ban racial discrimination, and that they had every right to do so, just as Massachusetts did so (in the context of barring discrimination against minority students) in 1855.
Some experts see the decision as less of a pro-affirmative action posture and more of a stance against legislating higher education by way of ballot measure.
"This victory, which few observers expected, means that a major federal appeals court has recognized that elimination of minority rights through referenda campaigns changing state constitutions in ways that make it virtually impossible for minority communities to ever reverse the decisions is a critical and unjust limitation on American democracy," Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote in an e-mail.
Proposal 2 in Michigan was put on the ballot thanks to the efforts of Ward Connerly, a former regent at the University of California, where he also led the charge against affirmative action. Several other states have also considered ballot proposals looking to end affirmative action in admissions, and some states that have passed those measures have seen court cases trying to overturn them.
Michael Olivas, director of the Institute of Higher Education Law and Governance at the University of Houston Law Center, said it's unlikely Thursday's decision will inspire similar lawsuits in states with affirmative action bans, but he hopes it will encourage states and legislatures to take a hard look at how they decide education policy.
"Each [ballot measure] has a different trajectory and different pathways, so it's hard to draw national inferences or national lessons," he said. "The only thing in my view that cuts through all of them is it's a bad way to make higher education policy."
President Obama announced last week that he expects Congress to propose a comprehensive immigration reform bill in early 2013. Last Sunday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced renewed talks to bring back their own immigration reform bill. Immigration reform may be retaking center stage in national media, but in the country's Spanish-language newspapers, radio and TV programs, it has been the lead story for years.
Latino media are again taking the lead in the push for comprehensive immigration reform. The day after President Obama's re-election, an editorial in the Los Angeles-based Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión argued that Obama "owes" it to Latinos.
The election, editors write, showed that Obama's reelection was made possible thanks to the Latino vote, which can no longer be ignored in the path to the White House.
"Obama owes Latinos a debt," the editorial argues. "We hope that the White House proposes an immigration bill and that GOP lawmakers take the opportunity to earn brownie points with the Latino community with a reasonable, positive law."
Editors contend that the Republican Party needs to support immigration reform in order to gain back the votes of Latinos.
"The question," they write, "is whether the GOP understands that it needs to adapt how its message is communicated, and in part also the content, to recover the ground lost among Hispanics. Passing comprehensive immigration reform in Congress would be a good step in that direction."
Univision anchor Jorge Ramos makes a similar argument in a column titled, "How to Lose an Election," writing that Republicans must lead the effort for immigration reform in 2013.
The future of the GOP, he says, depends on it.
"As the party moves forward," Ramos writes, "it needs to rally behind more moderate members like Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida and a potential presidential candidate in 2016, who supports immigration reform and knows that without Hispanics, the GOP's future looks grim. Those Republicans who would prefer to carry on as usual need to take a hard look at the numbers ... If Republicans don't reach out to our community, their party is doomed."
Gaps and Failures
The way Rodrigo Cervantes, editor of Atlanta-based Mundo Hispánico, explains it, his newspaper, like many other Latino media, "has documented the gaps and failures of the current immigration system and how it has affected different communities and people -not only immigrants, and not only undocumented immigrants."
A Nov. 8 editorial in Philadelphia's Spanish-language newspaper Al Día, for example, looks at the limits of the Obama administration's achievements, from health care to deferred action.
Al Día's post-election editorial questions "why undocumented immigrants have been wholly precluded from purchasing — with their own money — coverage from insurers in your plan ... Further, we wonder why undocumented young adults who are granted deferred action will not be given the ability to purchase health insurance from ACA pools either."
Editors also wonder why Obama has failed to push for the DREAM Act, and ignored the pleas of Dreamers to issue an executive order to protect them. "And, no," editors note, "the deferred action you penned isn't anything comparable to an executive order, no matter how many times it is carelessly referred to in that way."
The editorial concludes: "We applaud [deferred action] while feeling it was a small, conveniently-timed band-aid on a wound that you are responsible for exacerbating.
"That wound is immigration, Mr. President. The hundreds of thousands of people you've deported; the tens of thousands of families you've separated with detention and deportation; the thousands of U.S. citizen children placed in foster care because of your deportation policy; and the yet-to-be-counted total of children that have been adopted out because their detained parents were judged to have 'abandoned' them — these are our brothers, sisters, children, parents, friends and acquaintances — and your immigration legacy so far.
"You've said we can do a lot, together, in four years. We agree. And we'll hold you and your party to it."
Voices for Reform Growing Louder
"I don't necessarily see support for immigration reform as growing, but rather getting louder," says Esparza of Vida en el Valle. "The United Farm Workers has been working with the Nisei Farmers League and other agricultural organizations to push for immigration reform since 2005. That is a remarkable achievement considering the past history of the UFW and [agriculture]. DREAMers have added to that louder voice."
Esparza says his publication continues to push for comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including farmworkers and DREAMers; a visa program that provides safeguards for guest workers so that they are not abused; family reunification; and establishment of an immigration program that avoids the pitfalls of the 1986 Immigration and Reform Control Act.
The last push for comprehensive immigration reform, however, resulted in a ratcheting up of enforcement and deportations, without any of these reforms.
The question this time is whether these efforts will be successful.
Additional reporting by Suzanne Manneh.
A recently-released report indicates that 13 deaths have been linked to the consumption of energy drinks.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report also links the popular drinks -- that include "Monster Energy," which contains 240 milligrams of caffeine -- to heart attacks, convulsions and in one case, a spontaneous abortion.
The report, which spans a three-year period was released last week to The New York Times. It centers on 90 filings with the federally-operated FDA, noting at least five deaths, including that of a 14-year-old Hagerstown, Md. girl, linked to consumption of the Monster beverage. The girl reportedly consumed two cans of the drink, back-to-back, and according to an autopsy, she died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity, impeding her heart's ability to pump blood.
However, another similar drink, "Five-hour Energy," which voluntarily submitted its incident reports to the FDA in compliance with a 2008 regulation, has noted no deaths related to the two-ounce "shot."
"Monster Energy," which is sold in 24-ounce cans, is much larger in size than the 5-hour Energy's two-ounce bottles.
The Times has also reported that, in recent weeks, the FDA confirmed or disclosed 18 filings involving fatalities and more than 150 others involving injuries that mentioned one of four top-selling energy drinks — Red Bull, Monster Energy, Rockstar and 5-hour Energy.
Source: The New York Times
Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge has been elected by the influential Congressional Black Caucus to lead its 113th Congress.
Fudge, who was selected on Nov. 14, will hold the post for two years, setting the political agenda for more than 40 black U.S. House of Representatives members. She will also serve as a national spokeswoman on issues affecting African Americans.
"Marcia Fudge is an exceptional leader," said Chairman Emanuel Cleaver. "She has served her constituents and the state of Ohio with unmatched fervor and has been an outspoken member of the CBC in supporting policies that protect the most vulnerable in our country. With the challenges facing our nation, the Congressional Black Caucus must continue pushing to ensure every American has equal opportunity to achieve their version of the American dream. Rep. Fudge will see to it that the Congressional Black Caucus remains the most vocal when equal opportunity and justice is under attack."
Fudge, who was unanimously elected, expressed her gratitude.
"I am honored and humbled to serve as the next Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and congratulate all other officers elected," she said. "As members of the Congressional Black Caucus, we have been deemed the "Conscience of the Congress" for a reason. We share a commitment to champion the issues of millions of Americans who yearn for a better future. We remain concerned about unemployment, particularly the high rate of unemployment among African Americans."
The Caucus also unanimously elected G.K. Butterfield (NC) to serve as First Vice Chair, Yvette Clarke (NY) as Second Vice Chair, Rep. André Carson (IN) as Secretary and Rep. Karen Bass (CA) as Whip.
For months before last week's election, Sandra Fleming's agitation grew about President Barack Obama's prospects for a second term.
"I was so worried because my impression was that they were going to get away with stealing this election," Fleming said of the Republican Party. "When I heard that Taggart [which makes voting machines] was bought by [Tagg] Romney, I was like 'Oh God, they're really going to steal it.'"
So she decided to be proactive and volunteered to work at an Obama campaign office in Maryland on a phone bank. It was only after several television stations called the race for Obama on the night of Nov. 6 that she finally exhaled.
As satisfied as Fleming and her husband James are about the outcome, Republicans are in a state of shock at the sound thrashing Obama inflicted on GOP challenger Mitt Romney. Obama swept the Electoral College, amassing a final total of 336 votes and he garnered 50.3 percent of the vote to Romney's 47 percent. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way and all that was left to make their joy complete was Romney's coronation.
Now, instead of Romney measuring the windows of the White House, Republicans are left to contemplate the reasons why they fared so poorly.
Political commentator Armstrong Williams said Republicans can't blame anyone but themselves for the stunning election loss.
"To put it mildly, many in the GOP were not pleased with the outcome of [Tuesday's] elections," said Williams. "This represents a national repudiation of reality: we have tossed out the doctor because we don't like his prognosis. The spending addict does not want an intervention; he wants more spending, no matter what."
"...The Democrats have a mandate to govern, and Republicans are now in an uncomfortable position everywhere. The policies of the last four years have been not only affirmed but, with these ballot initiatives, shown to now be mainstream," he explained. "Our nation's culture has shifted to the Left, validating that self-fulfilling epithet of 'Republican extremism.'"
Lee Saunders, president of the 1.6 million strong American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, was exultant.
"This is a good day for the working middle class, the Main Street movement and the American Dream," he said following Obama's victory. "The American people sent a clear message that we will stand with a president who stands with all Americans ... the voters have given a mandate to protect vital programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid and strengthen the middle class."
Republicans on the whole are shell shocked, Newt Gingrich is dumbfounded by Obama's win, Karl Rove refuses to accept it; and the finger-pointing, accusations, and infighting is in full tilt.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal [R], said some candidates had damaged the party's brand with their intemperate statements and he chastised the GOP for being too beholden to the rich and powerful.
"We've got to make sure that we are not the party of big business, big banks, big Wall Street bailouts, big corporate loopholes, big anything," he said. "We cannot be, we must not be, the party that simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys."
Meanwhile, Obama met with liberal and progressive supporters Tuesday, with members of the business community Wednesday, and on Friday, Nov. 16 was scheduled to meet House Speaker John Boehner [R-Ohio] to begin negotiations on averting the crisis of the country falling off the "fiscal cliff." On December 31, automatic spending cuts and tax increases will be triggered if Congress and Obama fail to seal a deal. According to the Congressional Budget Office, families would pay an average of about $2,000 more next year, an estimated three million jobs would be lost and unemployment would ratchet up to nine percent. Also, America could fall into another recession.
Boehner has indicated a willingness to talk but he is opposed by anti-tax Tea Party members.
In an hour-long teleconference Monday morning, former Clinton White House Counsel Lanny Davis and former GOP Chairman Michael Steele discussed the election and the way forward.
Steele castigated the Republican Party and said it needs to be overhauled or face the prospect of being the minority party for the foreseeable future.
"This is perhaps the most tortured experience I've ever seen a party go through," said Steele, a lawyer who served as Republican National Committee Chairman from 2009-2011. "It becomes painfully obvious that there's an internal struggle as to identity and ideas."
"You realize that something different is happening in American politics," he added. "Now we begin the recriminations and finger-pointing. My estimation: Cut the crap out and recognize your message is tone deaf for many voters and your brand isn't as strong as it once was. The country is moving in a different direction. Fifty thousand Hispanics are turning 18 every month. What is the party prepared to do?"
Davis, who with Steele is co-founder of Purple Nation, a bipartisan public affairs firm, credited Obama's formidable ground game, the broad coalition of support and a campaign which executed "the best media, political and grassroots campaign in eight states."
Davis, former White House counsel in the Clinton administration, said the Simpson-Bowles plan is the only one that can get bipartisan support. Simpson-Bowles was a commission appointed by Obama which advocates a combination of spending cuts and tax increases to balance the budget. Steele, who said he hates the word 'bipartisan,' said he wants Republicans to seek consensus without sacrificing their principles and values.
Far from the political fray, Fleming, a 40-year-old mother of one, said practical considerations such as Obama's health care plan fueled her support.
"I had a fear not just for my child but also for my husband that they'd be kicked off our health plan because of their asthma," she said. "I would always be nervous when the provider called. I was extremely grateful when the Affordable Care Act became law. Asthma medication is extremely, extremely expensive."
Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies, has launched a charitable project aimed at eradicating deaths from malaria throughout Africa, while increasing awareness of the disease.
The RLJ by Ella Rose Africa Tie Collection, which is sold at Macy's department stores in Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Seattle, and Douglaston, New York, was created in alliance with PVH Neck Wear, with proceeds directly benefiting the "Malaria No More" campaign that was established in December 2006.
"From my work in the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa, I understand firsthand the critical impact malaria has on people and communities," said Johnson. "Malaria is completely preventable and treatable, and no one should die from the disease," he continued. "I'm proud to be part of the effort and the progress that has been made so far in the fight against malaria. The purchase of each of the RLJ by Ella Rose Africa ties will have a direct impact on those most affected by malaria and will help save a life."
The goal of the non-profit campaign is to end deaths caused by malaria in Africa by 2015. According to the WHO World Malaria Report 2011, nearly 3.3 billion people – half of the world's population is at risk from malaria. The disease kills 665,000 people each year, mostly children under the age of five and pregnant women in Africa.
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