[mpen-dayton4] FW: "Right-to-Work Bill Gets Hearing" & "The psychiatrist" & "AAPCHO Stands Against Anti-Muslim ..." & "UGLY AMERICAN II" & "When Inequality Kills" and more

FYI.     Best, Munsup

P.S. Please reply back to me with 'unsubscribe' on the subject line if you no longer want to receive my e-Newsletters. The convenient link to unsubscribe is no longer available due to security reasons to protect my email servers.
P.P.S. "He who dares not offend cannot be honest" - Thomas Paine
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·         FW: Right-to-Work Bill Gets Hearing and HB 48 Update

·         FW: The psychiatrist

·         FW: JACL Stands with Asian American Leaders to Rally Against Anti-Muslim Hate

·         FW: AAPCHO Stands Against Anti-Muslim Hate and Violence

·         FW: Five facts about illegal immigration in the U.S.

·         FW: "College Protests, A Worthwhile Cause or Whining? "

·         FW: The Federalist: "How Close Was Donald Trump To The Mob?"

·         FW: Do Starbucks, Nike, and Gucci support Trump?

·         FW: Presidential candidates criticize Trump but support extremist group that inspired him

·         FW: UGLY AMERICAN II

·         FW: Wheaton

·         FW: Sign the petition: Justice Antonin Scalia's racism is unacceptable.

·         FW: Action Needed: Thank Cosmopolitan for Covering Palestinian Refugees

·         FW: When Inequality Kills

·         FW: Boingboing.net: "1927 news report: Donald Trump's dad arrested in KKK brawl with cops"

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From: AAUP - Ohio Conference
Subject: Right-to-Work Bill Gets Hearing and HB 48 Update

Ohio Conference AAUP Update

Private Sector "Right-to-Work" Bill Gets Hearing

On December 1, the Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee held sponsor testimony on House Bill 377, Rep. Tom Brinkman's (R-Mt. Lookout) legislation that would impose "right-to-work" on private sector unions. 

"Right-to-work" laws prohibit collection of what's called fair share or agency fee - what is collected from non-members for contract enforcement - but forces unions to continue to represent non-members. These laws are designed to weaken unions. National AAUP and the Ohio Conference AAUP are opposed to "right-to-work." 

Union members and others that know that "right-to-work" is wrong for Ohio packed three hearing rooms in the Ohio Statehouse for Brinkman's sponsor testimony. 

Democratic members of the committee asked Brinkman why he would want to pursue another divisive labor fight in Ohio when the voters already resoundingly spoke by repealing SB 5 in 2011. They also discredited several of the economic claims made by the sponsor.

At this time, it is unclear whether additional hearings will be held, or whether a similar bill impacting public sector unions will be introduced. We conjecture that the only reason a public sector "right-to-work" bill hasn't been introduced is because the GOP is hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court case of Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association will impose "right-to-work" on public sector unions. 

While HB 377 would not directly impact OCAAUP, we must remember that the private sector unions stood with us when we were under attack by SB 5. An attack on any piece of labor is an attack on all labor.

HB 48 Update

Last week, House Bill 48 was referred to the Government Oversight and Reform Committee in the Ohio Senate. The General Assembly has adjourned for the year, but we expect hearings on this legislation to commence when they return in January.

Your State Senator needs to hear from you about this bill, which would open the door for colleges and universities to allow handguns to be brought onto campus. 

Click here to be taken to the Action Network page through which you can contact the State Senator that represents you.

When contacting legislators, we recommend that you use your personal e-mail address. Your institution may have a policy about using your .edu account in expressing views to government officials.  

In case you missed it, OCAAUP President John McNay wrote an op-ed that appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer about why our organization opposes HB 48. 

 

From: albert baca [mailto:albertbaca@att.net]
Subject: FW: The psychiatrist

 

 

From: JACL National
Subject: JACL Stands with Asian American Leaders to Rally Against Anti-Muslim Hate

JACL Stands with Asian American Leaders to Rally Against Anti-Muslim Hate



National JACL President David Lin standing with other NCAPA leaders in speaking out against Anti-Muslim hate
Photo Credit: Merissa Nakamura

Washington, D.C. - Over sixty leaders from the Asian American community gathered today at the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, D.C., to counter recent political rhetoric and express support for Muslim, Sikh, Arab, and South Asian American communities. The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) joined a number of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations from the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) to speak out against anti-Muslim hate crimes and discrimination.

Last year, NCAPA member organization South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) published a report on growing xenophobic political rhetoric and hate violence, which includes data and recommendations concerning the hostility against South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Middle Eastern, and Arab communities. After senseless terrorist attacks last month in Paris, hateful rhetoric, bigotry, and violence against American Muslims has been on the rise. In a 30-day period following attacks in Paris, over 45 acts of persecution occurred against American Muslims.

"Fear-based persecution of American Muslims and those who are perceived to be Muslim cannot be tolerated," said Priscilla Ouchida, Executive Director.

David Lin, National JACL President, kicked off the rally by emphasizing that policies that imprisoned 120,000 Japanese Americans following Pearl Harbor should not be repeated. Lin reiterated that JACL stands with the Muslim, Sikh, Arab, and South Asian American communities because Japanese Americans have stood on this dark side of history before.

"Never again" was the message delivered by JACL and leaders from NCAPA, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, South Asian Americans Leading Together, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

As the largest and oldest Asian American civil rights organization in the United States, JACL will continue to oppose the anti-Muslim hate, xenophobia, and bigotry undermining our nation's values and ideals, and call on fellow Americans to do the same.

 

 

From: AAPCHO
Subject: AAPCHO Stands Against Anti-Muslim Hate and Violence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, December 17, 2015
Contact: Beverly Quintana; Communications Manager, AAPCHO. (510) 272-9536 x112. bquintana@aapcho.org

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
Stands Against Anti-Muslim Hate and Violence

WASHINGTON – The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), a national organization of health centers serving Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, today released the following statement in response to the increase of anti-Muslim sentiment and violence across the country in recent weeks:

We represent health centers that serve anyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, country of origin, or the color of their skin. We stand with our members and other partners in supporting Muslim, Sikh, Arab, and South Asian American communities, and call on our fellow Americans to do the same.

Recent hate crimes against individuals of the Muslim faith and those perceived to be Muslim, are not only contradictory to our values as a country built by immigrants and strong in its diversity, but are also against the basic human rights of these families and individuals who call the United States their home.

The growing xenophobic rhetoric and acts of hate against American Muslims, is a step back for all Americans. The recent surge of anti-Muslim violence bring us back to a time in our country's history when we let fear and bigotry undermine our constitutional ideals that all people are created equal—back to a time when discriminatory policies, like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Japanese internment camps of World War II, separated families and wrongly incarcerated American citizens. We cannot let history repeat itself.

As we aim to be a more inclusive and just society, we cannot allow anti-Muslim hate language to spread by staying silent. The more we let hateful language against Muslims to continue, the more fear increases—and with that, violence. Stop the violence, speak up against anti-Muslim hate.

With roots in the civil rights movement, our members and other community health centers are committed to providing health care to all as a basic human right and to improving the lives of all Americans. We call on policymakers and elected officials to assure that Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim are afforded these same rights.

In affording all individuals these rights—including the right to live in safety, good mental health and livelihood—we commit to building thriving and healthy environments for all communities and for future generations.

About AAPCHO: AAPCHO is a national association of 35 community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders in the United States. For more information on AAPCHO, please visit www.aapcho.org.

 

 

From: Sang Kang
Subject: FW: Five facts about illegal immigration in the U.S.

1. There were 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2014. The population has remained essentially stable for five years, and currently makes up 3.5% of the nation's population. The number of unauthorized immigrants peaked in 2007 at 12.2 million, when this group was 4% of the U.S. population.
And more ... http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/19/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/

 

 

From: Jimmy Franco Sr.; Moderator of www.Latinopov.com
Subject: "College Protests, A Worthwhile Cause or Whining? "

College Protests, A Worthwhile Cause or Whining?

A recent upsurge of college student protests has broken out across the country due to  numerous racially-related incidents.
There has been an outburst of criticisms from the  political right against these students.
continue reading

 

 

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: The Federalist: "How Close Was Donald Trump To The Mob?"

thefederalist.comhttp://thefederalist.com/2015/07/28/how-close-was-donald-trump-to-the-mob/

How Close Was Donald Trump To The Mob?

[Surely this comes as no surprise...Right?! Trump's persona is the epitome of the mobster:  Think a taller Joe Pesci character. - Judy B.]

Donald Trump is running for president. Many believed or hoped that the Donald's latest foray into national politics was nothing more than a public-relations move, not a serious attempt to reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

But now that Trump holds the lead in national polls, as well as polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, it's time to take his campaign seriously. Media outlets like Huffington Post and the Wall Street Journal, which are covering Trump's run as an entertainment story, not a news story, are making a mistake. If Trump wants to be a serious candidate for president, and has the numbers to back it up, he must be vetted like a serious candidate for president. A good place to start is to take a hard look at Trump's ties to Philadelphia and New York organized-crime families.

Donald Trump's Connections to Organized Crime

Trump was building his eponymous empire of hotels, casinos, and high rises in the early 1980s in New York City and Atlantic City. In both places, the construction industry was firmly under the thumb of the mafia. And in both places there are literally concrete connections between La Cosa Nostra and Trump's lavish projects.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston, who has covered Trump for decades, has written a very useful list of questions for Trump. Many focus on his ties to the mob. In addition in his 1992 book, "Trump, The Deals and the Downfall," author Wayne Barrett lays out a slew of suspicious dealings and associations.

The Atlantic City story starts with Trump's purchase of a bar, at twice its market value, from Salvatore Testa, a made man in the Philadelphia mafia and son of Philip "Chicken Man" Testa, who was briefly head of the Philly mob after Angelo Bruno's 1980 killing. Harrah's casino, half owned by Trump, would be built on that land, and Trump would quickly buy out his partner, Harrah's Entertainment, and rename the casino Trump Plaza.

Author Wayne Barrett lays out a slew of suspicious dealings and associations.

Trump Plaza's connection to the mob didn't end with the land purchase from Testa. Nicademo "Little Nicky" Scarfo (who became boss after the elder Testa was blown up) and his nephew Phillip "crazy Phil" Leonetti controlled two of the major construction and concrete companies in Atlantic City.

Both companies, Scarf, Inc. and Nat Nat, did work on the construction of Harrah's, according the State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation's 1986 report on organized crime. In addition, Scarfo, whose reign as head of the Philly mob was one of the bloodiest in history, controlled the bartenders union, which represented Trump's workers in Atlantic City, according to George Anastasia's book, "Blood and Honor."

One more link to organized crime lurks in Trump's past Atlantic City dealings. He had a close association with Kenny Shapiro, an investment banker for Scarfo. According to secret recordings of then Scarfo attorney Robert F. Simone, Shapiro was intimately involved with bribing Atlantic City Mayor Michael J. Matthews, whose term would end in 1984 with a conviction on extortion charges. On the tapes, in 1983, Simone, talking about Leonetti, states: "He's a nice-looking boy…Nicky's nephew, he can sit with the…mayor. Ah, and Kenny's (Shapiro) got the mayor through this kid Phillip."

The Connections Don't End in Atlantic City

Trump's association and business dealings with known mafia figures was not limited to his Atlantic City projects. In New York City, several of his buildings were built by S&A Concrete Co., a concern partly owned by Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, the boss of the Genovese crime family. In addition to this business relationship, Trump and Salerno were both represented by high-power attorney Roy Cohn. In his book, Barrett cites an anonymous source who confirms that on at least one occasion Trump and Salerno had a sit-down in Cohn's apartment. Trump has denied this claim in the past.

How can the candidate who promises to secure the border and bring good jobs back to America explain having farmed out good-paying jobs to a bunch of illegal immigrants?

Is it reasonable to assume that Trump had no idea that S&A was run by Salerno's Genovese borgata when Trump's own attorney was so closely linked to that organization? After all, if Trump (who likes to point out that he has "one of the highest IQs") is as smart as he would have everyone believe, how could he have been so naive?

Another issue that needs to be addressed in Trump's New York operations is the use of undocumented Polish workers to demolish the Bonwit Teller building, which made way for the Trump Tower. Only a handful of union workers from Housewreckers Local 95 were employed on the site, the vast majority were illegal Polish alien workers, toiling under inhumane conditions, and wildly underpaid. Trump and his associates were found guilty in 1991 of conspiring to avoid paying pension and welfare fund contributions.

Two questions arise from this. First, how did Trump get away with using such obvious scab labor without raising the ire of local 95?

More importantly, how can the candidate who promises to secure the border and bring good jobs back to America explain having farmed out good-paying jobs, legally entitled to American workers, instead to a bunch of illegal immigrants? When the rubber hit the road Donald Trump didn't walk the walk, he lined his pockets and sold out American workers.

Is it possible that Trump was simply involved in an industry which in the early 1980s was so infiltrated by the mafia that he couldn't help but have tangential ties? Could this myriad of associations, points of contact, and shared affiliations with known mobsters just be the price of doing business in that business at that time? Sure.

And if Trump were just a private citizen, businessman, and reality TV star, he would be under no obligation to explain any of this. But he isn't. He is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president of the United States.

Donald Trump Has Explaining to Do

As one of a handful of people within reach of the most powerful office in the world Donald Trump must explain why so much of his early career is peppered with appearances by powerful underworld figures. Had Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, or Scott Walker bought so much as a used car from a known mafioso, it would be front-page news. Trump bought a piece of land for $1 million from the son of Philadelphia's former mafia Don, and used it to launch a gambling empire.

The major investigative news outlets in this country with the resources and wherewithal to seriously scrutinize Trump's ties to the mob need to start doing so.

It isn't only Trump who has a responsibility here. The news media, which is enjoying his playful romp through electoral politics, needs to wake up on this story. Trump isn't just fooling around this time. He wants to play in the big leagues, and in the big leagues they play hardball. The major investigative news outlets in this country with the resources and wherewithal to seriously scrutinize Trump's ties to the mob need to start doing so, sooner rather than later.

Former mafia members need to be interviewed. Transcripts of wiretaps and interviews with the major players in Atlantic City and New York crime syndicates need to be reviewed. The work of Barrett and Johnson, among others over the past decades that show Trump's underworld connections, need to be re-examined. Gary Hart and John Edwards learned that a serious run for president exposes all the dirty laundry, Trump needs to know that truth applies to him, too.

It's time to stop treating Trump as a sideshow. He is being treated with kid gloves because nobody thinks he can win. Everybody is simply waiting for him to implode under the pressure of his own enormous ego and unfiltered motor mouth. But rather than plunging his run into chaos, his racist ramblings about immigrants and undignified digs at John McCain's military service have excited some supporters. They think he speaks truth to power. They think he is the only honest man in politics. And no degree of exasperation from level headed news people and party officials seems to tamp his populist surge.

Being a loudmouth bigot, the Archie Bunker of 2016 who says what people are too afraid to say, is working well for Donald Trump. But it's time to hold his feet to the fire. This is a man who did a significant amount of business with mass murderers whose plunder of public and private funds added up to billions. What did he know about them? Maybe more importantly, what do they know about him?

We need to welcome Donald Trump to his new place in serious national politics with a cold, hard look at the crooks, conspirators, and criminals who peopled his early career. Either the Donald will attempt to weather such scrutiny, or he will disappear from the race under it. Either way, that scrutiny needs to start now.

David Marcus is a senior contributor to the Federalist and the Artistic Director of Blue Box World, a Brooklyn based theater project.

 

 

From: Angelo Carusone
Subject: Do Starbucks, Nike, and Gucci support Trump?

Donald Trump's brand is bigoted bullying. In recent months, his commentary has grown increasingly reckless and racist. 

He has attacked Mexicans, calling them "murderers" and "rapists."¹ He endorsed and encouraged violence against Black Lives Matter, as well as other anti-Trump demonstrators.² And just a few weeks ago, he put out an official policy that called for banning all Muslims from entering the United States.³

Trump's conduct has gotten so extreme that even mainstream and venerable news outlets have started comparing his conduct to fascism. Many of Trump's major business partners have already cut ties with him. It's a good start, but there's more work to do.

That's why I started a petition to Kitchen Aid, Gucci, Starbucks, and Nike, who are all licensees of Trump's brand, which says:

You do business with Donald Trump. Donald Trump's brand is bigoted bullying, reckless and explicitly racist at times. Please reconsider your business arrangement and dump Trump!
Sign Angelo's petition

Did you know that many of the Trump buildings are not actually owned by Trump? They're actually owned by other property companies and they pay Donald Trump to license his name and put it on the building. These companies should stop paying Trump to use his name and remove his name from their buildings.

Over the years, Donald Trump has bragged many times that Gucci and Nike placed their flagship stores in Trump buildings. He's very proud of these stores and these business deals. Donald Trump uses Gucci and Nike's brand recognition to legitimize his bigoted bullying. Gucci and Nike should no longer allow Trump to do this. They should reconsider their business deals with Donald Trump and begin exploring relocating their flagship stores.

Sign the petition now: demand that Nike, Gucci, and other companies Dump Trump!

Starbucks has coffee shops in Trump properties. Trump's brand is wildly inconsistent with Starbucks' brand. Not only that, but recently Trump actually called for a boycott of Starbucks, claiming that Starbucks was engaging in a war on Christmas. Starbucks should reconsider its business arrangements with Trump and pursue relocating those stores. 

Finally, Kitchen Aid is the named sponsor of the PGA Senior Golf Championship. Donald Trump spent many years lobbying for a major golf tournament and was awarded the 2017 Kitchen Aid PGA Senior Golf Championship. Trump is very proud of this. Kitchen Aid should not allow Donald Trump's dangerous bigoted bullying to be rewarded. Accordingly, they should push to move the tournament to another location (as many less prestigious golf events have already done).

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Sources:

1.      "Donald Trump's false comments connecting Mexican immigrants and crime," The Washington Post, July 8, 2015
http://act.moveon.org/go/261?t=5&akid=160441.1195276.mtsx4O

2.      "Trump on protester: 'Maybe he should have been roughed up,'" CNN.com, November 23, 2015
http://act.moveon.org/go/262?t=7&akid=160441.1195276.mtsx4O

3.      "Trump: My Muslim friends don't support my immigration ban," CNN.com, December 13, 2015
http://act.moveon.org/go/267?t=9&akid=160441.1195276.mtsx4O

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Angelo Carusone didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Want to support our work? MoveOn member contributions have powered our work together for more than 17 years. Hundreds of thousands of people chip in each year—which is why we're able to be fiercely independent, answering to no individual, corporation, politician, or political party. You can become a monthly donor by clicking here, or chip in a one-time gift here.

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

 

From: Southern Poverty Law Center; FIGHTING HATE // TEACHING TOLERANCE // SEEKING JUSTICE
Subject: Presidential candidates criticize Trump but support extremist group that inspired him

Credit: YouTube

Presidential candidates criticize Trump
but support extremist group that inspired him

Several Republican presidential candidates rebuked Donald Trump for proposing to ban Muslim immigrants, but then three of them participated in an anti-Muslim conference hosted by the extremist organization that inspired Trump. Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina all spoke, giving a stamp of approval to a conference that claimed liberals are covertly working with radical Islamists to transform the country into a socialist state. Ben Carson also attended, though he had declined to criticize Trump's proposal.

READ MORE

 

 

From: Sang Kang
Subject: UGLY AMERICAN II

Donald Trump: The American Stereotype Europeans Love to Hate

By Adam LeBor / December 14, 2015 10:04 AM EST

The ugly American is back—and it's just possible he could soon be sitting in the White House. Donald Trump, the billionaire front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, recently caused outrage around the world after he called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."
http://www.newsweek.com/2015/12/25/donald-trump-worse-voldemort-europeans-say-404653.html?source=email-story?source=email

 

 

From: Michael Sherrard, Faithful America
Subject: Wheaton

Wheaton College, sometimes described as the Harvard of the evangelical world, has suspended a professor after she wore a hijab in solidarity with Muslims facing persecution.

Larycia Hawkins, who has taught at Wheaton for almost a decade, decided to wear the hijab during Advent after a rise in violent attacks on Muslims and mosques across America. When asked why, she quoted Pope Francis's statement that Muslims and Christians "worship the same God."

Wheaton reacted by suspending Hawkins, claiming that her comments violated the school's statement of faith. She now faces a formal review and could be fired.

With the story making national headlines, we need to show Wheaton that Christians across the country support Professor Hawkins' gesture of solidarity with Muslims.

Tell Wheaton College: Reinstate Christian professor who wore a hijab in solidarity

For more information:
"Wheaton College's disgraceful suspension of professor for controversial comment," Religion News Service, December 16, 2015

 

 

From: Monique Teal; Daily Kos
Subject: Sign the petition: Justice Antonin Scalia's racism is unacceptable.

Munsup, during oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the case of Fisher v. Texas, Justice Antonin Scalia made a plainly racist argument (emphasis ours):

"There are – there are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less­-advanced school, a less – a slower-track school where they do well.

"One of – one of the briefs pointed out that – that most of the – most of the black scientists in this country don't come from schools like the University of Texas. They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they're – that they're being pushed ahead in – in classes that are too­­ too fast for them."

If Justice Scalia is not held accountable for his rhetoric — some of it blatantly racist and some of it representing coded, dog-whistle politics that sounds reasonable to some people but sends a very clear signal of hostility to minorities — that rhetoric will be validated and used to justify future discrimination. We can't let Justice Scalia's racism go unanswered.

Sign the petition from CREDO and Daily Kos telling your member of Congress to censure Justice Antonin Scalia.

There are not many sanctions that can be placed on Supreme Court Justices. They are appointed for life and never have to answer to the American people. That is why it is so critical that our elected representatives in Congress speak clearly and with a single voice to show the American people that they find racism as deplorable as we do.

The only official way for them to do this is with a formal congressional censure. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has already spoken out to denounce Scalia's comments. It's time for his colleagues to join him in formally holding Scalia accountable for his racism.

Sign the petition from CREDO and Daily Kos telling your member of Congress to censure Justice Antonin Scalia.

Paid for by CREDO

 

 

From: Naomi Dann; Media Coordinator, Jewish Voice for Peace
Subject: [JVP-NewsAndUpdates] Action Needed: Thank Cosmopolitan for Covering Palestinian Refugees

I'm passing along an urgent request to help impact mainstream media coverage of Palestine here in the U.S.

Media advocacy is one of the ways that we can have an impact on changing the conversation on Palestine and creating a public consensus that the status quo is unacceptable. Writing letters to thank editors for courageous stories that break the mold of the common narrative (as well as critical letters for the many times when coverage fails to humanize Palestinians or to address the root causes of the issue) is a crucial way that we can influence the conversation–and it's increasingly necessary because of organized opposition to telling these stories.

***************************************

On December 14, Cosmopolitan magazine published an article by reporter Prachi Gupta about a young Palestinian artist living in a refugee camp in Jordan, entitled, "This Woman Is Using Graffiti to Change the Way Her Country Thinks About Girls."

The article, about artist Laila Ajjawi, touches on issues such as the Nakba and the plight of Palestinian refugees, which are central to the issue but little known among Cosmo's readership and Americans in general. An excerpt reads:
   

"From the alleyway where Laila paints, we can see a parade of children carrying the Palestinian flag, holding a weekly demonstration for the "right to return to an unoccupied Palestine." Laila tells me the unofficial name for Irbid camp is Al-Awda, which roughly translates to "return to the homeland."

The article is significant, if imperfect, and will likely draw attention from opponents of Palestinian rights, who wish to suppress any telling of the Palestinian narrative, particularly in large, mainstream U.S. media outlets like Cosmo.

It is important that the editors at Cosmo receive positive feedback about this article to show that there are many Americans who appreciate reading Palestinian stories and perspectives, and to counteract any complaints from the other side from groups like CAMERA, who recently attacked Elle magazine for running a piece by a Palestinian author.

Please consider sending a brief message to Cosmo thanking them for bringing this story to their readers. Enclosed below are some suggested talking points to use in your outreach. Please consider personalizing your letter with your own words so that they don't receive numerous emails with the exact same phrasing.

Contact Cosmopolitan
     

·  Email Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles, jcoles@hearst.com.

·  Email Executive Features Editor of Cosmpolitan.com Lori Fradkin, lfradkin@hearst.com.

Suggested Talking Points
    

o   Thank you for drawing attention to the Nakba and the plight of Palestinian refugees in your Dec. 14 article about the young woman graffiti artist living in a refugee camp in Jordan.

o   The Nakba and expulsion of the majority of the Arab population of historic Palestine to make way for a Jewish majority state during Israel's creation is at the root of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and something far too few Americans know about.

o   It is vitally important that Americans hear the stories of Palestinians like Laila Ajjawi to help make sense of what's going on in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as America's role in the conflict.

o   Thank you for sharing the personal story of this young Palestinian woman – by offering a perspective like hers, you give your readers a window into our shared humanity.

o   Please keep up the good work by continuing to shine a light on stories like Laila's.

PS. You can also share this alert on social media–the US Campaign posted it here: http://tinyurl.com/cosmoactionalert

 

 

From: Thomas Scott
Subject: When Inequality Kills

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/lower-life-expectancy-white-americans-by-joseph-e--stiglitz-2015-12

When Inequality Kills

NEW YORK – This week, Angus Deaton will receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare." Deservedly so. Indeed, soon after the award was announced in October, Deaton published some startling work with Anne Case in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – research that is at least as newsworthy as the Nobel ceremony.

Analyzing a vast amount of data about health and deaths among Americans, Case and Deaton showed declining life expectancy and health for middle-aged white Americans, especially those with a high school education or less. Among the causes were suicide, drugs, and alcoholism.

America prides itself on being one of the world's most prosperous countries, and can boast that in every recent year except one (2009) per capita GDP has increased. And a sign of prosperity is supposed to be good health and longevity. But, while the US spends more money per capita on medical care than almost any other country (and more as a percentage of GDP), it is far from topping the world in life expectancy. France, for example, spends less than 12% of its GDP on medical care, compared to 17% in the US. Yet Americans can expect to live three full years less than the French.
For years, many Americans explained away this gap. The US is a more heterogeneous society, they argued, and the gap supposedly reflected the huge difference in average life expectancy between African Americans and white Americans.

The racial gap in health is, of course, all too real. According to a study published in 2014, life expectancy for African Americans is some four years lower for women and more than five years lower for men, relative to whites. This disparity, however, is hardly just an innocuous result of a more heterogeneous society. It is a symptom of America's disgrace: pervasive discrimination against African Americans, reflected in median household income that is less than 60% that of white households. The effects of lower income are exacerbated by the fact that the US is the only advanced country not to recognize access to health care as a basic right.

Some white Americans, however, have attempted to shift the blame for dying younger to African Americans themselves, citing their "lifestyles." It is perhaps true that unhealthy habits are more concentrated among poor Americans, a disproportionate number of whom are black. But these habits themselves are a consequence of economic conditions, not to mention the stresses of racism.

The Case-Deaton results show that such theories will no longer do. America is becoming a more divided society – divided not only between whites and African Americans, but also between the 1% and the rest, and between the highly educated and the less educated, regardless of race. And the gap can now be measured not just in wages, but also in early deaths. White Americans, too, are dying earlier as their incomes decline.
This evidence is hardly a shock to those of us studying inequality in America. The median income of a full-time male employee is lower than it was 40 years ago. Wages of male high school graduates have plummeted by some 19% in the period studied by Case and Deaton.

To stay above water, many Americans borrowed from banks at usurious interest rates. In 2005, President George W. Bush's administration made it far more difficult for households to declare bankruptcy and write off debt. Then came the financial crisis, which cost millions of Americans their jobs and homes. When unemployment insurance, designed for short-term bouts of joblessness in a full-employment world, ran out, they were left to fend for themselves, with no safety net (beyond food stamps), while the government bailed out the banks that had caused the crisis.

The basic perquisites of a middle-class life were increasingly beyond the reach of a growing share of Americans. The Great Recession had shown their vulnerability. Those who had invested in the stock market saw much of their wealth wiped out; those who had put their money in safe government bonds saw retirement income diminish to near zero, as the Fed relentlessly drove down both short- and long-term interest rates. With college tuition soaring, the only way their children could get the education that would provide a modicum of hope was to borrow; but, with education loans virtually never dischargeable, student debt seemed even worse than other forms of debt.

There was no way that this mounting financial pressure could not have placed middle-class Americans and their families under greater stress. And it is not surprising that this has been reflected in higher rates of drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide.

I was chief economist of the World Bank in the late 1990s, when we began to receive similarly depressing news from Russia. Our data showed that GDP had fallen some 30% since the collapse of the Soviet Union. But we weren't confident in our measurements. Data showing that male life expectancy was declining, even as it was increasing in the rest of the world, confirmed the impression that things were not going very well in Russia, especially outside of the major cities.

The international Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, which I co-chaired and on which Deaton served, had earlier emphasized that GDP often is not a good measure of a society's wellbeing. These new data on white Americans' declining health status confirms this conclusion. The world's quintessential middle-class society is on the way to becoming its first former middle-class society.

Read more at https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/lower-life-expectancy-white-americans-by-joseph-e--stiglitz-2015-12#IuBAUJIfxkmXejs4.99

 

 

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: Boingboing.net: "1927 news report: Donald Trump's dad arrested in KKK brawl with cops"

boingboing.nethttp://boingboing.net/2015/09/09/1927-news-report-donald-trump.html

1927 news report: Donald Trump's dad arrested in KKK brawl with cops

According to a New York Times article published in June 1927, a man with the name and address of Donald Trump's father was arraigned after Klan members attacked cops in Queens, N.Y.

In an article subtitled "Klan assails policeman", Fred Trump is named in among those taken in during a late May "battle" in which "1,000 Klansmen and 100 policemen staged a free-for-all." At least two officers were hurt during the event, after which the Klan's activities were denounced by the city's Police Commissioner, Joseph A. Warren.

"The Klan not only wore gowns, but had hoods over their faces almost completely hiding their identity," Warren was quoted as saying in the article, which goes on to identify seven men "arrested in the near-riot of the parade."

Named alongside Trump are John E Kapp and John Marcy (charged with felonious assault in the attack on Patrolman William O'Neill and Sgt. William Lockyear), Fred Lyons, Thomas Caroll, Thomas Erwin, and Harry J Free. They were arraigned in Jamaica, N.Y. All seven were represented by the same lawyers, according to the article.

The final entry on the list reads: "Fred Trump of 175-24 Devonshire Road, Jamaica, was discharged."

In 1927, Donald Trump's father would have been 21 years old, and not yet a well-known figure. Multiple sources report his residence at the time—and throughout his life—at the same address.

To be clear, this is not proof that Trump senior—who would later go on to become a millionaire real estate developer—was a member of the Ku Klux Klan or even in attendance at the event. Despite sharing lawyers with the other men, it's conceivable that he may have been an innocent bystander, falsely named, or otherwise the victim of mistaken identity during or following a chaotic event.

The name of Trump's grandfather, Friedrich Drumpf, was anglicized to Frederick Trump, but he died several years before the report.

A person answering calls at the N.Y.C. Police Department's Records Section said that arrest reports dating that far back were not available in any form. We've sent a formal request in writing and will update if and when we receive a response. We've also left a message with the Trump Campaign requesting a callback.

The article, published on June 1, 1927, describes police frustration at rowdy parades, the Klan's use of masks, and its growing presence in New York City. The Klan, originally founded in the 19th century, was reborn in 1915 as a violent supremacist organization associated with lynchings, white nationalism, and the distinctive white robes and hoods used by Klansmen to conceal their identity at parades and other events. At its mid-1920s peak, it had up to 6m members, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Fred Trump, who died in 1999, was a New York real estate developer and the father of mogul and presidential candidate Donald Trump. Born in the Bronx to German immigrants, Fred became a real estate developer in his teens; at about the time of his apparent arrest, he was constructing single-family houses in Queens, according to his obituary in the Times. At his death, his net worth was estimated at between $250m and $300m. A savvy businessman and real estate developer, his wealth enabled the junior Trump to start big.

If the man arrested at the riotous Klan parade was indeed Donald's father, it would not be his last tangle with the law over issues concerning minorities.

A 1979 article, published by Village Voice, reported on a civil rights suit that alleged that the Trumps refused to rent to black home-seekers, and quotes a rental agent who said Fred Trump instructed him not to rent to blacks and to encourage existing black tenants to leave. The case was settled in a 1975 consent degree described as "one of the most far-reaching ever negotiated," but the Justice Department subsequently complained that continuing "racially discriminatory conduct by Trump agents has occurred with such frequency that it has created a substantial impediment to the full enjoyment of equal opportunity."

Donald Trump has made nativism a pillar of his campaign, describing Mexican immigrants as rapists and two Boston men who beat a homeless immigrant as "passionate" fans.

The events described in the Times' article took place 22 years before Donald Trump was even born, and he's not responsible for any youthful sins his father may have committed. But given the racially-charged tone of the younger Trump's campaign, it raises questions about the values he was taught by the man whose fortune he inherited.

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