Nov. 3, 2007

The Senate Judiciary Committee should reject President Bush’s nomination of Michael Mukasey for attorney general.

Hotel workers deserve insurance
Disaster contract
Better coverage
Public interest reporting on health care
Climate chaos and capitalism
Mortgage crisis and dialectics

As the smoke and ash settle out here in San Diego, a few things have become evident about the news in this age of disaster capitalism. One is the class nature of the corporate media beast. Another is its alienation from what’s really going on. And a third is its denial of scientific predictability. The consequences are important for people who want to work towards a better future.

Thousands of field and construction workers leave their residences in Ramona, Valley Center and Escondido. They take refuge in the football stadium where they believe they will receive aid just as their neighbors do. But many of these workers are undocumented. They are afraid to go out, but the fires give them no other option. When they reach the stadium, they are shocked to find immigration officials. Some are detained and deported. Many flee and disappear in the city’s landscape.

Conservative economists, whose hold on truth is limited to the profits of certain kinds of corporations, almost always get it wrong, because their truth is limited to a startlingly small portion of the population.

From World War II to the present, the cost of outfitting a soldier went from $170 to $17,000. It’s expected to reach $28,000-$60,000 in this decade. Every life is indeed precious, regardless of the price, but let us look at what’s behind the price.

CHICAGO — I recently visited the National Museum of Mexican Art’s 21st annual “Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): A New Beginning,” an exhibition here, so I could reflect on one of the most important traditions celebrated in Mexico.

B.J. Mangaoang, a longtime leader of the Communist Party of Washington state, died Oct. 20 at the age of 92. In her political life, B.J. was principled, dedicated and persistent, inspiring many with her devotion and consistency. She participated in peace movements against the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the first Gulf War, and the current Iraq war. She was active in the civil rights movement, the labor movement and in many other local and state struggles.

UNITED NATIONS (IPS) — The United Nations General Assembly snubbed the United States for its hostility towards Cuba, Oct. 30, amid fresh calls for an end to the 45-year economic and financial embargo imposed on the socialist island.

NEW YORK — The 2007 People’s Weekly World/Nuestro Mundo Fund drive is moving ahead steadily, fueled by the enthusiasm and contributions of grassroots supporters.