AltWeeklies Wire
What If They Gave a War and Nobody Knew Why?
Eight years after invading Afghanistan, the U.S. government is still struggling to explain why. If you can't figure out if you're winning or losing, you're losing.
What's Behind Rupert Murdoch's Paid-Content Push?new
News Corp. head honcho Rupert Murdoch recently announced he'll begin charging for online content at his company's news sites. Is this a desperate move to help the bottom line, or a last-gasp grab at journalistic respectability?
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Reilly |
08-12-2009 |
Media
Some in Congress Push DHS to Review the Border Fence's Environmental Destructionnew
Cutting a daunting swath from California to Texas, the border wall has degraded waterways, chopped up private property and wreaked environmental havoc by severing wildlife-migration routes and pummeling habitat. Now, Rep. Raul Grijalva is pushing for a fresh -- some would say first -- look at the environmental fallout from the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
08-12-2009 |
Environment
Is the Hutto Decision Really a Victory for Immigration-Rights Advocates?new
The government announced earlier this month that no more undocumented-immigrant families (especially families with small children) will be imprisoned at the for-profit T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas. How big -- or small -- a victory this is for immigration-reform advocates is still a matter of debate.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
08-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Is Economic Recovery Money Helping San Diego Businesses?new
The combination of tax cuts and direct government spending is supposed make consumers spend and businesses invest, creating a multiplier effect that would boost the economy. Using a database of stimulus spending compiled by the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica, we called businesses receiving stimulus dollars and asked them what they were doing with their money.
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
08-12-2009 |
Economy
Will the Border Patrol Use Hurricane Evacuations to Snag Undocumented Immigrants?new
If a violent hurricane hits South Texas, 150,000 undocumented immigrants will want to flee the Rio Grande Valley. But U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints might keep them from evacuating.
The Texas Observer |
Kevin Sieff |
08-12-2009 |
Disasters
SFPD Still Uses Unreliable Polygraph to Screen Recruitsnew
Polygraph examinations have constituted a routine part of checks conducted on potential recruits for as long as the SFPD's current background examination supervisor can remember. And it seems as if people are still fooling the machine.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
08-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Robin Long, War Resister or Deserter?new
In 2008, Long made international headlines when he became the first Iraq War deserter to be deported from Canada. He was prosecuted by the US Army and served 12 months of a 15-month sentence. Long, who first spoke to BW in 2006 about his life as a war resister in Canada, was recently released from the naval brig at Miramar. During a recent visit to Boise, Long sat down with BW.
Boise Weekly |
Nathaniel Hoffman |
08-12-2009 |
War
Meet the Father of Proposition 8new
As an auxiliary bishop in San Diego, Salvatore Cordileone played an indispensable role in conceiving, funding, organizing, and ultimately winning the campaign to pass Proposition 8. Shortly after the law passed, he was installed as the new Catholic bishop in Oakland.
East Bay Express |
Chris Thompson |
08-12-2009 |
LGBT
On Hiroshima's Anniversary, It May be the Bomb That Will Bring Us Togethernew
Even if world leaders don't want to talk seriously about the nuclear threat, the mayors of cities that are potential targets would. In fact, mayors from around the world are coming together in a way not seen before, as part of "Vision 2020." This campaign has as its goal the elimination of the world's nuclear weapons by the year 2020, and mayors of 2,963 cities in 134 countries have already signed up.
New Haven Advocate |
Alan Bisbort |
08-11-2009 |
War
In Rejecting Real Health Care Reform, Businesses Don't Know What's Good for Themnew
"The system sucks! Save the system!" That, in six words, pretty much sums up what Chamber of Commerce types are contributing to the health-care debate. I'm exaggerating but only a little.
Michigan Law Clinic Springs Two Men from Prisonnew
The University of Michigan Innocence Clinic -- considered the first such law school project in the country to tackle cases without DNA evidence -- celebrated its first success recently when Marvin Reed and his nephew Deshawn were released from prison.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
08-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Nancy Hollander Defends Guantanamo Prisoners ... and Our Justice Systemnew
The Albuquerque lawyer is one of the nation's leading criminal defense attorneys, but she now faces perhaps her greatest legal challenge yet: Representing two prisoners incarcerated at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Weekly Alibi |
Simon McCormack |
08-11-2009 |
Civil Liberties
A Darker Look at Che's Revolutionnew
There's little question that, as former top CIA analyst Brian Latell puts it, Gustavo Villoldo played a "very critical role in the capture of Che Guevara." But while some exiles consider Gustavo a hero, Che fans and scholars such as UCLA's Peter McLaren call him a "narrow-minded ideologue who set out to avenge his father and took his anger out on a great man."
Miami New Times |
Tim Elfrink |
08-10-2009 |
International
Will Medical Marijuana Come to Pennsylvania?new
Here in Pennsylvania, my friend Barry the Pot-Dealing Samaritan is risking his freedom to provide a sick person with the medicine he needs to fight cancer. Prison time. Fines. A criminal record that would follow him for his entire life.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brendan Skwire |
08-10-2009 |
Drugs
