Paris, Inclusive Climate Movement, Oregon spying on it’s Citizens

ISIS Terrorist Attacks Designed to Hasten the “Apocalypse” and Instill Fear

MP3 Interview with Vijay Prashad, professor of International Studies at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., conducted by Scott Harris
paris
The shocking terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 focused world attention on ISIS, the extremist group which claimed responsibility. The well-planned massacre of ordinary Parisians across the city in restaurants, a stadium and concert hall, killed 129 and wounded 352, with 99 remaining in critical condition. In a statement released after the carnage, the terrorist group said it had targeted France for its involvement in the bombing campaign against ISIS forces in both Iraq and Syria. .

With Pressure, U.S. Climate Movement is Becoming More Inclusive of Communities of Color

MP3 Interview with Jacqueline Patterson, director of the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program, conducted by Melinda Tuhus
naacp
The U.S. environmental movement has long had a reputation for attracting mostly white middle-class activists. But for many decades, the struggle for environmental justice has been fought out in overwhelmingly low-income communities of color that border some of the nation’s most polluting industries. Story continues
.

Oregon’s Department of Justice Spied on State Residents Who Used #BlackLivesMatter

MP3 Interview with Mat dos Santos, legal director with the ACLU of Oregon, conducted by Scott Harris
surveillance
On Nov. 10, the Criminal Justice Division of the Oregon Department of Justice revealed that it had secretly spied on state residents who used the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag in their Twitter accounts. Among those surveilled was the state’s own director of civil rights, Erious Johnson. Story continues
.
This week’s summary of under-reported news

MP3 MP3

Compiled by Bob Nixon
On the 5th anniversary of her release from house arrest, pro-democracy leader Aung Sung Suu Kyi and her party the National League for Democracy (or NLD) won a majority of seats in Myanmar’s parliament and the right to form a new government. Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution, written by the military bars Suu Kyi from becoming president, but the democracy crusader insists as party leader she will be above the president. The NLD swept out the ruling party of former generals, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, defeating many cabinet members. (“Victory by Aung San Suu Kyi’s Party Catches One Group Off Guard: The Government,” New York Times, Nov. 13, 2015;”Myanmar Military Still Big Power Despite Opposition Victory,” New York Times, Nov. 10, 2015; “How and why Myanmar’s Suu Kyi plans to be ‘above president’,” Washington Post, Nov. 12. 2015)
Pushed by social conservatives, several southern states including Texas, Tennessee and Florida are now debating the so-called “Pastor Protection Act” that supporters say would prohibit ministers from being forced to perform same-sex marriages. (“Florida ‘pastor protection act’ a symbol of lost faith in legal system,” Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 8, 2015; “Tennessee drafting ‘Pastor Protection Act’ after Supreme Court ruling (+video),” Christian Scence Monitor, June 27, 2015)
New York City’s progressive Mayor Bill de Blasio has launched an ambitious plan to create 80,000 units of new affordable housing and preserve 120,000 units of low cost apartments. Yet the plan and its reliance on mandatory inclusionary zoning will not be enough, according to many housing advocates who are calling for polices that do more to aid cash strapped poor New Yorkers. (“The Math Behind Bill de Blasio’s Affordable Housing Zoning Plan,” CityLimits.org, Nov. 4, 2015)

Share This Episode