By Pia Gadkari BBC News, White Clay, Nebraska
27 April 2012
After years of failed efforts to address chronic alcoholism, can a $500m (£308m) dollar lawsuit against the beer supply-chain put an end to one tribe's deadly struggle with alcohol?
For generations, the dream of a sober society has eluded one of the largest Native American tribes in the US.
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
by Bob Reeves
Many Americans who call themselves progressive believe in the ideals of economic parity, social justice and equal opportunity for all. But to really make any progress toward those goals, progressives need to be more aggressive, America’s most entertaining populist said in Lincoln on March 4.
Jim Hightower, whose popular “Hightower Radio” commentary is heard at noon each weekday on Lincoln’s community radio station KZUM (89.3 FM), was the keynote speaker at “Peacemaking Workshop XXVI”—sponsored by a coalition of churches and Nebraska organizations promoting peace and justice. His talk was entitled “America’s Leaders Are Small, But Americans Are Not: Turning Our Leaders’ Failure into Our Inspiration.”
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
21 March 12
In announcing the Republicans' new budget and tax plan Tuesday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said "We are sharpening the contrast between the path that we're proposing and the path of debt and decline the president has placed us upon."
Ryan is right about sharpening the contrast. But the plan doesn't do much to reduce the debt. Even by its own estimate the deficit would drop to $166 billion in 2018 and then begin growing again.
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
Last month's announcement of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s lawsuit against the Whiteclay alcohol dealers and beer brewers garnered international media coverage—including mention in the New York Times. That initial news report, however, caught the interest of the Times’ New York editors, who decided to take a closer look at the issue of alcohol sales in Whiteclay and their impact on the adjacent Pine Ridge Reservation. In late February, accompanied by Nebraskans for Peace President and “The Battle for Whiteclay” filmmaker Mark Vasina, Times reporter Timothy Williams traveled to Whiteclay to see firsthand the devastation alcohol consumption is wreaking on the Lakota residents of Pine Ridge. William’s report of his visit, “At Tribe’s Door, a Hub of Beer and Heartache,” appeared on page 1 of the New York Times March 6, 2012 edition of the. The story and the accompanying dozen photographs can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/us/next-to-tribe-with-alcohol-ban-a-hub-of-beer.html
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
LB 239, the voter ID bill, could come up for floor debate as early as Monday.
Click HERE to find your state senator and email them TODAY!
LB239 requires voters to show a valid government-issued photo ID at the polls to vote in Nebraska elections. We know that the bill is expensive and fixes a problem we simply don’t have in Nebraska. We urge you to contact your state senator NOW and request that she/he OPPOSE LB239 for several reasons.
Read morePosted In: Civil Rights & Economic Justice
