Filter Commentaries
Journalism: Activism or Profession
When we consider the historic role of journalist amond Black people, we are left with the deep conviction that, for Black people, the necessities of the time demand that activism must play a role in… Full Transcript
Rogue States & Broken Nations
Yuri’s Struggle for Freedom
Her name was Yuri, a Japanese woman born in the United States. I hesitate to call her a Japanese-American, for to do so suggests she was a citizen. In light of how she, her family… Full Transcript
Malaysia Air and Mistakes
The airwaves are thick with talk of ‘war crimes’, how Russia should be sanctioned, and even how the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, according to one congressional war-hawk, “has blood on his hands.” This is not… Full Transcript
Death Row in California: No More
‘Everything new’, it used to be said, ‘’comes from California.’ Perhaps not everything, but a Federal District Court there has just ruled that the death penalty, as practiced in the Golden State, is unconstitutional, in… Full Transcript
When Children Are the Enemy
David Vs. Goliath
The biblical tale of David vs. Goliath is the quintessential story of how the weak can prevail over the mighty. It gives people hope that perhaps they can prevail over terrible adversity. In the Middle… Full Transcript
Beatings
The scenes are, unfortunately, all too familiar. A person is beaten, ruthlessly, relentlessly, by a cop (or group of cops). A video is released, and, at least initially, public sympathy flows to the beaten figure… Full Transcript
Lessons Unlearned: From History
One would think that after the hellish debacle of Iraq, the primary role of the corporate media, that of Chief Cheerleader, would’ve given rise to soul-searching, or at least professional reconsideration and training of young… Full Transcript
Reporting From A State Correctional Institution
Perils of Empire
When the U.S. launched its invasion of Iraq, predicated on the events of 9/11, it was the very quintessence of hubris. Neo-conservatives dreamed of remaking the Middle East in their own image. It was, in… Full Transcript
War Changes Everything
In a matter of days, a tiny, rag-tag group of militiamen have changed the map of Iraq. Calling themselves (oddly enough), ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), (odd because ‘isis’ is the Grecian… Full Transcript
Miltary Advisors? The Way Back into Iraq
With the news that President Barack Obama is now sending 300 military advisers back into Iraq (identified as Special Forces), we may be eyeing the beginning of a new phase in the Iraq War. The… Full Transcript
Imam Jamil Ailing
His name is Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a Muslim Imam, and a prisoner of the U.S. government. But perhaps he is better known (or remembered) as a fiery young icon of the 1960s-era Black Power movement,… Full Transcript
Interview With Mumia By Noelle Hanrahan
Cantor’s Fall
Congressman Eric Cantor, Republican Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, has been knocked off his perch and out of his seat in a surprise primary result borne by a virtually unknown challenger, and… Full Transcript
Chained As Children
In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court decided that mandatory life sentences for juveniles was a violation of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment”. Ever since then almost a dozen states have… Full Transcript
Slave of the State
Iraq: Recipe for Disaster
As these words are being formed, Iraq is a site of disaster. The northern city of Mosul is falling to armed Islamic militants. Bombings are increasing with frequency and ferocity, claiming more and more lives.… Full Transcript
For New Yorkers, the name Eddie Ellis drew admiration, respect and even some awe. For he was a man of passion, action and brilliance, as shown by his many lives as a Black Panther, a… Full Transcript