The fight for marriage equality continues across the U.S. On Tuesday,voters in North Carolina approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage,which will prevent courts or future legislatures from validating marriage equality. The ban goes as far as to outlaw civil unions in the state.
This measure has spurred opposition from advocacy groups as well as the President. Barak Obama formally announced on Wednesday that he is in support of same-sex marriage. Although previously opposed to the issue,he explained,“At a certain point I’ve just concluded that…it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”
Same-sex marriage will be on the ballot in Maryland,Minnesota,Washington and Maine this November. Despite growing support for marriage equality,it has never won a statewide referendum. Learn how your state stands on the issue here.
The United States and China have had a turbulent relationship at best over the years. The recent incidents relating to Chen Guangcheng,a lawyer and activist in China who says the Chinese government has beaten and kept him on house arrest for two years before his recent escape to the U.S. embassy,has once again elevated human rights issues in China to the forefront. Chen’s escape and request for asylum in the United States coincided with and overshadowed Hilary Rodham Clinton’s recent trip to China. There is currently a tentative deal to allow Chen to study overseas in the U.S.
Take a look at this photo gallery documenting major milestones in U.S. and Chinese relations.
For the past six years,lawyers Kris Kobach and Michael Hethman have been working with state and local governments to re-shape legalities around the deportation process for immigrants. Their strategy? Make life so miserable for illegal immigrants that they choose to deport themselves.
This approach is encountering considerable backlash from various advocacy groups. When asked about his rationale,Hethman states that immigration is “on track to change the demographic makeup of the entire country. You know,what they call ‘minority-majority.’”
Long rang acoustic devices or LRADs,which emit noises and tones painful to the human ear,are planned for controlling protesters at the upcoming G-8/NATO summit in Chicago this May. The devices were used at the G-8/NATO summit in Pittsburgh in 2009 and resulted in one bystander suing the city of Pittsburgh for hearing loss and pain resulting from the use of LRADs.
Chicago police say they have learned from their experience in Pittsburgh and plan to us the LRADs to transmit messages to protesters in Chicago. The devices will still be equipped with the ability to transmit the painful noises that can cause:
Banks have started courting Americans with tarnished credit – some emerging from bankruptcy – into new deals for credit cards and auto loans. Subprime borrowers are more likely to make late payments and qualify for higher interest rates. However,their business is desirable for banks that need to make up money lost as a result of recent financial regulations.
Former banking regulators view risky lending practices as a return to ‘business as usual’ from the years before the economic downturn. If lenders haven’t learned from their past,are they doomed to repeat it?
Learn more about the return of subprime lending practices.
Julia Krieger Project Specialist Campaign Consultation,Inc.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers now show that 1 in 88 children in the United States are being diagnosed with autism. This is a near doubling of prevalence since the CDC began tracking these numbers.
A study by Dr. Peter Bearman,of Columbia University,has revealed that the increase in prevalence is only partly explained by a broadening of the diagnosis,improved detection,and more awareness. A large portion of the increase,some 50%,remains unexplained.
The annual cost of autism in the United States is $126 billion annually.
To learn more about autism and its affects please visit the Autism Speaks website.
Organizers of a grassroots group of Navajo tribal citizens are calling for protesters to come to Tuba City,Arizona tomorrow,April 5th,to march and peacefully protest against Senate Bill 2109,the Navajo Hopi Little Colorado Water Settlement Act of 2012.The Navajo Hopi Little Colorado Water Settlement Act of 2012 includes language that gives up water rights of the Hopi and Navajo Nations forever.
At 11 AM (MDT) on April 5th US Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain are expected to arrive to meet with Navajo Nation tribal leaders,including Navajo President Ben Shelly. If you are interested please take a look at more information about this event.
Infographic from the April 2012 Issue of Esquire Magazine
The net worth of Baby Boomers is nearly 47 times higher than Americans aged 35 and younger. As older Americans get wealthier,young Americans struggle to earn enough to survive;relying on their parents for financial help,and in many cases,housing.
During the economic downturn,the wealth and influence of the Boomers caused the U.S. Government to cut funds for education-focused initiatives and student loan assistance while funding for programs like Medicare and Social Security remained relatively untouched. A 2009 Brookings Institute study showed that the federal budget allocated 7 times more money to programs for senior adults than children and youth.
As a result of these inequities,many American youth remain under or unemployed,with considerable student loan debt. To learn more,click here.
This week,fifty schools in Florida staged walk-outs,“Million Hoodie Marches” were mobilized in cities across the country,and 1.5 million Americans signed an online petition at change.org to demand justice for the killing of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. On February 26th,self-appointed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman killed Trayvon in what he claimed to be “self-defense.” Trayvon was walking home in the rain with a hoodie covering his head and had no weapons in his possession. Zimmerman was not arrested.
Protesters are demanding the immediate arrest of George Zimmerman. A group of Capitol Hill staffers calling themselves “Hoodies on the Hill” are among those calling for justice. President Obama addressed the country on Friday,stating “If I had a son,he’d look like Trayvon.”
Last week the Supreme Court reexamined the issue of severe punishments for juvenile offenders. In 2005 the court ruled to abolish the juvenile death penalty and in 2010 the court ruled that sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole was unconstitutional,if the crime did not involve homicide. The court is now revisiting this issue to determine once again if there is a need for further reform. The various options under consideration include:
Prohibiting life sentences without parole for all juveniles
Barring life sentences without parole for juveniles under the age of 15
Eliminating mandatory sentencing and requiring judges and juries to take into account the juvenile offender’s age
Banning life sentences without parole for juvenile accomplices to crimes involving murder
