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Home Issue: 649

Issue: 649

April 14, 2016

Cover Story

The end of the U.S. two party system, as we know it?

By Dr. James Jennings, PhD Editorial Board

“Americans interested in seeing the major parties adopt more progressive stances in eliminating racial and class divisions, including poverty, should seek to support an independent front, or third party, that could at least influence the policies adopted by the Democrats and Republicans.”

The U.S. two party system is entering a period of major realignment. This observation is based on the anti-elitist movement within both parties reflected in the…

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Guest Commentary

In A Fair Fight, Bernie Beats Hillary

By Dr. Carlos Russell, PhD Guest Commentator

After the indisputable momentum acquired by Bernie’s recent victories, the Hillary campaign of “coronation” is now a campaign of “trepidation”. Ironically, the would be “coronation” �s in great measure dependent on the Black vote.

In light of the odds stacked against him, Bernie Sanders’ quixotic quest of economic, political and socio-cultural transformation, as proposed in his fight against Hillary Clinton,…

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Guest Commentary

The Lesser Evil Remains Evil

By Natalie Davis Guest Commentator

Based on her record, her statements, and her actions, I cannot in good conscience pull a lever for Clinton. She represents and will maintain a status quo I find intolerable for me and for my family.

Talk host Thom Hartmann, whose prog bona fides are long and unquestionable, has made a point of noting that he is reluctant to criticize the establishment…

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Commentary

The Clinton Crime Bill in Context

By Dr. Julianne Malveaux, PhD Editorial Board

Crack caused rising crime rates. Crack came from profiteers who operated with the acquiescence, if not full cooperation, of the CIA. The extremely imperfect Clinton crime bill, good intentioned though Bill Clinton says it was, was also part of the continuum of government attacks on black people that used crime as a weapon.

Former President William Jefferson Clinton mixed it up with Black Lives Matter activists as he defended his Presidency, and his 1994 crime bill, when he was…

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Color of Law

#Gitmo2Chicago: New Internal Police Documents Reveal the Beatings, Torture Used Against Black Men at Homan Square

By David A. Love, JD Executive Editor

officers “used punches, knee strikes, elbow strikes, slaps, wrist twists, baton blows and Tasers” at Homan Square, despite police denials concerning the harsh treatment of detainees.

There are new revelations in the continuing nightmare that is Homan Square, the CIA-style black site facility in which the Chicago police have made Black men…

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Commentary

Corporate America Opposes Minimum Wage Raise, But Many Ny Businesses Support It

By John Funiciello Columnist

The Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, seems to be in direct opposition to its parent organization, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which constantly calls for depressing living standards of ordinary workers. The Greater New York Chamber represents about 30,000 businesses and seems to have finally seen the light.

Two of America’s highest cost-of-living states this month took legislative action to raise the minimum wage, eventually to $15 an hour, and there are businesses across…

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View from the Battlefield

Picking and choosing who gets justice – Corruption in the prosecutor’s office

By Jamala Rogers Editorial Board

While there have been several cases of wrongful conviction that have come to light over the years, I believe there are hundreds of people who languished in prison for years or who are still incarcerated due to prosecutorial misconduct.

The African American community has little faith in St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office. So it came as no surprise, it would be outraged when Circuit Attorney…

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Commentary

Massachusetts Is Not Mississippi, But We, Too, Have a No Trans Accommodation Bill

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

With Massachusetts lauded as one of the most pro-LGBTQ states in the country my lawmakers have disappointed me with their political foot dragging and staling on our “Bathroom Bill”.

Mississippi and North Carolina can now be added to the list of states codifying transgender discrimination. To date, only seventeen states across the country have passed…

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Commentary

Connecting the Dots: Trenton Citizens and the Cartel in Hand-to-Hand Combat, Part XIX

By Dr. Walter C. Farrell, Jr., PhD, M.S.P.H. Columnist

Trenton residents raised a firestorm of protest: vigorously complaining about the lack of transparency in the search process; protesting the proposed layoffs of more than 100 special needs population personnel; opposing the continuing Broad influence in the Trenton Public Schools (TPS); and criticizing the Mayor’s double-cross after he ran on a pro-public education platform.

As noted in last week’s column, the Cartel for corporate education reform descended on the Trenton, New Jersey Public Schools with two handpicked Broad candidates as…

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