Truthout 3/5

Out of Iraq? Maybe Not
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: "This Just In: the war in Iraq is not over.... There has been plenty of news of late to obscure this fact, to be sure: GOP Senator Bunning of Kentucky single-handedly screwed hundreds of thousands of Americans with his obstructionism in the well of the Senate before finally backing down amid a storm of criticism. Kay Bailey Hutchinson failed to upend the sitting Texas governor's re-election bid, thanks in no small part to Tea Party sentimentality. The health care reform debate is back on the front burner, and the American people have been getting a half-assed education on what 'reconciliation' means from news media people who can barely spell the word. Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel, who has been in the Capitol building longer than the sink in the men's room, has taken a leave of absence from his committee chairmanship under a cloud of scandal."
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Illinois Joins in the Fray, Marches for Public Education
Yana Kunichoff, Truthout: "At a series of protests to celebrate National Day of Action to Defend Public Education, staff, students and faculty marched at public universities in California, Louisiana, Boston, Wisconsin, New York and Detroit to protest the strain on public education caused by the financial crisis."
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My Name Is Ed. I'm a Racist
Ed Kinane,Truthout: "Alcoholics Anonymous knows that recovery requires acknowledging one's illness; denial cripples recovery. What follows isn't about drinking, but about a more cunning disease. Before I say more, I want to introduce myself: 'My name is Ed. I'm a racist.'"
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Temple Cats
Mary Sojourner, Truthout: "Bean, the 10-month-old gray tabby, is possessed to leap up on the old dresser that serves as the center for my faith in what little I know of Tibetan Buddhism, and all I am learning about the nature of impermanence - a knowledge both unwelcome and irresistible. The dresser top is more accurately an altar - a flat-topped block used as the focus for a religious ritual, especially for making sacrifices or offerings to a deity."
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Forgotten Bagram Prisoners Turn to US Courts
William Fisher,Truthout: "Four men who have been imprisoned for over a year - some for almost two years - are going to US federal court to challenge their detention at the notorious Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.... The men, whom their lawyers say have never engaged in hostilities against the US and are not members of groups that have engaged in hostilities against the US, have never been told why they are being detained, never been permitted to speak with a lawyer or given a meaningful opportunity to challenge their detention before a court or impartial administrative board."
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Afghanistan's My Lai Massacre
Dave Lindorff, Truthout: "When Charlie Company's Lt. William Calley ordered and encouraged his men to rape, maim and slaughter over 400 men, women and children in My Lai in Vietnam back in 1968, there were at least four heroes who tried to stop him or bring him and higher officers to justice. One was helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson Jr., who evacuated some of the wounded victims, and who set his chopper down between a group of Vietnamese and Calley's men, ordering his door gunner to open fire on the US soldiers if they shot any more people. One was Ron Ridenhour, a soldier who learned of the massacre and began a private investigation, ultimately reporting the crime to the Pentagon and Congress. One was Michael Bernhardt, a soldier in Charlie Company, who witnessed the whole thing and reported it all to Ridenhour. And one was journalist Seymour Hersh, who broke the story in the US media."
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Climate and Jobs: The Same Fight!
Alain Lipietz, Alternatives Economiques (Translation: Leslie Thatcher): "There are not many people left today who oppose the environment to jobs. Several recent studies confirm: the more invested in 'green conversion,' the more jobs can be created."
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Unemployment Rate Holds at 9.7 Percent in Spite of Snow Storms
Dean Baker, The Center for Economic and Policy Research: "The unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent in February in spite of snow storms that kept millions of people out of work during the reference week. The establishment survey showed the economy losing 36,000 jobs with all of the job loss explained by a drop in construction employment of 64,000. With more normal conditions, it is likely that the economy would have added a small number of jobs in the month."
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Obama Presses Health Insurers to Give Details Online for Rate Hikes
Bobby Caina Calvan, The Sacramento Bee: "Amid consumer furor over rising health insurance premiums, the Obama administration asked insurers on Thursday to post rate hikes - and the justification for them - on the Internet.... Also on Thursday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced legislation that would give the federal government authority to reject rate increases that insurance companies cannot justify."
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TAKE ACTION: End Neuromarketing by Politicians and Companies (VIDEO)
Matt Renner, Truthout: "Companies spend billions of dollars figuring out how to convince us to buy their stuff, while politicians spend millions trying to get our vote. Informing people about new products or policy positions is one thing, but studying our brains to find ways to manipulate us is unacceptable."
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Interview With Henry A. Giroux on Public Education, Youth and US Society Today (Audio)
In light of the student protests taking place in California and across the nation, Living Room's Kris Welch of KPFA interviews Henry Giroux on public education, youth and US society today.
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