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Joann Wypijewski reports on the growth of the U.S. torture archipelago and on the church-led campaign led by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) which is striking a spark amid the darkness. Also in this latest newsletter, Diana Johnstone explores the one of the sinister monuments of the Clinton years: Kosovo, whose gangster premier runs a criminal enterprise which has murdered Serbian prisoners in order to sell their vital organs on the world market. Subscribe now! If you find our site useful please: Click here to make a donation. CounterPunch books and t-shirts make great presents. Order CounterPunch By Email For Only $35 a Year!
Today's Stories January 25, 2011 Kathleen Christison January 24, 2011 Joann Wypijewski Steve Breyman M. G. Piety Mike Whitney Clancy Sigal José Pertierra Linh Dinh Dean Baker Martha Rosenberg Dave Lindorff Bouthaina Shaaban Website of the Day January 21 - 23, 2011 Alexander Cockburn Steve Hendricks Jeffrey St. Clair Laura Carlsen Peter Lee Melissa Checker Saul Landau / Patrick Cockburn Conn Hallinan Will Parrish José Pertierra Rannie Amiri Ron Jacobs Michael Leonardi Mark Vorpahl Heather Gray Ramzy Baroud Nicola Nasser Manuel Garcia, Jr. Christopher Brauchli Michael Winship David Macaray David Zlutnick Joe Allen Fidel Castro Rupal Oza Stephen Fleischman David Ker Thomson Christopher Carrico Missy Beattie Farzana Versey Charles R. Larson Larry Portis Doug Loranger David Yearsley Poets' Basement January 20, 2011 Cecilia Zarate-Laun Vicente Navarro José Pertierra Patrick Cockburn Russell Mokhiber Denis O'Hearn Ira Chernus Mark Weisbrot Dave Lindorff Sam Smith Website of the Day January 19, 2011 Kathleen Christison Esam Al-Amin José Pertierra Dean Baker John Walsh Laura Flanders Joe Mowrey Stewart J. Lawrence Mickey Z. Carl Finamore Website of the Day January 18, 2011 Michael Hudson Mark Rudd Sasan Fayazmanesh Gareth Porter Jonathan Cook Ralph Nader Russell Mokhiber Mike Whitney Steve Breyman Clancy Sigal Website of the Day January 17, 2011 Frank Bardacke Andrew Cockburn Jason Hribal Bill Quigley Max Ajl William Loren Katz Andrew Levine Monica Lewinsky, Where Are You Now That We Need You ... Again? Max Kantar Yvonne Ridley B. R. Gowani Alan Farago Website of the Day January 14 -16, 2011 Alexander Cockburn Petra Bartosiewicz Jeffrey St. Clair Walden Bello Yvonne Ridley Thomas H. Naylor Rannie Amiri Jennifer Van Bergen Jonathan Feldman Alison Weir Conn Hallinan Saul Landau Fawzia Afzal-Khan Dead in My Tracks: Salmaan Taseer, the Mullah of Bourbon St and Freud's Uncanny Beatrice Lindstrom Stewart J. Lawrence Christopher Brauchli Sheldon Richman Richard Ward Ann Jones Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero Alan Farago Jonathan W. Martin David Macaray Daniel Gross Kieran Manjarrez Laura Flanders David Ker Thomson Linh Dinh Yves Engler M. Shahid Alam Dr. Susan Block Ramzy Baroud Billy Wharton Ron Jacobs Eric Walberg Charles R. Larson Mark Scaramella David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend January 13, 2011 Neve Gordon Franklin Lamb Linn Washington, Jr. Rob Prince Sasha Kramer Joel Olson Dean Baker Nicola Nasser Russell Mokhiber Stephen Lendman Charles R. Larson Website of the Day January 12, 2011 Franklin Spinney Paul Craig Roberts Jennifer Loewenstein Vijay Prashad Tanya Golash-Boza Diane Shammas Manuel Garcia, Jr. Ralph Nader John V. Walsh Niranjan Ramakrishnan Website of the Day January 11, 2011 Alan Nasser / William D. Hartung Mike Whitney Israel Shamir Anthony DiMaggio Bill Quigley / Sam Smith Joseph Massad Randall Amster Laura Flanders Bouthaina Shaaban Website of the Day January 10, 2011 Alexander Cockburn Bill Quigley Paul Craig Roberts Chris Floyd Andrew Levine Shared Delusions: Obama Apologists and Tea Partiers Lawrence Davidson The New Radicals in Congress: Show Trials for American Muslims? Dave Lindorff Yvonne Ridley Fidel Castro Paul Hillier Carl Finamore Website of the Day January 7 - 9, 2011 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Helen Thomas David Rosen Kevin Alexander Gray Franklin Lamb Mike Whitney Will Parrish Chase Madar Christophe Wargny Ron Jacobs Murtaza Razvi Ramzy Baroud William Astore Raymond J. Lawrence Saul Landau Col. Douglas MacGregor Firmin DeBrabander Missy Beattie David Ker Thomson Fred Gardner Devon G. Peña Christopher Brauchli Walter Brasch John Blair Paul Hillier Tom H. Hastings Gerald E. Scorse Carla Blank Charles R. Larson Kim Nicolini David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend January 6, 2011 James Bovard Mike Whitney Dean Baker Yvonne Ridley Tom Engelhardt Michael Winship Russell Mokhiber Laura Flanders Website of the Day January 5, 2011 Richard Neville Patrick Cockburn Mike Whitney Israel Shamir Steve Breyman Ralph Nader Farzana Versey Martha Rosenberg Mike Roselle Dave Lindorff Danny Lucia Website of the Day January 4, 2011 Mike Whitney Ralph Nader Gareth Porter Lawrence Wittner After START: Where Does Nuclear Disarmament Go From Here? Christophe Ventura Russell Mokhiber Ray McGovern David Macaray Sheldon Richman Michael Simmons Website of the Day January 3, 2011 Eric Toussaint Patrick Cockburn Ann Robertson / William Blum Jean Casella / Harry Targ Linn Washington, Jr. Fred Gardner Lawrence Davidson Bouthaina Shaaban Website of the Day December 31, 2010 - January 2, 2011 Alexander Cockburn Goodbye to 2010, Year of the Tiger, Hello to 2011, Year of the Rabbit Jeffrey St. Clair Behzad Yaghmaian Thomas Naylor Christopher Brauchli Robert Bryce Joanne Mariner Will Parrish / Mike Whitney Ramzy Baroud Rannie Amiri Alan Farago Linh Dinh Martha Rosenberg Drug Industry: Interests in Conflict Franklin Lamb Ron Jacobs Brian Tierney Israel Shamir Jess Guh David Ker Thomson Missy Beattie Dan Bacher David Macaray Shepherd Bliss Charles R. Larson Dan White Joshua Sperber Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend December 30, 2010 Michael Teitelman Jennifer Van Bergen Douglas Valentine Jorge Mariscal Denis G. Rancourt Paul Craig Roberts Dave Lindorff Mary Lynn Cramer Anthony Papa Website of the Day
December 29, 2010 Bill Quigley James Bovard Stewart J. Lawrence Yvonne Ridley David Swanson John V. Walsh Fidel Castro Julie Hilden Website of the Day December 28, 2010 P. Sainath Jonathan Cook Paul Craig Roberts Jennifer Van Bergen Ralph Nader David Macaray Bill Manson David Krieger Stephanie Van Hook / Michael Nagler Mitchel Cohen Website of the Day December 27, 2010 Bill Hatch Uri Avnery Lawrence Davidson Allen Mendenhall Fred Gardner Mark Weisbrot Sherwood Ross David Michael Green Eric Patton Mark Scaramella Website of the Day December 24-26, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Chellis Glendinning Eugene Coyle Will Parrish Joanne Mariner William Loren Katz Brian M. Downing Michael Leonardi Ramzy Baroud Saul Landau Linn Washington Jr. Christopher Brauchli Rannie Amiri Ronnie Cummins Missy Beattie Linh Dinh Rev. William E. Alberts Harvey Wasserman Chris Genovali / David Ker Thomson Robert Roth Ron Jacobs Myles Hoenig Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend December 23, 2010 Bill Quigley / Peter Lee Gareth Porter Dean Baker Hayden Janssen Yves Engler Laura Flanders David Macaray Farzana Versey Website of the Day December 22, 2010 Joe Mangano Uri Avnery Jennifer Van Bergen Lawrence Wittner John V. Whitbeck Stewart J. Lawrence Linh Dinh Rebecca Solnit Franklin Lamb Sherwood Ross Website of the Day
December 21, 2010 Ralph Nader Larry Portis Sasan Fayazmanesh Sam Smith Sheldon Richman Alice Slater Julie Hilden Willie L. Pelote, Sr. Binoy Kampmark Laura Flanders Website of the Day
December 20, 2010 Pam Martens Patrick Cockburn Bill Quigley Bruce Jackson Max Blumenthal Mike Whitney Carl Finamore Greg Moses Fidel Castro Paul Craig Roberts John Severino Sama Adnan Website of the Day December 17 - 19, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Ismael Hossein-Zadeh Franklin Spinney Gareth Porter Clarence Lusane Eric Stoner John Carroll, MD Nick Dearden / Robert Alvarez Saul Landau Rannie Amiri Ramzy Baroud Chuck Collins Ron Jacobs Charlotte Dennett John Blair David Ker Thomson Sherry Wolf David Macaray Jennifer Van Bergen Martha Rosenberg Sam Smith Missy Beattie Harvey Wasserman Laura Flanders Randall Amster Ron Ridenour Dr. Suzy Block Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Day December 16, 2010 Alan Farago Dean Baker Peter Lee Jospeh Nevins Norman Girvan Michael Winship Robert Jensen Binoy Kampmark Website of the Day December 15, 2010 Diana Johnstone James Bovard Conn Hallinan Vijay Prashad Robert Weissman Stephan Salisbury Fred Gardner Joshua Frank Anthony Papa Steven Higgs Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers / Afghans for Peace Website of the Day
December 14, 2010 Norm Kent Mike Whitney Maximilian Forte Franklin C. Spinney Ralph Nader David Macaray Ali Khan / Lawrence Davidson Stewart J. Lawrence Cecil Brown
December 13, 2010 Patrick Cockburn Tariq Ali Jonathan Cook Israel's War on Children Uri Avnery Russell Mokhiber Patrick Bond David Smith-Ferri The December Review: Rubbish on Afghanistan Bob Sirois Danny Muller Randall Amster Website of the Day
December 10 - 12, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Peter Linebaugh Mike Whitney Thomas Volscho Joe Bageant John Barth, Jr. Jeffrey Sommers Jonathan Cook Robert Alvarez Rannie Amiri Franklin Lamb Dean Baker Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers Aurel / Pierre Daum Ramzy Baroud Michael Winship David Ker Thomson Ron Jacobs Christopher Brauchli Missy Beattie Dennis Loo Harvey Wasserman Ingmar Lee Thomas H. Naylor Farzana Versey Ronnie Cummins Sherwood Ross Don Monkerud Stephen Martin Charles R. Larson David Yearsley CP Newswire Poets' Basement Randall and Hahn Website of the Weekend December 9, 2010 Pam Martens Wajahat Ali Sasha Kramer Fatima Bhutto Jimmy Johnson Laura Carlsen Binoy Kampmark Anthony Papa Website of the Day December 8, 2010 Michael Hudson Patrick Cockburn Eric Walberg Mike Roselle Greg Moses Diane Christian Fidel Castro Linn Washington James McEnteer Website of the Day December 7, 2010 Chris Floyd Gareth Porter / Dean Baker Gregory Elich Ralph Nader M. Shahid Alam Dave Lindorff Information Terrorists? David Macaray Linda Ueki Absher Manuel Garcia, Jr. Website of the Day December 6, 2010 Michael Hudson Paul Craig Roberts The US Government's Frontal Assault on Freedom Mike Whitney Sasan Fayazmanesh Steve Breyman Davey D Neve Gordon Greg Moses Mark Weisbrot Ben Terrall Website of the Day December 3 -5, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Darwin Bond-Graham Andy Kroll William Blum Rannie Amiri Ray McGovern Saul Landau / Ramzy Baroud P. Sainath John Carroll, M.D. David Rosen Steven Colatrella Thomas I. Palley Francis Shor Russell Mokhiber Bank Power Mark Weisbrot John V. Whitbeck Sherry Wolf Ronnie Cummins Michael Winship Ron Jacobs Nilofar Suhrawardy Missy Beattie Bill Manson Linh Dinh Bruce E. Levine John Grant David Macaray Yves Engler / Charles R. Larson Scott Borchert Harry Clark David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend December 2, 2010 Michael W. Hudson Paul Craig Roberts Franklin C. Spinney Benjamin Dangl Uri Avnery Mike Whitney Russell Mokhiber David Macaray Ed Moloney Brian McKenna Website of the Day
December 1, 2010 Gareth Porter Wikileaks Exposes Complicity of the Press Paul Craig Roberts Russ Wellen Nikolas Kozloff Conn Hallinan Sheldon Richman Rich Broderick David Solnit Farzana Versey Charles M. Young Charles R. Larson Website of the Day November 30, 2010 Ralph Nader Paul Craig Roberts Bill Quigley Jonathan Cook Dean Baker James McEnteer Tom Engelhardt Sherwood Ross Gina Ulysse Bill Manson Website of the Day
November 29, 2010 Paul Craig Roberts Israel Shamir Mike Whitney Lawrence Davidson Winslow Wheeler / John Carroll, MD P. Sainath Carl Finamore David Macaray Dave Lindorff Website of the Day
November 26 - 28, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Winslow T. Wheeler Ramzy Baroud Harry Browne Bill Quigley / Saul Landau Brian Cloughley Fidel Castro Francis Shor Steve Heilig Terrence Paupp Brenda Norrell Missy Beattie Linh Dinh Christopher Brauchli Eric Walberg Ellen Taylor Ron Jacobs Bill Manson Harvey Wasserman Walter Brasch Michael Dickinson Ingmar Lee Gwyneth Leech David Ker Thomson Charles R. Larson Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend November 25, 2010 Michael Hudson Mike Whitney Gareth Porter Sarah Anderson Karl Grossman David Ker Thomson Rajesh Makwana / Adam Parsons Charles R. Larson Website of the Day
November 24, 2010 Jeffrey St. Clair Paul Craig Roberts James Ridgeway Invasion of the Body Scanners: Is TSA Spreading Cancer? Michael Scott Nick Dearden Russell Mokhiber Daniel Moss Farzana Versey Yasin Gaber Dan Beaton Website of the Day November 23, 2010 Pam Martens Patrick Cockburn Ben Rosenfeld / Franklin C. Spinney Dean Baker Ralph Nader Ray McGovern George Wuerthner Don Monkerud Clare Bayard Website of the Day
November 22, 2010 Michael Hudson James Abourezk Paul Craig Roberts Sasan Fayazmanesh Richard Forno Gary Leupp Martha Rosenberg Lawrence Davidson Patrick Bond Michael Dickinson Website of the Day November 19 - 21, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Mike Whitney Joanne Mariner Gareth Porter Karen Greenberg Thomas Christie, Pierre Sprey, Franklin Spinney et al. Rannie Amiri Dr. Jim Morgan Haiti's New Normal: Dispatch from Cite Soleil Lawrence Swaim Ramzy Baroud Ron Jacobs Robert Alvarez Russell Mokhiber P. Sainath David Macaray Carl Finamore Brian Tierney Franklin Lamb Gerald E. Scorse Joshua Brollier Missy Beattie Stewart J. Lawrence Brenda Norrell Christopher Brauchli Carol Polsgrove David Ker Thomson Dave Lindorff Jeff Deasy Bill Manson Clifton Ross Charles R. Larson Twain: the Last Word, One Hundred Years Later Richard Estes David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend November 18, 2010 Diana Johnstone Mike Whitney Behzad Yaghmaian Kenneth E. Hartman Norman Solomon Michael Winship Patrick Bond Joel S. Hirschhorn Website of the Day November 17, 2010 Vicente Navarro James Bovard Jonathan Cook Dean Baker Ralph Nader Nick Turse Sherry Wolf Alienation 101: the Online Learning Rip Off Judith Scherr Peter Certo Website of the Day
November 16, 2010 Pam Martens Richard Forno Gareth Porter Harry Browne Peter Lee Alan Farago Franklin Lamb Frank Green Sheldon Richman Thomas H. Naylor Website of the Day November 15, 2010 Michael Hudson Steve Hendricks Paul Craig Roberts Harvey Wasserman Lawrence Davidson Clancy Sigal David Macaray Tom Engelhardt Steven Fake Website of the Day November 12 - 14, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Patrick Cockburn Mike Whitney Ismael Hossein-Zadeh Dean Baker Gareth Porter William E. Alberts Bill Hatch Jonathan Cook Patrick Madden Mystifying the Crisis: Deadlock at the G20 Ramzy Baroud Rannie Amiri James Zogby Ron Jacobs Mark Weisbrot Tanya Golash-Boza Paul Wright Steve Early Martha Rosenberg Celia McAteer Larry Portis Michael Winship Brian McKenna Gerald E. Scorse Christopher Brauchli Roberto Rodriguez Dr. Susan Block J. T. Cassidy Linh Dinh Farzana Versey David Ker Thomson Phil Rockstroh Charles R. Larson David Swanson Saul Landau Kim Nicolini David Yearsley Poets' Basement Website of the Day
November 11, 2010 Peter Linebaugh Paul Craig Roberts Licensed to Kill Bill Quigley David Macaray Dissing the Boss: the NLRB Files a Landmark Complaint on Free Expression in the Workplace Liaquat Ali Khan / Jasmine Abou-Kassem Dedrick Muhammad Robert Bryce Alan Farago Website of the Day November 10, 2010 Allan Nairn Dean Baker Nicola Nasser Missy Beattie Sergio Ferrari Patrick Cockburn Dave Lindorff Mumia: New Lawyer, New Round Sherwood Ross Joshua Frank Website of the Day November 9, 2010 Uri Avnery Mike Whitney Jordan Flaherty Afshin Rattansi Annie Gell Dean Baker Dave Lindorff Stewart J. Lawrence Walter Brasch Website of the Day November 8, 2010 Paul Craig Roberts Thomas Healy David Swanson David Smith-Ferri Ralph Nader Ray McGovern Torture Sans Regrets: Bush's Confessions John Feffer Christopher Ketcham Website of the Day November 5 - 7, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Vijay Prashad Patrick Cockburn Darwin Bond-Graham
Mike Whitney Linn Washington, Jr. Rannie Amiri Ramzy Baroud Larry Portis Gary Leupp William Loren Katz Brian Cloughley Mark Weisbrot Rubén M. Lo Vuolo, Daniel Raventós / Pablo Yanes Joseph Nevins Neve Gordon Alan Farago Stewart J. Lawrence James R. King Ron Jacobs Franklin Lamb James McEnteer Richard Phelps Saul Landau David Ker Thomson The Long Argument Evelyn Pringle Joseph G. Ramsey Until Pigs Fly: the Morning After With Michael Moore Stanley Heller Missy Beattie Harvey Wasserman Billy Wharton Shamus Cooke Linh Dinh Windy Cooler Charles R. Larson Phyllis Pollack David Yearsley Website of the Weekend November 4, 2010 Doug Peacock Andrew Cockburn Iain Boal Paul Craig Roberts Chase Madar Dave Lindorff Russell Mokhiber Laura Flanders Website of the Day November 3, 2010 Alexander Cockburn Franklin C. Spinney Chris Floyd Dissatisfied Mind: Flickers of Hope in a Deadly Political Cycle William Blum Sheldon Richman Stephen Soldz Mark Weisbrot Stewart J. Lawrence Manuel Garcia, Jr. Election Night in Oakland Norman Solomon Website of the Day November 2, 2010 Vincent Navarro Ishmael Reed Uri Avnery Mark Driscoll Mike Whitney Linh Dinh David Macaray Randall Amster Wikilessons: War is a Joke, But It Isn't Funny Betsy Ross Yves Engler Website of the Day
November 1, 2010 Ted Honderich Steven Higgs John Ross Dean Baker Ralph Nader Justin E. H. Smith Marjorie Cohn Scott Boehm Brian Tierney Trish Kahle Martha Rosenberg Bathrobe Erectus: Feting Hugh Hefner Website of the Day
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January 26, 2011 Fusion PoliticsA Left / Tea Party Alliance?By STEWART J. LAWRENCE Ever since the Tea Party first emerged on the national scene as a "citizens protest" against health care reform, skeptics on the left have treated it as a stalking horse for the right. And why not? Surveys show that an overwhelmingly majority of Tea Party members are white, conservative, relatively affluent, and typically vote Republican. But apparently, when they attack "Big Government," some Tea Partiers have a lot more than in mind than simply repealing ObamaCare. In fact, in recent weeks, there are signs of an emerging alliance between the Left and the Tea Party on at least one important federal spending issue that concerns both movements: the bloated US defense budget. That’s right, stalwart progressive groups like the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) and the Ralph Nader-founded Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) are now working in a de facto coalition with some 23 conservative groups, including Grover Norquist’s the Americans for Tax Reform, and the national Tea Party group FreedomWorks, to push for deep cuts in US defense spending. The coalition has come together around the findings of President Obama’s Deficit Reduction Commission, which included a call for $100 billion in defense cuts. And at least one prominent congressman, eight-term Texas Republican Kevin Brady, who marched on Washington, DC with the Tea Party last fall to win their support for his re-election, has already moved to incorporate the Commission's recommendations into federal legislation. Brady's also proposing a 15% slash in defense procurement for the coming year, an unprecedented stance for such a long-time defense hawk. Brady's also the ranking Republican on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for writing all tax legislation and bills affecting Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlement programs. In other words, he's no conservative maverick. And Brady's not alone. He's joined by Tea Party conservative, Rep. John Campbell of California, who recently lambasted Pentagon chief Robert Gates' attempt to head off the burgeoning anti-defense movement by proposing smaller Pentagon spending increases. During an appearance two weeks ago on the Fox Business Network program, "Bulls and Bears," Campbell said that "huge cuts," not a proposed slow down, were needed, adding that Congress should also consider a speedier US withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, and a ban on earmarks that had turned defense spending into a "jobs" program. "There should be no sacred cows," he declared. Brady and Campbell's statements have put the GOP Senate and House leadership on the defensive, just as the earlier Tea Party push on congressional earmarks did. In interviews, House speaker Eric Cantor (R-VA) has conceded that serious defense spending cuts should be "discussed." But he's refused to say how deep those cuts might go, and whether the party's emerging deficit-reduction plan would include them. And like Mitch McConnell, the new GOP Senate Majoirity leader, he's reaffirmed the GOP's commitment to a "robust" defense policy. Arguably, the new Tea party push on defense spending merely echoes long-standing progressive attacks on the Pentagon budget as the nation's number one "entitlement" program. For example, a joint NTU/PIRG report released last October called for $600 billion cuts in defense spending - or six times the level proposed by the Obama Commission. The proposed cuts would be based largely on the scaling back or cancellation of outdated or unnecessarily costly weapons systems, like the V-22 Osprey aircraft, and the "right-sizing" of the American nuclear arsenal, as well as elimination of Homeland Security projects that past US government studies have identified as "wasteful." But the NTU/PIRG report, entitled "Toward Common Ground," also proposes some surprising domestic spending cuts, apparently designed to build bridges with the Tea Party. For example, in addition to slashing defense, the report calls for a major reduction in HUD housing subsidies, the return of unspent monies from the 2009 TARP bank bail-outs, and a lowering of Medicare reimbursement rates to hospitals in high-cost regions. In other words, there may be more to this alliance, politically, than first meets the eye. Defense, in fact, may not be the only issue on which the left and the Tea Party can find common ground. Another is immigration, especially the impact of expanded interior enforcement programs on information security and citizen "privacy," a long-standing concern of civil libertarians that the Tea Party's rise is destined to amplify further. While not widely reported in the media, some local Tea Party groups who otherwise support cracking down on illegal immigration have quietly raised doubts about whether laws like Arizona's notorious SB 1070 may go too far in targeting law-abiding citizens. As currently written, the Arizona law, and other state laws modeled on it, could allow local police to arrest and jail anyone, including US citizens who lack personal identification, pending a police background check. Last July, federal district court judge Susan Bolton blocked key portions of the Arizona law that would appear to allow such a broad dragnet, including the possibility that those without identification could be jailed and charged with a state crime. Long-time opponents of illegal immigration dismiss such concerns, but Tea Partiers suspicious of government "over-reach" don't. They're especially worried about the prospects for random and prolonged detentions of US citiizens, and the possibility those detained would have their names entered into federal databases and treated as possible "suspects" in the future. But Arizona's actually the least of Tea Party concerns. They're far more alarmed about what some Senate Democrats and Republicans are proposing legislatively to prevent illegal immigrants who slip through the border from getting jobs. One is the proposal by Senator Chuck Schunmer (D-NY) for a tamper-proof Social Security card that all 250 million US residents would be required to purchase and use to verify their eligibility to work. Ever since Schumer, joined by Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), first announced the sweeping card plan in early 2010, Tea Party groups, joined by traditional libertarians, have assailed the idea as a massive "invasion" of citizen privacy. With characteristic hyperbole, some Tea Partiers have even compared it to Nazi and South African "pass" laws, warning of an impending takeover by "Big Brother." If the issue hasn't broken out into the open yet, that's largely because the immigration enforcement debate has remained stuck on Arizona and the other big enforcement bugaboo - "border control". But that's likely to change when the new Republican-controlled House begins addressing immigration later this year. House Judiciary committee chairman Lamar Smith of Kentucky has said he wants to shift the focus of debate to strategies for "protecting American jobs." Which means the very workplace verification systems that Tea Party groups -- and many immigration advocates -- find so objectionable will soon move to center stage. Ironically, perhaps, Smith, like most Republicans, doesn't back the Democrats' draconian national ID plan. He'd rather see expanded use of a workplace verification scheme like "E-Verify," which is already mandatory for the federal government and its contractors. About a dozen states, including Arizona, have also required firms in their jurisdictions to register to use E-Verify, but there are no penalities for non-compliance, even though businesses could have their licenses permanently evoked if they're caught employing illegal workers. A national law on E-Verify would require all US employers to check a prospective employee's name against a national database containing the names of immigrants with legal status. But several studies, including one by the US Government Accounting Office, the watchdog agency of the US Congress, have indicated that the E-Verify database, despite years of de-bugging, is still deeply flawed. It can correctly identify illegal immigrants just over half the time, and it still has a 3-5% "false positive" rate for persons with legal residency. That means with E-Verify, tens of thousands US citizens might be wrongly designated "illegal" and summarily denied employment. Whether E-Verify turns out to be as intrusive in design as the national ID card - and as susceptible to Tea Party opposition - could depend on how it's implemented. Some conservatives want E-Verify checks on everyone currently employed, while others are calling for the system to be phased in slowly, and only applied to new hires. The latter approach would leave much of the current illegal workforce immune to detection, unless they changed jobs. It would also limit the prospective damage to US citizens. But either system will force businesses into a more pro-active role as immigration cops, adding to their operating costs, and exposing them to possible lawsuits. This is why business groups opposed employer sanctions in 1986, and because of their strenuous objections - plus concerns over racial profiling in hiring - Congress never really held businesses - especially small businesses - accountable for illegal hires. But with criticism of employer sanctions now so widespread, and the public in full-scale uproar over "illegals," the bipartisan pressure to create a functioning workplace deterrent is stronger than ever. Freedomworks, the same Tea Party group collaborating with NTU/PIRG in the anti-defense spending coalition, is the organization most likely to join progressives in a push-back on workplace enforcement. It's already on record supporting a free market approach to immigration, and its worldview is staunchly libertarian. It's co-founder, Dick Armey, the former GOP Speaker of the House, is certainly no nativist. While in Congress, he supported an economy-wide guest worker program as a way of "replacing" the illegal labor from Mexico that would be lost due to expanded enforcement. He also backs an expanded visa program for skilled foreign workers from Europe and Asia favored by the high-technology sector. FreedomWorks' openness to a possible progressive alliance was apparent last fall when the group announced it would not join a grassroots Tea Party campaign against the DREAM Act, a bill that would legalize about 2 million illegal immigrant youth who migrated to the US with their parents. The group's stance raised the hackles of other national organizations like the Tea Party Patriots, who accused Armey of "selling out" to Big Business. In fact, FreedowWorks routinely attacks Big Business for its role in the bank-bail-outs and the rescue of GM. It also savages pharmaceuticial companies for pushing Obamacare. If anything, Armey is an avid promoter and defender of small business, which in the past was allowed to opt-out of workplace enforcement, and which also feels especially vulnerable to the costs of healthcare reform. It's not clear if Armey can win over over Tea Party groups to a push-back on "excessive" enforcement. And Armey may be forced to conciliate these groups, especially on "amnesty," if he doesn't want to be completely ostracized - and possibly neutralized - by them. All of this suggests that at least some national Tea Party groups are quite serious about the "anti-statist" grassroots ideology they espouse, and could make for useful, if somewhat strange, bedfellows, for the left. That's already happening on defense spending. But tactical or even strategic alliances on immigration, information security and privacy, military interventionism, and even some environmental legsialtion - Rep. Campbell, for example, suppotts a moratorium on offshore oil drilling - may well be in reach - and should be pursued. Of course, not all Tea Party groups are the same, and not all will be equally willing to work in formal coalition, or to tacitly lobby and conduct public education concurrently. But that's all the more reason to work with those groups like FreedomWorks that are. And if peeling off one group widens the Tea Party movement's internal divisions, so much the better. One caveat, though: co-optation can go both ways. On immigration, the Tea Party may help blunt some draconian enforcement schemes, but raising its visibility and influence could also undermine support for legalization. Likewise, the Left needs to be careful not to add momentum to the Tea Party's quest for much deeper cuts in domestic spending. And, of course, don't expect Tea Party support for a "public option" on health care. In the end, it's going to be a dicey game - but that's politics after all. And with the Tea Party so active, and engaged, and increasingly well-organized, nationally and at the grassroots, can the Left really afford not to play? Stewart J. Lawrence is a Washington, DC-based an immigration policy specialist. He can be reached at stewartlawrence81147@gmail.com
Exclusively in the New Print Issue of CounterPunch "Ending US-Sponsored Torture Forever" Joann Wypijewski reports on the growth of the U.S. torture archipelago and on the church-led campaign led by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) which is striking a spark amid the darkness. Also in this latest newsletter, Diana Johnstone explores the one of the sinister monuments of the Clinton years: Kosovo, whose gangster premier runs a criminal enterprise which has murdered Serbian prisoners in order to sell their vital organs on the world market. Subscribe now! If you find our site useful please: Click here to make a donation. CounterPunch books and t-shirts make great presents. Order CounterPunch By Email For Only $35 a Year!
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Is the Next Great Awakening at Hand? The First Great Awakening led after many years to the American and Jeffersonian Revolutions. The Second Great Awakening led, after many years, to the Civil War and Abolition. The Third Great Awakening led, after setbacks, to the Populist and then Progressive Movements. The Fourth Great Awakening led to the New Deal The Fifth Great Awakening led to the second Reconstruction, the Great Society, Feminism, and social upheavals. Is The Sixth Great Awakening now due? What quarter will it come from? Read Mason Gaffney’s extraordinary history and predictions. Order Past Editions of CounterPunch in "Sample Issues"
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