By Jim Hightower | – ( Otherwords.org ) – Here’s our big word of the day: extraterritoriality. It expresses a sketchy legal theory asserting that rulers in one state have a right to enforce their laws in another state. Its most prominent was in the infamous Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required officials in […]
Civilian Casualties in Gaza Are No Accident
( Otherwords.org ) – By Mitchell Zimmerman | An old legal adage states: “Men are presumed to intend the natural consequences of their acts.” The natural, indeed inescapable, consequence of Israel’s cutting off life-sustaining supplies of food and water to over 2 million people in Gaza is famine and mass death by starvation and dehydration. […]
“If I must die, you must live to tell my Story:” On Gaza, Biden is Violating International Law
By Farrah Hassen | – ( Otherwords.org ) – “If I must die, you must live to tell my story,” wrote Dr. Refaat Alareer, a 44-year-old Gazan poet and literature professor. A few weeks later, Alareer was killed while sheltering in his sister’s apartment, along with six family members. In the densely populated Gaza Strip, […]
Americans Want a Ceasefire. It’s Our Politicians Who Are Out of Touch
By Farrah Hassen ( Otherwords ) – Two years ago, filmmaker Mohannad Abu Rizk asked children in Gaza about their dreams. One young girl responded, “My dream is for us to stay alive and to live in peace. We have a right to stay alive.” She’s one of the 2.2 million Palestinians living in the […]
Don’t Silence Palestinian Voices: Their Absence from News Coverage is Unfair and Harmful
By Sarah Gertler | ( Otherwords.org ) – Like many of us, I’ve been glued to media coverage of the terrible violence in Gaza and Israel. I was deeply shaken by the brutal killings of over a thousand Israelis on October 7. The families of Israelis killed and taken hostage deserve justice for these crimes. […]
Meeting Union Demands would be a Win-Win for Automakers
By Sonali Kolhatkar ( Otherwords.org) – The United Auto Workers (UAW), a union of nearly 150,000 workers at America’s “Big Three” automakers, are on strike. On the face of it, UAW’s demands sound audacious. They’re calling for a 46 percent pay raise and a four-day workweek, among other things. But in the broader context of […]
Climate Change is our Biggest Security Threat: Our Federal Budget Should Reflect That
By Lindsay Koshgarian, Alliyah Lusuegro ( Otherwords.org ) – As the hottest summer in human history approached its end, tens of thousands of climate marchers rallied in New York to call for bold climate solutions. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington lurched toward another fight over the federal budget. More than ever, the U.S. needs to get […]
Trump Isn’t too Big to Jail — if we are a Nation of Laws
By Mitchell Zimmerman The day after Donald Trump was arraigned for his alleged effort to steal the 2020 election, he posted a naked threat: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” That followed his federal indictment. After he was indicted in Georgia, Trump openly warned a witness not to testify. “I am reading […]
We have one more Chance to end Child Poverty in America
By Kassidy Jacobs When I was born into poverty, the deck was stacked against me in all aspects of life — from educational opportunities and health care to the future earnings I could expect. Now I’ve graduated from college and I’m poised to start my first post-college job. What made the difference? Hard work, yes […]