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News Archive

Early Archives -- 2000

12/16 Pressure mounts for electoral reform -- Washington is filled with talk about the deep divisions brought about by the election, but if there is an issue that Republicans, Democrats, and most Americans for that matter agree upon, it is that something must be done to improve the electoral system. (BBC)

12/4 Making Every Vote Count -- For years many of us have called for a national conversation about what it means to be a multiracial democracy. We have enumerated the glaring flaws inherent in our winner-take-all form of voting, which has produced a steady decline in voter participation, underrepresentation of racial minorities in office, lack of meaningful competition and choice in most elections, and the general failure of politics to mobilize, inform and inspire half the eligible electorate.

11/9 The Case Against the Electoral College -- The nation holds its breath as it awaits the results of the ballot recount in Florida. It's as simple as this: the winner of Florida's popular vote wins the presidency. (Hartford Courant)

11/8 Florida Ex-Offenders Barred from Vote -- The permanent disenfranchisement of over 400,000 ex-offenders in Florida is likely to have determined the outcome of the presidential election, two non-partisan research and advocacy groups said today. (Human Rights Watch)

11/7 Electoral College System Understood By Few -- If you think you are going to cast a vote for one of the presidential candidates, think again -- and look again at the small print on the ballot of that state. (CNN)

11/3 The Electoral College -- How Winner of the Popular Vote Could Lose After All -- The votes cast on November 7 will not really be for Vice President Al Gore or Gov. George W. Bush. They will be votes for state electors pledged to vote for Mr. Gore or Mr. Bush in the balloting that really counts, held on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December. (New York Times)

11/3 Felony Costs Voting Rights for a Lifetime in 9 States -- Nationally, about 4.2 million Americans -- some still behind bars, others freed long ago -- cannot vote because of felony disenfranchisement laws, according to another study completed last month by two professors of criminology, Christopher Uggen of the University of Minnesota and Jeff Manza of Northwestern University. (New York Times)

10/20 Study Finds That Many Large Companies Pay No Taxes -- Goodyear, Texaco, Colgate-Palmolive, MCI WorldCom and eight other large corporations earned more than $12.2 billion in profits in 1996 through 1998, but none of them ended up owing corporate income taxes over that period, according to a study released yesterday. (New York Times)

9/27 Withering Democracy -- For all but the ideologically committed or deluded few who believe corporations and their executives make contributions out of a sense of civic obligation, there can be little doubt that the U.S. campaign finance system is fundamentally corrupt, and corrupting.

9/12 Mainstream Corporate Media Dismisses Democracy -- Since the Fall of 1999 there have been four major political demonstrations in the United States. The cities of Seattle, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles each hosted either a major political party convention or global economic institution meetings where thousands of activists protested, engaged in non-violent civil disobedience, and in rare, often provoked cases, caused superficial damaged to public and private property. (Project Censored)

8/18 2,000 Rally in Streets Against Sweatshops -- About 2,000 protesters took part in the march, and for the first time, their ranks were filled with an almost equal number of Latinos--plus clergy, older Americans and even some children.

8/11 Activists Give Tours of L.A.'s Gritty Side -- In preparation for next week's Democratic National Convention--and the large protests planned in response to it--organizers with the human rights group Global Exchange are taking three days to show visitors and city residents "the politics behind the protests." (LA Times)

8/11 Bail Slashed for an Alleged Protest Leader -- A Philadelphia judge cut bail from $1 million to $100,000 yesterday for Kathleen G. Sorenson, described by prosecutors as a leader of last week's Republican National Convention protests but by her attorney as a peacemaker who had been trying to prevent disruptions in the streets.

8/10 Immigration Rights Leaders to Press Case for Amnesty -- Building on a burgeoning grass-roots movement that already has made inroads in Congress, labor and immigrant rights leaders will aggressively push their case for a new general amnesty at next week's Democratic convention. (LA Times)

8/9 National Guard Prepared To Deploy 3,000 Troops In L.A. -- The California National Guard is prepared to deploy as many as 3,000 soldiers to help quell any civil disorder during the Democratic National Convention.

8/9 Moving The Movement: The Anti-Globalization Coalition Needs To Be More Than A Road Show -- Eight months after the Battle of Seattle, the outlines of the anti-globalization coalition are coming into focus.

8/9 Crashing The Party -- When an angry army of protesters descends on the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles Aug. 14, members of Colombia's indigenous U'wa tribe will be leading the way. It's a perfect expression of how globalization -- so aggressively fast-tracked by Democratic nominee Al Gore--is inspiring far-flung movements to get connected.

8/9 Police Rally Troops To Intimidate L.A. Protesters -- The tone for relations between cops and protesters at the convention in Los Angeles was set in a Philadelphia courtroom last week, when John Sellers, director of the Berkeley-based Ruckus Society, had his bail set at $1 million.

8/8 Santa Monica Beach Party: A Celebration of Democracy! August 13, 2000 -- The Democrats have rented out Santa Monica's Pier 5 for a corporate funded schmoozefest. On the beach nearby, activists, artists and working people will throw a party of our own.

8/4 Key Activists Were Earmarked By Police -- Even as the world's media shone a bright light on Philadelphia police clearing masses of protesters from blockaded streets this week, police were carrying out a much less public--and much more selective--operation to collar demonstration leaders.

8/3 Nader Crashes, and Bashes, G.O.P.'s Party -- It took the presence of Ralph Nader--consumer advocate, professional gadfly and himself a candidate for president of the United States--but something finally happened here tonight that, one assumes, was not in the Republican Party script.

7/28 Bush's Pioneer Fundraising Network Detailed in New Report -- A new study analyzing the 212 Pioneer fundraisers that have delivered at least 24% of Bush's $90 million war chest concludes that their ranks are dominated by corporate executives and special interest lobbyists. The Pioneers group includes a host of polluters, corporate welfare recipients and trade group leaders who seek special favors for their particular industries.

7/26 At Dress Rehearsal, Activists Vow Nonviolent Protests -- Pershing Square became the stage Tuesday for a public dress rehearsal of the mass protests expected during the Democratic National Convention, and Margaret Prescod was stage manager.

7/25 Pepper Spray Guns Eyed for DNC Cops -- Police dealing with protesters at the Democratic National Convention may be armed with paintball guns that shoot balls filled with pepper spray.

7/25 Pre-Convention Coverage Whitewashes Police Violence, Distorts Activists' Agendas -- Early coverage of the upcoming protests at the Republican and Democratic national conventions has followed a familiar pattern: Mainstream media are stoking fears about the potential for violence in Philadelphia and Los Angeles by rewriting the actual history of police brutality at last year's anti-WTO demonstrations in Seattle.

7/24 The Conventions: Don't Forget to Nominate Someone -- On July 31 in Philadelphia, it's going to be Republican party time. Forget the nominating speeches and platform planks at the GOP National Convention. The party of business is going to be partying with business--and Corporate America will pay the tab.

7/24 Corporations Pour Money Into the 2 Big Conventions -- For many, conventions have little to do with politics and a lot to do with business -- polishing civic and corporate images, exploiting marketing opportunities, courting influence and turning what has long been an exercise in democracy into a huge corporate festival.

7/23 US Political Conventions -- It's Money That Counts -- The biggest donors will get the plushest treatment, the politicians and their campaign committees will rake in the bucks and lobbyists will earn their most crucial commodity -- access.

7/20 Media Get Poverty Tours in Republican Host City -- With the Republican National Convention coming to town on July 31, the Kensington Welfare Rights Union is offering a "Reality Tour" to visiting reporters in hopes of drawing attention to the misery and deprivation that the best economy in U.S. history has managed to pass by.

7/19 Power to the People Roadshow / Democracy Action Tour -- This two-week tour (July 19 - August 2) from San Diego to Sacramento will educate, inspire and mobilize people to build a truly democratic movement for social justice. Organizers and artists will offer workshops, performances and activist skills trainings. Contact Alli at rblgrrrl@hotmail.com.

7/19 Jason Mark of Global Exchange talks about what the protesters hope to accomplish at this year's political conventions

7/15 Big Political Givers Get Benefits -- From AT&T to General Motors, several companies hoping to save their federal subsidies from budget cuts are helping to pay for cocktail receptions, posh dinners and other glitz at both political parties' conventions. Some of the donors have anted up as much as $1 million to each the Republican and Democratic host committees that are arranging the entertainment and transportation at the quadrennial events.

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This page last updated September 11, 2006


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