by Janet Blanding

Velma Stewart’s 20-year-old son has asthma, attention deficit disorder, and he’s color-blind. But the Army wants to send him to Iraq anyway. As the unpopular illegal occupation of Iraq drags on, enlistment has slacked off, and military recruiters have had to resort to unsavory tactics to fill the ranks. The military now grants “moral waivers” for past felonies which once would have precluded an individual from military service, and medical conditions that formerly disqualified potential recruits may no longer do so. Standards about some conditions have been relaxed, and in . . .

by Grace Cox

Simón Bolívar, Ernesto Che Guevara, Augusto Cesar Sandino are but three of the revolutionary heroes of Latin America who held one belief in common – that the people of Latin America are one people. Unity of Latin America, from the southwestern United States to Tierra del Fuego, is the foundation upon which can be built self-determination and freedom from European and US imperialism. Hundreds of years of foreign exploitation, military intervention, revolution and counter-revolution make the statement, “these are tumultuous times in Latin America” a tautology.

by Tim Wise

For most white folks, indignation just doesn't wear well. Once affected or conjured up, it reminds one of a pudgy man, wearing a tie that may well have fit him when he was fifty pounds lighter, but which now cuts off somewhere above his navel and makes him look like an idiot.

Indignation doesn't work for most whites, because having remained sanguine about, silent during, indeed often supportive of so much injustice over the years in this country—the theft of native land and genocide of indigenous persons, and the enslavement of Africans being only two of the best examples—we are just . . .

by Americans United for Separation of Church and State

A Washington State Board of Pharmacy regulation that requires pharmacies to dispense all medications in a timely manner does not trample on religious freedom rights and should be upheld, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has told a federal appeals court.

Attorneys with Americans United filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a case pending before the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. In the brief, AU asks the appellate panel to send the decision back to the district court for consideration.

Are you looking for full-time entry-level social service work?

The Community Youth Services' AmeriCorps programs are hiring over seventy members to serve in Thurston County Non-Profits and Elementary schools in six Western Washington counties. Positions start in August or September and last for 10 ½ months to a year. Program benefits include a monthly living stipend, basic health care, student loan forbearance, frequent trainings and a $4,725 Education award upon completion of service. For more information or to apply call Allen Stanton at 943-0780 x161 or e-mail . . .