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Coal Country

By Peter Rothberg

Across the country last week thousands of Americans gathered at more than 850 house-parties organized by the Sierra Club to watch a new documentary, Coal Country.

I meant to write about the doc last week but better late than never especially as the movie's screenings have been met with intimidation and outright threats of violence in several places, with the unseen hand of big coal working with local officials to try to prevent the movie from being shown.

A stunning film that exposes the devastation of mountaintop removal coal mining to the forests, streams, and communities of Appalachia, Coal Country puts the personal stories of residents of the hardscrabble coal towns at the heart of the story -- both working miners whose livelihoods depend on the mines and longtime locals organizing against the devastation of their native preserves. Far from a one-sided polemic, the film is an intimate portrait of the complex issues facing these areas with a keen understanding of the need for jobs, and the relative prosperity that coal brings to areas that desperately need cheap energy.

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November 23, 2009

Toward Copenhagen

By Peter Rothberg

This post, which will appear in condensed form in this week's issue of The Nation, was co-written and researched by Andrea D'Cruz

As we approach the Copenhagen UN Climate Change Conference, December 7 to 18--the world's last chance to secure an emissions reductions agreement that will replace the Kyoto Protocol before it expires--activists racing against a ticking environmental bomb are channeling their energies at the UN talks and beyond. Join them.

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November 18, 2009

Palestine in Queens

By Peter Rothberg

Controversy is growing over a November 21st fundraiser at the New York Mets' new stadium Citi Field for the Brooklyn-based Israeli settlement group the Hebron Fund. Settlement supporters have called for letters praising the Mets for standing with the Hebron Fund, while justice and human rights groups issued an alert demanding cancellation of the dinner.

This video from Adalah-NY, opposing the dinner, shows why the protests are growing so feverish.

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November 13, 2009

Turn Back the Assault on Women's Rights

By Peter Rothberg

The House of Representatives voted yesterday to pass its health care reform bill (HR 3962) only after approving an amendment introduced by Rep. Bart Stupak that would prohibit any plan purchased with any federal subsidy from covering abortion services--even with private funds.

Stupak argues that women with subsidized insurance policies could buy separate abortion-only "riders" with their own money much like they might purchase a dental or vision rider. The problem here, as my colleague Emily Douglas points out, is that "such an abortion rider doesn't exist now, and the legislation does not provide for its creation."

Moreover, even if new legislation is written, the result would be the essential equivalent of a ban on abortion coverage because most women are unlikely to buy additional coverage for something they don't expect to ever need. In other words, women would have to plan in advance in the event they need an abortion despite the fact that abortion is a legal medical procedure for women concerned with unplanned pregnancies.

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November 10, 2009

The Wall Comes Down

By Peter Rothberg

The Moment the Barriers Came Down.

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November 9, 2009

Equality Across America

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Daniel Chandler.

Over the weekend of October 10/11, more than 200,000 people took part in the National Equality March in Washington, and thousands participated in strategy and activist events, in a bold attempt to kick-start a movement for full civil equality for LGBT people in all 50 states.

As the march's organizers, a coalition of activists called Equality Across America, kept reminding marchers, the weekend was just the beginning of a movement that they hope will transform the strategy for securing LGBT rights, shifting the focus to the federal level, and refusing to accept ‘fractions of equality'. They called on the crowds assembled in front of the Capitol to go home and create Congressional District Action Teams (CDATs) in all 435 districts.

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November 5, 2009

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

By Peter Rothberg

Thanks to Nation reader Sarah Emily Labance for introducing me to this brilliant and frightening video. It's the best argument I've seen yet for taking immediate action on climate change. The logic would seem undeniable even for the denialists.

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November 2, 2009

Being a Woman is Not a Pre-Existing Condition

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Fernanda Diaz.

One of the most appalling practices of the health insurance industry is to deny women coverage because of pregnancy, rape, domestic abuse or HIV medication--all of which have been discriminatorily labeled "pre-existing conditions" by some insurers. As the debate heats up over legislation about the "pre-existing condition" clause in many insurance programs, it's crucial to remind Congress that being a woman is not a pre-existing condition.

The story of Christina Turner, uncovered by The Huffington Post Investigative Fund, reflects the staggering injustice that can result from lack of regulation of the grounds on which companies can deny coverage. Turner's tale is not uncommon: she is a rape victim who was given anti-AIDS medicine after her sexual assault and was later denied coverage solely because of this preventative measure--insurers claimed that the HIV medication "raised too many health questions." The company announced it might re-consider if, in three or more years, she could prove that she was AIDS free.

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October 30, 2009

Free Mohammad Othman, Part 2

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Andrea D'Cruz.

Mohammad Othman, the Palestinian Stop the Wall and Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions activist, had his detention extended yesterday by an additional 13 days by an Israeli military court. He has so far been held in solitary containment for 37 days, with no charges or evidence brought against him.

Read this recent post for background on his story.

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October 28, 2009

Playing God with Khristian Oliver

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Andrea D'Cruz.

Ten years ago Khristian Oliver was convicted of murder: during a burglary in March of 1998, Joe Collins, whose house was being robbed, arrived home. As the two burglars attempted to flee, he shot one of them. The other burglar, the then-20 year old Oliver, shot Collins before striking him in the head with a rifle butt, according to testimony at Oliver's April 1999 trial.

After the trial, it emerged that jurors had consulted their bibles during sentencing deliberations -- something that the US Constitution specifically prohibits as "external influence." In a post-trial hearing later in 1999--the year of the sentencing--the judge was told by four jurors that several Bibles had been present in the jury room, that highlighted passages were passed between jurors, and that one read passages to other jurors. But the judge did not allow the defense to ask questions pertaining to the influence of the Bible's presence on the sentencing.

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October 27, 2009