Hillary’s haughty hyperbole!
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets people as she signs copies of her book "Hard Choices" at a Costco store in Arlington, Virginia June 14. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Last Sunday’s New York Times Book Review section featured a one page interview with Hillary Clinton, author of the just released Hard Choices,...Dealing with the onslaught of radical Islam in Iraq
It is not easy to find an immediate solution to the onslaught of radical Islam. A regional approach must be found; Washington can help, but not much. As long as Saudi Arabia and Iran are working as adversaries it will be hard to resolve the crises in the extremely vulnerable Arab states.The relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will...“Those people” and subtle racism
Living in Dearborn, the capital of Arab America, one hardly experiences racism on a daily basis. But after eight years in the city, it finally happened. I heard a racist statement directed against me.At 6:30 a.m. last Thursday, I drove my car to a nearby abandoned gas station and parked it there. I don't have access to a driveway, so on...Saving ADC Michigan from Collapse in 2013?
I read with dismay in The Arab American News' issue number 1476 a question your reporter Ali Harb posed in an interview with ADC Michigan Director Fatina Abdrabboh, to which she answered with even more disturbing and misleading content. "How did you deal with ADC-Michigan staff who are close to your predecessor?" Harb asked...Stop the mass school killings
I sold Grit newspapers when I was 9- years-old. It was always a great day when I had sold my last Grit for the week. The profit was five cents per paper. Some weeks I made as much as two dollars! I lived in a very rural area, so bicycling up and down the road and knocking on doors took time and was a workout. However, it was...The pope’s visit to the two walls
The trip by Pope Francis to the Holy Land, billed in advance as solely religious, made some eye-catching intrusions into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Comments minimizing the significance of this aspect of the trip were quick to follow.Palestinian legislation Hanan Ashrawi seemed to go out of her way to pooh-pooh the coming prayer...Naturalization – Do it for your family
It’s hard to imagine that we as individuals can do anything about the broken immigration system that is tearing many of our families apart. But we can.There is one step that, if taken together, could have the power to protect our families and move our communities forward. More than eight million immigrants in the United...Law corner: GM censored its employees to hide deadly ignition switch defect
Last week, the Department of Transportation (DOT) fined General Motors (GM) a record $35 million for GM’s handling of an ignition switch defect affecting more than 2.5 million of its vehicles. This amount is the largest-ever fine against an automaker imposed by the DOT. It is also the maximum fine allowed by law....A nation disintegrates: Libya on the brink of civil war
A view of damage caused by Sunday's clashes in Tripoli. Heavily armed gunmen stormed Libya's parliament, demanding its suspension and claiming loyalty to a renegade army general who has vowed to purge the country of Islamist militants. Smoke rose over parliament after gunmen attacked and then withdrew, and gunfire erupted across...Climate change and corporate welfare
It’s been a pretty bad couple of weeks on the climate front. Two separate teams of climate scientists warn that the collapse of the western Antarctic ice sheet has already begun and is now too late to stop. The six glaciers already in retreat are enough, by themselves, to add four feet to global sea levels. Although total collapse...Michigan’s economy showing signs of improvement
Michigan’s economy is beginning to show signs of strength. Although our unemployment rate is still one of the highest in the nation, it is inching downward. These are good signs, but we must be aware of potential shortfalls if we want our state to keep moving forward.One roadblock to Michigan’s recovery is our single-industry,...Navigating Syria: The Impossible, Indispensable Mission
I unfriended another Facebook friend this week. It may seem to be a trivial matter, but for me, it is not. The reason behind my action was Syria. As in Egypt, Syria has instigated many social media breakups with people whom, until then, were regarded with a degree of respect and admiration.But this is not a social media affair. The...Happy Mother’s Day to the lowest-paid workers in America
This Sunday, as we offer praise and gratitude to our mothers, I want to suggest that we acknowledge the millions of mothers earning minimum wage who struggle every day just to provide basic necessities for their families. For these mothers, I would bet that brunch and flowers are low on the list of priorities this Sunday.In her recent...Triumph of the immigrant American spirit: Meb Keflezighi and the Boston Marathon
Meb Keflezighi.Boston responded on Monday, April 21, with its vigorous spirit of community and transcendence to the cowardly terrorism that marred the Boston Marathon in 2013, coming out in record numbers for the 2014 event. The fastest man in the competition is being touted as the first American male to win since 1983. But of course...Are Chaldeans Arabs too? I hope so!
Amer Zahr.Before I moved to Ann Arbor in 1995, I had never met a Chaldean. Ok, in truth, I had never heard of a Chaldean. But as a freshman at the University of Michigan, and in no small part due to my curiosity and blind (and sometimes misguided) love for my fellow Arabs, I came to meet many Chaldeans, and some have......
Easter and America’s hope
They are holding on to the instilled American dream they saw in grandpa or even mom and dad. It's about the attainable dream of living securely with a job, a house, a car and trips to the grocery store. Don't forget a trip to the doctor when necessary. Many Americans can remember people in their family retiring at 55 - 65 years old....The Fort Hood shooting should be analyzed within the larger context of U.S. militarism
On April 2, U.S. Army Specialist and Iraq war veteran Ivan Lopez opened fire at Fort Hood military base in Texas, killing four people - including himself - and injuring 16.According to Fort Hood commander General Mark A Milley, Lopez had "behavioral and mental health issues". He was under evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder......
Disney, bringing back those oppressive Arabs!
Amer Zahr.This week, ABC Family picked up a pilot episode of “Alice in Arabia.” ABC Family belongs to the family of networks under the umbrella of the Walt Disney Company. The networks encapsulates the show for us:Alice in Arabia is a high-stakes drama about a rebellious teenage girl who, after tragedy befalls her...Obama should act unilaterally to reduce deportations
Obama has been on the defensive on the issue of deportations lately, being called the "Deporter-in-Chief" by Janet Murguía. The criticism from the immigrant rights community has been quiet for a long time as they tried to press Congress, which seems completely unable to address the issue in the House. Now, pressure on the president is...
Arab Americans! Join the rainbow!
March 7th, 20140 Zahr.We Arab Americans are in the midst of a civil rights movement. Profiling and discrimination are rampant. We are victims of debasement in the media on a daily basis. While we can find similarities between our struggle and the struggles of other minority groups, our situation is a bit more distinctive.While the...State of Fordson High School
On behalf of all educators at Fordson High School, thank you for allowing us to educate your children and for your support through the good times and difficult times. The state of Fordson High School is good and only getting better! Fordson has always stood by the ideal that all students in the Dearborn Public schools are our......
A selective view of ‘democracy’
A familiar conventional wisdom about how the last two U.S. administrations have approached democratization abroad has come up repeatedly in connection with crises in several foreign countries. George W. Bush is seen as the president who tried to promote democracy actively and proactively, even using military force in the effort, while...Big media again pumps for Mideast wars
Journalistically, there’s a problem with this passage from Monday’s New York Times: “Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon of Israel … castigated Iran as being dedicated to a nuclear weapon and acting to deceive, and he repeated Israel’s warning that it would not allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon.” Can you tell what the flaw is?If......
U.S. talks of “dismantlement” threaten Iran Deal
Iran’s pushback against statements by Secretary of State John Kerry and the White House that Tehran must “dismantle” some of its nuclear program, and the resulting political uproar over it, indicates that tough U.S. rhetoric may be adding new obstacles to the search for a comprehensive nuclear agreement.Iranian Foreign Minister...In praise of self-delusions: The State of the Union, Obama-style
There is no question that President Barrack Obama is a gifted orator. He rose to fame as the junior senator from Illinois, and was propelled to the White House, at least partly because of his skills as a speaker. In his five years as president, he has often used that skill when addressing the public.Yet his pretty words delivered in a......