He said, she said…
During the last few months we have heard a lot of "he said, she said" types of comments in the local papers, blog sites, and at Board of Education meetings. I thought that perhaps searching for a different type of "he said, she said" comment might help us navigate the difficult change that we face in the weeks ahead. Personally, I could...Rebuild Michigan’s economy through opportunities for our skilled trades
Within Michigan's unemployment rate, which has been among the nation's highest for years, is another disturbing statistic: one-third of our construction industry is jobless. Bouchard: "Now more than ever, we need people to deepen their investment and commitment to this great state. Under my plan, they can do so without being...
Dearborn students need us
January 16th, 20100 As the budget crisis in Dearborn schools deepens, as tempers flare and public debates intensify, we must remind ourselves how important it is to stop the bickering and the finger pointing and focus on working together as one city to find a viable solution to this crisis. After all, it is about our kids and our future. Dearborn schools...
Gaza must be rebuilt now
December 24th, 20090 It is generally recognized that the Middle East peace process is in the doldrums, almost moribund. Israeli settlement expansion within Palestine continues, and PLO leaders refuse to join in renewed peace talks without a settlement freeze, knowing that no Arab or Muslim nation will accept any comprehensive agreement while Israel retains...
Weathering the storm at schools
December 18th, 20090 During these times of economic crisis, when our state is scrambling to balance the generation of revenue against the spending required to maintain services needed for our citizens, it is not uncommon for the blame game to begin. Many rumors and accusations have been launched over the past few months. Fingers are being pointed from our...Iran sanctions are counterproductive
Following his vote against H.R. 2194 — Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009 — Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) released the following statement outlining his opposition: I strongly oppose the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009. This legislation obstructs the Obama administration's ongoing negotiations with...
The hypocrisy of al-demoqratia
December 12th, 20090 So this is how democracy works? In 2004, France banned headscarves and school principals chased after young "defiant" Muslim girls who continued to cover their heads in school. Now, following a national referendum, Switzerland has banned the construction of minarets, because minarets also somehow symbolize oppression. Thanks to the...The war is a threat to our national security
(Editor's note: Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich made the following statement on the House floor regarding President Barack Obama's speech to the nation on Afghanistan. We couldn't say it any better, so here it is:) Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich "America is in the fight of its life and that fight is not in Afghanistan —...School budget cuts must be addressed
This is the time of year, when we typically talk about the academic achievement and success taking place in our school district, the time of year when we emphasize that every day, every school is deeply engaged in the mission of this district, the education of students. However, over the last several weeks one topic has been consuming...
Robertson: Islam not a religion
November 21st, 20090 The impact of unregulated religious propaganda on world peace, public diplomacy and ethical business practices is an issue which merits serious debate. Eccentric religious leaders are free to launch hate "missiles" across international borders. Media networks are free to spew provocative interfaith theology. However, self-appointed...Dare to speak out
Here we go again. From the White House to the Pentagon to most media outlets, the order of the day is how to delicately maneuver the thin line between reporting on the latest cold-blooded mass murder committed by a Muslim, U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, and avoiding fanning racial and religious hatred toward the millions of Arab and...Ft. Hood killings act of an individual, not an entire community
Arab Americans and American Muslims fear a backlash anytime an individual of Arab or Muslim background commits a horrendous crime, like the one we saw last week in Fort Hood. A photo of a memorial service at Ft. Hood. Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Arab and a Muslim, is alleged to have murdered 13 fellow military personnel...I am a proper Zionist Jew after all
Yes, I am a survivor, for I have managed to survive all the scary accounts of the Holocaust: the one about the soap, the one about the lamp shades, the one about the camps, the mass shooting, the one about the gas and the one about the death march. I just managed to survive them all. In spite of all these fear inflicting stories, that...Truth, human dignity and the Goldstone Report
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) made the following statement on the House Floor about H. Res 867, condemning the Goldstone Report or the Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict. The resolution later passed. "Today we journey from Operation Cast Lead to Operation Cast Doubt. Almost as serious as...Read Goldstone’s report on Gaza
Editor's note: the following oped by Rep. Keith Ellison appeared in Politico.com the morning of the vote in Congress to dismiss the Goldstone report. Who is afraid of Richard Goldstone? No one should be. Not even the U.S. Congress — yet it is poised on Tuesday to condemn the United Nations Human Rights Council's Goldstone report on......
What’s in a name?
As parents, one of the first decisions we make is what to name the child that we have been entrusted with. This decision is never made lightly. Aimee Blackburn For some, a name is chosen for the old-world meaning, for others as a tribute to someone famous, and for many, names are handed down through the generations as a...A campaign for all
I would like to thank the community for supporting me throughout OUR campaign. Ali Sayed Your support, generosity, and commitment to this campaign was, without a doubt, something special and really humbled me as an individual. I emphasize the word "our" because this campaign was not about Ali Sayed running for city......
Lessons from election day
November 7th, 20090 As the dust settles from Tuesday's municipal election in Dearborn, I, like many who analyzed the detailed numbers, see good news and bad news. And from what I have heard since Tuesday, it is clear that the individual candidates and their supporters have their own views on what went well and what went bad. Tarek...Time for health insurance reform
Who among us hasn't heard the stories of small businesses struggling to balance their books forced to cut jobs because they can't afford the rising cost of insuring their employees? Perhaps you're the small business owner having to make these tough choices; or the parent deciding whether you can afford to get your children their flu...Democratic discourse needed
This weekend, J Street, a new Jewish "Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace" Washington-based public action committee, is holding its first national conference. The two of us, along with another artist, were scheduled to perform and read poems at several sessions during the conference. Specifically, we were invited to lead a workshop on how culture and...
Pilots on food stamps
October 16th, 20090 We're on the descent from 20,000 feet in the air when the flight attendant leans over the elderly woman next to me and taps me on the shoulder. Filmmaker Michael Moore "I'm listening to Lady Gaga," I say as I remove just one of the ear buds. I know not this Lady Gaga, but her performance last week on SNL was......
Turkey-Israel rift good for Palestine
RAMALLAH — Turkey's cooling relationship with Israel comes in tandem with its improving relations with the Arab and Muslim world, and this development is expected to impact positively on Palestinian politics. "The Turks appear to be implementing a major policy shift in the region as they look towards the East as a possible...Abbas’s loss is Palestinians’ gain
There is a famous Arabic expression, "la yokarrem nafsaho la yokarram," which means "he who doesn't respect himself shall not be respected." Palestinians take part in a Fatah rally in support of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah October 8, 2009. Palestinian leaders on Thursday called for a one-day general......
Answering critics of the boycott movement
Over the last three years, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel has been gaining stride. Individuals around the world have been joining this call, from organizing actions in supermarkets in France and Great Britain protesting Israeli products made in settlements, to filmmakers withdrawing movies from film...The lying game goes on
The current drum-beating for war against Iran is based on a fake "nuclear threat" with the manufacture of a sense of false crisis which is what led to our invasion of Iraq and the deaths of 1.3 million people. In 2001, the Observer in London published a series of reports that claimed an Iraqi connection to al-Qaeda, even describing the......