Afternoon News Bytes: Feb. 7, 2012 | Sojourners

Afternoon News Bytes: Feb. 7, 2012

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Racial Discrimination Can't Be Solved By Fighting Poverty
In today's society, where issues of racism and poverty are interconnected, it has become more acceptable to address racial disparities indirectly by tackling economic inequities.
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THE STAR TRIBUNE: In This Election Year, Let There Be Tolerance (OPINION)
As we enter the 2012 election season, should American Muslims be bracing for another round of Islamophobia?
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THE NEW YORK TIMES: Flood The Zone (OPINION)
I wish President Obama would escape from the technocratic rationalism that sometimes infects his administration. I wish he’d go back to his community-organizer roots.
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POLITICO: The Poverty Problem: More Than Mitt Romney's PR Misstep (OPINION)
This is worth pondering as Americans of all faiths join to pray for our nation and our common humanity. Common to all religions is the principle of doing unto others as we would have done to ourselves. In a moral nation, our economic policies reflect that value.
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THE ATLANTIC: Syria And The Pernicious Consequences Of Our Libya Intervention
The intervention in Libya -- often touted by advocates as a sterling example of how to intervene responsibly in a civil conflict to prevent atrocity -- has largely fallen off the world's radar. Libya is often cited as a case supporting a possible intervention to prevent further atrocity in Syria, but the two are very different, and the comparison ignores what's happened in Libya since Qaddafi's fall.
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CNN: Were Politics Buried Inside Eastwood's 'Halftime' Commercial?
Moments after the energetic Madonna entertained fans during the halftime show at Sunday's Super Bowl, millions of television viewers got an emotional jolt back into reality.
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THE WASHINGTON POST: A Line Of Would-Be Immigrants? There Isn’t One.
In the venomous debate over illegal immigration, there is a point of agreement between President Obama and some of his would-be Republican rivals, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. They’d like to see undocumented immigrants “get to the back of the line” for citizenship. Unfortunately, that convergence of views distorts rather than illuminates the debate.
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THE ATLANTIC: Waging War In Secret Vs. American Democracy
The War in Iraq is mostly over. We're drawing down forces in Afghanistan. Barring an unexpected terrorist attack or another Libya-style troop deployment, Election 2012 will proceed in a world where the War on Terrorism is being waged by intelligence agencies making drone strikes in places like Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, and one in which we may be taking covert action inside Iran too.
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THINK PROGRESS: California Occupiers Camp Outside Former Marine’s Home To Prevent Foreclosure
About 20 California activists surrounded a local home this weekend to prevent Freddie Mac and Chase Bank from foreclosing on the property, even amid rumors that sheriff’s deputies were coming to seize it. The Riverside, California home belongs to Arturo de los Santos, a former Marine who told Riverside’s City News Service that he fell behind on his payments when business plummeted at the factory where he’s employed.
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