Feature Archives

On January 17th, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of choice at the end of life. In a 6 to 3 decision, the court stated that the Attorney General's attempt to intervene in affairs of the state's aid-in-dying law exceeded his authority. The case, which was formerly known as Oregon v. Ashcroft, was changed to Gonzales v. Oregon due to the new Attorney General. Compassion & Choices represented a group of terminally-ill Oregonians in challenging the US Attorney General's effort to nullify the Oregon law.

The issue in question was whether the Controlled Substances Act allows the Attorney General to prohibit doctors from prescribing regulated drugs for use in physician-assisted suicide, in spite of a state law that allows the procedure. Oregon voters passed the Death with Dignity Act in November 1994 and again in November 1997. The law allows for a person who is terminally ill, 6 months from death, and of sound mind to request medication from a doctor that would end their life (they have to say that they will administer the medication themselves).

Compassion & Choices stated that it "will defend any Congressional attack on the Oregon law while aggressively pursuing similar legislation throughout the nation." The organization is pursuing a Compassion For a Nation campaign, an effort to ensure that every citizen in the US is able to exercise the same freedoms that Oregonians have.

Read more on Indybay's Health and Housing News Page

Day workers across the country plan a campaign of peacefully responding to coordinated vigilante actions organized by Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control and local cells of the so-called “Minutemen.” Groups like the Minutemen and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) have been focusing their attention on day laborer centers. Day workers across the country plan to respond to the coordinated vigilante actions organized by Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control and local cells of the so-called “Minutemen.” A day of action was held on January 7th. List of January 7th actions on CTCIC website

National Day Laborer Organizing Network | Read more on Indybay's Immigrant Rights News Page

Many national organizations are working hard to show their opposition of the nomination of Samuel Alito for Sandra Day O'Connor's post on the US Supreme Court. They believe that the decisions that Judge Alito has written in the past indicate that if he ascends to the Supreme Court, civil rights and women's rights would be endangered. Confirmation hearings for Alito began in the Senate on January 9th.

NARAL Pro-Choice America is encouraging people to write to their senators to encourage them to vote against Alito. If Alito joins the supreme court, he would likely tip the balance of justices against abortion and a woman's access to reproductive health care. He has written in the past, "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion." NOW's article about some of Alito's anti-woman statements shows that Alito thinks that a woman should have her husband's consent before she can obtain an abortion, and he favors "states' rights" at the expense of people who face civil rights violations such as sex and race discrimination.

NARAL Pro-Choice America's report: Liberty at Risk: The Vulnerability of Reproductive Rights Under Alito | Facts About Alito | Planned Parenthood's "Who is Samuel Alito?" Page | ACLU Urges Senate to Thoroughly Review Record of Judge Samuel Alito, Expresses Serious Civil Liberties Concerns About Nominee

Read more on Indybay's Women's News Page

Over 100 "Out of Iraq" events have been planned for cities around the country, to take place on January 7th or the dates surrounding it. More info about the events | Read about Northern California events on Indybay's Anti-War News Page

While all of these events will focus on ending the US war and occupation of Iraq, many of them will also address Congressman John Conyers' new resolutions to censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney and to create a select committee to investigate and make recommendations on impeachment. A National Call-In Day on Accountability is planned for January 9th. Tens of thousands of members of Progressive Democrats of America and other organizational members of the After Downing Street Coalition will phone Members of Congress in their district offices on January 9, urging them to cosponsor three bills: H.Res.635 to create a select committee to investigate and to make recommendations on grounds for impeachment; H.Res.636, to censure Bush; and H.Res.637, to censure Cheney. More info about the bills

Also on January 9th, the International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity By the Bush Administration will serve indictments on the White House for its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, its actions and policies on torture and illegal detention, its promotion of abstinence-only in the midst of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, its fueling of global warming, and its response to Hurricane Katrina. This is in preparation for its January 20th through 22nd hearings at Riverside Church and Columbia Law School in New York City (where the Administration will be invited to present a defense).

After Downing Street | Progressive Democrats of America | United for Peace and Justice

In spite of a temporary moratorium won that social justice groups won against the city, which blocks attempts to bulldoze the homes of Lower 9th Ward residents, the city is still trying to destroy many homes. The moratorium, which ends on January 6th, 2006, is being circumvented by the city through its claim of eminent domain. Many New Orleans homeowners are in danger of losing their property to real estate speculators. Local residents are working alongside the Common Ground Collective, a grassroots organization that is working for the rights of displaced and neglected victims of Hurricane Katrina. They are protesting the city's action, and calling on people everywhere to get involved.

Common Ground's 9th Ward Organizer, Brandon Darby, is headlining a project to protect the rights of 9th Ward residents, many of whom are still scattered all over the country in temporary shelters. The Lower 9th Ward embodies the heart of a community that grew up with many generations of African-American families, and residents share a special pride in their homes and neighborhoods. This area was treated in a particularly atypically neglectful and discriminatory way by the city. Common Ground is reportedly having daily emergency meetings with the new Lower 9th Ward Community Council and other residents to organize against the land grab. Read more | Common Ground Collective website

The year of 2005 was a wicked year for the poor and impoverished across the nation, and there is no relief in sight. Hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless from evictions, disasters, and budget bills that take resources from the poor. People in areas from Marin County to Santa Cruz, and from New Orleans to Chicago faced crises in funding and availability of housing. Natural disasters affected people all the way through the year, including a storm in Northern California that displaced thousands on the last weekend of the year. Housing writer Lynda Carson said, "Let 2005 be a reminder that the Bush administration hates poor people and must be removed from power as soon as possible." Read Lynda Carson's review of the US's 2005 housing and poverty crisis

The Organic Consumers Association reports that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed to apply massive amounts of pesticides to public lands in 17 Western states, including California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Utah. The BLM claims these pesticides need to be applied to forests, rangelands and aquatic areas in order to reduce the risk of fire and slow the spread of invasive weeds. Under the proposal 932,000 acres would undergo chemical application, including National Monuments and National Conservation areas.

This proposal involves aerial spraying of toxic pesticides, and would mean increased negative impacts on non-targeted vegetation, wildlife, and people. The pesticides that would be used include persistent and mobile chemicals, including known developmental and reproductive toxins. The list of pesticides includes 4 new chemicals and 14 other pesticides, including 2,4-D, bromacil, chlorsulfuron, diquat, diuron, fluridone, hexazinone, teburthiruon, triclopyr, and picloram. The proposal would also allow the use of "new chemicals that may be developed in the future." However, the proposal also includes an analysis of possible outcomes of using nonchemical means of managing these areas and offers an option (Option C) wherein traditional methods of vegetation management would be used on public lands, rather than the widespread application of toxic chemicals. Pesticide opponents are encouraging people to submit public comments in support of Option C of the Bureau of Land Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. The public comment period ends on January 9th, 2006. Read more

Californians for Alternatives to Toxics page about the BLM draft | California's Pesticide Surveillance (Reporting) website | East Bay Pesticide Alert | Beyond Pesticides | Environment and Human Health, Inc