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 Editorials
Why the "Real ID" Act, Which Requires National Identity Cards, Is a Real Mess
 Anita Ramasastry
In May 2005, Congress passed the "Real ID" Act, which requires states - starting in May 2008 - to issue federally approved driver's licenses or identification (ID) cards to those who live and work in the US. Unlike the USA Patriot Act and other politically sensitive pieces of legislation, Real ID has not made many headlines.more »»»
A Grim Record at the Border
 Leslie Berestein
This year is shaping up to become the deadliest ever along the Southwest border, with 366 recorded deaths of undocumented immigrants from Oct. 1 to yesterday. The majority of the deaths have occurred in Arizona, where immigrant smugglers take their human cargo through the most desolate and deadly stretches of desert.more »»»
Debunking the Drug War
 John Tierney
America has a serious drug problem, but it's not the "meth epidemic" getting so much publicity. Amphetamines can certainly do harm and are a fad in some places. But there's little evidence of a new national epidemic from patterns of drug arrests or drug use.more »»»
Mexico Must Establish Migration Policies
 Enrique Andrade
The government has yet to learn how to sway U.S. migration policy, or find a way to reach a bilateral immigration accord that would include issues such as seasonal workers, migrant's rights, deportations, access to public services, etc.more »»»
What If López Obrador Loses His Lead?
 Kelly Arthur Garrett
Come December, if López Obrador still holds the opinion poll lead he's enjoyed for two years, he'll be very hard to beat. If that lead evaporates, however, he's in trouble, and keeping that lead is not assured.more »»»
Hiroshima Remembers Those Killed 60 Years Ago
 Agence France-Presse
With prayers, wreaths and emotional calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons, the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Saturday marked the 60th anniversary of the world's first atomic attack.more »»»
Will Immigrants Vote in Mexico’s 2006 Election?
 Maite Salazar
For many years one of the most discussed topics among Mexican immigrants in El Norte was whether they would ever again be allowed to participate in Mexico’s electoral process, which at best was perceived as rigid and unyielding to change.more »»»
It Doesn't Look Good For Karl Rove
 John Dean
As the scandal over the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity has continued to unfold, there is a renewed focus on Karl Rove - the White House deputy chief of staff whom President Bush calls his political "architect."more »»»
Mexican Voters Hungry for Change Again
 Lennox Samuels
Six years ago, Mexicans contemplating the 2000 presidential election were indicating that they were eager for change after seven decades of rule by the same authoritarian party. When they went to the polls, they ousted the Institutional Revolutionary Party and installed Vicente Fox of the National Action Party.more »»»
Selling the War
 Sidney Blumenthal
Never before has a president suddenly discarded his self-proclaimed "mission." But after declaring himself the commander in chief in the "global war on terror," President Bush has tossed the catchphrase aside in an elusive search for a new one.more »»»
The Supremacy of the Super-Citizen
 William Rivers Pitt
The document reads, "All men are created equal." When those words were first put to paper, of course, the literal meaning of the phrase did not match what was written. A more accurate sentence would have read, "All white land-owning men are created equal."more »»»
Is There Life After The Morning-After Pill?
 Kelly Arthur Garrett
Women across the political spectrum have figured out that their bodies belong to nobody but themselves. They may honor their Church and love their religion, but they're not about to cede total control of their reproduction rights to priests or politicians.more »»»
The Roberts Court?
 Marjorie Cohn
Consider this: John Roberts's nomination for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court is confirmed by the Senate. Chief Justice William Rehnquist steps down. Then, Bush elevates Roberts to Chief.more »»»
How the United States Marked the 3rd Anniversary of the Downing Street Memo
 David Swanson
Hundreds of people were turned away today as capacity crowds packed public forums in U.S. cities to discuss the Downing Street Memo and related evidence that President Bush lied about the reasons for war. Halls were filled to capacity and beyond in LA, Oakland, Seattle, Detroit, Northampton, New York, and elsewhere.more »»»
Patrolling the Border for Migrants from Mexico, with a Humanitarian Goal
 Simon Romero
A small airport on the edge of El Paso does more than straddle two countries. As seen by Armando Alarcon, an amateur pilot engrossed in an effort to prevent migrants from dying of thirst on their odyssey across the Chihuahuan Desert, it straddles two worlds.more »»»
The Rush to Invade Iraq
 AlJazeera.com
In the run up to the invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration laid out the full works in an attempt to swing world opinion. The centerpiece of their case being the presentation that laid out the key pieces of intelligence the U.S. government had gathered about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and his purported links to al-Qaeda members.more »»»
In Plame Leaks, Long Shadows
 Jim VandeHei & Mike Allen
Karl Rove had a secret. In public, he was masterminding President Bush's reelection and brushing off suggestions he had played any part in an unfolding drama: the unmasking of CIA operative Valerie Plame. In private, the senior White House adviser was meeting with federal prosecutors to tell what he knew about the matter.more »»»
Ambushed
 Peter Wells Scott
On September 24th the White House will be bookended by an antiwar demonstration on one side, and a gathering impeachment movement on the other. Like the Titanic, demise doesn't happen all at once, but once the forces are set in motion, it is difficult to reverse the tide.more »»»
Lawn Furniture In The Living Room?
 Will Weissert
Do you applaud at the end of a movie? How about when your flight touches down? Does your cell phone ring to "La Cucaracha?" Is the grocery store where you stock up on CDs? Answers in the affirmative might mean you're "naco" Mexican slang for "tacky" or "low-class."more »»»
The Real Rove Scandal
 Robert Scheer
If you can't shoot the messenger, take aim at his wife. That clearly was the intent of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove in leaking to a reporter that former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV's wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA agent.more »»»
Mexico's Pride in Memín Pinguín
 Enrique Krauze
Has the US ever had a Native American or African American president? No. Mexico, on the other hand, can point to two presidents of Native American origin who were as decisive in the history of their country as Abraham Lincoln or Theodore Roosevelt in the US.more »»»
North Americans Paying a "Fearful Price for Bush's Adventure"
 Bob Herbert
If there's something funny about Mr. Bush's misbegotten war, I've yet to see it. The president deliberately led Americans traumatized by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, into the false belief that there was a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, and that a pre-emptive invasion would make the United States less vulnerable to terrorism.more »»»
In Mexico, `They Just Don't See Us'
 Hugh Dellios
Mexico's blacks didn't have much say when the federal government ignited a racially loaded scandal late last month by issuing stamps of a popular 1950s-era cartoon character that the Bush White House and Jesse Jackson declared an insulting stereotype.more »»»
Blood in London
 Fernando Suarez del Solar
Today we awoke to the chilling news of the deaths caused by terrorist attacks in London - innocent people killed by immoral killers whose only recourse is violence and destruction.more »»»
Is Marcos Coming In From the Cold?
 Fred Rosen
Over the past few weeks, following a massive "consultation" with its bases of support in southeastern state of Chiapas, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), the group that rose up in arms on New Years Day, 1994, has let it be known that it is prepared to enter a new phase of political activity.more »»»
Mexican Emigres Cheer, Shrug at New Voting Right
 Sam Quinones
This week the Mexican Congress approved legislation that for the first time will allow citizens living outside the country to vote by mail in Mexican presidential elections. With this newfound power, immigrants can help make Mexico a country that people don't have to leave.more »»»
Mexico's Past and Future Meet at Corruption Palace
 Lorraine Orlandi
A replica of the Greek Parthenon stands decaying on a cliff above a Mexican Pacific resort, a gaudy monument to graft and brutality that neighbors long ago dubbed the Palace of Corruption, that was built as a vacation retreat by a notorious Mexico City police chief who got rich on official misdeeds in the 1970s.more »»»
Mexican Postage Stamp Pushes Racial Envelope
 Chris Kraul & Reed Johnson
A newly issued series of postage stamps showing a once-popular black comic book character with exaggerated thick lips has reignited controversy over racial attitudes in Mexico, six weeks after President Vicente Fox was forced to apologize for remarks perceived as insensitive toward black Americans.more »»»
China Economy Rising at Pace to Rival US
 Keith Bradsher
China's debut as an auto exporter, small as it may be for now, foretells a broader challenge to a half-century of American economic and political ascendance. The nation's manufacturing companies are building wealth at a remarkable rate, using some of that money to buy assets abroad.more »»»
Mexico State Race Ending, and None Too Soon
 Kelly Arthur Garrett
The campaign for governor of the State of Mexico culminates in a vote next week, after which it will be out of its misery. The campaign turned into an embarrassing display of shallow rhetoric, infantile posturing and orgiastic spending. And then it got worse.more »»»
Odds Lengthen on Creel Candidacy
 Kenneth Emmond
Santiago Creel had not even formally launched his bid to become the presidential candidate for the National Action Party (PAN) when he shot himself in the foot. The foot is not a vital organ but this shot could prove fatal, politically speaking.more »»»
Masked Zapatista Leader Seeks Political Comeback in Mexico
 Angela Moscarella
With a "red alert" to his supporters and communiques that hinted at a possible return to arms, then withdrew the threat, the guerrilla leader known as Subcomandante Marcos has succeeded at least at one thing: public relations.more »»»
Poverty Needs Solutions Not Numbers Game
 Kelly Arthur Garrett
There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. And then there are statistics about poverty, which make those first three categories look respectable. The latest effort in the quantification of human misery comes from a sort of blue ribbon panel assembled by the Social Development Secretariat.more »»»
Mexican Living: Myth Busting
 Doug Bower
Myth One: Mexicans are lazy, good-for-nothings. The idea that Mexicans spend their lives under a big tree trying to sleep off a 10-day drunk is a massively common, American-perpetuated misconception. Where America, and especially Hollywood, gets off portraying hardworking Mexicans as lazy bums is beyond me.more »»»
Dear Mom...
 Jamie Doty
What is the definition of mother? It sure as hell can not be summed up by saying, "a woman who conceives, gives birth to, or raises and nurtures a child." That's it? I can't tell you what exactly a mother is any better than the dictionary does. But what I can tell you, or at least try to describe to you, is what the word Mother means to me.more »»»
Latest Border Proposal: Nuclear Enrichment or Impoverishment?
 Talli Nauman
It's incredible, but true: The U.S. government is trying to site yet another nuclear facility not far from the border with Mexico, after similar attempts over the years have failed due largely to organized cross-border opposition wielding the weapons of international law and diplomacy.more »»»
The Nation’s All Too Opaque Justice System
 Kenneth Emmond
Is justice for sale in Mexico? This eternal question resurfaced last Wednesday with a decision to dismiss charges against Ivan Archibaldo Guzmàn, son of the nation's most wanted drug-runner, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.more »»»
Government Statistics Don't Tell the Full Story
 Jonathan Clark
Due in large part to its statistical methodology and massive informal economy, Mexico consistently registers low unemployment figures. That's because, according to the paradigm used for statistics-gathering, any person who has worked at least one hour for monetary compensation during the previous one-week period is considered employed.more »»»
In God We Trust: America's Rising Religious Zealotry
 Andrew Buncombe
Some snapshots of religious zeal in the US: there are churches in Texas where 20,000 worshippers pray every Sunday; Alabama's most senior judge was dismissed for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from his court; the re-election of George Bush returned with the support of thousands of evangelicals lured to the polls by local laws banning homosexual marriage.more »»»
Proud to be an Expatriate
 Kato Yhcrana
Today the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against the use of medical marijuana [see article] and I have now become another person that would need it to get through my day only to keep from being too pissed off to function under government oppression, which has become the lifeblood of what was once the "Land of opportunity and freedom."more »»»
What's This Election Really All About?
 Kelly Arthur Garrett
New polls on the 2006 presidential race came out in two Mexico City newspapers last week and got a lot of attention for the wrong reasons. They showed a clear lead for the PRD's Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Federal District's chief whose title apparently translates into English as "the fiery leftist mayor of Mexico City."more »»»
The Real Racist Problem Behind Illegal Immigration
 David Yeagley
Most Americans think of Mexicans as short and dark, despite the fact that Mexican President Vicente Fox is tall and white. So what really is a Mexican, and who is in charge of Mexico?more »»»
Truth and Deceit
 Bob Herbert
When he accepted the Republican nomination for president in 1968, Richard Nixon said, "Let us begin by committing ourselves to the truth - to see it as it is, and tell it like it is - to find the truth, to speak the truth, and to live the truth." I can't think of a better time to resurrect the Watergate saga.more »»»
The Disappeared
 Leslie Berestein
In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, people that disappear in route to America are referred to as migrantes desaparecidos, migrants who have disappeared. Amid the raging debate over illegal immigration, they are but a little-known, tragic footnote.more »»»
America, a Symbol of . . .
 Bob Herbert
State Department officials know better than anyone that the image of the United States has deteriorated around the world. The U.S. is now widely viewed as a brutal, bullying nation that countenances torture and operates hideous prison camps at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and in other parts of the world - camps where inmates have been horribly abused, gruesomely humiliated and even killed.more »»»
Labor, NAFTA and CAFTA
 Fred Rosen
As a proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is debated in the United States and Central America, proponents and opponents alike are using the example of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to bolster their cause.more »»»
The American Dream ... in Mexico
 Steven Hill
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent encouragement of vigilantes along the U.S.-Mexico border has revived ghosts from California's immigration wars of the 1990s. It's not surprising because the issue is ripe for political demagoguery. Yet rarely do the bumper-sticker slogans match the border's complex reality.more »»»
Short Tales from Bizarro World
 William Rivers Pitt
You know things have gone more than a bit around the bend when it takes a British MP with a hard Scottish brogue to throw a little truth against the walls of the U.S. Senate chamber to see what will stick.more »»»
Mexico In The U.S. Imagination
 Fred Rosen
All of us who go back and forth between the United States and Mexico — or who simply have a foot in both cultures — know that North Americans have certain images of Mexico that shape the way they see and understand Mexican events, culture, politics and people.more »»»
The REAL ID Act:
 Noah S. Leavitt
How It Violates U.S. Treaty Obligations, Insults International Law, Undermines Our Security, and Betrays Eleanor Roosevelt's Legacy.more »»»
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