On July 24 & 25, I went to two events: one in Pittsburgh and one in Bellwood, PA. The former was a One Payer States panel on strategies to push for Medicare for All at the state level. The other group was a vigil in honor of the two men killed by ICE in Maine […]

Starting on April 5, the group Frontline Dignity sponsored a march from the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) office in Pittsburgh to the Moshannon Valley ICE Detention Center near Phillipsburg, PA. On Sunday, April 12, the group reached the facility and held a rally to raise awareness of the abuses in the detention centers. Ice […]

This post discusses the Cambria County Commissioners 287g agreement with the bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE and the upcoming Appalachian Studies Association Conference in Huntington, West Virginia. Cambria County and ICE Last Thursday I went to the Cambria County Commissioners meeting. A group of local activists came to speak out against the […]

Yesterday I first heard the term 287(g). It is a program where local law enforcement agencies agree to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). I was able to download a list of local agencies collaborating with ICE. Fifty-one 287(g) agencies/municipalities are collaborating with ICE. Of these 23 are in the Alleghenies. A list of […]

Larry Blalock covered an anti-ICE protest in Johnstown Saturday, Jan. 10, in front of State Rep. Jim Rigby’s office on Ferndale Avenue.   Nearly 40 demonstrators carried signs in a hastily-scheduled rally to take a strong stand against a murder committed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.   Renee Nicole Good, 37, of Minneapolis was […]

Happy Valentines Day All.  One month ago I posted on how Trump’s approval ratings have decreased while the 35 day government shutdown was going on from 42.5% in the Real Clear Politics Average on Dec 23 to 41% when it ended.  In the few weeks thereafter, his rating has improved back to a little above […]

Looking at Juan Cole’s blog Informed Comment I came across this graph showing the preferences of the four major religious groups (Islam, Judaism, Protestant, and Catholic) in the US for the top 5 Presidential candidates from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.  The survey was conducted before Marco Rubio dropped out of the race.  […]

The horrific attacks in Paris have sent a wave of fear around the world.  As of this writing, 28 governors in the US have said that they will not accept refugees from the civil war in Syria for fear that ISIS members will sneak into their states.  26 of these 28 governors (84%) are Republican.  […]

The failed attempt this week to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has left many of his opponents to scratch their heads and wonder “was it the money?”, “Was it better organization?”, “Was something wrong with the exit polls?”, and “What does it mean for Obama’s reelection?”  While these questions are interesting there are other questions, […]

Last May 3 I published a post called The Civil War in a Larger International Historical Context which discussed how in the 150th anniversary of the Civil War there were similar conflicts in Germany, Italy, and Japan which would have many repercussions for the US and the world to this day.  It has become one […]