THE HEADLINES

Janey Napolitano and President Obama

“THE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE VERY ROBUST IN TERMS OF REMOVAL — WE DON’T FOOL AROUND ABOUT THIS.“

(Huffington Post)

“Robust…removal.” Removal of what? Invasive plants? Some sort of insect infestation? No. Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano is talking about the impacts of the Obama administration’s new program to speed up the deportation of human beings — human beings in the United States “illegally” and part of a list of literally hundreds of thousands of “undocumented immigrants” waiting for deportation. Facing pressure from conservative lawmakers claiming that the administration is supporting “amnesty” for illegal immigrants, Obama officials are ramping up enforcement and vowing to dramatically increase the number of immigrants deported. Part of this initiative involves an expansion of Secure Communities, an immigration enforcement program piloted by the Bush administration in 2008. The program is set to become a staple of the Obama administration’s crackdown on the undocumented, as the Homeland Security secretary breathlessly touted the ability of Secure Communities to “catch” many more immigrants “if it works as it should.”

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WHAT DO FIVE-FOOT HALLWAYS HAVE TO DO WITH THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF WOMEN? IN VIRGINIA, QUITE A BIT…

(Mother Jones)

Late last week, the commonwealth of Virginia joined a handful of states across the country in adopting stringent new rules and regulations for women’s health clinics that provide abortion services, following up on legislation passed earlier this year directing commonwealth officials to treat such clinics as “hospitals.” The classification means that small women’s health clinics must meet every single requirement and rule faced by major hospitals in Virginia, from air temperature to, yes, how wide the hallways must be. Pro-choice activists say that it is “an attack” on abortion rights and will likely result in the closure of most of Virginia’s abortion providers, if not all of them. “These are designed to really cease first-trimester abortion services in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” says NARAL’s director in Virginia.

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NESTLE CHAIRMAN TO CONSUMERS: ORGANIC FOODS CAN KILL! HAVE A KIT-KAT INSTEAD, THEN BUY OUR NEW ‘NEUTRACEUTICAL’ LINE TO TREAT YOUR DIABETES…

(Grist)

In truth, the only thing organic food products can “kill” is the bottom line of the Nestle corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of candy and sweetened beverages. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, the company’s former CEO and current chairman, has offered dire warnings on the rise of organics, claiming that “problems” associated with healthier, cleaner foods include a limited supply that anti-organic activists claim will lead to worldwide famine, as well as a more troublesome claim that “improper use of manure” in organic production kills dozens of people every year. The Nestle executive concludes that the organic trend won’t grow “much more.” Perhaps that statement is more wishful thinking for a corporation built on selling as many processed foods as possible to consumers, and a company without one major organic brand in its extensive line of products. But don’t Nestle out just yet. Sensing the inevitable consequences of a nation consuming their processed, uber-sweetened products, Nestle will soon introduce “neutraceuticals,” foods engineered to treat specific diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The cycle continues…

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CONSTRUCTION WORKERS GO “HUNGRY” IN SOUTH FLORIDA, THE LATEST VICTIMS OF WAGE THEFT.

(Florida Independent)

Wage theft is a problem that has become “very common” according to experts, as lax or nonexistent regulations and political influence allow companies to get away with both random and routine instances of simply not paying employees. That’s the case at a construction site on south Florida, where workers contracted out by two construction outfits are building a low-income housing project in Fort Lauderdale with ties to top city officials and local lawmakers. The mainly Hispanic workers constructing the project say they have not been paid in weeks, and are “going hungry.” The construction companies overseeing the site have generally refused to comment, telling the workers to “hire a lawyer.”

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