Obama Administration Considers Bypassing Congress on Immigration
ProPublica: “The Obama administration, anticipating that Congress might not pass comprehensive immigration reform this year, is considering ways it could act without congressional approval to achieve many of the objectives of the initiative, including giving permanent resident status, or green cards, to large numbers of people in the country illegally.”
When Teen Pregnancy Is No Accident
The Nation: “A new study has found that among 71 women aged 18-49 with a history of intimate partner violence, 74 percent reported having experienced some form of reproductive control, including forced unprotected intercourse, failure to withdraw as promised or sabotaging of condoms. Women who became pregnant were coerced to proceed in accordance with the wishes of their partners, who in some cases threatened to kill them if they had an abortion.”
Is Your Last Name Arab? Hope You Don’t Want A Facebook Account
Gawker: “Over the weekend, Rex Brynen of the Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet tried to create a Facebook page for his group. Only, he was prevented from doing so by a rogue moderating process that was blocking the word ‘Palestinian’ from page titles. Facebook fixed the process and, to their credit, apologized to Professor Brynen.”
Lutherans Offer Warm Welcome to Gay Pastors
New York Times: “The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, known as the E.L.C.A., with 4.6 million members, is now the largest Protestant church in the United States to permit noncelibate gay ministers to serve in the ranks of its clergy — an issue that has caused wrenching divisions for it as well as for many other denominations.”
New Museum Blog: “During the 1990s, Genesis and h/er partner and collaborator, the late Lady Jaye, embarked on a journey to deconstruct themselves by applying the Cut-Up method to their bodies. Through surgery, clothing, and adopted mannerisms, the two artists tried to find a way to become one…. Sitting in the New Museum auditorium listening to Genesis talk about navigating a way beyond gender binaries, I found myself drifting back to my thesis research in graduate school, when I spent long days reading and re-reading Judith Butler’s Undoing Gender (2004).”
Native American Tribes Say They Won’t Enforce Immigration Law
Arizona Capitol Times: “Despite a request by Gov. Jan Brewer’s office to comply with the new law, Native American tribes will continue to oppose it and seek ways to avoid its implementation, said John Lewis, executive director of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, which represents 20 tribes in the state. ‘Tribes have jurisdiction within their land, and state law doesn’t apply,’ Lewis said. ‘And the law just doesn’t work in the interests of the American Indian population.’ A resolution passed by the tribal council on June 4 states that the new law would lead to disproportionate stops and detentions for tribal members, violate their sovereignty and negatively impact the tribal economy.”
Re/Visionist 