COLORLINES: NO DEBT CRISIS, JUST A VALUES CRISIS

August 4, 2011 Colorlines.com Direct | Published by the Applied Research Center

The U.S. Doesn’t Have a Debt Problem. It Has a Crisis of Values.

Imara Jones says the debt deal is an extension of the grand bargain Washington’s leaders made with Wall Street nearly four years ago: to save the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.

Also: Debt Deal Casualties May Include College Aid for Poor Students

Dispatch From Angola: Faith-Based Slavery in a Louisiana Prison

Liliana Segura visits the largest maximum-security prison in the country, where an evangelical warden has made sure prisoners lives look as much like “slavery times” as possible.

Marvel Overcomes Its Fear of a Black Spider-Man. Will White Fans Follow?

After all, as Channing Kennedy writes, Spidey is from New York City, a place where radioactive-spider roulette is, demographically speaking, likelier than not to result in a black or Latino protagonist-to-be.

Justice Dept Sues Alabama Over Nation’s Harshest Anti-Immigrant Law
Attorney General Eric Holder repeated the point the Justice Department has made in previous suits: states can’t usurp the feds’ right to control immigration. But federal policy encourages them to do just that.

An Obama Victory: Co-Pay Free Birth Control Becomes a Reality For Women
The Obama administration said yes to full insurance coverage for women’s contraceptives, STD screenings and other preventive measure. Fine print aside, they’ve done the right thing.

Chicago CBS Affiliate Makes 4-yr.-old Sound Like a Thug, Says Sorry
Turns out the kid who supposedly bragged about wanting to have a gun when he grows up really said he wants to be a police officer. The station acknowledges “mistakes were made.”

Chicago Police Shooting Spree? 43 Shot Already in 2011; 16 Dead Chicago
Chicago police have already shot nearly as many residents as all of last year—most recently a 13-year-old boy. Cops argue it’s because residents have “a total lack of respect and fear.” Residents say cops are “targeting black children.”

Latina Moms Show Love for Their LGBT Kids
Follow this series of three incredible women who show the true power of acceptance.