Civil Rights

Ninety years ago today, our country corrected a great injustice by guaranteeing women the right to vote. This progress would not have been possible without the courage, foresight and tenacity of those pioneers who risked everything to ensure that women had this fundamental, inalienable right. 

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Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer insight into the biggest question burning up the blogosphere today.

Today's question:

What do you think of President Obama's stance on the building of a Muslim community center in lower Manhattan?

Some background reading here.

Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer insight into the biggest question burning up the blogosphere today.


Today's question:

Should U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants be stripped of their citizenship?

For well over a century, children born on American soil have been American citizens.  Changing that guarantee is not a new idea, but Arizona Senator Jon Kyl’s proposed hearings on the subject have given it new life.  A close look at the history and purpose of the citizenship provision makes clear why changing it would harm us all. 

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The "your papers, please" hysteria spreading through the Republican Party has reached a new low. Now, they want to corrupt the U.S. Constitution to promote their opposition to immigrants and immigration. Senior leaders in the House and Senate are introducing legislation and calling for hearings to explore whether we should change the U.S. Constitution to ensure that more people in the United States are denied citizenship or legal immigration status. Specifically, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joined an array of Republican lawmakers who feel we should examine whether to rescind all or part of the 14th amendment to the Constitution to prevent some children born in the U.S. from being granted U.S. citizenship. The pro-life, pro-family Republicans are now pro-neonatal detention and deportation. It isn't enough to drive out the people not born here, now they want to drive out the ones that were.

Violence against women is a worldwide crisis, and a bill scheduled to come before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, the International Violence against Women Act, would improve the way U.S. foreign assistance is provided to address such violence.

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Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Monday said Congress should look at changing the 14th amendment.

Reps. Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters will both be involved in ethics committee trials this fall.

This week, President Obama and Vice President Biden added their voices in calling for the Senate to act on the Paycheck Fairness Act. Taken together with the recommendations put forth this week by the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, it is clear the time for this legislation, 47 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and 13 years after I first introduced it, has finally come.

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