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Support the Voice of the Progressive South!
MAKING A KILLING: Southern Exposure investigates the new war profiteers WEB EXCLUSIVE - MAPPING MISERY: WEB EXCLUSIVE - “WE NEEDED MONEY,
AND THEY KNEW WE NEEDED MONEY”: Springfield,
Ill.
Vol. 31, Nos. 3 & 4 Winter 2003/2004
COVER SECTION
Introduction: Making a Killing by Chris Kromm
As long as there has been war, there have been enterprising individuals and companies willing to take advantage of desperate or ambitious combatants.
Occupation, Inc. by Pratap Chatterjee and Herbert Docena
War profiteers in Iraq pursue quick fixes and high profits by overcharging for shoddy work, while Iraqis protest that they could do the work better and cheaper.
Concealed Weapons: Washington's Corporate War Lobby by Jason Vest PRINT ONLY
Influence peddlers and defense contractors see dollar signs in a bellicose foreign policy and military outsourcing.
Five Ways to Stop War Profiteering by Rania Masri and Chris Kromm
Resources on War Profiteering and the Corporate Invasion of Iraq
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: DRIVEN TO MISERY
The second in a two-part investigation of predatory lending in the South. The first part, "Banking on Misery," appeared in the Summer 2003 issue.
Driven to Misery by Michael Hudson
How Wall Street, major lenders, and "megadealer" chains fuel price gouging, racial discrimination, and fraud at your local car lot.
"They Try to Take You for What You Don't Have" by Taylor Loyal and Michael Hudson PRINT ONLY
A used-car chain stirs up the market--and its customers.
The Price of Confession by Stephanie Mencimer PRINT ONLY
Used-car guru preaches psychotherapy as much as smart sales techniques.
Car Talk
A glossary of the secret lingo many car dealerships use to describe the way they conduct business.
Arm Yourself with Information
How to avoid scams and overcharging when you buy a car.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Remembering the Saltville Massacre by Tonia Moxley PRINT ONLY
Can publicly acknowledging Civil War atrocities help heal racial divisions?
Queer Eye for the Straight School by Denise Prickett PRINT ONLY
Gay rights activists try new approaches to ensure every student is safe in the classroom.
Of Faith and Sanctions by Chris Kromm
A U.S. peace volunteer faces steep fines and possibly jail for going to Iraq. If only she had been working for Halliburton.
The Other School of the Americas by Stefan Wray PRINT ONLY
A lesser-known cousin of the infamous military training center begins to draw attention.
Poison and Slavery in the Sunshine State by Nano Riley PRINT ONLY
Florida farmworkers struggle for protection against exploitation, pesticides.
BANKING ON MISERY: Citigroup, Wall Street, and the Fleecing of the South
Vol. 31, No. 2 Summer 2003
Front Porch: Letter from the Editor
Stop the Profiteers by Chris Kromm
Introduction:
The New Loan Sharks
by Michael Hudson
PART I. BANKING ON MISERY
Citigroup, Wall Street, and the Fleecing of the South
by Michael Hudson
Millions of Southerners have been ensnared by “subprime” lenders who target consumers made vulnerable by discrimination and financial need. Citigroup subsidiaries have led the way in demonstrating how easy it is to make money off people desperate for cash.
Trace the rise to power of Sanford Weill, Citigroup’s CEO, as he carved out a subprime lending empire.
How CitiFinancial’s subprime lending units target minority and
low-income areas in your city:
Atlanta
Charlotte
Miami
Jacksonville
Knoxville
Memphis
San
Antonio
Montgomery
Nashville
Richmond
Read profiles of borrowers from
around the country victimized by the manipulative practices of CitiFinancial
and its predecessor, Commercial Credit.
Syracuse,
N.Y.
Westfield,
N.Y.
Frederick,
Md.
· Who’s targeted: Numbers tell the story
· Reinventing redlining: Citi’s prime lenders set bad marks for serving poor, minorities
· Unsettled issue: Lawsuit alleges harassment continued even after settlement, Citigroup purchase
· Citi and credit insurance: Profits and price
· Household name: Citi’s chief rival has a rocky history, too
· Spirit and letter: Ex-employee said Citi takeover increased rather than solved problems
· Reforming foreclosures: How well did Citi keep its promise?
· Collecting trouble: Lawsuits claim harassment of borrowers
· Upfront costs: “Single-premium” insurance disavowal only goes so far
· Citi’s reforms: Real or imagined?
· Access denied: Citi’s arbitration clauses head off threat of jury verdicts
· Special child: For mentally retarded borrower, arbitration a losing proposition
· Citi responds
PART II. THE POVERTY INDUSTRY
(all pieces print edition only)
Perpetual Debt, Predatory Plastic by Robert D. Manning
From the company store to the world of late fees and overlimit penalties: credit cards go predatory.
From Pawnshops to “Financial Supermarkets” by Mary Kane
Fringe banking gains a foothold in the mainstream.
Simple Courtesy by Taylor Loyal
Banks have discovered overdraft fees to be fertile ground for innovations in profit-making.
PART III. FIGHTING BACK
Journey for Justice by Michael Hudson
Citigroup shareholders confront an unfamiliar sight: the orange t-shirts of a borrowers’ group determined to get fair treatment.
Battling the Odds by Bill Barrow
Consumer advocates fight for a voice in Alabama’s legislature.
“You Can’t Pass It On If It Belongs to Someone Else” by Kenneth A. Harris
A South Carolina woman speaks out against the people who took her home.
Predatory Lending and the Law by Keith Ernst
The dos and don’ts of legislative reform.
Seven Signs of Predatory Lending
How to know you’re being cheated.
The Most Important Financial Advice You'll Ever Get plus What Loan Officers Say -- And What They Really Mean
Resources
For the fight against predatory lending.
HIDDEN CASUALTIES:
An Epidemic of Domestic Violence When Troops Return from War
Vol. 31, No. 1 Spring 2003
COVER STORY
Hidden Casualties: An Epidemic of Domestic Violence When Troops Return from War by Jon Elliston and Catherine Lutz
After a spate of killings at Fort Bragg, domestic abuse in military families is under new scrutiny--but the Defense Department still turns a blind eye on key causes.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
For Love and Liberty: Tampa Latinos Remember the Spanish Civil War by Crystal Taylor
When Franco's fascists rebelled against the Spanish republic, immigrant cigar workers in Tampa refused to stand idly by.
Revolution at Wal-Mart? A People's Campaign to Tame the Nation's Biggest Corporation by Ganey Mozley
It may seem like an impossible task, but workers and activists are trying to unionize one of the most virulently anti-union corporations in the world.
Eugenics in North Carolina: Thousands Were Sterilized by the State by Jon Elliston
A five-day Winston-Salem Journal series provided the first in-depth account of the state's eugenics efforts--targeting mostly the poor and people of color.
The Powell Manifesto by Jerry M. Landay PRINT ONLY
How a prominent Virginia lawyer--later a moderate Supreme Court justice--authored an infamous memo that inspired the neo-conservative movement.
Appalachian Colors by Tonia Moxley PRINT ONLY
Sociologist Wilma Dunaway is revolutionizing the way we understand race, class, and slavery in Appalachian history.
"Which Side Are You On?" by Michael Hudson PRINT ONLY
The biography of a protest song that continues to inspire millions.
Diary of a Poultry Worker: Javier Lopez interview by John Bowe PRINT ONLY
"You have to be careful with the knives and the machines, because everything is so slippery. There's fat everywhere. Everything's greasy....The bosses know we're illegal, and it's illegal for them to hire us, but we're the cheapest, so they don't care."
PLUS: THE SOUTH AT WAR
The War at Home by Chris Kromm
Front Porch: Letter from the Editor
Southerners Take to the Streets by Hart Matthews PRINT ONLY
As the nation edged closer to war, resistance found a voice.
Organizing Against War: A Roundtable Discussion interviews by Rania Masri EXPANDED WEB VERSION
Peace activists speak out on the strategies, successes, and pitfalls of putting together an anti-war movement in the South.
Austin and Homeland Security, Inc. by Stefan Wray PRINT ONLY
Austin, Texas, passed a resolution against war on Iraq. But the city has a dirty little secret: its relationship with notorious defense contractors CSC/DynCorp.
THE RIGHT TO VOTE: Will Our Future Look Like Our Past?
Vol. 30, No. 4 Winter 2002/2003
COVER SECTION
The Right to Vote in the South: A Brief History by Alexander Keyssar PRINT ONLY
The foremost historian of U.S. voting rights gives a capsule account of the struggle for universal suffrage in the South, from Reconstruction to the civil rights movement.
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Muriel Tillinghast PRINT ONLY
A veteran of Freedom Summer 1964 talks about her experiences registering African-American voters in rural Mississippi. Print edition features photos by Herbert Randall.
Who Counts the Votes? by Gary Ashwill and Chris Kromm
High-tech elections have spawned new vote-fixing conspiracy theories. Is there any truth to the charges?
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: Voting in Tennessee, 2002 by Catherine Danielson PRINT ONLY
Tennessee, beset by election difficulties, solidifies its reputation as "the other Florida."
The State of Voting: A Southern Exposure/Institute for Southern Studies Report PRINT ONLY
We grade Southern states on how well they protect the most fundamental building block of democracy: the right to vote.
Five Things You Can Do to Protect Your Right to Vote by Melissa Siebert, Stan Goff, and Chris Kromm
Election Investigation: How to Conduct a Citizen Audit of Your Election Board by Stan Goff and Chris Kromm
Of Two Minds About Voting by Yolanda Carrington PRINT ONLY
Reflections on the place of voting in our democracy.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
"No Effort to Attain Something Beautiful is Ever Lost" by Chris Kromm
Front Porch: Letter from the Editor
Inside the Peace Movement: A Conversation with David Potorti interview by Rania Masri
One of the founders of September Eleventh Families for a Peaceful Tomorrow discusses the challenges and frustrations of organizing against the war on terror.
Southern Chicken Hawks by Gary Ashwill PRINT ONLY
Militarists who managed to avoid serving in uniform themselves.
Water Wars: Will Atlanta's Thirst Dry Up the Southeast? by Marcelo Ballve PRINT ONLY
2002's drought highlighted the increasing pressure brought by the growing, congested, smog-bound metropolis of Atlanta on the region's water supply.
Bad Business: The Lowdown on Corporate Scandal in the South by Crystal Taylor and Gary Ashwill PRINT ONLY
The South is no stranger to big-business misbehavior, from Enron and WorldCom to Halliburton and Harken Energy.
Not in Our Town: One Southern Community Says No to the Patriot Act by Matt Robinson
On July 25, Carrboro, N.C., became the first Southern municipality to pass a resolution opposing the USA-PATRIOT Act.
UNDERGROUND PASTIME: The Hidden History of the Negro Leagues
Vol. 30, No. 3 Fall 2002
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
Running from the Truth by Mary Ann Swissler
Across the country, the Dallas-based Susan G. Komen Foundation sponsors the popular Race for the Cure breast cancer charity. It also opposes patients' rights, takes money from polluters and pharmaceutical companies, and tolerates conflicts of interest.
COVER STORY
Underground Pastime: The Hidden History of the Negro Leagues by Gary Ashwill PRINT ONLY
Before Jackie Robinson broke the major leagues' color barrier, black professional baseball tested the limits of Jim Crow and ranked among the highest achievements of African-American culture and enterprise during segregation. A capsule history of the Negro Leagues, their players, fans, and owners, their international connections and influence on the history of baseball.
From Spitballs to Scottsboro: Recollections of Negro League Pitcher Frank "Doc" Sykes interview by John Holway PRINT ONLY
"The pitching dentist" looks back on his baseball career and his testimony at the Scottsboro trial.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Scottsboro, Alabama: Lost Political Art and the Recovery of a Radical Legacy by Robin D.G. Kelley PRINT ONLY
The recent rediscovery of pamphlet art by 1930s labor activists refocuses attention on the Scottsboro Nine and the radical movement to free them back.
Bodies of Evidence: Killings by Police Spur Greensboro, N.C., Residents into Action by Jenny Stepp PRINT ONLY
"One of the scariest things the police can see is when the family of a victim rises up together and says, 'We're not going to accept this...'"
MISSILES AND MAGNOLIAS: THE SOUTH AT WAR
Vol. 30, Nos. 1-2 Spring/Summer 2002
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
Power Politics: Dick Cheney's Energy Firm Halliburton Profits from the Anti-Terror War by Jordan Green
Southern Exposure breaks the story of Halliburton's no-cap, cost-plus-award contract with the Pentagon to build forward operating bases to support troop deployments for the next nine years.
COVER SECTION
Missiles & Magnolias: The South at War by Jordan Green and Chris Kromm
More than any other region, the South is ensared in the politics, culture, and economy of U.S. military dominance.
The Company in the Company Town by Catherine Lutz PRINT ONLY
In Fayetteville, North Carolina, transient troops prop up an unstable retail and service economy. A look into the life of a town that's in permanent preparation for war.
"We Pay For Our Beatings": Life at the Citadel by Jenny Stepp
The Citadel is long on performance and short on military credentials--and stands as a symbol for South Carolina's intransigence in the face of change.
"Killing Me Softly: Reflections of a Vietnam Combat Veteran" by Stan Goff
A soldier-turned-activist reveals his participation in atrocities against the people of Vietnam, and reflects on the long journey from violence to redemption.
War Within War: The Hidden Story of Black War Resisters by James Maycock PRINT ONLY
Although largely omitted from the history books, revolt in the ranks by African-American soldiers was common during the Vietnam War, a result of intolerable white racism abroad and simmering civil strife back home.
Fayettenam, 1969: Tales from a GI Coffeehouse by Adolph Reed, Jr. PRINT ONLY
A vital part of the opposition to the American war against the Vietnamese people took place on American bases throughout the South. A ground-level account of organizing the GI resistance movement at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
So Long as We Struggle, We Are Winning: Prospects for Peace by Rania Masri
Resistance to militarism requires hope and an ability to build solidarity with global struggles for liberation, argues internationally-known peace activist Rania Masri.
The South at War, State by State by Erin Callahan, Stan Goff, Jordan Green, Tara Purohit, Jenny Stepp, and Rachael Young PRINT ONLY
The South's economy is dominated by the military, and its congressional delegations fuel the drive toward militarism with hawkish politics. Find out how your state fares in the military economy.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
"We Should Not Be Killing Ourselves for Unfair Wages": In the Words of Farmworker Ernestina Guevara interview by Rosa Saavedra PRINT ONLY
Florida tomato workers organize against Taco Bell: "We are not asking for anything that does not already belong to us."
Deadly Aid: The U.S. South and Israel by Jordan Green PRINT ONLY
Sixty-six percent of U.S. armaments sold to Israel through the Foreign Military Sales program were produced in the South; meanwhile, Southern politicians rake in donations from pro-Israel PACs.
Dissent Denied: Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian Faces the Backlash of the Anti-Terror War by Rochelle Renford PRINT ONLY
A computer engineer fights to hold onto his university position while under investigation by the FBI for his advocacy of Muslim and Palestinian issues.