Kids in costumes can be scary -- but the greatest fear is what adults in suits have done to the nation.

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by Nezua, TMC MediaWire Blogger

This week's Wire focuses on the opportunities for change that crisis can introduce. From the H1N1 "Swine" flu's declining fervor to 2009's May Day marches for worker rights and immigrant solidarity; from the tragic killing of Luis Ramirez to legislative movement on immigration, these are tumultuous times. But it is precisely such conflict and challenge that provides the best opportunities to make lasting change.

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By Lindsay Beyerstein, TMC MediaWire Blogger

So far, swine flu hasn't developed into the deadly global pandemic that many feared. Was it all media hype, as Cervantes argues for AlterNet? Or did all that quarantining and hand-washing actually help? While we'll never know what might have been, perhaps we should consider the relatively mild swine flu as a cheap lesson--a dry run, if you will.

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This last week was the 6th anniversary of Bush's Mission Accomplished speech about Iraq. Meanwhile US soldiers are still dying in both Afghanistan and Iraq, the Taliban are slowly taking over more and more of BOTH Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Osama bin Laden is still free. I never was quite sure what mission Bush thought he'd accomplished. Other than miserable failure.

Swine flu continues to be the big news story. And it will continue to be, I think, but I still say that with modern amentities like clean water, indoor heating and fever reducing medicine, this won't be as bad as past pandemics, at least in the US. Remember to wash you hands a lot! I want to also direct people's attention to this: UW Virologist Puts Swine Flu in Perspective.

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by Nezua, TMC MediaWire Blogger

It's no shock that those long-opposed to All Things Immigrant are using the Swine Flu outbreak—which has mostly affected Mexicans at this point—to ratchet anti-immigrant rhetoric up to an irresponsible level. It's disappointing though, especially because the last few weeks saw more rational dialogue emerging in media coverage. This week's Wire examines the voices talking about immigration both in the media and on the ground, from those recycling age-old "eliminationist" rhetoric to those who put their own bodies on the line to fight for inclusive justice.

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