The Detroit News’ coverage of the Michigan leg of Bush’s economic recovery tour is appropriately critical:

“The simple fact of the matter is the country was prosperous when (the Bush administration) came to office. It is not prosperous today.”

Dingell pointed to data from the National Association of Manufacturers showing that Michigan has lost one out of every six manufacturing jobs since July 2000, shortly before Bush was elected, and 1,200 manufacturing jobs in June alone. “

> From: “Democrats blast prersident’s visit”
> See also: “Stumbling economy tops Michigan worries”

While I have plugged Dennis Kucinich from this podium before, Carol Moseley Braun also seems an appealing candidate.

The U.S. Attorney’s office is planning an information session in Detroit to ‘foster understanding’ of the U.S. “Patriot” Act:
> AANews: “Feds to get in on ‘act’”

Also, Ann Arbor police are reporting they suspect GHB was involved in a recent rape:
> “Woman raped at club thinks she was drugged”

International labor organizations are launching tomorrow a worldwide boycott of Coca-Cola to protest their alleged role in the death of eight union organizers in Columbia.

MOST UNDERGRAD RESIDENCE HALL LIBRARIANS FIRED; RESIDENCE HALL LIBRARIES REORGANIZED
All University of Michigan Residence Hall Libraries with the exception of Bursley and East Quad have been closed for the upcoming academic year, apparently as a cost-saving measure. The old libraries will be replaced with “a new service model based on partnerships with the University Library,” according to Director of Residence Hall Libraries David Pimentel in an email to former undergraduate employees of the residence hall libraries. Pimentel wrote:

“We anticipate phasing in the new program immediately. The first phase will include a change in the number of residence hall library sites: in fall 2003, East Quadrangle and Bursley Hall are targeted for traditional RHL operations.”

Read the entire memo here

It’s unclear how the reorganization will impact the Residence Hall Head Librarians, graduate students in the U-M School of Information who recently petitioned to join the Graduate Employees Organization. The closing comes after another low-budget campus institution, the U-M Student Woodshop, was abruptly told they would lose all funding earlier this summer. Woodshop supporters are trying to raise enough money to keep the shop open this year while a long-term solution is found.

Jeremy Berkowitz emailed me a link to this story he wrote for today’s Washington Post: “For internships, this summer’s not so hot”

Officials in four states - Texas, California, Washington and Georgia - are considering reviving affirmative action policies.
> DetNews: “Four states may revive affirmative action”

According to the A2 News, ‘Fair weather for fairgoers may have drawn 650,000′

And a controversy about Rabih Haddad’s deportation continues:
“As the case slowly worked through the immigration courts, the Justice Department said to itself, ‘Look. This guy is small potatoes. He may have some links to terrorists, but he is not a dangerous terrorist. Now, what do we do with him?’ … They followed the course of least resistance. … They can get someone thrown out of the country on a ham sandwich.”
> From “Haddad gone, but questions remain”

A group calling themselves the Ann Arbor Bill of Rights Defense Committee thinks the Ann Arbor Police might have been more involved with the deportation of former Ann Arbor resident Rabih Haddad than they’re letting on, stating the following in a press release this week:

“After an initial denial by AAPD Public Relations Officer George Patak, Lieutenant Detective Chris Heatley also confirmed last week that the AAPD officers have been attending Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force meetings since before Haddad’s arrest. When asked if the AAPD had prior knowledge or participated in the arrest, Heatley stated, “I have no comment.”

A refusal to comment is an admission of nothing. However, given government claims and Haddad’s significant ties to Ann Arbor it seems unlikely that the AAPD had no role whatsoever in Haddad’s arrest. It seems more likely that the AAPD shared intelligence with the JTTF, participated in planning, offered backup, or, perhaps, even undertook surveillance of Haddad’s activities in Ann Arbor. These are all matters that should be addressed in a public investigation.
…
According to yesterday’s Ann Arbor News, a press release from ICE (formerly INS) headquarters in Washington, DC hailed Haddad’s deportation and claimed “This action is also a testament to the cooperation between law enforcement agencies in pursuing and removing those individuals linked to terrorism.” The people of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County have a right to know if their police forces participated or plan to participate in unjust or unconstitutional federal law enforcement operations like the arrest of Haddad. It is noteworthy, too, that Ann Arbor’s recently adopted civil liberties resolution would likely not prevent AAPD participation in future arrests of other immigrants who like Haddad are accused of threatening national security.”