Archive for the 'Politics Rights' Category
…but it is the first step towards curiosity, interest, study, understanding, appreciating and finally valuing diversity. If we can get everyone on the first step of tolerance, at least we won’t be killing each other.
What happens when Christians fight for the right to put religious flyers in school kids’ bags? Well, a Pagan group puts flyers in, inviting the community to a friendly information evening. The Christians will be fine with this demonstration of equality and fairness, yes?
Hehehe, anyone surprised by the big fat NO?
…The act of understating, or the condition of being understated; that which is understated; a statement below the truth.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard admits Iraq war is going ‘badly’
…it is the ligament which holds civilized beings and civilized nations together.
News.com.au Blogocracy Blog has a discussion about the fact that lawyers for David Hicks have ’applied for an urgent hearing in the Federal Court in Sydney in a bid to bring him home by Christmas.’
David Hicks has been in custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2001, after the US invasion of Afghanistan. A US Supreme Court ruled in June that the military tribunals set up to try Mr Hicks and other Guantanamo Bay inmates were illegal. The charges of conspiracy, attempted murder and aiding the enemy, that David Hicks pled not guilty to, were dropped.
There is deep concern about the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo. The most recent case of abuse coming to light is the ongoing abusive treatment of Jose Padillo. Also read further at Whiskey Fire: I Will Be Eternally Hateful .
…woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race.
A woman is offended by the wording of a particular poster for safe sex, and writes a letter to her college paper expressing this.
Now, I don’t actually find the ad offensive.
What I find offensive is the responses to her letter.
“The fact that (letter writer) finds this advert offensive indicates sexual frustration on her part.”
“In my experience, most feminist rage can be assuaged by a prompt deep-dicking.”
And the most frightening…
“You sound like you could use a good deepdicking. Here’s to the violent destruction of that hymen of yours!”
That was the first page. I couldn’t bring myself to go further. Revolting. These men are someone’s son, someone’s boyfriend, someone’s brother.
…a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Thanks to Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) comes the fantastic followup to my story here, on the Islamic review of the barbaric practice of female gential mutilation, known as female circumcision. There is great news!
Muslim Women are no longer to be assulted in this heinous way.
From the news article : “Ten of the highest ranked scholars from all over the world met at the Azhar University under the patronage of the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Prof. Dr. Ali Goma’a. After listening to several international physicians, they pronounced the sensational decision to classify the custom of female genital mutilation (FGM) as punishable aggression and crime against humanity. As a result, the custom can no longer be practiced by Muslims. Now awareness of this decision has to be spread in the 33 affected countries.”
WONDERFUL! Now, lets hope this message spreads with all speed, so fewer girls have to suffer the terribly painful (without anasthetic) and risky (mostly unhygienically performed) practice.
…to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
Mansour Osanloo, the President of the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed) was arrested by plain clothes agents, who refused to show any identification or arrest warrants, on Sunday, November 19, 2006 while he, along with two other union board members, were on their way to the office of the Labour Ministry in Tehran East. The agents physically and verbally assaulted Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi, the union’s vice-president, and one of them pointed a gun at Mr. Madadi and fired a bullet in the air. The agents finally forced Mr. Osanloo into a waiting car and drove away.
I want to believe in basic human decency and fundamentals of justice. I have challenged the Iranian Government to prove that they are indeed righteous and just, and to set Mansour Osanloo free. You, too, can ask, demand, challenge - and lets get them to Free Mansour Osanloo now.
Let us be powerful together, and raise our voices.
Thanks to Bruce for bringing this to my attention….
…the whole world seems depopulated.
This deservedly Pulizter Prize winning Rocky Mountain News Article on the Marines who notify the families of the soldiers who die, and the impact the loss has on both the notifiers, and the families, is heartbreaking. It leaves you with a profound respect fr the Marines involved, and a deep sorrow that this is what is happening daily for families who have serving members.
I will support the military, but I will never support this war.
…moonworm.
This interview with one Albert Gore, maker of the doco movie An Inconvenient Truth, and in the minds of many people, the REAL President of the USA, is fascinating. Dayum, man has a conscience and passion and drive. Run for pres again, PLEASE!!!! AND he rode the moonworm! When I first saw him on Futurama, I thought to myself, “self”, I thought, “self - we need to elect people like this, that can poke such wicked fun at themselves.”
(Ok, enough raving. Its just he is such a contrast to the incompetent incumbent)
AL GORE: MOVIE STAR: GQ Features on men.style.com
…no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.
Do you want one event that summarises, if only to me, exactly where the US has gone wrong in Iraq? In the mindset that allows this. The US army, on patrol, comes across some Iraqis stealing wood (frivolously stealing wood, for cooking etc. Can you imagine!). Do the soldiers talk to the civilians reasonably, maybe even with some sense of sympathy?
HELL NO!! Thats not the US way, obviously. Heres what they do : US Tank crushes Iraqi civilian’s car.
No wonder Colin Powell thinks its time the Bush administration came to terms with the obvious fact its a civil war now in Iraq. Via Think Progress : Powell says Iraq Is In A Civil War And Bush Should Stop Denying It
Jimmy Carter says :“Iraq Invasion…One Of The Greatest Blunders That American Presidents Have Ever Made”
And Judge Strikes Down Bush on Terror Groups. From the article : “A federal judge struck down President Bush’s authority to designate groups as terrorists, saying his post-Sept. 11 executive order was unconstitutional and vague, according to a ruling released Tuesday”.
…may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon.
impactEDnurse is a fantastic Australian website about an ER Nurse in Canberra. Next time you need the ER, spare a thought for these overworked, stressed, amazing indivduals, and go and punch* your local Health Minister. Hard enough so that they need ER. And have to see how hard these people work in drastically underfunded systems.
*DISCLAIMER:
OK, I *WAS* joking about punching your Health Minister. Tempting as it is, best not.
Write to them, phone them, complain bitterly and loudly at every opportunity on behalf of medical staff and patients alike.
As Arlo Guthrie said in the great, classic, immortal (can you tell I love it) song Alice’s Restuarant -
“And the only reason I’m singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if you’re in a situation like that there’s only one thing you can do and that’s walk into the shrink wherever you are, just walk in say “Shrink, You can get anything you want, at Alice’s restaurant.”.
And walk out.
You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he’s really sick and they won’t take him.
And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they’re both faggots and they won’t take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singing a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. They may think it’s an organization.
And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in singing a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out.
And friends, they may thinks it’s a movement.”
Become a movement. Sing at them - that should be annoying enough:)
