Congress Moves to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: – By Kerry Eleveld | The Advocate

The U.S. House of Representatives and a Senate panel have both approved measures that would begin the process of dismantling the 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibits gays and lesbians for serving openly in the military.

After a heated Thursday night floor debate, House members voted 234-to-194 to approve a repeal amendment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act sponsored by Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy.

“Tonight, Congress took a historic step toward repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and toward ensuring that every American has the same opportunity I did to defend our nation,” said Murphy, who served as an Army paratrooper. “Patriotic Americans willing to take a bullet for their country should never be forced to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love.”

Earlier Thursday evening, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved a companion amendment by a 16-12 vote in a closed-door session.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the lone Republican on the committee joining 15 of her Democratic colleagues to approve the measure as an attachment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia was the only Democrat to vote against it.

If signed into law as part of the Defense funding bill, the measure would not immediately repeal the law. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” would continue as the official policy of the military until two events occur: the Pentagon completes an implementation study due in December; and the secretary of Defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and President Barack Obama certify that repeal will not weaken military readiness. Once those two requirements are met, a 60-day waiting period will begin before the policy is finally lifted.

Repeal advocates celebrated the historic vote even as they acknowledged that it was one step in what promises to be a multitiered process.

Excerpt, read the entire article here: Congress Moves to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”:  – By Kerry Eleveld | The Advocate

 

Amnesty International Report 2010: State of the World’s Human Rights

Amnesty International Report 2010: State of the World’s Human Rights documents abuses in 159 countries and shows how powerful governments are blocking advances in international justice by standing above the law on human rights, shielding allies from criticism and acting only when politically convenient.

Purchase a copy

 

1000 Dead in Afghanistan | by Rethinking Afghanistan

On May 30, we’ll pass the $1 trillion mark for the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

That’s a trillion dollars we could have used to create jobs, keep people in their homes, or make sure sick kids can see a doctor. Politicians and pundits throw the word “trillion” around like it’s chump change, and that means most people don’t have any idea how much $1 trillion actually is.

To get you thinking about the true cost of the wars, we’ve created a facebook app that asks: “How would YOU spend $1 trillion?”

Rethinking Afghanistan

 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | “Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam”

This speech was released by Black Forum records, a subsidiary of Motown, and went on to win a Grammy in 1970 for the Best Spoken Word Recording. Excerpts of a Sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on April 30, 1967.

 

SERGIO

Sergio Vieira de Mello (15 March 1948 – 19 August 2003) was born in Brazil and worked as a diplomat for the United Nations for 34 years, earning respect and praise around the world for his political and humanitarian work. He was killed in the Canal Hotel bombing in Iraq along with 20 other members of his staff on August 19, 2003. He was posthumously awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. Sergio is based on Chasing the Flame, a book by Samantha Power. I highly recommend both the book and the HBO documentary.

• Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation
• The World Humanitarian Day
• BBC Obituary – Sergio Vieira Mello
• United Nations
• Wikipedia

 

Focus On | Felon Disenfranchisement

Actor Charles Dutton and others barred from voting, because they served time for felony convictions, discuss the ongoing impact of this restriction.

Voting is both a fundamental right and a civic duty. However there remains a significant blanket barrier to the franchise: 5.3 million American citizens are not allowed to vote because of criminal convictions. As many as four million of these people live, work, and raise families in our communities, but because of convictions in their past they are still denied the right to vote.

State laws vary widely on when voting rights are restored. Maine and Vermont do not deny the franchise based on a criminal conviction; even prisoners may vote there. Kentucky and Virginia are the last two states to continue to permanently disenfranchise all people with felony convictions unless they receive individual, discretionary clemency from the governor. The remaining 46 states fall somewhere in between, with the varied state laws forming a patchwork across the country. Some states restore voting rights upon release from prison, others upon completion of probation and parole, and others impose waiting periods or other contingencies and categories before restoring voting rights.

This disenfranchisement by law of millions of American citizens is only half the story. Across the country there is persistent confusion among election officials about their state’s felony disenfranchisement policies. Election officials receive little or no training on these laws, and there is little or no coordination or communication between election offices and the criminal justice system. These factors, coupled with complex laws and complicated registration procedures, result in the mass dissemination of inaccurate and misleading information, which in turn leads to the de facto disenfranchisement of untold hundreds of thousands of eligible would-be voters throughout the country.

Excerpt, read the entire article here: Focus On | Felon Disenfranchisement | ACLU

 

Focus On | Redistricting

Racially polarized voting is still a major problem across the country, and political redistricting practices can severely hinder effective minority participation. Every American citizen has the right to participate equally in the political process, and the ACLU continues to challenge election systems that dilute the minority vote.

In the video above, two Native Americans discuss a suit brought on behalf of four tribal members against the South Dakota Secretary of State.

Focus On | Redistricting | ACLU

 

Race Relations in America: How Far Have We Really Come?

Background: In the 1940s, child psychologists Kenneth Bancroft Clark & Mamie Phipps Clark conducted an experiment using dolls to gauge children’s attitude about race. They testified in Briggs v. Elliot (1952), one of the cases consolidated in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The Clarks’ work influenced the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), which ruled that de jure segregation in public school education was unconstitutional; that separate was not equal, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Anderson Cooper & the authors of NurtureShock revisit this experiment, with similar results.

 

The World’s Worst Immigration Laws – By Peter Williams | Foreign Policy

Think Arizona’s new immigration law is harsh? The Grand Canyon state has nothing on these guys. FP takes a look at some of the world’s worst immigration laws.

6-MONTH DETENTION

Country: Italy

Immigrant population: 3.9 million

What the law does: Like much of southern Europe, Italy faces the daunting challenge of trying to regulate and manage massive migration inflows from North Africa and the Mediterranean. In response, the Italian government has instituted various measures aimed at curbing immigration. One of the harshest, passed by parliament in 2009, penalizes illegal immigrants with a fine of €5,000-10,000 and allows immigration officials to detain them for up to 6 months.

Reactions: Suffice it to say that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s tough new legislation has done little to allay the rising tension in Italy over immigration and its role in Italian society. This tension came to a head this January when race riots erupted in Rosarno, a small town in the southern region of Calabria that is home to some 20,000 migrant workers, many of whom are African. The riots, which lasted for two days, left cars destroyed, shops looted, more than 50 immigrants and police officers wounded, and many rioters handcuffed and detained.

THE “BLACK SHEEP” LAW

Country: Switzerland

Immigrant population: 1.7 million

What the law does: Switzerland’s uneasy relationship with its Muslim immigrant population became very public in recent years thanks to the rise of the far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and the referendum that resulted in a ban on mosque minarets in 2009. One subject that hasn’t been getting as much publicity, however, is a tough new immigration law proposed by the SVP that is currently awaiting referendum. The law would allow the Swiss government to immediately deport all convicted criminals from other countries and — depending on which specific provisions of the bill pass — potentially their family members.

Reactions: After the SVP distributed a now-infamous poster in 2007 depicting three white sheep kicking out one black sheep above the caption “For More Security,” the U.N. instructed its special rapporteur on racism to request an official explanation from the government regarding the poster (at the time, the SVP held a plurality of seats in the Swiss coalition government). Swiss society has become polarized over the immigration law debate. In 2007, opponents of the bill formed the short-lived “Black Sheep Committee” to support immigrants rights — but enthusiasm for the SVP and its policies continues to grow.

Excerpt, read the entire article here: The World’s Worst Immigration  Laws – By Peter Williams | Foreign Policy

 

Costly and Unjust, Flaws in U.S. Immigration Detention Policy | Human Rights Watch Report

In 2009, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) held between 380,000 and 442,000 people in some 300 US detention facilities, at an annual cost of $1.7 billion. These people are not imprisoned as punishment for criminal offenses, but rather are detained for civil immigration violations. Many will be deprived of their liberty for months, some for years. And many are being held unnecessarily, at great cost to themselves, their families, and US taxpayers. At least since 1996, ICE has enjoyed relatively unchecked powers to sweep non-citizens into detention. This report is one of a series looking at flaws in current immigration policy that can be remedied through specific administrative and legislative actions.

Download and read entire report here: Costly and Unjust, Flaws in U.S. Immigration Policy | Human Rights Watch