Clipmarks | Justice Clips

Rendition suit by innocent man to be re-heard

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:07:38 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Is there justice in the USA? Canadian citizen, detained in error for two weeks at JFK, then flown by US to Jordan for interrogation, held for 10 months. Restitution paid by Canadians, but court in US held it had no jurisdiction, saying that while at JFK, Arar was not technically in the USA. Totally innocent man - all now agree - abducted by the USA, probably tortured in Jordan. Can the USA say "Oops" and not be held responsible for the abduction and torture of an innocent man? Are we different than Stalin only by degree?

Clip Source: www.atimes.com

In what legal scholars describe as a highly unusual move, a federal appeals court in New York last week decided to rehear a case it had decided in June, when a three-judge panel dismissed a lawsuit filed by the man who has arguably become the poster child for the Bush administration's rendition program.

Bringing the suit is Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen who was detained incommunicado for two weeks at Kennedy

Airport in 2002, flown by US authorities to Jordan and then to Syria, where he was held for 10 months and where he has said he was tortured.

The Canadian government issued a formal apology to Arar last year and paid him US$9.75 million

In the original decision, the three-judge panel agreed with a lower court decision

ruling 2 to 1 that the federal courts lacked jurisdiction

one of the three judges dissented, describing as "a legal fiction" the idea that Arar was not in this country when he was apprehended at Kennedy

Arar "was, in effect, abducted

at JFK Airport"

Tags: rendition, war on terror, torture

Majority of Jailed Afghan Women Serving Time for Being Raped

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:50:35 GMT

clipped by: Smoke TNT
clipper's remarks: "As she was led away to her jail cell yesterday, Dorkhani lifted her burqa to reveal a sun-battered face streaked with tears and pleading eyes: "Please, please take our words somewhere where people will be kind and help us.""

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

Two-thirds of the women in Lashkar Gah's medieval-looking jail have been convicted of illegal sexual relations, but most are simply rape victims – mirroring the situation nationwide. The system does not distinguish between those who have been attacked and those who have chosen to run off with a man.

Sitting among the plastic flowers around his desk, where an optimistic United Nations scales of justice poster competed for space with images of Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, Colonel Ghulam Ali, a high-ranking regional security officer, explained sternly that he supported the authorities' right to convict victims of rape. "In Afghanistan whether it is forced or not forced it is a crime because the Islamic rules say that it is," he claimed. "I think it is good. There are many diseases that can be created in today's world, such as HIV, through illegal sexual relations."

Tags: islam, afghanistan, muslims, islamofascism, rape, women

Gays and doctors in CA

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:03:24 GMT

clipped by: chipperdean

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

California: Gays and Medical Treatment

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: August 18, 2008

The State Supreme Court barred doctors from invoking their religious beliefs as a reason to deny treatment to gay men and lesbians, ruling that state law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination extended to the medical profession. Justice Joyce Kennard wrote that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian have neither a free speech right nor a religious exemption from the state’s law, which “imposes on business establishments certain antidiscrimination obligations.”

Tags: homosexuality

HIV laws

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:15:42 GMT

clipped by: chipperdean

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Seeking Better Laws on H.I.V.

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN

Published: August 8, 2008

MEXICO CITY — The 17th International AIDS Conference ended here on Friday with a call for the reversal of laws that criminalize and stigmatize groups at risk for H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.

“Criminalization is a poor tool for regulating H.I.V. infection and transmission,” Edwin Cameron, a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals in South Africa, said in a plenary session.

Tags: hiv

Calif top court: Docs can't withhold care to gays

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:29:38 GMT

clipped by: queerty
clipper's remarks: Isn't it a wonderful world, when the MEDICAL profession need to be told that by a COURT?

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California's highest court on Monday barred doctors from invoking their religious beliefs as a reason to deny treatment to gays and lesbians, ruling that state law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination extends to the medical profession.

Justice Joyce Kennard wrote that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian have neither a free speech right nor a religious exemption from the state's law, which "imposes on business establishments certain antidiscrimination obligations."

In the lawsuit that led to the ruling, Guadalupe Benitez, 36, of Oceanside said that the doctors treated her with fertility drugs and instructed her how to inseminate herself at home but told her their beliefs prevented them from inseminating her. One of the doctors referred her to another fertility specialist without moral objections, and Benitez has since given birth to three children.

The Daily Show vs. Blovation Fest 2008!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:22:41 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: I've been watching the Daily Show since its first episode, and I started taking it serriously when Jon upped the IQ quotient by replacing Craig Killborne. Now the show pretty much only does indie film makers, political wonks, and third world presidents. How cool is that? The only people who do more serious interviews are Charlie Rose and Bill Moyers, and actually, Bill Moyers described Jon as "The Mark Twain of our time."

But why did I clip? for the "Blovation Fest" Quote, which by the way, will be the festival of avant garde noise-punk music I attempt to put on this fall.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in America?

Most important, at a time when Fox, MSNBC and CNN routinely mix news and entertainment, larding their 24-hour schedules with bloviation fests and marathon coverage of sexual predators and dead celebrities, it’s been “The Daily Show” that has tenaciously tracked big, “super depressing” issues like the cherry-picking of prewar intelligence, the politicization of the Department of Justice and the efforts of the Bush White House to augment its executive power.

Tags: jon stewart, daily show, blovation fest, sexual predator, dead celebrities

Doctors Can't Deny Lesbians Care on Religious Grounds

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:56:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

The California Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that doctors cannot cite their religious beliefs as grounds to deny gay and lesbian patients medical care.

Justice Joyce Kennard ruled that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian couple cannot claim a free speech or religious exemption from California's anti-discrimination law.

The ruling extends a state law barring sexual orientation-based discrimination to the medical profession.

In 1999, after a year of surgeries and hormone treatments — all covered by insurance — Benitez was finally ready to get pregnant. But at the crucial moment, her doctor refused to do the procedure for "religious" reasons.

Benitez is a lesbian and sued her doctors under California's civil rights laws, charging that they discriminated against her because of her sexual orientation.

Tags: medical, gay, lesbian, religion, belief, discrimination

SAIC Conflict Case

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:38:31 GMT

clipped by: Andrew Gillies
clipper's remarks: Another story playing up the government's vulnerability as contractors gain clout. Pair this together with last week's reports (http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/cbo-iraq-contracts-close-to-hitting-100-billion-mark-2008-08-12.html) on the military's startling reliance on contractors in Iraq (190,000 there now). An equity analyst (ex-military) I spoke to last week on the topic mentioned that, even if political pressure mounts to rein in contractors, it would be very difficult and expensive for the government to do so.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Potential for Conflict Grows With Government's Use of Contractors

By Robert O'Harrow Jr.

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 18, 2008; Page D01

For years, Science Applications International Corp. served as an adviser to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the development of rules for when radioactive materials could be released from nuclear facilities for recycling.

At the same time, SAIC worked as a contractor on just such a recycling project at a Department of Energy facility, but it did not disclose the conflict as required by federal regulations, according to evidence gathered by the Justice Department. A company executive also helped run an association that advocated for favorable recycling standards, and the firm was planning a business that could have been affected by rules it was helping to write, Justice documents show.

Saudi girl drinks bleach to escape marriage

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:42:34 GMT

clipped by: missjackson
clipper's remarks: Father was 'swapping' her for a 13-year-old bride

Clip Source: www.alarabiya.net

A 16-year-old Saudi girl drank a bottle of bleach in an attempt to commit suicide to escape a forced marriage to a 75-year-old man, press reports revealed Sunday.

The girl identified only as, Shaikha, said her father was forcing her to marry the old man so that he could marry his 13-year-old daughter in an exchange deal, Bahrain's Tribune reported.

Shaikha told the paper how she begged and pleaded not to be forced into marriage but both of the men ignored her pleas.

The 16-year-old appealed to the National Society of Human Rights to intervene and stop the marriage saying she never consented to it, the Tribune said, adding Shaikha also begged to go live with her mother.

“Judges can punish men who force their daughters to marry like this," Sheikh Abdul Mohsin Al Obeikan, Shura Council member and adviser to the Minister of Justice said, adding the marriage contract was void because it violated Shariah law, the Tribune reported.

Marcus Aurelius' thoughts on life

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:31:47 GMT

clipped by: Yafi07
clipper's remarks: And they are still applicable today. There are some interest contemporary reflections on the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius here.

Clip Source: www.pickthebrain.com

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 180. A great thinker, Marcus embodied Plato’s ideal of the philosopher king to a considerable extent. He was a strong emperor, engaging in various wars in defense of the Roman empire for his entire reign, but he was also greatly concerned with social justice and welfare, even going so far as to sell his own possessions to alleviate people’s suffering from famine and plague (from which he died).

“Such as are your habitual thoughts; such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the color of your thoughts.”

Marcus left behind a corpus of writing which, despite it’s antiquity, offers us some truly timeless wisdom. Here are six lessons we can learn from his observations on life.

“Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.”

Tags: marcus aurelius, law of attraction

Russian's Break Agreement As Usual

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:35:11 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: 14.08.08 13:19 Declaration of U.S. support to Georgia has increased the aggression of Russia and instead of pulling out from the city of Gori, they have reinforced their positions there, ousted Georgian police and journalists from the city. Reporters say they are hearing explosions from the entrance of the city; Ossetian gunmen have abducted several vehicles of various TV crews, reportedly, Niva, Jeep and Mercedes type cars. Russians did not stop the robbers. Ossetian militant was even threatening the reporter of the Rustavi2 with a gun.
Despite numerous evidences of various reporters, Russian general denies the abduction. Georgian Security Secretary, who was waiting for the settlement of situation in the city, and the team of reporters have been evacuated from the city. Russian general says he is no responsible for the security of journalists and says no exact date when Russian will leave the city.

Clip Source: rustavi2.com

Russians plunder military bases in Samegrelo

17.08.08 17:17

Russian soldiers have plundered whole Region of Samegrelo, Georgia before their departure from the areas of the country beyond the conflict zone of Abkhazia. Soldiers of Russian regular army have completely plundered Senaki military base and taken away all they could place on their vehicles and the military vehicles of Georgian defense ministry as well. Russian soldiers are stealing dishes, furniture, household appliances, blankets, computers, power generators, radiators and even toilet units. What they cannot take away with them they are destroying. The whole bases in Senaki as well as Poti coastal guards have been destroyed.

Russians burn woods in protected areas

Russians plunder military bases in Senaki, Poti

Ossetian gunmen kidnap Georgians

Turkish journalists came under fire in S.Ossetia

Russians arrest Georgian reporters

Police reveals facts of plunder

Justice minister reports prison break

Tags: georgia, russian funded ossetian militia, russian military, plunder, kidnappings, journalists evacuated, senaki/poti coastal guards destroyed

Should The US Join The ICC???

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:38:11 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: McCain thinks so!
Here is another article on the opinions of candidates who were are still are in the race for POTUS. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/02/MNLUU4LBH.DTL

Clip Source: www.aim.org

The media, which adore the U.N. and believe it is the last best hope of mankind, do not recognize the appeal of Ron Paul's no-global-government message. Most reporters probably think it is rather silly. But it is becoming a major issue among the conservative Republican grassroots. It is so big that it could sink Senator John McCain, who is on record in support of U.S. participation in the U.N.'s notorious International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC could become a major issue, regardless of what happens in the presidential campaign, as the $6.4 billion left-wing MacArthur Foundation has indicated that it will spend tens or perhaps even hundreds of millions of dollars in a campaign to force U.S. acceptance of the ICC and "raise the profile of international justice issues during 2008

Sen. John McCain has said he would like to see the United States join the international court

The ICC would strip Americans of Bill of Rights protections

I discovered a press release

hailing McCain for his support

Another concession

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:24:36 GMT

clipped by: sillysam

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

JERUSALEM — Israel's Cabinet on Sunday approved the release of some 200 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinian government of moderate President Mahmoud Abbas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Cabinet passed the proposal 16-4. Earlier this month, Olmert told Abbas he would free some of the 9,000 Palestinians held by Israel to help energize peace talks.

The prisoner issue is extremely emotional for Palestinians, many of whom know somebody behind bars or have been imprisoned themselves. Palestinians see Israel's justice system as unfair and have elevated prisoners to hero status. Abbas, known as Abu Mazen, has repeatedly called for a large release to boost his public standing.

For peace, justice, and life on Earth, fresh ways of seeing arise, and ancient ways return.

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:11:27 GMT

clipped by: zalisan
clipper's remarks: Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, Ph.D., is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with four decades of activism. She has created a ground-breaking theoretical framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop methodology for its application.

Clip Source: www.joannamacy.net

The Great Turning is a name for the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.

The ecological and social crises we face are inflamed by an economic system dependent on accelerating growth. This self-destructing political economy sets its goals and measures its performance in terms of ever-increasing corporate profits--in other words by how fast materials can be extracted from Earth and turned into consumer products, weapons, and waste.

A revolution is underway because people are realizing that our needs can be met without destroying our world. We have the technical knowledge, the communication tools, and material resources to grow enough food, ensure clean air and water, and meet rational energy needs. Future generations, if there is a livable world for them, will look back at the epochal transition we are making to a life-sustaining society. And they may well call this the time of the Great Turning

Clip Source: www.joannamacy.net

Clipmarks | Justice Clips

Rendition suit by innocent man to be re-heard

Majority of Jailed Afghan Women Serving Time for Being Raped

Gays and doctors in CA

HIV laws

Calif top court: Docs can't withhold care to gays

The Daily Show vs. Blovation Fest 2008!

More Blowback on Thomas Answer

Doctors Can't Deny Lesbians Care on Religious Grounds

SAIC Conflict Case

Potential for Conflict Grows With Government's Use of Contractors

Saudi girl drinks bleach to escape marriage

Marcus Aurelius' thoughts on life

Russian's Break Agreement As Usual

Russians plunder military bases in Samegrelo

17.08.08 17:17

Should The US Join The ICC???

Another concession

For peace, justice, and life on Earth, fresh ways of seeing arise, and ancient ways return.