What do a white mother of nine and a black suspect beaten by police have in common?

Springfield, Massachusetts events have hit the national news twice since the beginning of the new year.

First, 35 year old Tessa Savicki, Springfield mother of nine children, filed a lawsuit against Baystate Medical Center, two nurses and three doctors, claiming she was sterilized against her will while undergoing a cesarean section during the birth of her last child..

Then, on Thursday, news broke that the Springfield Police Department is investigating the beating of 28 year old Melvin Jones III by four Springfield police officers in late November, 2009.  The Springfield Republican  posted a videotape of the beating taken by an anonymous bystander.

Public reaction to both stories has been vocal and across the board politically, but much of the discourse can be place in one of two categories.

EITHER human rights apply to everyone equally OR  human rights should be applied differently depending on one's perception of the human beings involved.

When I say human rights, I also mean the laws and regulations that are supposed to support those rights.

Ms. Savicki has nine children, has never been married,  and has spent a good portion of her motherhood receiving public assistance of some kind.

Mr. Jones has a previous arrest record and recently finished an 18-month jail term for possession of crack cocaine.

According to some of the public, Ms. Savicki, should have been forcibly sterilized a long time ago, and Mr. Jones got what was coming to him.  Poor people shouldn't have children and young Black men shouldn't get addicted to drugs.  Therefore, whatever happens to them that violates their human rights is acceptable.

The problem with having a flexible standard for human rights is, of course, who gets to decide how those rights are applied.

Forcible sterilization of particular groups of people such as Jews, gypsies, and the physically and mentally handicapped were well-accepted during certain historical times and by certain governments.  Apparently much of the today's public finds forcible sterilization of welfare mothers quite appropriate-- after all, it's their tax dollars that support these mothers.  However, the forced sterilization of a mother of nine-- or nineteen!-- who's a good evangelical Christian in a two-parent family not accepting any public assistance would create a huge public uproar.

Many countries at different times have ceded their human rights to law enforcement, and though private opinion might hold otherwise, public opinion is often vociferously supportive.  So what if our phones are tapped, our email monitored, and our headscarves trigger a full body search?  Hey, if you haven't done anything wrong, what have you got to worry about? 

I have my own opinions, of course, about Ms. Savicki and Mr. Jones.  I think anyone who has nine children in this day and age, and who still wants more, is out of her mind-- whether she's on welfare or wealthy.  I also think Mr. Jones is clearly not benefiting by his relationship with illegal drugs.

Readers of this blog also know I support decriminalization of drugs and believe that a public health approach rather than a criminal justice approach would be more beneficial both to drug users and society. And I shook my head in dismay but not disbelief when Officer Jeffrey Asher's was revealed to be one of the four officers being investigated; I'm all too familiar with that name. 

But what I believe, with all my heart, is that human rights belong to everyone. You have the right to have children whether society approves or not, and you have the right to be treated humanely even if you have broken the law.  That so many of us are willing to allow these rights only for those of whom we approve is sad and repellent.  I can only hope that the majority of us continue to feel differently.

Photo from riacale's photostream at Flickr.

Human Rights Day - what does it mean?

Sixty one years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global declaration of human rights ever made.  The United States has only ratified three of the nine core human right treaties stemming from the Declaration,  which doesn't mean as much as it might seem, seeing as many of the signatories were then and still continue to be major violators of human rights.  But the U.S. is where I've lived all my life, and is truly the only place in the world where I understand what I see and where my life might make a difference.

Tonight I was sitting in my car, drinking coffee and waiting for a building to open its doors for a meeting.  It was finally cold outside, almost a relief, with the inch of snow from yesterday still crisp on the ground.  Across the street, I watched people leave the local market singly and in small groups, carrying white plastic bags filled with food.  Heads down, they were walking toward home.

Most of them were not dressed very warmly.  Maybe they'd been caught unawares of the weather.  But at least they had food to carry.  Whether that food was nourishing or enough was a different question.

Of the people passing, I knew that some were just leaving work and stopping at the market on the way home.  Some were receiving public assistance.  The very old woman who walked by was eligible for Social Security.  Given I was in a poor neighborhood, a majority probably paid for a portion of their purchase with food stamps.   Most but not all were people of color.

There are days when I really celebrate the life force that shines through in people, who get by somehow or other and find joy in being alive despite all adversity. On others days I see how adversity slowly wears away the human spirit and narrows  the window of hope  to a distant sliver of light.

I believe that everyone has a use and a talent,  and that poverty is like a cloud without moisture that hangs over the seeds of our becoming.  Without food, shelter, clothing, meaningful work, health care, education and civil liberties, we cannot fully become ourselves and we cannot create a truly healthy community.  But even so...we survive.

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,


Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,


Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,


Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,


Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,


Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,


Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTSas a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Photo from Isado's photostream at Flickr.

Two poems from Iran

A Rumi Poem

How did you get away?
You were the pet falcon of an old woman.
Did you hear the falcon-drum?
You were a drunken songbird put in with owls.
Did you smell the odor of a garden?
You got tired of sour fermenting
and left the tavern.
You went like an arrow to the target
from the bow of time and place.
The man who stays at the cemetery pointed the way,
but you didn't go.
You became light and gave up wanting to be famous.
You don't worry about what you're going to eat,
so why buy an engraved belt?
I've heard of living at the center, but what about
leaving the center of the center?
Flying toward thankfulness, you become
the rare bird with one wing made of fear,
and one of hope. In autumn,
a rose crawling along the ground in the cold wind.
Rain on the roof runs down and out by the spout
as fast as it can.
Talking is pain. Lie down and rest,
now that you've found a friend to be with.

"These Branching Moments", Coleman Barks
Copper Beech Press, 1988

I have never feared death Even though Its hands were more fragile Than banality. I dread, however, to die In a land where The grave digger's wages Exceed the price of human freedom. Looking for, Discovering, Choosing freely, And transforming one's essence Into a fortress. If the price of death is higher than all that, I deny, in absolute terms, To have ever feared death

From Death
by
Ahmad Shamlu
translated by
Iraj Bashiri
Copyright ©, 2004, Iraj Bashiri
Photo from kashyap_hc's photostream at Flickr

TODAY, NEARLY A HUNDRED BLOGGERS ARE POSTING ABOUT IRAN AS PART OF A CONCERTED EFFORT AT BLOGGERS UNITE!

How ’07 ABC Interview Tilted a Torture Debate

NYTimes had a story Monday that should be required reading by all media and anyone who uses media to be informed about current events-- guess that's just about everybody. It's the tale of a former CIA official who said on an ABD interview that only 30-35 seconds of waterboarding forced the cooperation of the suspected terrorist Abu Zubaydah in interrogations at a secret prison in Thailand.. This assertion was repeated by numerous other media sources over the next years

With the release of the recent torture memos by the Justice Department, it turns out that Zubaydah was waterboarded at least 83 times.

"The conclusion that he revealed no new information after being waterboarded appears to be supported by a footnote to a 2005 Justice Department memo saying the use of the harshest methods appeared to have been "unnecessary" in his case. An official with direct knowledge of the case told The Times that watching his torment caused great distress to his captors." NYTimes.

Anti-Bullying Community Forum and Vigil

In the wake of the recent tragedy that took the life of young Carl Joseph Walker- Hoover a forum is being held to create an opportunity for the community to address the issues affecting all the youth of our city, and build solutions together.

This event brings together a board array of perspectives on bullying to highlight its sever impacts, as well as solutions to this ending this epidemic in our city, state and country.

At this special event the community with have the opportunity to voice their thoughts, ask questions and offer solutions. This event will end with a candlelight vigil remembering all those who have been the affected by bullying.

Special Guest: Sirdeaner L. Walker, mother of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover

Musical Performances: Holyoke High School Madrigal Singers, Shakira L. Hanley

Opening Speaker: Rev. Irene Monroe, Coordinator of the African American Roundtable of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS) at the Pacific School of Religion, and a religion columnist.

Panelist(s): Lisa – Perry Woods, Executive Director Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Youth Commission, Jossie Valientie, Senior Bilingual Academic Counselor, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke and Parent, OutNow member and public school student

Come to Listen! Come to make your voice heard! Come to make a difference!

Date:April 29th 6:30pm- 8:30pm; Location: American International College,Griswold Theatre, 1000 State Street,Springfield, Ma 01109 http://www.aic.edu/visitors/directions

Bullies, suicides and suspensions

Massachusetts Rep. Alice Wolf, D-25th Middlesex, has introduced legislation that would rein in the out-of-control rate of school suspensions. A a hearing on the proposed bill will take place this Tuesday, 6 pm., at the Springfield Science and Technology High School, 1250 State St.

The purpose of the hearing, sponsored by the Graduation and Drop-Out Prevention and Recovery Commission, is to solicit information on the effect of school suspensions, and to build support for Wolf's bill, "An Act to help students stay in school."

Some bullets from the hearing fact sheet:

• Many Massachusetts school districts exclude students from school for non-violent misconduct that does not threaten student and school staff safety.
• African-American students are six times more likely to be excluded, often for the same infractions that bring lesser discipline for non-minority kids.
• Last year, 64,000 kids were excluded from school in Massachusetts, with 4,200 exclusions of longer than ten days. Many exclusions go unreported.
• School exclusion is strongly linked to students dropping out of school.

The Stay in School Act would limit school suspensions to 90 school days in most cases, and limit suspensions to 10 days unless students assault staff, bring weapons to school, deal drugs or engage in other felonious behavior. It would also require a written explanation of the suspension, and allow parents the right to appeal.

The timing of this hearing in Springfield couldn't be more ironic. On April 6, Springfield student Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover hung himself in response to bullying in school. He was eleven years old. Ten days later, another eleven year old Georgia boy hung himself for the same reasons. Bullying is serious business and the cruelty that some children endure produces lifelong scars. Yet are suspensions the best answer to this problem?

Charles M. Blow at the NYTImes wrote a sad and chilling column this week about the effect of homophobic bullying on children, with statistics to break your heart. The main focus of bullies seems to be boys who are perceived as "gay"-- that is, kids who enjoy music, like to read, like to dance or who otherwise don't fit the lowest common denominator of masculinity, and kids who are bullied for their appearance.

These realities have not stopped the Massachusetts House, however, from taking away 40% of the funds earmarked for suicide prevention programs for gay and lesbian youth in next year's budget.

Every parent in Springfield needs to have a conversation with their kids about the rights of all children to be who they are and look the way they look. Every school in Springfield needs to have the same conversation. Unless we can find a way to increase tolerance among our children and ourselves, more tragedies are just around the corner.

Torture: why is anyone shocked?

This is purely a rant....I am sitting here about as furious as I can be that anyone can act surprised about the fact that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice all knew that Justice Department-authorized torture was taking place. Everyone I know was aware that this torture was authorized at the highest levels.

From the NYTimes: In a series of high-level meetings in 2002, without a single dissent from cabinet members or lawmakers, the United States for the first time officially embraced the brutal methods of interrogation it had always condemned.This extraordinary consensus was possible, an examination by The New York Times shows, largely because no one involved — not the top two C.I.A. officials who were pushing the program, not the senior aides to President George W. Bush, not the leaders of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees — investigated the gruesome origins of the techniques they were approving with little debate.

I am particularly infuriated about the officers that were demoted and the enlisted personnel that were imprisoned for crimes that were actually NOT crimes-- in the legal sense, that is-- because those actions were approved by the Bush Administration. Yet no one-- not Bush, Cheney or anyone else-- stepped forward to defend them. They ALLOWED these people to suffer for them.

The lawyer for Charles Graner, currently serving a ten year sentence, plans to seek a presidential pardon. More info on possible appeals can be found at the Guardian.

Now, I understand that the "just following orders" excuse didn't cut it at the Nuremberg trials. But I do believe that the culture of the military makes it very difficult to do so. What do you think?

East Coast and snowed in? Take some simple, meaningful actions

Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup

Save the Date: Ocean Conservancy to release "The Rising Tide of Ocean Debris: And What We Can Do About It" in March. The report compiles the findings of the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup providing a global snapshot of the problem of trash in our ocean.

Our own health is intrinsically tied to the health of the ocean, and we each have a personal responsibility for its care. The International Coastal Cleanup, the world's largest volunteer effort for the ocean, provides a unique opportunity to make a difference in your own backyard or favorite beach and be a part of a global movement. The 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup will be held September 19th worldwide.

For questions or to receive a copy of the report contact Media Relations Manager Michele Capots.

Double Murder in Russia - Human Rights First

Last month, a leading human rights lawyer and a freelance reporter were gunned down in the middle of the afternoon in downtown Moscow. Both were returning from a press conference concerning the case of a Russian colonel charged with the murder of an 18-year-old Chechen girl.

Similar attacks have been repeatedly met with impunity. This one, in daylight and in front of dozens of witnesses, takes the danger faced by human rights defenders to a new level. Human Rights First responded quickly by sending a letter to Secretary Clinton and an appeal to President Medvedev. Thanks to those of you who joined our efforts!

HRF is pushing the new administration to take up this and other important human rights issues with Russia. Read more in our blueprint and in a recent Letter to the Editor in the Washington Times.

House Passes Act Stopping Chimps Sold as Pets - Petition at Care2

Lost in the pomp and circumstance of President Obama's non-State of the Union address on Tuesday was an important step in Congress for animal lovers. The House of Representatives passed the Captive Primate Safety Act by a vote of 323 to 95.

The Captive Primate Safety Act would make it illegal to engage in interstate and foreign commerce with primates as pets - making it much more difficult for people to buy a chimp as a pet. And given the recent incident in Connecticut (which fellow Care2 blogger Sharon S. so eloquently discussed earlier), it's becoming more and more clear that some sort of regulation is necessary to ensure something like that doesn't happen again. Ask your senator to sign on.

Regulate Toxic E-Waste

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: Care2

Do you want the latest and greatest technology? Before you decide, consider that over-consumption has led to 20-50 million metric tons of toxic e-waste worldwide each year. And the U.S. does not federally mandate recycling of e-waste.

Most old or unusable computers, televisions and cell phones are shipped off to Asia or West Africa where they are smashed and scrapped for precious metals. Young people seeking to earn a little money work at dumps to demolish electronics for valuable parts. But unknowingly they are exposed to poisonous chemicals like mercury, lead and cadmium, all known to cause cancer.

In an effort to prevent international dumping of e-waste 170 countries agreed to notify developing nations of incoming hazardous waste shipments. Sadly, the U.S. is the only industrialized country that would not sign the agreement.

Dumping e-waste is harmful to the poor nations where it ends up and harmful to the environment. The EPA refuses to take responsibility for international dumping of e-waste. Tell Congress that it's time to federally regulate e-waste dumping.


Photo from the Ocean Conservancy's photostream at Flickr.

My nephew's at Guantanamo-- what I wish I could tell him

My nephew and I have lived in the same house for probably half his life. As a teen he was into heavy metal, sci fi, paintball, martial arts and hanging with his buddies. He also had a wicked tender heart-- still does, I imagine-- particularly for his cousins and stray neighborhood kids and animals.

Two and a half years ago he joined the Navy. Like many young men, he saw the service as an opportunity to have a future and as he'd like to be in some kind of law enforcement when he leaves the service, he became part of the Naval Security Force. Five months ago, he was transfered to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

I had a hope, which I didn't dare examine too closely, that because he was in the Navy, in a bay, that he'd be spending much of his time on board a ship, away from the detention camps.

Well, it turns out that the Navy runs security for the camps now-- it used to be the Marines, but not any longer.

My nephew called home the other day and talked to his mom. Of course, for security reasons, there is much he can't say. What he did tell her, however, was about the excrement thrown at him and his fellow security force members by the detention camp prisoners as they walked between the rows of cells.

Here's what I wish I had a way to tell my nephew-- not only tell him, but have him hear.

You are a good person and you don't deserve to have excrement thrown at you. However, it will be nearly impossible for any prisoner at Guantanamo to see you as anything other than a representative of a government that has incarcerated him for seven years without access to the due process of law. No matter what else you may be, you are their jailer.

The United States has just come through nearly eight years of incredible lawlessness. You were barely into your teens when Bush was elected, but I wish you had had a chance to get to know this country before the war. Perfect it definitely was not. Yet even I, cynic that I am, couldn't have guessed how much damage could be done to civil rights.

The Senate Armed Services Committee released a bipartisan report this week about how torture, abuse and death became commonplace in the prisons where "enemy combatants" were held.

Do you know that many of those held prisoner in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere were incarcerated on the word of informants who were rewarded with cash? For many there was little evidence to begin with, and torture produced no worthwhile information. At Guantanamo, of the peak population of 775 at Guantanamo Bay, only 250 prisoners were still there as of November 20; more than two-thirds have been released.

When torture began in those prisons, high government officials including former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former White House counsel Alberto Gonzales used two main strategies to justify it.

First, they changed the definition of torture so that even techniques that could lead to the death of the person being interrogated were not out of bounds.

Second, they announced that the Geneva Convention did not apply to those who were captured in the "war on terror." You probably learned in basic training that the Geneva Convention protocols would protect you if you were ever captured in war. Many of us with family members in the armed forces feared that other countries would change their definition, too.

You will be happy to know-- if you don't already-- that every branch of the armed forces protested that the torture of prisoners violated the law. According to a New York Times editorial commenting on the Senate Armed Services Committee report, Rumsfeld rescinded some of the worst practices at Guantanamo "only after the Navy’s chief lawyer threatened to formally protest the illegal treatment of prisoners." But "by then, at least one prisoner, Mohammed al-Qahtani, had been threatened with military dogs, deprived of sleep for weeks, stripped naked and made to wear a leash and perform dog tricks. This year, a military tribunal at Guantánamo dismissed the charges against Mr. Qahtani."

The bottom line, of course, is that the armed forces must obey the Commander-in-Chief, and you must obey your commanding officers. But how I wish you weren't there, at Guantanamo, in an environment drenched in the moral corruption of torture. Affairs may have improved, but the past cannot be undone. When the a prisoner at Guantanamo looks at you, he sees all seven years of his incarceration, every humiliation he and his fellow prisoners have suffered, every pain, every snarling military dog, every sleepless night. He does not see the nephew with a tender heart that I know and love so well.

Please just keep remembering who you are, and come home soon.

The Law

The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. Anatole France

Texas school suspends 5 yr old for religious beliefs

The Texas ACLU is suing the Needville Independent School District for refusing to allow a five year old Native American boy openly wear his hair in braids, insisting he hide them in his shirt.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, charges that NISD�s actions violate Betenbaugh's and Arocha's rights to raise Adriel according to their family's religion, heritage and identity, as well as Adriel's constitutional and statutory rights to free exercise of religion and free expression. Courts have held that the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution protect students� rights to dress in conformation with their religious beliefs. Texas' Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) provides additional protections.

�"he Constitution protects the right of all people in this country to express their religious beliefs as they see fit," said Daniel Mach, Director of Litigation for the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. "The same law protects Catholic students who wear a rosary, Christian students who wear a cross, or Jewish students who wear a Star of David. Yet the school board has ignored this basic principle by punishing this young child's expression of his faith and heritage."

You can read more at the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.

Court rules OK to feed hungry people

It may have taken more than a year for a decision, but The 13th Juror reported this week that according to the U.S. District Court, Orlando FL Division, sharing food with the hungry and homeless is a form of expression protected by the First Amendment.

The decision came about because of a lawsuit filed by Food Not Bombs and several other plaintiffs last September after groups were diened a permit by the City of Orlando to feed people in a public park.

To establish that their conduct is expressive and protected by the First Amendment, the members of Food Not Bombs had to prove that they are conveying a message that is likely to be understood by the public. The city tried to argue that their message – that society can and should provide food for all of its members, regardless of wealth – wasn’t likely to be understood. But Mayor Buddy Dyer testified that he believes that Food Not Bombs provides food to the homeless only to convey its political message – not necessarily to help the homeless. 13th Juror.

How sad that Mayor Dyer thought that people wouldn't understand the message that we all need to take care of each other. I know that much of selfishness comes from fear but it is not each other we need to be afraid of.

Know/are a felon in MA? You can VOTE! Spread the word

"Hey, would you like to vote so you can participate in this historic election?"

A pause.

"Well, I'd like to, but I can't-- I'm a convicted felon."

Many felons in Massachusetts think they've permanently lost the right to vote and much of that misconception was created in the year 2000, when a successful ballot question removed the right to vote for convicted felons while they were serving their time. But as soon as a person is released, his or her right to vote is restored.

In fact, more than half of the prisoners in Massachusetts county jail are still eligible to register and to vote, because more than half of them are pre-trial-- not yet found guilty of any crime-- and a number of those who have been sentenced are serving time for a misdemeanor. All of those prisoners are eligible to vote.

More than four years ago, Holly Richardson and I, representing Arise for Social Justice, met with Hampden County Sheriff Mike Ashe and some of his program staff. We were there to speak against the construction of a new women's jail, even though we knew it was nearly unstoppable. One of the points were were there to make was that no real shortage in women's beds really existed if the pre-trial population could be reduced-- either through lighter bails or released on their own recognisance. While we were there, we asked if the county jail made any effort to get those who were eligible registered to vote and assist them to get absentee ballots. They did not, but agreed to consider "making that option available."

I am happy to report that although the administrators don't exactly run a campaign, they do make information available to prisoners about their right to register and vote. I put in a call to the program director at the Hampshire County jail, and they were happy to be provided with voter registration and absentee ballot forms. Unfortunately, I doubt most county jails are proactive unless pushed.

After years of state by state felony disenfranchisement, the tide may finally be turning to restore voting rights. According to the Sentencing Project, in the last ten years,

• Nine states either repealed or amended lifetime disenfranchisement laws
• Two states expanded voting rights to persons under community supervision
• Five states eased the restoration process for persons seeking to have their right to vote restored after completing their sentence
• Three states improved data and information sharing.

Still, some five million people will be unable to vote in this year's Presidential election.

As well as having the highest number of incarcerated persons in the world, the U.S. also denies more people convicted of a crime the right to vote than any other democratic country. In some countries, the ballot box is even brought to the prison. In dozens of countries in Europe and the Americas, all 5.3 million disenfranchised felons would have the right to vote.

If you are personally affected by felony disenfranchisement laws, or know someone who is, don't assume you or your friend can't vote. Find out! With times the way they are, hang on to every bit of power we have. You can get a state by state guide to felony enfranchisement laws at the Sentencing Project.

The deadline to register to vote in Massachusetts is October 15.

AP Photo by Brennan Linsley

The homeless terrorist

A friend of mine is an Iranian-American who has had a run of back luck-- car accident, lost job, lost apartment. Somehow, through it all, he's kept his cheerfulness and innate optimism. He's no fool; he knows social injustice when he sees it, but he believes that change is possible. (He knows when to get out, too, leaving Iran when the Ayatolah Khomeini took over.) I usually see him in a suit and tie, job hunting.

Recently he's been staying at Springfield's Friends of the Homeless shelter on Worthington St. I'm getting the rest of this second-hand, as he spoke to my sister Liz at Arise, but apparently he felt that a staffperson wasn't treating the homeless people who stay there with dignity.

"You have to treat people like human beings.," he said.

"What are you, a terrorist, now? You want I should call the police?" the worker said.

My friend is now sleeping in his sister's car. Given his past experiences, I'm sure a little paranoia seems not unjustified.

Judgement at Nuremberg

I was born two years after World War Two ended but much of my early childhood was shaped by the war none the less. In 1961, the year Judgement in Nuremberg was released, I was 14 years old, already on what would be a lifelong journey to understand the roots of World War Two and to try to comprehend how such evil could have been done.

Two experiences sent me in that direction: I read Last of the Just by Andre Schwarz-Bart, and I met Adam. Adam was a concentration camp survivor who, in his new American life, delivered housecleaning products to neighborhood families including my own. One day Adam saw me reading Just of the Just. Somehow we started talking. When I think back now, I groan inside at the artlessness of my questions and remember gratefully how much he shared with me.

I had a chance to see Judgement in Nuremberg again recently and was struck anew by the words of the verdict given by the presiding judge. The words are fiction-- written by Abby Mann-- yet sadly relevant for today. The men on trial are not the originators of the Holocaust, but are judges who carried out the laws of the Reich.

I found a script of the movie online and here share it with you.

Simple murders and atrocities do not constitute

the gravamen of the charges in this indictment.

Rather, the charge is that of conscious participation..

in a nationwide, government-organized system...

of cruelty and injustice... in violation of every moral and legal principle...

known to all civilized nations. The tribunal has carefully studied the record...

and found therein...abundant evidence to support...

beyond a reasonable doubt...the charges against these defendants.

Herr Rolfe... in his very skillful defense... has asserted that there are others...

who must share the ultimate responsibility... for what happened here in Germany.

There is truth in this.

But the tribunal does say... that the men in the dock

are responsible for their actions

Men who sat in black robes... in judgment on other men.

Men who took part..in the enactment of laws and decrees

the purpose of which was the extermination of human beings.

Men who, in executive positions... actively participated

in the enforcement of these laws... illegal even under German law.

The principle...of criminal law in every civilized society

has this in common: Any person who sways another to commit murder..

any person who furnishes... the lethal weapon for the purpose of the crime...

any person who is an accessory to the crime... is guilty.

Herr Rolfe...further asserts that the defendant Janning..

was an extraordinary jurist... and acted in what he thought

was the best interest of his country. There is truth in this also.

Janning, to be sure..is a tragic figure.

We believe he loathed the evil he did. But compassion

for the present torture of his soul...must not beget forgetfulness...

of the torture and the death of millions by the government of which he was a part.

Janning's record and his fate... illuminate the most shattering truth

that has emerged from this trial. If he and all of the other defendants

had been degraded perverts… if all of the leaders of the Third Reich.

had been sadistic monsters and maniacs, then these events

would have no more moral significance... than an earthquake,

or any other natural catastrophe. But this trial has shown...

that under a national crisis... ordinary, even able and extraordinary men...

can delude themselves into the commission of crimes...

so vast and heinous that they beggar the imagination.

No one who has sat through the trial can ever forget them.

Men sterilized because of political belief.

A mockery made of friendship and faith. The murder of children.

How easily it can happen. There are those in our own country, too...

who today speak of the protection of country... of survival.

A decision must be made in the life of every nation... at the very moment

when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat.

Then it seems that the only way to survive

is to use the means of the enemy... to rest survival upon what is expedient,

to look the other way.

The answer to that is: Survival as what?

A country isn't a rock., It's not an extension of one's self.,

It's what it stands for.

It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult.

Before the people of the world... let it now be noted...

that here in our decision, this is what we stand for:

Justice... truth... and the value of a single human being.

One million names now on Terrorist Watch List

One million names now on Terrorist Watch List-- but don't worry, that's really only 400,000 people, according to a spokesman for the Terrorist Screening Center.

Want to find out if you're on the Terrorist Watch List? You can't.

The TSC cannot reveal whether a particular person is in the TSDB. The TSDB remains an effective tool in the government’s counterterrorism efforts because its contents are not disclosed. If TSC revealed who was in the TSDB, terrorist organizations would be able to circumvent the purpose of the terrorist watchlist by determining in advance which of their members are likely to be questioned or detained. Federal Bureau of Investigation Terrorist Screening Center.

Want to get off? It took an Act of Congress to get Nelson Mandela off the list. You can go to the Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program and file a complaint. or you can call...and call...and call...and have each call be treated as if it's the first.

Even top security clearance isn't enough to keep you off the list, as a recent Department of Justice official found out recently. See Wired for more.

How many years will it take to undo the damage this Administration has done?

June 2004	158,374
May 2005	287,982
June 2006	515,906
May 2007	754,960

Homeless win $2.3 million settlement

The 13th Juror has been tracking the progress of a Fresno, CA lawsuit in which homeless people charged that their rights were violated when the city destroyed their belongings in a series of raisd on encampments. The archives tell the whole amazing story.

Graphic: Memorial poster for Pam Kincaid, lead plaintiff in the lawsuit who died last August under suspicious circumstances. Central Valley Indymedia has an article about her life and death here.

Are children to be seen and heard? or just controlled?

Can you imagine a culture in which children freely participate in the social, cultural, political and economic life of the community? Where children are recognized as an asset with inherent rights and responsibilities?

That's the way it used to be in much of Africa and that's the balance that Sunday's Day of the African Child wants to restore. Under the banner: "Child Participation: Children to be seen and heard," governments, NGOs and community groups are talking about how to provide children with a platform to express and achieve what they need. AllAfrica has a good article on some of the challenges facing one country, Uganda.

The Day of the African Child is held every year on June 16, to commemorate the massacre of schoolchildren in Soweto, South Africa in 1976. Youth held a massive demonstration that day to protest being schooled by Afrikaans. Their murders helped fuel the anti-apartheid movement and were an extreme example of how children are penalized for their powerlessness. But it's not hard to find everyday examples of how little power children have over their lives. From children's inability to avoid famine, rape and murder in times of war to the more common and pervasive lack of control over their education and their environment, children are possibly the most oppressed group in the world.

There is another way. Educator John Holt's book "Escape from Childhood" was published almost thirty-five years ago. In it, Holt says,

Young people should have the right to control and direct their own learning, that is, to decide what they want to learn, and when, where, how, how much, how fast, and with what help they want to learn it. To be still more specific, I want them to have the right to decide if, when, how much, and by whom they want to be taught and the right to decide whether they want to learn in a school and if so which one and for how much of the time.......As adults, we assume that we have the right to decide what does or does not interest us, what we will look into and what we will leave alone. We take this right largely for granted, cannot imagine that it might be taken away from us. Indeed, as far as I know, it has never been written into any body of law. even the writers of our Constitution did not mention it. They thought it was enough to guarantee citizens the freedom of speech and the freedom to spread their ideas as widely as they wished and could. it did not occur to them that even the most tyrannical government would try to control people's minds, what they thought and knew. That idea would come later, under the benevolent guise of compulsory universal education. John Holt and Growing Without Schooling.

Here in the U.S., in spite of dismal school drop-out rates and achievement scores, we continue to move toward a more controlling and punitive educational system. Mandatory testing and ever stricter expulsion policies are only part of the story.

• Students are suspended for sharing Tylenol or medicated lip gloss with each other as part of a zero tolerance drug policy.
• A five year old girl having a temper tantrum in a Florida kindergarten class is handcuffed by three police officers and then driven to her mother in the back of a police car. Video here at BBC.
• "A uniformed police officer went to 20 classrooms El Camino High School in California on Monday and announced to students that several of their classmates had been killed over the weekend in alcohol-related car accidents. He was lying, and he and the school continued to lie about it for two hours to the grief-stricken students. Why? To teach the kids an important lesson about drunk driving. I imagine the students learned another lesson-- that cops and authority figures are liars." BoingBoing.

Most adults find it difficult to imagine that children would act responsibly if they were in charge of making their own decisions-- after all, they aren't given many opportunities to gain experience. We say, "Children are our future" without really thinking it through. But if children create the future in which we will live, the sooner we start letting them hone their skills, the better.
Photos: Maria Montessori, Survival

Bush's Memorial

Court rules Fresno violated homeless rights

Yesterday was the day that BlogCatalogue promoted as Bloggers United for Human Rights! I'm not sure yet how many bloggers participated, but I suspect a fair number of us did. Not me, though! A sick cat occupied my spare time in the early part of the week, and then a sick dog got the latter part of the week. If I'd just thought about it, I could have saved Saturday's post on International Tent City Day or Tuesday's post on the Topfree movement for Wednesday....but I didn't. Or I could have taken yesterday's post on excessive police force and made an explicit link to Bloggers Unite...seems, in fact, that about 80% of what I write is related to human rights in some way. I want to thank BlogCatalogue for recognizing and encouraging blogs' role in social change.

This Monday, a federal court ruled that destroying the property of homeless people is a violation of the 4th and 14th Amendments to the U.S.l Constitution, and that the city of Fresno, CA had violated those rights in a series of raid of homeless encampments. Specifically, the city violated homeless peoples' right to due process and the right to protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

One would like to think that the word would spread quickly to other municipalities but too many of these cities believe they are nations unto themselves; more court battles are sure to come.
Photos: Fresno encampment from Humanity for Homeless; homelessness activists, StreetSpirit.