I've been reading some pretty outraged comments online, most of them denouncing Moroccans as savages, inhuman, animals, etc. This is certainly a horrifying story and I can understand why people are so upset:

The suicide of a Moroccan teenager who reportedly had been forced to marry her rapist has spurred calls from around the world to change criminal laws long lamented by Moroccan feminists.

Human rights groups complain that Moroccan law has been interpreted to allow someone who rapes a minor to escape punishment if he marries the victim. Moroccan media reported that was what happened to Amina Filali, a 16-year-old who reportedly swallowed rat poison Saturday.

"It is unfortunately a recurring phenomenon," Fouzia Assouli, the president of the Democratic League for Women's Rights, told the Associated Press. "We have been asking for years for the cancellation of Article 475 of the penal code, which allows the rapist to escape justice.”

What kind of backwards patriarchal thinking reduces women — rape victims, even — to mere chattel, to be married off as a remedy for their family's honor? Don't be so quick to look down your nose, because that would also be that all-American favorite, the Bible. Deuteronomy 22:28-29:

If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

So another desert tribe had pretty much the same law. Yes, but that was 2000 years ago! What kind of crazy people would try to impose ancient tribal rule on a modern society as its legal code? Just about any right-wing politician:

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. -- Leviticus 20:13

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Oh, what a shame. Why won't people leave that nice man alone with his memories?

Former U.S. President George W. Bush has cancelled a visit to Switzerland over fears he could have been arrested on torture charges.

Mr Bush was due to be the keynote speaker at a Jewish charity gala in Geneva on February 12.

But pressure has been building on the Swiss government to arrest him and open a criminal investigation if he enters the country.

Criminal complaints against Mr Bush alleging torture have been lodged in Geneva, court officials said.
Human rights groups said they had intended to submit a 2,500-page case against him in the Swiss city tomorrow for alleged mistreatment of suspected militants at Guantanamo Bay.

Left-wing groups have also called for a protest on the day of his visit, leading organisers at Keren Hayesod's annual dinner to cancel Mr Bush's participation on security grounds.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch and International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said the cancellation was linked to growing moves told him accountable for the use of torture, including waterboarding.

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Attention all water customers: To be compliant with new laws concerning immigration you must have an Alabama Driver's License or an Alabama picture ID card on file at this office before September 29, 2011 or you may lose water service. Thank you.

In other words, prove you belong here or get the hell out, because even if you pay your bill in U.S. dollars every month in person it won't matter. If you're not here legally, you don't deserve even the most basic necessities, like running water.

The reason this utility has posted their sign is because of this provision, which was upheld by the court (from nilc.org brochure):

A part that requires people to prove their immigration status when they enter into a “business transaction” with the state of Alabama and makes it a felony for an unauthorized immigrant to enter into a “business transaction” with the state of Alabama. Business transactions include applying for a license plate, applying for or renewing a driver’s license, and applying for a business license.

A part that invalidates all contracts between an unauthorized immigrant and another person, except for one night’s lodging, food purchases, and medical services. Contracts could include child support, rental, loan, and other agreements

Yes. Other agreements like electricity, gas and water. A roof over one's head. Those kinds of agreements.

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This news was too wild not to share.

Chinese hackers have temporarily brought down Change.org, the social action platform where I now direct immigrant rights organizing. This, after more than 90,000 people in 175 countries signed a petition calling for the release of internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

According to Mashable:

As an artist, Ai is best known for his role in the construction of the Bejing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics and his Sunflower Seeds exhibit at the Tate Modern in 2010. He has also played a role in uncovering government corruption over the past few years, including, most notably, a scandal involving the construction of Sichuan schools that collapsed during the 2008 earthquake.

Ai was taken into custody by police at an airport in Bejing earlier this month.

The petition has attracted more than 90,000 signatures, including many from leading museums such as the Guggenheim, MoMA and Tate Modern, since it was posted last week.

A Change.org spokesperson says that the site has suffered intense DDoS attacks since Monday, sending it offline for periods of time. At the time of writing, Change.org was still offline.

“There’s no evidence that this has come from the Chinese government, but clearly the circumstantial evidence is pretty powerful,” the spokesperson says, noting that the for-profit organization has called on the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of East Asian Pacific Affairs for assistance.

Change.org CEO Ben Rattray has even asked the State Department to intervene, as reported by Tech President earlier today:

“We've notified the U.S. State Department of the situation and asked for their immediate assistance,” Rattray added. “Our engineers have been able to keep up the site during parts of the attack, but we've had some down time and without government assistance there are limits to what we can do.”

Change.org, a platform which allows anyone, anywhere to launch online social action campaigns, has been blocked in China at various points over the last few years.

While my teammates at Change.org continue to fend off these severe cyberattacks, more and more activists continue to sign the online petition in support of artist and political prisoner Ai Weiwei.

The silver lining, of course, is that these hackers' attacks will only end up drawing more attention to Ai Weiwei's unjust imprisonment.

Ross Douthat tries a new approach to attack gay marriage. He dressed it up in some intellectual conservative costume, but it's still the same old bullshit in new clothes.

Glenn Greenwald then destroys his argument from the legal perspective.

In the end it all comes down to intellectual dishonesty by conservatives. It doesn't matter if it's in Newsmax or the pages of the NY Times. People like Douthat just want to rob the gay community of basic human rights afforded to the rest of our society.

(h/t Balloon Juice)

How the Mighty Are Falling

Jason Miller wrote this incredible piece for C&L today:

Somebody tell Karl Rove to drop the applause sign. The minions he manipulates are cheering for an America that does not exist. That abstract concept of America, and its embodiment of liberties and human rights, is a fiction. Norman Rockwell's portrayal of America was an idealistic perversion of a landscape, which for many, has been littered with oppression, bigotry, greed, torture and even murder. Goya's brutal painting "Duel with Cudgels" comes closer to capturing the essence of the underlying mean-spiritedness of that is very much a component of this nation.

Bush, his Neocons, and the obscenely wealthy Oligarchs, who finance Republicans and Democrats alike, embody the face of America which is seldom portrayed by our flag-waving mainstream media. Yes, there is a dark, brutish aspect to this self-proclaimed beacon of freedom and liberty, and I am going to delve into it. Read on if you dare to take an introspective look at the darker aspects of our national identity....please read on

Yale's Jack Balkin Is Shrill Shrillblog

The nomination of Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General has driven Yale Law School professor Jack Balkin into shrill unholy madness:

MLB baseball players are slowly starting to weigh in on Arizona's attempt to get rid of probable cause to solve their immigration problem after Adrian Gonzalez went public and panned SB 1070. San Diego Padres catcher Yorvit Torrealba and pitcher Heath Bell can't wrap their heads around the new Arizona law.

“Baseball,” said Padres closer Heath Bell, “is part of the culture of Arizona.”

Hispanics are a huge part of baseball’s culture, a solid percentage of players in the big leagues, and it’s clear that Arizona’s controversial new ruling aimed at stemming illegal immigration has outraged ballplayers as well as people across the country who’ve been raining down condemnation since Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law on April 23.

“For Arizona to do something like this?” Bell said. “Mind-boggling.”

Adrian Gonzalez, a star in the National League said this a few days ago:

It’s immoral,” Gonzalez said. “They’re violating human rights. In a way, it goes against what this country was built on. This is discrimination. Are they going to pass out a picture saying “You should look like this and you’re fine, but if you don’t, do people have the right to question you?’ That’s profiling.”

Governor Brewer says that “we have to trust our law enforcement,” but who can define "reasonable suspicion" clearly? I respect the police immensely, but this just adds to their arduous burden. And it only takes a few bad apples to tarnish them all.

Catcher Yorvit Torrealba wonders if he's in another crazy country.

Said catcher Yorvit Torrealba: “This is racist stuff. It’s not fair for a young guy who comes here from South America, and just because he has a strong accent, he has to prove on the spot if he’s illegal or not. I mean, I understand the need for security and the safety to people here, the question of legal and illegal. I get that. But I don’t see this being right.

“Why do I want to go play in a place where every time I go to a restaurant and they don’t understand what I’m trying to order, they’re going to ask me for ID first? That’s bull.

“I come from a crazy country (Venezuela). Now Arizona seems a little bit more crazy.”

And KC's Jose Guillen weighs in with this:

“I’ve never seen anything like that in the United States, and Arizona is part of the United States,” Kansas City Royals designated hitter Jose Guillen(notes) said. “I hope police aren’t going to stop every dark-skinned person. It’s kind of like, wow, what’s going on.

“I was 17, 18. I’d forget things. Kids do.”

Rod Barajas of the NY Mets says this to the NY Times.

New York Mets catcher Rod Barajas, who was born in the United States after his parents emigrated from Mexico, told The New York Times, “If they happen to pull someone over who looks like they are of Latin descent, even if they are a U.S. citizen, that is the first question that is going to be asked. But if a blond-haired, blue-eyed Canadian gets pulled over, do you think they are going to ask for their papers? No.”

And here's something else to consider:

In June, one month before the law goes into effect, about 140 young Hispanic baseball players will arrive in the state for the Arizona Rookie League. Some MLB officials are worried how these young men will be treated by local authorities.

I've been working with various Latino and immigrant-rights groups on baseball and SB 1070. I may have some interesting news very soon.

ProPublica: Gulf disaster puts the spotlight on a regulator with a mixed record

The Talking Dog: We're seeing comparisons of the Obama Administration's reaction to the Gulf Coast mega-spill to the Bush Administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina. Maybe there's a point in that, but I'm hard-pressed to see what it is.

Consortiumnews: How Rev. Moon's snakes infested US. Now, the unabashedly right wing Washington Times is for sale

PERRspectives: Republican Party Animals

We are respectable negroes: When smart people say stupid things

Some Guy's Blog: Documentary Film of the Day: Note By Note - The Making of Steinway L1037...

The arrest of ten Baptists in Haiti for attempting to kidnap and deal in child trafficking (allegedly) brings out the usual right wing defenders. Too bad the religious right acts more like a partisan political party instead of promoting true religious thoughts.

Glenn Greenwald documents the hypocrisy.

To J-Lo, human decency and real human rights are only to be delivered to her tribe.