Which Box Did He Check?
It’s hard for me to look at the ubiquitous picture of Trayvon Martin without thinking of my nephews. I knew them as children and as teens, and now as men raising their own sons and daughters. They have stories to tell– near misses and random violence. It’s this lived experience that gives the lie to [...]
Be Fair to Those Who Care
Salon has a review of the third day of the Supreme Court hearings on the Affordable Care Act, titled ‘A Brutal Day for Health Care.’ What I hear on the radio and read in the news as I work in the industry has me heartsick. Science, common sense and common decency say we cannot be [...]
Letter to Treasurer Raimondo
A group of civil rights and advocacy organizations in Rhode Island is calling Treasurer Raimondo’s attention to some of the extreme political positions taken by The Manhattan Institute and demanding that she return the award she recently received: January 11, 2011 Hon. Gina Raimondo, General Treasurer State House, Room 102 Providence, RI 02903 Dear Treasurer [...]
Joe Gordon–Wrath of the King
This story from the Toronto Star should alarm free speakers everywhere, especially those who publish books, blogs, tweets and various utterances that might displease the King. Joe Gordon, born Lerpong Wichaikhammat in Thailand, is doing time for offending His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej… BANGKOK—An American who translated a banned biography of Thailand’s king and posted the [...]
Remembering Blossom Kirschenbaum
At church today someone wrote in the book, ‘I’ll miss the sound of Blossom’s typewriter at the Amnesty International Write-a-Thon today.’ Amen to that. Annual Write-a-Thon for Human Rights Sunday, Dec 4, 1-5p, Open House The guest speaker for our twenty-fourth annual Write-a-thon will be Mohammed Fallahiya, a former Iranian prisoner of conscience and torture [...]
Occupy Providence to Be Evicted Sunday Evening, October 30, 2011
A notice has been given to Occupy Providence members and has been posted around Burnside Park: they have 72 hours to vacate or they will be evicted. Given that so many other groups have expressed solidarity with the Occupy movement, it is unclear how this is going to play out. My hope is that it [...]
Conditional Freedom
Gladys Scott wanted to donate a kidney to her sister Jamie who has been on dialysis and not doing well. The two sisters have been in prison for 16 years for their part in a robbery. Having worked with patients whose kidneys failed due to inadequate treatment for their diabetes, I wonder if Jamie’s life-threatening [...]
In the Air
A good post from Feministe about what you don’t notice when it’s always there.
Not Kitty Genovese
A sad and sordid story out of Ohio. A woman was raped on a busy street in daylight. But this is not Kitty Genovese. Several people driving by called 911 from their cell phones. I would have wished that one person had been quick enough to pull over and intervene, but that’s asking a lot. [...]
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