That Arizona Law Everyone’s Talking About
It’s likely an understatement that the new Arizona law (SB 1070) regarding undocumented immigrants* has caused a huge controversy in the last couple of weeks.
There was a clip of Sheriff Joe Arpaio on TV saying that this law (paraphrasing here) doesn’t require police officers to just randomly ask people that look suspicious for their papers, it’s only done so with respect to a crime being committed.
“I’m smiling because I’m America’s Toughest Sheriff! If you don’t agree, you must be an ILLEGAL!”
That seemed like a pretty major oversight on the part of everyone who is upset over this, so I went ahead and looked up the actual text.
Here is what I discovered, copied and pasted DIRECTLY from the text of the law, no changes made, no emphasis made, nothing amended.
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Progressives Are Not Stupid, Glenn Beck.
Last night’s episode of The Daily Show played a clip of Glenn Beck from the 2010 CPAC.
Watch the whole thing (if you can stomach it) here.
The “good” part starts around 7:40 in.
Immediately it became obvious that Beck thinks he can steal his material from others and that us “progressives” are too stupid to figure it out. (Hey, we go to those government-funded libraries, too, Glenn!)
Sorry Glenn. The truth is out.
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Making Protests Convenient For White People
I’m not sure how much coverage this is receiving outside of the Toronto, Ontario/Canada news media, so I’d like to call it to everyone’s attention.
The below-linked article is not meant to be representative of the final word on the Tamil protest; it’s just a short summary introduction to the issue.
Toronto highway reopens after Tamil protest disperses
One of Canada’s major expressways reopened early Monday after thousands of members of Toronto’s Tamil community ended a five-hour occupation of the roadway without incident.
The blockade of the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto ended shortly after midnight. It was part of the Tamil community’s continuing protest campaign to demand the Canadian government do more to help end the bloody 25-year civil war in Sri Lanka.
Read the rest of the article here.
I followed this protest as it unfolded on the TV news last night and was really dismayed by the reactions of the mostly-white commuters to the situation. They were very irritated at the inconvenience of being stuck on the highway and one man even suggested that the Tamil protesters should find a more “legal” way to protest (a sentiment echoed by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty here).
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Tips On How To Hide Your Racism
I just saw this article on Yahoo! News. Granted, their articles are pretty vapid, but this one is repugnant.
Don’t like Tiger? A few reasons to explain why
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist Apr 9, 4:21 am EDT
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – The bookies make him an odds-on favorite like no other, mostly because Tiger Woods is unlike any other. He tees off Thursday on mended knee in pursuit of a fifth Masters title, secure once again with his place in the game and looking as dominant as ever.
His will to win is extraordinary. His fellow players defer to his greatness.
And there’s nothing in golf better than seeing Woods have a putt on Sunday to win.
But there are those who enjoy watching Zach Johnson put on a green jacket, or maybe even harbor secret thoughts of Greg Norman finally burying his demons. Still others want nothing more than to see Phil Mickelson smiling on the 18th green once again.
Not many, maybe, because it can be lonely pulling against arguably the greatest player ever. Family and friends might not understand.
But there are reasons:
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Religion and Remembering
I watched Bill Maher on The Daily Show last night.
You know, I was with him with the whole “religion is crazy” bit, especially when he compared the ridiculousness of Scientology with Christianity, but here’s where things started to derail for me.
Clips of Bill Maher on last night’s episode. (I can’t view these because I’m in Canada so hopefully they’ll show up for you.)
1. Referring to Barack Obama as “our boy.” Now, I know he meant “our candidate” or “our voice” or “the guy we like,” but referring to an African American as “boy” EVEN IF YOU DON’T MEAN IT “that way” is not cool. Not acceptable. Not going to cut it.
2. The reference to “witch doctors” and Sarah Palin. Granted, I understand that Maher hates all religions equally (ahem!), but usage of the term “witch doctor” in such a pejorative context just smacks of, oh, I don’t know. . . at best, imperialism and at worst, racism.
3. Then he quite literally made my stomach turn when he made a comment about how if McCain and Palin get into the White House we might have a guy in there “with a bone through his nose.”
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HHS Moves to Define Contraception as Abortion – What’s The Real Story
I was just tipped off by a friend on the Internet to this article from Cristina Page on an alleged proposal by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to define contraception as abortion.
(Note: For some background on why contraception might be considered abortion, please see my May 7 piece called “Women Are Soldiers In The Misogyny Army.” )
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America’s Democratic Collapse
This is a long article, but I urge you to read the entire thing. Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter and according to AlterNet. . .
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She Was Asking For It
Today’s Yahoo! Canada headline:
Dos and Don’ts of Summer Office Wardrobe
If your boss gazes at your cleavage, it’s a problem with your boss, NOT your cleavage. Once again, it’s OUR fault for having breasts which tempt men into sin.
And lest you think I’m overreacting, the opening paragraph of this article is directed solely at women and their clothing.
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Women Are Soldiers in the Misogyny Army
I moved into a new place about a week ago so things around here have been a bit of a mess.
That is the excuse I am giving as to why I didn’t find out about this amazing event until today.
The ignorance in this would be laughable if it weren’t so staggering.
Let’s be clear: these people aren’t protesting against RU-486, also known as “the morning after pill” or chemically-induced abortions.
They are protesting against birth control pills because they kill babies. So what is it that birth control pills do exactly?
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From Resist Racism: Father Michael Pfleger Defends Reverend Jeremiah Wright
Thanks to Resist Racism for posting this video.
It is powerful stuff. The whole thing is fantastic, but it gets really good around 5:30 and then gets even better. Stay for the end; it’s a whopper.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON RESIST RACISM.
