Mumia; Obama’s Birth Control Obstruction; Actions Vs. Torture

 

First, the good news!  After the 30 years, the state of Pennsylvania is ceasing its efforts to kill Mumia Abu-Jamal via legally-ordered execution. Hundreds of marches and events over the years demanded "STOP Mumia’s Execution," demanded a new trial, and many around the world said "Free Mumia." 

 

Decades of challenges in the court fiinally won a re-sentencing order, although we have not been able to get any court to deeply investigate the injustice of Mumia’s original trial. It’s cause for celebration that the state won’t legally kill him.  Now let’s get him some justice, and get him off death row and out of prison right now! 

Cornel West and others are speaking Friday December 9 in Philadelphia, on the 30th anniversary of the incident where police tried to kill Mumia, leading to his conviction of murder in a police death. 

I urge you all to listen to a live radio interview with Mumia, who rarely talks about his own case, yesterday on WURD radio in Philadelphia, just after the news was announced. You can read and listen to his past commentaries at PrisonRadio.org.

 

 

Wednesday, in direct contradiction to the recommendations of the FDA, Kathleen Seblius announced that the administration will not allow women under 17 to get Emergency Contraception (EC, Plan B) without a prescription.  This makes Barack Obama the first president to counter the FDA by executive order.

His action goes against the science.  There is no medical or ethical reason to impede a woman of any age, who, for whatever reason, wants to avoid an unplanned pregnancy.  How does it help the future of that young woman to put her through more hoops, including a doctors’ visit, potentially leaving her vulnerable to all the complications of a pregnancy for a young person?

My blog on this continues here.  This president, this government, just acted against the interests of all of us who are women, or who care about women’s’ lives, in a craven way which will only give encouragement to those on the right who want to enact even worse measures, including bans on abortion and all birth control.

 

The City of Berkeley adopted Resolution NO. 65,491-N.S. on 25 October 2011 supporting the closure of Guantanamo, and urging that Congress and Homeland Security remove bans on the movement of cleared detainees to the US.  The Resolution was sent to President Obama, Attorney General Holder, Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee, with copies to endorsers Amnesty International USA and Dominican School of Theology & Philosophy, and also to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. 

Rita Maran, Commissioner, Peace & Justice Commission, City of Berkeley, CA says, "I suggest that the Resolution be circulated broadly, with a recommendation that people use the Resolution to propose a similar resolution in their home cities."

December 15, the Chicago City Council will hear a resolution to make Chicago a "torture-free" city.

 

This Saturday, December 10, Chicago World Can’t Wait and other groups are marking Human Rights Day with a protest:

    * meet at 1 PM at Federal Plaza (Dearborn & Adams, Chicago) in orange jumpsuits and black hoods.
    * procession to LaSalle and Jackson to rally with Occupy Chicago about the Declaration of Human Rights and the sharp contrast with U.S. human rights violations
    * procession on multiple paths, converging on State St. shopping district (State & Washington) (leafletting along the way)
    * procession to Obama 2012 re-election campaign headquarters (Prudential Bldg, 130 E. Randolph) for a "Nobel Peace Prize Revocation Ceremony"

The culmination of the action will take place at Obama’s  2012 re-election headquarters, where the "King of Norway" will revoke the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded exactly two years ago (on December 10, 2009) to Barack Obama, on account of his violations of human rights and crimes against peace, including:

    * Failure to close Guantánamo
   *  Expansion of indefinite detention at Bagram and other detention centers throughout Afghanistan
   *  Assassinations, including assassinations of U.S. citizens, among other violations of due process
   *  Widening of the the war of terror into Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia
   *  Expanding America’s secret empire of drone bases
  *  Threats of war against Iran

 

Andy Worthington has done more to let the world know what those imprisoned at Guantánamo face than any other writer. Please take time TODAY to vote for him.  Andy writes:

Last week, my friend Louise Gordon nominated an article of mine, “Mocking the Law, Judges Rule that Evidence Is Not Necessary to Hold Insignificant Guantánamo Prisoners for the Rest of Their Lives,” for the 2011 3 Quarks Daily Prize in Politics and Social Science, which also includes a cash prize of one thousand dollars.

Vote for Andy’s article here!