Social Justice News, 7-27-06

Well, I’m getting around better this week. Which is a good thing. Unfortunately, I can’t tell that by the way my foot is feeling. Oh well; it’ll get better in time. There’s a mixed bag of news this week –enjoy!

Washington Gay Marriage Ban Upheld: So much for equal rights in yet another state.
But a lawsuit challenging Maryland’s ban will go to that Supreme Court in December (see second article).
http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060727/NEWS/607270368

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-gaymarriage0727,0,2896249.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

Don’t Feed the Homeless: Las Vegas has made it illegal for anyone to feed homeless folks in city parks, thereby shutting down the mobile soup kitchens that they depend on. Apparently, these soup kitchens were making the parks ‘unusable’ by other city residents –meaning those with homes, food, and money. Orlando followed Las Vegas’ lead earlier this week.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0607250150jul25,1,1326773.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/26943

Hearsay May Be Used Against Detainees: This proposal would allow hearsay evidence to be admitted as evidence against the Guantanamo detainees. Gee, whatever happened to the burden of proof? Let’s see, the last time hearsay was used in the court was –oh yeah, the Salem witch trials. Maybe we need to resurrect the use of the term ‘witch hunt’.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/26/military.detainees.ap/index.html

Touring the North Pole for Signs of Climate Change: This NPR interview comes from a reported on board a Russian Icebreaker that takes people on tours of the North Pole. The fabled Northwest Passage, so long sought after by generations past, may soon become a reality.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5572495

Stop Flouting the Constitution, Mr. President: The bipartisan American Bar Association has determined that our Noble Leader’s use of signing statements is not only illegal, it violates the U.S. Constitution. Why do I think that he were of a different party –one that didn’t control Congress –the ‘I’ word would be in use? Gee, we can impeach a guy for having an affair but not for violating the Constitution?
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/24/lawyers.bush.ap/index.html

Toxic Tin Cans: Those FEMA trailers so generously given to hurricane refugees may be poisoning the people they were meant to help.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14011193/


Website of the week: Do you know what YOUR impact on the planet is? Find out!
http://www.myfootprint.org/

UU Joke of the Week: Q: Do UUs ever pray?
A: Only when they think a democrat is going to lose an election.