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I'll hug your elephant if you kiss my ass
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[30 Dec 2005|09:15pm] |
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[22 Nov 2005|05:21pm] |
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[21 Nov 2005|01:21am] |
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[22 Oct 2005|06:22pm] |
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[21 Oct 2005|05:09pm] |
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[21 Oct 2005|05:08pm] |
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[10 Oct 2005|09:26pm] |
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| Joy |
[04 Oct 2005|02:13pm] |
The Crime of "Unauthorized Reproduction"
New law will require marriage as a legal condition of motherhood
By Laura McPhee
Republican lawmakers are drafting new legislation that will make
marriage a requirement for motherhood in the state of Indiana,
including specific criminal penalties for unmarried women who do
become pregnant "by means other than sexual intercourse."
According to a draft of the recommended change in state law, every
woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother through assisted
reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilization, sperm donation,
and egg donation, must first file for a "petition for parentage" in
their local county probate court.
Only women who are married will be considered for the "gestational
certificate" that must be presented to any doctor who facilitates the
pregnancy. Further, the "gestational certificate" will only be given
to married couples that successfully complete the same screening
process currently required by law of adoptive parents.
As it the draft of the new law reads now, an intended parent "who
knowingly or willingly participates in an artificial reproduction
procedure" without court approval, "commits unauthorized
reproduction, a Class B misdemeanor." The criminal charges will be
the same for physicians who commit "unauthorized practice of
artificial reproduction."
The change in Indiana law to require marriage as a condition for
motherhood and criminalizing "unauthorized reproduction" was
introduced at a summer meeting of the Indiana General Assembly's
Health Finance Commission on September 29 and a final version of the
bill will come up for a vote at the next meeting at the end of this
month.
Republican Senator Patricia Miller is both the Health Finance
Commission Chair and the sponsor of the bill. She believes the new
law will protect children in the state of Indiana and make parenting
laws more explicit.
According to Sen. Miller, the laws prohibiting surrogacy in the
state of Indiana are currently too vague and unenforceable, and that
is the purpose of the new legislation.
"But it's not just surrogacy," Miller told NUVO. "The law is vague
on all types of extraordinary types of infertility treatment, and we
wanted to address that as well."
"Ordinary treatment would be the mother's egg and the father's
sperm. But now there are a lot of extraordinary things that raise
issues of who has legal rights as parents," she explained when asked
what she considers "extraordinary" infertility treatment.
Sen. Miller believes the requirement of marriage for parenting is
for the benefit of the children that result from infertility
treatments.
"We did want to address the issue of whether or not the law should
allow single people to be parents. Studies have shown that a child
raised by both parents - a mother and a father - do better. So, we
do want to have laws that protect the children," she explained.
When asked specifically if she believes marriage should be a
requirement for motherhood, and if that is part of the bill's
intention, Sen. Miller responded, "Yes. Yes, I do."
A draft of the legislation is available on the Health Finance
Commission website
http://www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/prelim/HFCO04.pdf
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[23 Sep 2005|07:09pm] |
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif?v=92.2) convert_me
This should be fun. Bring your opinions but note that is meant to be a cordial discussion.
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[19 Sep 2005|10:44pm] |
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| US poverty rate continues to rise |
[29 Aug 2005|06:34pm] |
The number of people classed as poor in the US has increased - despite strong economic growth, say official figures.
An extra 1.1 million Americans dropped below the poverty line last year, according to the US Census Bureau.
There were 37 million people living in poverty in 2004, up 12.7% from the previous year.
The report said non-Hispanic whites were the only ethnic group to experience an increase in poverty as well as a drop in income.
Economic lag
Asians were the only ethnic group to show a decline in poverty in 2004 compared with the previous year, while poverty among the elderly also fell.
It rose only for non-Hispanic whites, from 8.2 % in 2003 to 8.6 % over the same period. The poverty rate remained unchanged for black and Hispanics.
The last time poverty fell in the US was in 2000 when there were 31.1 million people officially classed as poor.
The rise in poverty comes despite solid economic growth in 2004, which helped to create 2.2 million jobs in the US.
"I guess what happened last year was kind of similar to what happened in the early 1990s where you had a recession that was officially over and then you had several years after that of rising poverty," said Charles Nelson, an assistant division chief at the Census Bureau.
Sheldon Danziger, co-director of the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, said poverty rates were still much better than in the early nineties.
"The good news is that poverty is a lot lower than it was in 1993, but we went through a hell of an economic boom," Mr Danziger said.
Poverty levels are based on the bureau's population surveys, carried out over three months, beginning in February, with about 100,000 households nationally.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4198668.stm
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| Quotes from when Clinton committed troops to Bosnia: |
[19 Aug 2005|07:56pm] |
"You can support the troops but not the president."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)
"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're
going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."
--Joe Scarborough (R-FL)
"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come
home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
--Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99
"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might
on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy.
He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And
he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will
be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign
policy."
--Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)
"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the
administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign
policy."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)
"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have
a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
--Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush
"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't
think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
--Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is
often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just
learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with
very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later,
these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of
engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of
victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no
clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended
military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests
are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President
started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)
"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to
explain to us what the exit strategy is."
--Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)
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[17 Aug 2005|09:48pm] |
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| 'No-fly list' keeps infants off planes |
[15 Aug 2005|08:38pm] |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the United States because their names are the same as or similar to those of possible terrorists on the government's "no-fly list."
It sounds like a joke, but it's not funny to parents who miss flights while scrambling to have babies' passports and other documents faxed.
Ingrid Sanden's 1-year-old daughter was stopped in Phoenix, Arizona, before boarding a flight home to Washington at Thanksgiving.
"I completely understand the war on terrorism, and I completely understand people wanting to be safe when they fly," Sanden said. "But focusing the target a little bit is probably a better use of resources."
The government's lists of people who are either barred from flying or require extra scrutiny before being allowed to board airplanes grew markedly since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Critics including the American Civil Liberties Union say the government doesn't provide enough information about the people on the lists, so innocent passengers can be caught up in the security sweep if they happen to have the same name as someone on the lists.
That can happen even if the person happens to be an infant like Sanden's daughter. (Children under 2 don't need tickets but Sanden purchased one for her daughter to ensure she had a seat.)
"It was bizarre," Sanden said. "I was hugely pregnant, and I was like, 'We look really threatening.'"
Sarah Zapolsky and her husband had a similar experience last month while departing from Dulles International Airport outside Washington. An airline ticket agent told them their 11-month-old son was on the government list.
They were able to board their flight after ticket agents took a half-hour to fax her son's passport and fill out paperwork.
"I understand that security is important," Zapolsky said. "But if they're just guessing, and we have to give up our passport to prove that our 11-month-old is not a terrorist, it's a waste of their time."
Sanden and Zapolsky would not allow their children's names to be used in this story because they fear people who prey on children.
Well-known people like Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, and David Nelson, who starred in the sitcom "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," also have been stopped at airports because their names match those on the lists.
The government has sought to improve its process for checking passengers since the September 11 attacks. The first attempt was scuttled because of fears the government would have access to too much personal information. A new version, called Secure Flight, is being crafted.
But for now, airlines still have the duty to check passengers' names against those supplied by the government.
That job has become more difficult -- since the 2001 attacks the lists have swelled from a dozen or so names to more than 100,000 names, according to people in the aviation industry who are familiar with the issue. They asked not to be identified by name because the exact number is restricted information.
Not all those names are accompanied by biographical information that can more closely identify the suspected terrorists. That can create problems for people who reserve flights under such names as "T Kennedy" or "David Nelson."
ACLU lawyer Tim Sparapani said the problem of babies stopped by the no-fly list illustrates some of the reasons the lists don't work.
"There's no oversight over the names," Sparapani said. "We know names are added hastily, and when you have a name-based system you don't focus on solid intelligence leads. You focus on names that are similar to those that might be suspicious."
The Transportation Security Administration, which administers the lists, instructs airlines not to deny boarding to children under 12 -- or select them for extra security checks -- even if their names match those on a list.
But it happens anyway. Debby McElroy, president of the Regional Airline Association, said: "Our information indicates it happens at every major airport."
The TSA has a "passenger ombudsman" who will investigate individual claims from passengers who say they are mistakenly on the lists. TSA spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said 89 children have submitted their names to the ombudsman. Of those, 14 are under the age of 2.
If the ombudsman determines an individual should not be stopped, additional information on that person is included on the list so he or she is not stopped the next time they fly.
Clark said even with the problems the lists are essential to keeping airline passengers safe.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/08/15/no.fly.babies.ap/index.html
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[10 Aug 2005|06:17pm] |
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[02 Aug 2005|10:15pm] |
From The Minnesota Daily:
Protecting women’s reproductive rights on college campuses Minnesotans should be wary of Wisconsin’s ban on birth contol on its university campuses.
The bill denies thousands of women essential health-care services and reproductive choices and affects their lives and futures in many ways. With this bill, rape victims will no longer be able to turn to campus health services to obtain emergency contraceptives to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, or receive postrape counseling and education — adding even more stress to a traumatic event.
Any rollback of women’s reproductive rights is inexcusable, but the bill is especially disturbing because it is directed at college campuses and targets a population in which there tends to be a high concurrency of sexual assaults and unplanned sexual encounters. During a time in their lives when they need full access to all birth control options the most, this bill denies women access to any options at all. College is also a time when students are transforming into young adults and are taking control of their lives and futures. Denying women full reproductive services and choices sends the message that women cannot be trusted to make decisions that affect their bodies, their lives and their futures.
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/07/27/64850
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[01 Aug 2005|10:52pm] |
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| U.S. court sends Canadian teen to juvenile program for bomb threat at school |
[22 Jul 2005|05:11pm] |
l08:04 PM EDT Jul 22
BETH GORHAM
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CP) - A U.S. judge blasted Canadian teen Travis Biehn and called his parents too lenient Wednesday, as he sent the youth back into detention on bomb-related charges and ordered him to attend a wilderness program.
Judge Kenneth Biehn, who's no relation, said the 17-year-old is no terrorist but an "arrogant, guarded, defensive, immature, attention-seeking" youth who needs to be evaluated after completing the juvenile program to see if he can go back to his family at the end of August.
"This case is all about a kid who's never been held accountable," the judge told a sentencing hearing attended by about 30 supporters who see Biehn as the unwitting victim of his nationality in a tough anti-terror climate.
Others in the community have called for a stiff jail term and deportation for Biehn.
"I hope your parents have learned something from this," the judge told the youth.
"If they set limits on his behaviour, then perhaps we wouldn't be here."
The judge reviewed three psychological reports and reams of documents, including letters of support from family and friends, before laying out terms of the sentence.
If Biehn does go home, he'll be on indefinite probation, can't leave the country, must perform 100 hours of community service, pay $8,218.95 in restitution and write an apology to the students of the school he's been convicted of threatening to blow up.
Portrayed by prosecutors as a dangerous kid who hates Americans, partly because he wore an "I am Canadian" T-shirt to a court appearance, Biehn has been in custody since his arrest early last month.
He was convicted June 13 of scrawling a bomb threat on the wall of his school's bathroom, although there was no direct evidence, and collecting bomb-making materials.
Experts and police testified at his one-day trial they found some of the elements for building a bomb in their raid on the family's home but nothing to ignite it.
The Biehns are still considering an appeal of the charges in a bid to clear their son's name and Canadian consular officials are watching the case.
"I'm very concerned that he has been railroaded," said Liberal MP Dan McTeague, parliamentary secretary responsible for Canadians abroad.
"You have a conviction and a sentencing of a child based on little or no evidence. I don't think justice was served here."
"This case screams for an appeal," McTeague said from Ottawa.
Originally from Newfoundland, the Biehns moved to affluent Bucks County, Pa., near Philadelphia in 1997, where father Brant is a marketing director for pharmaceutical giant Merck.
And while the judge rejected suggestions the case had anything to do with Canada-U.S. relations, probation officers wanted to require Biehn write letters to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq as a sign of support for the United States.
The judge rejected that, saying: "This is not America against someone else."
"I don't want this to be something that's insensitive to you and your parents' heritage."
He scolded Biehn's father for bringing the locked-up teen two books dealing with terrorist attacks on the United States - Robin Cook's Vector and Clive Cussler's Deep Six.
"What kind of judgment does that show?" asked the judge, who said he thinks the youth spends too much time with his parents.
Brant Biehn said outside court he didn't understand the problem, especially since the judge noted he admired Cussler in particular.
"I'm not sure that the other four million people who read Robin Cook would have an issue," he said, adding "it's very hard to see" how the judge could consider his son a delinquent.
The judge was also angry that neither Biehn or his parents testified at the sentencing hearing.
"All I've had from the parents is denial and blaming others," said the judge.
As for Biehn, "I think people either love you or hate you," he said.
"I think you're afraid to express how you feel."
The family has continually said their son is innocent. When police searched the family's suburban Buckingham, Pa., home, they found several kilograms of potassium nitrate, tubing, fuses, lighter fluid and other items.
Biehn's father said the two often used the materials to make harmless smoke bombs and fireworks for neighbourhood gatherings and burned a tree stump in the backyard to make way for a fish pond.
Defence lawyer Bill Goldman filed a motion last week to have the charges dismissed, saying there's no evidence Biehn wrote the bomb threat and prosecutors didn't prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
But the judge didn't address the motion Wednesday. While he acknowledged he doesn't think Biehn was going to blow up his school, he said he believes the youth intended to build a bomb.
"There's also been plenty of evidence over the years, said the judge, of inappropriate behaviour and disrespect from Biehn, who has been in trouble for shooting paintballs at cars, selling a home-made napalm substance to kids at school and hacking into school computers.
The judge also noted Biehn once wore a "Jesus is a Homo" T-shirt to school.
"Right now, he is heading on a track where disrespect will turn into something much more violent," District Attorney Diane Gibbons said after the hearing.
"He is an endangered kid and I don't want to lose him. By denying his conduct, (his parents) risk losing him to much more criminal behaviour."
Gibbons, who has suggested Biehn hated Americans and living in the United States, said Wednesday she doesn't know him well enough to speculate about his motives.
"He hasn't opened up. If you don't talk about the problem, you can't fix it," she said.
"This kid worries me. I think juvenile court is the perfect place for him and Judge Biehn is the perfect judge for him.'
Some family supporters blamed "hysteria" generated by the Columbine school killings and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, for strong public reaction in the case.
And they paint a very different picture of Biehn than prosecutors do.
"My husband and I are so devastated by this," said family friend Anne Drouin.
"It seems the justice system has gone overboard. The Travis I know is a kind, thoughtful, gentle individual."
"The facts are not lining up."
Said resident Cathy Block: "The people I talk to think it's an outrage."
Biehn was withdrawn from his Bucks County high school before he could be expelled. The family wanted him to attend school in Canada this fall but the judge didn't allow it.
The youth will be sent to Tressler Care in Boiling Spring, Pa., a court-directed wilderness program for juvenile offenders.
Goldman wanted Biehn to go to an Outward Bound program where there wouldn't just be offenders but the judge dismissed the idea, saying the youth needs to move past thinking he's better than other kids in the system.
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050720/w072083.html
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[17 Jul 2005|12:40pm] |
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[17 Jul 2005|12:39pm] |
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