Pro-Lifers for Peace and Justice

UNITED NATIONS CAUGHT IN A "CATCH-22"

2006-02-16T03:11:00.000-08:00

Last year, when the United Nations wanted to inspect the U. S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, they were told by the Pentagon that they would not be allowed to speak directly with the prisoners. This is contrary to the principle of "unfettered inspections" that President Bush held up as a standard in his speech on Iraq on October 7, 2002:

inspectors must have access to any site, at any time, without pre-clearance, without delay, without exceptions.

Rather than settle for the limited inspection, the UN declined the offer and made their investigation instead based on information from "former Guantanamo detainees, their lawyers and families, and U. S. officials." (link)

And now the United States is claiming that they can refute the UN report, which calls for closure of Guantanamo. Their justification?

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack complained the authors wrote the report without seeing the prison.

'When people hear these press reports about these outcomes and when they actually view the final report, I would urge them to look at it in the context of the fact that nobody who wrote this report actually went to Guantanamo,' McCormack said.

If the United States wants to truly refute the claims of the UN report, we should do so by allowing unfettered inspections. Access to anyone, at any time, without pre-clearance, without delay, without exceptions. As we liberals have said in the past: Let the inspectors do their job.

California death penalty moratorium bill fails

2006-01-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

This was a bill that PPJ had supported in a petition.

From Reuters:

Two days after California executed its oldest death row inmate, state lawmakers on Thursday blocked a bill that would bar the state from carrying out death sentences for two years.
The bill's Democratic author blamed Republicans for stalling it in the state Assembly's Appropriations Committee and said he would not abandon his proposed moratorium, which would also allow a committee to investigate whether California had sent innocent people to death row.

Human Rights Watch condemns U. S. treatment of detainees

2006-01-18T23:12:00.000-08:00

From the Washington Post:

The Bush administration has a strategy of abusing terrorism suspects during interrogations, Human Rights Watch contended yesterday in its annual report on the treatment of people in more than 70 countries.

The human rights group based its conclusions mostly on statements by senior administration officials in the past year. It said President Bush's reassurances that the United States does not torture suspects were deceptive and rang hollow.

Viewpoints differ on Supreme Court abortion ruling

2006-01-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

New York Times headline: Justices Reaffirm Emergency Access to Abortion

Los Angeles Times headline: Supreme Court Dodges Major Abortion Ruling

Clarence Ray Allen executed in California

2006-01-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

From ABC News:

California executed its oldest condemned inmate early Tuesday for arranging a triple murder 25 years ago to silence witnesses in another killing.
Clarence Ray Allen was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 12:38 a.m. at San Quentin State Prison, less than an hour after his 76th birthday ended at midnight.

Selective abortion blamed for India's missing girls

2006-01-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

From Reuters:

A team of scientists who analyzed female fertility figures from a national survey of 6 million people in India found that there were about half a million fewer girls born in the country in 1997 than expected.
Extrapolated over 20 years, the figure would be 10 million, the researchers said in a report published online by The Lancet medical journal.
They added that selective abortion of female fetuses is the most plausible explanation for the skewed sex ratio.

Woman sues alleging "pregnancy firing"

2006-01-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

From the Journal Times Online in Wisconsin:

A former saleswoman for a technology company claims she was fired just days after telling her boss she was pregnant.

Pamela Alexander made the allegation against Madison-based NameProtect Inc. in a sex discrimination lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Madison.

Cambodia arrests another human rights activist

2006-01-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

From Voice of America:

The Cambodian Center of Human Rights says police have arrested a third human rights activist in a crackdown that has drawn international criticism.

The U.S.-funded organization says its vice-director, Pa Nguon Teang, was detained Wednesday near the border with Laos.

REQUEST CLEMENCY FOR CLARENCE RAY ALLEN

2006-01-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

Death Penalty Focus is asking that people write to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to ask him to grant clemency to Clarence Ray Allen. Allen is scheduled to be executed on January 17, 2006 at 12:01am.

To send a letter, click here: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1735

Cambodia arrests human rights activists

2006-01-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

From the Guardian:

Two of Cambodia's most prominent human rights activists have been arrested and detained for defaming the government.
The US ambassador, Joseph Mussomeli, described it as another step down the wrong path for Cambodia, adding: "There is not much left to a real democracy."
He said the government was afraid of free speech. "And when governments are afraid, they make foolish decisions, and this is foolish and unfortunate."

Attempted clinic bombers arrested in Louisiana

2006-01-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

From the Shreveport Times:

A 24-year-old Shreveport woman and her 18-year-old boyfriend were charged Saturday with attempting to bomb an abortion clinic on Kings Highway nearly three weeks ago, authorities said.

Hope Medical Group for Women wasn't damaged when someone tossed a Molotov cocktail at it about 10:45 p.m. Dec. 12.

Three Britons kidnapped in Gaza

2005-12-28T11:54:00.000-08:00

From CNN:

Three people, described as a British couple and their child, were kidnapped Wednesday at Rafah in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian Security sources.
The sources said the kidnappers were believed to be members of a splinter group upset because Palestinians whose names are on a black-list are being prevented from leaving Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah Crossing.

Pinochet loses appeal on human rights charges

2005-12-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

From Reuters:

The decision means Pinochet, who ruled Chile for 17 years after leading a 1973 coup, must face the first of a series of human rights charges against him related to Operation Colombo, which involved the disappearance of 119 members of an armed revolutionary group in the mid 1970s.

Poor black women less likely to get cancer screening

2005-12-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

From UPI:

The investigators found that after adjusting for individual factors, residing in a community where at least 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty line was a significant predictor of failure to receive cervical cancer screening using the Pap test.
The study recommends that community outreach programs focus on high poverty neighborhoods to decrease the proportion of African-American women who are not adhering to cervical cancer screening recommendations.

Pope speaks out against terror and poverty

2005-12-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

From the Washington Times:

Pope Benedict XVI, in his first Christmas address as pontiff, yesterday urged humanity to unite against terrorism, poverty and environmental blight and called for a "new world order" to correct economic imbalances.

"A united humanity will be able to confront the many troubling problems of the present time -- from the menace of terrorism to the humiliating poverty in which millions of human beings live, from the proliferation of weapons to the pandemics and the environmental destruction, which threatens the future of our planet," he said.

Make Poverty History campaign closes amid warnings

2005-12-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

From Reuters:

Make Poverty History, the campaign that galvanized the political agenda in 2005, comes to an end next week hailing its own success, despite warnings that world leaders are backsliding on their pledges.

Attempt to restore death penalty in New York fails

2005-12-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

From the Buffalo News:

Gov. George E. Pataki's attempt to restore the death penalty for killing a police officer was scuttled Wednesday . . .

British judges say Iraq troops must observe human rights law

2005-12-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

From the Guardian Unlimited:

British soldiers in Iraq are bound by the Human Rights Act which forbids torture and inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners, the appeal court ruled yesterday in a judgment which also criticised the way the military has investigated allegations of criminal conduct by UK forces.

Medical journal claims many deaths related to pregnancy could be avoided

2005-12-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

From Yahoo News:

"Despite the decline in pregnancy-related mortality rates, almost one half of these deaths could potentially be prevented, mainly through improved quality of medical care," investigators note in the December issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and Bono names as Person of the Year

2005-12-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

From Reuters UK:

"For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are Time's Persons of the Year," the magazine said in its December 19 issue, made public on Sunday.

Managing Editor James Kelly said the three had been chosen as the people most effective at finding ways to eradicate such calamities as malaria in Africa, HIV and AIDS and the grinding poverty that kills 8 million people a year.

Fewer women are aborting undesired pregnancies

2005-12-20T05:23:00.000-08:00

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

U.S. women of childbearing age who were surveyed in 2002 revealed that 14 percent of their recent births were unwanted at the time of conception, federal researchers said Monday.
In a similar 1995 survey, only 9 percent were unwanted at the time of conception.
At least one anti-abortion group said the numbers reflect a national "pro-life shift," while others who research reproductive health issues suggested it might mean less access to abortion.

Amnesty International will campaign against death penalty in South Korea

2005-12-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

From the Korea Times:

The Korean branch of Amnesty International (AI) said Tuesday that the human rights advocacy group plans to designate the country as its priority target for its 2006 anti-death penalty campaign.

Senate battles over ANWAR drilling

2005-12-20T05:11:00.000-08:00

From the Chicago Tribune:

Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ran into furious Senate opposition Monday as lawmakers vowed to block a defense spending bill containing the federal authorization for oil and gas exploration in the Alaskan frontier.

(. . .)

Those opponents were particularly incensed that Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, insisted on tacking on the drilling issue to a defense bill during a backroom dealmaking session with the House.

Spotlight on Darfur

2005-12-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

Check out Spotlight on Darfur #3 with lots of information and writings about the Darfur crisis.
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White House, McCain reach agreement on anti-torture amendment

2005-12-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

From the San Jose Mercury News:

After weeks of protest, the White House reversed itself Thursday and agreed to allow Sen. John McCain's anti-torture amendment to become law.

Here's the text of the McCain Amendment.
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Pro-life liberal running for Congress in Illinois

2005-12-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

Lindy Scott is running for the House of Representatives in Illinois' 6th District. Scott, a pro-life Democrat, says on his website:

We need to strengthen the social fabric of our communities by implementing policies that promote and cherish life for everyone, a “seamless garment” that covers all aspects of our society.

New Jersey passes death penalty moratorium

2005-12-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The state Senate yesterday passed a bill that would put a hold on New Jersey's death-penalty law, which has not resulted in any executions, while a commission studied whether it deterred crime and was "consistent with evolving standards of decency."

UN urges Iraq, US to address human rights abuses

2005-12-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

From Reuters:

The United Nations on Wednesday urged the Iraqi government and U.S.-led multinational forces to address human rights violations amid increasing reports of prisoner abuse.

Iraq's government has been under pressure over its human rights record since American troops stumbled across a secret bunker run by the Interior Ministry last month where prisoners showed signs of torture and malnutrition.

Abortion More Likely Than Miscarriage To Cause Lingering 'Mental Anguish,' Study Says

2005-12-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

From the Kaiser Family Foundation:

Women who undergo abortion are more likely to experience feelings of "mental anguish, anxiety, guilt and even shame" five years after the procedure than women who have a miscarriage, according to a study published in the Dec. 12 issue of the journal BMC Medicine, BBC News reports.

Bush estimates Iraqi war dead at 30,000

2005-12-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Times:

President Bush said Monday that the war in Iraq had claimed the lives of 30,000 Iraqi citizens in addition to 2,140 U.S. troops, but that the establishment of a durable democracy there would ultimately justify the sacrifice.

It appeared to be in line with some previously published estimates by independent monitors.

The independent group Iraq Body Count, for example, estimates the death toll at between 27,383 and 30,892, based on its survey of media, the Red Cross and other sources.

Ex-Gang Leader Tookie Williams Executed in California

2005-12-13T02:20:00.000-08:00

From Bloomberg:

Williams, 51, co-founder of the Crips gang who was on death row for murdering four people in 1979, died at 12:35 a.m. after receiving a lethal dose of drugs at San Quentin State Prison

Gov. Schwarzenegger denies clemency to Stanley Williams

2005-12-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

San Jose Mercury News
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Human Rights Watch calls for sanctions against Sudan's leaders

2005-12-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

From Reuters:

President Omar El Bashir of Sudan and other senior officials should be investigated for crimes against humanity in Darfur and placed on a U.N. sanctions list, Human Rights Watch said today in a new report published in advance of upcoming U.N. Security Council discussions on Darfur.

Agreement on further climate change talks

2005-12-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Washington Post:

The European Union, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Russia agreed to negotiate a second round of greenhouse gas emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol, which would take effect in 2012. Among developed nations, only Australia, the United States, Lichtenstein and Monaco will not participate.

Mexico abolishes the death penalty

2005-12-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Here's the Houston Chronicle article.

Globalization fails to cut poverty

2005-12-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

From the UN News Service:

Global economic growth is increasingly failing to translate into new and better jobs that lead to a reduction in poverty, according to a new report issued by the International Labour Organization (ILO) today.

UN official targets US detentions

2005-12-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

From the Boston Globe:

The US-led fight against terrorism is eroding the global prohibition of torture and other forms of cruel or degrading treatment of prisoners, the top UN human rights official said yesterday in a statement commemorating Human Rights Day.

PPJ signs on to California Death Penalty Moratorium petition

2005-12-09T03:05:00.000-08:00

Pro-Lifers for Peace and Justice has signed on to the petition sponsored by Californians for a Moratorium on Executions. The petition urges passage of the “California Moratorium on Executions Act” (AB 1121). The act, if passed, would suspend all executions in California until January 1, 2009 while the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice conducts a thorough study of the state’s criminal justice procedures.

PPJ is included in the list of petition endorsers on the Death Penalty Focus website.