Smart gun regulation ideas from my gun owning friend

Vice President Joe Biden has indicated that he will be submitting a set of recommendations from his gun violence prevention task force to President Obama by next Tuesday. He said that he is seeing a lot of support for universal background checks and restrictions on high-capacity magazines.

Those would be a good start.

I got some other smart suggestions from a socially liberal gun-owning friend (listen up, Mr. Biden): Licensing - with passing a safety course as a requirement; and registration.

This friend suggested making unsafe handling of a firearm a felony. Those found guilty wouldn't necessarily go to jail or even pay a fine, but they would be banned from gun ownership for some period of time (life if egregious). You would lose your license and any firearms you own.

Gun registration would prevent a lot of straw purchases. Unregistered guns could be confiscated as illegal.

To me this makes sense. For the most part, it's how we treat car ownership and operation. You cannot operate a motor vehicle without a license - which is available only after passing a test. Also, all cars must be registered. And reckless driving has its legal consequences.

Of course, the radical gun nuts would probably try to point out that there's no constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to own or operate a car as there is to "bear arms".

As my friend then said, "I'm a firm believer in the right to own guns, but I'm also a firm believer in people having to take responsibility for those guns. That's the part that I find lacking on the right."

Indeed, with rights come responsibilities.

DC Amnesty activists demonstrate at Zero Dark Thirty premiere

On Tuesday evening, January 8, Amnesty International activists gathered at the Washington, DC, gala premiere of the controversial movie Zero Dark Thirty at the Newseum. According to some commentators, the movie suggests that the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" (i.e., torture) may have helped the CIA to locate Osama bin Laden, which resulted in his assassination. (Note: I have not yet seen the movie.)

The DC activists, dressed in orange prison-style jumpsuits, projected the message "Torture is wrong" and the Amnesty candle logo on the wall of the Newseum. They also handed out Amnesty's fact sheet on torture and Osama bin Laden.

See photos here.

Media reports on the protest:
• Atlantic Wire
• Hollywood Reporter

Great job, you guys!

My weird Daily News anniversary

Today marks the 7th anniversary of my last paid column for the Philadelphia Daily News, the city's number 2 newspaper. Sadly, the gig ended when the Daily News and its sister publication, the larger Philadelphia Inquirer, were sold for the second or third time in a small number of years.

I have mixed feelings. The Daily News gave me broad exposure for my human rights and social justice advocacy. On the other hand, it wasn't easy to work with my assigned editor, the token right winger on the editorial board. In fact, at times it was hell.

Overall - and with no sour grapes, I swear - I keep telling myself that I'm better off having moved on. And I thank all the editors of the various publications that today keep my work out there in the public eye on a regular basis - where it hopefully will do some good.

SCOTUS to hear same-sex marriage arguments March 26-27

Today the U.S. Supreme Court released a schedule of oral arguments for March. Hearings on two cases regarding same-sex marriage will be heard on subsequent days at the end of that month.

Here's the scoop from SCOTUSblog:

Tuesday, March 26:

12-144 – Hollingsworth v. Perry – constitutionality of California's "Proposition 8" ban on same-sex marriage; also, question of standing to appeal

Wednesday, March 27:

12-307 — United States v. Windsor – constitutionality of Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act's benefits limited to married opposite-sex couples; also, question of standing for U.S. government and for House GOP leaders to appeal the case

Of course, with the current makeup of the Court, anything could happen in either case.

Stay tuned, with fingers crossed for equality.

11 years later, Gitmo injustice continues

January 11, 2013, will mark the 11th anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

In 2009, just two days after taking office, President Obama issued an executive order calling for the Guantanamo prison to be closed within a year, and for detainees to be given fair trials in U.S. federal courts. But, since then, he has repeatedly signed Congress's defense bills that keep Gitmo going, even while blaming Congress for his failure to keep his promise.

As several human rights groups have pointed out, until this changes and the prison is closed as promised, Gitmo will remain a big, black blemish on our national image, and a symbol of an immoral "war on terror" that will continue to serve as a recruiting tool for terrorists. It's an atrocity that Obama inherited, but now he owns it.

"It's not encouraging that the President continues to be willing to tie his own hands when it comes to closing Guantanamo," said C. Dixon Osburn, Director of the Law and Security Program at Human Rights First. "The injustice of Guantanamo continues to serve as a stain on American global leadership on human rights."

As long as Gitmo remains in business, so will the faulty military tribunals that are trying the detainees who are "lucky" enough to be charged and tried rather than held in legal limbo. According to Amnesty International, "[military commissions] have been specifically crafted to enable the U.S. authorities to circumvent protections that defendants would enjoy in a civilian courtroom. The fact that they have undergone multiple statutory and procedural revisions suggests that they fall short of the 'regularly constituted court' standard required by Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions."

And these military trials are also less efficient, noted Laura Pitter, Counterterrorism Advisor for Human Rights Watch: "The attacks of 9/11 were a great tragedy for all Americans and without doubt a crime that must be prosecuted. But it's disturbing to watch that horrific crime so dramatically change the U.S. system of justice - a source of pride for so many Americans. It's more disturbing given that it's not necessary or prudent. Federal courts have completed hundreds of terrorism cases since 9/11, while the commissions have dispensed with a mere seven."

I strongly urge President Obama to think about this again as he starts his second term. As a constitutional attorney, he should know as well as anyone that ensuring true justice does not mean that you're weak on terror. Indeed, it takes far more strength to do the right thing.

Rick Perry keeps the Texas death house busy

Texas Governor Rick Perry ended 2012 with 15 executions under his belt for the year, bringing his total in office to a record number of 253. (By comparison, George W. Bush oversaw a mere 152 executions during his time as governor.)

Given how Perry bragged about his execution record during a presidential primary debate last year, I'll bet he savored each and every one of them.

And I'll bet he hasn't made any New Year's resolution to change his bloodthirsty ways. Already, the 2013 execution schedule is rapidly filling up, beginning with a January 29th date for Kimberly McCarthy.

Somehow, Perry apparently thinks it makes sense to kill a killer in order to show that killing is wrong. As if two wrongs make a right.

But, as the much wiser Mahatma Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

Ironically, the House is supporting tax increases

As I write this, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are still playing politics with the so-called fiscal cliff, with Majority Leader Eric Cantor and other members refusing to support the compromise bill that passed the Senate early this morning. The Senate bill reinstates the Bush-era tax cuts for singles making $400K or less, and for couples making $450K or less.

Ironically, by rejecting the Senate bill, these members are effectively supporting the default tax increase for all, which kicked in at midnight. I thought supporting tax hikes was against their religion.

In Philly, 3 gun deaths already in 2013

It didn't take long for Philadelphia's 2013 gun-related death toll to kick in.

The first fatal shooting victim of the year was a 17-year-old boy who was gunned down at around 12:30 am on New Year's Day.

Then, about two hours later, a man was fatally shot.

At around 3:00 am, three people were shot, and one of them died.

Yes, right here in the so-called City of Brotherly Love.

And, sadly, I'm sure it's happening elsewhere in the U.S.

Unfortunately, even in the wake of the recent Connecticut school shootings, I doubt that anything will change. The gun lobby is just too powerful, and our elected representatives are just too weak.

The public discourse has already shifted to the fiscal cliff and the debt ceiling. The next mass shooting will resurrect the subject, but probably only temporarily, as usual. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Happy New Year (and thanks)!

On this New Year's Day, I'd like to wish all my readers and friends, and your families, a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2013.

Thank you for your support through the years, and for constantly keeping me on my toes.

I am a better person - and a better writer and activist - because of each of you.

The rich don't pay their taxes anyway

"You know what happens with this kind of tax the rich deal. That's why they've got accountants and lawyers. So the rich figure out ways not to pay, and you get stuck with the tab."
-- George W. Bush, Hudson, Wisconsin, 18 August 2004

The Republicans in Congress are set against raising taxes on the wealthy. It's like a religion to them.

I wonder if they ever consider the fact that the rich don't tend to pay much in taxes to begin with, because of all the loopholes.

As we learned during the presidential campaign season this year, Mitt Romney hides much of his fortune overseas, and paid 14.1 percent on his 2011 tax returns.

And zillionaire Warren Buffet once famously pointed out that he paid a higher tax rate than his secretary (17.7 percent on $46M compared to her 30 percent on $60K).

All things considered, I have a strong hunch that raising their tax rates when the Bush tax cuts expire won't bankrupt the rich, even though they'll owe more on their capital gains.

On the other hand, those of us who are not so fortunate will see cuts in our paychecks that could significantly impact how we live. And many of us are already struggling to make ends meet.

A Facebook acquaintance of mine, who happens to be disabled, recently shared his dismay with the fact that Romney has such a low tax rate, while he himself pays 28 percent on $36K per year. He pointed out that Romney has argued that he (Romney) pays plenty of income tax and will not pay a dollar more. I'm sure he won't, even when the Bush tax cuts expire. But my disabled friend has no such choice, lest he land in jail for tax evasion.

And, to add insult to injury, I'm sure the GOP would like to take a hatchet to this guy's disability benefits as well.

Two New Year's resolutions for the state of Arkansas

I propose two New Year's resolutions for the state of Arkansas:

1. Fully exonerate the West Memphis Three.

2. Reopen the case and find the real killer(s).

The world will be watching.

On Christmas Day, 2012, the documentary film West of Memphis opened in New York City and Los Angeles. It will be more widely released starting in January. The film tells the updated story of the West Memphis Three - a trio of men who were convicted as teenagers for the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Presumed ringleader Damien Echols, who was 18 years old at the time of the murders, was sentenced to death. His codefendants, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Miskelley, Jr., who were still minors at the time, were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A prior trilogy of HBO documentaries on the case, titled Paradise Lost, raised serious questions as to whether the three were actually guilty. Indeed, the first Paradise Lost film, which captured the proceedings within the courtroom, showed something that looked more like a modern-day witch hunt. The West Memphis police had no physical evidence definitively linking the defendants to the crime. The best they had was a coerced "confession" by Miskelley which occurred after several hours of high-pressure interrogation with no lawyer or parent present. In his partially taped interrogation, Miskelley, who has an IQ of 72 (borderline intellectual functioning), kept changing his story regarding the murders - and his lack of firsthand knowledge about them - until finally, in tired frustration, he resorted to repeating the self-incriminating story that the police were spoon-feeding him. It seemed so bizarre to him that he eventually assumed it was a game - and so he played along. And he lost that game.

Echols and Baldwin were tried separately from Miskelley. Miskelley refused to testify against his friends, despite offers of a reduced sentence. And his confession could not be used as evidence against the other two. However, one of the jurors had learned of the confession, and there is evidence that he illegally brought it up during jury deliberations. Other "evidence" presented at the Echols-Baldwin trial included two witnesses who later recanted their testimonies, and an occult "expert" who had bought his PhD from a mail-order diploma mill and had never taken a formal class on the subject.

As in Salem 300 years ago, the trial focused on the occult. This was in the midst of the satanic ritual abuse panic of the 1980s and '90s, which was later exposed as having no basis in fact. But back then it gave the cops - who were floundering in their investigation - an excuse to do something about Damien Echols, who had been making them nervous for some time simply because he was different. He wore black, he listened to heavy metal music, he read Stephen King novels, and he kept a journal of rather deep and edgy sentiments. Sure, these are things that a lot of teenage misfits do; but in the heart of the Bible belt, it's risky business. So the police and prosecutors contended that the defendants belonged to a satanic cult, and contrived the theory that the murders were part of a satanic ritual.

And the terrified jury bought it.

Fortunately, the Paradise Lost documentaries, which captured the trial and other case-related details on film, were widely viewed, and raised public awareness of the unfairness of the trial. People worldwide were soon convinced that the West Memphis Three were innocent. Celebrities including actor Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks held benefits for their defense fund. Filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, of Lord of the Rings fame, funded an investigation into the case which yielded important new exculpatory evidence, including DNA testing which would rule out all three defendants - and which points to the stepfather of one of the victims. New York landscape architect Lorri Davis, who had written to Echols in prison after seeing the first film, eventually fell in love with him, moved to Little Rock, married him in prison, and quit her job to work tirelessly full-time on the case. And better lawyers got on board.

It paid off - kind of.

On August 19, 2011, the West Memphis Three walked out of prison as free men after each agreed to an Alford plea deal. Under an Alford plea, the defendants can maintain their innocence while officially pleading guilty - a controversial deal that sometimes serves a defendant's best interests. Their sentences were then commuted to time served, and they were released. Baldwin had initially resisted the deal, not wanting to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit. But he eventually agreed in order to save his friend on death row, saying, "This was not justice. However, they’re trying to kill Damien." (All three defendants had to agree to the deal or none would be released.)

The plea deal strongly suggests that the state of Arkansas was nervous about retrying the case with the new evidence. Surely the state would not have agreed to release the three if they truly believed they were dangerous murderers. And so the deal includes some caveats that allow the state to save face.

First, as part of the deal, the three had to agree not to sue the state of Arkansas.

Second, the state considers the case closed. The West Memphis Three remain convicted felons, and the authorities maintain that they caught the right guys.

And so, alarmingly, the real killer(s) are still out there somewhere.

As Baldwin pointed out, that's not justice.

Don't the victims in this case deserve better?

All six of them?

'Tis the season for giving

I just finished making my year-end donations to a handful of non-profit organizations. While times are tough, and I don't have much money, it feels good to donate to some worthy causes.

This year, I chose the ACLU, Amnesty International USA (of course), and Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. I wish I could afford to give more money to even more good organizations.

Before the year is over, please take some time to donate what you can to your favorite charities. Every dollar can make a huge difference in the world. And the effects will last much longer than those double lattes that you might have spent that money on instead.

Sensible sportsmen should abandon the NRA

In the wake of the elementary school shootings in Connecticut on Friday, the talking heads and bloggers are again arguing gun control. And, as usual, I am sure the talk will fade before any action is taken, and it will all be put on hold again until the next shooting. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Why? Because the National Rifle Association (NRA) has somehow acquired so much power that our lawmakers are afraid to oppose them. Indeed, even Democrats are afraid to speak out for sensible gun control.

The NRA keeps talking about protection of Second Amendment rights. But what they actually call for is unfettered access to even the most powerful assault weapons - far beyond the handguns kept for self-defense and rifles used for hunting.

Then, when mass shootings occur, they drag out their tired excuse that "guns don't kill people; people kill people." They refuse to admit that you can kill more people more efficiently with guns than with most other readily available weapons.

Thanks to pressure from the NRA, it is now easier to get an automatic rifle than a driver's license. But since, as they love to point out, "people kill people," shouldn't they be eager to keep their beloved weapons out the hands of the crazies who might kill people?

Apparently not. This is despite the fact that NRA members themselves overwhelmingly support some kinds of sensible gun control.

Therefore, I call on current dues-paying NRA members to abandon the organization until it backs off from its extreme positions.

Sensible gun control will not prevent all mass shootings, but it will certainly make them more difficult. Is that not a worthwhile goal?

On December 10, take action for Human Rights Day!

Today, December 10, is Human Rights Day. It is the anniversary of the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly. This project was led by Eleanor Roosevelt in the wake of World War II, to define a worldwide, inter-cultural set of non-derogable human rights.

It wasn't an easy undertaking. There were lots of disagreements, lots of arguments. But, in the end, this inter-cultural group, representing virtually all regions and cultures of the world, agreed on the 30 articles set forth in the Declaration.

These rights were determined to be the fair universal standards required to ensure the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family, which is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.

The cultural diversity involved in developing this Declaration is a testament to its universality and lack of bias.

Still, however, human rights continue to be violated - right here in the USA and all around the world.

What you can do:

Here are some things you can do today - or anytime - to help advance the cause of human rights worldwide:

• Read the UDHR and share its message with your friends, family, and social networks.

• Take action online to fight human rights violations. Individuals can make a difference!

and/or

• Make a year-end donation to a human rights organization. Here are some of my favorites:
     Amnesty International
     Human Rights First
     Human Rights Watch

Jeb Bush is new Constitution Center board chair

I love all the historical and cultural resources here in Philadelphia, and one of my favorites is the National Constitution Center. I've been a member of the Constitution Center for several years now.

So I have mixed feelings about the fact that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has recently been named as the new Chairman of the Constitution Center's Board of Trustees.

But then, his father also once served as Chairman, and the Constitution Center still continues to be nonpartisan in its displays, and bipartisan in its special programs.

And I admit that the choice could have been much, much worse.

Still, I'll be keeping an eye on things.

This (and every) holiday season, say no to the Salvation Army

Today I drove through a nearby shopping center and, since it's the holiday shopping season, I saw the usual Salvation Army representative ringing his bell and asking shoppers to please fill his little red kettle with money.

I wanted to pull the naive donors aside and give them an earful; or maybe stand there and hand out anti-SA flyers. But I didn't have the time nor the soliciting permit nor any prepared flyers, so I came home and wrote this blog post instead - for now.

You see, the Salvation Army is not the kind and generous operation it purports to be. The organization - and its leaders at all levels - have a long and disturbing history of religious coercion, abuse, and intolerance.

I wrote a piece in December of 2008 that provided an overview of the issues.

That generated a lot of other stories from readers who showed me that the Salvation Army was even worse than the entity I had exposed in 2008. So I wrote a follow-up piece in December of 2009.

Here are links to those two pieces:

• December 2008: The Salvation Army's red kettle of trouble

• December 2009: The Salvation Army: It gets worse

Please just say no to the Salvation Army - this holiday season and every year. And tell everyone you know.

For World AIDS Day, Hillary Clinton envisions an AIDS-free generation

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day. On this date each year, organizations and individuals from around the world work together to call attention to the global AIDS crisis.

This year's World AIDS Day theme is "Getting to Zero", marking a campaign that runs until 2015 with the goal of getting to zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths.

In observance of Worlds AIDS Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a "blueprint for an AIDS-free generation".

Some excerpts from her speech:

Now, make no mistake about it: HIV may well be with us into the future. But the disease that it causes need not be. We can reach a point where virtually no children are born with the virus, and as these children become teenagers and adults, they are at a far lower risk of becoming infected than they are today. And if they do acquire HIV, they have access to treatment that helps prevent them not only from developing AIDS, but from passing the virus on to others.

[...]

First, let’s remember why, after so many years of discouraging news, this goal is now possible. By applying evidence-based strategies in the most effective combinations, we have cut the number of new infections dramatically. Just last week, UNAIDS announced that, over the past decade, the rate of new HIV infections has dropped by more than half in 25 low-and-middle-income countries, most of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. Just listen to these numbers: In Zimbabwe, a 50 percent reduction; in Namibia, a 68 percent reduction; and in Malawi, a 73 percent reduction in the rate of new infections.

So as we continue to drive down the number of new infections and drive up the number of people on treatment, eventually we will be able to treat more people than become infected every year. That will be the tipping point. We will then get ahead of the pandemic, and an AIDS-free generation will be in our sight. Now, we don’t know how long it will take to do this everywhere, but we know that we can do it.

I hope she is correct.

>> Read Secretary Clinton's full statement here.

American excess in perspective

Thursday, November 22, was the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. In addition to giving thanks for the good people and good things in our lives, we use the Thanksgiving holiday to celebrate gluttony, over huge turkey dinners with all the trimmings. We go into it planning to eat too much, and then we do. No qualms about it. It's what Thanksgiving is all about, it seems. It's the American way.

Thanksgiving Thursday is then immediately followed by Black Friday - the busiest shopping day of the year. Many retailers even opened their doors on Thursday night this year, instead of waiting for Friday. While their turkey dinners were still digesting, hordes of shoppers descended on their local Walmart, Target, and Best Buy stores and elbowed their way to the best deals on large-screen TVs and other treasures. It is American consumerism at its most obscene. And it has become almost like a sporting event. No qualms about it. It's the American way.

At the very same time, some 15 percent of households in this country lack food security. Many of these families must routinely skip meals, sometimes for a full day, sometimes for much longer. The lucky ones are able to get food assistance to keep themselves alive.

Even more alarmingly, over 21 percent of American children struggle with hunger today, through no fault of their own. That's some 16 million kids who aren't sure where their next meal will come from - or when. They would be grateful for some of your discarded turkey scraps at best.

Sadly, too many middle class and wealthy Americans have no qualms about this inconvenient truth. They may put an extra dollar in the church collection basket and think they're doing their part to help the poor. Or they may take the easiest way out and blame the victim, blame the mythical "welfare queen". This, too, now seems to be the American way.

Thankfully, in this year's elections, voters rejected many of the politicians - including GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney - who would have instituted even more policies that favor the rich corporations over the middle class and the less fortunate. But that is not enough, especially with the Republicans still in control of the House of Representatives.

We must push our leaders to do a serious reality check and adjust their priorities. Our government cannot continue to be a government of, by, and for the wealthy elite and their fossil fuel interests. We must resurrect the vision of our founding fathers, in which the United States of America is a government of, by, and for the people. All of the people.

Until then, even with President Obama in the White House, the middle class will continue to shrink, and more and more ordinary Americans will find themselves struggling to make ends meet. Each Thanksgiving and each Black Friday, we'll have less to eat and less to spend. And more and more children will starve.

Walmart protests planned for Black Friday (and how you can help)

They're mad as hell, as the old movie quote goes, and they're not going to take it anymore!

After years of abuse by management, courageous current and former Walmart workers are ready to fight back. On Black Friday, November 23, they are planning to picket Walmart stores and warehouses across the U.S.

I'm glad to see them so bravely standing up for their rights. Walmart for years has been notorious for its low wages, poor working conditions, and anti-union policies.

How you can help:

Instead of shopping at Walmart on Black Friday, stand outside the store and lend your support to the protesting workers!

Click here to find a Walmart protest site near you.

More stubbornness, hatred, and violence in the Middle East

Here we go again. For several days now, Israel and Hamas have been exchanging deadly bombs and rocket fire.

And, like every such episode, nothing will be accomplished by the violence except for needless death and destruction. It will not lead to an ultimate solution to the ages-old territorial dispute in the region. That can only be accomplished politically.

But, as always, there is too much emotional finger pointing, and too much hatred in the way, for the parties involved to seriously seek a true and lasting solution.

And, as always, innocent civilians on both sides continue to pay the price.

Revenge of the female voters

Tuesday's elections demonstrated that the GOP's war on women comes at a price.

For example:

• The citizens of Missouri rejected Todd ("legitimate rape") Akin's Senate bid in favor of Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill.

• In the Indiana Senate race, voters chose Democrat Joe Donnelly over GOP challenger Richard ("God's will") Mourdock.

• Here in Pennsylvania, Democratic Senator Bob Casey retained his seat as voters rejected Republican challenger Tom ("similar to having a baby out of wedlock") Smith.

• And, of course, voters across the nation rejected Mitt Romney, who had promised to reverse Roe v. Wade, defund Planned Parenthood, and repeal Obamacare.

While I'm sure many mysogynistic old white men will continue to try to control women's bodies via draconian legislation at the state level, the greater momentum is obviously on our side.

Let's keep the momentum going!

Why my Republican friend - and her sisters - are voting for Obama

This evening I had dinner with a Republican friend. She and I usually avoid talking about politics, and instead just silently agree to disagree. There's plenty of other stuff to talk about.

But tonight she insisted on bringing it up. It turned out that she wanted to let me know that she will be voting for Obama tomorrow. I think this will be the first time in her life that she has voted for a non-Republican candidate.

She is a fiscal conservative, and complained about "Obama's deficit". But then she explained that she couldn't support the GOP war on women's reproductive rights, and that was her reason for this difficult decision.

She also said that her two sisters, themselves staunch Republicans, would be voting for Obama as well, for the same reason.

I chose not to address the deficit issue. Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone.

I'm hoping that many other Republican women will see things the same way as my friend and her sisters. Hopefully the misogynists in the GOP have pushed the envelope a bit too far this time.

Rick Perry racks up 250th execution

On Wednesday, October 31, the State of Texas executed Donnie Lee Roberts for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend.

Roberts has the dubious distinction of being the 250th death row prisoner to be executed under Governor Rick Perry.

According to Salon.com, "Perry has presided over more executions than any other governor in U.S. modern history." George W. Bush, by comparison, oversaw a mere 152 executions.

And, given the fact that Perry bragged about his execution rate (to thunderous applause) during a GOP presidential primary debate last year, I'm guessing that he's proud of this new milestone.

But instead he should be ashamed.

First, he should be ashamed because forensic evidence shows that he likely executed at least one innocent man in 2004 - and then impeded the investigation into the error. This does not deserve applause.

Second, he should be ashamed because more than 2,000 people convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. have been exonerated in the past 23 years based on DNA or other evidence. So that aforementioned case was not an isolated one. This does not deserve applause.

Third, he should be ashamed because it makes no logical sense to kill someone in order to show that killing is wrong. Doing so does not deserve applause.

But none of that seems to matter. Perry kills, and the bloodthirsty right-wing sheep applaud.

I wonder how any of those sheep would feel if, wrongfully convicted of a crime they did not commit, found themselves strapped to the lethal injection gurney in the Texas death house while the masses applauded their demise - and Perry took a bow.

The myth of the Christian right

GOP politicians and their followers love to play the Christianity card. They wave their bibles and wag their fingers at anyone whose behavior doesn't pass their sanctimonious moral judgment.

They call themselves Christians, but in Catholic school I was taught that Christians adore and follow Jesus Christ. These holier-than-thou Republicans don't reflect the Jesus that I read about in the New Testament.

To illustrate this point, let's compare the teachings of Jesus with the actions of his so-called followers in the GOP.

---

Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9)

The "Christian" Republicans, on the other hand, attacked Iraq for no good reason, and now are beating the war drums over Iran. And their corporate overlords in the war profiteering business are making a fortune. (See Halliburton.)

---

Jesus said, "Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes', and your 'No' mean 'No'. Anything more is from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37)

But GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney changes his opinions on the issues from 'yes' to 'no' and back again as much as needed to achieve his immediate political goals. And the "Christian" Republicans will vote for him.

---

Jesus said, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24)

But the GOP has in recent decades become the Greedy Old Party, working to cut social services for the underprivileged in order to give unneeded tax breaks to the very wealthy.

---

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the [temple] treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything -- all she had to live on." (Mark 12:43)

And so the "Christian" Republicans will call her a welfare queen.

---

Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)

But GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney talks about his car elevator and professes his disdain for the 47 percent while on the campaign trail. And the "Christian" Republicans will vote for him.

---

Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me... Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." (Matthew 25:40-45)

See above re: tax breaks for the rich at the expense of the needy.

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Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s." (Matthew 22:21)

But GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney hides his wealth in overseas tax havens to avoid rendering unto Uncle Sam. And the "Christian" Republicans will vote for him.

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Jesus said, "Watch out that you are not deceived." (Luke 21:8)

So how can we tell when GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is telling the truth, since his official positions change so frequently? Still, the "Christian" Republicans will vote for him.

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Jesus said, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:5-6)

But the "Christian" Republicans have to drag their "religion" not only into the public square but into our political process as well, despite the First Amendment's separation of church and state.

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Jesus said, "Judge not, that you be not judged." (Matthew 7:1)

But that doesn't stop GOP mouthpiece Rush Limbaugh from judging everyone he disagrees with. (See Sandra Fluke.)

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And so on.

But, sadly, many voters who most need to recognize this hypocrisy are either too complacent, too apathetic, or too willfully ignorant to see it.

I just hope enough eyes - and minds - can open before Election Day to save us.

UN official says death penalty is torture; US doesn't care

On October 23, Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, presented to the General Assembly's human rights committee a report on the death penalty, and called on states to "seriously reconsider whether the death penalty amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, or even torture." The UN has for years been calling for a moratorium on the death penalty worldwide.

In addition to his concerns that some forms of execution - such as stoning and gas asphyxiation - have been "explicitly deemed to violate the prohibition of torture," Mendez noted that "[s]olitary confinement ... in combination with the knowledge of death and uncertainty of when an execution would take place, contributed to the risk of irreparable mental and physical harm." And, of course, there is evidence suggesting that even lethal injection is not as pain-free as some would like to believe.

In response, the U.S. delegate defended the death penalty by saying that "the report noted that the death penalty could only be carried out pursuant to the judgement of competent courts and applied only to the most serious crimes. The United States had a number of exhaustive protections to ensure that the death penalty was undertaken with the best safeguards and only after multiple layers of judicial review."

But try telling that to the family of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas in 2004 for an alleged arson murder only to have a later forensic review conclude that "a finding of arson could not be sustained." In other words, the fatal fire for which Willingham was executed was probably an accident. So much for safeguards.

But whether the condemned is actually innocent or not is beside the point that Mendez was making. So are the "exhaustive protections" claimed by the U.S. delegate. Unfortunately, to some it doesn't matter.

DOMA ruled unconstitutional again, as Boehner wastes tax dollars

Today, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. Under DOMA, same-sex marriages are not recognized at the federal level or (to a more limited extent) an interstate level.

The Obama administration and the Justice Department had announced early last year that they would stop defending DOMA in the court system, having determined that it is discriminatory, and therefore unconstitutional. And so DOMA should have stopped there.

However, since then, House Speaker John Boehner and his crew have taken the matter into their own hands, and have invested nearly $1.5 million so far in defending DOMA. And they will likely keep on spending our tax dollars to advance their bigoted agenda all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, as long as they continue to have the power to do so.

And then they turn around and accuse President Obama of frivolous spending.

Friday, October 19 - Wear purple to fight bullying!

Tomorrow is Spirit Day 2012. This will be the third annual Spirit Day, named for the purple stripe of the rainblow flag representing "spirit".

Spirit Day was established as an opportunity for people to speak out against the plague of bullying aimed at LGBT youth.

On Spirit Day, please wear purple to show your support. I certainly will. (The photo is from the first Spirit Day in 2010.)

Do more:

>> Find more Spirit Day actions at www.glaad.org/spiritday.

Gender stereotypes in the bookstore aisles

I recently visited a used bookstore in a Philadelphia suburb. I was looking for a couple of out-of-print books -- one on politics and one on science.

In walking through the aisles and scanning the shelf labels, I couldn't find sections for politics or science.

So I asked the woman behind the desk where I would find books on those two subjects. "Men's Interests," she replied, and pointed to that row. Sure enough, there were the books I was looking for. Under "Men's Interests". I wondered if the desk lady assumed I was shopping for a book for my husband, brother, or son, rather than for myself. But I said nothing.

Then, just for grins, I found the "Women's Interests" section. There, as I had expected, were all the cookbooks, along with books on fashion, parenting, and crafts.

Better tell Emeril Lagasse that cooking is a "women's interest".

Better tell Calvin Klein that fashion is a "women's interest".

Better tell that macho Todd Palin, who watches the younger kids while Sarah continues her media stunts even after all these years, that parenting is a "women's interest".

And don't let your Boy Scouts work on crafts, because that's obviously girl stuff. Proof is at the bookstore.

As for me, I guess I'm supposed to stop worrying my little blonde head over manly things like politics and science, and instead maybe learn to crochet.

Don't hold your breath.

I still won't celebrate Columbus Day

Today is the Columbus Day holiday in the U.S., which celebrates Christopher Columbus's alleged discovery of the Americas.

Despite the parades around me, I will not be celebrating, for my usual reasons. Below are those reasons, as I've been sharing each year on this second Monday of October:

What we learned about Columbus in school was not the whole truth. In some cases, it wasn't the truth at all.

First of all, Columbus did not originate the theory that the earth is round. Such had been known since ancient times.

Columbus also did not discover America. Leif Ericson and his Norsemen had built a settlement in what is now the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador some 500 years before Columbus wandered into the West Indies.

And, once Columbus got here, he enslaved the Native Americans and forced them to convert to Christianity, while helping himself to the new world's gold and other precious resources.

In other words, it seems that he paved the way for the better-known genocide and subjugation of Native Americans that took place on the North American mainland in later centuries.

Is this the kind of thing we should really be celebrating?

Not me.

PA voter ID law on hold until after November

The good news: Sorry, Mike Turzai. Today, Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson put Pennsylvania's voter ID law on hold, so it will not be enforced for the November elections. Voters this November may be asked for ID, but will not be stopped from voting if they cannot produce it. Simpson indicated that he was not convinced that there was enough time for all voters who need one to obtain an ID in time for November's elections. This ruling follows hearings in which several would-be voters described extreme difficulties in obtaining the required ID.

The bad news: The voter ID law isn't dead, it's just in an induced coma. Simpson scheduled a hearing for December 13 to further review the case.

Stay tuned for updates, with fingers crossed for democracy, not suppression.