Don’t ask, don’t tell?  Looks like it’s more than just abhorrent, hateful policy for our military.

John Leslie forwarded this piece from CNN:

‘My jaw dropped when the doctors told me that 41 percent of the female veterans seen there say they were victims of sexual assault while serving in the military,’ said Harman, who has long sought better
protection of women in the military.

‘Twenty-nine percent say they were raped during their military service. They spoke of their continued terror, feelings of helplessness and downward spirals many of their lives have taken since.

‘We have an epidemic here,’ she said. ‘Women serving in the U.S. military today are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq.’

As of July 24, 100 women had died in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.

In 2007, Harman said, only 181 out of 2,212 reports of military sexual assaults, or 8 percent, were referred to courts martial. By comparison, she said, 40 percent of those arrested in the civilian world on such charges are prosecuted.

Sexual assault in military ‘jaw-dropping,’ lawmaker says

I can only imagine how difficult it must be for a soldier to report a rape.  The culture of the military (PDF) resents weakness, and to report oneself as a victim presents an enormous challenge.

Speaking of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network was in Philly this summer to help push the movement to end this policy.  Philly’s LGBQT community has been working for decades to help bring issues like this to light, which show us the inequities homosexuals face that are beyond marriage.

They still face an uphill battle.

Read more:

• The Rape of Latinas in the US Military - La Voz de Aztlan
• ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Turns 15 - TIME
• Stop Military Rape
• The Private War of Women Soldiers - Democracy Now!

Whether embedded in Iraq, or traveling on a New York City subway, photographers are increasingly under pressure to put the camera away and shut up.  Our world has become less democratic, our Constitutional rights to free speech and a free press have dwindled.  I recall the outrage over Al-Jazeera’s airing of graphic images of deceased U.S. soldiers, and the persuant discussion about ethics.

How ethical is it to not allow the world to see the true devastation, the true impact of our invasion and occupation of Iraq?  If you saw the face of a small child screaming because her parents were just executed in front of her, would that have an impact on your complicity in this war?  What if you saw a fresh photo like this everyday?

I want to celebrate the journalists and publications who risk banishment for distributing and publishing photos that the world must see.  We cannot make informed decisions when the media does not tell the whole story.

Read more:

• Picturing Casulaties (NY Times Slideshow of War Wounded)
• 4,000 U.S. Deaths and a Handful of Images (NY Times)
• Zoriah Miller - disembedded freelance photojournalist

Hannah Sassaman forwarded this release:

June 13th, 2007. Philadelphia Police descended upon the home of homeowners who have been questioning police tactics in Mayor Nutters new “stop and frisk” program. 4 residents were arrested in their home at 17th street and Ridge Avenue, and the police are in the process of sealing the building. The homeowners are being held at the police station, no charges have yet been filed.

Homeowners had been circulating petitions calling upon Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Ramsey to attend community meetings on the use of excessive force, surveilance cameras, and the new “stop and frisk” policy. The mayor and police chief have declined to attend these community forums, but instead have seized the home and possessions of those who question “Stop and Frisk,” and are currently holding them in jail. While many civil liberties advocates and residents of affected neighborhoods have questioned the new police tactics, few imagined that
simple criticism of a city policy could result in the seizure of one’s home and subject residents to arrest.

And more from Philly IMC:

June 14th 8:10 AM Philadelphia. Homeowners were released from custody after being held without charges for up to 14 hours early this morning. The 4 were taken into custody yesterday after police arrived at their door without a warrant demanding entry to the premises. Upon being refused entry without the proper paperwork they arrested the homeowners and forced entry to the premises. After arresting the homeowners the police proceeded to call the Department of Licenses and Inspections which found the property in violation of various codes and permits and ordered the building cleaned and sealed. Homeowners were told they will have 1 hour at ten am to retrieve personal belongings before their home is sealed. Officials claim that the homeowners will no longer be able to access their property without violating a trespassing law. Police cruisers sat watch in front of the property all night long. Homeowners were released at 3:30 in the morning. Representatives of the homeowners will be present to make a statement while they retrieve some of their possessions. The police operation was led by 9th district Commanding Officer, Captain Wilson.

A couple things to note:

• The use of License & Inspections to penalize those who are ‘unpopular’ by well-connected persons is a hallmark of Philadelphia. Good people at the South Philly Atheneum were subject to this in 2005.
• The area around 17th & Ridge is at the edge of new development coming up from Center City, and there are many folks land-banking and holding onto delinquent houses in the area to cash-in during the next real estate boom. I used to bike up this way while working at the Teen Program. I’m not sure if this is the house, but it is representative of many of the houses along this strip:

The question is why now, and on what grounds did the Police and L&I have the right to perform this raid? There are hundreds of buildings in the area that have property violations.

It seems this was politically motivated, but remains unclear until further information is revealed.

Colleen writes:

I stand for all women’s rights and feel so proud that we (women) had female representation in this recent primary… however, I would never vote for a woman to be our next president just because i want a woman to be the president… instead i really would like to punch a few of these men in the face!!

A great piece from the Women’s Media Center. One thing which struck me was how much of an asshole Chris Matthews is!

This is typical political theater, but it’s worth a watch. I’m sure the same could be done for Obama or Clinton.

Ms. Clinton, who has cast herself as the stronger candidate on national security, raised eyebrows earlier Tuesday by warning in a television interview she would not hesitate to “totally obliterate” Iran if it launched an attack against Israel. - The Daily Post

More of the same, more of the same. Pennsylvania swings towards Clinton, as expected.

One thing that always amazes me in the amount of political cheer leading permitted at our polling stations. I remember in New York, polling stations were fiercely regulated. Police were called when political advocates came too close to a polling station.

In Philadelphia, my voting experiences have been different. I’ve not only been sold a candidate at the door of my polling station, but even the poll workers seemed to be wearing pins, handing out flyers and talking up their candidates. Tonight, there was a woman stopping everyone at the door to help voters with the process, by pointing out which delegates to vote for. She was wearing a campaign shirt, but she certainly seemed like she was the gatekeeper for the polling place.

Philly, I love you, but we’ve got to get our act together!

Cost of 5 pot plants: Jobs, not house - Philadelphia Inquirer

What got him interested in indoor growing, he said, “was an interest in gardening, not an interest in drugs. … The true irony of this whole situation is that I really hadn’t been a regular user for about 15 years.”

On Feb. 29, Haver, now 47, pleaded guilty “to put an end to this thing,” he said yesterday. The same day, his wife, 38, began a 30-day probationary period in a program under which charges have already been dismissed.

The consequences, however, haven’t ended.

“I anticipate losing my employment, losing my health insurance, losing my educational benefits, nine credits away from getting an MBA,” Steve Haver said.

What an awful headline, and how great an example of mass media just touching the surface of an issue and walk away. It also shows the the implicit classism of such cases. What makes this case any much touching than a grower or distributor in Strawberry Mansion receiving the same consequences? The same criminalization and control of drugs ripping apart our inner cities is doing the same to our suburbs, everyone should be concerned.

It’s worth understanding where our law enforcement and especially our incarceration priorities are at, and how poorly they are treating the real terror of drug addiction and poverty in our country. In Philadelphia, there is extreme concern for gun violence, but abatement programs are centered around heavy police work, which generally means more incarceration into already overcrowded prisons. Advocacy work for the poor in Philadelphia is a good start, but it’s like bailing water with holes in the sides of your buckets. The type of systemic change needed to correct the momentum of this system is daunting, decriminalization is not a popular rally call for many activists, let alone NGO’s or the general public. The 3rd season of The Wire does a remarkable job of demonstrating what controlled decriminalization could do in a city like Baltimore. What was particularly interesting was how non-profit organizations were elated to have a concentrated population of drug users to offer services to. Would probably make for a beautiful end-of-the-year report with great “numbers-served” for their next run of grant applications.

Some statistics to ponder:

Priorities?

Impassioned momentum.

Unbelievable!

If you live in the North East, you should be awfully concerned.

Source:

Poor Prescription: The Costs of Imprisoning Drug Offenders in the United States from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice

 

 

 

Powerful independent media! This is exactly why the internet must remain open.

Anyone who’s spent a fair amount of time with me will understand my disgust for big box retailers. Buying local is important, and I advocate supporting local businesses whenever possible. Despite this, I do find myself at Best Buy and Target occasionally, usually after local stores have closed (and where can you buy reliable electronics in Philadelphia?).

Wal-Mart is a particularly nasty organization, making enormous profits off of ridiculous subsidizing from local, state and federal governments. The store relies on other services tax-payers pay for: food stamps, social security and Medicaid, all services Wal-Mart can easily afford to provide for their workers, but often do not offer. Wal-mart is the world’s largest retailer, allowing it to control and dominate sales of produce, prescription drugs, CD’s, DVD’s, clothing and electronics. They bully manufacturers and farmers to provide products which are low in price (and typically low in quality), lowering the amount of profits these businesses earn. Control the retail market, control the manufacturing, control the workers.

I highly recommend those new to this issue rent or download a copy of The High Cost of Low Price , which details the many reasons why folks should stop supporting the Walton empire.

Hilary Clinton sat on the board of Wal-Mart for 8 years while first-lady of Arkansas. Many defend her work, for representing women on a male-dominated board, as well as helping the company become more environmentally-sound. In 2008, Wal-mart’s environmental record is less than spectacular, which leads me to ponder how effective she could have been in the late eighties. The Village Voice points out Clinton depended on her work with Wal-Mart for not only income and travel expenses, but also for campaign contributions for her husband.

Clinton has since distanced herself from her Wal-Mart roots, building a more disirable presidential image as champion for workers rights, rather than as supporter of a draconian union-busting, human-rights-violating empire.

I am rather convinced our good-old-boy system of politics will ensure, rather ironically, that our next president will not be a black man, but rather a white female. But then, what about Edwards? I remain reflective.

thank god for collateral news, subscribe to them and pay attention.