In this edition: supporting the troops, criminal justice disparities, the Strauss-Kahn case, Alabama tries to outdo Arizona in surrendering civil liberties to spite the brown people, a meditation on Black English, and yet another right-wing terrorist.
- Tyell Morton: High School Student Facing 8 Years in Prison for Prank
- Morton’s supporters highlight the recent light sentence that wealthy playboy Ryan LeVin received after admitting to killing two British businessmen when he ran over them in his 2009 Porsche. He was sentenced to two years of house arrest, which he will serve at one of his parents’ two luxury seaside condos in Florida. LeVin will be able to use the gym in the building and go to church.
- DSK: Maid’s Lawyer Appeals to Other Victims
- It will be interesting to see if anyone will answer the call, knowing the scrutiny she will face. Right now it’s looking as if it’s going to come down to a mediated version of “he say” vs. “she say,” with an unimaginable power dynamic at play.
- Black English: The Link to Hebrew | The Root – John McWhorter
- Other smart people will tell you, correctly, that this way of speaking is OK because it’s consistent. They mean that this woman would leave out “be” in general, not just in this one place: “He my brother.” “You da man.” But that’s another argument that never works.
…something Black English and modern Hebrew have in common: They were both created in large part by grown-ups learning a new language, instead of infants learning their first one.
…If, before widespread literacy, millions of busy adults are thrown at a language and left to sink or swim, then the result is a close shave. Even standard English is “black” compared with Old English — because of what Vikings did back in the 800s.
- Anti-Abortion Extremist Arrested For Trying To Murder Abortion Providers In Wisconsin | ThinkProgress
- Last Friday, another anti-abortion extremist attempted to murder abortion providers in the name of God.
…when asked if he planned to shoot just the doctor or nurses as well, Lang replied he wished he “could line them up all in a row, get a machine gun, and mow them all down.” …
As the cases of Lang and Roeder demonstrate, the rise of anti-abortion terrorism threatens the health and safety of all Americans, not just women. Across the country, abortion providers fear for their lives, and as a result, fewer doctors and nurses are learning how to perform abortions. …
This year, Republicans in South Carolina, Nebraska, and Iowa have pushed legislation that would essentially legalize the murder of abortion providers. If passed, these bills would protect vigilantes and constitute the first instances of state-sanctioned anti-abortion terrorism.
[My bookmarks live at delicious.com/camryl. In case it needs to be said: I don't agree with every word of everything I link to. Also, signal boosts are awesome! --L.]
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