The Refugee Crisis That Isn’t

THE WEEK IN RIGHTS September 3, 2015 Follow us on:

The Refugee Crisis That Isn’t Photo © 2015 Reuters By Kenneth Roth Huffington Post  European leaders may differ about how to respond to the asylum-seekers and migrants surging their way, but they seem to agree they face a crisis of enormous proportions. But before we get carried away by their apocalyptic rhetoric, we should recognize that if there is a crisis, it is one of politics, not capacity.  This "wave of people" is more like a trickle when considered against the pool that must absorb it. The European Union's population is roughly 500 million. The latest estimate of the numbers of people using irregular means to enter Europe this year via the Mediterranean or the Balkans is approximately 340,000. In other words, the influx this year is only 0.068 percent of the EU's population.  Read more » share on:

Why I Shared a Horrific Photo of a Drowned Syrian Child By Peter Bouckaert I thought long and hard before I retweeted the photo of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi. It shows the lifeless toddler, lying face down on a popular Turkish beach, one of eleven Syrians who have almost certainly died as they tried to reach safety in Europe by boarding a smuggler’s boat.  See the Latest News in Europe/Central Asia >> share on:

Trial of Bosco Ntaganda for Congo Crimes The opening of the trial of Bosco Ntaganda on September 2, 2015, at the International Criminal Court sends the message that elusive suspects in grave international crimes may someday be brought to justice.  See the Latest News in Africa » share on:

Dispatches: Alarm Bells Over Abuse as Venezuela Expels Colombians By José Miguel Vivanco The state of emergency President Nicolás Maduro declared days ago for the Venezuelan border area should have raised red flags internationally. But it didn’t, and credible allegations of human rights violations are on the rise.  See the Latest News in the Americas >> share on:

On Its Own Human Rights Record, US Often Says ‘No’  By Antonio Ginatta In a dry document, quietly posted Tuesday to a United States State Department website, the US rattled down a list of issues that it didn’t consider to be its human rights obligations.  See the Latest News in the United States >>  share on:

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Cal Pensions Cutting Coal Stock Called an “Emotional” Response to Climate Change

Cal Pensions Cutting Coal Stock Called an “Emotional” Response to Climate Change Posted: 03 Sep 2015 10:59 AM PDT By Doug Porter  You would think that losing $5 billion in pension fund investments in fossil fuel companies in 2014 would cause the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) to change course. But Republican reaction to passage of SB 185, also called “Investing with Values and Responsibility,” beginning an eighteen month process to disinvest in any holdings of thermal coal is quite the opposite. Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba City decried the measure, saying, “We need to make (investment) decisions based on good, sound financial decisions, not based on emotions.” So there you have it. Global climate change is simply an emotional issue.   [Read more...]

shared from San Diego Free Press First “Wetbacks,” Then “Illegal Aliens,” and Now “Anchor Babies” — the Continued Scapegoating of Mexicans Posted: 03 Sep 2015 09:35 AM PDT The current anchor baby debate is all about who has and maintains political, economic and social power in the United States By Ruben Salazar / Raza Legal News “Anchor baby” and automatic “birthright citizenship,” thanks to Donald Trump, are the debate topics de jure. Anchor baby is the pejorative term for a child born in the United States to a foreign national mother who was not lawfully admitted for permanent residence. It first appeared in print around 1996. But the derogatory term has remained relatively obscure until about 2006. In fact, it became the American Dialect Society’s “2006 Word of the Year.”   [Read more...]

Boltman Attempts a Hail Mary Posted: 03 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT

Postcard from Puerto Rico: Someone Gave Us a Cistern. Thank God. Posted: 03 Sep 2015 07:11 AM PDT By Anna Daniels Hola My Tia. Yes they r talking about closing schools. It's really scary my niece writes from the municipality of Carolina, which neighbors Puerto Rico's capital of San Juan. The bagmen who are now running the show have proposed laying off teachers and closing schools as one solution to the island's financial crisis. There was a time when we could agree that our children's public education was a collective responsibility and one of the best investments in their future and our future as a democracy. That time seems to have passed as hedge fund managers, investors and banks demand to be paid today.The future be damned. And now with the water issues the schools r closing half a day.   [Read more...]

Kick Me While I’m Down Posted: 03 Sep 2015 07:08 AM PDT

Loss of Community Is Greatest Threat From Airbnb and Short-Term Vacation Rentals Posted: 03 Sep 2015 07:07 AM PDT Short-term vacation rentals are on the minds of a lot of people these days, especially with those who live at the coast in San Diego. The issue bubbles up at community meetings. An OB resident brought it up at a recent Ocean Beach Planning Board meeting. And it was the subject of a panel discussion organized recently by the Point Loma Democratic Club. Also, back in February of this year, residents of Pacific Beach made their complaints about them heard publicly. Then it came up at the most recent OB Town Council meeting last week, during the non-agenda comment period, where folks on both sides on the issue contended for audience sympathy. And it's certainly a hot topic among callers to District 2 Councilwoman Zapf's office.   [Read more...]

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Kim Davis Held In Contempt Of Court, Now In U.S. Marshals’ Custody

Kim Davis is still at it. She has been held in contempt of court, and is now being held in U.S. Marshal custody. Although even her deputies reportedly want to issue licenses, only two Republican candidates think she’s in the wrong. ThinkProgress also took a look at the religious beliefs that make Kim Davis so sure she’s right.

BREAKING: Kim Davis Held In Contempt Of Court, Now In U.S. Marshals’ Custody

Kim Davis’s Deputies Reportedly Say They Want To Issue Marriage Licenses But Are Too Afraid Of Davis

In an interview with the Kentucky Trial Court Review, Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins expressed exasperation with Kim Davis, the anti-gay clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses due to her objections to marriage equality. Davis, Watkins said, “does not represent” the county or its values, and he added that he told Davis that he “will not and cannot support” her in her refusal to obey the Constitution. ...(read more)

Santorum Mocks Liberals For Believing That Diversity Benefits America

Love/Hate: Design Experts Debate The New Google Logo

The Religious Beliefs Of Kim Davis, The Anti-Gay Clerk Who Refuses To Do Her Job, Explained

On Monday, a same-sex couple entered the county clerk’s office of Rowan County, Kentucky to ask for a marriage license. Kim Davis, the local county clerk, refused, openly defying the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. When the couple demanded to know under whose authority she could deny them their legal right, Davis appealed not to the high courts, but to a higher power. ...(read more)

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DOD’s Inspector General Investigating Administration Propaganda Again

DOD’s Inspector General Investigating Administration Propaganda Again Marcy Wheeler: In the last few weeks, there have been several reports that senior intelligence officials were skewing the intelligence on how (un)successful the military campaign against ISIS has been. READ HERE shared from

THURSDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2015 Send California Your Anchor Babies Joe Mathews: The only "problem" with these newborns is that the Golden State doesn't have enough of them. READ MORE Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend Dominionism Takes Center Stage in America Janet Phelan: While their agenda may sound very fringy and extremist in nature, the reality is that Christian Reconstructionism has achieved a profound impact on the Republican Party. READ HERE Legislating for Police Reform and Black Lives in California Chauncee Smith: One of the most meaningful proposals left, AB 953: The Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015, would combat racial profiling and help address the disproportionate rates at which people of color are being killed by police. READ MORE When Are You Sick Enough for Your Employer to Give You Paid Time Off? Rosemary Jenkins: It is incumbent upon us to grasp the impact of the 4,000,000 people nationwide working without any form of sick leave—that is 1 in 7 laborers (and 1 of 5 women in particular) and to do something about it. READ MORE DOD’s Inspector General Investigating Administration Propaganda Again Marcy Wheeler: In the last few weeks, there have been several reports that senior intelligence officials were skewing the intelligence on how (un)successful the military campaign against ISIS has been. READ HERE

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