child soldiers use the ak-47...

yesterday we posted a video about the loopholes used by arms dealers to sell their "wares" around the world and the fact that child soldiers are trained to use the ak-47 in the wars they are subjugated to fight in...

now here's a letter from jimmie briggs who wrote "Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War," ...

Over the last year and a half, since the publication of my first book, "Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War," Amnesty International has been a major supporter, and partner, of mine. In particular, my involvement with the Human Rights Education Program and Artists for Amnesty has allowed me to grow as a journalist, and advocate, in ways I couldn't previously have imagined. The curriculum guide for my book has become a major tool for me to gain access to educational institutions and settings across the country. Whenever I visit a high school or university, the guide is a constant companion to be disseminated as widely as possible. Further, my relationship with Amnesty has provided me with the opportunity to participate in Amnesty-sponsored panels and screenings around issues close to my own interests, including war-affected children and women, arms, conflict resources and gender rights.

It took me a period of eight years to complete the research, reporting and writing of my book. My professional journey to fully capture the experiences of children in war continues, but now I am moving toward a focus on the lives of women and girls, especially when it comes to gender-based violence. Again, Amnesty International continues to provide assistance when asked as well as nurture me as a voice of experience and knowledge on a range of issues.

Being a freelancer, I've gotten quite used to doing things for myself, by myself. Working with Amnesty International and groups like it create vital relationships. Unfortunately, I didn't grow up with a full understanding or exposure to the notion of "human rights." My relationship with Amnesty International is its own education on the concept, and I remain very, very grateful to know the amazing individuals who work there.

Often I'm asked about my "objectivity," or "bias." From my point-of-view, one can't be objective about the individuals exercising their full human rights. I'm a journalist and writer, but I also see my responsibility to educate and advocate for those whose voices aren't heard. Amnesty International helps me do that.

Please check-out the Amnesty International USA website to learn more about how you can take action on a range of issues. Visit the education page of the website to learn about new resources and ways that you can contribute to the HRE program's
work.

In Solidarity,
Jimmie Briggs
Author of Innocents Lost: When Child Soliders Go to War

peace out <3

my father's a salesman ma'am...

oops, sorry, i was buying something over at HSN ...a lovely thing really, ...

well, it's time for our weekly video ... enjoy!


Amnesty International Lord Of War video

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Close to home

I want to tell you a story.

I grew up in a small town in Georgia. The highschool
in this town has a black prom and a white prom. It
has a black homecoming queen and a white homecoming
queen as well as homecoming court.

No one socialized with the latin migrant workers
who came through at periodic times of the year. Their
children did not speak English and were still placed
in the same classrooms as the rest of us, to sit and
learn nothing. They would leave a few weeks later.

My class started out with over 100 students and I
graduated with only 62 other people. At least eight
of them were pregnant. Two, that I can remember,
dropped out due to the pressures of having more than
one child before they were seventeen years old.

These facts alone are not what scares me.

I graduated from high school in 2000. 25 years old is
not old enough to have had the experience of
segregated proms. My mother should not have had
to listen what people were calling me for arguing for
gay rights and special education for ESL students. My
best friend's three year old son should not
automatically be the son of a whore simply because he
can claim two races.

That scares me.

We are only as strong as our weakest communities.
And South Georgia is not the only haven for racism,
high drop-out rates, teen pregnancy, non-existant
health care, and ignorance.

It's a silent epidemic that can't be relegated to the
most unseen corners of the south. So, people in
Tennessee can take some measure of comfort in knowing
that they are not alone in their societal problems.

Ok, now it's time to stop commiserating, stop
justifying, and start DOING SOMETHING.

way to go larry...

larry cox became the new executive director of amnesty international usa in april of last year succeeding bill schultz who served for 10 years...having most recently come from the ford foundation you might not expect him to be he fireball that he is...

so last week charles stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs made some disparaging and uncivil remarks regarding attorneys that represent detainees at the guantánamo bay detention center and regarding international calls for the center's closure...

larry cox didn't waste a minute in firing back and challenging the anti-american values being promoted by the current u.s. administration...

"Stimson's remarks could not have been more irresponsible. Referring to the international outrage at the U.S.-controlled detention center at Guantánamo Bay as nothing more than a few small demonstrations staged by Amnesty International is not only wrong but extremely disrespectful. After the U.S. government has been rebuked by world leaders, including leaders from allied countries, two U.N. committees, faith leaders, and people of conscience around the world, it is incredible that anyone would believe that the outrage about Guantánamo rests only with Amnesty International activists. Amnesty International has worked with other human rights organizations, legal associations, faith communities and international bodies in opposing U.S. policies in Guantánamo and will continue to do so as one of a cacophony of voices calling for its closure.

"Attacking attorneys who take their time, without recompense, to defend the human rights of people who have been subject to indefinite and arbitrary detention by the U.S. government distracts from the human rights violations that continue to be committed in Guantánamo Bay. Amnesty International stands with the attorneys who are dedicated to protecting the internationally recognized rights of all people in custody, and recognizes them as human rights defenders committed to upholding the rule of law.

"Rather than attack the law firms that have courageously and zealously fought for the most fundamental rights for their clients, such as the right to have their detention reviewed by an independent court, Mr. Stimson should spend his time working to bring the United States back into the community of civilized nations that does not imprison people without charge, without hope and without end."

peace out <3

demand the relese of mesfin woldemariam...

seventy-six year old retired geography professor and prominent human rights defender, mesfin woldemariam, is being detained under harsh conditions and suffers from pneumonia...he is being held in connection with demonstrations against alleged election fraud in ethiopia...

SPEAK OUT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS!

Please send politely worded letters to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, urging him to bring about the immediate and unconditional release of Mesfin Woldemariam and all those imprisoned solely for the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression. Encourage him to take measures to ensure that human rights defenders, opposition political parties, and independent journalists are free to carry out their activities without arbitrary detention or other reprisals.

Write to:

His Excellency
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Office of the Prime Minister
PO Box 1031
Addis Ababa
ETHIOPIA

Fax: 011-251-11-552020
Airmail postage: 84 cents

You can use our sample letter as a guide (PDF MS Word), but please be encouraged to add your own thoughts.

peace out <3

no one knows what it's like...

i think monday should become video day - what do you think??? here's installment one in the conveyance of this new social contract...

Amnesty international awareness

Enabling the Homeless?

This is what I heard on the Nashville news yesterday. The Metro Council and the police department are issuing statements strongly discouraging individuals from giving money to the homeless. And not just money, but food, blankets and any other gifts that might alleviate their suffering for a moment, because it encourages them to beg instead of taking action to get themselves off the streets. 
     So are we enabling the homeless to continue being homeless? By buying a man a burger are we encouraging him not to seek help from the Rescue Mission or other official homeless shelters? Are we the root of the homeless problem? 

No

    That is the same logic that says: " If we provide translation services for immigrants they won't actually learn English. It doesn't have anything to do with the lack of affordable, convenient, well-staffed and well-equipped ESL classes. Or the fact that English is difficult to learn" or: "Wellfare just encourages people to stay poor. Poverty doesn't have anything to do with how hard it is to actually get good jobs, or affordable housing, health-care, child-care, education, electricity, car insurance, or decent public transportation."
    Perpetuating fear is not a solution. It is well known that some people do cheat the system, whether it is through voluntary homelessness, fraudelant welfare or any other.  What is NOT well known is the sheer volume of people who simply cannot get their feet under them.  Is it worth sacrificing our compassion to make sure that people who do not deserve it don't receive it? What message are we sending?
  Unfortunately, the metro council and the police department have sent the message loud and clear.  And it is not "help the homeless help themselves" as they would have us believe, but rather "do not encourage the homeless to be seen on the gracious streets of Nashville."  Because a problem is not our problem if we don't have to look at it.

let us install a darfur photo exhibit in your faith community...

"It was early in the morning, people were sleeping. About 400 armed people cordoned the village, with military uniforms, the same ones worn by the army… Some were shot and others, such as children and the elderly, were burned alive in their houses."

- A villager of Murli (Darfur)

this is part of the narrative that accompanies the photo exhibit yesterday my village was burned produced by amnesty international to highlight the human nature of the genocide taking place in darfur, sudan...

these photos and testimonies, collected by amnesty international, reveal a nightmare that one can only begin to comprehend...while they depict the gravest of suffering, the photos also portray the best of humanity — the extraordinary courage and strength of the people of darfur as they look towards a more hopeful future...

the photo exhibit allows us a window through which we see that children have been killed, tortured, and forcibly displaced...of the 6.5 million people living in darfur, at least 2.8 million have been directly affected by the ongoing violence and tens of thousands of people have lost their lives...

the nashville chapter of amnesty international has the full series mounted on foam board and available to be installed in your church, synagogue, mosque, other places of worship, schools, or offices...we have fact sheets, petitions, actions, reports to supplement the exhibit and empower your community members to make a difference...

call us at 615-473-2950 or e-mail us at aiusa149@bellsouth.net to find out how to get the photo exhibit installed today...

peace out <3

an extraordinary gift from yoko ono...

you know there are many artists who sell their music rights to corporations for the big bucks (the doors being a noticeable exception to this trend)...and when my activist friend steve earle's song the revolution starts now became a chevy truck song i nearly s__t my pants (but with all due respect his alimony obligations are way out there and he's dome tremendous things for the anti-war, anti-death penalty, and ban the landmine movements)...

however one notable exception led to amnesty international usa creating the make some noise campaign...

yoko gave the recording rights to “imagine” and john lennon’s entire solo songbook to amnesty international to utilize for is human rights work...through this amazingly selfless gift amnesty international is harnessing the power of music to inspire a new generation to stand up for human rights...

you rock yoko - oh yes you do...so check out our hommage to john right now...

the aim to attract one million new supporters worldwide... not by talking about the past, tugging on the heartstrings, or show images of suffering, but by making a positive impact on our world and collectively raise all our voices to make as much noise as we can for human rights....

so check out music by afroreggae, the black eyed peas, dobacaracol, jaguares, k-os, maroon 5, snow patrol, the cure, the postal service, and more...

check out a free video from the us vs john lennon...exclusive lennon covers, artist videos and opportunities to make an impact, it's time to inspire a new generation to stand up for human rights...

make some noise today!

peace out <3

amnesty international speaks out in the tennessean on tasers...

so this was very cool...i've been working out of the atlanta office of amnesty international for georgians for alternatives to the death penalty for a few weeks, you know, commuting back and forth...

and so i'm hanging around with the great staffpeople at the southern regional office, getting to know them a little bit and one of those people is jared feuer who has been the director of that office for about 17 months (or so)...

and i went on line to the tennessean this morning and what did i find??? well, the opinion page topic was the use of tasers by police and lo and behold one of the opinion piece writers was... drum roll please... jared feuer!!!

if you click right here you can read jared's entire (concise) piece...i'm so proud of my family members!

peace out<3

come gather ye all...

we're just average people with jobs and families, pressures and bills, but we also have dreams and hopes that once a month, in nashville, bring us together to evaluate what we've done, monitor what we're doing, and plan what our next steps will be...always with a common vision:

a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights and other international human rights standards...

we are the local members of amnesty international the largest and most effective grassroots human rights organization in the world...a worldwide movement of people who campaign for human rights, whose work is based on careful research and on the standards agreed by the international community, that is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion....

amnesty international mobilizes volunteer activists — people who give freely of their time, like us, and energy in solidarity with those whose rights have been abused...

we believe that human rights are interdependent and indivisible – all human rights should be enjoyed by all people at all times, and no one set of rights can be enjoyed at the expense of other rights...

locally our members focus on the stop violence against women campaign, oppose abuses related to the "war on terror", and denounce torture which continues to permeate our world today...

we'd like you to come and join us...we meet the 3rd monday of each month at the atlanta bread company at 1720 west end avenue at 6:00 pm for about an hour...the next meeting is january 15th, the day we commemorate the life and work of dr. martin luther king, jr...

peace out <3

keeping the pressure on...

so if you have a cut that's bleeding and doesn't clot on its own you place a "bandage" on it and continue to apply pressure, strong pressure, until the bleeding continues...

and so it goes with the crisis in darfur which has been referred to as genocide by no less than the u.s. government...

so on tuesday january 9th amnesty international is kicking off the new year by taking our call for security in darfur straight to president bush’s doorstep...with a vigil in front of the white house to deliver tens of thousands of petitions to tell president bush to do everything in his power to get u.n. boots on the ground in darfur...

so sign the petition today...

and if you have friends in or near washington d.c. send them this link and ask them to go...

peace out <3

panel recommends new jersey abolish the death penalty...

On 2 January 2007, the New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission – set up by the state legislature in 2006 to study all aspects of capital punishment in New Jersey – released its final report. The 13-member Commission had held five public hearings between July and October 2006 at which it heard evidence from a variety of witnesses. Its report recommends abolition of the death penalty and its replacement with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. It further recommends that any cost savings resulting from abolition be used to assist the families of murder victims. The County Prosecutors’ Association of New Jersey has concurred with the recommendations. The Commission’s findings include the following:

• There is no compelling evidence that the New Jersey death penalty rationally serves a legitimate penological intent.
  
  Deterrence. The Commission noted that in the 24 years since the death penalty was reinstated in New Jersey in 1982, there had been 455 defendants who were eligible for the death penalty. Of these 228 were subjected to capital trials and 60 were sentenced to death. There have been no executions, and the majority of death sentences have been overturned on appeal, leaving nine people currently on death row. The Commission noted that "the measurement of any deterrent effect based on such miniscule percentages is fraught with difficulty". It also noted that "many murders are not planned in advance but are committed impulsively or in a sudden outburst of rage". Finally, it noted that "as a practical matter, the length of time that convicted murderers in New Jersey serve on death row argues against the usefulness of the death penalty as a deterrent".
  
  Retribution and Incapacitation. The Commission said that its members were divided about whether retribution is an appropriate penological goal. Of those who believed it to be appropriate, some felt that this goal could be met by imprisonment while others believed that it was "trumped by the serious problems with the death penalty". Some argued that executing offenders permanently prevents them from committing further violence. However, they "recognized that life imprisonment without the possibility of parole similarly incapacitates an individual from committing further acts of violence outside the prison context".
  


• There is increasing evidence that the death penalty is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency.
  
  The Commission noted evidence of a trend against the death penalty in the USA, including the moratorium on executions in force in Illinois since 2000; the striking down of New York’s death penalty statute by its Court of Appeals in 2004 and the state legislature’s failure to reinstate it; abolition bills introduced in the legislatures of 10 states over the past two years; and the recent decline in death sentencing both in New Jersey and nationally.
  


• Abolition of the death penalty will eliminate the risk of disproportionality in capital sentencing.
  
  The Commission found that "there may not be a significant difference in the crimes of those selected for the punishment of death as opposed to those who receive life in prison". It noted that the effectiveness of the state Supreme Court’s system of proportionality review had been questioned, including from within its own ranks. After considering such evidence, the Commission concluded that "despite the best efforts of the State, the risk remains that similar murder cases are being treated differently in the death penalty context thereby elevating the probability that the death penalty is being administered ‘freakishly’ and arbitrarily. Given the finality of the punishment of death, this risk is unacceptable".
  


• The penological interest in executing a small number of persons guilty of murder is not sufficiently compelling to justify the risk of making an irreversible mistake.
  
  The Commission considered the numerous cases of wrongful convictions in capital cases around the USA and in non-capital cases in New Jersey. It heard testimony from a number of witnesses, including a man who had spent 18 years in New Jersey prison for rape and murder before being exonerated on the basis of DNA testing. The Commission also noted the unreliability of witness identification, and heard testimony from a rape survivor whose mistaken identification of her attacker had led to a wrongful conviction in North Carolina.
  


• The alternative of life imprisonment in a maximum security institution without the possibility of parole would sufficiently ensure public safety and address other legitimate social and penological interests, including the interests of the families of murder victims.
  
  The Commission heard testimony from family members of murder victims and other witnesses; the "overwhelming majority" testified that, in their opinion, life imprisonment without the possibility of parole "is the appropriate alternative to the death penalty". In concluding, the Commission stated that it agreed with the words of one of the witnesses – the father of a murder victim – "who stated that the non-finality of death penalty appeals hurts victims, drains resources and creates a false sense of justice".
  
  ~~~~~~
  
  Amnesty International welcomes the New Jersey Commission’s recommendation to abolish the death penalty, a punishment which the organization has long opposed.(1) The death penalty is a destructive, diversionary and divisive public policy that offends widely held values – today, 128 countries are abolitionist in law or practice. It not only runs the risk of irrevocable error, it is also costly – to the public purse, as well as in social and psychological terms (the Commission found that "the costs of the death penalty are greater than the costs of life in prison without parole", and that "intangible emotional and psychological costs must also be taken into consideration"). Capital justice tends to be marked by arbitrariness, and discrimination on grounds of race and class.(2) The death penalty denies the possibility of reconciliation and rehabilitation. It promotes simplistic responses to complex human problems, rather than pursuing explanations that could inform positive strategies. It prolongs the suffering of the murder victim’s family, and extends that suffering to the loved ones of the condemned prisoner. It diverts resources that could be better used to work against violent crime and assist those affected by it. It is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it. It is an affront to human dignity. As the Commission has concluded, it should be abolished. Amnesty International urges the New Jersey legislature and executive to maintain a moratorium on executions pending abolition. The organization will continue to work against the death penalty across the USA and the rest of the world.

originally posted here...

peace out <3

on executing one ot the worst of the worst...

from the diaries of the tennessee dude...

so i watched the video - one time and one time only - disgusting, saddening, disturbing, and thought provoking...

let's get this part out of the way - saddam hussein was a tyrant and murderer of the worst sort, no doubt about that...only holocaust deniers might argue otherwise and well...

but i ask - does such a spectacle with jeering, chanting, and chaos distance the rest of humanity from the actions of saddam?...my opinion should be clear - absolutely not...

the vatican's official newspaper decried the images of saddam's hanging as a "spectacle", violating human rights and harming efforts to promote reconciliation in iraq...italy, a rotating member of the um security council, announced a diplomatic push at the un for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty, following a wave of denunciations across europe over the execution...

supporters of moqtada al-sadr, the radical shiite cleric and militia leader, taunted saddam as he stood on the gallows...this type of testosterone driven action seems to have been in the minority as far as i can investigate...

arab commentators have condemned the execution nearly across the board...granted, many of them live in sunni muslim dominated states...but their anger seems to be focused upon the (intentional?) timing of saddam's killing - on the eve of the muslim feast of the sacrifice (ironic?)...but apparently sunni muslims start this holiday a day prior to shiites so saddam was actually killed during and nor before the holiday began...

many argue that the timing merely exacerbates the sectarian divisions within iraq making the political situation even more unstable...

i think that one interviewee got it right..."saddam had become irrelevent - this only increases his martyr potential,"...

great! i think i'll close with and stick by human rights watch's richard dicker on this one, "The test of a government's commitment to human rights is measured by the way it treats its worst offenders. History will judge these actions harshly."

no matter, the death penalty remains a torn and tattered policy tool...it's own death is coming to meet its makers...

one only hopes...peace out <3

Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for the fuse
I'm in the streets
With the tombstone blues

a lot of human rights victories in 2006...

in reflecting back on 2006 i'd have to say that it was a year marked by many key successes both here in the united states and abroad...and as an active volunteer activist with amnesty international you helped make it all possible by becoming members, writing letters, doing public education by hosting movie screenings and dvd viewings, marching to stop violence against women, lobbying c0ngresspersons and senators, attending trainings, and organizing meetings...

these are just a few of the things you helped accomplish last year:

• LGBT NGO's granted consultative status at the UN...


• Mikalay Astreyka was conditionally released from prison in November...


• Helen Berhane, a well-known Christian evangelical singer, was released from captivity in Eritrea...


• On September 1, U.S. District Judge Raner Collins dismissed the case against humanitarian aid workers Shanti Sellz and Daniel Strauss. Sellz and Strauss had been charged with transporting undocumented migrants after providing assistance to three men found in apparently life-threatening condition in the Arizona desert last July...


• Guantánamo detainee, Murat Kurnaz has been released!


• Honduran prisoners of conscience Marcelino Miranda, Leonardo Miranda, and Feliciano Pineda Freed ...


• On August 7th Amnesty International held ceasefire vigils around the world to show solidarity with victims and survivors on both sides of the conflict between Israel and Hizbulluh...


• Vermont Passes Law to Protect Women in Prison from Custodial Sexual Misconduct ...


• 115 Members of Congress Sign Letter Condemning Violence against Women in Guatemala ...


• U.S. Legislation Condemns Murders of Women in Chihuahua, Mexico...


• Prisoner of Conscience Hojjatoleslam Ezimi Qedimi is "Very Grateful" to Urgent Action
  ... "I am very grateful for the campaign which Amnesty started for my sake. I heard about the action while I was imprisoned. After I was released I saw letters while I was being interrogated by the security service. Your letters meant very much to me." ...


• Prisoner of Conscience Gurbandurdy Durdykuliev has been released!...


• Hu Jia, Prominent HIV/AIDS Activist, has been released! ...


• 5 Human Rights Defenders Released without Charge by Sudanese Security Forces ...


• Prisoner of Conscience Cheam Channy Released in Cambodia ...


• Prisoner of Conscience Gérard Jean-Juste has been released! ...


• Mamun al-Humsi has been released! ...


• Death Penalty Moratorium/Study Bill Passes in New Jersey ...


• Violence Against Women Act is Renewed ...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

for more details click here...

peace out <3