Senate votes big expansion of federal hate crimes law:
The legislation broadens federal reach to protect those physically attacked because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or a disability. Current law is limited to crimes motivated by race, ethnicity or religion.
The Senate approved the measure on a voice vote immediately after voting 63-28 to overcome Republican-led opposition to considering the measure an amendment to a defense spending bill. Sixty votes were needed to clear that procedural hurdle.
Yay.
Here’s hoping it becomes law!
I swear, each time I think Big Media couldn’t possibly be more heartless, they somehow find a way.
At issue this time is a new WIPO treaty that would allow free international trade of book copies made in formats that reading-impaired people could use. This can only be a good thing, right? More readers, and thus a bigger market, and thus more sales?
Well, no, because that would mean that publishers wouldn’t have absolute control over the distribution of “their” works. So, as usual, Big Media is doing its “but but but PIRACY BLKAHRFAUHGUORHEG” dance in order to maintain its ever-threatened cultural gatekeeper status, and, as usual, the US government is buying the, err, “argument.”
And so, on Big Media’s say-so, the US and other rich nations are opposing an effort to make it easier for the reading-impaired to read books. Great. As if our reputation wasn’t already in the toilet.
When is this copyright-absolutist nonsense going to end?
Please spread the word about this, and link people to the original BoingBoing post (as usual, Cory Doctorow is awesome).
(H/T: Shakesville)
[trigger warning]
Telegraph: Abu Ghraib abuse photos show rape
At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.
Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.
Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.
These are the photos the Obama administration is censoring, because, apparently, the consequence of releasing them “would be to inflame anti-American public opinion and to put our troops in greater danger.” Gee, ya think? But I’ll tell you what will inflame anti-American public opinion even more, Mr. President: not releasing the photos, thus looking like you’re trying to sweep this under the rug.
I mean, I don’t ever, ever want to see these photos, but now that we know what they show, they really do need to be released. It’s an essential step towards showing the rest of the world that we know what we did was wrong, and that we’re changing.
I mean, that’s what we voted for, right? Change?
*long, heavy sigh*
