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| UNICEF Amnesty International Honor killings -- where men and women are killed by their kin or members of their caste (an ancient Hindu categorization originally based on occupation) -- are also rampant in the western part of the northern province of Uttar Pradesh. "This violence is committed in the name of saving the "honor" of the community, caste or family," says a leading Indian women's group, the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) in a resolution passed in the Indian capital, New Delhi. At a conference held by AIDWA, Sunday, victims of violence narrated tales of killings, rape and humiliation. Most of these honor killings were ordered by so-called caste panchayats, or informal courts comprising members of a particular caste, which decide all matters concerning them. "A caste panchayat is a self-proclaimed body consisting of village elders or the elite," explains AIDWA general secretary Brinda Karat. "Women are excluded from the body," she says. The caste panchayats sit in judgment on matters of marital or domestic discord or on issues relating to land. Often, villagers give precedence to the judgment of a caste panchayat rather than that delivered by the legal panchayat -- a constitutional body of men and women elected by villagers to decide local issues. While most such crimes go unrecorded, AIDWA warns that honor killings are on the rise in India. In Muzaffarnagar, the worst affected district of Uttar Pradesh, 13 cases of honor killings were reported in the first nine months of 2003, up from ten in 2002. Some 35 couples were also declared missing during this period. Most honor killings revolve around run-away marriages or relationships between two people from different castes. There were several instances of a groom or bride being killed by irate family members for marrying someone from a so-called lower caste. A prime example is that of Geeta Rani of Hoshiarpur of Punjab, whose husband, Jasveer, was killed by a group of people from her village last month. Rani and Jasveer both were from different castes, with Jasveer's killers belonging to Rani's caste. "They cut off his hands and legs and then killed him for "daring" to marry one of "their" women," recounts Rani. In another instance, a woman from Uttar Pradesh who belonged to a caste of barbers -- considered by traditional Hindu society as one of the lower castes --was repeatedly raped and finally killed by a group of higher caste Yadav men. Her crime? Her son had married a girl from the socially and economically more prosperous Yadav caste. AIDWA says forms of violence differ, ranging from public lynchings and murders to rape. In some cases, people's faces were blackened or heads shaved off. Some were forced to eat excreta or drink urine, while others faced social boycott. In its resolution AIDWA says that, "Central to such violence is the subordinate position of women and girls in all castes and communities. Women are viewed as the property of the family, the caste and the community. A woman's chastity is the "honor" of the community." AIDWA has called for strict measures to stem the rise of honor killings, including a ban on all decisions of caste panchayats that violate the Indian Constitution, which has abolished castes and regards men and women as equal. It has also called for changing the law to allow courts to intervene in all crimes where violence is committed in the name of "honor." |
| I know that knowledge is power so I want to help you become more powerful. Read with a open mind and heart. if you want to change the world, all you have to do is email this to every on you know. Death is not worth you doing nothing about it. I dont have the answer but the first step is knowing what is wrong. |
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| Oil does not equal death. America is still a sleeping giant. We all need to wake up to all the wrong doings of "our" Goverment. |
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| Vote...Vote...Then VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! people are dying right now to have the right to vote. Do not spit on their graves by not voting. |
| May peace be with you, blessed, beautiful peoples... >> > Who Am I? (Dubbed)... >> > >> > I attacked and took over two countries. >> > >> > I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the >> > US >> > Treasury. >> > >> > I shattered the record for the biggest annual >> > deficit in history (not >> > easy!). >> > >> > I set an economic record for the most >> > personal >> > bankruptcies filed in any 12 >> > month period. >> > >> > I set all-time record for the biggest drop in >> > the >> > history of the stock >> > market. >> > >> > I am the first president in decades to execute >> > a >> > federal prisoner. >> > >> > In my first year in office I set the all-time >> > record for most days on >> > vacation by any president in US history (tough >> > to >> > beat my dad's, but I >> > did). >> > >> > After taking the entire month of August off for >> > vacation, I presided over >> > the worst security failure in US history. >> > >> > I set the record for most campaign fund >> > raising >> > trips by any president in >> > US history. >> > >> > In my first two years in office over 2 million >> > Americans lost their jobs. >> > >> > I cut unemployment benefits for more >> > out-of-work >> > Americans than any other >> > president in US history. >> > >> > I set the all-time record for most real estate >> > foreclosures in a 12-month >> > period. >> > >> > I appointed more convicted criminals to >> > administration positions than any >> > president in US history. >> > >> > I set the record for the fewest press >> > conferences >> > of any president, since >> > the advent of TV. >> > >> > I signed more laws and executive orders >> > amending >> > the Constitution than any >> > other US president in history. >> > >> > I presided over the biggest energy crises in >> > US >> > history and refused to >> > intervene when corruption was revealed. >> > >> > I cut health care benefits for war veterans. >> > >> > I set the all-time record for most people >> > worldwide to simultaneously take >> > to the streets to protest me (15 million >> > people), >> > shattering the record for >> > protest against any person in the history of >> > mankind. >> > >> > I dissolved more international treaties than >> > any >> > president in US history. >> > >> > I've made my presidency the most secretive >> > and >> > unaccountable of any in US >> > history. >> > >> > Members of my cabinet are the richest of any >> > administration in US history. >> > (The poorest multimillionaire, Condoleeza >> > Rice, >> > has a Chevron oil tanker >> > named after her.) >> > >> > I am the first president in US history to have >> > all 50 states of the Union >> > simultaneously struggle against bankruptcy. >> > >> > I presided over the biggest corporate stock >> > market fraud in any market in >> > any country in the history of the world. >> > >> > I am the first president in US history to order >> > a >> > US attack AND military >> > occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so >> > against the will of the >> > United Nations and the vast majority of the >> > international community. >> > >> > I have created the largest government >> > department >> > bureaucracy in the history >> > of the United States, called the "Bureau of >> > Homeland Security"(only one >> > letter away from BS). >> > >> > I set the all-time record for biggest annual >> > budget spending increases, >> > more than any other president in US history >> > (Ronnie was tough to beat, but >> > I did it!!). >> > >> > I am the first president in US history to compel >> > the United Nations remove >> > the US from the Human Rights Commission. >> > >> > I am the first president in US history to have >> > the United Nations remove >> > the US from the Elections Monitoring Board. >> > >> > I removed more checks and balances, and >> > have the >> > least amount of >> > congressional oversight than any presidential >> > administration in US history. >> > >> > I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant. >> > >> > I withdrew from the World Court of Law. >> > >> > I refused to allow inspectors access to US >> > prisoners of war and by default >> > no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions. >> > >> > I am the first president in US history to refuse >> > United Nations election >> > inspectors access during the 2002 US >> > elections. >> > >> > I am the all-time US (and world) record holder >> > for most corporate campaign >> > donations. >> > >> > The biggest lifetime contributor to my >> > campaign, >> > who is also one of my best >> > friends, presided over one of the largest >> > corporate bankruptcy frauds in >> > world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of >> > Enron >> > Corporation). >> > >> > I spent more money on polls and focus >> > groups than >> > any president in US >> > history. >> > >> > I am the first president to run and hide when >> > the >> > US came under attack (and >> > then lied, saying the enemy had the code to >> > Air >> > Force 1) >> > >> > I am the first US president to establish a >> > secret >> > shadow government. >> > >> > I took the world's sympathy for the US after >> > 9/11, and in less than a year >> > made the US the most resented country in the >> > world (possibly the biggest >> > diplomatic failure in US and world history). >> > >> > I am the first US president in history to have a >> > majority of the people of >> > Europe (71%) view my presidency as the >> > biggest >> > threat to world peace and >> > stability. >> > >> > I changed US policy to allow convicted >> > criminals >> > to be awarded government contracts. >> > I set the all-time record for the number of >> > administration appointees who violated US >> > law by >> > not selling their huge investments in >> > corporations bidding for gov't contracts. >> > >> > I have removed more freedoms and civil >> > liberties >> > for Americans than any >> > other president in US history. >> > >> > I entered office with the strongest economy in >> > US >> > history and in less than >> > two years turned every single economic >> > category >> > heading straight down. >> > >> > RECORDS AND REFERENCES: I have at >> > least one >> > conviction for drunk driving in >> > Maine (Texas driving record has been erased >> > and >> > is not available). >> > >> > I was AWOL from the National Guard and >> > deserted >> > the military during time of war. >> > >> > I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any >> > questions about drug use. >> > >> > All records of my tenure as governor of Texas >> > have been spirited away to my >> > fathers library, sealed in secrecy and >> > unavailable for public view. >> > >> > All records of any SEC investigations into my >> > insider trading or bankrupt >> > companies are sealed in secrecy and >> > unavailable >> > for public view. >> > >> > All minutes of meetings of any public >> > corporation for which I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. Signed, GEORGE W. BUSH The White House, Washington, DC (Note: this information should be useful to voters in the 2004 election. Circulate to as many citizens you think would be helped to be reminded about this record) |
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| Published on Monday, March 17, 2003 by Michael Moore George W. Bush, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC Dear Governor Bush: So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you: 1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why? 'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and killed any of us! No Iraqi has even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives, then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works! 2. The majority of Americans -- the ones who never elected you -- are not fooled by your weapons of mass distraction. We know what the real issues are that affect our daily lives -- and none of them begin with I or end in Q. Here's what threatens us: two and a half million jobs lost since you took office, the stock market having become a cruel joke, no one knowing if their retirement funds are going to be there, gas now costs almost two dollars -- the list goes on and on. Bombing Iraq will not make any of this go away. Only you need to go away for things to improve. 3. As Bill Maher said last week, how bad do you have to suck to lose a popularity contest with Saddam Hussein? The whole world is against you, Mr. Bush. Count your fellow Americans among them. 4. The Pope has said this war is wrong, that it is a SIN. The Pope! But even worse, the Dixie Chicks have now come out against you! How bad does it have to get before you realize that you are an army of one on this war? Of course, this is a war you personally won't have to fight. Just like when you went AWOL while the poor were shipped to Vietnam in your place. 5. Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces! If you really want to stand up for America, please send your twin daughters over to Kuwait right now and let them don their chemical warfare suits. And let's see every member of Congress with a child of military age also sacrifice their kids for this war effort. What's that you say? You don't THINK so? Well, hey, guess what -- we don't think so either! 6. Finally, we love France. Yes, they have pulled some royal screw-ups. Yes, some of them can pretty damn annoying. But have you forgotten we wouldn't even have this country known as America if it weren't for the French? That it was their help in the Revolutionary War that won it for us? That our greatest thinkers and founding fathers -- Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, etc. -- spent many years in Paris where they refined the concepts that lead to our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution? That it was France who gave us our Statue of Liberty, a Frenchman who built the Chevrolet, and a pair of French brothers who invented the movies? And now they are doing what only a good friend can do -- tell you the truth about yourself, straight, no b.s. Quit pissing on the French and thank them for getting it right for once. You know, you really should have traveled more (like once) before you took over. Your ignorance of the world has not only made you look stupid, it has painted you into a corner you can't get out of. Well, cheer up -- there IS good news. If you do go through with this war, more than likely it will be over soon because I'm guessing there aren't a lot of Iraqis willing to lay down their lives to protect Saddam Hussein. After you "win" the war, you will enjoy a huge bump in the popularity polls as everyone loves a winner -- and who doesn't like to see a good ass-whoopin' every now and then (especially when it 's some third world ass!). So try your best to ride this victory all the way to next year's election. Of course, that's still a long ways away, so we'll all get to have a good hardy-har-har while we watch the economy sink even further down the toilet! But, hey, who knows -- maybe you'll find Osama a few days before the election! See, start thinking like THAT! Keep hope alive! Kill Iraqis -- they got our oil!! Yours, Michael Moore www.michaelmoore.com |
| Texas Saleswoman Faces Trial for Selling Sex Toys Wed Feb 11, 8:22 AM ET By Jon Herskovitz DALLAS (Reuters) - Joanne Webb is a mother of three, a Baptist, a booster of the town of Burleson, Texas, and a former schoolteacher. She also faces trial for being a smut merchant. Webb, 43, was arrested in November by two undercover police officers for selling sexual toys and charged with violating Texas obscenity laws. She could face up to a year in jail and a fine of $4,000 if convicted. Webb is a representative for Passion Parties, a California company marketing potions, lotions and sexual toys sold at gatherings that mimic Tupperware parties. Women over 18 meet in a private home for what the company calls a "girl's night out of giggles and fun," during which products designed to enhance sex lives are sold. It was not a secret in Burleson, a small town near Fort Worth, that Webb sold vibrators, edible creams and racy lingerie. But not everyone was happy about it. According to reports in the local media, police said a few residents, who they declined to identify, lodged complaints. A few prominent citizens with strong Christian beliefs were angered by Webb and her activities and asked police to investigate, local media reported. Two undercover police officers posed as a couple trying to spice up their love life and Webb sold the woman a vibrator. Webb instructed her on its use and explained how it could enhance lovemaking. That's where she got into trouble. Texas law allows for the sale of sexual toys as long as they are billed as novelties, BeAnn Sisemore, a Fort Worth attorney representing Webb, told the Houston Chronicle before a gag order was issued by the judge presiding over the case. But when a person markets sex toys in a direct manner that shows their actual role in sex, then that person is subject to obscenity charges, she told the newspaper. Webb said she turned to Passion Parties to supplement her family's income when her husband's construction business went into a slump. "For women to become self-confident in their sexuality ... that's what I'm in this for," Webb told the Dallas Morning News before the gag order was imposed. She added that because of her arrest, she has found herself in a role she never imagined -- a public advocate for allowing women and couples to make personal decisions about their sex lives. SEX, LIVES AND PASSION PARTIES Police and Johnson County prosecutors declined to discuss the case, even before the gag order was issued. Gloria Gillaspie, a pastor at Lighthouse Church in Burleson, said she has met and counseled some women who had talked to Webb about the products she sold. "It was causing problems with their marriages," she said. Gillaspie said Webb and her family were asked to leave two churches in town. She did not name the churches. "They didn't want to comply with what was really Christian conduct and that is why they were asked to leave those churches," Gillaspie said. But James Brown, a member of the local chamber of commerce and an acquaintance of Webb's, told Reuters: "Most of the people in town support Joanne." Sisemore said she wants to use this case to overturn obscenity laws in Texas and other states. "I will fight this all the way with her," Sisemore told the Houston Chronicle. "This is the first time I have felt that my government has overstepped its boundaries." Sisemore has said she plans to file a federal lawsuit challenging Texas obscenity laws, which she said are so vague that they could be used to prosecute anyone who uses or sells condoms designed to provide stimulation for sexual pleasure. Patricia Davis, a 59-year-old grandmother and president of Passion Parties, said: "We are very proud of Joanne Webb. She believes in the mission of the company and she is doing a really nice job of representing us." Passion Parties has been doing booming business. The company racked up $20 million in sales in 2003 and saw 30 months of consecutive growth above the 50 percent mark. The company has representatives in every state and is doing some of its best business in California, New York and the Bible Belt, a section of the United States where Christian beliefs and clergy are influential. "Women are looking for ways to enhance their relationship, enhance their sensuality and they have nowhere to go," Davis said. When women get together at a friend's home to peruse body lotions, shower gels and battery-operated devices the company calls "passion toys," Davis said many are able to overcome embarrassment and talk openly about sex. "We are doing a lot to help women, to help couples and to help families," Davis said. |