Some Links For Today

As always I'm running my sharing widget to your right, but here's a few I want to call special attention to.

bfp: Gorillas and why firebombing won’t work: continued

This past week, four gorillas living in captivity died.
Jumoke, an 18 year old Gorilla that died from pregnancy related problems
Frank, who died from age related problems.
Hurcules, who died from treatment for arthritis
Claudio, who died after his mother, Gana, rejected him.
Earlier this month, it was discovered by animal rights activists that 32 monkeys died in a lab in Nevada after the lab overheated.
These are all tragedies. Tragedies that deserve answers and accounting for. As I read about each of them, I was particularly struck by the story of Claudio and his mother–I read about twenty different articles on the case, and I kept seeing different stories being told. The zoo officials found a dead baby being nursed in his mother’s arms. The zoo officials found a dead Claudio on the floor of their cage, the mother nowhere to be seen. Gana was in deep mourning causing all who saw her to break into tears. But within that story, there was no answer for my question–how could a mother who rejected her child be in such desperately sad mourning for the same child?

Cara: More ICE Detention Atrocities

Last week, The NY Times had an article about Hiu Lui Ng, a man who died while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after being refused medical care.  Ng had no criminal record.  He overstayed his visa and at one point he applied for political asylum. And he was in the process of obtaining a green card when ICE decided to detain him — literally, they ambushed him when he reported to an immigration headquarters for his final interview.

Mi Otro Yo

Arizona State lawmakers have made rapid progress on a soon to be very controversial Senate Bill 1108. This bill seeks to ban teaching in public schools that would “denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization.”

The bill specifically aims to disband African-American, Pan-Asian, Native American, and Mexican-American/Raza Studies programs at the high school, community college, and university levels in the state of Arizona. Senate Bill 1108 would also discourage teachers who “overtly encourage dissent” from Western values such as capitalism.

“This bill basically says, ‘You’re here. Adopt American values,’” State Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, told The Arizona Republic. “‘If you want a different culture, then fine, go back to that culture,’” he said.

Heart: Peru Suspends Civil Liberties As 65 Indigenous Tribes Struggle For Their Land

According to the Peruvian Times, President Alan Garcia  has declared a 30-day state of emergency and suspended civil liberties for citizens in three Amazonian provinces and one department after negotiations between Environment Minister Antonio Brack and protesting indigenous rights groups broke down last Friday and a violent confrontation left eight police officers and one protester injured on Sunday.
Last spring the U.S. and Peru signed a Free Trade Agreement .  The Peruvian government hoped the agreement would result in jobs and opportunities for Peruvian citizens that might begin to alleviate poverty in the cities, and the deal was certainly a win for US businesses because it eliminates duties on 80 percent of  US industrial and consumer product exports.