Seriously

I seriously think we need to begin a campaign in the US for women to vacate those states that place constraints on abortion rights.  Seriously.

Hot Off the French Presses

Here is my English translation of a brand spanking new French news story by AFP.

Ni Putes Ni Soumises Welcomes the Bill Against the Niqab / Burqa
(Fully Integrated Veil)

AFP

The President of Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS) (Neither Whores Nor
Submissives), Sihem Habchi, welcomed Wednesday's announcement by the
Council of Ministers of a bill to ban the burqa / niqab (fully
integrated veil) in all public spaces as a "victory for women".

"It is a victory for women; it is the start of a new chapter for the
emancipation of the women of the ghettoized suburban housing projects
for whom we demand other options besides imprisonment or
ostracization," declared Ms. Habchi to AFP.

"To the legislators, I ask that they have the political courage to
vote for a law for the protection and emancipation of women. That one
listens to the voices of those who fight against the green fascism!",
added the President of this association that boasts 6,000 members, of
whom 20% are men.

She also called upon the parliamentarians "to come to the ghettoized
suburban housing projects to see how the suburbs have been abandoned
by the government and how Islam has been instrumentalized."

Finally, for Ms. Habchi, the question of banning the burqa (fully
integrated veil) "is not only a French issue - the women of the world
are watching us and were waiting for this courageous decision", she
said, notably citing the journalist Loubna Ahmed al-Hussein, recently
condemned in the Sudan for having worn pants judged "indecent".

A bill will be presented in May to the Council of Ministers with the
aim of a general public ban of the burqa / niqab (fully integrated
veil) and not only in public services / facilities, as was announced
Wednesday by the government spokesperson, Luc Chatel.

The President, Nicolas Sarkozy, repeated in front of the Council of
Ministers that the burqa/niqab (fully integrated veil) is an "attack
on the dignity of women", as was indicated by Luc Chatel to the press.

Source: AFP

Translation: Sarah Braasch

Vingt Paris Publishes an Article about the Ni Putes Ni Soumises March Against Gender Violence in Les Ulis, France

Thank you, Vingt Paris, for publishing this article about the efforts of Ni Putes Ni Soumises to break the law of silence surrounding gang rape and all forms of gender violence in Les Ulis, France.

You can read the article here:

http://www.ivyparisnews.com/2010/04/ni-putes-ni-soumises-breaks-the-law-of-silence-surrounding-gang-rape.html

Ni Putes Ni Soumises Leads a March for Sarah

Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS – Neither Whores Nor Submissives) led a march through the 15^th arrondissement of Paris on Saturday, April 17^th, 2010, at 3 pm, to honor the short life of Sarah Tounsi, a 19-year-old young woman who was pushed out of a window and fell to her death.  Ni Putes Ni Soumises is an international human rights organization, with headquarters in Paris, France, that advocates on behalf of women’s rights as universal human rights without compromise.

The President of Ni Putes Ni Soumises, Sihem Habchi, led a group of approximately 100 friends, family and women’s rights activists from Camille See high school to the apartment building where Sarah met an untimely death.  Sarah’s mother moved the crowd to tears with her heartfelt words.  Ms. Habchi promised that Ni Putes Ni Soumises would continue the fight against all forms of domestic and gender violence in honor of Sarah’s all-too-short life.  

Ni Putes Ni Soumises Breaks the Law of Silence Surrounding Gang Rape

Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS – Neither Whores Nor Submissives) led a march through the Parisian suburb of Les Ulis, in France, at 10 am on Saturday, April 17^th, 2010.  Ni Putes Ni Soumises is an international human rights organization, with headquarters in Paris, France, that advocates on behalf of women’s rights as universal human rights without compromise. 

The march was held to break the law of silence surrounding the issue of gang rape in the community of Les Ulis.  Recently, two teenage girls were gang raped in Les Ulis.  The 14-year-old victim accused a group of teenage boys.  She and her family have been forced to flee the community after having suffered harassment and threats, because the young victim chose to file a complaint with local law enforcement.  The community has rallied around the young male suspects and demonized the female victim of this horrific act of gender violence.

Members of the community came out to condemn and shout at the group of approximately 50 activists participating in the march.  A woman approached the marchers at the start of the protest and shouted, “Girls today are easy.  We support the boys.”  A group of young men also yelled at the protesters from the side of the road as the procession continued towards city hall. 

The President of Ni Putes Ni Soumises, Sihem Habchi, answered these challenges. “We are here to break the law of silence,” she proclaimed.  “This is an issue of gender inequality,” she continued.  Ms. Habchi led the march to the Les Ulis City Hall where she roused the crowd with a moving speech, before leading a small delegation from Ni Putes Ni Soumises inside to meet with the Mayor’s office.

Sohane's Monument in Cite Balzac

This is a monument to the young girl, Sohane, who was burned alive behind some dumpsters in a ghettoized suburban housing project near Paris called Cite Balzac in Vitry sur Seine. This act instigated the entire Ni Putes Ni Soumises movement. As a ferocious response to this horrific act of violence, Fadela Amara and a handful of young men and women began a march across France that culminated in a 30,000 person strong march in Paris in front of Parliament to demand change. Sohane's all too short life was not lived in vain. She will live forever in the work of NPNS. We love you and miss you, Sohane!

Thank you, Corvallis Secular Society!

Thank you to the Corvallis Secular Society for publishing this piece about the rally, organized by Ni Putes Ni Soumises, to honor the all too short life of Patricia Cetout.

They printed the piece in their monthly newsletter, the Willamette Freethinker.

Here's a link to the article:

http://corvallissecular.org/newsletter/wf_current.pdf

The Freedom From Religion Foundation Posts My Latest Piece on Their Blog

I am very pleased to report that the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) (a fantastic organization fighting to preserve the separation between state and church in the US for whom I worked as an intern) posted my latest piece, which rails against tribalism and dogma, on their newly created blog.

See it here:

http://www.ffrf.org/news/blog/i-hate-you/

Thanks FFRF!

I Hate You

Here's a new piece on Daylight Atheism, of which I am quite proud.

I hope you enjoy it.  Please feel free to comment there or here.

I monitor the comments here -- this is an unfortunate necessity.

The discussion thus far on DA has been thoughtful and thought-provoking.

http://www.daylightatheism.org/2010/04/i-hate-you.html

I dedicated this piece to Jake.  Thank you, Jacob.