okay, my love of the man who loves Splash is no secret. The HRC's list of Ted Kennedy's accomplishments brought me to tears.
You can view a list of the bills he sponsored during the last 20 years here.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
we will be the last democracy on this train
Argentina rules on marijuana use
The supreme court in Argentina has ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish people for using marijuana for personal consumption.
The decision follows a case of five young men who were arrested with a few marijuana cigarettes in their pockets.
But the court said use must not harm others and made it clear it did not advocate a complete decriminalisation.
Correspondents say there is a growing momentum in Latin America towards decriminalising drugs for personal use.
The Argentine court ruled that: "Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state."
Supreme Court President Ricardo Lorenzetti said private behaviour was legal, "as long as it doesn't constitute clear danger".
"The state cannot establish morality," he said.
The initiative has been supported by the government - Congress is expected to introduce amendments to the current drug laws. ....
The supreme court in Argentina has ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish people for using marijuana for personal consumption.
The decision follows a case of five young men who were arrested with a few marijuana cigarettes in their pockets.
But the court said use must not harm others and made it clear it did not advocate a complete decriminalisation.
Correspondents say there is a growing momentum in Latin America towards decriminalising drugs for personal use.
The Argentine court ruled that: "Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state."
Supreme Court President Ricardo Lorenzetti said private behaviour was legal, "as long as it doesn't constitute clear danger".
"The state cannot establish morality," he said.
The initiative has been supported by the government - Congress is expected to introduce amendments to the current drug laws. ....
Thursday, August 20, 2009
another op-ed I hope people are reading...
Op-Ed Columnist
Priority Test: Health Care or Prisons?
By Nicolas D. Kristof
At a time when we Americans may abandon health care reform because it supposedly is “too expensive,” how is it that we can afford to imprison people like Curtis Wilkerson?
Mr. Wilkerson is serving a life sentence in California — for stealing a $2.50 pair of socks. As The Economist noted recently, he already had two offenses on his record (both for abetting robbery at age 19), and so the “three strikes” law resulted in a life sentence.
This is unjust, of course. But considering that California spends almost $49,000 annually per prison inmate, it’s also an extraordinary waste of money.
Astonishingly, many politicians seem to think that we should lead the world in prisons, not in health care or education. ....
Priority Test: Health Care or Prisons?
By Nicolas D. Kristof
At a time when we Americans may abandon health care reform because it supposedly is “too expensive,” how is it that we can afford to imprison people like Curtis Wilkerson?
Mr. Wilkerson is serving a life sentence in California — for stealing a $2.50 pair of socks. As The Economist noted recently, he already had two offenses on his record (both for abetting robbery at age 19), and so the “three strikes” law resulted in a life sentence.
This is unjust, of course. But considering that California spends almost $49,000 annually per prison inmate, it’s also an extraordinary waste of money.
Astonishingly, many politicians seem to think that we should lead the world in prisons, not in health care or education. ....
heroin treatment study in NEJM!
Diacetylmorphine versus Methadone for the Treatment of Opioid Addiction
New England Journal of Medicine
Volume 361 — August 20, 2009 — Number 8
Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, Suzanne Brissette, David C. Marsh, Pierre Lauzon, Daphne Guh, Aslam Anis, and Martin T. Schechter
Background
Studies in Europe have suggested that injectable diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient in heroin, can be an effective adjunctive treatment for chronic, relapsing opioid dependence.
Methods
In an open-label, phase 3, randomized, controlled trial in Canada, we compared injectable diacetylmorphine with oral methadone maintenance therapy in patients with opioid dependence that was refractory to treatment. Long-term users of inject-able heroin who had not benefited from at least two previous attempts at treatment for addiction (including at least one methadone treatment) were randomly assigned to receive methadone (111 patients) or diacetylmorphine (115 patients). The primary outcomes, assessed at 12 months, were retention in addiction treatment or drug-free status and a reduction in illicit-drug use or other illegal activity according to the European Addiction Severity Index.
Results
The primary outcomes were determined in 95.2% of the participants. On the basis of an intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of retention in addiction treatment in the diacetylmorphine group was 87.8%, as compared with 54.1% in the methadone group (rate ratio for retention, 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35 to 1.95; P<0.001). The reduction in rates of illicit-drug use or other illegal activity was 67.0% in the diacetylmorphine group and 47.7% in the methadone group (rate ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.77; P = 0.004). The most common serious adverse events associated with diacetylmorphine injections were overdoses (in 10 patients) and seizures (in 6 patients).
Conclusions
Injectable diacetylmorphine was more effective than oral methadone. Because of a risk of overdoses and seizures, diacetylmorphine maintenance therapy should be delivered in settings where prompt medical intervention is available. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00175357.)
New York Times article here
New England Journal of Medicine
Volume 361 — August 20, 2009 — Number 8
Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, Suzanne Brissette, David C. Marsh, Pierre Lauzon, Daphne Guh, Aslam Anis, and Martin T. Schechter
Background
Studies in Europe have suggested that injectable diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient in heroin, can be an effective adjunctive treatment for chronic, relapsing opioid dependence.
Methods
In an open-label, phase 3, randomized, controlled trial in Canada, we compared injectable diacetylmorphine with oral methadone maintenance therapy in patients with opioid dependence that was refractory to treatment. Long-term users of inject-able heroin who had not benefited from at least two previous attempts at treatment for addiction (including at least one methadone treatment) were randomly assigned to receive methadone (111 patients) or diacetylmorphine (115 patients). The primary outcomes, assessed at 12 months, were retention in addiction treatment or drug-free status and a reduction in illicit-drug use or other illegal activity according to the European Addiction Severity Index.
Results
The primary outcomes were determined in 95.2% of the participants. On the basis of an intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of retention in addiction treatment in the diacetylmorphine group was 87.8%, as compared with 54.1% in the methadone group (rate ratio for retention, 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35 to 1.95; P<0.001). The reduction in rates of illicit-drug use or other illegal activity was 67.0% in the diacetylmorphine group and 47.7% in the methadone group (rate ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.77; P = 0.004). The most common serious adverse events associated with diacetylmorphine injections were overdoses (in 10 patients) and seizures (in 6 patients).
Conclusions
Injectable diacetylmorphine was more effective than oral methadone. Because of a risk of overdoses and seizures, diacetylmorphine maintenance therapy should be delivered in settings where prompt medical intervention is available. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00175357.)
New York Times article here
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
action alert: Needle ban fight moves to Senate
click here to take action
•We are too close to lifting the federal syringe exchange funding ban to allow it to fail. Attempts to put it back in after it was removed in House committee were defeated, but by a very close margin. What did stick, unfortunately, was an amendment to deny federal funds to any SEP within 1000 feet of a school, rec center, daycare center, playground, video arcade, or anywhere groups of children may go on even an occasional basis. For almost every existing syringe exchange project, and in most cities overall, this would present a cruel barrier.
So, we have 2 important tasks - to get the overall ban removed & to get that amendment removed. The decision will most likely be made in a closed conference between Senate and House Appropriators in early September, and we need those legislators to walk in there knowing what they have to do. If your program would be ineligible to receive federal funds if this 1000 foot buffer zone is enacted, or if you care about the issue at all, this is a KEY TIME for you to act.
Send a letter directly to your Senator from our Online Action Center and ask that they resist any restrictive amendments from both the Financial Services and Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bills, and to leave the decision of how and where to offer services to the local public health and public safety communities. Feel free to use the pre-written one provided or write your own.•
•We are too close to lifting the federal syringe exchange funding ban to allow it to fail. Attempts to put it back in after it was removed in House committee were defeated, but by a very close margin. What did stick, unfortunately, was an amendment to deny federal funds to any SEP within 1000 feet of a school, rec center, daycare center, playground, video arcade, or anywhere groups of children may go on even an occasional basis. For almost every existing syringe exchange project, and in most cities overall, this would present a cruel barrier.
So, we have 2 important tasks - to get the overall ban removed & to get that amendment removed. The decision will most likely be made in a closed conference between Senate and House Appropriators in early September, and we need those legislators to walk in there knowing what they have to do. If your program would be ineligible to receive federal funds if this 1000 foot buffer zone is enacted, or if you care about the issue at all, this is a KEY TIME for you to act.
Send a letter directly to your Senator from our Online Action Center and ask that they resist any restrictive amendments from both the Financial Services and Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bills, and to leave the decision of how and where to offer services to the local public health and public safety communities. Feel free to use the pre-written one provided or write your own.•
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Action alert! Please tell Congress to extend the Ryan White CARE Act.
The current Ryan White CARE Act sunsets on September 30, 2009. That's just 6 weeks away.
*The Ryan White Program provides essential medical and support services to hundreds of thousands of individuals each year. The services are a critical part of our HIV health care safety net. Congress must extend the Ryan White Program as a Stand-Alone bill by September 30, 2009 to avoid gaps in coverage.
This moment is critical. Your letter will make a difference.
Together the HIV community has reached a broad consensus for a three-year extension of the Ryan White Program. Please take a moment to urge Congress to take action and support the community consensus document by emailing your Representatives and Senators.*
TAKE ACTION NOW!
you can read more about the legislation here
*The Ryan White Program provides essential medical and support services to hundreds of thousands of individuals each year. The services are a critical part of our HIV health care safety net. Congress must extend the Ryan White Program as a Stand-Alone bill by September 30, 2009 to avoid gaps in coverage. This moment is critical. Your letter will make a difference.
Together the HIV community has reached a broad consensus for a three-year extension of the Ryan White Program. Please take a moment to urge Congress to take action and support the community consensus document by emailing your Representatives and Senators.*
TAKE ACTION NOW!
you can read more about the legislation here
Sunday, August 16, 2009
evidence that a genetic variation predicts response to standard Hep C treatments
Genetic variation in IL28B predicts hepatitis C treatment-induced viral clearance
Dongliang Ge, Jacques Fellay, Alexander J. Thompson, Jason S. Simon, Kevin V. Shianna, Thomas J. Urban, Erin L. Heinzen, Ping Qiu, Arthur H. Bertelsen, Andrew J. Muir, Mark Sulkowski, John G. McHutchison & David B. Goldstein
Nature Letter • 8/16/2009 • advance online publication
read the paper here or a Bloomberg article here
Dongliang Ge, Jacques Fellay, Alexander J. Thompson, Jason S. Simon, Kevin V. Shianna, Thomas J. Urban, Erin L. Heinzen, Ping Qiu, Arthur H. Bertelsen, Andrew J. Muir, Mark Sulkowski, John G. McHutchison & David B. Goldstein
Nature Letter • 8/16/2009 • advance online publication
Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects 170 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of cirrhosis in North America1. Although the recommended treatment for chronic infection involves a 48-week course of peginterferon-a-2b (PegIFN-a-2b) or -a-2a (PegIFN-a-2a) combined with ribavirin (RBV), it is well known that many patients will not be cured by treatment, and that patients of European ancestry have a signifi- cantly higher probability of being cured than patients of African ancestry. In addition to limited efficacy, treatment is often poorly tolerated because of side effects that prevent some patients from completing therapy. For these reasons, identification of the determinants of response to treatment is a high priority. Here we report that a genetic polymorphism near the IL28B gene, encoding interferon-l-3 (IFN-l-3), is associated with an approximately twofold change in response to treatment, both among patients of European ancestry (P 5 1.06 3 10225) and African-Americans (P 5 2.06 3 1023). Because the genotype leading to better response is in substantially greater frequency in European than African populations, this genetic polymorphism also explains approximately half of the difference in response rates between African- Americans and patients of European ancestry.
read the paper here or a Bloomberg article here
City studies safe-injection site for Toronto
City studies safe-injection site for Toronto
By Michael McKiernan, National Post
A city-sanctioned study is looking into the feasibility of Vancouver-style safe injection sites in Toronto, but critics fear the study’s support for such sites is a done deal.
The study, part of Toronto Public Health’s drug strategy, comes as Vancouver’s six-year-old InSite program (pictured above) faces increasing doubts over its own future. The federal government wants it shut and has appealed a 2008 B.C. Supreme Court ruling that allowed it to continue operating. ....
read the somewhat hysterical article here
By Michael McKiernan, National Post
A city-sanctioned study is looking into the feasibility of Vancouver-style safe injection sites in Toronto, but critics fear the study’s support for such sites is a done deal.
The study, part of Toronto Public Health’s drug strategy, comes as Vancouver’s six-year-old InSite program (pictured above) faces increasing doubts over its own future. The federal government wants it shut and has appealed a 2008 B.C. Supreme Court ruling that allowed it to continue operating. ....
read the somewhat hysterical article here
Saturday, August 15, 2009
better late than never
I wonder why people think the South is slow and backward...
Ala. no longer bars HIV inmates from work release
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama has shed the distinction of being the only state to bar inmates with HIV from work release programs.
The American Civil Liberties Union has fought to end the practice for decades and on Thursday praised the Alabama Department of Corrections for doing so this week.
Corrections officials say all eligible prisoners with HIV have been approved to participate in the work release program.
Margaret Winter, associate director of the ACLU National Prison Project, said the organization is thrilled with what she called an overdue change.
Work release allows eligible inmates to hold free-world jobs, earn money, wear plain clothes and spend the day without supervision of corrections staff.
Ala. no longer bars HIV inmates from work release
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama has shed the distinction of being the only state to bar inmates with HIV from work release programs.
The American Civil Liberties Union has fought to end the practice for decades and on Thursday praised the Alabama Department of Corrections for doing so this week.
Corrections officials say all eligible prisoners with HIV have been approved to participate in the work release program.
Margaret Winter, associate director of the ACLU National Prison Project, said the organization is thrilled with what she called an overdue change.
Work release allows eligible inmates to hold free-world jobs, earn money, wear plain clothes and spend the day without supervision of corrections staff.
Be reminded.
I could have done without him citing Phil Zimbardo, but I am happy to see this in nytimes.
Op-Ed Columnist
Getting Smart on Crime
Charles M. Blow
After decades of supercharged incarceration rates, our bloated prison system is straining under its own weight, and policy makers are finally being forced to deal with the need to shrink it.
According to a study last year by The Pew Center on the States entitled “One in 100: Behind bars in America 2008,” the prison population of the United States has nearly quadrupled over the last 25 years while the nation’s population has grown by less than a third.
We now have more inmates per capita than any of the 36 European countries with the largest inmate populations, and our total number of inmates is more than all the inmates in those countries combined.
This comes at a cost. According to a report published last month by the Vera Institute of Justice, an independent, nonprofit research group, $1 in every $15 from states’ general funds is now spent on corrections. That doesn’t work in a recession.
Much of the rise in the prison population was because of draconian mandatory sentencing laws that are illogical — sociologically and economically. ....
Op-Ed Columnist
Getting Smart on Crime
Charles M. Blow
After decades of supercharged incarceration rates, our bloated prison system is straining under its own weight, and policy makers are finally being forced to deal with the need to shrink it.
According to a study last year by The Pew Center on the States entitled “One in 100: Behind bars in America 2008,” the prison population of the United States has nearly quadrupled over the last 25 years while the nation’s population has grown by less than a third.
We now have more inmates per capita than any of the 36 European countries with the largest inmate populations, and our total number of inmates is more than all the inmates in those countries combined.
This comes at a cost. According to a report published last month by the Vera Institute of Justice, an independent, nonprofit research group, $1 in every $15 from states’ general funds is now spent on corrections. That doesn’t work in a recession.
Much of the rise in the prison population was because of draconian mandatory sentencing laws that are illogical — sociologically and economically. ....
Thursday, August 13, 2009
uncommon news - field of opium poppies found in Oregon
OPB News
Discovery Of Opium Poppies Has Law Officers Concerned
By April Baer
....McKnight is a Forest Patrol Officer for the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde. He was here -- on a remote, 40-acre clear-cut on tribal forestland, training some helpers for fire season, when he stumbled across a field of some 12,000 specimens of Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy -- gorgeous, and illicit. ....
Discovery Of Opium Poppies Has Law Officers Concerned
By April Baer
....McKnight is a Forest Patrol Officer for the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde. He was here -- on a remote, 40-acre clear-cut on tribal forestland, training some helpers for fire season, when he stumbled across a field of some 12,000 specimens of Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy -- gorgeous, and illicit. ....
Sunday, August 9, 2009
criminalization of poverty
op-ed contributor
Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?
By Barbara Ehrenreich
In case you have not been paying attention, the answer is a resounding yes. If you have the time, read the referenced report as well.
Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities
by The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and The National Coalition for the Homeless
Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?
By Barbara Ehrenreich
In case you have not been paying attention, the answer is a resounding yes. If you have the time, read the referenced report as well.
Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities
by The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and The National Coalition for the Homeless
one more reason DC should get to govern itself
D.C. to Offer STD Tests In Every High School
Expansion of Program Draws Praise
By Darryl Fears and Nelson Hernandez
D.C. school officials are planning to offer tests for sexually transmitted diseases to all high school students in the coming school year, expanding a pilot program that uncovered a significant number of infected children.
The program conducted last year at eight high schools found that 13 percent of about 3,000 students tested positive for an STD, mostly gonorrhea or chlamydia, according to the D.C. Department of Health.....
Close to Home
STD Tests at High School?
There is broad agreement among District educators and health officials that testing high school students for sexually transmitted diseases is a good idea ["D.C. to Offer STD Tests in Every High School," front page, Aug. 5]. But should the District conduct this testing, and provide for follow-up treatment, without telling parents when their children have an STD?
Absolutely!
True, parents' permission is required for such school-sponsored activities as sports and field trips, but this is different. Notably, all 50 states and the District allow minors older than 12 to be screened for STDs without parental consent. But this policy shouldn't be driven by legalities alone. Instead, it should be rooted in the cost of not being sufficiently diligent.
Surveys tell us that a majority of high school students engage in sexual activity, much of it unprotected, despite what some parents believe. This can have particularly dire consequences for our children and community. The District has by far the nation's highest HIV/AIDS rate. While curbing treatable STDs such as gonorrhea is vital, changing reckless behavior and preventing deadly HIV/AIDS infections is imperative.
While parents won't automatically be told the results of STD tests, they will be able to have their children opt out of the program in advance. But I hope that as they consider their children's best interest, they will embrace this intervention. I know that when my daughter entered college at 17, and despite my excellent relationship with her, I would have wanted someone to intercede, even without my knowledge, to protect her from any self-destructive behavior I might not have known about.
That said, the District can't win this struggle to alter our children's sexual behavior without parents. Parents should be included early on in the educational process. They should be invited to the schools to learn how to talk to their children about avoidance of an early sexual debut and about safe sex, as well as to be counseled to lead by example.
We need everybody in this fight.
-- Celia Maxwell, Washington
The writer is assistant vice president for health sciences, director of the Women's Health Institute and associate professor of medicine in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Howard University.
Expansion of Program Draws Praise
By Darryl Fears and Nelson Hernandez
D.C. school officials are planning to offer tests for sexually transmitted diseases to all high school students in the coming school year, expanding a pilot program that uncovered a significant number of infected children.
The program conducted last year at eight high schools found that 13 percent of about 3,000 students tested positive for an STD, mostly gonorrhea or chlamydia, according to the D.C. Department of Health.....
Close to Home
STD Tests at High School?
There is broad agreement among District educators and health officials that testing high school students for sexually transmitted diseases is a good idea ["D.C. to Offer STD Tests in Every High School," front page, Aug. 5]. But should the District conduct this testing, and provide for follow-up treatment, without telling parents when their children have an STD?
Absolutely!
True, parents' permission is required for such school-sponsored activities as sports and field trips, but this is different. Notably, all 50 states and the District allow minors older than 12 to be screened for STDs without parental consent. But this policy shouldn't be driven by legalities alone. Instead, it should be rooted in the cost of not being sufficiently diligent.
Surveys tell us that a majority of high school students engage in sexual activity, much of it unprotected, despite what some parents believe. This can have particularly dire consequences for our children and community. The District has by far the nation's highest HIV/AIDS rate. While curbing treatable STDs such as gonorrhea is vital, changing reckless behavior and preventing deadly HIV/AIDS infections is imperative.
While parents won't automatically be told the results of STD tests, they will be able to have their children opt out of the program in advance. But I hope that as they consider their children's best interest, they will embrace this intervention. I know that when my daughter entered college at 17, and despite my excellent relationship with her, I would have wanted someone to intercede, even without my knowledge, to protect her from any self-destructive behavior I might not have known about.
That said, the District can't win this struggle to alter our children's sexual behavior without parents. Parents should be included early on in the educational process. They should be invited to the schools to learn how to talk to their children about avoidance of an early sexual debut and about safe sex, as well as to be counseled to lead by example.
We need everybody in this fight.
-- Celia Maxwell, Washington
The writer is assistant vice president for health sciences, director of the Women's Health Institute and associate professor of medicine in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Howard University.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
HOPE Probation
I am interested to know what happens when probation ends...
HOPE Probation
"In 2004, First Circuit Judge Steven Alm launched a pilot program to reduce probation violations by drug offenders and others at high risk of recidivism. This high-intensity supervision program, called HOPE Probation (Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement), is the first and only of its kind in the nation. Probationers in HOPE Probation receive swift, predictable, and immediate sanctions - typically resulting in several days in jail - for each detected violation, such as detected drug use or missed appointments with a probation officer.
In HOPE Probation, defendants are clearly warned that if they violate the rules, they go to jail. Defendants are required to call a hotline each weekday morning to find out if they must take a drug test that day. Random drug testing occurs at least once a week for the first two months.
If probationers test positive, they are arrested immediately. If they fail to appear for the test or violate other terms of probation, warrants for their arrest are issued immediately. Once they are apprehended, a probation modification hearing is held two days later, and violators are typically sentenced to a short jail term. The jail time may increase for subsequent violations and repeat offenders are often ordered into residential treatment.
Evaluation results indicate the program is highly successful at reducing drug use and crime, even among difficult populations such as methamphetamine abusers and domestic violence offenders."
Program Evaluation Results
"For the 745 defendants who have been in HOPE Probation for at least three months, their missed appointments rate has decreased by 80 percent and their positive drug test rate has dropped by 86 percent. For those offenders in HOPE the longest, 42 months, the decrease is even larger: 92 percent fewer missed appointments and 96 percent fewer positive drug tests."
HOPE Probation
"In 2004, First Circuit Judge Steven Alm launched a pilot program to reduce probation violations by drug offenders and others at high risk of recidivism. This high-intensity supervision program, called HOPE Probation (Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement), is the first and only of its kind in the nation. Probationers in HOPE Probation receive swift, predictable, and immediate sanctions - typically resulting in several days in jail - for each detected violation, such as detected drug use or missed appointments with a probation officer.
In HOPE Probation, defendants are clearly warned that if they violate the rules, they go to jail. Defendants are required to call a hotline each weekday morning to find out if they must take a drug test that day. Random drug testing occurs at least once a week for the first two months.
If probationers test positive, they are arrested immediately. If they fail to appear for the test or violate other terms of probation, warrants for their arrest are issued immediately. Once they are apprehended, a probation modification hearing is held two days later, and violators are typically sentenced to a short jail term. The jail time may increase for subsequent violations and repeat offenders are often ordered into residential treatment.
Evaluation results indicate the program is highly successful at reducing drug use and crime, even among difficult populations such as methamphetamine abusers and domestic violence offenders."
Program Evaluation Results
"For the 745 defendants who have been in HOPE Probation for at least three months, their missed appointments rate has decreased by 80 percent and their positive drug test rate has dropped by 86 percent. For those offenders in HOPE the longest, 42 months, the decrease is even larger: 92 percent fewer missed appointments and 96 percent fewer positive drug tests."
Friday, August 7, 2009
We make me sick.
Attacks on Homeless Bring Push to Broaden Laws on Hate Crimes
By Eric Lichtblau
WASHINGTON — With economic troubles pushing more people onto the streets in the last few years, law enforcement officials and researchers are seeing a surge in unprovoked attacks against the homeless, and a number of states are considering legislation to treat such assaults as hate crimes. ....
A report due out this weekend from the National Coalition for the Homeless documents a rise in violence over the last decade, with at least 880 unprovoked attacks against the homeless at the hands of nonhomeless people, including 244 fatalities. An advance copy was provided to The New York Times.
Sometimes, researchers say, one homeless person attacks another in turf battles or other disputes. But more often, they say, the assailants are outsiders: men or in most cases teenage boys who punch, kick, shoot or set afire people living on the streets, frequently killing them, simply for the sport of it, their victims all but invisible to society.
“A lot of what we see are thrill offenders,” said Brian Levin, a criminologist who runs the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. ....
Further, in the last several years the Internet has seen a proliferation of “bum fight” videos, shot by young men and boys who are seen beating the homeless or who pay transients a few dollars to fight each other.
Indeed, the National Coalition for the Homeless, which works to change government policies and bring people off the streets, says in its new report that 58 percent of assailants implicated in attacks against the homeless in the last 10 years were teenagers.
Michael Stoops, the group’s executive director, said social prejudices were “dehumanizing” the homeless and condoning hostile treatment. He pointed to a blurb titled “Hunt the Homeless” in the current issue of Maxim, a popular men’s magazine. It spotlights a coming “hobo convention” in Iowa and says: “Kill one for fun. We’re 87 percent sure it’s legal.” ....
By Eric Lichtblau
WASHINGTON — With economic troubles pushing more people onto the streets in the last few years, law enforcement officials and researchers are seeing a surge in unprovoked attacks against the homeless, and a number of states are considering legislation to treat such assaults as hate crimes. ....
A report due out this weekend from the National Coalition for the Homeless documents a rise in violence over the last decade, with at least 880 unprovoked attacks against the homeless at the hands of nonhomeless people, including 244 fatalities. An advance copy was provided to The New York Times.
Sometimes, researchers say, one homeless person attacks another in turf battles or other disputes. But more often, they say, the assailants are outsiders: men or in most cases teenage boys who punch, kick, shoot or set afire people living on the streets, frequently killing them, simply for the sport of it, their victims all but invisible to society.
“A lot of what we see are thrill offenders,” said Brian Levin, a criminologist who runs the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. ....
Further, in the last several years the Internet has seen a proliferation of “bum fight” videos, shot by young men and boys who are seen beating the homeless or who pay transients a few dollars to fight each other.
Indeed, the National Coalition for the Homeless, which works to change government policies and bring people off the streets, says in its new report that 58 percent of assailants implicated in attacks against the homeless in the last 10 years were teenagers.
Michael Stoops, the group’s executive director, said social prejudices were “dehumanizing” the homeless and condoning hostile treatment. He pointed to a blurb titled “Hunt the Homeless” in the current issue of Maxim, a popular men’s magazine. It spotlights a coming “hobo convention” in Iowa and says: “Kill one for fun. We’re 87 percent sure it’s legal.” ....
Saturday, August 1, 2009
thank you.
op-ed columnist
Anger Has Its Place
By Bob Herbert
.... The president of the United States has suggested that we use this flare-up as a “teachable moment,” but so far exactly the wrong lessons are being drawn from it — especially for black people. The message that has gone out to the public is that powerful African-American leaders like Mr. Gates and President Obama will be very publicly slapped down for speaking up and speaking out about police misbehavior, and that the proper response if you think you are being unfairly targeted by the police because of your race is to chill.
I have nothing but contempt for that message. ....
Anger Has Its Place
By Bob Herbert
.... The president of the United States has suggested that we use this flare-up as a “teachable moment,” but so far exactly the wrong lessons are being drawn from it — especially for black people. The message that has gone out to the public is that powerful African-American leaders like Mr. Gates and President Obama will be very publicly slapped down for speaking up and speaking out about police misbehavior, and that the proper response if you think you are being unfairly targeted by the police because of your race is to chill.
I have nothing but contempt for that message. ....
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