Torture Memo Author John Yoo on Jon Stewart

It is all about how do you define "torture" and who is subjected to that torture and when!!

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ISRAEL, GAZA: Holocaust survivor explains why she became Palestinian rights activist

ISRAEL, GAZA: Holocaust survivor explains why she became Palestinian rights activist

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Shame on us in L.A. - L.A. leads New York, Chicago in abuse of low-wage workers, survey says

UCLA study finds widespread violation of minimum wage and overtime laws. Large pool of illegal immigrants and predatory business strategies in garment and building sectors are major factors.

Los Angeles Times
By Patrick J. McDonnell

January 6, 2010

Low-wage workers in the Los Angeles area are even more likely than their counterparts in New York and Chicago to suffer violations of minimum wage, overtime and other labor laws, according to a new UCLA study being released today.

The study found that almost nine out of 10 low-wage workers surveyed in Los Angeles County had recently experienced some form of pay-related workplace violation, or "wage theft." Almost one in three reported being paid less than the minimum wage and nearly 80% said they had not received legally mandated overtime.

"We knew these violations were happening, but we never really imagined it was as prevalent as this study demonstrates," said Ruth Milkman, a sociologist and principal author of the study, conducted by UCLA's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.

The authors described the study as a ground-breaking effort to quantify the plight of a vulnerable, largely immigrant population that is often missed in standard surveys.

Los Angeles employees also reported working off the clock, not receiving proper meal and rest breaks, being forced to work despite injuries and facing retaliation from employers for complaining or trying to start a union. Almost one in five Los Angeles restaurant employees and others receiving tips reported that employers or supervisors illegally pocketed all or part of their tips...

"In nearly every case," the study stated, "the violation rates are higher in Los Angeles than in New York and Chicago."

The reason for the pervasiveness of abuses here, the authors said, is that certain sectors of the Los Angeles economy, including garment manufacturing and residential construction, have embraced business strategies that involve widespread violation of labor laws. Although all three cities have large immigrant populations, few low-wage workers in Los Angeles have union representation, and many work in service industries or in apparel manufacturing. But proponents of immigration restrictions argue that the very presence of so many illegal immigrants creates a climate of exploitation...

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Learn more on what you can do to help challenge this injustice.
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An Islamic perspective on workers' rights.

Colbert Report Ridiculing Religious Profiling

ColbertNation.com video - Every time a young Muslim man arrives at the airport, the TSA should respectfully take him aside and give him an involuntary colonoscopy.

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Bill O'Reilly vs. CAIR Spokesman on Profiling

Vandalism at mosque, interfaith display, suspected as hate crimes (OC Register)

By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ

2010-01-04 15:08:01

MISSION VIEJO – The Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced two incidents of what it called "anti-Islam hate" after a Quran was found burned in a mosque parking lot and a Muslim component of a holiday display was defaced, both on New Year's Day.

Munira Syeda, spokeswoman for CAIR, said that although the two incidents were reported on the same day, they do not appear to be related.

The vandalism prompted leaders of other religious faiths to offer support, including Congregation Eilat in Mission Viejo, which sent a letter to the Orange County Islamic Foundation in Mission Viejo.

"I am embarrassed and appalled at this blatant display of hate against your community," wrote Rabbi Diane Cohen. "It is truly unfortunate that at a time when all Americans should stand together against extremist fears, people with small minds and narrow souls seek not to unite us but to divide us."

Rusty Kennedy, executive director of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, said the two New Year's Day incidents were the first and only two hate crimes that have been reported to the agency in 2010.

"I think these are clearly hate-motivated incidents," Kennedy said. "It's kind of sad."...

OC Weekly: Local Muslims Begin New Year With Hate Crimes Against Them

Orange County Weekly
By Matt Coker
Monday, Jan. 4, 2010

This is no way to start the new year fresh: local Muslims are dealing with two incidents of anti-Islam hate targeting their community.

A burned copy of the Quran was found during Friday prayers at the back entrance of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County in Costa Mesa. A burned Quran had been left in the same spot a month previous, and the mosque has been vandalized within the last three weeks. As shown above, vandals also defaced the Muslim component of an interfaith holiday display in Mission Viejo. A piece of paper stuck to the display, shown below, stated, "No Islamic Lighthouses in the U.S.A."...

LA Times: O.C. Islamic Educational Center a target of anti-Muslim acts

Costa Mesa police step up patrols after incidents at the center, including the burning of two copies of the Koran. The Muslim part of an interfaith display in Mission Viejo was defaced, a group says.
Los Angeles Times
By Kim Christensen

January 3, 2010


Costa Mesa police have stepped up patrols near the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County, the target of recent anti-Islamic acts including vandalism, hate mail and the burning of two copies of the Koran.

Vandals also recently defaced part of an outdoor interfaith holiday display in Mission Viejo, according to the Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which denounced both acts as "incidents of anti-Islam hate targeting the local Muslim community."

The two incidents are thought to be unrelated but appear to be part of a recent uptick in anti-Muslim acts nationally, especially since the attempted terrorist bombing of a jetliner headed to Detroit on Christmas, council spokeswoman Munira Syeda said Saturday.

A burned and torn copy of the Koran was found in the parking lot at the educational center, on Airport Loop Drive, during Friday prayers. It was the second time in a month that a desecrated Koran had been found there, according to a statement on the Costa Mesa mosque's website...

In the Mission Viejo incident, vandals defaced the Islamic portion of the holiday display but left nearby Christian components untouched. They painted over a verse from the Koran and left behind a piece of paper reading "No Islamic Lighthouses in the U.S.A."...

"Americans of all faiths, and leaders of all political persuasions, must repudiate those who would divide our nation along religious or racial lines," Hussam Ayloush, the L.A. council's executive director, said in a statement.

kim.christensen@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

SoCal Muslims Targeted in Anti-Islam Incidents

Burned Quran left at Costa Mesa mosque, Muslim holiday display vandalized in Mission Viejo

Jan 01, 2010 - ANAHEIM, CA

The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today reported two incidents of anti-Islam hate targeting the local Muslim community.

An official of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County in Costa Mesa, Calif., reports that a burned copy of the Quran, Islam’s revealed text, was found at the back entrance of the mosque during Friday prayers. Mosque officials told CAIR that another burned Quran had been left in the same spot one month ago and that the center had been vandalized within the last three weeks.

In Mission Viejo, Calif., vandals defaced the Muslim component of an interfaith holiday display. A piece of paper stuck to the display stated: “No Islamic Lighthouses in the U.S.A.”

The Muslim display included a verse from the Quran encouraging the unity of humankind and promoting righteousness. “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you.” (The Holy Quran, 49:13)

“Americans of all faiths, and leaders of all political persuasions, must repudiate those who would divide our nation along religious or racial lines,’ said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush.

He noted that CAIR recently called on President Obama to address what it called an “alarming level of anti-Islam hate in our nation.” The organization’s letter to President Obama cited a number of recent anti-Muslim incidents, including a spate of vandalism cases at mosques nationwide.

SEE: CAIR Asks President to Address Rise in Anti-Islam Hate

Ayloush said CAIR is urging American Muslim individuals and institutions to review advice on security procedures contained in its “Muslim Community Safety Kit.”

SEE: Muslim Community Safety Kit

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Islamic Section of Interfaith Holiday Display Vandalized in Mission Viejo

Mission Viejo, Ca; January 1, 2010