Dec. 8, 2013
Ottawa Citizen – Solomon Friedman
Right to Know: Bill C-13 — cyberbullying or legislative bullying?
Ottawa lawyer Friedman says that there is much more to C-13 than Anti-Cyberbullying focus. It is in fact another Omnibus Bill with lawful access buried in the proposed law. Friedman has two objections: one, instead of a court order, police need only “sufficient grounds to suspect;” two, ISP’s are now absolved of liability for voluntarily release personal data to police, again without need for judicial approval. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Bill+cyberbullying+legislative+bullying/9257920/story.html
Dalhousie University – Kevin Bradley
Sharing restorative approaches to global peace
Jennifer Llewellyn, professor in Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law and director of the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Community University Research Alliance, was asked to address an assembly of Nobel Peace Laureates. Her focus was the use of restorative justice in peace building. “A restorative approach to peace building helps us think about peace building more holistically and more connectedly… [To] look at the relationships between justice, peace and development,” she explains. “We need to look backwards less and focus on blame less. We need to look forward, focusing on responsibility and focusing on solutions. With restorative justice, people look at how to make a situation better, rather than evening out the scales with payback for what happened in the past.” http://www.dal.ca/news/2013/12/06/sharing-restorative-approaches-to-global-peace.html?utm_source=dalnewsRSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=dalnews Related article: Youtube – Howard Zehr’s Definition of Restorative Justice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZJzMTw9UNw&feature=youtube_gdata
Pew Research Center (US) – Bruce Stokes
The U.S.’s high income gap is met with relatively low public concern
The research attempts to establish the level of concern generated by the growing gap in income. In the US 47% see the problem though two-thirds are aware of the gap. In Canada, 45% think income disparity is a problem. World wide the median for concern is 74%. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/06/the-u-s-s-high-income-gap-is-met-with-relatively-low-public-concern Related article: U.S. News – Chad Stone The Disturbing Rise of Income Inequality in 3 Charts http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/12/06/3-charts-illustrating-the-disturbing-rise-of-income-inequality
Huffington Post (US) – Rebecca Klein
Civil Rights Groups Ask Texas Police to Stop Using Tasers on Students
A 17 year was tasered by a Sherriff’s deputy trying to break up a fight in the school. The 17 year old suffered traumatic brain injury and is now in a medically induced coma. Civil rights group want the taser and pepper spray banned from schools. The parents of the boy have filed a lawsuit. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/texas-taser-students_n_4399674.html Related article: Techdirt (Australia) – ACLU Calls For Ban On Nonlethal Weapons In Schools After Tasered Student Ends Up In Coma http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131205/11594925472/aclu-calls-ban-nonlethal-weapons-schools-after-tased-student-ends-up-coma.shtml
Platform for International Co-operation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) – Nicola Delvino
Working group discusses how to end child detention and ensure access to services for undocumented migrant children and their families
Advocates from the third annual meeting of PICUM offer a number of conclusions from their own deliberations and the context of immigration detention world wide. Primary conclusion: “Child rights apply equally to all children, regardless of immigration status. Detention is always a violation of child rights and can never be justified as in the best interests of the child (e.g. to keep a family together – alternatives must be found for the whole family).” http://picum.org/en/news/blog/42470/ Related article – End Immigration Detention of Children http://endchilddetention.org
The Spokesman Review – Gary Crooks
Smart Bombs: Justice denied, innocence lost
For innocence, it’s always the funding and it’s always volunteer groups. The Idaho Innocence Project is an outgrowth from the New York project founded in 1992. The Idaho project got $900,000 in federal grants over the years from 2009-2012 and now with 38 groups applying for funding the Idaho group has seen the funding cut. Overall, there have been 318 exonerations, 18 of which involved the death penalty, and the average incarceration for the 318 was 13 ½ years. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/dec/08/smart-bombs-justice-denied-innocence-lost