Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past eight years, it’s hard to ignore the dismal human rights record of George W. Bush. Where can one begin when you reflect on the human rights abuses, violations of international agreements and government-sanctified torture policies of the Bush Administration? By intimately exploring the stories attached to the infamous photos from Abu Ghraib, our film, Standard Operating Procedure, helped to give us a clearer understanding of the prison which cemented our country’s anti-human rights record and image to the world. Human rights were systematically violated and our global leadership was marginalized because of our policies during the past eight years.

However, since the election, the tide has turned and things are finally looking brighter. President-elect Obama has already indicated a desire to reshape our human rights policies, including closing Guantanamo.

However, for many of the policies changes to occur, the new president and Congress needs to hear from citizens like you and me.  Human Rights First is has made the following a priority for the Obama Administration : the closure of Guantanamo, protection for Iraqi refugees, stop the flow of arms to Darfur and end torture of prisoners in US custody.  Help to make these important goals a reality by signing their letter which will be published in newspapers worldwide.  We voted against torture on November 4th. Let’s help to show the world that we can help to change our policies and have our country return to being the visionary beacon for human rights that we once were. takepart today to sign Human Rights First’s letter.

(photo by habacuc_1988)

A Russian reporter known for challenging corruption has been beaten nearly to death. Mikhail Beketov the editor of a newspaper in the Khimki suburb of Moscow was found on November 13 in his home covered in blood and with multiple fractures. He is currently in a coma at Moscow’s Sklifosovsky Institute hospital floating between life and death with one of his legs having already been amputated and a needed surgery having been delayed due to the graveness of his condition. The hospital has also received numerous threatening calls regarding Beketov.

The owner and editor of the newspaper Khimskaya Pravda, Beketov had adamantly opposed the removal of a forest in his town to make way for a road, he also wrote regularly about corruption within the local government of his town. Attacks and threats against reporters are commonplace in Russia, particularly against those who criticize or publicize corruption in overlaps between politics and business there.

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I’ve been so ebullient since last Tuesday that it’s a hard thump landing on the ground remembering how screwed up the world still is, especially for women.

The BBC reports 15 Afghan schoolgirls had acid shot on their faces from a toy gun by a motorcycle-riding duo outside of a school in Kandahar.  Several of the girls were wearing burkas, which covered their faces, so locals suspect the attack came from terrorists who oppose women’s education.

“I don’t know why they did it,” one 16-year-old girl said. “Kandahar is not safe. But we can’t stay at home, we want an education.”

If you’re as sickened by this news as I am, you can take action by learning more about Afghan girls’ education at the Feminist Majority Foundation and find out what your donations can do to help.

A Burmese blogger/poet has been jailed for writing a poem that contained a hidden message that criticized dictator Senior General Than Shwe. Mr. Saw Wai was sentenced to 2 years for his poem entitled 14th February - it was a Valentines day poem published in a popular magazine back in January.  As it turns out, the first word of each line in the poem spelled out a message not about love : “Power Crazy Senior General Than Shwe”

Condemning the imprisonment of the writer and the blogger, Reporters Without Borders, an advocacy group, said: “The authorities have imposed an extraordinarily severe punishment on Nay Phone Latt just for using the internet. This shocking sentence is meant to terrify those who go online in an attempt to elude the dictatorship’s ubiquitous control of news and information and we call for his immediate release. Saw Wai, for his part, is being made to pay for his impertinence and courage as a committed poet. [TimesOnline]

I often take for granted my freedom of speech, as I get to wake up each day and spout off my opinions on a forum for all to read.   But when I read a story like the one above, I can’t help but see my life in a new light.

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Is America ready for a Guantanamo comedy in its movie theaters? New Line Cinema and the producers of “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” seem to think so. John Cho and Kal Penn are back on the big screen to reprise their beloved roles of Harold & Kumar, but this time the triviality of an epic quest for White Castle has been replaced with a romp where they get mistakenly thrown into the United States Military’s most infamous prison. Expect stoner humor, bodily function jokes and plenty of sexual insecurity but this time around the setting is considerably more politically charged than the New Jersey suburbs of their quest for diminutive, yet strangely addictive late night hamburgers.

Critic Peter Canavese of Groucho Reviews incitefully sums it up as:

“…a latter-day Abbott and Costello flick, where the monster they encounter isn’t Frankenstein, but the Bush Administration.”

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If you love someone, you probably don’t want to give them a gift made under hateful conditions. Sadly, most common valentines day gifts– flowers, chocolate, and jewelry– are likely to involve child labor, child slavery, violence, human rights abuses and environmental degradation. But don’t worry. You don’t have to swear off of gift-giving. Nor do you have to give your valentine a handmade dream catcher, a hemp hacky sack or a recycled nalgene to say I love you guilt-free. Instead, say I love you– and children, and the earth, and workers– by buying fair trade chocolates, flowers, and jewelry. Buy something your valentine can really love you for. And come back next week for my valentine gifts with heart top 10 list.

1. If your valentine is sweet, buy them fair trade chocolates from Global Exchange.
2. If your valentine is full of life and color, buy them pesticide-free flowers or roses from Organic Styles
3. If your valentine has a heart of gold, buy recycled gold jewelry from Green Carat
4. If your valentine is expecting something more than just a valentine, buy them a conflict-free diamonds from Brilliant Earth
5. Now give yourself, and the world a gift and check out Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair Campaign, to see why Coldplay’s Chris Martin is a supporter and made them the music video above. And see how you can by joining Chris Martin and other activists in calling on world leaders to make trade fair!