Rights Worth Defending

You know those things the government is charged with protecting but tries to convince us are irrelevant when it's inconvenient so that they can do things like wiretap telephones without a warrant — stuff like civil and political rights, freedom of expression, equality before the law, the right to work and the right to education, just to name a few?

Ohioans to Stop Executions (OTSE) and Amnesty International want you to know what human rights are and why they're worth defending, so they’re hosting a conference from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Feb. 2 in Columbus. The conference will offer workshops on pressing human rights issues such as the situation in Darfur, human trafficking, the death penalty and others. OTSE is offering a workshop on how to talk about the death penalty.

Highlights include keynote speaker Kevin Boyle, a national book award recipient in nonfiction for Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age and professor of history at Ohio State University. There will also be a death penalty panel discussion with an interesting mix of perspectives, including:

• Joe Wilhelm, a death penalty appeals attorney;
• Adele Shank, Ohio Death Penalty Assessment Team;
• Dale Johnston, exonerated Ohio Death Row inmate; and
• Debbie Bibler of Families That Matter, an advocacy group for relatives of death row inmates.

The event is free, but an R.S.V.P. is needed. Contact Melanie Luken at luken.14@osu.edu, Jennifer Fehr at fehr.11@osu.edu or Kevin Werner at 614-560-0654 or otse.org@gmail.com.

— Margo Pierce
(Image: Success.co.il)

Comments

[David E. Gallaher]

Margo,
As you may know, Thomas Cahill, who has written an excellent series of books under the category "hinges of history," lives near Rome. That happens to be where they take too seriously capital punishment. And that has caused Cahill--plus he being Catholic--to take a detour from hinges to write a book on this subject. I'm a groupie of Cahill is why I know.
This is to preface my comment: I feel your pain, but if you tolerate government, you have already forfeited all your rights, including your right to life.

Peaceful anarchist here.

[Political Junkie]

David,

I like Cahill's book, too. I think it's overstating it to say any government authority means acceptance of all government authority, however. Moderation in all things is the key to a happy and successful existence.

[David E. Gallaher]

Political Junkie,
I agree that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. There is actually a medical term for taking small amounts of poison for your health. I can't think of it.
Government is poison.
It is labeled with a smiley face rather than a skull and crossbones.