Category Archives: Civil Liberties

Michigan anti-choice activists seek to end-run Snyder’s veto and force insurers to drop abortion coverage by way of petition drive

By Mark | May 23, 2013

Last December, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder vetoed a bill that would have made it illegal for insurance companies to include abortion procedures as part of their standard coverage, even in cases of rape, incest, or where the mother’s life is in jeopardy. Undaunted by Snyder’s action, anti-choice activists kept at it, though, and yesterday they [...]

Also posted in Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, abortion rider, Barbara Listing, contraception, death penalty, health insurance, health insurance companies, Meghan Groen, Michigan Board of State Canvassers, old white men making decisions on women's health, petitions, Planned Parenthood, pro choice, pro-life, reproductive justice, Rick Snyder, Right to Life of Michigan, sex education, sex for reproduction, women's health | 14 Comments

I heard someone today say, “We know that he did it. We’ve seen the video. We don’t need a trial.”

By Mark | April 21, 2013

I should preface what I’m about to say by noting that I’m not a conspiracy theorist… at least when it comes to last week’s bombing in Boston. I suspect it’s probably the case, given what I’ve read thus far, that Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev carried out the attack that cost three individuals, one of whom [...]

Also posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bombs, Boston, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, innocent until proven guilty, putting innocent men to death, surveillance, surveillance culture, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, terrorism, Timothy McVeigh | 54 Comments

On the rollout of mandatory gay marriage and the assigning of same-sex spouses

By Mark | March 27, 2013

I posted something similar on Facebook earlier this evening, and received the following response from a friend, explaining how Obama will likely go about assigning gay spouses. I suspect that she’s kidding, and that she doesn’t really have an inside track on how it will go down, but I found the idea to be interesting… [...]

Also posted in Mark's Life, Uncategorized | Tagged call to action, Closest Straight Male, gay, gay agenda, gay marriage, homophobia, Karen Maurer, Ken Ham, Kirk Cameron, Obama, small penis, Supreme Court | 29 Comments

Ypsilanti man found guilty of human trafficking and enslavement of children

By Mark | March 26, 2013

In early 2011, a University of Michigan janitor by the name of Jean-Claude Toviave was arrested and charged with enslaving four West African children in his Ypsilanti home. The four, it would seem, were forced to cook, clean, iron and shine shoes for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Toviave, who, when he was unsatisfied with their performance, [...]

Also posted in Michigan, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged Africa, African slave trade, domestic slavery, genetic testing, human trafficking, Jean-Claude Toviave, Restavèks, sex slaves, sex trafficking, slave trade, threats to public education, Togo, Trafficking Victims Protection Act, University of Michigan, Ypsilanti Public Schools | 22 Comments

Citizens for Prison Reform’s Lois DeMott, a recent Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation grant recipient, featured on NBC’s Rock Center

By Mark | March 24, 2013

The Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation recently awarded a $1,000 grant to Lois DeMott, the founder of Citizens for Prison Reform. I’d interviewed Lois at the time of the award, but I’d decided to hold off posting it for a bit, as she had mentioned to me that she was going to be interviewed by Ted [...]