sinidentidades:

US Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voting Law

This morning the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship from residents as they register to vote is invalid because it violates the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Through the NVRA, a standardized federal form is provided to all states to keep voter registration uniform across the nation. But Arizona passed a state law in 2004, Proposition 200, that requested additional information such as hard-copy documents proving one’s citizenship in order to register. This created burdens and barriers to the ballot for many Native and Latino Americans in Arizona. Today’s decision lifts the proof of citizenship law from Arizona’s law books. 

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in the majority opinion:

“We hold that [federal election law] precludes Arizona from requiring a Federal Form applicant to submit information beyond that required by the form itself. Arizona may, however, request anew that the [Election Assistance Commission] include such a requirement among the Federal Form’s state-specific instructions, and may seek judicial review of the EAC’s decision under the Administrative Procedure Act.”

This was an important victory for voting rights, especially given that a favorable opinion came from Justice Scalia, whose comments on voting rights lately have been discouraging. In March, after oral arguments concerning the case, Justice Scalia said he saw nothing wrong with requesting a birth certificate to register to vote.  As noted in his conclusion above, he is encouraging Arizona to appeal to the federal Election Assistance Commission board to have them require additional information — like proof of citizenship — for federal registration forms.  If the EAC did adopt such measures, then people across the nation would have to show forms like birth certificates to register, which would chiefly burden people of color.

“Today’s decision sends a strong message that states cannot block their citizens from registering to vote by superimposing burdensome paperwork requirements on top of federal law,” stated Nina Perales, Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund’s Vice President of Litigation and lead counsel for the voters who challenged the Arizona law.  “The Supreme Court has affirmed that all U.S. citizens have the right to register to vote using the national postcard, regardless of the state in which they live.”  

MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, stated, “Arizona, and those states that choose to follow its irresponsible legislating, received a strong message today. The federal government has, through the NVRA, made clear that states may not place unnecessary and unreasonable obstacles to voter participation.”

Read Aura Bogado’s story “From Arizona to Montana, Native Voters Struggle for Democracy” here for further background.

sinidentidades:

Watch: HBO’s ‘Gideon’s Army’ Follows Public Defenders in the Deep South

We’ve recently marked the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, a landmark Supreme Court ruling that granted the right to an attorney to defendants who couldn’t otherwise afford legal representation. As Seth Freed Wessler reported for Colorlines, the past five decades have only deepened racial inequality in public defense.

It’s with that context in mind that HBO is set to release a new documentary that follows public defenders in the Deep South. And it’s no easy task. The attorneys are often juggling dozens of cases at a time with limited resources, not to mention the crushing law school debt that’s become a depressing feature of the profession. Tambay Obenson applauded it over at Shadow and Act in January, writing that the film “paints a rather sobering portrait of the lives” of the film’s central characters. 

Tune into HBO on July 1 to watch Gideon’s Army.

things you do not have to feel guilty about:

apoetreflects:

Painting: Yves Klein, Anthropométrie sans titre (ANT 130), 1960

eatsleepdraw:

Heres a photo of work im doing for a brand design. Drawing almost finished, stencil work to come! For more of my work check out www.facebook.com/pete.ross.art

(via consumedbyvanity)

I did choose life. I chose mine.

heirofmedusa:

escapedgoat:

noahs-liketheark:

roropcoldchain:

It’s usually just a euphemism for bitch, and it’s usually said in the same tone.

So true. I started dating this self proclaimed “nice guy”…and he was, cept he always said “female” when referring to women. I would try to subtly correct him by using “woman”/”women” in my responses, but he just kept saying it. Everytime I heard him say it, I heard his lack of respect in his tone of voice.

I just wanted to nut punch him everytime he said it in my presence.

He made it clear to me that most self proclaimed nice guys are just bitter assholes with no game.

The question I always have for the people (a lot of women use “female” too), is this: Why don’t you use “males” in the same context? I never get an answer. I even did a Twitter search for the following: “men and females”, “dudes and females”, “guys and females” and even “niggas and females”, and got a bunch of results. Looked up “women and males”, “chicks and males” and got less than 5. Hmmm.

I refer to women as females and men as males. It’s a military habit.

(via thegoddamazon)

sonofbaldwin:

anarcho-queer:

newyorkisforlovers:

nyc-in-myheart:

Rockefeller Center, NYC

New York only! Follow this blog if you love NYC.

Quick history lesson: The family whom this building was built for is known mostly for their wealth but hardly for the secret experiments they help conducted on Puerto Ricans.

During the early 20th century, the Rockafeller family secretly sterilized men and (mostly) women in Puerto Rico with the help of the U.S. government. By 1974 35% of the Puerto Rican women were sterile and this number reached 39% by 1981.

In 1931, the Rockefeller Institute assigned Cornelius Rhoads to a research commission in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While in P.R., Rhoads purposely infected Puerto Ricans with cancer cells which killed at least 13.

In a letter to another doctor, leaked to the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Rhoads wrote: “the Porto Ricans are beyond doubt the dirtiest, laziest, most degenerate and thievish race of men ever inhabiting this sphere. It makes you sick to inhabit the same island with them.… What the island needs is not public health work, but a tidal wave or something to totally exterminate the population. It might then be liveable. I have done my best to further the process of extermination by killing off eight and transplanting cancer into several more. The latter has not resulted in any fatalities so far…. The matter of consideration for the patients’ welfare plays no role here - in fact, all physicians take delight in the abuse and torture of the unfortunate subjects”.

He later goes on to establish the U.S. Army Biological Warfare facilities in Maryland, Utah, and Panama, and is named to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. While there, he begins a series of radiation exposure experiments on American soldiers and civilian hospital patients.

The fuck, yo? The fuck!

(via thegoddamazon)

inkvirus:

crowbara:

artists-help:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises

i do these constantly and it really helps a lot. luckily i am not facing any wrist problems at all

perfect i’ve been having tons of problems with both of my arms very recently and it’s terrible

(via rainingdogs)

(via thegoddamazon)

alliszen:

hollysworldofhealth:

workyourheartoutt:

This is SO simple.

Fat loss. I’m glad I got that combo right.

Wow, 3,000+ notes.  Too many people fall for complete horse-shit such as this.  This isn’t true, people.  I swear!  It only takes a little bit of research with proper nutrition books or even taking a simple 100 level nutrition class to find out this isn’t true.  At all…

Typically for adults the daily intake of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat amounts (ALL of which you need to function properly) are as follows:

-Carbs 45-65% 
-Fat 20-35%
-Protein 10-35%

For more, reliable information, please check the AMDR (Accepted Macronutrient Distribution Range) section of this table according to your age group:

http://www.iom.edu/Global/News%20Announcements/~/media/C5CD2DD7840544979A549EC47E56A02B.ashx

Airports see more sincere kisses than wedding halls. The walls of hospitals have heard more prayers than the walls of churches.