immigration

What a week! Here's some of what caught our attention in the blogosphere:

• At Racialicious, Bitch contributor Latoya Peterson speaks of how Planned Parenthood has helped her personally. On Saturday, people across the United States rallied in the Walk for Choice to save PP's funding; see some of their signs here.
• After a hate crime including arson, couple Carol Ann and Laura Stutte have gotten the runaround from their insurance. Join change.org in telling American National Property and Casualty to pay on the claim.
• Comments in Brittany Shoot's posts have shown our readers' interest in the topic of adoption. What did you think of Adam Pertman's opinion piece in the Huffington Post?
• Also at HuffPo, David Sirota points to a number of '80s films that he claims influence modern thinking about race and government. Care to weigh in?
• Good news from Feministing: no more so-called conscience clause!
• The long-running, QUILTBAG-friendly Lyon-Martin Health Services in San Francisco needs support; see how you can help.
• Immigration Impact debunks the myth of undocumented workers raising unemployment and lowering wages. (via AlterNet)
• Katz at Original Plumbing discusses depictions of trans* people on television.
• Jamilah King at Colorlines talks about the importance of black workers to the fight for public employee unions.
• Excited for South by Southwest (SXSW?) Us too! Don't miss Bitch contributor and Deeply Problematic creator RMJ and Tiger Beatdown's Garland Grey in Dealing with Internet Drama in Feminist Discourse.
• Meanwhile, Tiger Beatdown's creator, Sady Doyle, has thoughts at The Atlantic about that Jezebel-parodying 30 Rock episode and other instances in which TV responded to online criticism.
• Over at Feministe, our recent guest writer and Zero at the Bone blogger Chally Kacelnik opines about one of my favorite topics: books!
• WTF-turned-good news files: a fetus?! RH Reality Check keeps us up-to-date on Faith 2 Action's, er, odd choice of testifier for Ohio's anti-abortion bill. As it turned out, the fetus "testified" via ultrasound and a heartbeat that was arguably not audible.

Iowa Rep. Steve King reportedly plans to reintroduce a bill that would make English the official language of the U.S. The bill would require those trying to become naturalized U.S. citizens to be tested on their ability to read, write and speak English. It would also require that those pursuing U.S. citizenship be tested on their comprehension of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and related texts. Lastly, it would mandate that official functions of the U.S. government be carried out in English, which could mean that voting ballots would appear in no language besides English.

This bill fails on so many levels.

Gather 'round pardners! It's time for a Douchebag round-up! This week we're featuring three women unafraid to rain their misguided, bigoted, and douchey ways down on the world.

Given mainstream Hollywood's fondness for glamorous actors and happy endings, it is a wonder 2008's Frozen River's lead actress Melissa Leo got an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and first-time writer-director Courtney Hunt a nod for Best Original Screenplay. Surprising none of its fans, both women went home empty-handed.

This week's Douchebag Decree goes to a man who used his post at CNN as a platform to rage against "illegal aliens" to the American public. If that wasn't douche-y enough for you, it has now come out that this same man has been employing undocumented workers for years to tend to his prized horses and mansions. Who is this hypocritical douche, you ask? Lou Dobbs, come on down!

I am a major fangirl for Linda Ronstadt for many reasons. Great music? Check. Awesome style that I try to copy? Check. Songs available at Karaoke bars? Check. Political activist, feminist, and defender of civil liberties? Check and check.


Freedom and pretty hair for all!

To back me up on that last point, the Christian Science Monitor has this story to share today: "Linda Ronstadt joins group filing suit against Arizona law." Awww yeah. That's right, Ronstadt (and others, but I'm a fangirl, remember?) is suing Arizona for their new bullshit immigration law. She is so awesome. For more ass kicking, read on to see Ronstadt take on Robin Quivers in the name of Mexican-American women!

The recent Uganda death penalty bill for homosexuality has raised awareness of the inhumane treatment of LGBT people globally. The repercussions of rape, jail, and murder for expressing your sexuality are horrendous, but they sometimes make it easy to cast a blind eye to the way so-called first-world countries continue to foster homophobia, transphobia, and sexism. Gay women seeking asylum in the UK know all too well that homophobia does not stop at the border.

Through a new art project with Artangel, an organization that sponsors interactive art projects, some of these woman are able to express the dehumanizing and difficult process of gaining asylum.

Credited with inventing the family sitcom, a successful, decade-spanning career in television and radio, author of over 10,000 scripts, and a mother on-screen and off, Gertrude Berg is "the most famous woman in America you've never heard of."

The latest 'fattest cities' list just came out (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-01-13-fit-fat-cities...). And, as usual, my heart, Detroit Michigan, is sitting right near the top of the list. Detroit alternates between being THE FATTEST and just plain old fat year after year.

My question: What the hell are we supposed to do with these lists?