Supreme Court Rules Strip-Search of 13-Yr. Old Girl Illegal

As reported by the AP:

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that school officials violated an Arizona teenager's rights by strip-searching her for prescription-strength ibuprofen, declaring that U.S. educators cannot force children to remove their clothing unless student safety is at risk.

In an 8-1 ruling, the justices said that Safford Middle School officials violated the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches with their treatment of Savana Redding. The court ruled that the officials could not be held financially liable but left it to lower courts to decide if the school district could.

In my post of April 21, 2009, I expressed my outrage of the violation of this girl's body by school officials looking for ibuprofin! Can you believe that? For the sake of finding maybe a couple of ibuprofin pills, they made her expose her breasts and her pelvic area!

I still say this is sexual abuse. And not far removed from rape and child abuse! Though the intent was not sexual, just the same her body was violated by having to expose herself to school officials.

In any other workplace in the US, the firm would be sued and management fired if a woman was required to expose her breasts and pelvic area for any reason!

While the Supreme Court ruled strongly in favor of justice for Savana Redding, they ruled that the officials could not be held financially liable. But I question if they should not be charged with indecent assault!

School officials have no right to violate the bodies of students. Period.

Does a Majority of Regular Churchgoers Favor the Use of Torture?

I heard a most unusual and upsetting statistic today on NPR: a majority of churchgoers favor the use of torture in certain circumstances.

Now, maybe it's just me, but I'm a regular churchgoer, but my understanding of the 10 Commandments differs. Granted there is no commandment: "Thou shalt not torture." But Jesus said "Love thy neighbor as thyself." All in all, I can find no reason to deliberately torture a human being. Period. Under any circumstances.

A commentator on NPR mentioned that there may be other factors contributing to this statistic. Perhaps those self-identifying as "regular churchgoers" then to be Republicans. Maybe they really believe terrorists are uniquely evil and in that there's a loophole. Who knows, but I, for one, don't understand it.

Torture is never acceptable. Period

Building A Bridge to Islam?

Our President Barack Obama has taken a major step in reaching out to the Muslim world. In a historic speach at Cairo University, he pledged "to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims," as reported by NPR.

Building a bridge over the great cultural and religious gulf that separates Islam and the West, the President quoted frequently from the Quran, as well as the Bible. The son of a Kenyan Muslim, his personal history itself is founded in both Islam and Christianity. As such, Pres. Obama has gone where no Bush could go.

I believe that reaching out in this manner is a positive step, not only for peace and understanding in the world, but, if sucessful, will prove more effective than any occupation or regime change. Clearly his words touch the hearts of many Muslims. And this follows in the traditions of Rev. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi, reaching out in peace, across cultural divides.

While the speach was well-received, some, such as Hamas and the Iranian government were not impressed. One speach will not undue 8 years of Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld. One speach will not transform America from the great satan to a great friend. One speach will not change the hearts of radicals and terrorists.

But we are on a much better path: the path to a new dawn of hope!