Ignore vulnerable people's pain, but condemn their desperate acts

Meet Sara Kruzan.



She is in jail serving a lifetime sentence without the possibility of parole.  She was tried and convicted at the age of 16, still a minor but given an adult sentencing.  Her crime: killing the man who raped and trafficked her.

There is currently a petition that has been drafted for the attention of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in hopes that she may be granted clemency.  Sara has been imprisoned since 2004 for a crime committed against a man who did unspeakable things to her and other young girls.  There are hardened criminals who commit heinous crimes that don't get a sentence as harsh as hers.  Once again, the court system has shown how they are a court of law, and not necessarily justice.

It is amazing how much suffering she experienced at the hands of her trafficker/kidnapper, and she was shown no mercy in the slightest, or even a chance at social rehabilitation.

Please take a few moments to go and sign the petition for Sara Kruzan's release.

Practice "voluntourism" and call it charity work

Ian Birrell of The Observer writes about the problems that arise when affluent tourists use their money to "make a difference" in the lives of the poorer people they ecounter in developing countries.   Oh they make a difference all right.  Just not in the sweet fantasy way that they were expecting.

Read the whole article at The Observer.  And if that link no longer works, then you can access it here at ONTD_Feminism.

Truly a brilliant read.