Here’s what one jerk says about the Swiss minaret ban referendum

Forced marriages and other things like cemeteries separating the pure and impure – we don’t have that in Switzerland, and we do not want to introduce it. Therefore, there’s no room for minarets in Switzerland.
Ulrich Schlueer • Co-president of the Initiative Committee to ban minarets in Switzerland. Nothing like the small of racism in the morning, or at the very least, a wedge issue to emphasize our differences in an ugly way. source

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What is up with the Swiss? First the bank accounts, then Roman Polanski, now this. It’s like we don’t know you anymore. Anyway, it appears likely that the country will constitutionally ban minarets – one of the strongest physical features of most mosques – after a referendum. 59% of those who voted favored the ban, according to exit polls. source

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We survived the French bombings and the American bombings … I’d rather be bombed to death than die slowly of AIDS.
Nguyen Thi Thuoc • Thuoc, a 70-year-old Vietnamese woman, kept her grandchildren out of school because of 15 new students who were HIV positive. Discrimination against the HIV-positive is widespread in the country; this is just one example. “You can have wonderful policies and wonderful legislation,” notes Vietnam UNICEF representative Jesper Morch, but without a the right education campaigns, “you’ll have trouble enforcing them.” • source

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Look at that handy form letter! Check out this form letter: “My family and I are deeply shocked and saddened that AAA would alter its Family Membership policy to include recognizing homosexual couples as being ‘married.’ ” Well, American Family Association, MY FAMILY AND I are deeply shocked and saddened that your blatant homophobia gets a pass. They note that in 30 states, it’s not legal. But it is legal in some states. source

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A seismic shift The biggest, most notable decision the court made today was ruling in favor of a group of white firefighters who felt they were discriminated against due to the city of New Haven, Conn. hiring black firefighters with lower scores on a test. This will affect hiring practices across the board.
Cable > big mediaThose with cable set-top boxes have reason to be happy, as the court also ruled in favor of cable companies who wanted to allow their users to store their shows on a central server. That means you don’t have to buy a DVR with a massive hard drive – and that TiVo is screwed.
Spitzer’s phoenix risesThe Court made one fairly surprising decision, letting state regulators take on national lenders for discriminatory practices, such as high interest rates. The decision should help former New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer’s rep, as it’s based on moves he made as the state’s attorney general.

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29 Nov 2009 09:41