Outrages of the Week

1. GA: Shortly After Scaring Immigrants with Rabid Xenophobic Bill, State Colleges Secure Funding to Recruit Hispanics
   
   Georgia earned national headlines for passing the most virulently anti-immigrant bill of any state in the union earlier this year, a bill that actually impacted the housing market by scaring off immigrants. Now, the state colleges are announcing a new initiative to attract Hispanics to their schools including through use of a bilingual recruiter. [Macon Telegraph, 6/28/06]



2. MA & AZ: States Face Boycotts Over Actions of Lawmakers
   
   National conservative organizations, feverishly imagining new ways to attack U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, have now called for a boycott of the state he represents. The action targeting Massachusetts is inspired by Kennedy's work on an immigration reform bill, a bill he co-sponsored with Senator John McCain of Arizona, which is facing a similar boycott. We can only hope that the boycotts expand to target every state where a federal lawmaker joined in support of this bill, forcing the insane hordes to leave the country. [Boston Herald, 6/25/06]



3. HI: Legislator Threatens Legal Action Over Satirical Website
   
   A Hawaii blogger backed down from his mockery after being threatened with several letters announcing an attention to sue from the target of his satire -- State Rep. Bev Harbin. Harbin threatened the blogger for posting his cartoons on the site www.bevharbin.com and invoked laws intended to prevent cybersquatting. Uninterested in fighting a lawsuit, the blogger relinquished the site. The cartoons can still be found on the bloggers other site TalkStink.com. [Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 6/30/06]



4. NE: Anti-Spending Forces Continue to Flout Laws
   
   With their colleagues in other states under fire for violating rules of law and common decency, signature gatherers backing an anti-spending measure in Nebraska have now been caught red-handed by the Secretary of State ignoring state law. Nebraska requires signature gatherers to read the official petition description to every potential signer to prevent confusion in signing. After witnessing a signature gatherer ignoring these laws, the state official is considering leading a charge next year to tighten signature gathering rules further. [Omaha World-Herald, 6/26/06]



5. IN: One in Three Children Raised in Economic Insecurity
   
   A new report finds that one in three Hoosier children are raised "in families where no parent has a full-time job" creating the conditions for economic insecurity for children in formative years. [Indianapolis Star, 6/27/06]