Why Sleep Is A Crime.

After years of no response, when questioning people and public figures, I've decided to start PeaceCamp2014 by listing possible motives for the criminalization of sleep, because petty tyrants (even the judicial branch) have demonstrated a clear and persistent lack of courage, when asked a simple, direct question.

Why is sleep a crime?

Pride. Walled people are burdened with the belief they are better, allowing them to feel it is acceptable to criminalize the fundamental biological needs of others.

Wrath. Their unchecked feelings of hatred and anger toward others drives a grotesque fetish, controlling minute details of existence.

Gluttony. Their indulgent and consumptive lifestyle is not held back by their walls, generating the need to control every space, resource, and person.

Avarice. Trapped in their cycles of unfulfillable lust, desire forces them to claim sovereignty over the dreams of others.

Envy. Seeing others free from the materialism they cling to so desperately, destroying lives becomes a sick and twisted projection of self loathing.

Sloth. Having failed to develop spiritually, they fail to act when their aggressive cohorts create inhumane laws used to persecute others.

Perhaps you disagree, and have a perfectly reasonable and rational explanation for the criminalization of sleep. I dare you to state it.

Broader Recognition Of Human Rights Violations, At Last?

Recently the United Nations Human Rights division had harsh words for the United States Of America.  Among the issues raised; the moral and legal failures of local, state, and federal government.  Not only failing to protect the rights of the poor, but also noting the explicit and intentional abuse of the rights of the poor.

Perhaps as public relations spin, there have been echoes amongst the organizations that receive payment to speak for the poor, as well as some of the government agencies that have been slumbering for so long.  Whatever the reasons and motives, it is encouraging to see terms like human rights being used more widely, when addressing the systemic and chronic persecution of the poor and homeless.

Here are some recent examples, via the National Law Center On Homelessness And Poverty website (apparently the NLCHP is bringing a Constitutional challenge against the camping ban in Boise, Idaho!)...


Criminalizing Homelessness is Costly, Ineffective, and Infringes on Human Rights
http://usich.gov/blog/criminalizing-homelessness

From Wrongs to Rights: The Case for Homeless Bills of Rights Legislation
http://www.nlchp.org/HBoR_Press_Release_04_15_2014.pdf

3 Reasons to Address Homelessness as a Human Rights Issue
http://usich.gov/blog/3-reasons-to-address-homelessness-as-a-human-rights-issue

U.N. Human Rights Committee Calls U.S. Criminalization of Homelessness "Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading"
http://www.nlchp.org/U.N._Human_Rights_Committee_Calls_U.S._Criminalization_of_Homelessness_Cruel,_Inhuman,_and_Degrading.pdf