This is a world where no one is smart enough to say "hello" to me without directions. (All interactions with me - not involving unpaid work, are set up by the U.S. government).
This is a world where sex is a prerequisite for employment (as determined by the men in charge) and all phones are wiretapped.
This is a world where E.N.D.A.(even if it is passed) will never be enforced.
This is a world where a suit is more important than a brain.
D.C. Awakening--my interview with Jen Nedeau, Women's Rights blogger at Change.org.
Jen Nedeau blogs about Women's Rights at Change.org. She's not a seasoned feminist who has it all figured out; in fact, her feminist awakening began only a year ago. But she understands that women of her generation have grown up with a "dangerous sense of equality" that does not sync with real-world politics. This interview was recorded in March of 2009.
Get it at iTunes.
Contrary to the claims of Maggie Gallagher, polygamy is not about "an attempt to secure stable mother-father families for children" - it is for the *production* of children, but beyond that, what it is primarily attempting to do has little else to do with children, and everything to do with the desires of the adults and, more specifically, their sectarian culture. Religious sects always emphasizes the *production* of children - but once those children are produced, the main focus of religion becomes, not safety, not security, not self-fulfillment or personal growth, but *obedience* to the patriarchy.
As for "traditional" marriage: If a relatively tiny proportion of the population can in *ANY* way "destroy" it, then the fact of the matter is that "traditional" marriage was/is already on its death-bed and cannot be resuscitated by Gallagher's hysterics about "making babies to preserve the culture" (which sounds to me like "code" for *white* society, since her speeches imply she is not in favor of adopting Asian, African, or Middle-Eastern children...).
Further more, if marriage is, as Gallagher and her acolytes claim, ALL (i.e., only) about *producing* children, then the inevitable extension of that is: once those children reach the "traditional" age of adulthood, these marriages should be dissolved - as should any childless marriage; and *any* people unable to have children should be prohibited from getting married. This would of course include such "lifestyles" as Genetic Mosaicism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_mosaicism) and Intersexuality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex) - which, given Gallagher's sectarian so-called "logic", must, contrary to any and all known biological science, also be "a lifestyle choice" because "God does not make junk".
Like other obsessive paranoid narcissists, however, Gallagher is incapable of following through to the consequences of her, and her followers', own so-called "reasoning". Given that men still generally have shorter lifespans than women, one wonders what she and her cabal plan to do about "single people in nursing homes" - perhaps follow the ancient "tradition" of "send the wife into the afterlife along with her husband"?
If "traditional" marriage is "in danger", it is because
1) too many people are pressured to marry at too young and age;
2) absurd romanticized pap about "white knights" and "riding off into the sunset" continue to supercede real and practical information about things like how to budget, how to share finances, and how to maintain one's own personhood within a relationship;
3) women are still too often treated as subservient to the husband, and too many "traditional" marriages are not any different at all from the Koranic implication that a woman is worth 1/2 of a man;
4) there are still far too many loveless marriages;
5) and several other well-documented stresses within "traditional" marriage that lead to things like the 50%+ divorce rate, sd well as battered spouses and children.
It is NOT "under threat" because a rather small minority of people wish to practice their civil Constitutional right to enter into the contract known as marriage. Just as it is not "under threat" because, in addition to priests, pastors, rabbis, and so on, *the State* also grants people such as Justices of the Peace, in some rare cases Notary Publics, and so on, to pronounce closure of the contract - which must also be registered with City Hall in order to be considered legal. This is why even a religious representative says: "By the power invested in me by the state of [insert state name], I now pronounce you..." In other words, marriage is a legal contract, and the Constitution grants equal rights to all citizens under the law - most especially concerning contract law. Again, Gallagher and her ilk invoke the Constitution in the same selective way that they invoke the Bible: when it suits *their own* purposes - meaning, their own egocentrism.
The things that are wrong in "traditional" marriage will NOT simply disappear even if the agents provocateur of intolerance and hatred *did* manage to prevent gay marriage (or fulfill their end-goal of wiping out all GLBT people...) If anything, that sort of obsessive narcissism, funneled into hatred of anyone and anything that is not an exact clone of the narcissist, and leading to a compulsion to control others to force them to be "appropriately" compliant, *is* one of the problems in "traditional" marriage. Were this not the case, Gallagher and her ilk would spend more time addressing the psychoemotional, physical, and even sexual abuse that, distressingly to the rest of us, is not all that uncommon in the much-vaunted and supposedly-perfect "traditional" marriage and family. At elast some of those who have endured, and survived, such abuse consider this deliberate oversight to be, at best, disgusting and serving nothing but their own narrow-minded obsession.
Peace and Justice! Boy! Could we use a ladle or two of that!
I am from the United States and contrary to popular belief abroad, I do not espouse to the claims of superiority and world domination. In fact, I think my government is spending an excessive amount on war, not only in terms of money, but also in terms of lives. War is such big business! Gimmee! Gimmee! Gimmee! If it isn't the dominating nation trying to get their hands on what another country has, it's the oppressed nation wanting to be compensated for the injustices perpetrated on their people, or so it would seem. What do you think? I think money and the power of those who have the resources to "save" a nation from themselves would be better spent through peaceful means by promoting the very ideals of equality and human rights they espouse.
God is Love and surely, it is present in all things just misdirected in some. Love is the "Prime Directive" of all of Creation and yes, destruction IS an integral part of the whole. Ideally, you would expect the two to find equilibrium at a natural rate. For every action in Creation, there is an equal reaction. Right? It is the law of equilibrium. The scales will balance out. However, if you try to tip those scales in your favor, you will create a false sense of prosperity. After a period of time you will reap the repercussions as the scales spring back, and they will spring back. Those who play this balancing act are gambling they will come out on top. If only all the people of this world were allowed the same rights and privileges, Peace and Justice would be the norm instead of the brass ring dangling at the end of a stick.
Peace and Harmony is your natural birthright no matter whom or where you are. It is your choice to accept it as part of your lifestyle. You did NOT come into this world wanting to be a bully. THAT is a learned behavior; a choice. You always have a choice. Please! Choose to direct the Love you were created with in a manner that will come back to you at an even more stable rate. By helping others, you are helping yourself. As they say, "What comes around, goes around” BE PATIENT!
Please, take the time to respond no matter how short or long it is. If there is ever to be Peace and Justice in this world, we must interact in a civil and respectful manner. Honoring the opinions and ideals of another is part of bringing about Peace and Justice. Express yourself and allow others to do the same. We are not always going to agree, but through dialogue, we can reach some sort of equilibrium, naturally.
I voted for President Obama. I did this in part, because I listened to him and I read what he said, and as far as I can see, he's a rational, reasonable human being, and a man of principle. The other reason I voted for him, quite frankly, is that he isn't a Republican. The Republican party rules, it doesn't govern, and it does so with contempt for the subjects. The Democratic party must stand toe-to-toe with the Republicans, backing them down and undoing some of their skulduggery, or we, the 99%, will be crushed once and for all.
It is said that 1% of the people in this country own most of its assets. The land, the capital, the banking institutions, the production machinery, etc., are theirs. Increasingly, as the years have gone by, I have seen the result of the rise to power of this 1%, and seen what it means for the rest of us. Their motto is, “Never enough.” (Or, maybe it's, “Nothing for the 99%”). Any suggestion that those who are better off have a moral duty to share with their less fortunate fellows is met with hysterical cries of “socialism!” They will go to their graves secure in their conviction that might makes right, and they are right. To them, that--and they--are all that matters.
I know of no spiritual tradition (unless one considers Satanism to be “spiritual”) that advocates destroying the planet and killing or condemning the masses to lives of misery and squalor for the benefit of the avaricious few. Nonetheless, such are the results of rule by this vicious minority, and it must be noted that many of them claim to be Christians. Even the misery and squalor are only begrudgingly allowed because someone has to be available to serve as cannon fodder abroad, and grist for the machine at home. If not for that, the 1% would, without compunction, plow the 99% under for fertilizer.
Only a short time has passed since the election, and it is already clear that the 1%, through their Republican minions and their sympathizers who remain entrenched in government, have dug in, folded their arms, and are absolutely determined to deny the 99% even the slightest gain.
Barack Obama must be a brave and forceful man, indeed, to forestall the final ruination of this country by the 1%, but he will not do it by playing fair. Far from it; he will have to trade the olive branch for a whip, harden his open heart, and lay in with that whip, or this will be the last generation of Americans who can even pay lip service to “freedom.” If he fails, the pretense will no longer be necessary, for only our masters will be free, to do with the rest of us—the 99% of us—as they please.
They won't be held back by any notions of fairness or compassion.
The inauguration of President Obama is a breath of fresh air and renewal for our nation. The vision that he clearly articulated in his Inaugural Address points to a future that will be better than the present.
I am giving PE Obama the benefit of the doubt on all of his decisions but Warren giving the invocation at the inauguration has me troubled. Here is some background on Warren...
http://www.americablog.com/2008/12/obama-picks-homophobe-pro-prop.html
Written by: Taylor Bertino
1954 was the year that segregation in public places finally saw its rightful demise. The ruling didn’t have an immediate affect over the entire nation, but it did lay the groundwork for others to follow and build upon. More than fifty years after the landmark legal battle dubbed “Brown vs. Board of Ed” the school system still remains largely flawed and separated by class and amount of wealth rather than separation of race.
The forced separation that took place up until the mid 1950s was deemed illegal but was replaced by another kind of separation that is forced upon people in a different perhaps not so clear manner and form. Across the nation schools systems vary largely from region to region and state to state, but one thing that remains enormously constant is the horrible reality and that is the poor rural areas or poor inner city areas have a greatly different school system than that of a suburban town or wealthy community.
People of wealthier areas can afford to be pay more in taxes than those people of rural or inner city areas can afford and the are taxes required by law for schools to keep their programs well founded and buildings maintained. These schools also have opportunities to receive additional grants for high performance in students and teachers or other exceptional performances. In school systems with a larger budget teachers are often more than qualified for their applying positions, and with salaries higher than that of the norm and there is a larger pool of applicants to draw from. Than there is the simple fact that inner city areas can not afford high taxes often times people rent rather than own and it is simply due the reason of a tight budget that only allows for what is at hand resulting in less in taxes for the school system. The inner city schools are often over populated and under founded. These schools also have a hard time drawing in teachers because of the lower pay than competing schools and the environment in which they would have to teach in has a sharp contrast to that of another school. In most cases in these communities if a parent could send their child to a better school than the public one provided the parents would jump at the opportunity but the costs of doing that are often times ridiculous.
For those that live in the inner city communities but can afford to send their child to a private school that is a right they posses. The problem does not lie in the private school systems either and their existence does nothing to fringe upon the public school system. The problem with the private school systems lies in the government founding being given to private businesses, in this case private schools. The founding that is being given comes from the public but yet it is not accessible by the public; to sum things up people pay for something that they can use meanwhile what is provided to them is greatly under founded. This same problem lies in rural areas as well but perhaps in different variations.
Charter schools are another interesting part of the American school system. In the 2006-2007 school year there was just under 4,000 charter schools in 40 states that served more than one million students. These schools are founded with public money but also by charity organizations and private donors. These schools have to meet certain criteria in exchange for not having to abide by certain rules and regulations. The students of these schools must go through an application process in order to be accepted. The public funding of these schools is only at best a temporary solution. Often times these very schools are founded by teachers, community organizers and activists frustrated with the public school system in their local community but the heart of the issue lies in the public school in that community. The immense amount of money required to retool the school district in some of these communities is passed on from super attendant to super attendant, mayor-to-mayor and generation-to-generation. The charter schools are often out preformed by public schools in the surrounding area but the charter schools often times due take upon the children that are deemed “at risk”, low-income or minority students. The reason for this is sometimes attributed to public school environment and the manner in which that individual child learns.
The separation that has taken place since the abolishment of segregation has been a slow yet steady one that has only come in to full view the past decade or two. The schools that have the most problems are in communities of poverty over wealth. Places like Milwaukee, New York City, Chicago and Los Angles are just a few of the cities that face a growing problem with the performance of their students and the funding needed for their school district. The wealthier people living in those same cities send the children to private schools because they can afford to. Parents in poverty are forced to send their child to the school provided in their community despite any protest that might arise in doing so. While this a tough problem to deal with the problem doesn’t lie in the ability for a wealthy parents to send their children to a different school; that is a choice that is their own and should not be impeded upon. While the argument can be made that the growing separation between the rich and rest of the classes has an effect on the overall situation. The problem lies in their insurmountable difference in the education being provided inside that poor inner city and poor rural area schools. Public schools are not the problem; outside all of those cities there are suburban public schools that are like comparing apples and oranges when compared with the inner city schools and poor rural schools. Again in these suburban towns and wealthier communities the high taxes are accepted because of the people’s ability to afford the increase and sustain a reasonable living.
I think that it is important that I declare a few truths that cannot be denied, so that all who read this can be enlightened about the correct path to true stability. In order to live forever, there needs to be a circle, where the distance between itself (the center) to the ends in which it is established (outer point). To be central, legislation that is necessary and proper, must be equally in effect and obligations to all members. No member should be favored over others.
(Say What?)
The laws of Government should affect the members of that Government equally, and only for the purpose of establishment. If a Government is to Govern conduct between it's members, and uphold the laws equally upon each, as well as those rights that exist in the absence of government. It is the duty of the United States to govern the Conduct between the states, provide for their common defense, and maintain Justice between each. All of which can only be enforced upon members by way of law to acheive the intended end, as long as such an act does not exceed the means to the end.
The Government of the States (The United States) has blurred the perception of the Constitution, which is in effect the "Creator" of that government. It is blurred to take powers never granted during its own establishment from the Government of the People (The State) which has it's own "Creator" it is obliged to observe, and restrict its laws for the purpose in which the existance is necessary. The "God" of one, is not the "God" of the other. They both have members in which they are established to govern, but the governed are exclusively so governed and cannot be within the jurisdiction of the other. A sovereign state must exist before it can be a part of the United States. The sovereignty of the United States relies on the sovereignty found in the state in a related proportion, as is the case with a state.
The political body must always protect the constitution so the principles are maintained and not altered. As the Constitution fixes the Principles, and amendments should only fix any deviations that might come into existance and harmful to liberty, and more. (See Preamble)How a person thinks, believes, or conducts himself away from the public cannot be the objects of state legislation, but how a person conducts himself with all other persons equally, as long as they contain some form of retribution that is necessary for those acts, should they be found guilty.
How a state enacts policies related to the Government of the People cannot be the objects of Federal Legislative Powers. States are direct members of the Union, and the intended target to be governed. Those conducting business with another state (or modernized, persons in another state other than their own) are bound to respect laws relating to conduct as well as State laws in personal or indvidual affairs.
Those laws that are passed must be passed by the two interests affected by the legislation. (Laws relating to race have historically targetted the difference between "white" and "black". If there is no legislative bodies that represents these two groups seperately, then such laws are Unconstitutional, as they do not have their own house under the legislative branch that must have the ability to veto any proposal. There are benefits to an existance of gay persons in the world, because their taxes pay help pay for a part of the education your kids will receive. In order for tax to be Constitutional, the use of such a tax must support the purpose of the Government, as well as result in equal propotions to all states, whose members benefit from Justice maintained between each state.
The word of "God" is Supreme over all others, as is the same with the Constitution that establishes a government. In order to evolve into a better species of Government (People as a whole), they must first treat the space that divides them equally to all, regardless to how small or large, good or bad, respectful or otherwise... The only conduct that should be punishable by law is conduct that infringes on the rights of another. The laws relating to restricting conduct based upon distinct qualities shared by any number less than all should have no place in legislation originating from a government based on the principles of liberty.
Slavery is found in a number of ways, and economic slavery is one of the worst kind to every find a place in this government. The great pyramids in Eqypt being the oldest man made structures in existance gives strength to the concept that exists in nature, and if a global existance is to prevail, it must be based upon the same principles behind fractal art. (geometry) Day should be respected equally to night. Summer to Winter, Spring to Fall. Regardless of preferences that exists, seasons exists, so there is no use in making laws enforcing temperate climates, as they will not likely have an effect.
It seems as if all of what I keep trying to explain is complicated, but there is no simpler truth that exists in nature. Rather than ignore the word of God (that which exists in nature, not claimed by religeous establishements) embrace it, and let those principles guide your judgement, and the judgement of those who will Constitute your administration. My thoughts tend to work much faster than I can ever hope to type, so my apologies if this post has a few grammatical errors.
Thank You for taking the time to associate the circle of life in relation to any existance that should be everlasting.
crossposted from: http://princesamwise.gaia.com/blog/2008/11/what_do_we_want_equality_when_do_we_want_it_now
(all pictures copyright to Samme S. Samareta)This is Samme blogging from Sacramento, capital of California at the Rally on Repeal Prop. 8, Marriage Equality March. Thousands of people, men, women, teens and children rallied peacefully around the Sacramento Capitol that started around 10:30 AM. This rally is also organized around cities large and small in America and around the globe who would like to show their support for love, equality and human rights. Proposition 8 won on the Nov. 4 election which bans same sex marriage and it fosters discrimination and hate not just for our gays and lesbians brothers and sisters but it is also a violation on people's basic human rights and constitutional rights. The fact that this peaceful rally is happening around the globe is a testament to love, positive change and oneness. Love will prevail and love will win. All of my photos from this rally are now uploaded at my Flickr account. Check out my Sacramento Marriage Equality Rally photos at Flickr by clicking here. Men, women, teens and children marched shouting, "What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!" Let us hope that Prop. 8 which is a proposition of H8 (hate) be repealed and overturned. Love and equality to all! Thank you, SammePassionately blogging for peace, love and equalityThe following photos are just a few of my selected ones that I uploaded to My Gaia Photos.It is not all of it, otherwise it will take time to load this page. : ) More Change Is Gonna Come!Kudos to the Street Team volunteers!!! Thank you!The Sacramento CapitolLET FREEDOM RING!LET THE LIGHT SHINE AND SPREAD LOVE ALL OVER THE LANDS!
We will see how this will turn out in the Obama administration.
Most recently I've noticed it is hard to decide who is doing the most Political Campaigning, The Church or The Politicians. Every place I turn, I see millions of dollars being poured out to advertise the position of various Churches, especially the LDS and Catholic. No longer can they be looked upon as a Church, but as a Political Party. Looking back in history, England, France, Germany and many other Countries, this is exactly what happened to those people who came under the rule of 'one certain' Religion.
The most recent battle is Proposition 8 in California, regarding same sex marriage and another major campaign of the Christian movement for control and demanding respect for the beliefs of these certain individuals. The list of Church (Religious) battles put on our Society as a whole is endless. Issues from Abortion to Zoning Laws, with each issue being pushed and argued through that all mighty Book of Many Books, the Bible. Unfortunate for the Church, they have forgotten the foundation that even allows them to practice as they wish, organize and assemble as they wish and to avoid payment of taxes on property or income. They have forgotten that we have a far greater power in this Country, a series of papers that are the very Fabric and Foundation of this Country. They are the words which give them the grace to exist as a Body, to thrive and practice within their own beliefs and interpret the Bible according to their own understanding. What I am speaking of is the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Without this, they would be under the rule and order of whomever was the most powerful.
The first thing that we all need to keep in the forefront here is the Constitution. This Document is the sole Document which allows any of the Churches to exist. Remember, this country was founded on the first principle of Freedom of Religion. Our Forefathers came here to escape the tyranny and oppression of the English Church. To escape the CONTROL MECHANISMS that Churches still exploit today. Not surprising that Freedom of Religion is the first on the list. The Puritans, Angelicas and Presbyterians all flocked to America, to escape the dominion of the Catholic Church.
Today, each person individually has a right to Freedom of Religion and a group of people have a right to Assemble and practice their Freedom of Religion collectively. Those rights however, do not Trump the US Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Since the Constitution provides the right, then each and every Religion within our USA must give this sole document first consideration. In not doing so, they abolish their very existence.
Now a lot of Christians are not going to like what I just said here, but it is a matter of fact. Religious freedom in this Country cannot exist without the US Constitution; therefore it takes precedence over any Leadership of a Church, the Bible, the Koran or any other writing that any of you hold in your hand. Not a single one of these books could exist in this Country without the US Constitution. Unlike the Bible, our forefathers were smart enough to establish a system and method of interpretation, so no single man or select group of people can juggle the words around to fit their own purposes. They defined a process in which to follow in order to make these interpretations and allowed the people as a whole to select those who would debate and decide a final meaning.
Today, especially the LDS and Catholic Church, want to be selective as to what parts of the US Constitution should apply and what parts do not. This is simply because they want to CONTROL as many people as possible and place them all in their little niche. These people have lost their path and respect for their own Bible and the very Document that placed them here in the first place. I look at the Far Right and wonder if they will ever understand their own treason.
The first amendment"all men are created equal"
So to all those who think bigotry is over let me remind you, that if you voted in CA,FL or AZ and voted against gay rights YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR CONSCIOUS....
Especially after watching the people crying on TV saying I cant believe this finally happened about Barack being elected...HOW DID YOU VOTE IN CA OR FL... I guess gay people are not considered people to you.....
Religion is not part of the constitution and after 200 years of waiting for a black president its mind boggling how so many of you had no problem discriminating against another minority..
We are NOT one......yet .... as Barack has hoped .... it is truly staggering to me how one minority can discriminate against another as the vote showed in CA and FL..... when the black vote was 70-30 to take away gay rights on the props....
yep .... how soon people forget what they are voting for ..i guess they cant even remember after they voted for the president, in the election booth....
For all of you who feel gays are not people according to the first amendment....remember how you feel when you are discriminated against and the thoughts that ran through your own minds on why you weren't considered as good as anyone else....
Im white... alot of my friends are white and we all voted for Barack and never even considered race..... but after the election it really became evident amidst all the hoopla on TV that these same people I watched crying in happiness had no problem taking away the rights of another minority....
Its truly amazing....listening to all the people on TV so happy when there is another minority who was thrown under the bus without a second thought...
I believe that we have to look ath the foundation of our society to figure out what we need to do. The most heartbreaking thing that I have seen is when somebody flat out lies to someone in need and then, the person who could've helped someone gets a look on their face that simply says, "You are scum. I hate you.". Aren't we all equal? America is a country of equality. I'm not talking about the color of one's skin. I'm talking about a different color- Green.
Green, as in money. We are so obsessed about our finances that we forget about what this country truly stands for. We can start by declaring a "Be Nice To Those In Need" Day. Of course, why does it have to be for one day? I believe that we can do things every day of the year to show those less fortunate than us that there is still hope. Besides, what if it was you?
This is what I believe we need to do in order to call ourselves Americans.
Now that we are just a day away from victory we are more excited than ever at the prospect of change. Our hopes are high that the victory and election of Barack Obama will mean a national regognition of rights and equality for gay couples. Too long have we gone without protections and benefits afforded to heterosexual couples. To worry about our access to loved ones in hospitals, finacial impact of our assets in dire times. Currently our pensions dont transfer to our partners in times when they are most needed and that is a tragedy. Our assets are only protected if we shell out thousands of dollars to attorneys to draw up the appropriate documents.
Yes, Our hope is for change and we hope that the promises made do not dissolve under the pressure of lobbyists similar to Clinton when he settled for a dont ask dont tell policy. Times are different and our relationships are just as valid as a man and a woman so lets get some national protection and rights active. How many more couples need to suffer through the bueracracy and red tape of indecision?
What will it take and when do we learn? Hope for change is the message we want to see delivered!
Wake up America and follow the youth they are signaling the awakening of American culture.It is the American youth that have created the huge political emergence of Barack Obama and contributed mightly to Hillary Clinton's historic political run.In the 1960's the American youth were violently against the war in Vietnam ,segration and industrial greed.But American did not listen to the youth then ,instead it tried to suppress them,and even though the youth were right they got co-opted by the conservatism of the "cold war" mentality.The tragedy of 911 brought to America a new conservatism of "Homeland security" wherein the power-elite use every excuse to sustain the old boys network of greed and abuse of power. But the youth of today are signalling a change in American society again,its the young whom no longer say I have a "Black " friend or "white" friend but just call each other friend.Its the youth of America whom are ready to elect the best person for the job regardless of the color.
Full Article here
http://www.babelation.com/?q=node/1235
