I posted the Earth Hour video awhile back and plan to participate tonight. That is a personal choice that I've made because of what I believe in.
So I'm perusing the blogs, as I usually do, and I start seeing things like "Earth Hour..."I am sure global warming will continue be a very serious problem in need of serious responses at 9pm tonight, whatever becomes of this hour-long gimmick." and "I guess I should be pissed but I'm not. Hippies sitting inside, in the dark, are better than hippies outside waving signs."
First of all, I love that I've been branded a hippy by someone who's never met me. I also love the fact that people get pissed off at symbolic gestures because they are symbolic. It's SUPPOSED to be symbolic. I haven't seen anyone claim that Earth Hour will cure or fix global warming. It's an action that is supposed to be one of many actions. One author referenced above, talks about what they do everyday to cut global warming, and the other assumes that whomever participates in Earth Hour doesn't do anything the rest of the year. Well guess what? The vast majority of people who participate in these actions ARE the ones acting on it everyday. I don't drive, I recycle, I sit in the dark whenever I can and wrap up in a blanket to keep the heat low, I shop local, and my piss ant little student budget sometimes strains under the cost of the extra that I pay for renewable electricity. And guess what? I'm NOT a hippy, not even close.
What exactly is the point of belittling other people for taking action, no matter how small, simply because you are choosing not to? That's your choice that is allowed you. Why attack others for the same allowance? For those of you who choose to laugh at, judge, and demean others for taking some action that feels good to them, whether it's your cup of tea or not, get over yourselves.
And here is the rest of it.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
McCain already above the law?
Too bad the Bush administration has gutted the Federal Elections Commission (surprise, surprise).
And here is the rest of it.
And here is the rest of it.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Walden's Muddied Waters
I'm glad to see the DPO finally getting on this. Smith isn't the only one who needs to be on the chopping block.
And here is the rest of it.
And here is the rest of it.
Tax Rebate
I received this email from Rep. Blumenauer and thought I'd pass it on.
Dear Friend,
This Saturday, those of you who are eligible for the recovery rebate but do NOT normally file an income tax return will be able to claim your rebate. An IRS office near you will be open on March 29 so you can get help preparing your form.
So none of you miss out on the opportunity to receive your economic stimulus rebate, I wanted to share this information. Oregonians who do not pay federal income taxes may be eligible for a $300 payment if you have at least $3,000 in qualifying income. Many households also will be eligible for an additional $300 for each qualifying child younger than 17.
The following locations are open if you need help with your rebate form:
Office of CASH Oregon
2201 Lloyd Center #2010
10am-4pm
IRS Office
1220 SW Third Avenue
9am-3pm
For more information about filing your taxes or getting your rebate, visit IRS
And here is the rest of it.
Dear Friend,
This Saturday, those of you who are eligible for the recovery rebate but do NOT normally file an income tax return will be able to claim your rebate. An IRS office near you will be open on March 29 so you can get help preparing your form.
So none of you miss out on the opportunity to receive your economic stimulus rebate, I wanted to share this information. Oregonians who do not pay federal income taxes may be eligible for a $300 payment if you have at least $3,000 in qualifying income. Many households also will be eligible for an additional $300 for each qualifying child younger than 17.
The following locations are open if you need help with your rebate form:
Office of CASH Oregon
2201 Lloyd Center #2010
10am-4pm
IRS Office
1220 SW Third Avenue
9am-3pm
For more information about filing your taxes or getting your rebate, visit IRS
And here is the rest of it.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Pat Buchanan just makes my head hurt...
...my eyes roll to the back of my head, and my digestion just plain damn take a nose dive. WHERE do these people COME FROM? Sheesh.
Buchanan says...
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.
After working to hold my lunch down, I read the rest, and then lost it. The man is not only a complete doof and an embarrassment to this country (not to mention his self-professed faith), he is just plain ICKY.And here is the rest of it.
Buchanan says...
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.
After working to hold my lunch down, I read the rest, and then lost it. The man is not only a complete doof and an embarrassment to this country (not to mention his self-professed faith), he is just plain ICKY.And here is the rest of it.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
McCain's Fan Club
I wonder how the Log Cabin Republicans plan to spin this kind of stuff.
or this one.
I don't CARE how much folks want to believe that the Republican party can still claim to be capable of leading this country, it is absolutely impossible when these are the people to whom you are pandering. The GOP has made the mistake of thinking that a very active, very vocal and very focused minority of haters speaks for a majority of people in this country. Maybe in their deluded minds they think they do, but they don't.
And here is the rest of it.
or this one.
I don't CARE how much folks want to believe that the Republican party can still claim to be capable of leading this country, it is absolutely impossible when these are the people to whom you are pandering. The GOP has made the mistake of thinking that a very active, very vocal and very focused minority of haters speaks for a majority of people in this country. Maybe in their deluded minds they think they do, but they don't.
And here is the rest of it.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Rating Congress on Poverty
The Shriver Center has released a report on poverty legislation that Congress has considered this session and graded both senators and representatives on how they voted and dealt with the legislation. Thanks to astrogirl for finding this. Why am I not surprised that while Wyden received an A, Smith earned only a C? Even less surprising is that while all of the Democratic House members from Oregon received A+'s, our only GOP rep (Walden) received a C. I wonder if his constituents know how well he is looking out for them.
Read the report when you get a chance.And here is the rest of it.
Read the report when you get a chance.And here is the rest of it.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sustainability
Holy cow the PSU Sustainanomics over on my links list has all kinds of cool stuff on it! The accompanying blog has some really great tools that they talk about, like the Consumer Consequences Game. It takes the information you input and tells you how many "earths" it would take if everyone lived the way that you do. Lots of categories, suggestions and facts. It would take 3.1 earths if everyone lived like I do. My eating habits did me in (looking at the tags on my pants, I'm not surprised!). Try it out.
Women the Senate
Thirty-five women have served in the U.S. Senate (ahem, over a span of 220 years!). The first woman was elected in 1931. The first woman, period, was Rebecca Felton, who served for twenty-four hours upon the death of another member.
Here's the list, where you can link to biographical information.
Hattie Wyatt Caraway (D-Arkansas), 1931-1945
Rose McConnell Long (D-Louisiana), 1936-1937
Dixie Bibb Graves (D-Alabama), 1937-1938
Gladys Pyle (R-South Dakota), 1938-1939
Vera Cahalan Bushfield (R-South Dakota), 1948
Margaret Chase Smith (R-Maine), 1949-1973
Eva Kelley Bowring (R-Nebraska), 1954
Hazel Hempel Abel (R-Nebraska), 1954
Maurine Brown Neuberger (D-Oregon), 1960-1967
Elaine S. Edwards (D-Louisiana), 1972
Muriel Humphrey (D-Minnesota), 1978
Maryon Allen (D-Alabama), 1978
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kansas), 1978-1997
Paula Hawkins (R-Florida), 1981-1987
Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), 1987-
Jocelyn Burdick (D-North Dakota), 1992
Dianne Feinstein (D-California), 1992-
Barbara Boxer (D-California), 1993-
Carol Moseley Braun (D-Illinois), 1993-1999
Patty Murray (D-Washington), 1993-
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), 1993-
Olympia Jean Snowe (R-Maine), 1995-
Sheila Frahm (R-Kansas), 1996
Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), 1997-
Susan Collins (R-Maine), 1997-
Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), 1999-
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York), 2001-
Deborah Stabenow (D-Michigan), 2001-
Maria E. Cantwell (D-Washington), 2001-
Jean Carnahan (D-Missouri), 2001- 2002
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), 2002-
Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina), 2003-
Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), 2007-
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), 2007-
And here is the rest of it.
Here's the list, where you can link to biographical information.
Hattie Wyatt Caraway (D-Arkansas), 1931-1945
Rose McConnell Long (D-Louisiana), 1936-1937
Dixie Bibb Graves (D-Alabama), 1937-1938
Gladys Pyle (R-South Dakota), 1938-1939
Vera Cahalan Bushfield (R-South Dakota), 1948
Margaret Chase Smith (R-Maine), 1949-1973
Eva Kelley Bowring (R-Nebraska), 1954
Hazel Hempel Abel (R-Nebraska), 1954
Maurine Brown Neuberger (D-Oregon), 1960-1967
Elaine S. Edwards (D-Louisiana), 1972
Muriel Humphrey (D-Minnesota), 1978
Maryon Allen (D-Alabama), 1978
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kansas), 1978-1997
Paula Hawkins (R-Florida), 1981-1987
Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), 1987-
Jocelyn Burdick (D-North Dakota), 1992
Dianne Feinstein (D-California), 1992-
Barbara Boxer (D-California), 1993-
Carol Moseley Braun (D-Illinois), 1993-1999
Patty Murray (D-Washington), 1993-
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), 1993-
Olympia Jean Snowe (R-Maine), 1995-
Sheila Frahm (R-Kansas), 1996
Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), 1997-
Susan Collins (R-Maine), 1997-
Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), 1999-
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York), 2001-
Deborah Stabenow (D-Michigan), 2001-
Maria E. Cantwell (D-Washington), 2001-
Jean Carnahan (D-Missouri), 2001- 2002
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), 2002-
Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina), 2003-
Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), 2007-
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), 2007-
And here is the rest of it.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Unequal education
I've only been recently learning about Portland's open transfer policies. Interesting and troubling.
PPS Equity, a local resource for the community concerned with inequities in the Portland Public School system, posted these facts today. As usual, it's hard to argue with the numbers.
Average teacher experience (in years) in Portland Public Schools: 14.2
Number of schools with average teacher experience of 12 years or fewer: 17
Number of these schools in the Jefferson, Madison Marshall and Roosevelt clusters: 15
Number of these schools in the Cleveland, Grant, Lincoln and Wilson clusters: 0
Number of schools with average teacher experience of 16 years or more: 21
Number of these schools in the Jefferson, Madison, Marshall and Roosevelt clusters: 5
Number of these schools in the Cleveland, Grant, Lincoln and Wilson clusters: 15
And here is the rest of it.
PPS Equity, a local resource for the community concerned with inequities in the Portland Public School system, posted these facts today. As usual, it's hard to argue with the numbers.
Average teacher experience (in years) in Portland Public Schools: 14.2
Number of schools with average teacher experience of 12 years or fewer: 17
Number of these schools in the Jefferson, Madison Marshall and Roosevelt clusters: 15
Number of these schools in the Cleveland, Grant, Lincoln and Wilson clusters: 0
Number of schools with average teacher experience of 16 years or more: 21
Number of these schools in the Jefferson, Madison, Marshall and Roosevelt clusters: 5
Number of these schools in the Cleveland, Grant, Lincoln and Wilson clusters: 15
And here is the rest of it.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Obama
My original choice was Edwards but there is no denying the message here. Powerful.
And here is the rest of it.
And here is the rest of it.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Every Eight Days
Wow. When I have more time I'll likely have something to say to this, but for now it more than speaks for itself.
And here is the rest of it.
And here is the rest of it.
Nobel Women
Women have been awarded Nobel prizes in several categories pretty much since their establishment. The Peace prize tends to get all of the media but there are five major areas.
Here are a few of the women honored. The order is more categorical than sequential.
1903 Marie Sklodowska Curie for in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel. (It was a family affair!)
1935 Irene Joliot-Curie for the synthesis of new radioactive elements. (Marie's daughter)
1947 Gerty Radnitz Cori for for her discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen
1986 Rita Levi-Montalcini for discoveries of growth factors
1905 Baroness Bertha von Suttner-Peace Prize (Nobel actually created this category to honor her)
1976 Betty Williams, Co-Founder of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement (later renamed Community of Peace People).
1976 Mairead Corrigan, Co-Founder of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement (later renamed Community of Peace People).
1991 Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese Oppositional leader and Human rights advocate.
1992 Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Campaigner for human rights, especially for indigenous peoples (Guatemala)
1909 Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlof, in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings
1928 Sigrid Undset, principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages.
1945 Gabriela Mistral, for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world.
1996 Wislawa Szymborska, for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality.
There are definitely more and the link above leads to more links for biographical information.
And here is the rest of it.
Here are a few of the women honored. The order is more categorical than sequential.
1903 Marie Sklodowska Curie for in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel. (It was a family affair!)
1935 Irene Joliot-Curie for the synthesis of new radioactive elements. (Marie's daughter)
1947 Gerty Radnitz Cori for for her discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen
1986 Rita Levi-Montalcini for discoveries of growth factors
1905 Baroness Bertha von Suttner-Peace Prize (Nobel actually created this category to honor her)
1976 Betty Williams, Co-Founder of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement (later renamed Community of Peace People).
1976 Mairead Corrigan, Co-Founder of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement (later renamed Community of Peace People).
1991 Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese Oppositional leader and Human rights advocate.
1992 Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Campaigner for human rights, especially for indigenous peoples (Guatemala)
1909 Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlof, in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings
1928 Sigrid Undset, principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages.
1945 Gabriela Mistral, for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world.
1996 Wislawa Szymborska, for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality.
There are definitely more and the link above leads to more links for biographical information.
And here is the rest of it.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Womens' Firsts
I always like reading this kind of stuff because it makes me realise how little reality is covered in the history books that we go through school with, growing up.
Did you know:
Ann Teresa Mathews
First woman whose invention received a patent (for cleaning and curing corn) - it was granted to her husband 1715 (Figures!)
Lucy Brewer First woman marine 1812
Jeannette Rankin First woman U.S. House Representative (Montana) 1916
Jane Addams First woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize 1931
Hattie Wyatt Caraway First woman elected to U.S. Senate 1932
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova First woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6. 1963
Penny Harrington First woman police chief of major U. S. city (Portland, OR) 1985
Antoinette Blackwell becomes the first American woman to be ordained a minister in a recognized denomination (Congregational).
Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College
Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earns her B.S. degree. She becomes the first female professional chemist in the U.S.
Susanna Medora Salter becomes the first woman elected mayor of an American town, in Argonia, Kansas. (Can you imagine being the first mayor in a country where women couldn't even vote? A handful of states, yes but still!)
I've only heard of a couple of these women before researching for this list. You know what else I discovered? That I haven't found just the right mix of search terms to find women who aren't American. Suggestions greatly appreciated.
And here is the rest of it.
Did you know:
Ann Teresa Mathews
First woman whose invention received a patent (for cleaning and curing corn) - it was granted to her husband 1715 (Figures!)
Lucy Brewer First woman marine 1812
Jeannette Rankin First woman U.S. House Representative (Montana) 1916
Jane Addams First woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize 1931
Hattie Wyatt Caraway First woman elected to U.S. Senate 1932
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova First woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6. 1963
Penny Harrington First woman police chief of major U. S. city (Portland, OR) 1985
Antoinette Blackwell becomes the first American woman to be ordained a minister in a recognized denomination (Congregational).
Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College
Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earns her B.S. degree. She becomes the first female professional chemist in the U.S.
Susanna Medora Salter becomes the first woman elected mayor of an American town, in Argonia, Kansas. (Can you imagine being the first mayor in a country where women couldn't even vote? A handful of states, yes but still!)
I've only heard of a couple of these women before researching for this list. You know what else I discovered? That I haven't found just the right mix of search terms to find women who aren't American. Suggestions greatly appreciated.
And here is the rest of it.
Portland Pride
Be prepared, this is a long one for me.
I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not I should write this post.
When I moved here in 1997, from Dallas, Texas I had attended one Pride celebration in my life and that was, well, in Dallas. It was in the mid-eighties and feeling free and easy about be-bopping on down to Pride was not done lightly. It was dangerous on many levels. Aside from the very real possibility of being physically in harm’s way, if your job depended on being in the closet or your neighbors didn’t know, than you had to think more than twice about what being photographed or spotted at Pride could realistically mean for your life. There was no such thing as safety in numbers.
As I mentioned, I moved here in 1997 and the first Portland Pride festival that I attended, I actually attended as a vendor, in 2000. With only Dallas to compare to, Portland’s Pride was HUGE. At the time, the festival was not gated and so many of us vendors actually camped out overnight with our booths. My first Portland Pride lasted thirty-six hours! At no time did it occur to me to feel afraid, or to worry about “being spotted” by the wrong person. And it didn’t occur to me to feel alone. Going home that Sunday evening, I remember stopping at some little store on the way home, and it dawning on me that THEN I felt out of place, like the outside world was the odd place. And I did feel alone, and exposed.
I bring this up as a preamble to what Pride means to me. Throughout most of the time that I’ve lived here, Pride, or more specifically the organization that puts it together every year, has had a fairly negative image in our community. High drama, personality conflicts, (possible) financial shenanigans, power plays have all been played out and eagerly reported in one publication or another over the years, at one point even being accused of abandoning the LGBTQ community. I have to admit that this is a large part of why I never gave getting involved with Pride a second thought.
As I began to get more involved in Portland and Oregon politics and the community in general, it dawned on me that I heard a lot of things from a lot of people about what is wrong with Pride and how it should be run. It also occurred to me that without exception, none of those people were involved with Pride, and had no intention of being involved, myself included. That changed a couple of years ago, pretty much by accident. There was some pretty decent discussion amongst other students at PCC, which I attended at the time, and the general feeling was “Pride is so over” and “What’s the point”? I was really taken aback by this and I realized how complacent we had all become. Having lived here for a couple of Measure 9’s and then Measure 36, how dangerous that complacency truly was, hit me over the head. Experiencing the fight over DP’s and non-discrimination has only strengthened that awareness.
I started out simply volunteering over Pride weekend, got to know the Pride Board at the time and watched just how hard they worked their asses off to put the festival together. The next year, I joined the Board as Volunteer Coordinator. I didn’t feel like I knew what the heck I was doing, but I knew it needed to be done. I knew all that Pride stands for needed to be guarded and hopefully re-shown the light of day. This year, I am the Board President, which sounds ever so much more glamorous than it is! I don’t think I would have taken the position if I hadn’t gotten to know the dedication of the small core of people who volunteer on the Board and who are absolutely committed to helping to lift up our community, strengthening our ties with, and giving back to, that community, in all its diversity, which has made Portland’s Pride the third largest in the country. That commitment is the driving force behind most of our decisions this year. We KNOW that for the LGBTQ community to achieve full equality and to be strong, all of us have to contribute to that. Now, is Pride a big party? Heck yeah! But that’s not the point of Pride. The point of Pride is to celebrate our community and to show that we have the strength to come together en masse, without fear and without hiding.
I’ve gone through this long-winded rant because I truly believe that the spirit of Pride is important to all of us, or should be, and that it doesn’t happen on its own, or in a vacuum. Pride celebrations can, and have died. I don’t want to ever see that happen here, and I KNOW that we can’t afford for it to happen. As corny as it sounds, Pride is just like any other social or community movement. Someone else ISN’T always going to make sure it happens. WE have to make sure that it happens.
I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not I should write this post.
When I moved here in 1997, from Dallas, Texas I had attended one Pride celebration in my life and that was, well, in Dallas. It was in the mid-eighties and feeling free and easy about be-bopping on down to Pride was not done lightly. It was dangerous on many levels. Aside from the very real possibility of being physically in harm’s way, if your job depended on being in the closet or your neighbors didn’t know, than you had to think more than twice about what being photographed or spotted at Pride could realistically mean for your life. There was no such thing as safety in numbers.
As I mentioned, I moved here in 1997 and the first Portland Pride festival that I attended, I actually attended as a vendor, in 2000. With only Dallas to compare to, Portland’s Pride was HUGE. At the time, the festival was not gated and so many of us vendors actually camped out overnight with our booths. My first Portland Pride lasted thirty-six hours! At no time did it occur to me to feel afraid, or to worry about “being spotted” by the wrong person. And it didn’t occur to me to feel alone. Going home that Sunday evening, I remember stopping at some little store on the way home, and it dawning on me that THEN I felt out of place, like the outside world was the odd place. And I did feel alone, and exposed.
I bring this up as a preamble to what Pride means to me. Throughout most of the time that I’ve lived here, Pride, or more specifically the organization that puts it together every year, has had a fairly negative image in our community. High drama, personality conflicts, (possible) financial shenanigans, power plays have all been played out and eagerly reported in one publication or another over the years, at one point even being accused of abandoning the LGBTQ community. I have to admit that this is a large part of why I never gave getting involved with Pride a second thought.
As I began to get more involved in Portland and Oregon politics and the community in general, it dawned on me that I heard a lot of things from a lot of people about what is wrong with Pride and how it should be run. It also occurred to me that without exception, none of those people were involved with Pride, and had no intention of being involved, myself included. That changed a couple of years ago, pretty much by accident. There was some pretty decent discussion amongst other students at PCC, which I attended at the time, and the general feeling was “Pride is so over” and “What’s the point”? I was really taken aback by this and I realized how complacent we had all become. Having lived here for a couple of Measure 9’s and then Measure 36, how dangerous that complacency truly was, hit me over the head. Experiencing the fight over DP’s and non-discrimination has only strengthened that awareness.
I started out simply volunteering over Pride weekend, got to know the Pride Board at the time and watched just how hard they worked their asses off to put the festival together. The next year, I joined the Board as Volunteer Coordinator. I didn’t feel like I knew what the heck I was doing, but I knew it needed to be done. I knew all that Pride stands for needed to be guarded and hopefully re-shown the light of day. This year, I am the Board President, which sounds ever so much more glamorous than it is! I don’t think I would have taken the position if I hadn’t gotten to know the dedication of the small core of people who volunteer on the Board and who are absolutely committed to helping to lift up our community, strengthening our ties with, and giving back to, that community, in all its diversity, which has made Portland’s Pride the third largest in the country. That commitment is the driving force behind most of our decisions this year. We KNOW that for the LGBTQ community to achieve full equality and to be strong, all of us have to contribute to that. Now, is Pride a big party? Heck yeah! But that’s not the point of Pride. The point of Pride is to celebrate our community and to show that we have the strength to come together en masse, without fear and without hiding.
I’ve gone through this long-winded rant because I truly believe that the spirit of Pride is important to all of us, or should be, and that it doesn’t happen on its own, or in a vacuum. Pride celebrations can, and have died. I don’t want to ever see that happen here, and I KNOW that we can’t afford for it to happen. As corny as it sounds, Pride is just like any other social or community movement. Someone else ISN’T always going to make sure it happens. WE have to make sure that it happens.
Friday, March 14, 2008
McCain at it again.
I saw the headline and I thought for sure it was just sensationalizing something McCain did or said. Then I see that nope, he actually said it.
McCain, at a town hall meeting in this Philadelphia suburb, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American militants in Iraq might ratchet up their activities in Iraq to try to increase casualties in September or October and tip the November election against him.
"Yes, I worry about it," McCain said. "And I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications ... The hardest thing in warfare is to counter someone or a group of individuals who are willing to take their own lives in order to take others."
Where do they FIND these people? Wait, nevermind. I don't wanna know. And here is the rest of it.
McCain, at a town hall meeting in this Philadelphia suburb, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American militants in Iraq might ratchet up their activities in Iraq to try to increase casualties in September or October and tip the November election against him.
"Yes, I worry about it," McCain said. "And I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications ... The hardest thing in warfare is to counter someone or a group of individuals who are willing to take their own lives in order to take others."
Where do they FIND these people? Wait, nevermind. I don't wanna know. And here is the rest of it.
Women's History Month
I know I'm late but if I actually posted on everything that I'm involved with, support and believe in, I'd have to quit school and stop working and put toothpicks in my eyelids because I'd never have time otherwise.
In any event, Women's History Month runs throughout March and I wanted to throw up a few of my own role models and women I'm inspired by.
Maya Angelou (1928-) (One of those people you can just sit and listen to endlessly, no matter what she is saying! Her writing is the only work I've ever been able to describe as lyrical and understand what that means.)
Angelou is a novelist, poet, professional stage and screen writer, dancer, editor, lecturer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Most notable among her publications are autobiographical novels starting with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1970, which helped establish the memoir as a popular genre. In 1993, Angelou recited an original poem at President Clinton’s inauguration, confirming her status as "a people’s poet."
Abigail Scott Duniway (1834-1915) ( I love, love, LOVE this woman!)
Author, Publisher, Suffrage Leader, all-round instigator!
In an era when women were, in the words of Susan B. Anthony, "political slaves," Duniway rose from quite ordinary beginnings as an Illinois farm girl to become a nationally famed champion of women's suffrage, as well as a significant author and publisher. Duniway was a true pioneer or "path breaker," known for her long and tireless efforts for women's suffrage and women's rights and as one of relatively few female newspaper editors and publishers of her time.
Marian Wright Edelman (1939-)
Children Rights Advocate, Civil Rights Activist
From her earliest years, Edelman was encouraged to give hope and aid to others. As a lawyer, civil rights activist, and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, she has provided a strong authoritative voice for those who have been denied the power to speak for themselves. For almost 40 years, she has advocated for quality health care, immunizations, nutritious food, and educational opportunities, providing hope and possibility to countless numbers.
Katharine Graham (1917-2001) (amazing how we never hear of her part in things)
Publisher
Graham was the first woman president of a Fortune 500 company when she became president and then publisher of the Washington Post from 1963 to 1979. In 1971, she resisted tremendous pressure and threats when she printed the Pentagon Papers. In 1972, she supported the aggressive investigation of the Watergate burglary. The Post received a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1973. Her autobiography Personal History won a Pulitzer Prize in 1998.
Barbara Jordan
(1936 - 1996)
Politician (that category SO does not do her justice-Barbara gets extra space because, well, she is Barbara)
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas in 1972, Barbara Jordan became the first African-American congresswoman to be elected, and re-elected, from the deep South. Before her election to Congress, she was a Texas State Senator, the first African-American woman to serve there.
Jordan captured the attention of the nation during the 1974 Nixon impeachment hearings. As a member of the House Judiciary Hearings she served on the committee charged with hearing and evaluating the evidence bearing on the possible impeachment of then-President Nixon. It was on this committee that her incisive questioning and her impassioned defense of the Constitution made her a respected national figure.
In l976, Barbara Jordan became the first woman and first African-American to give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. In 1978 she announced that she would not seek re-election and returned to Texas as a full professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. She remained there, and became a counselor to Texas Governor Ann Richards.
Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
Social Activist, Journalist,
Dorothy Day combined her political passion for justice and equality with her religious commitment for serving the destitute, co-founding the Catholic Worker's Movement. She wanted her words to match precisely with her deeds. She took a vow of poverty and lived a life of service to the poor in the hospitality houses ( an extension of the work that Jane Addams did in Hull House) that she helped to establish in cities across the U.S. She worked tirelessly and was arrested often in the struggles for womens rights, birth control, workers rights, and against war.
Patsy Mink (1927-2002)
Congresswoman, Women's Rights Activist
Mink, the first Asian American elected to Congress, served 12 terms in Congress, beginning in 1965. She helped draft and win passage of Title IX in 1972. She was a founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. She authored legislation for the Women's Educational Equity Act in 1973. Mink worked for women's rights, health, labor, education and environmental issues; she opposed capital punishment and the Vietnam War.
Alice Paul (1885–1977) (Of course!)
Suffragist, Founder of the Congressional Union
Arrested six times and jailed three times for suffrage demonstrations in England, Paul returned to the United States with radical ideas for the American movement. In 1913, she staged a huge parade in Washington, D.C., and organized pickets at the White House throughout 1917. Paul drafted the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, and for over fifty years, she led the movement to have the ERA become part of the Constitution.
Wilma Vaught (1930-)
Retired Brigadier General
One of the most-decorated military women in U.S. history and the Air Force’s first female general, after retiring in 1980, General Vaught was the driving force behind the building and dedication of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Washington, DC. She served on the Committee on Women in the Armed Forces in NATO, 1984-85. Vaught was also a member of the International Women’s Forum.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931)
Journalist
Wells-Barnett began a daring editorial campaign against lynching in her Memphis Free Speech newspaper in 1892. After her office was sacked, she continued her fearless crusade in New York City as a journalist and traveling lecturer, organizing anti-lynching societies in many cities. Moving to Chicago, Wells-Barnett published A Red Record in 1895, a detailed book about lynching. Throughout her life, she remained militant in her demand for justice for black Americans.
Jane Addams (1860-1935) (One of those women with a list that could go on for days)
Social Activist, founder of Hull House, charter member of the NAACP, Nobel Peace Prize winner and labor union organizer.
Jane Addams is remembered primarily as a founder of the Settlement House Movement. She and her friend Ellen Starr founded Hull House in the slums of Chicago in 1889. She is also remembered as the first American Woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Jane is portrayed as the selfless giver of ministrations to the poor, but few realize that she was a mover and shaker in the areas of labor reform (laws that governed working conditions for children and women), and was a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Now that my term is over, hopefully I can add to this list in the next few days. it's a drop in the bucket.
And here is the rest of it.
In any event, Women's History Month runs throughout March and I wanted to throw up a few of my own role models and women I'm inspired by.
Maya Angelou (1928-) (One of those people you can just sit and listen to endlessly, no matter what she is saying! Her writing is the only work I've ever been able to describe as lyrical and understand what that means.)
Angelou is a novelist, poet, professional stage and screen writer, dancer, editor, lecturer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Most notable among her publications are autobiographical novels starting with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1970, which helped establish the memoir as a popular genre. In 1993, Angelou recited an original poem at President Clinton’s inauguration, confirming her status as "a people’s poet."
Abigail Scott Duniway (1834-1915) ( I love, love, LOVE this woman!)
Author, Publisher, Suffrage Leader, all-round instigator!
In an era when women were, in the words of Susan B. Anthony, "political slaves," Duniway rose from quite ordinary beginnings as an Illinois farm girl to become a nationally famed champion of women's suffrage, as well as a significant author and publisher. Duniway was a true pioneer or "path breaker," known for her long and tireless efforts for women's suffrage and women's rights and as one of relatively few female newspaper editors and publishers of her time.
Marian Wright Edelman (1939-)
Children Rights Advocate, Civil Rights Activist
From her earliest years, Edelman was encouraged to give hope and aid to others. As a lawyer, civil rights activist, and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, she has provided a strong authoritative voice for those who have been denied the power to speak for themselves. For almost 40 years, she has advocated for quality health care, immunizations, nutritious food, and educational opportunities, providing hope and possibility to countless numbers.
Katharine Graham (1917-2001) (amazing how we never hear of her part in things)
Publisher
Graham was the first woman president of a Fortune 500 company when she became president and then publisher of the Washington Post from 1963 to 1979. In 1971, she resisted tremendous pressure and threats when she printed the Pentagon Papers. In 1972, she supported the aggressive investigation of the Watergate burglary. The Post received a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1973. Her autobiography Personal History won a Pulitzer Prize in 1998.
Barbara Jordan
(1936 - 1996)
Politician (that category SO does not do her justice-Barbara gets extra space because, well, she is Barbara)
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas in 1972, Barbara Jordan became the first African-American congresswoman to be elected, and re-elected, from the deep South. Before her election to Congress, she was a Texas State Senator, the first African-American woman to serve there.
Jordan captured the attention of the nation during the 1974 Nixon impeachment hearings. As a member of the House Judiciary Hearings she served on the committee charged with hearing and evaluating the evidence bearing on the possible impeachment of then-President Nixon. It was on this committee that her incisive questioning and her impassioned defense of the Constitution made her a respected national figure.
In l976, Barbara Jordan became the first woman and first African-American to give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. In 1978 she announced that she would not seek re-election and returned to Texas as a full professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. She remained there, and became a counselor to Texas Governor Ann Richards.
Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
Social Activist, Journalist,
Dorothy Day combined her political passion for justice and equality with her religious commitment for serving the destitute, co-founding the Catholic Worker's Movement. She wanted her words to match precisely with her deeds. She took a vow of poverty and lived a life of service to the poor in the hospitality houses ( an extension of the work that Jane Addams did in Hull House) that she helped to establish in cities across the U.S. She worked tirelessly and was arrested often in the struggles for womens rights, birth control, workers rights, and against war.
Patsy Mink (1927-2002)
Congresswoman, Women's Rights Activist
Mink, the first Asian American elected to Congress, served 12 terms in Congress, beginning in 1965. She helped draft and win passage of Title IX in 1972. She was a founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. She authored legislation for the Women's Educational Equity Act in 1973. Mink worked for women's rights, health, labor, education and environmental issues; she opposed capital punishment and the Vietnam War.
Alice Paul (1885–1977) (Of course!)
Suffragist, Founder of the Congressional Union
Arrested six times and jailed three times for suffrage demonstrations in England, Paul returned to the United States with radical ideas for the American movement. In 1913, she staged a huge parade in Washington, D.C., and organized pickets at the White House throughout 1917. Paul drafted the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, and for over fifty years, she led the movement to have the ERA become part of the Constitution.
Wilma Vaught (1930-)
Retired Brigadier General
One of the most-decorated military women in U.S. history and the Air Force’s first female general, after retiring in 1980, General Vaught was the driving force behind the building and dedication of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Washington, DC. She served on the Committee on Women in the Armed Forces in NATO, 1984-85. Vaught was also a member of the International Women’s Forum.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931)
Journalist
Wells-Barnett began a daring editorial campaign against lynching in her Memphis Free Speech newspaper in 1892. After her office was sacked, she continued her fearless crusade in New York City as a journalist and traveling lecturer, organizing anti-lynching societies in many cities. Moving to Chicago, Wells-Barnett published A Red Record in 1895, a detailed book about lynching. Throughout her life, she remained militant in her demand for justice for black Americans.
Jane Addams (1860-1935) (One of those women with a list that could go on for days)
Social Activist, founder of Hull House, charter member of the NAACP, Nobel Peace Prize winner and labor union organizer.
Jane Addams is remembered primarily as a founder of the Settlement House Movement. She and her friend Ellen Starr founded Hull House in the slums of Chicago in 1889. She is also remembered as the first American Woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Jane is portrayed as the selfless giver of ministrations to the poor, but few realize that she was a mover and shaker in the areas of labor reform (laws that governed working conditions for children and women), and was a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Now that my term is over, hopefully I can add to this list in the next few days. it's a drop in the bucket.
And here is the rest of it.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
McCain's Wingnuttery
McCain keeps racking up the religiously insane support.
Senator John McCain hailed as a spiritual adviser an Ohio megachurch pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it. The leader of a 12,000-member congregation, Parsley has written several books outlining his fundamentalist religious outlook, including the 2005 Silent No More. In this work, Parsley decries the "spiritual desperation" of the United States, and he blasts away at the usual suspects: activist judges, civil libertarians who advocate the separation of church and state, the homosexual "culture" ("homosexuals are anything but happy and carefree"), the "abortion industry," and the crass and profane entertainment industry. And Parsley targets another profound threat to the United States: the religion of Islam.
He says:
I cannot tell you how important it is that we understand the true nature of Islam, that we see it for what it really is. In fact, I will tell you this: I do not believe our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam. I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore.
Gee and here I was thinking we were founded on the principles of freedom and democracy (no history lessons please...I realize the oxymorons present in our founding).
And here is the rest of it.
Senator John McCain hailed as a spiritual adviser an Ohio megachurch pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it. The leader of a 12,000-member congregation, Parsley has written several books outlining his fundamentalist religious outlook, including the 2005 Silent No More. In this work, Parsley decries the "spiritual desperation" of the United States, and he blasts away at the usual suspects: activist judges, civil libertarians who advocate the separation of church and state, the homosexual "culture" ("homosexuals are anything but happy and carefree"), the "abortion industry," and the crass and profane entertainment industry. And Parsley targets another profound threat to the United States: the religion of Islam.
He says:
I cannot tell you how important it is that we understand the true nature of Islam, that we see it for what it really is. In fact, I will tell you this: I do not believe our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam. I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore.
Gee and here I was thinking we were founded on the principles of freedom and democracy (no history lessons please...I realize the oxymorons present in our founding).
And here is the rest of it.
FISA and the Judicial Committee
The House needs to keep it up.
John Conyers and most of the House Judiciary Committee have rejected case for retroactive amnesty for the telecoms.
Today, Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and 19 Members of the Judiciary Committee issued a statement regarding telecommunications immunity, as the House prepares to consider the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Following a review of classified information relating to the warrantless surveillance program and immunity for telecommunications companies, the Members reported their conclusion that the Administration has not established a valid and credible case to justify granting blanket retroactive immunity at this time.
The following Members joined Chairman Conyers in signing on to the statement: Representatives Howard L. Berman (D-CA), Rick Boucher (D-VA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Robert C. Scott (D-VA), Melvin L. Watt (D-NC), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), William D. Delahunt (D-MA), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Betty Sutton (D-OH), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY), Artur Davis (D-AL), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), and Keith Ellison (D-MN).
And here is the rest of it.
John Conyers and most of the House Judiciary Committee have rejected case for retroactive amnesty for the telecoms.
Today, Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and 19 Members of the Judiciary Committee issued a statement regarding telecommunications immunity, as the House prepares to consider the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Following a review of classified information relating to the warrantless surveillance program and immunity for telecommunications companies, the Members reported their conclusion that the Administration has not established a valid and credible case to justify granting blanket retroactive immunity at this time.
The following Members joined Chairman Conyers in signing on to the statement: Representatives Howard L. Berman (D-CA), Rick Boucher (D-VA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Robert C. Scott (D-VA), Melvin L. Watt (D-NC), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), William D. Delahunt (D-MA), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Betty Sutton (D-OH), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY), Artur Davis (D-AL), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), and Keith Ellison (D-MN).
And here is the rest of it.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Bigotry rearing its ugly head in Portland
I know that the news has been reporting a recent rash of hate/racist incidents but I don't really hear or see anyone talking about it. And now a new one.
Portland has a long and cozy history with white supremacists and neo-nazis.
This region can NOT afford to keep pretending that we are all progressive and wonderful. Pretending that extreme bigotry doesn't exist in Oregon, and in Portland, by not talking about it...isn't going to make it go away. Waiting for it to blow up isn't going to benefit anyone.And here is the rest of it.
Portland has a long and cozy history with white supremacists and neo-nazis.
This region can NOT afford to keep pretending that we are all progressive and wonderful. Pretending that extreme bigotry doesn't exist in Oregon, and in Portland, by not talking about it...isn't going to make it go away. Waiting for it to blow up isn't going to benefit anyone.And here is the rest of it.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Initiative Filed to Repeal Domestic Partnerships
Don't EVER tell me that the Republican leadership in this state gives a damn about my rights as an Oregonian, or that they are any different from the national GOP. Stop insulting my intelligence.
I just received this alert from Basic Rights Oregon. It's not up on their website yet, as far as I can tell. Be assured that it will be shortly.
Basic Rights Oregon has learned that Oregon State Senator Fred Girod and State Rep. Sal Esquivel have filed an initiative to repeal Oregon's domestic partnership law. Outrageously, this time around the effort is being spearheaded by state legislators whose duty it is to protect Oregonians.
Complacency is not an option folks.
Update: BRO has it up now, with alot more detail.And here is the rest of it.
I just received this alert from Basic Rights Oregon. It's not up on their website yet, as far as I can tell. Be assured that it will be shortly.
Basic Rights Oregon has learned that Oregon State Senator Fred Girod and State Rep. Sal Esquivel have filed an initiative to repeal Oregon's domestic partnership law. Outrageously, this time around the effort is being spearheaded by state legislators whose duty it is to protect Oregonians.
Complacency is not an option folks.
Update: BRO has it up now, with alot more detail.And here is the rest of it.
Saudi Nationals in Lebanon..and U.S. Warships
Here it comes.
The Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut has called on its nationals to leave Lebanon a day after a US warship was positioned off the country's coast.
But nothing is happening...right
And here is the rest of it
The Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut has called on its nationals to leave Lebanon a day after a US warship was positioned off the country's coast.
But nothing is happening...right
And here is the rest of it
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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