Talks About Wanton Subjects
andy| January 27, 2009 4:32 pmI listened to several great talks lately. Here are some of my favorite speakers.
Archive for the 'Equal Rights' category
Zealous Ideas
andy| January 4, 2009 2:22 pmExcellent talk by Howard Zinn on “War and Social Justice” as broadcasted by Democracy Now!. Please watch/listen to this talk and support Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! for its excellent work in the independent journalism.
Reprobate Attitude Towards Women
andy| November 25, 2008 12:18 pmToday is an International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It is sad that in 2008 we still have to worry about this. But unfortunately today women are still prosecuted for anything from trying to apply for “men” jobs to trying to decide what to do with their bodies and their health. And they are still traded as objects.
Women are in several regards still treated as a secondary citizens. And this is not only promoted by men. There are several women who continue to propagate this stereotype. For example, the Kansas State Senator Kay O’Connor said publicly that “Men should take care of women, and if men were taking care of women (today) we wouldn’t have to vote.” But this is not an isolated case. Women in public commonly downplay the role of women. They are traditionally viewed as the mothers and house wives. And a woman with a career is seen as an outsider and tough.
The most recent example of perpetuating of the weak women myth that I can think of happened during the Obama’s first press conference. In the middle of financial crisis there were several men and women journalists asking tough questions about economy. Out of three women (compared to four men), one Lynn Sweet switched from the problematic economic crisis to talk about where Obama will send his kids to school and what type of dog he will buy. So, in the midst of the issues facing the new president, what this journalist finds important is the type of dog. I guess in her mind this is what women want to know. But this is just one example. If you want more example of perpetuating the weak women myth, just watch some women TV shows.
Finally, most weddings I went to, especially the religious ones, clearly stated that the woman will become man’s property with the wedding. If something is your property then there is no reason to treat it with respect. Te woman becomes an object and therefore it is ok to, well, do to it whatever you want.
So, society has to grow up and stop treating women as a secondary citizens. The society should condemn violence of any kind, especially when it includes physical or psychological torture. Also, any kind of notion that women are weaker, property, or objects, should be eradicated. This includes for both men and women participants of society.
But to wrap this up, let’s just make sure that we are nice to each other. Furthermore, let’s do something special today. For example, smile to a stranger, or hug somebody. And don’t forget to say some nice words to anybody you see.
Footless Measures
andy| November 7, 2008 5:44 pmLet me start by expressing my sincere disappointment with several proposals that passed across USA. They have to do with amending the state constitution to add a clear discrimination. This is understandable for the random bigot states, but it is really incredible that something like this happened in California. California is probably the most progressive state in the US, but looks like there is a large enough number of homophobic and discriminating people that something like this can pass. Unbelievable.
But, let me ask you something else. Regardless if you believe with discriminating proposals or not, how can the state constitution be modified by a simple and actually weak majority? By weak, I mean less than 50% of voters. In California there are over 17 million voters and only something over 5 million voted for this proposal. I usually associate a modification of constitution with a two third majority.
Now, this is where it gets weird. There was a “measure B” on the ballot, which has to do with a specific improvement of public transportation around the city of San Jose. It does not matter if you agree with it or not, but here is the interesting part. In order to pass this measure, you need a two third majority. And since only 66.41% people voted yes, the measure lost. By .25%.
Ok, now, let’s compare these two referendums. The amending of constitution requires a simple majority, while the referendum on spending some money requires two third majority. Think about this one for a second. Constitution versus spending money. Human rights… Money… Now you know where the priorities are. Think about this as you are contemplating a 850 billion dollar bailout for the financial industry without a referendum.
Human rights should always be protected. Any constitutional change that limits human rights should be passed extremely carefully. At least two thirds majority if not a two thirds of all the registered voters. On the other hand, financial conservancy is a good thing, but it if spending large amounts of money to bail out car companies and spend enormous amount of money to build roads without any referendums, it is interesting that this require two thirds majority.
Addle Elections
andy| November 4, 2008 1:18 pmToday is an election day in USA. Here in California, people will most likely elect the “that guy” as opposed to “that other guy”. In any case, make sure to
GO OUT AND VOTE! and HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
I don’t really want to tell you who to vote or what other measures and propositions to vote yes or no on. I would like to ask you something though. Either vote for something, that you believe it, even if that is a candidate that does not stand a chance, or if you vote for the least bad, make sure to keep them accountable.
Most people talk about keeping politicians accountable, but they don’t really act on it. For example, a recent minority party suddenly become a majority claiming that they will do a sweeping changes that people want. Once they came in power they actually supported most of the extremely bad policies. Some of them were so bad that the previous majority did not managed to pass. And there is no accountability, since the same new majority will probably be even stronger this time around. Their excuse is that they do not have big enough majority and that the president will veto things. But, what I really think is that they are afraid of losing their precious money from their supporters. Remember, it is not the people who elect a candidate but their financial supporters.
So, if you are a USA citizen, do your civic duty and vote. Then, make sure to get your vote counted. And I don’t mean by taking photos of ballots or doing all this other things to prevent voting fraud. Make sure your vote is counted, by making sure the things you are voting for actually do happen. Vote based on issues and not a person.
Finally, I heard of this and I think everybody should join the Million Mad March. It is a
one million angry people to gather with us in the streets of their state capitals and march in protest of the direction that our country has taken, and the dissection of the people’s role, towards what seems to be our eventual removal from the political system meant to protect and represent us.
So, one more timemake sure to
GO OUT AND VOTE! and HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
