Although we’ve come a long way, Jay Smooth reminds us that it’s not over yet.  There’s still plenty of work to be done, so long as we’re imperfect humans, we still need to work towards all the things that will make our society a more livable and better equitable place.  Check out his message.

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Over Obama’s Citizenship – The Caucus Blog – NYTimes.com.

I’m really upset over this.  Not that they rejected the appeal, I’m ecstatic about that, but the fact that some guy from New Jersey has the audacity to bring a lawsuit against Obama claiming that he is ineligible for the presidency because only his mother is a US citizen at the time of his birth and is completely negating the fact that Obama himself was born on US soil.  What this man is saying by making this claim is that the mother’s citizenship does not count, and why is that?  Is it because she’s a woman?  Is it because his father is from Kenya and practiced the Muslim faith?  Are we back to “otherizing” people who are not like us, because I feel this is exactly what this lawsuit was trying to do.  I may be completely off in my thinking, but what this article implies is that the woman’s citizenship doesn’t matter, and since the father is not a citizen, and is (OH NO!) Muslim, then it shouldn’t count.

From what I remember from my elementary school civics class is that so long as you are born on US soil, you are a citizen and are eligible for the presidency, so long as you meet all other requirements as well, including age.  So to make this claim is absurd and insulting to women, to people of different faiths, and different ethnicities.

Amsterdam To Close Many Of Its Brothels, Marijuana Cafes, Sex Shops.

I’m so torn about this because prostitution is a good way for a woman with no skill to earn a living, but the problem that I see that is most prevalent is that prostitution equates women to objects that can be bought and this mindset can trickle over to women who are not prostitutes. It’s a way of perpetuating patriarchy and I really don’t find it in the least empowering. Most importantly, it also causes problems like enslavement and trafficking of women and children.

It’s great that they’re giving women a legal, semi-protected way of practicing their trade, but how protected is it really? In countries as rich as, say, the United States, women and children are being enslaved for the purposes of sexual services, and yet here’s Amsterdam trying to promote prostitution in a safe, legal environment. How many of those women in the red light district are there because they’re forced? I think that if they were to implement other social programs that would help them out of their situation and get them into a job where they don’t have to sell themselves, that this would be money better spent.

The city is targeting businesses that “generate criminality,” including gambling parlors, and the so-called “coffee shops” where marijuana is sold openly. Also targeted are peep shows, massage parlors and souvenir shops used by drug dealers for money-laundering.

…

“It’ll be a place with 200 windows (for prostitutes) and 30 coffee shops, which you can’t find anywhere else in the world _ very exciting, but also with cultural attractions,” he said. “And you won’t have to be embarrassed to say you came.”

So basically, they’re going to target businesses that “generate criminality” and will define where you can sell yourself and your body in a way that won’t embarass the “Johns”, continuing to perpetuate crime because of the demand that is then created, whether it is on their land or someone else’s.

I could be totally off here, but sex tourism is a big problem in a lot of countries, and in many of those countries, those who are in the business of sex are enslaved, they’re children who don’t have any other choice or don’t have a say in the matter.  There’s a lot of problems with this, and simply because it works in one country, as far as keeping a close eye on crime, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it works in other countries, and by legalizing prostitution you are creating the demand for sex that trickles over to other countries where it’s not legalized and becomes a big problem.

These are just my random thoughts on the situation, and I’m sorry if they’re a bit scattered, but I would love to hear input from others or be given points of view that I may not have considered.

I was hopeful, but there was doubt.  I had lost my faith in my fellow citizens to see what the right thing for this country was, and my faith has been restored tonight.  Not only for my fellow citizens, but that all things in this country are possible.  Tonight, we have written history.  Tonight, we have elected our first African American President.  Tonight, our President-Elect is no longer an older white man, or even a youngish white man, today, he is a black man with a true vision for our country.  Someone who comes from a background much like mine and who has had to struggle and work hard to be where he is now.  Tonight, we have someone who will fight for equality and the rights of all people in this nation on our side, in a position to institute true change in our society.

I have had my hope restored that if I work hard, I can achieve my dreams and I can become the person I want to be, and society has shown me that this is possible.  Our society has spoken out and creamed that it is more tolerent to different people.  Change has come.  Change is here.  Change is evident.  I congratulate Barack Obama, Joe Biden and their families on this monumental night.

To all those who haven’t already…

GO VOTE!

Women, especially need to get out, need to make their voices heard, and you all need to go vote.  in 2004 22 million women did not vote nationwide in the presidential elections.  That is an astounding number.  22 million! All those votes could have changed the outcome of the election, they could have changed the outcome of the last four years, and we could have been in a much better place right now if those 22 million women had just gone out to vote.  It’s not much of a popular vote, if the full population does not vote.  Most importantly, like the commercial says, your life, your health, and your future does depend on it, so just do it.  Yes, the lines are long, the weather may be bad, the kids may be annoying you, whatever the case may be, imagine what you will have to suffer through for the next 4 years if you don’t speak your mind, if you don’t vote, the minute annoyances you will suffer through a couple of hours waiting in line is nothing in comparison to the 4 years of really bad policy decisions we may have to suffer through if another bad presidential choice is made.

I hate to hound people, really I do, but this is such and important thing that I just can’t let it slide.  I can’t not hound, because like women’s rights, and everything that falls under that title (including racial and sexual liberties), women fought long and hard and suffered unimaginable things in order so that YOU could have the right to vote just like white and black men.  Not voting is like disgracing all their hard work, and the blood, sweat, and tears that went into YOU having your right to vote, so just do it.  Honor your ancestors, honor yourself, honor your future and make sure your voice is heard.

I am so incredibly tired today, emotionally, physically, and in every which way I could possibly tell you.  On our campus for the past two days we have had people from the [WARNING POSSIBLE TRIGGER!!!] Center for Bio-Ethical Reform on our campus as part of their Genocide Awareness Project.  These people are so completely ignorant and so extreme in their beliefs, it was mentally draining that they would even attempt to engage me.  As secretary for our NOW campus chapter, I was there all day today and for an hour yesterday protesting them being there with a lot of other people.  Let me give you the bulk of extremely ignorant things that were said to me.

Firstly, I had a woman actually say to me, “You know, because some women provoke rape, and then get an abortion.”  Great.  Here’s an older woman actually using the age old tactic of punish/blame the victim for something that was done to her.  I immediately told her I could no longer speak with her if she was actually going to propose that women ask to be raped.  I couldn’t engage this.  Afterwards, one of “those people” actually engaged me in a battle of the mind on how life begins at conception, to which I told him that was not my belief, but then asked him what was his position on birth control.  The answer I received was “birth control is against my moral beliefs.”  Ok Mr. Intelligent pro-lifer, then how do you propose we stop abortions?  His answer: “don’t have sex.  Sex education is like a green light for kids to have sex.”  So, abortion is bad, birth control bad, and we need to go against human nature so that we don’t offend your morals???!!

Nice.

I’m drained.  I was part of a panel afterwards with the director of the Women’s Studies department on campus where we wanted to discuss what these people were saying, the lies they were spreading, the warped theologies, and the fact that they were in a high traffic area in our school when this was extremely offensive to several students and faculty as well.  Not to mention where they were on campus was right near the children’s learning center where children younger than 4 (I think) are.  So not only are these people imposing their views on the student body, faculty, staff, and administrators, but they are also sucking children into it and saying things like, “Well maybe they shouldn’t walk by here then.”  THIS IS OUR CAMPUS!!  It’s that child’s right to be able to walk around the campus with their parent or teacher and not have to ask questions about all the dead bodies on GIANT billboards!

Below I’ve placed some pictures of their so called “exhibition”.  Also notice the one with the supposed “Free Speech Board” that was not about free speech because one of the College Republicans (who invited these people on our campus by the way) was going around and crossing out pro-choice messages and adding things like “MURDERER!” next to or over it, so how is that free speech?

The thing that pissed me off even more is that they asked my very wonderful and intelligent black friend how she would feel about being lynched, because lynching and abortion are the same thing.  After she told me this I wanted to deck these people because that was over the line.  That was spreading hate speech in order to get their point across and that was unnecessary.  That was there to instill fear in her and that pisses me off?  They forget that women are not property.  Women can not be told what to do with their bodies.  Womens’ bodies are their own, not their fathers, husbands, or male relatives.  It’s theirs and theirs alone and their entire concept is that the fetus’ life is more important than the womans.

What gets me is the fact that they were on our campus 4 days before election day, in a traditionally red state, and on a college campus when it’s a big given that the young vote will be the deciding factor in this election, so please someone talk me down and tell me it wasn’t politically politically motivated.

It’s been a while, I know, but life is incredibly busy lately with two research projects, one ecology project, and acting monologues to memorize, but I thought I would post a quick hello to you all simply to let you know that I’m still alive.

As for what’s going on in political news, I am incredibly ecstatic to find out that the polls are turning.  Obama is again in the lead in the polls, and it seems that there has finally been a shift among women from the McCain camp back to the Obama Camp.  He’s even ahead in battleground states, according to MSNBC.  Honestly, I was starting to get worried.  I was already thinking of how I was going to pack up my house, my cats, the kid, and the boyfriend to move us all to Canada, but it appears as if the blinders are coming off and I won’t have to move.

This election is important.  It is so important in fact that I succeeded in convincing my boyfriend that he must not only register to vote but vote come November 4th, and he’s watching the news daily to see what else is going on in the McCain/Palin camp as far as all the drama goes.

Obama was here in Miami for a rally this morning, but unfortunately I could not go.  I ust recently started a new job and was unable to ask for the day off to go see him, so I’m a bit bummed that I missed the rally.  I can only hope there was someone out there nice enough to video it and will be posting it up on YouTube later on tonight.

I also attended a panel discussion called “Sex, Lies, and Sterotypes” that was hosted by Planned Parenthood, VOX, and SEICUS.  I will write more on it later, but the jist of it is that Abstinence only education is bad (like we needed a panel to tell us that), and it’s being implemented domestically and internationally.  Kids are being misinformed, it’s not working internationally, and more and more people are contracting HIV/AIDS and dying.  Locally Planned Parenthood is trying to organize the Healthy Teens Campaign which I personally think is awesome because it would stop the lies and the half truths from being spread, but unfortunately right now they’re not teaching anything at all because of “budget cuts” (or so they claim), so I’m writing letters to the Board in hopes that they will see the error of their ways, but I would love it if others would do the same.

One last thing before I go; if anyone had done any research on how toys genderize kids or on commercial sexual exploitation of kids, please email me at lmato002 {AT} fiu {DOT} edu.  I would love your input or any information that you found.  Thanks! 

I will be partaking in the Susan G. Komen walk this coming October, so I thought I would put myself out there for you guys. Please help me out and give a little for this great organization! Please Click Here to Donate! Thanks!

With the start of the GOP Convention today, I’d like to post this little You Tube video to remind everyone what I’m about and who I believe in.

Also, lets not forget what happened when the Republicans were truly put to the test 3 years ago with Katrin in the wake of Gustav.  Bush, Cheney, and McCain can talk all they want, but the truth of the matter is that when the shit was hitting the fan, Bush and McCain were partying hard for McCain’s birthday while people were dying and drowning because of hurricane Katrina.  They can pretend to be doing all they need to do now for Gustav, but what’s been done can’t be undone.  They dropped the ball three years ago, and just because it’s an election year, that doesn’t mean that they’re supposed to be on their best behavior now.  They should have been caring individuals and they should have done what needed to be done to protect and save those people in New Orleans.

So here’s the video.

I was deeeply saddened when I opened my email today to find out that Del Martin passed.  As a huge activist for gay and lesbian rights, her strength and her spark will be severely missed.  When I first her story and what she had been doing for gay rights, I was deeply moved, even more so when she was finally able to marry her partner of 55 years just recently with the passing of the California law allowing gay marriages.  It’s because of strong women like her that people are able to achieve the rights and freedoms they have and commend all her work and will feel the loss of someone who in her work could mentor future activists and show them the paths to take to achieve their goals.  Here’s what the San Francisco Chronicle has to say:

Ms. Martin, an author and organizer, died at UCSF Hospice after a long period of declining health. She was 87 and was admitted to the hospital nearly two weeks ago with a broken arm.

Ms. Martin’s crusading began in 1955, during an era in America known more for social conformity than for rebellion, when she co-founded a lesbian social-turned-political organization, Daughters of Bilitis, named after a 19th century book of lesbian love poetry.

This year, on June 16, she and her partner of 55 years, Phyllis Lyon, were legally wed. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom officiated. Theirs was among the first same-sex nuptials in California.

“Her last act of activism was her most personal – marrying the love of her life,” said Kate Kendell, a longtime friend of the couple and executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

My heart goes out to her partner Lynn and her family.