In light of the holiday season, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite Christmas songs...they're so insightful, I hope they can spark some dialogue.
Happy Christmas (War is Over).
So this is Christmas And what have you done Another year over And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas I hope you have fun The near and the dear one The old and the young
A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fear And so this is Christmas For weak and for strong For rich and the poor ones The world is so wrong And so happy Christmas
Women's reproductive rights are always being challenged, especially in America. This blog is way over due, but you know what they say, better late than never. Over the past couple of years I have struggled with whether or not to be pro-choice, but this entry is about more than that, it's about receiving health care.
In a midnight regulation push, entitled Right of Conscience, Bush would allow anyone to refuse to participate in medical procedures they feel goes against their religious beliefs.
The far-reaching regulation cuts off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, health plan, clinic or other entity that does not accommodate doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other employees who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable.--Washington Post
This would go farther then safeguarding pharmacists from selling the morning after pill, but to refusing AIDS treatment to unmarried or gay patients, refusing blood transfusions to patients, or treating mental illness with anything but prayer.
This sort of regulation leads to in Texas, a pharmacist rejected a rape victim's prescription for emergency contraception. In Virginia, a 42-year-old mother of two became pregnant after being refused emergency contraception. In California, a physician refused to perform artificial insemination for a lesbian couple. (In August, the California Supreme Court ruled that this refusal amounted to illegal discrimination based on sexual orientation.)--American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
What worries me the most is, where will this stop: will it go so far as to deny the selling of condoms if the person behind the counter has a problem with it. This regulation even further harms patients' rights--should medical providers really be the controller of moral issues? The reprocutions of such regulations are ridiculous, what it comes down to is: the President would rather see a rape victim denied treatment, or an AIDS patient denied drugs than have a pharmacist upset about something they sold.
Bush has always been against women's reproductive freedoms beginning with day one in office. On his first day he reinstated the Global Gag Rule, which restricts foreign non-governmental organizations that receive federal family planning funds from using their own, non-U.S. funds to provide legal abortion services, lobby their own governments for abortion law reform, or even provide accurate medical counseling or referrals regarding abortion.
It is called a “gag” rule because it stifles public debate on abortion-related issues, requiring private organizations overseas to choose between continuing their non-U.S. funded efforts to change public policy around abortion in their own countries, or receiving U.S. family planning funds. Restricting their freedom to engage in public policy debates undermines a central tenet of U.S. foreign policy—the promotion of democracy abroad—and its core principle of free and open debate.
Regardless of whether abortions are legal, women in desperate situations still seek them out. As a result, abortions performed under unsafe conditions remain a major public health concern. About 70,000 women die each year from septic and incomplete abortion, many of them leaving young children behind. Many more suffer serious illness or injury. Improving access to family planning can help prevent unwanted pregnancies and reduce such tragedies.
Shortly after the reinstatement of the gag rule, shipments of U.S.-donated condoms and contraceptives completely ceased to 16 developing countries, primarily in Africa. Leading family planning agencies in another 16 countries—mostly in Africa—have lost access to much-needed U.S. condoms and contraceptives as a result of their refusal to accept the gag rule restrictions. Cutbacks in family planning services are likely to contribute to an increase in abortions. Research from several countries reveals a lower reliance on abortion in areas where contraceptive use is higher, reflecting greater access to family planning services.
Panning providers have developed the expertise, services and information to counsel individuals about safer sex, help people avoid high-risk behaviors, and screen for and treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that increase susceptibility to HIV infection. Although it applies only to family planning funds, the gag rule prevents the United States from working with some of the most effective front-line partners serving two of the populations at greatest risk of STIs, including HIV/AIDS—women and youth.
Below is a video that highlights the issues with the Global Gag:
These violations of reproductive rights are bigger than just religious views, they seriously compromise women's health.
This blog is inspired by my step-dad, Eric. We rarely agree on anything, and though we may have different means, I like to think we both have the same ends. This blog is about Christmas.
Growing up, every child for the most part waits in jubilant anticipation for Christmas gifts. List upon lists are made, trips to see Santa are traveled, then the wrapping of gifts commences, followed by the massive trash piles in the living room floor Christmas morning. Furthermore, lets not forget the Christmas lights both inside and out, the tree with tinsel that the cat always seems to eat, and the 9 foot blow up Santa that has found its place on your outside lawn...ah, yes, Christmas cheer.
Now let me be clear, a 9 foot blow up Jesus, in my opinion is just as tacky...
Over the last few years, I have cultivated my faith. I identify myself as a non-denominational Christian--or UnitarianUniversalist-- or a spiritual but not religious, or a humanist. This is secondary; what is more important is how you live your life--How you treat fellow human beings.
Which brings me to Christmas, which is my favorite holiday. People are generally better towards one another. They do good things--volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to their favorite charity, go to Church a little more. Why? Why not do all these things all year? Would Jesus only want you to be better towards each other around his birthday?
That is what it's about, isn't it--The birth of Christ, our salvation? Materialism is not giving thanks to Him. What does a tree have to do with Jesus?
And Santa...St. Nick to be exact, had good intentions and then somehow spun out of control unto this insane Christmas material frenzy. St. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. Cute, right?
So, yes, Merry Christmas...may the gifts you give your children keep them from becoming prostitutes. :)
My dear Gov. Ed Rendell recently commented on Barack Obama's pick for Sec. of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.
Sad to say, his comments leaves me feeling ill, and reminiscent of when Nancy Pelosi took office as Speaker of the House--She has a family, maybe she shouldn't do that. The flip side to this is Janet Napolitano "has no family" so she would be perfect for the job because she can devote 19-20 hours a day to it." So it doesn't matter that she was named by Time magazine one of the top 5 governors in 2005. Or other qualifications she may have, what matters is whether or not she has a family. On a side note, really 2o hours a day, when does she sleep?
This is also similiar to Sarah Palin. She has a bunch of kids, blah, blah, blah. Enough! We should have been focusing on her political philosophies and whether or not she can run a country, not the clothing she wears or the amount of kids she has.
So, kudos to Janet Napolitano--she has no family so she must not have a life, so she must be good to have a cabinet position...Did Tom Ridge have a family when he was Sec. of Homeland Security? But, I guess it doesn't matter because he's wasn't a woman.
"Is this together? What you're not taking care of your girlfriend?" But, but we're not together. We merely go out to eat... Awkwardness, comes next. The woman behind the counter does not realize the uncomfortableness she invoked. He is like: we're not together, but doesn't want to sound mean because we are in fact friends. And I'm just pissed because apparently women and men cannot go out to eat together unless of course they are indeed an item.
Oh, but it gets worse.
I received a gift certificate to a very nice restaurant and so my date and I decided to go. We sat at our table for a half hour before anyone came with menus and certainly there were no drinks--basically, in a high class restaurant we were getting shafted. Eventually, the owner made his way through the tables to ours and asked "how is everything." My date, being outspoken as he is responded, "actually, no one has waited on us yet." Very quickly a waiter came to our table and took our orders--but he asked my date what we would like. Then he explained to my date at the end of the dinner that the dessert was on them. Then he gave my date a new gift card, and the bill and told him that he hopes he comes back anytime.
BUT I'm the one paying I screamed in my head. Do I really get to be ignored? And why oh, oh why, did he get the gift card and the bill?
The most common answer I received is: well, he's the one who spoke up about your shitty service. This would have been believable until I realize this is a reoccurring theme. The bill, whether or not my date is paying, always more times than not, goes to my date. It makes me feel bad because well, I often pay. It makes him feel bad because he's not paying. I feel like I should be helpless and he feels like he's inadequate. Then just awkwardness all around about the paying situation.
So, the question is, who should pay? Is it bad when I pay for the both of us? Is bad when we pay separately?
After missing 6pm mass, the devout Catholic and his religion-questioning girlfriend sat in the Damon's parking lot before his father's birthday dinner and prayed. There they were with sitting on the cold leather seats, in the dark, holding hands with the rib producing restaurant in front of them . The 40" LCD 1080p evidence from Best Buy of missing mass laid in the back seat.
They began with The Lord's Prayer..."
Together they mumbled:
"Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread...
He mumbled:
"Bless these gifts that we are about to recieve...."
At the same time she mumbled;
"Forgive our trespasses...wait, what?"
The moments the followed were confusion on both sides about what was to come next. They eventually gave up on praying together--the rest of their prayer was done in silence. Afterward, he wasn't so excited about his little $1000 hindrance to attending mass. As man who grew up going to church every Sunday, sitting in Catechism classes in his teen years, he realized he could not remember a basic prayer after missing just one month of mass.
The couple had many discussions about faith in the past, how could they not? He was Catholic and all she knew was is that she had some faith. But sitting in the Damon's parking lot was to come their deepest discussion of faith yet and learned a lot about each other.
He was so thankful for so many things in his life, but couldn't find time to attend mass. How could he not find time one hour a week to acknowledge God? He was taught Sunday is the day of Sabbath, a day of rest, a day for God. But what does that mean? Do you sit around a be couch potato, because after all, that is rest?
The little non denominational/non organized believer had an answer: He acknowledges his faith everyday by living his life the way he does. Which is better, living everyday Christlike or attending church one hour a week to forget him the rest?
Just because you don't pray everyday, or give thanks everyday, but instead live your life like you are thankful to be alive, to love every human being because they are your brother does that suffice?
I think I'll share with you a man who has impacted my life.
I met him my Freshman year of college when he taught an intro to political science class and that is how I became one of his 'groupies.' He's your average looking retired adjunct professor; short blond hair (that does not seem to have any gray), glasses that he constantly leaves in the room after class, and an evolving style of dress that is surprisingly not out of date. He has an exquisite background--president of a university, former Deputy Secretary of Education, and worked on countless political campaigns. That is where the normalcy of this person ends and not at all the reason we adore him.
Ever read Tuesdays with Morrie, yeah, that's the sort of man he is. He'd tell you about being in the same room as Dick Thornburg during Three Mile Island, then tell you how his dad worked for the steel mills when he was growing up. He'd share with you when he was working in a Congressperson's office marijuana lobbyist came to visit him with little pot leaf lapel pins, then tell you during graduate school he worked the shittiest jobs to get by. He is what makes lowly students believe we can make it--just look at him, a little Pennsylvania Dutch man that had our similar upbringing that got to do all these amazing things.
That is not where his uniqueness ends--after class he shares with his students his random hobbies and personal life: he takes bagpipe lessons, spins, lifts weights and has even been known to take ballet. He helps to raise his teenage granddaughter. He has an son who until recently was an unemployed lawyer living in his home, another son who works for the State Department and a daughter who's an editor in New York. He tells dirty religious jokes and tells you how much he loves Southern Bapist women because they brought him food when his wife was giving birth.
But when it really matters, he'll buy a student a gift and ask for directions to the hospital and that is why we really adore him.
What prompted me to begin a blog was the realization that the world and the people in it are just so peculiar. My inspiration sprouts from newstories, the people I meet, and the places I go.
Last Sunday in the world news section was a story about a college guy in China who was bitten by a panda bear. He was bitten because he broke into the bear's cage and proceeded to cuddle with it. Why you may ask? Well, he thought the bear looked so cute that he couldn't resist snuggling up to it. And appearently, Mr. Panda couldn't resist biting into his leg in the middle of the night.
