inequality

The Other Palin: Intolerant, Hypocritical, and Uninformed too

by Cheryl on May 12, 2012

I contemplated using precious time to write about Bristol Palin and her comments. The daughter of the uninformed and insignificant vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has proved again that she is her mother’s daughter. Bristol criticized President Obama for considering his daughters’ views on equality when he made his decision to support marriage equality. Bristol is giving the President advice on parenting? Excuse me while I pick my head up off the floor.

Bristol said, “While it’s great to listen to your kids’ ideas, there’s also a time when dads simply need to be dads. In this case, it would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage. Or that – as great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview.”

“Dads should lead their family in the right ways of thinking. In this case, it would’ve been nice if the President would’ve helped shape their thoughts instead of merely reflecting what many teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee.”

Bristol is so much better off since she had a mother and a father in her home, right? Is Levi Johnston, the father of this unwed mother’s baby who is not involved in their child’s life, going to lead them in the right way of thinking. Bristol offering what she thinks is some profound insight on serious issues with idiotic references to Dora the Explorer and Swiper the Fox while living the exact opposite of what she preaches is hypocritical and shows a strong lack of good judgment. Seriously, Glee can make you gay?

A couple of things are important to note here:

One, Bristol probably did not write that blog post. Although, the post sounds juvenile and is not well written it’s still too coherent for her to have written. The post is designed to get someone from the left to say something the right finds offensive so the right can use it to accuse the President of attacking Palin’s daughter.

Two, what better way for Bristol to try to become relevant than to write or say something entirely stupid?

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Giving Credit Where it is Not Due

by Cheryl on March 4, 2012

in Equality, News, Opinions

Why do people say someone is brave for expressing a bigoted view? Kirk Cameron, the Growing Pains actor, appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight and said he does not support gay marriage and when it comes to homosexuality in general he said, “I think that it’s … unnatural. I think that it’s detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.” Piers Morgan has said he thinks Kirk was brave to voice his opinion.

I’m going to voice my opinion now. It is Kirk’s right to believe whatever he wants to believe, but it is not right to deny rights to people because he doesn’t agree with their life style. What Kirk is doing is trying to prop up his already fizzled out career by using anti-LGBT ignorance. He says that he is a Christian, but he is for inequality. Those two things do not line up for me.

Kirk should focus on his own family. Instead he is going around flinging paranoia about gay marriage and homosexuality destroying civilization. If you aren’t living like Kirk then he is against your way of life. His actions are indicative of a person who has no idea what it means to be Christian. Maybe Christianity has a different meaning nowadays, especially since the Republican Party has hijacked it.

Kirk was also in attendance at CPAC in February to promote his new documentary about how to get back to the foundation of America’s success. He believes teen pregnancy, drugs, and alcohol are now normalized in public schools and celebrated on television. Kirk said if only he could go back in time and talk to the men and women who made this country so they could tell us what we are doing wrong and how to fix it. What the hell would the founding fathers know about what’s going on in 2012? I don’t want to hear from people of 1770 who believed if you got sick the cure was for your doctor to bleed you with leeches or that the touch of a king could heal you.

It is not brave to express views promoting inequality. Bravery is standing up for all people regardless of their religion, sexual orientation, or race. Come back to the 21st century Kirk and grow up. Seriously.

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Racist Appeals

by Cheryl on January 25, 2012

in Observations, Politics

A Republican presidential candidate made racially insensitive comments about Black people and the poor. When asked if he understands the comments are viewed as insulting he responded, no. Here are some paraphrased comments made by that candidate, Newt Gingrich: have children work as janitors, the President is a food stamp president, and more people are on food stamps under President Obama.

I know racist comments when I hear them. I do not believe nor will I pretend that those comments only mean that conservatives believe the president is doing a bad job. It is deeper than that. Decent people don’t need to hear incendiary racist language to get fired up about a presidential candidate.

Newt Gingrich made and continues to make racially charged comments singling out Black people. According to Factcheck.org the “more people being on food stamps” statement under this president is false. Lies get loud cheers from conservative audiences. The wilder the lie the louder the cheers.

Republicans need to address the issue of why so many people need food stamps and government aid and what will be done to help people get back to work. They won’t address those issues because Republicans set this disastrous mess in motion. One example is starting an unnecessary war. Republicans refused to work with the President to fix the problems facing the country. Every day I hear political spin about President Obama not being a leader, he has increased the deficit, he is weakening the military by cutting the military budget, and the dreaded Obamacare will lower the quality of health care. Millions of people with pre-existing conditions and parents with children in college are benefiting from the Affordable Care Act. What kind of person stands up at a Republican debate and asks the candidates will they repeal healthcare reform, not a compassionate one? As if an insurance company being unable to deny coverage to a neighbor with a pre-existing condition is threatening their way of life. Really?

Newt knows exactly what he is doing. He is appealing to the worst in people. I lay equal blame at the feet of the voters who are lapping up this racist rhetoric. The day after the South Carolina debate a woman stood up and thanked Newt for putting, the debate moderator, Juan Williams “in his place.” What does she mean “in his place?” It sounds like a statement from someone with an oppressive disposition. I’m only sorry that her face wasn’t shown on camera because I like to see the face of narrow-mindedness.

Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, and yes, even Mitt Romney engaged with the lowest common denominators of their party. Romney just does it on a different level. At one of Santorum’s rallies he said, “I don’t want to make Black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.” Ron Paul’s newsletters warned Americans to arm themselves against the coming “race war.” Mitt Romney compares President Obama’s vision for America as European and says the President apologizes for America.

Coded language? I’ve heard it so often over the past four years that I expect to hear it now. These Republican candidates allow people to remain in their comfort zone of racist beliefs just to get a vote. A woman in the audience said to Santorum, “he is an avowed Muslim and my question is, why isn’t something being done to get him out of our government.” Santorum responded, he was doing “everything I can” to get him out. The woman’s comments should have been denounced and she should have been told there is no room in society for people with views like that. Santorum could have taken it a step further and asked her if the President were a Muslim why would that be a problem. But he pandered to her and she learned that she could keep discriminating.

Referring to racist “code words” as voter anger is wrong because it ignores an ugly problem. By playing into this meme of anger we reinforce the belief that race is not an issue and it does not provide the platform to discuss why this language is offensive and divisive. The Republican Party wants to reinforce racial stereotypes to gain support from their base. Frankly, anyone who subscribes to this nonsense should be embarrassed. They should be ashamed that they apply such absurd labels to people in order to justify clinging to fear.

People with fragile minds that believe minorities are coming to steal everything they own should do some fact checking and learn how to identify their real enemies. Right now, Newt, Rick, Ron, and Mitt are throwing up smoke screens to keep voters distracted, blaming minorities and the poor for the economic condition of the country. And if you believe their message and the method in which they deliver that message you are in serious trouble in more ways than one.

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Make-Or-Break

by Cheryl on December 7, 2011

in Equality, News, Politics

President Barack Obama gave a speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, yesterday where he evoked the message of Theodore Roosevelt’s New Nationalism speech of 1910 and made the toughest case yet as an advocate of the American middle class. He referred to the failed trickle-down economic theory saying it doesn’t work and that government has a role in combating income inequality.

Obama said, “This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class, and for all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. Because what’s at stake is whether this will be a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home, secure their retirement.”

Here is the entire video of the President’s speech followed by a link to the full text:

Osawatomie, Kansas speech text.

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Radical Solutions

by Cheryl on December 2, 2011

in News, Politics

Newt Gingrich wants everyone that receives any type of federal aid to be subjected to drug testing. Newt is only talking about drug testing the poor and the unemployed. But what about the executives of corporations, can we add them to the pool of people to be tested and possibly save millions?

This is popular among the right who don’t realize and/or don’t care that testing poor and unemployed people for drug use would be extremely expensive. Florida passed this law for welfare recipients and the courts found it unconstitutional. Clearly Republicans do not understand the Constitution that they tout vigorously.

So, unemployed people should be tested for drugs before they receive the money that they paid into the system. The consequences of this could mean that children go hungry until these tests are administered and the results are satisfactory. But lets go ahead and create another big government program that sucks even more money out of taxpayers’ pockets.

Recently, Newt said, “Children in poor neighborhoods should be allowed to serve as janitors in their schools to earn money and develop a connection to the school.” Child labor laws, you know the laws that were created to protect children from abuses of working long hours for low wages, just forget about them. Newt said they’re truly stupid. And I’m not sure what happens to all of the janitors that will be jobless or where the school would get extra cash to pay all of the children.

Newt Gingrich speaking at Nationwide Insurance offices during a campaign event:

“Really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works, so they literally have no habit of showing up on Monday. They have no habit of staying all day. They have no habit of ‘I do this and you give me cash,’ unless it’s illegal.”

He then added that hard work pays off as he launched into how proud he was of his granddaughter who had saved her money for the last eight months and bought an iPad. Does his granddaughter have a job, probably not? So, the money she was saving was probably from the allowance that her parents and rich grandparents gave her. Most likely.

And there is the Republican frontrunner.

The focus is never on the things that could get the country back on track but instead, this petty nonsense of trying to blame and destroy the people that have the least. If you’ve ever been the recipient of federal aid or know someone who has you should be a little more understanding and informed.

I am not condoning drug use or the willingness to remain unemployed. I am saying that claiming to be for small government while creating bigger government reeks of hypocrisy and doesn’t solve anything.

Have some compassion for the people who are trying to provide for their families. All of them do not use drugs or want a handout and it’s a dumb idea to waste money unnecessarily and force children to clean toilets to satisfy a sick need to humiliate people trying to survive.

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In the Name of Preservation

by Cheryl on November 9, 2011

in Equality, News

Call me naïve, but I’m always amazed by stories like the one I’m sharing.

Brian Williams has a new show that airs Monday nights at 10PM ET called Rock Center with Brian Williams. One of the stories he talked about the other night focused on North Carolina. I missed the first minutes of the introduction so as I started watching I saw a lot of people in a room with a lady standing in front of a microphone asking them not to be embarrassed to tell their stories. They all looked like they were in so much emotional pain I wanted to know what was going on.

A woman named Elaine, 57, emotionally shaken and in tears, was describing a horrible story of being “cut open like a hog” and declaring her self-worth. In 1967, Elaine was taking the long way home when she was attacked, raped, and had her life threatened if she ever told anyone. She was 13. Nine months later she went into labor and was taken to the hospital to have a baby. She says that’s all she remembered about the event. She gave birth to a baby boy and she was also sterilized without her knowledge. She was labeled promiscuous, mentally retarded, and unfit to procreate.

This sterilization procedure was done based on a scientific theory called Eugenics. Eugenicists believed that poverty, promiscuity, and alcoholism were inherited traits. So, in order to improve society’s gene pool sterilization was necessary so the state wouldn’t have to take care of the undesirables.

The state board had ordered that this sterilization procedure be performed on thousands of North Carolinians from 1929 to 1974.

Thirty-one states had legal Eugenics programs. By the 1960s, tens of thousands of Americans had been sterilized. They go on to say that this program began as a way to control welfare spending on poor white women and men. Somewhere down the line North Carolina decided to take a detour and focused more on women and more on blacks than whites.

7600 men, women, and children determined by social workers to be feebleminded or promiscuous or both were sterilized without their consent and it was all done legally.

It’s not shocking that some of the wealthiest citizens were Eugenicists. Dr. Clarence Gamble (Procter and Gamble) and James Hanes (Hanes hosiery) were involved in producing literature that fueled fears of morons mixing with the general population.

Sterilizations were ordered on girls as young as nine years old. A chilling part of the story were the tape recordings of the social workers discussing their decisions to sterilize people because they felt that the persons in question could not take care of another child.

The records of mass sterilization of American citizens against their will are kept, but are not open to the general public for viewing.

Elaine sued the state of North Carolina and lost. The US Supreme Court refused to hear the case. In 2002, then Governor Mike Easley issued an apology via e-mail to the Winston-Salem Journal. After pressure from reporters the state decided to do something. There have been at least three government task forces to decide how and if all the victims should be compensated to no avail, with the third still deciding the issue. The amount of compensation being considered is between $20,000 – $50,000. North Carolina is the only state considering compensation.

The current Governor of North Carolina, Beverly Perdue, says she wants this resolved. But the victims have to come forward on their own the state cannot contact them. That is the most bizarre reasoning, especially since they have all of the records and know the victims affected by this shameful law.

State Representative Larry Womble pushed to get this law removed from the books. It was finally removed in 2003.

Can there ever be justice for something like this?

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