tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82254655665673888472024-02-19T04:22:48.505-06:00The ExpoThe Expositor: A Political Blog for Left-Minded PeopleKatherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-58896541132492495182014-01-30T14:01:00.000-06:002014-01-30T14:15:07.487-06:00In Defense of Politicians<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>By Katie Foley </i></span></div>
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I recently interviewed for a new job within my organization. One of the first questions was, "Why do you want this job?" A lot of possible responses came to mind. I wanted the job because it would pay more, because it would be more of a challenge than my current job and because the job meant more responsibility and greater opportunity. I wanted the job because I would have been good at it. </div>
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These are pretty straight-forward reasons to want a new job. Never did it cross my mind to be critical of the job during the interview - I would have been treated to a very chilly audience if I had. You don't generally seek a new job because you think the job itself is flawed and faulty and you alone can save it. For example, people don't become plumbers because they have long been disgusted with the way houses are plumbed. You never hear of a little kid wanting to grow up to become a ballerina because they believe all ballerinas to be corrupt and they hope to be the exception. </div>
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And yet, this seems to be the norm in politics. Many people deem "because I hate politicians" to be an acceptable reason to want to be one. You do not bash Thomson Reuters or 3M and then seek to become employed by them - yet people rail against the government while seeking government employment as a matter of course. Every profession has it's bad actors, but most professions don't draw critics into their ranks. </div>
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If my house is ever on fire I hope a firefighter shows up to help. I'll leave sales to the salespeople, electrical work to the electrician and auto repair to the mechanic. Let's leave politics to the politicians - that's what they are here for. </div>
Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-70743574530912532562012-05-22T14:58:00.003-05:002012-05-22T16:57:18.866-05:00Sometimes I Just Can't Keep My Mouth Shut<br />
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frequently comment, at length, on the message boards of websites. One of my favorite bloggers is known as the Filthy Liberal Scum. I find his insight fascinating. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The article that prompted the post can be read <a href="http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/05/21/pasto/?fb_comment_id=fbc_384087914960941_4394652_384123898290676" target="_blank">here</a>. It's a
commentary on a pastor who recently preached to a rapt congregation the
following: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“Build a great, big, large fence…150 or 100 mile long…put
all the lesbians in there, fly over and drop some food. Do the same thing for
the queers and the homosexuals and have that fence electrified so they can’t
get out… feed’em and you know what? In a few years, they’ll die out… do you
know why? They can’t reproduce!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Of course, the people commenting on the post had varying
opinions, ranging from "why can't the South just be a different
country?" to "liberals are hypocrites because they say you should
tolerate everyone but they don't tolerate religious people" to "not
all Christians are like this!" I
had the following to say, which has been "liked" enough times by
other people perusing the comments section that I unsubscribed just so that my
Facebook Notifications would stop blowing up every five seconds (I'll admit,
that's a slight exaggeration). Since modesty has never been my strong suit I have decided to share my much-liked comment with you fine folks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope not to offend any of our religious followers overly
much, but only because they are my friends and because I too believe that the
Gospel of Christ preaches love, never hate. With that caveat, here is my post: <o:p></o:p></div>
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"...[P]eople get so offended when liberals speak out
against the use of religion as a way to manipulate a vulnerable population,
such as one that lacks the critical thinking skills necessary to discern
between fact and opinion, or when religion is used as a tool to attack people
who are perceived as being somehow threatening to an individual's or group's
religious inclination. The problem with comparing one man's speaking out
against homo[sexuals] and a general speaking out against religion is that religion
is an IDEA. You may see it as an important priority in your life, it may be
your Truth, but the actuality of it is that it is an IDEA. Unlike ideas,
homosexuality is a characteristic that a finite group of individuals possess.
We aren't saying put the South or the Religious in, oh I don't know, a
concentration camp where for all we care they can starve and eventually die.
All we're saying is that religion has been used as a tool for hate since its
inception. It's supposed to be about love, but anyone who has seen the Vatican
knows that "the church" didn't care about feeding the poor as much as
perpetuating its own opulence. Are all churches like this? No! But then shame
on them for not speaking out against the use of religion by people with whom
they disagree. Religion is an archaic idea that came about because our
ancestors had no way to explain the natural world and because death seemed so
depressingly final and happened with enough regularity to make any idea but
"everlasting life" truly distressing. What's lightening? Zeus's at it
again... What's a rainbow? God's promise not to commit global genocide again.
Why do women bleed every month and suffer pain in childbirth? Because Eve ate
the apple. What happens when we die? Well, if we worship who these educated
people with money tell us to we'll have everlasting life, but only if we
strictly adhere to their religious beliefs even though they don't seem to. I
hate to resort to quotes, but "Religion is regarded by the wise as false,
the common as true and the powerful as useful." Are all religious people
the same? No. But challenging an idea is not equal to challenging someone's
very humanity and entitlement to life based on a characteristic wholly out of
their control. Grow a thicker skin, Bible-thumpers, and get a better argument
than "God told me so" because I just got off the phone with the
Flying Spaghetti Monster and he finds your arguments unpersuasive...."<o:p></o:p></div>
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God may be Love, but religion is politics wrapped up in a dogmatic belief structure that too often prevents people from gaining true spiritual insight. </div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-88280134109768919302012-04-25T11:31:00.003-05:002012-04-25T11:33:46.715-05:00Student Loan Debt - The Millennial Sob Story<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ever since I was "this tall" I have heard that the key
to a good future is a good education. Fortunately school was something that
came easy to me and I had parents who were willing to <i>parent</i> me by taking an active role in my cognitive and social
development. A "good education" in my family meant college, end of
story. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the time for college came I decided to go to a state school because,
as I explained to any who inquired, "the price was right." I knew
that college is expensive. My older sister went to a private school and seeing
her debt load made me direct my attention to a more publicly funded
institution. In addition to choosing an economically sensible institution of
higher learning, I also worked 30-40 hours a week in order to minimize my need
to borrow money. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Having been so fiscally responsible during college I should have
simply framed my shiny new diploma and entered the working world. Instead I
went to law school. I cannot say that I "regret" the decision, but I
regret the vast amounts of money that foolishly borrowed at a ridiculously high
interest rate. I regret not knowing when I began that the economy was about to
collapse under the weight of yet another economic bubble. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR2Vwxi-X-cevH_tBvC-y-IVjLBQqszcRM7LU99iXRHYc7PYpJzAx3infE4eXCwCkDjmUsAWYCojemVfeM14pyBxLeszRlGvOVJh2N3ttG0rzpEp7XofPHX7OqQLo3HDzL_KHuJPNa-U/s1600/used-car-salesman_7541.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR2Vwxi-X-cevH_tBvC-y-IVjLBQqszcRM7LU99iXRHYc7PYpJzAx3infE4eXCwCkDjmUsAWYCojemVfeM14pyBxLeszRlGvOVJh2N3ttG0rzpEp7XofPHX7OqQLo3HDzL_KHuJPNa-U/s200/used-car-salesman_7541.gif" width="200" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a teenager I witnessed the burst of the .com bubble and as a
young adult I witnessed the burst of the housing bubble and subsequent near-collapse
of the global economy. I have come to accept that, to a particular breed of
greedy jerks, the threat of national or global economic collapse does not
outweigh the promise of a quick buck. I have read about the deterioration of
worker benefits. I have heard about the decline in academic achievement as lawmakers
demand standardized results instead of allowing for cognitive and social
development. I have seen the devastation wrought when intellectual strength
gives way to political expediency in judicial appointments. I have watched as
politicians consistently fail to address the pressing issues of the present and
future because they owe their campaign donors more loyalty than their
constituents. I have witnessed much of the America I grew up expecting to
inhabit fall prey to the greed of a chosen few, who were able to manipulate the
right assholes at the right period in time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYRQpePu5mxVKrCrf3Ahg5-8peb7L5iwrcUEYMjnSUp7drtemBDgrSFOTit0alTtJq5-p3ASjVC3lo5G3g1_LDyOHyf1gKoaBfkcEgcWVx_h2sKZpPL0ISaAiQACmlFTlmbqCCbfyCk4/s1600/crazy+student+loans+2011-q2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYRQpePu5mxVKrCrf3Ahg5-8peb7L5iwrcUEYMjnSUp7drtemBDgrSFOTit0alTtJq5-p3ASjVC3lo5G3g1_LDyOHyf1gKoaBfkcEgcWVx_h2sKZpPL0ISaAiQACmlFTlmbqCCbfyCk4/s200/crazy+student+loans+2011-q2.png" width="200" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But soon I’ll have to accept that I was one of the assholes
manipulated by those greedy jerks. Today I read <a href="http://www.ktwin.com/bring-me-the-news/?pid=305439" target="_blank">this
article</a> about how U.S. Bank has decided to pull out of the Student
Loan business. J.P. Morgan too, it would seem, has decided to start lending
only to their current customers. US Bank is one of the more [little
"c"] conservative banks left and J.P. Morgan was badly singed by the
sub-prime conflagration. When you add to that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.marketplace.org/topics/life/education/student-debt-burden-hits-1-trillion?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+APM_Marketplace+%28APM%3A+Marketplace%29" target="_blank">this article</a>, which states that the student loan debt
burden has now exceeded $1 trillion (yes, with a "t"), a debt burden
that outstrips credit card debt it would seem that maybe these two banks see a
bubble burst on the horizon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Discussion of today’s student loan debt burden often produces two
main arguments. One side thinks that all student loan debt should be forgiven. As
someone who has an upside-down mortgage on her law school diploma I would LOVE
to see my loans wiped away. However, this is hardly fair and fails to take into
account the economic impact erasing debt would have now that the Department of
Education holds much of the debt. The opposing side doesn’t think that those
with student loan debt should be given any relief, as they “signed on the
dotted line” to borrow the money. This is a fair point, but again it is overly simplistic
as it fails to understand that this staggering amount of debt is preventing
young people from doing other things that are good for the economy, such as
buying homes, getting married and having families. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now President Obama is touring the country, trying to say we need to keep college affordable. I agree. But let's re-invest in our college system instead of ensuring individuals can borrow vast sums of money at a capped interest rate. Let's stop cutting funding for education. Or, if we're going to cap anything, let's cap the rate at which tuition can increase from year to year. Making the assumption of student loan debt more palatable to America's youth may get you votes, but it's not going to keep this bubble from bursting. And unlike a house, my diploma has very little resale value. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfg7RBOw-LMoPPEkFVbCw6ksuzLWTIiqALf-Iwy9ruQtyiSjhbcYAQC_GdC4dzfuD9KqNC_RJ8LTATffv8bqGeugwE_Xz0IBpqJoeEBY764o2KKoJROdm025TcXlEZHqsFy-q-YCX0fY/s1600/Diploma+for+Sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfg7RBOw-LMoPPEkFVbCw6ksuzLWTIiqALf-Iwy9ruQtyiSjhbcYAQC_GdC4dzfuD9KqNC_RJ8LTATffv8bqGeugwE_Xz0IBpqJoeEBY764o2KKoJROdm025TcXlEZHqsFy-q-YCX0fY/s400/Diploma+for+Sale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-24168108883281245222012-03-27T14:57:00.001-05:002012-03-27T14:57:21.870-05:00Lessons from Rome<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>OR ~ Why the GOP should have paid attention in history class</i></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Contributed by Katie Foley</span></i></div>
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Today, while working, I watched a
few episodes of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001402/">Terry Jones</a>’
BBC series, “The Hidden History of ….”</div>
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One of the videos closed with the
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkei-drTD3qVErvptecH6f3N7fOQqO3M2lf7Q69ahsahNLZMflIqcnWKisZeuw7Q3p6sM7-t2uv4Ei3YG2uMRLaAL3E5BamWzHc1SdAcT3PCLHzrSpiPTBewFIFFPso1aO0r6PsIVeY4c/s1600/Fat+Cat+cartoon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkei-drTD3qVErvptecH6f3N7fOQqO3M2lf7Q69ahsahNLZMflIqcnWKisZeuw7Q3p6sM7-t2uv4Ei3YG2uMRLaAL3E5BamWzHc1SdAcT3PCLHzrSpiPTBewFIFFPso1aO0r6PsIVeY4c/s200/Fat+Cat+cartoon2.jpg" width="200" /></a>It’s
the story of a society that “was run as a mafia-like business; of Senators worth
$30,000,000, who supported a system that let the poor go to the war while they
supported free trade and low taxes for the businessmen. It’s the story of a
society in which the [prosperous]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
families flaunted their wealth while the majority drifted into relative poverty.
A society based on inequality, on the tantalizing luxury that was possible for
a few, as long as the vast proportion of the population had no rights at all,
or could be fooled into compliance with [Miller Lite]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
and [football]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.”
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<br /></div>
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This particular monologue came at
the end of “The Hidden History of Rome.” I was astounded by how well the quote had been crafted to span the centuries from ancient Rome to modern Western society. That we are still trying to make these ideas work is nothing short of lunacy. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHk9HNLHyEuYj1GQlxPKiBoJSobqLIlrrZFD_G19Tzsj3nxFi2F1aqrA1VabtdrOfEwvlYQjNiOlMLhLEVHKTP9NsmsXu3CjD-hHM9pb9FNF81Kkm1fWsG0GLBx1tRnAmXFXe6_qFlfw/s1600/Stirling+Archer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHk9HNLHyEuYj1GQlxPKiBoJSobqLIlrrZFD_G19Tzsj3nxFi2F1aqrA1VabtdrOfEwvlYQjNiOlMLhLEVHKTP9NsmsXu3CjD-hHM9pb9FNF81Kkm1fWsG0GLBx1tRnAmXFXe6_qFlfw/s200/Stirling+Archer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sterling Archer from FX's "Archer"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So
how about we try something new guys? Tax breaks for the wealthy and free trade (including
the free trade of slaves) did not end well for Rome. The next time you think
you’re bringing new ideas to the table, I suggest you first follow Sterling
Archer’s advice and, “Read a book!” </div>
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Sterling Archer<span
style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt;mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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Or, you could just watch a
historical documentary hosted by a Monty Python alum….</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> “Noble”
in original quote</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> “Bread”
in original quote</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> “Circuses”
in original quote</div>
</div>
</div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-34142728614794730512012-03-24T14:57:00.003-05:002012-03-24T16:02:50.369-05:00Senate District 41 - Thoughts on Redistricting<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Contributed by Rachel Nelson, a.k.a. Katie Foley<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVB4XPlxuBJR8WOpUu6grMlyMflwUq1SouzVnRPxFHIBrcsMwGxANAklNzr4jmlbZW9jDrl5f9C1dU8nxxLJE5bTFFdX17euaQrnV5Z2VhHNcjA916ksWWyAGXFVl0nM7d929_QcP5bw/s1600/Senate+District+41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVB4XPlxuBJR8WOpUu6grMlyMflwUq1SouzVnRPxFHIBrcsMwGxANAklNzr4jmlbZW9jDrl5f9C1dU8nxxLJE5bTFFdX17euaQrnV5Z2VhHNcjA916ksWWyAGXFVl0nM7d929_QcP5bw/s320/Senate+District+41.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif;"> I loved my DFL family in the old SD50. Barb Goodwin’s candidacy for the Minnesota Senate gave us a common purpose around which we could unite. This single event, which took place over several months, gave our district the common struggle and history that gives rise to lasting relationships. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif;"> When the Court came down with its redistricting plan, it was a plan about which I could not form a real definitive opinion. Sure, it put a lot of really good sitting DFL legislators against each other, but it did the same for the GOP. I did not have to be too anxious about meeting a bunch of new Democrats because much of what comprised SD50 had been swallowed up by the new SD41. Also, SD41 managed to nab some of the great party leaders of the districts neighboring the old SD50.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif;"> However, it was not until last night that I became truly excited about the new SD41. As Connie Bernardy’s endorsement campaign coordinator I’ve been in a unique position to learn the names of the delegates from the new House District 41A. Last night Connie and her husband Dan hosted an HD 41A get-together. It was very well-attended, including an appearance and speech by Congressman Keith Ellison. But perhaps more important than the campaign atmosphere and upbeat endorsements from Ellison and Carolyn Laine was the chance I had to meet some of the people with whose names I have become so familiar. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif;"> I met and spoke with people who are bursting with ideas and talents that could really make SD41 a shining example of what works for DFL politics. Fundraisers, the centralization of information, complete lifetimes of knowledge and experience – the people I have so far had a chance to meet from the new SD41 have reinvigorated me. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif;"> So I suppose that have I finally had a chance to form a real opinion about the Court’s redistricting plan. State-wide it gives the DFL a chance to take back the majority in the state legislature, giving Minnesota’s policy makers a real chance to enact policies that will make Minnesota great once again. Locally, I couldn’t be more excited about the ideas, energy, wisdom and thoughtfulness displayed by my new DFL family. Let the fun begin! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF4rh-kVhPE9Lw_KCZBYyU7VZ8mkur-Zpm4UD0pKVOFkDgzowPqPU5FuwDm5iihbCEDdiZXFAIm7prNrernQwsAazTClPqxf4CE0hxqOCxYW2RFthrRm9fAhUVoc7wqU0_205pQdIp6E/s1600/Shameless2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF4rh-kVhPE9Lw_KCZBYyU7VZ8mkur-Zpm4UD0pKVOFkDgzowPqPU5FuwDm5iihbCEDdiZXFAIm7prNrernQwsAazTClPqxf4CE0hxqOCxYW2RFthrRm9fAhUVoc7wqU0_205pQdIp6E/s200/Shameless2.jpg" width="150" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif;">SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft PhagsPa', sans-serif;">Elect Rachel Nelson for SD 41 Chair at the DFL Senate District 41’s Endorsing Convention on March 31 at Columbia Heights High School. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-27853616671866737802012-03-13T13:14:00.000-05:002012-03-13T13:14:14.941-05:00In Defense of Millennials<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Contributed by Katie Foley</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlu2ZbopUFO7msjO40YZsmLZnQPKHgaG7lQZU0aEI7fv1EKe-cSAqSLJ-27VVbAbb__6wwmpFZlF3FFplPzHih6k9j3DfbMXA6m3zsK4WApBDr5PcOp4FJpO59F8OSLlqVkAYfoSzAloo/s1600/Millennials3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlu2ZbopUFO7msjO40YZsmLZnQPKHgaG7lQZU0aEI7fv1EKe-cSAqSLJ-27VVbAbb__6wwmpFZlF3FFplPzHih6k9j3DfbMXA6m3zsK4WApBDr5PcOp4FJpO59F8OSLlqVkAYfoSzAloo/s200/Millennials3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other day I read <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/the-go-nowhere-generation.html?_r=2&smid=FB-nytimes&WT.mc_id=OP-E-FB-SM-LIN-TGN-031112-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click" target="_blank">this article</a> and it got me thinking, A<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">re Millennials, or “Generation Y” as this author refers to us, really “going nowhere?”</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i>To prove their point, Mr. and Ms. Buchholz cite the fact that 18 year olds are getting their licenses at a rate 15% lower than their 1980’s counter parts. Also, twice as many young adults were living at home in 2008 compared to 1980, and the likelihood of a young person moving to another state has dropped 40% in the same time frame.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QSeg_p0XhoA3hKdYKf8I5s2kJWW-xtgm_dTFj9xOIA1Jt203iJtek9Z6EHuRmcuszw_b6LDleH1n0SHjLd4IRB3cBGVmD1UrySh5ORQ5-yzHp_mMtdXZJFYP682nP602X36caRZrPIs/s1600/truthjusticewisdomburgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QSeg_p0XhoA3hKdYKf8I5s2kJWW-xtgm_dTFj9xOIA1Jt203iJtek9Z6EHuRmcuszw_b6LDleH1n0SHjLd4IRB3cBGVmD1UrySh5ORQ5-yzHp_mMtdXZJFYP682nP602X36caRZrPIs/s200/truthjusticewisdomburgers.jpg" width="169" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What’s to blame? To start with, the authors blame Facebook. Apparently studies have shown that the more time a young person spends on the internet, the more likely they are to delay getting their driver’s license. We’re more risk adverse, we’re too quick to believe “luck” plays a major role in life’s events and we’re more sedentary. As the authors pointed out, even a decrease in bike sales indicates that we’re literally going nowhere. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So what gives? Are we just too involved with our virtual world to explore the natural world around us? Do we settle for mediocre jobs instead of pursuing our dreams because of an innate laziness we picked up somewhere? Are Millennials complacent? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIArbL-GovE_OUDvQG6eCIUgxcoU4YqYbYy8hn2rb64ElsIVzybSnfC1VbvvDT8s0nMNrjyRDw-43nOeMWohekUPgb9YH6lpWblixOfbHQQadYTdoySuhRQpjrYv-qRInfvQCnhyC5J0/s1600/Keep+Shopping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIArbL-GovE_OUDvQG6eCIUgxcoU4YqYbYy8hn2rb64ElsIVzybSnfC1VbvvDT8s0nMNrjyRDw-43nOeMWohekUPgb9YH6lpWblixOfbHQQadYTdoySuhRQpjrYv-qRInfvQCnhyC5J0/s320/Keep+Shopping.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I don’t think so. The authors talked about every modern American generation through the Baby Boomers, then skipped Generation X. Is Generation Y really the first generation of “why bother?” In my lifetime, I have always known that AIDs existed, that it could infect anyone regardless of sexual preference or promiscuity, and that you could not get it from a toilet seat. I was born into a pre-Google world, but the internet was around by the time I was ready to start browsing. Until recently, there has never been any doubt in my mind that I had a right to use contraception and that women could go just as far professionally as men, even if they weren’t there yet. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But as I grew into adulthood the world around me has all but imploded. A vibrant economy during my adolescence has turned into the “Great Recession.” Home ownership, touted as part and parcel of the American dream, has turned into a nightmare in neighborhoods around the country, as reported on the nightly news. People who cannot understand what a computer network is are trying to draft laws regulating them. Every day we see drug users who are not violent, not lazy and not on the road to a serious and debilitating addiction. On 101.3 Drake sings, “It’s my birthday I’ll get high if I want to,” while AM 1130 is promoting the same “War on Drugs” propaganda that has characterized this<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>doomed movement from the start. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Millennials understand the value of an open community, an online community of people around the globe that share our interests and vision. It is because young people were able to set up proxy servers faster than the government could find them that videos of the 2009 Iranian uprising made it to our television screens and computer monitors. Some of the greatest modern protest movements have gained recognition, validation and exposure through the use of the internet. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFvylOSPGttSLayu5qFXLYUejyAGWPHaESNU85KmTIMyPcX88EYkUnQ5MWvVl3SsYigRe3fl0r6sj4IoxzqZqxD5Ib9gc4CiqBnInxgRAKyc2Eiu8wjJaalvWRBD5bphl7vVumK9N_sM/s1600/StudentLoadDebtComic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFvylOSPGttSLayu5qFXLYUejyAGWPHaESNU85KmTIMyPcX88EYkUnQ5MWvVl3SsYigRe3fl0r6sj4IoxzqZqxD5Ib9gc4CiqBnInxgRAKyc2Eiu8wjJaalvWRBD5bphl7vVumK9N_sM/s320/StudentLoadDebtComic.jpg" width="320" /></a>Using today's dollars, the average cost of private college tuition is 3.4 times <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp">more expensive</a>, public college tuition is 4 times more expensive, and private law school is 4 1/2 times <a href="http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/legaled/statistics/charts/stats_5.authcheckdam.pdf" target="_blank">more expensive</a> now than it was when I was born in 1985. Regardless of whether cars and gas prices are more or less expensive now or then, the cost of college alone has become something young people must consider when developing a life plan.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps it’s just our priorities that have changed, not our values. Instead of buying $75,000 homes we’re buying $75,000 educations. Rather than spend our limited funds meeting our friends and associates over coffee, we utilize technology in a way that allows us to meet virtually. Maybe we aren’t complacent, maybe we just realize that if we are going to make this country work we better buckle down together and do some problem solving. It’s possible that what the Boomers and Gen Xers don’t fully understand is that “It’s not that we don’t care, we just know that the fight ain’t fair.” <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[1]</span> Don’t worry, once you’ve finished making a mess of things we’ll swoop in to save the day. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And stop patronizing us by pretending to be concerned about your legacy. . . </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzS5KEYNjVj9dgo32J-auSGm1-k1oz4UutccwCCrwSKvLR7E-QvY-qpOLiaPG6oJn6xrRO2ymBjHNoDGJDKM_bwgQqydHGdMDxJfUo3TJ9jRaqR-04pGAKIkzFQHlqyusQErOXylzPsSM/s1600/BigHoax_FixTheWorldForNothing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzS5KEYNjVj9dgo32J-auSGm1-k1oz4UutccwCCrwSKvLR7E-QvY-qpOLiaPG6oJn6xrRO2ymBjHNoDGJDKM_bwgQqydHGdMDxJfUo3TJ9jRaqR-04pGAKIkzFQHlqyusQErOXylzPsSM/s320/BigHoax_FixTheWorldForNothing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[1] "Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer, lyrics available <a href="http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/johnmayer/waitingontheworldtochange.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-61820245084182007522012-02-16T18:03:00.002-06:002012-02-16T18:07:05.388-06:00Let's Talk About Sex - Part II<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Contributed by Katie Fole</span></i>y</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">Contraception</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3CXD7NGFPu_qzpTJsphSXNJte4f3e3VRqHNLe7Elew4h85yEGnN5_OvwAh2jxwrnuJUEBaraIqABbD0fGlIwikmQHziT7-JQjSfL88Vj-tzu3Jz_EAiI-jIQx552may_nvCKRXCB57E/s1600/contraception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3CXD7NGFPu_qzpTJsphSXNJte4f3e3VRqHNLe7Elew4h85yEGnN5_OvwAh2jxwrnuJUEBaraIqABbD0fGlIwikmQHziT7-JQjSfL88Vj-tzu3Jz_EAiI-jIQx552may_nvCKRXCB57E/s200/contraception.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As a woman born into the Millenial generation I find it mind-boggling that contraception, and whether I should be able to access it, is still such a hot button political issue. I was born in a post <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenstadt_v._Baird">Eisenstadt v. Baird</a></i> world, a world where women can determine where, when and whether they bear children without having to sacrifice physical intimacy. In a way, the pill and other forms of contraception allowed women finally to be able to “have their cake and eat it too,” when it came to sex – something that has been a strictly male domain since, well, forever. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Women have always gotten the short end of the stick where sex is involved. Since property interests were directly tied to a man’s descendants, and the only way to ensure a woman’s offspring were any one man’s was to ensure the only man with whom she had been intimate was the man in question, a woman’s life was ruined if she “gave it away.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In fact, “ruined” is what they called a woman who had sex before she was married. She became damaged goods, a person ostracized for having “given in” to a biological urge that men were <a href="http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sow1.htm">encouraged to explore</a>. If the woman became pregnant it was seen as her fault, never mind that women were often kept ignorant of the consequences of intimate encounters. And if someone from the upper class impregnated someone from a lower class she could just about forget about having her child acknowledged by that man or his family. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZXzfy6kjH4X3Om1V1xKbXDu6LTiLzHVqQ0tlpqT6ygTAy-Td0OS6GoRTldC_7Ph-zl988ZsJ7t6PhbmeRVC28vFS7GJinUe8VC2gJ91FVn8l2e_m7ZTVy1FT4Qt2QFjGbxIejgJVRD0/s1600/Feetsies.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZXzfy6kjH4X3Om1V1xKbXDu6LTiLzHVqQ0tlpqT6ygTAy-Td0OS6GoRTldC_7Ph-zl988ZsJ7t6PhbmeRVC28vFS7GJinUe8VC2gJ91FVn8l2e_m7ZTVy1FT4Qt2QFjGbxIejgJVRD0/s200/Feetsies.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It’s the same old story. Woman gets pregnant. Woman tells man she’s pregnant. Man denies the child is his. Woman proves the child is his. Court orders man to pay child support. Man pays child support reluctantly, if at all, bitterly complaining the whole time about the injustice of it all. However, if woman complains bitterly about how her life has changed, about the expense (in both monetary terms and in terms of time) of raising a child, she is told that she “should have thought of that.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And now the right wing, led by <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/rick-santorums-very-catholic-birth-control-beliefs/2012/02/16/gIQALczyHR_blog.html">Rick Santorum</a>, is again raising hell about whether women should even have access to birth control. Time and again it is suggested that women should just <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/02/foster-friess-bayer-aspirin-contraceptives-santorum-/1#.Tz1meMUS3ko">keep their legs together</a>. Boys will be boys, but girls will be sluts. The funniest thing about it is that the Catholic Church did not explicitly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casti_Connubii">prohibit the use of contraception</a> until 1930, well after women got <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States">franchise rights</a>. Letting women vote was all good and well until they started using their new right to assert self-determination. Suddenly women were deciding whether to have children. Suddenly women were able to delay child bearing in a way that allowed them to pursue educational and professional opportunities. Suddenly women posed a threat to the paternalistic establishment. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WZNKZMkYZ315av3xiANzVweusqx_Bfc94xpohwq6taTtEv6ombgmRRmU83m50jRZVOlYdQwN4BWXBNq1efFjdfliUxyc_iyPF5y9sPgwbeF4Wa-HABIcRcyNuVK3qdWSGPSXD-JBrbk/s1600/2010-10-08-double-standard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WZNKZMkYZ315av3xiANzVweusqx_Bfc94xpohwq6taTtEv6ombgmRRmU83m50jRZVOlYdQwN4BWXBNq1efFjdfliUxyc_iyPF5y9sPgwbeF4Wa-HABIcRcyNuVK3qdWSGPSXD-JBrbk/s320/2010-10-08-double-standard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>However, the men in charge had an ace up their sleeves. Since women are often seen as the backbone of a society’s morality they portrayed the use of contraception as morally repugnant. The crazy thing is that almost a half-century has passed and men are still trying to tell women that they don’t deserve to set their own course in life, that they should not explore the sexuality that pervades our society on an individual level, that they should simply keep their legs closed. Why are men I’ve never met so damn interested in my uterus? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I have a couple theories. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhfAsVToCgunT6U8gywcgFnNYYSSPoVxMQiIs8q3q7wEhlTATG0-sdiNo3brUg0Yi57pUdj54aGiXFa0y51KtPkJwRql48fwWtKeK8k7Y49IKo0RaFtWNiGNe8bsTdhkh4cO5LIKPDVY/s1600/professional-women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhfAsVToCgunT6U8gywcgFnNYYSSPoVxMQiIs8q3q7wEhlTATG0-sdiNo3brUg0Yi57pUdj54aGiXFa0y51KtPkJwRql48fwWtKeK8k7Y49IKo0RaFtWNiGNe8bsTdhkh4cO5LIKPDVY/s200/professional-women.jpg" width="200" /></a>1) In an increasingly fast paced society, skills such as communication, stress management, collaboration and multi-tasking can make the difference between mediocrity and success. It just so happens that these are things at which women are better than men.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a> It could be that as more women come into positions of power and prestige, men will use whatever tool necessary to keep them from succeeding. Since child-rearing and home-making is still a primarily female realm, it’s only natural to try to use that against us. I can’t compete against men for a high powered job if I’m taking care of kids at home. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">2) The future of our country’s economy is dependent upon my generation keeping the birth rate sufficiently high to create the next generation of tax payers and corporate slaves. As the boomers age it becomes more and more important for there to be an available workforce to pay for Social Security and medicine for the <a href="http://www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare/medical_care_issues.htm">three chronic medical conditions</a> the average elderly person suffers. By not having children we are jeopardizing the tax base of the future – and we all know they aren’t going to make up the difference by increasing capital gains and inheritance taxes. Oh no, the solution is for me and my sisters to start, as George Carlin would say, “pumping out a unit now and then.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I don’t know what men are so afraid of or threatened by; I don’t know why it is that they feel they have any right to prescribe my sex life and dictate whether I bring a child into this crazy world of ours. However, I have a friend who has a brilliant solution to the moral issues surrounding contraception. Since vasectomies are reversible, wouldn’t it make sense to put every boy under the knife at about age 8? Then, when they’ve decided they’re ready for children, men can go have the procedure reversed. But then, we wouldn’t want to tell men what to do with their bodies now would we? That wouldn’t go over well at all. </div><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br />
For a more in-depth discussion of the role of the Catholic Church in women's rights, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/the-men-behind-the-war-on_n_1069406.html%20">read this article</a>.<br />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;"><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8225465566567388847#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a> See <a href="http://socyberty.com/sociology/10-things-women-do-better-than-men/">http://socyberty.com/sociology/10-things-women-do-better-than-men/</a>, <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/tips/21-things-women-can-do-that-men-cant">http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/tips/21-things-women-can-do-that-men-cant</a>, <a href="http://hazelmwalker.com/three-things-that-women-do-better-than-men-%E2%80%93-when-networking/">http://hazelmwalker.com/three-things-that-women-do-better-than-men-%E2%80%93-when-networking/</a>, </div><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://arabia.msn.com/lifestyle/him/mu/2011/march/thingswomencando/10-things-women-can-do-that-men-cant.aspx">http://arabia.msn.com/lifestyle/him/mu/2011/march/thingswomencando/10-things-women-can-do-that-men-cant.aspx</a> </div><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><br />
</div></div></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-1633358154727485672012-01-10T15:46:00.000-06:002012-01-10T15:46:14.011-06:00My Email to Keith Ellison<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVtWwKShmSGe-VlAPVXCi7KWVeN91zfNqK7YHmlLqVlITtnnSpoRbJhnuVfGVMXlHvGoS21MelRc3KCrtpmKBRW1M62FQ8fx79KwmTPv-BsHXWbxxSs1y_52q4YUCCy4lDOnHQ5YbwF0/s1600/HempUsesLeaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVtWwKShmSGe-VlAPVXCi7KWVeN91zfNqK7YHmlLqVlITtnnSpoRbJhnuVfGVMXlHvGoS21MelRc3KCrtpmKBRW1M62FQ8fx79KwmTPv-BsHXWbxxSs1y_52q4YUCCy4lDOnHQ5YbwF0/s200/HempUsesLeaf.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As I've previously mentioned, I'm on more political email lists than I can count. Somehow I've ended up on Mr. Keith Ellison's. Today I received an email inviting me to take a <a href="http://salsa.mydccc.org/o/30181/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=5967">survey</a> to tell Keith what issues are important to me. At the end they provide an email address in case "our" issue was not included in the survey. In response I sent the following email:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dear Mr. Ellison (or at least his campaign committee), <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am writing to tell you that you missed a very important issue in the survey. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am talking, of course, about getting marijuana reclassified as a Schedule II substance under the Controlled Substances Act, telling the DEA and other federal agencies to stop interfering with medical marijuana laws in states that have them, and to allow for the production of industrialized hemp as a viable and cost-efficient alternative to many of the current organic products used in our society today.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First I'll address the issue of rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II substance. One of the favorite reasons cited by "the government" for not approving medical marijuana is that there is insufficient scientific evidence indicating the medicinal value of cannabis. Yet, every time someone approaches the FDA and DEA to conduct a study they are denied the ability to do so because of the fact that marijuana is a Schedule I substance. This is ridiculous and counter-productive. It's like telling a child that they can't watch TV until they read a book about fairies, then making sure there are no books about fairies available for the child to read. It's both counter-productive and stupid and its time for marijuana to stop occupying the same schedule as heroin and PCP. While I'm all for legalizing and taxing this estimated $18 Billion (yes, with a "b") industry, I'd settle for rescheduling it so that real, up-to-date scientific studies can be conducted. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Secondly, allowing for the growth of industrial hemp for oil, food products, textiles, paper, etc. would do many things. For starters it would relieve the ecological disasters that have resulted and continue to result from deforestation. A 1916 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that one acre of hemp could yield as much pulp for paper as 4 acres of trees, and hemp grows faster and can be harvested more often than trees. Not only can hemp be used for paper, it can also be used to develop building materials. Hemp fiber is more ecologically and economically viable than cotton fiber and the oil from hemp can be used for everything from fuel to cooking. Yet, even though smoking an entire field of hemp will give you naught more than a headache and sore lungs, the DEA consistently considers hemp and it's psychoactive cousin marijuana as the same plant. This is a product that, instead of importing from places like China and Russia, could help get family farms up and running again in the face of agribusiness. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I once heard Mr. Ellison say that he was all for "states rights," yet when I asked him whether the federal government should allow states to decide their own marijuana and hemp policies he waffled. In my experience Mr. Ellison is both an excellent speaker and an excellent waffler. I haven't ever heard him say anything new or profound, I never hear stories on MPR about Mr. Ellison being a man of the people, who boldly stands up to conservative opposition. I actually am not sure I've ever gotten a straight answer from him on anything. Mr. Ellison is fluent in politi-speech. Lucky for him he represents a "safe" district and there are no liberals willing and/or able to rise up and challenge him for the DFL endorsement. That doesn't mean he should fall back on his laurels, knowing that he doesn't have to talk straight because he's not going to have any real challenger.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">44% of Americans favor a blanket legalization of marijuana (78% of self-described "liberals") and 50% of Americans support legalizing it for medical use. The trend is changing, with more people in support of legalization in one form or the other, and yet the government and the elected officials that occupy its hallowed halls are stubbornly refusing to alter their long-held beliefs about marijuana, beliefs born out of racism and a capitalistic urge to eliminate competition in the lumber industry. This is a real issue with real facts and it's not just tie-dyed hippies munching cheetos on the couch that are talking about it. I would love if Mr. Ellison joined the conversation in a meaningful way. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you for your time,</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[Katie Foley]</span></div></span>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-86890889726908735892011-12-14T15:46:00.000-06:002011-12-14T15:46:17.410-06:00Name Calling in Politics - A Rant<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Contributed by Katherine Foley</i></span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGiGijhOARJqTHjymn4FbYhYuPhqfdigbQo8obB-NEDKv1ucG6ct346VcvNyWpik6Ue0qcbTh0cFoXXaPt9Hu1BhVFZ1ksOmHxyXhd5xa2KVxap0Mu9xBdXU4Y4ujAnxXuLtV7rBYscg/s1600/Namecalling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGiGijhOARJqTHjymn4FbYhYuPhqfdigbQo8obB-NEDKv1ucG6ct346VcvNyWpik6Ue0qcbTh0cFoXXaPt9Hu1BhVFZ1ksOmHxyXhd5xa2KVxap0Mu9xBdXU4Y4ujAnxXuLtV7rBYscg/s200/Namecalling.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">It's a sin of which I am guilty, but is it possible to engage in today's political climate without resorting to name calling? If I were a gambling woman I would be willing to bet that many liberals do not consider themselves socialist. I'd be willing to bet that many conservatives are thoughtful about their beliefs, not raging bigots. I'd be willing to bet there is not a thoughtful, politically involved person who actually emulates or resembles Hitler. </div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">But my favorite of all the names that the left and right fling at each other is, "hypocrite." You see, we're all hypocrites - everyone of us. It's part of the human condition that we don't always hold ourselves or our loved ones to the same standards that we apply to those in the "out group." If we are going to actually engage in meaningful dialogue, should we not resort to being the proverbial pot calling the kettle black? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would suggest that everyone's a little bit racist. It's an evolutionary instinct to distrust people who are different from ourselves. I would suggest that we all have formed opinions without being fully aware of the facts and that we've all said things that we were aware were less than true. It's true that not all of us are running for president, and not all of us have a pulpit from which thousands, if not millions, of people can hear what we have to say. However, let us not fall into the pattern of dismissing someone we identify as opposition by over-generalizing them or their beliefs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't know how many times I've vehemently disliked someone, only to get to know them and discover that they are an amazingly worthwhile person to know. Whether this is because I judge people to harshly upon first impression or because I am willing to accept that I was wrong about someone or something, I don't know. But if I can do this in my personal life I should surely be able to do the same in my political life. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Opposition either strengthens our own position or demolishes it. We should not be afraid to be proven wrong, or have too much pride to admit if someone else is right. Let us not call people names as a quick way of discrediting their position. If you think someone is factually inaccurate, correct them. If you think someone has said something ignorant or acted in an ignorant manner, correct them. Calling them names will only expand the breach between your points of view - and that is what's wrong with politics today. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We should be building bridges, not using dynamite to widen any chasms that legitimately exist. </div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-80172877126368656652011-11-30T17:15:00.001-06:002011-11-30T17:41:32.209-06:00Vikings Stadium: Proponents Warn Against Opponents' Free-Riding Mentality<b></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">PAM’<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">s</span> R<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">esponse</span> <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">to</span> S<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">ave</span>T<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">he</span>V<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">ikes</span>.O<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">rg</span></span></i></b></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>T</b></span>he Vikings’ proposal to build a stadium in Arden Hills has created many a heated opinion among the residents of SD50. The overwhelming majority of the active members of SD50’s DFL are opposed to the stadium, and some of those people are even Viking fans.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But lately the website SaveTheVikes.Org intimated that most people who support the Arden Hills stadium proposal are employed, whereas those who oppose the plan are unemployed and are upset “because the government isn’t giving them enough.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">“As with any public hearing we do expect to hear from opposition on a Vikings stadium and given the time slot, the advantage goes to opponents. We typically see those who are unemployed or on a fixed income advocating against a new stadium because the government isn’t giving them enough. All while the majority of the Vikings 2.5 million fans are working." (sic throughout) <span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><a href="http://www.savethevikes.org/2011/11/28/vikings-stadium-public-hearings-when-where-and-who/">cite</a></span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3gsf67iZNp6pECW1cfXcaGmaaEuTCZb_F8req_YBj4c-KlRtLd_1WEhQj7BaQsWrapyRMIATGWcaN1UvT7qQdh_l6mu82C3__GGJovzh-bMz0_HO1zc5ZwdSDTmaIF0MV_dL0Kytf3s/s1600/SavetheVikes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3gsf67iZNp6pECW1cfXcaGmaaEuTCZb_F8req_YBj4c-KlRtLd_1WEhQj7BaQsWrapyRMIATGWcaN1UvT7qQdh_l6mu82C3__GGJovzh-bMz0_HO1zc5ZwdSDTmaIF0MV_dL0Kytf3s/s320/SavetheVikes.jpg" width="273" /></a><a href="http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2011/11/29/33443/savethevikesorg_most_stadium_fans_work_opponents_dont#comments_section">That’s right</a> – opponents are unemployed socialists who oppose a tax-payer supplemented stadium who want a <i>bigger</i> handout,* while proponents are hardworking (dare I say, “free market”) Vikings fans. They fail entirely to mention Zygi Wilf or his net worth, which he has <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2059638">declined</a> to make public but which is estimated to at least exceed <a href="http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2011/10/vikings_stadium_metrodome_sell_1_zygi_wilf.php">$1</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“I thought you'd appreciate this.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">You thought correctly, Mr. B. Thanks for sharing! Thanks also for the foresight to take a screen shot of the website, in case they modify it later.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">*<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Apparently government money is okay (to help the wealthy in the form of stadium funding or an absurdly low capital gains tax), it's government ownership and control that’s offensive</span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-3114723349204202222011-11-29T00:37:00.004-06:002011-11-30T17:34:12.586-06:00Tonight I Fell In Love<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonight, whilst browsing when I should very well have been sleeping, I discovered <a href="http://www.congressmanwithguts.com/">Alan Grayson.</a> He's fantastic. At the very least, I have a new celebrity crush. However, given the totality of the circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if tonight I dreamt 1990's Disney-animated dreams, in which Mr. Grayson and I dance in the moonlight while Elton John and/or Phil Collins croon/s in the background about Love. </span><br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3wHSQChLskt9jSTIEAqSPc2xjOckRXdQ4OwIH2zd9fxtqn9cEZ_TYXpbZC1I42kV0lPlkXSqlpJKunUsUQnVEQjbg2r461HayV9DeI8jfQKq_sLHHiuHhS6TdMNQeOkhCoOZrj-UBNc/s1600/AlanGraysonisDreamy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3wHSQChLskt9jSTIEAqSPc2xjOckRXdQ4OwIH2zd9fxtqn9cEZ_TYXpbZC1I42kV0lPlkXSqlpJKunUsUQnVEQjbg2r461HayV9DeI8jfQKq_sLHHiuHhS6TdMNQeOkhCoOZrj-UBNc/s200/AlanGraysonisDreamy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The point is, I recommend browsing through the links on his website if you work in a cubicle or just have some time to kill on-line.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The best of what I found by him, however, was the following, which he is credited as having said on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/alan-grayson/grayson-on-the-republican-candidates/297790913577228">November 22, 2011</a>. </span></div><div><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Last time, the [Republican] nominee was named McCain. Now the person who is leading in their race is named Cain. You have to consider the possibility that it’s because of the name.</span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“You have to consider that possibility. It might just be the name.</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“And what is that story? I mean, think about it. Why would they be so attracted to somebody named Cain? As I recall the story, he killed his brother with the jawbone of a donkey, which probably meant he wanted to blame it on the Democrats.</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“And then when God said, ‘Where’s your brother?’, Cain said, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ As if he had no idea.</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">“And that is actually </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><strong>the fundamental question that separates us from them</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">, right? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><strong>Am I my brother’s keeper? Our answer is, ‘Yes, we are.’</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> We are.”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;"> </span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well said, Mr. Grayson. Well said.</span></div></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-27611361988126607112011-11-08T12:22:00.000-06:002011-11-08T12:22:25.767-06:00SD50 Volunteers at Habitat for Humanity Event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe3ctDo1Sg7v8yMAfd-YVhCWXQwFdUYqmHYWsW_sL6xStCctktH3vZN7WorFh3VtOeQE71M2OD8N_fsLzWgjfO4wiPVKPWkemeFavKwEiRqQiOL5Ry1UoP_oEhVmOD5Vb9N0AVmfN8u4/s1600/H4H+Group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe3ctDo1Sg7v8yMAfd-YVhCWXQwFdUYqmHYWsW_sL6xStCctktH3vZN7WorFh3VtOeQE71M2OD8N_fsLzWgjfO4wiPVKPWkemeFavKwEiRqQiOL5Ry1UoP_oEhVmOD5Vb9N0AVmfN8u4/s320/H4H+Group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Saturday dawned breezy but clear, with blue skies and a warm November sun. Around a dozen volunteers from the SD50 DFL found themselves enjoying the unseasonably warm weather by helping a new family feel welcome to the district. </span></div><div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After many inquiries, Todd Olin finally found a project that could use volunteers from SD50. That project was to help with a Habitat for Humanity build right in Columbia Heights. Nile Harper* generously provided t-shirt commemorating the event and DFLers, Habitat for Humanity workers and the Homeowners spent a lovely Saturday painting, sanding, staining, sodding, hammering, sawing, cutting, measuring, building and laughing. </span></div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWID4a2WPh8aE8wv8DoGek9CFZn2hEWe8lH1U3WGVlIiRJjCTcSLPuMhqY1gS8yOp0bKEPx2mmyGXANQB_qxTIwDBVMZ2KErqM5MdmHaLab6NUsCiRQP8mLgt0ec-dTRT1IkHM1qW2g4/s1600/H4H+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWID4a2WPh8aE8wv8DoGek9CFZn2hEWe8lH1U3WGVlIiRJjCTcSLPuMhqY1gS8yOp0bKEPx2mmyGXANQB_qxTIwDBVMZ2KErqM5MdmHaLab6NUsCiRQP8mLgt0ec-dTRT1IkHM1qW2g4/s320/H4H+Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As the party of openness and advocacy for the underprivileged, it is important that the community perceive the DFL as the party willing to go out in the community and make its members feel welcome. I, for one, look forward to a future full of volunteer events such as this one. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">* <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks also to Deb, Deb and the Rjolstads for providing food! I can't recall who provided the baked goods (Betty?) but thanks to you as well!</span></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-6511358275165329802011-10-26T10:05:00.031-05:002011-10-27T13:10:59.193-05:00Let’s Talk About Sex - Part I<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Intercourse. Coitus. Making love. F^#$ing. Whatever you call it, sex has been a hot topic for much of human history. Whether it's because I am twenty-something or because I read between 2 and 5 romance novels a week, I often find myself involved in discussions of cultural attitudes toward sex.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Rape Culture in America</i></span></b><br />
<b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">A couple of weeks ago I attended a forum discussion entitled, “Dismantling Rape Culture, Dismantling Capitalism.” The forum was hosted by the Socialist Alternative at Mayday Books in Minneapolis.<sup>1</sup> A presentation opened the discussion, during which the speakers sought to establish sexism (and racism, ageism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc) as a tool that Capitalists use to execute their “divide and rule” style of governance. By wedging apart natural economic allies, Capitalists are able to prevent the working class from uniting in a meaningful way, in a way that would invalidate the Capitalists’ exploitation of their underpaid employees. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">One of the hallmarks of sexism is the idea of traditional gender roles. Have women, throughout the 200,000 years of human history, always been ideologically limited to being barefoot and pregnant in front of the hearth? What gave rise to what are now known as “traditional” gender roles? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJ_B03ZevTR3a3Yh-j1nIXdu-qZS1cGAWjd_UTeO1YrrILjeQEYOMZhxWtfzr5gFIyh-c5M4rZ7BniehY0R16xRzckpSKX3ZFaaZ-gBWJp0qlqlj_HaVaPaB3KB9AK-eh81VAmDWcKNE/s1600/hunter-gatherer-cartoon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJ_B03ZevTR3a3Yh-j1nIXdu-qZS1cGAWjd_UTeO1YrrILjeQEYOMZhxWtfzr5gFIyh-c5M4rZ7BniehY0R16xRzckpSKX3ZFaaZ-gBWJp0qlqlj_HaVaPaB3KB9AK-eh81VAmDWcKNE/s200/hunter-gatherer-cartoon.gif" width="167" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The answer to the first question is a resounding “NO!” For <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110310141422.htm">95%</a> of human history we are hypothesized to have subsisted in hunter-gatherer or forager societies. It is hypothesized that gender roles as we would define them did not exist in a hunter-gatherer society. The society was egalitarian, with all members contributing to the benefit of the whole. Some of the tasks associated with male physical strength were performed by men in these equalitarian societies, but it was because of their strength and not their possession of external genitalia. Furthermore, child bearing was not the “blessing” it is today because it was a huge tax on resources for a hunter-gatherer society to raise to maturity another human being. For that reason, infanticide was not uncommon and hunter-gatherer societies tended to be very small communities of people.<sup>2</sup><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Barefoot and Pregnant</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span></span></span></i><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">3</span></sup></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
</span></sup></span></sup></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-c7bG7JxV1V4PMz_ncsoLV63Es76Zo3bmAT3HPVxxdQ-0PCQ6TQ5oGcGB_BNIpmnRGpRSX0hihI22LTkz5KCieVlxMBEhugDx7rqgS7xg7-RgaUpGnhyGBIL-P9XPba5ZSmCvJ_ACpE/s1600/BarefootandPregnant.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-c7bG7JxV1V4PMz_ncsoLV63Es76Zo3bmAT3HPVxxdQ-0PCQ6TQ5oGcGB_BNIpmnRGpRSX0hihI22LTkz5KCieVlxMBEhugDx7rqgS7xg7-RgaUpGnhyGBIL-P9XPba5ZSmCvJ_ACpE/s200/BarefootandPregnant.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Around<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> 10,000 years ago humans stopped relying primarily on hunter-gatherer techniques and began cultivating food to grow. This allowed the establishment of permanent settlements which in turn provided for the first surpluses in human history. The need to manage these surpluses arose and a governing class and/or managing class developed.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Those in “power” were then able to manipulate the surpluses in a way that allowed them to accumulate wealth. The ability to accumulate vast amounts of wealth during a lifetime brought with it the issue of inheritance. How does a powerful man ensure that his land, possessions and other forms of wealth are secured and going to be enjoyed by his progeny? Enter sexism.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In a time before paternity testing, the best way to ensure that the baby a woman carried belonged to any particular male was for that male to have been the only possible father.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Monogamy was a tool “unilaterally enforced against women” to ensure that there were no questions about a child’s paternity. Suddenly a woman’s virtue was prized above any other contribution she may make to society and the ruling classes cosseted and protected their female offspring until they could marry her off, thus continuing the cycle of isolation and repression followed by procreation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Women were kept cosseted at home, producing a child every once in awhile if she was a good wife who performed her “wifely duties.” Since women were home anyway it only made sense to utilize them as keepers of the household, whether she was a poor women doing all the child-rearing and household work, or an upper class woman whose job it was to ensure the smooth running of the household by the hired help. Women bought into their own oppression by judging harshly other women who failed to adhere to society’s strictures, something that still occurs and is a phenomenon to which anyone who has spent any time with high school girls could attest.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">4</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">To this day exists the ideal of the virtuous whore, a woman who is aware of and appreciates her own sexuality, but who does not herself engage in promiscuous behavior. It reminds me of an <a href="http://www.candiesfoundation.org/us.html">advertising campaign</a> that attempts to unify the advertising axiom “Sex sells” with the ideal of abstinence.<sup>5</sup> This idea could likewise be summed up by a line from Coyote Ugly, “The trick is to look available but not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be</i> available.” Yet even though we are still trying to idealize the nexus between sensuality and chastity, a woman who is sexually assaulted often faces probing questions about which (potentially) risky behaviors she may have been engaging in prior to the rape. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">“<b>Control your fate or someone else will.”</b></span></i><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">6</span></sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Women, it seems, are in charge of their own sexual destiny. This includes whether she will be the one in six women who is a victim of rape or attempted rape.<sup>7 </sup>To that end, a young lady we’ll call the “reasonably prudent woman” is expected to act with a certain degree of circumspection in her social dealings. For example, as a college student I knew to never let my drink out of my sight, going so far as to [mildly] physically assault a friend who had failed to babysit my keg cup. I have walked with my keys between my fingers, or alternatively, with a lanyard sporting a canister of “bear spray” around my neck. I know not to dally alone on a dark street and have insisted on accompanying more than one friend home from the bar, lest they find themselves walking alone at night. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJuA2VT4w-KIyureZTN1zXBNDOaBzr1Z-BRZEoEa70qGdTjGy2OhyFF74ZjK3mj3lMjas-vWZVXc0S-mW2uO5Mhsjb59cLzSMLEFIYto0fd5910O6QQ2iysT2teQqqyExSDBCcFiO9FI/s1600/LargepepperbatonPicturewoman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJuA2VT4w-KIyureZTN1zXBNDOaBzr1Z-BRZEoEa70qGdTjGy2OhyFF74ZjK3mj3lMjas-vWZVXc0S-mW2uO5Mhsjb59cLzSMLEFIYto0fd5910O6QQ2iysT2teQqqyExSDBCcFiO9FI/s200/LargepepperbatonPicturewoman.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">To some extent people <i>are</i> in charge of themselves and there are cautious behaviors one can adopt to help protect against being victimized. But the first question that comes to mind after hearing that a woman was raped should not be anything along the lines of “Well, what was she wearing?” Focusing on what actions women can take to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> be raped can force those who <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i> raped to feel as though they could have avoided the situation if they had only ………what? Not been a woman who came into the consciousness of a man who would not take “no” for an answer? Followed the advice of the illustrious <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204226204576601174240952328.html?mod=ITP_newyork_1#articleTabs%3Darticle">NYPD</a> and wear pants so as not to attract any potential rapists she may come across as she lives her life? This type of sanctioned advice is not only insulting, it is disingenuous. Rape is seldom about sex but about power. If it was about sex, rape would all but disappear during winter months, since </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">snow suits are not in the least provocative. Rape is a serious issue, yet the best solution I’ve heard is to carry a mace key chain and wear pants.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I recently went to the theater and then out for a few cocktails with the friend I assaulted in college for losing sight of my cup (among other things). While observing the dance floor, her and I noticed a particularly sketchy looking man dancing with a very young looking woman. I looked closer and asked my friend, “Does her hat say ‘I like to party’?” To which she replied, “Yeah. I hope she likes to get raped too…” We both laughed, but then I was disappointed at myself for having fallen back into my college, it’s-your-job-not-to-be-raped mindset when the issue of how to destroy this mentality has been percolating in my brain for weeks. We have to stop “blaming the victim” in order to confront the fact that we have systemically reinforced sexism in America through how our culture addresses rape. This will not, however, be an easy accomplishment since there is not a person among has not blamed the victim either explicitly or impliedly at some point in their lives.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxioqYzRNAnf7H89JN5_Mhqo7HGQ8nAO34rsTycEZRFU9fpcOJishh18Jx_LOL0OS3UJRg0kQwtM5ucl_ABuJKt7B0JwUOpgnr6izO9Z3Ucnq-q82tfJHj1hPcHmuq5214NLC9-DCC30/s1600/PanhandlerCartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxioqYzRNAnf7H89JN5_Mhqo7HGQ8nAO34rsTycEZRFU9fpcOJishh18Jx_LOL0OS3UJRg0kQwtM5ucl_ABuJKt7B0JwUOpgnr6izO9Z3Ucnq-q82tfJHj1hPcHmuq5214NLC9-DCC30/s200/PanhandlerCartoon.jpg" width="142" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In order to function, capitalism <a href="http://www3.qeh.ox.ac.uk/RePEc/qeh/qehwps/qehwps134.pdf">needs poverty</a>. Poverty is certainly not unique to the human existence, nor to capitalist economic systems in particular. However, we apply our "blame the victim" mentality not only to the issue of rape, but to te issue of poverty as well. We tell people that have to "work harder" or "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." Many in our society are unabashed in their</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> view that the impoverished are morally deficient. Maybe instead of seeking examples of how the poor are lazy or lack the requisite work ethic to "make it," we should be critically discussing the systemic forces at work that prevent most impoverished people from ever rising above their poor diets and mediocre housing. When people dare suggest that perhaps the poor are facing an uphill battle, the Right cries, "Class Warfare!" again implementing their "divide and rule" style of governance. If we could eradicate this "blame the victim" mentality we could not only go a long way toward eliminating sexism, but a long way toward meaningful discussion on how to address the issue of poverty.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Perhaps we need to change the conversation, shift the paradox in some way. Women should not be compelled to feel as though they alone are responsible for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> being a victim of sexual assault, just as men should not sleep with a woman and then fear she may misconstrue the exchange as nonconsensual. The culture and attitudes surrounding rape exemplify the larger issue of sexism in our society and the "blame the victim" mentality spans across multiple social issues. By continuing to judge each other harshly, by blaming those who are victimized rather than those who do the <i>victimizing,</i> we are we are perpetuating the sexism that is used to drive a wedge between people with economic interests in common. People vote against their economic interests solely on the basis of wedge issues such as abortion, a women’s rights issue, which in turn perpetuates the cycle of poverty. By changing the conversation surrounding rape we can loosen the grip sexism has on our society, which would take us one step closer to spanking those greedy Capitalists where it hurts most, their bottom lines. </span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWx5US5ZXfu3esag8ArUew0RdhbAst_HzUCRyrbLE6O5jP-p9EpM7ervDIyvzI39Sw9bU077n0wlN24fz4CKBFoEw3kqe2s2UuZaHXy6IgtsIJXVjsJmbd1zzhGSDifH8ZFluHEFTwOQ/s1600/SocialistRachel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWx5US5ZXfu3esag8ArUew0RdhbAst_HzUCRyrbLE6O5jP-p9EpM7ervDIyvzI39Sw9bU077n0wlN24fz4CKBFoEw3kqe2s2UuZaHXy6IgtsIJXVjsJmbd1zzhGSDifH8ZFluHEFTwOQ/s200/SocialistRachel.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">1</span></sup><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Like many people, I experimented with being a Socialist in college – going so far as to help bake and decorate cupcakes for a Socialist Alternative fundraiser. Though I have since moved back into the fold of a mainstream political party, I remain networked through Facebook with many of my former Socialist comrades, which is how I came to know of the event.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">2</span></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’ve never studied anthropology, but this is among the more fascinating aspects of human social history. This is a <a href="http://www.anth.uconn.edu/faculty/munro/assets/articles/Marlowe2005.pdf">great scholarly article</a> on the subject, though it’s a bit dense. You could, of course, always <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter-gatherer">Wikipedia</a> the subject. Also, here is the <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/histofsex/summary.html">SparkNotes</a> on the famous book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The History of Sex</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> 3</span></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Much of the information in this section is uncited, and for that I apologize. Blame intellectual laziness if you’d like, but the information is derived from the presentation and various books I have read along the way. For Example, I recommend <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guns, Germs and Steel</i> by Jared Diamond. If you do not feel I have been factually accurate, please tell me so that I can either correct or verify the statement.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">4 </span></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">The movie <i>Mean Girls</i> is pretty great and is a believable example of how terrible women can be to one another.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">5 </span></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">See also <a href="http://jezebel.com/5333434/abstinence-the-sexy-way">http://jezebel.com/5333434/abstinence-the-sexy-way</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">6 Credited to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_von_Pierer">Heinrich von Pierer</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">7 Rape statistics are difficult to measure as rape is the most under-reported crime in America. See </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/sa.shtml">http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/sa.shtml</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> for a discussion on the modern history of rape, statistics related thereto and a discussion of the evolution of the legal definition of rape and sexual assault.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-37147746260239160632011-10-10T13:26:00.005-05:002011-10-10T13:46:53.593-05:00Liberté, égalité, fraternité<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb5ets21lqprV5f9Ozsjdnl9PGD1gQjYwGoc3Df8rMhPvYE4NBRtvf_3YTryAGCadj4-APzLfBYeogvuDohYrJi-NZQi2tHmKokaOoi6zieXzHJ8kpuZ-klFKxCWRMumGlkV2bawnMFM/s1600/Cantaffordalobbyist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></i></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb5ets21lqprV5f9Ozsjdnl9PGD1gQjYwGoc3Df8rMhPvYE4NBRtvf_3YTryAGCadj4-APzLfBYeogvuDohYrJi-NZQi2tHmKokaOoi6zieXzHJ8kpuZ-klFKxCWRMumGlkV2bawnMFM/s1600/Cantaffordalobbyist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb5ets21lqprV5f9Ozsjdnl9PGD1gQjYwGoc3Df8rMhPvYE4NBRtvf_3YTryAGCadj4-APzLfBYeogvuDohYrJi-NZQi2tHmKokaOoi6zieXzHJ8kpuZ-klFKxCWRMumGlkV2bawnMFM/s200/Cantaffordalobbyist.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In another nod to the fact that GOP candidates for president don’t “get it,” Herman Cain </span><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/09/ftn/main20117819.shtml?tag=contentMain%3BcontentBody">explained to Bob Schieffer of CBS’ <i>Face the Nation</i></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> that he stood by his earlier comments that the Occupy Wall Street protesters and the tens of thousands around the nation participating in solidarity protests are simply “jealous” of those whom they are protesting.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">He described the protests as “un-American” and an example of “class warfare.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">On the same program, Mr. Newt Gingrich, another GOP presidential nomination “contender” voiced his opinion “that a ‘bad education system’ that taught ‘really dumb ideas’ was to blame for the protests.”<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5y4vKmqgfh-hmv9LyDlT3SHwORpExLaR6SZrT1D7LwioIF3aw1TWsad8TD7C8tX-tM7v1MrzwfeNME-NSLXQ8PyAiGqMft3yQYM404ExPj18qtQmIabTYR6xL5IheJkyY7jHB5KAK3k/s1600/First+Amendment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5y4vKmqgfh-hmv9LyDlT3SHwORpExLaR6SZrT1D7LwioIF3aw1TWsad8TD7C8tX-tM7v1MrzwfeNME-NSLXQ8PyAiGqMft3yQYM404ExPj18qtQmIabTYR6xL5IheJkyY7jHB5KAK3k/s200/First+Amendment.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">First I’ll address the idea that these protests are un-American. The Founding Fathers, you know, those men about whom the Tea Party and others of their ilk tend to wax poetic, created this country from the smoldering ashes of revolution. Protesting the government, in their case the English government, is at the very heart of our nation’s founding. Therefore I fail to see how exercising rights important enough to have been in the First Amendment could be construed as un-American.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">As for the idea that the protesters are laboring under the mistaken assumptions imparted upon them by their crappy public school educations, how do you explain all of the well-educated participants? My exposure to a “bad education system” got me a 28 on my ACT and two higher education degrees by the time I was 25. How do you explain my participation? Or was it the silly ideas of “personal liberty,” “work hard, be rewarded,” or “you too can have your American dream” I was taught that have left me cheering for the occupations taking place around the nation?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUkan-FIYTGBQ2ki3SNTB0fQOZ2NFkFGFRVU0RC8FD6dHzCCW3XSgqyGIXXtq8QQtiulhe43mWx5GpDMI2TxdWDZgNUdRY1FyElm8r6_tCjwUIk2UodLa3TE7DA_z5l813d7LTb5_m_A/s1600/SchoolFundingCartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUkan-FIYTGBQ2ki3SNTB0fQOZ2NFkFGFRVU0RC8FD6dHzCCW3XSgqyGIXXtq8QQtiulhe43mWx5GpDMI2TxdWDZgNUdRY1FyElm8r6_tCjwUIk2UodLa3TE7DA_z5l813d7LTb5_m_A/s200/SchoolFundingCartoon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">Perhaps, for some people, the claims of Misters Gingrich and Cain are correct. Maybe some people are jealous of bankers’ “golden parachutes.” It’s possible that drastically reducing public school funding has left many of those protesting with less-than-adequate educations. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 18px;">But more than likely the people protesting Wall Street, claiming to be the 99%, would not include “jealousy” among the emotions they feel. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">For example, I’m not jealous of Herman Cain’s net worth of <a href="http://www.therichest.org/celebnetworth/politician/republican/herman-cain-net-worth/">$18 million USD</a>, I’m just <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">exhausted</span></b> from working three jobs to pay for my peanut-butter-and-jelly diet. I’m not jealous of Herman Cain’s <a href="http://newstweed.com/herman-cain-profile.html">wife and two grown children</a>, I just <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">regret</span></b> that working three jobs leaves me no time to date. I’m not jealous of his M.A. from Purdue University, I just <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">resent</span></b> that, in this economy, my J.D. is worth less than the paper upon which the degree was printed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">I’m not jealous that Herman Cain used to be <a href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/01/12/herman-cain-announces-presidential-exploratory-committee/">CEO of Godfather’s Pizza</a>, I’m just <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">dismayed</span></b> </span>that my J.D. has gotten me to where I am able to deliver Chinese food for minimum wage. I’m not jealous that Herman Cain has a pulpit from which to preach his offensive brand of politics, I’m <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">disillusioned</span></b> by the fact that people are taking a man who has never been elected to public office seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">I’m not jealous that Wall Street stock brokers drive BMWs and Mercedes, I’m <b><span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">distraught</span></span></b> that I barely make the car payment on my Chevy Cobalt each month. I’m not jealous that the wealthiest 1% can afford <i>haute couture</i> or designer clothes, I’m just <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">bitter</span></b> that I have to budget a trip to the Goodwill. I’m not jealous of those who live in Beverly Hills mansions or estates in the Hamptons, I’m just <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">perturbed</span></b> that $300 rent credit to clean the building I live in has been a godsend this past six months. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnVFhijBDpAUQCEVZoxn2MwHvHeyP7DVlZhyphenhyphenHhK8E7PkA1yPeEAB5XvfyprO0HSOHTpvWpC50X0rBtqlUBr_mSm9N0RXQXTOPotDuok78uE2RQHtNxTa1WWg3VwgJnxZVzsKfanN1Yp4/s1600/keepgovtoutofmymedicare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnVFhijBDpAUQCEVZoxn2MwHvHeyP7DVlZhyphenhyphenHhK8E7PkA1yPeEAB5XvfyprO0HSOHTpvWpC50X0rBtqlUBr_mSm9N0RXQXTOPotDuok78uE2RQHtNxTa1WWg3VwgJnxZVzsKfanN1Yp4/s200/keepgovtoutofmymedicare.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">I’m not jealous that Wall Street banks were bailed out by the government, I’m just <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">disgusted</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> that conservatives still have the nerve to call ours a “free-market system.” I’m not jealous of people fortunate enough to have pulled up their bootstraps sufficiently to land them in a prestigious career, I’m just </span><b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">enraged</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by the idea that the rest of us just need to “work harder.” I’m not jealous of people who have such wonderful health insurance coverage that they fear a single-payer system, I’m just </span><b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">incredulous</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> that Obamacare protestors want to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 18px;">keep government out of their Medicare. I’m not jealous of all of the press the Tea Party got by demanding “their America” back, I’m just <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">incensed</span></b> that it took so long for the so-called “liberal media” to even <a href="http://current.com/shows/countdown/videos/will-bunch-author-of-the-backlash-on-mainstream-medias-failure-to-cover-wall-street-protests">begin covering</a> the Wall Street protests.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">I’m also <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">angry</span></b> that I do not have the funds or credit to visit my mother in Florida. I’m <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">frustrated</span></b> that I don’t have the funds to replace the clothes I bought ten years ago while I was in high school. I’m <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">disturbed</span></b> that I have been so hungry that I’ve eaten the food off of the plates of strangers while I’m clearing their table. I’m <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">resigned</span></b> to the fact that receiving an $80 grocery gift card from my step mom causes me to weep with gratitude. I’m <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">stunned</span></b> that the GOP insists that there is nothing wrong with the current economic system, when in actuality the whole <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gfsr/">global monetary system is at risk</a>. I’m <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">reluctant</span></b> to exercise my Constitutional right to peaceably </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 18px;">assemble because I’m not sure I can take the time off work to participate in <a href="http://www.occupymn.org/">Occupy Minnesota</a>. I’m also <b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">fed up</span></b> with the fact that the movement is being deliberately misunderstood by people like Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But most of all, I am </span><b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">determined</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to keep working my ass off so that I can make my life work on my own terms. I am </span><b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">relieved</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to have friends and family that love and support me. I’m </span><b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">optimistic</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> that this movement could lead to the type of change that Obama promised and then failed to deliver, and I’m </span><b><span style="font-size: large; font-variant: small-caps;">invigorated</span></b> that the 99% have finally rose up to strike fear into the hearts of their oppressors.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hONGEcsA3P4iyGkJlOl5gkua8uSBXemWLOtkEudm-J_aCmScZqy0rxVfHQp9lPQMdwm-f6Vxw0Jg1Q6JplODSktwmBN1ymbgF85wZLlSVmtLYnY_m3-RHk6Y_CHJBm70rhWIW7i-PDI/s1600/corporate+greed+guillotine+cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hONGEcsA3P4iyGkJlOl5gkua8uSBXemWLOtkEudm-J_aCmScZqy0rxVfHQp9lPQMdwm-f6Vxw0Jg1Q6JplODSktwmBN1ymbgF85wZLlSVmtLYnY_m3-RHk6Y_CHJBm70rhWIW7i-PDI/s320/corporate+greed+guillotine+cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;">So you see, I’m a lot of things, jealous is just not one of them. So, Misters Cain and Gingrich, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 18px;">along with all of you other conservative talking heads who want to discount the movement as nothing more than lazy, unemployed hippies who want everything for nothing, I have only one thing to say to you and your need to deliberately misconstrue the growing desperation of the working/middle class: you had better be right, because I’ve <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution">read about something like this before</a>, and I can tell you that it didn’t end well for those in the upper classes. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 18px;"> </span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-10812158006360412412011-10-02T23:36:00.000-05:002011-10-02T23:36:50.068-05:00Letter to the Red States<div style="text-align: justify;">This is a classic (published <a href="http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/80714812.html">here</a> as early as 2005) but I've been thinking a lot about States' Rights. This letter implies secession, but what I'm thinking is less an act of war and more an act of "be careful what you wish for." I think we should roll back federal government, just in the way the Tea Party is suggesting. If we allow states more authority, or delegate them more responsibility, under the Tenth Amendment, I have no doubt that the blue states would remain good places to live. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can't speak to the veracity of any claims contained herein, but it gets me thinking just the same. I hope you enjoy this "oldie but goodie." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZx4l3AJMTx1haiAbln-tl3DVWNHOjW5p17jsXPczOTYxmyiDKdnGUsQlMboxRI7PkcltOMeQSXWCKg75XovjU6xJFb6wmlFJOqwNuUp2M48LYME6lKYIbXOu9PpNnDQ3bUyvOrDwjTA/s1600/statemapredblue.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZx4l3AJMTx1haiAbln-tl3DVWNHOjW5p17jsXPczOTYxmyiDKdnGUsQlMboxRI7PkcltOMeQSXWCKg75XovjU6xJFb6wmlFJOqwNuUp2M48LYME6lKYIbXOu9PpNnDQ3bUyvOrDwjTA/s200/statemapredblue.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Dear Red States... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm_LjljwvG8SdO4Jet_WMxd-qpiEt760vQYF1GcUE1pnr3rVf-Dirws9XQ5-CvKSD0Ujwttmm5ppVZyu2bZKUCmfpQjnoRL2PSAf8vjNzgE4865RzPxmoyT3VyxMFDlH3EkFZ8x60ZBQ/s1600/fresh+fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br />
</a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon,Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrjCk4D1R1I8BpAUI6cH7H3JVdVCSLOkfsgjD6k7uG0aIo_4hq_7QaelFvWy4uXhyXLFRMVXMVhrlLwSs2HGlfqJpL5C52BeZVF-lWYWOz4m15AknKWDR8Y5Mxkp5tNiLzmsu6uAzPi8/s1600/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrjCk4D1R1I8BpAUI6cH7H3JVdVCSLOkfsgjD6k7uG0aIo_4hq_7QaelFvWy4uXhyXLFRMVXMVhrlLwSs2HGlfqJpL5C52BeZVF-lWYWOz4m15AknKWDR8Y5Mxkp5tNiLzmsu6uAzPi8/s200/family.jpg" width="200" /></a>Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm_LjljwvG8SdO4Jet_WMxd-qpiEt760vQYF1GcUE1pnr3rVf-Dirws9XQ5-CvKSD0Ujwttmm5ppVZyu2bZKUCmfpQjnoRL2PSAf8vjNzgE4865RzPxmoyT3VyxMFDlH3EkFZ8x60ZBQ/s1600/fresh+fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHm_LjljwvG8SdO4Jet_WMxd-qpiEt760vQYF1GcUE1pnr3rVf-Dirws9XQ5-CvKSD0Ujwttmm5ppVZyu2bZKUCmfpQjnoRL2PSAf8vjNzgE4865RzPxmoyT3VyxMFDlH3EkFZ8x60ZBQ/s200/fresh+fruit.jpg" width="200" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy b*****ds believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKrLEhweCvn8U9JARsfZkdH6gtBvO523aJ_swFDAqgdmtWuKxyMwUKxM_3tFlv7obG9JLrydQhZxXddikLSghUjvecSQqfPTFbpd0SD8SWjHXU9WXTmiz3DCvEZQxdSCYkLTIUO-CBMo/s1600/good-weed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKrLEhweCvn8U9JARsfZkdH6gtBvO523aJ_swFDAqgdmtWuKxyMwUKxM_3tFlv7obG9JLrydQhZxXddikLSghUjvecSQqfPTFbpd0SD8SWjHXU9WXTmiz3DCvEZQxdSCYkLTIUO-CBMo/s200/good-weed.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Peace out,<br />
<br />
Blue StatesKatherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-61497662368286091072011-09-29T11:51:00.001-05:002011-09-29T11:54:12.630-05:00You're Invited!<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><br />
</i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl4AqRYqLLd8wPGpLDWZ62g0vAgv3UpV0ZCjvbZkY97W0_LhLcBmkiUxfVFdrpq-DrrlsvMNRjKdU55pjwxWLmEAtG30eZeat6gWgDk-LGw0yoUMnU6AXhYGxBte98nZrBNkepzj4oSI/s1600/wethepeoplelgbt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl4AqRYqLLd8wPGpLDWZ62g0vAgv3UpV0ZCjvbZkY97W0_LhLcBmkiUxfVFdrpq-DrrlsvMNRjKdU55pjwxWLmEAtG30eZeat6gWgDk-LGw0yoUMnU6AXhYGxBte98nZrBNkepzj4oSI/s1600/wethepeoplelgbt.jpg" /></a>As a politically-active, hippie lawyer, one of the organizations I receive emails from is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). I recently received this gem, inviting me to a free discussion:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>St. Paul:</strong> Organized with our ally OutFront Minnesota, this next event will cover the significant progress that is being made within the LGBT community, from the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to the rapidly evolving legal struggle for marriage equality. Featuring <strong>Sharon McGowan</strong>, Attorney, Appellate Section of Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice and <strong>Anthony Winer</strong>, Professor of Constitutional Law at William Mitchell.</span></div><blockquote style="font-size: 13px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Advances in LGBT Equality in the Age of Obama<br />
Wednesday, October 12, 7:00 p.m.</span></strong><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">William Mitchell College of Law, Mitchell Auditorium, 578 Summit Ave.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This event is free and open to all.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Refreshments will be provided.</span></blockquote><br />
Since this is an event "open to all" I thought I would advertise it on the blog where like-minded and/or interested people could be made aware of it. It's in my calendar, I hope to see some of you there!Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-76293968409829746102011-09-28T11:48:00.000-05:002011-09-28T11:48:29.363-05:00Taxes: Society's Way of Paying it Forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-FvPvQ9aCJKIAxjvFac8dzr44OYJnyy9ZSh1OL3Z4gL5GM92ILLOSSSzLVY14cQZOEUOin_Opn2JZWTBbVwnzWs-iLMUEpyfrl4ot_x5yeAmdp4ibEr61xh-h6kzMwxaEp46EQyz8fM/s1600/warren-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-FvPvQ9aCJKIAxjvFac8dzr44OYJnyy9ZSh1OL3Z4gL5GM92ILLOSSSzLVY14cQZOEUOin_Opn2JZWTBbVwnzWs-iLMUEpyfrl4ot_x5yeAmdp4ibEr61xh-h6kzMwxaEp46EQyz8fM/s400/warren-front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-49085854871450735482011-09-20T11:32:00.002-05:002011-09-20T11:46:43.140-05:00I'm Already Afraid - What Else D'ya Got?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><span lang="EN">As a political hack and diligent signer of on-line petitions, my inbox is daily flooded with political messages and alerts. The AFL-CIO wants me to "Take a Stand." Paul Thissen tells me what it'll take to "[Clean] Up Their Mess." The DFL advises me that there will be "Consequences." Barack and Michelle Obama have invited me to lunch. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">These are causes, organizations and candidates I support, yet these emails immediately get moved to the trash bin. Lately Liberals have been struggling to rally around a coherent message that really moves people to action. "Hope" and "Change" rang in the hearts of so many in 2008 because we had only just begun to suffer what would take government economists months to admit was the "Worst Recession since the Great Depression" - a phrase I am so sick of hearing I could puke. Let's call it what it is . . . painful. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BKNaI00Xf0Lwpd0QcCMT8X6fVx-4E7-2aQDTonsN7kVq55RnBEk1xIkaD2Oad9vpe8X-_UpVyJJjyAPJXT-Wgm9orCbmvug7CldMfWOL1ZRlN34S1g1mHlKqNei9pbAxmXKijJ2F_M8/s1600/povertychart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BKNaI00Xf0Lwpd0QcCMT8X6fVx-4E7-2aQDTonsN7kVq55RnBEk1xIkaD2Oad9vpe8X-_UpVyJJjyAPJXT-Wgm9orCbmvug7CldMfWOL1ZRlN34S1g1mHlKqNei9pbAxmXKijJ2F_M8/s200/povertychart.jpg" width="128" /></a><span lang="EN">Though the official unemployment rate is <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/?tabid=13307">9.1% nationally</a>, <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">"Combined, the 14 million officially unemployed; the "underemployed" part-timers who want full-time work; and "discouraged" people who have stopped looking make up <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRL3uV9vGWxGjY4zScsJPYPAutkw?docId=820bf4a165ad43958142a47516595eaf">16.2 percent</a> of working-age Americans." <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">These are unfortunate numbers for any of us who fall into any of the above three categories. Life is a sea of uncertainty, with pride subservient to necessity. In a mere four years, <a href="http://swampland.time.com/2011/09/13/census-data-show-povertys-creep-lasting-effects-of-recession/">25% more young people</a> between the ages of 25 to 34 have moved back in with their parents, 45% of whom would be living in poverty if they lived alone. Recent numbers show that <a href="http://swampland.time.com/2011/09/13/census-data-show-povertys-creep-lasting-effects-of-recession/">1 in 6 Americans</a> is living in poverty. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">These are our people and I daresay that the last thing they need in their lives is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i> fear. Yet the DFL has the audacity to tell me there will be "Consequences" for the actions of our political rivals, warning me of the political potholes in my future – that could possibly be avoided if I could spare $5.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK2tK6MTrimDEjEYtxtV_pELLwr6yYz933w2HU3s5CmfhDFmJPU4N4gacpckyGGPWiQP-pqrkytqJVNBIswoBgfI6azQoqGUpVcTe-GrkutdGyzVDpOb7gUW1uRC1kpI0vWn4Zoe8Xn4/s1600/hiding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK2tK6MTrimDEjEYtxtV_pELLwr6yYz933w2HU3s5CmfhDFmJPU4N4gacpckyGGPWiQP-pqrkytqJVNBIswoBgfI6azQoqGUpVcTe-GrkutdGyzVDpOb7gUW1uRC1kpI0vWn4Zoe8Xn4/s200/hiding.jpg" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN">We live during an era characterized by fear and uncertainty. I find it hard to believe that the DFL is attempting to employ more fear, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more </i>uncertainty to achieve its goal of regaining Democratic control of government. If I am any more fearful or uncertain I may simply stop leaving the house. Unfortunately, it’s hard to cast a ballot from underneath my comforter. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">Aside from the cognitive dissidence of trying to motivate through fear a group of individuals who are fearful enough, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/brain-structure-differs-in-liberals-conservatives-study-2265910.html">studies have shown</a> that it is conservative brains that have over-developed fear centers. Liberal brains, on the other hand, can better process complexity. I have also heard that Democrats are stronger proponents of GOTV efforts because if we can get people to show up then they will likely vote in our favor. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjAuVkxKwDRJGW9mItydPHVyeWFSgGESwJPcQiUUh8CkFDdZm0967MxPrQLDHfVJvyvPn2-SZcapACHL6PcgOvXSRIRWQHfpU62KmySTgP0RXufbVuQTQhPmjpLTNv_dzKqPhm24aZbA/s1600/BrainCenters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjAuVkxKwDRJGW9mItydPHVyeWFSgGESwJPcQiUUh8CkFDdZm0967MxPrQLDHfVJvyvPn2-SZcapACHL6PcgOvXSRIRWQHfpU62KmySTgP0RXufbVuQTQhPmjpLTNv_dzKqPhm24aZbA/s200/BrainCenters.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">We are the party of science. We know that the issues we face are complex. We understand that one must consider the source when it’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8du6pQbvyo">Exxon-Mobile</a> assuring us that “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fracking">fracking</a>” is perfectly safe. Though we may be willing to capitulate that evolution is a “theory,” we are more willing to accept that Genesis is a far-out story, not an accurate accounting of the Earth’s creation. If science tells us that we can better grasp complexity, and statistical analysis shows us that the biggest struggle for Democrats is getting their supporters to the polls, let us convince people to show up to the polls in 2012 by imparting upon them the viability of our solutions to the complex issues we face. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">We are also the party of inclusion. When we can truly reach out to our friends and neighbors we have the ability to make them hopeful and optimistic about the future. We need to use our ability to understand complexity, analyze the facts, evaluate scientific evidence and rearticulate what we’ve concluded to those around us to convince the populace that they have a stake in the next election, that all is not lost if we can form a cohesive plan and then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stick to it</i>! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ymFTUMZnJHkqPnMTPqsC2w6i5CqM_iyX4nbTsB0OB3Nv_vlqYAzSFHDnmvd_NKqo0uOaLrSDrHQiGfuhhEC3VXQ-S0NnFNHMykHhXvz29d_5lI1TfObCk3Zntkws0trGnH4OZQxUBn8/s1600/ballotbox2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ymFTUMZnJHkqPnMTPqsC2w6i5CqM_iyX4nbTsB0OB3Nv_vlqYAzSFHDnmvd_NKqo0uOaLrSDrHQiGfuhhEC3VXQ-S0NnFNHMykHhXvz29d_5lI1TfObCk3Zntkws0trGnH4OZQxUBn8/s1600/ballotbox2.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN">I know that, more and more, winning elections has become about who can raise the most money and spend it in the most effective manner. A candidate for the U.S. House has to raise <a href="http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/care/moneyinpolitics.asp">$10,000 a week</a> to be competitive in an election. That's a lot of fundraising! In the post-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Citizen's United</i> world, where a Super-PAC is not PAC Man on steriods, being the party of the down-and-out can be a difficult place to raise funds. But so far GE, GM, and Apple do not get to cast a ballot come election time. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">Fundraising is important, but so is taking an honest approach to complex issues. Liberal and Progressive candidates and causes need to start treating us like adults, or at least stop trying to motivate us with fear. Fear works for conservatives because they are a more fearful lot. Liberals, however, need to be told why a particular approach or idea is the best. Stop telling me about some vague “Consequences” and tell me “Why Our Job Plan Will Work.” Instead of inviting me to lunch with the leader of the free world (if it sounds too good to be true....) tell me what Obama is going to do to live up to his own rhetoric during a second term. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN">Let’s use our time and energy to develop a message that gets at an issue’s complexity and yet is easy enough to recall during that chance political discussion in the supermarket check-out. Let’s stop invoking fear and start invoking facts. Let’s get people invested in the election through appealing to their intellect, not their quaking centers of uncertainty. Let’s be clear and concise about why Democrats can fix things, not about why we’re better than those jerks over there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-68942028356420291522011-09-16T10:18:00.000-05:002011-09-16T10:18:41.497-05:00Barb Goodwin to Sleep with Fridley and Columbia Heights Mayors<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvotJGONV-5EjLbIMlWBfahSQ_lHannVR-7ySaKl0o8TdEIJ3_-3jVPajFY_Lh1rkGYqDStIrZcmXUEh0zrGp9VnnagqRKoAjYIYVBio7dxeAgSbUPHtGoDk_-ExuYPhB06RIfiuv93_0/s1600/RoofRaiser.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvotJGONV-5EjLbIMlWBfahSQ_lHannVR-7ySaKl0o8TdEIJ3_-3jVPajFY_Lh1rkGYqDStIrZcmXUEh0zrGp9VnnagqRKoAjYIYVBio7dxeAgSbUPHtGoDk_-ExuYPhB06RIfiuv93_0/s320/RoofRaiser.png" width="226" /></a>Now that I have your attention, I should probably clarify what I mean by the headline. <br />
<br />
Senator Barb Goodwin plans to raise awareness for the Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-Being by participating in the Center's "RoofRaiser." <br />
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Tonight (Friday, September 16) Barb and Fridley Mayor Scott Lund will be kicking off the RoofRaiser event at Bob's Produce in Fridley. If you can't make it to Bob's Produce, join Barb and Columbia Heights Mayor Gary Anderson at Top Valu Liquors in Columbia Heights. All monies raised during the event will benefit children, adolescents and families struggling with emotional health issues.<br />
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Come out to Bob's Produce between 4-5 for "kick-off music, finger foods, Dunn Brothers Coffee, and DQ Blizzard samples." Or, come out to Top Valu Liquors from 4 - 8 for "Brats, Polish and and Hot Dogs sold by the CH Booster Club" along with an appearance by the Vikings Cheerleaders. Participants will be ascending to the roofs at 6 p.m., where it is my understanding they will spend the night. <br />
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This is a great cause and a great opportunity to support Barb, who was our District's fierce defender in the Senate, bringing sense, reason and sometimes levity to the craziness that was our last legislative session. <br />
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For more information, or to donate to the cause, check out these websites:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/3bytvjt">http://tinyurl.com/3bytvjt</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.leecarlsoncenter.org/news_roofraiser.html">http://www.leecarlsoncenter.org/news_roofraiser.html</a>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-61685660349861545972011-09-08T17:27:00.001-05:002011-09-09T00:25:41.978-05:00You're Goddamned Right I'm a Liberal.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It is a relatively well known fact that the so-called “grassroots” Tea Party movement is actually a front for corporations and their boards to rally the masses using their own prejudices, insecurities and uncertainties to vote against their interests in the name of some vague promise of a return to “liberty.” </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">People who could not place where they’ve heard the name "Mussolini" decry liberal leaders, including their own president, as alternately fascist and socialist, Nazi and communist. They hold signs depicting the leader of the free world in “white face,” either unaware or uncaring of the gross racism implied by the image.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And yet <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29rich.html">wealthy men</a> have paired up with <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?q=michele+bachmann+corndog&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1024&bih=470&tbm=isch&tbnid=YppzxACvZp52bM:&imgrefurl=http://funnydaze.net/2011/08/michele-bachmann-the-corn-dog-queen/&docid=tVY7km-8bNmMoM&w=572&h=412&ei=mDdpTvDeBtLKsQKCzJ2DDg&zoom=">opportunistic politicians</a> to rally a base of people who are too caught up with the frenzied atmosphere of uncertainty surrounding them to realize that they are being manipulated into speaking out against the very things from which they benefit. Mothers with children on Medicaid showed up to rallies opposing “Obamacare,” claiming they weren’t going to allow the government to interfere with their health insurance. Poor people who have seen their property taxes spike and energy prices soar, while not getting an adequate pay raise for years, speak out against increasing the tax rate on the richest 1%, claiming that doing so is “un-American.”</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">During last night’s GOP debate, Mitt Romney proposed that to help the middle class, he would eliminate the taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains. This would not help the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/02/news/economy/fdic_survey/">7.7% of Americans</a> that do not have a savings or checking account, which includes 20% of the population earning less than $30,000/year. As for a cut in taxes on dividends and capital gains, this will benefit the people who are already in the upper echelons of American society. At least <a href="http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html">75% of the income</a> of the top 400 earners in America is derived from dividends and capital gains. Meanwhile, minimum wage earners and people living pay check to pay check have very little to invest, therefore deriving no benefit from Romney's proposed tax cuts to help the middle class.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">But “tax” has become a dirty word and the idea of cutting taxes, by which I mean any tax aside from the cigarette tax, has become the de facto “will of the American people" even though p<a href="http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/bruce-bartlett/2341/23-polls-say-people-support-higher-taxes-reduce-deficit">olls consistently show</a> that <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/148919/Americans-New-Debt-Supercommittee-Compromise.aspx">more than 60%</a> of us would be willing to see taxes raised on the wealthiest Americans. Yet, the GOP's big plan to jump-start our economy is simply more of the same - tax breaks to the rich who, rather than reinvest in their business or community, fund political campaigns designed to ensure their money will not go anywhere besides where they want it to, whether that be to their furrier, jeweler, or directly to their off-shore account in some tax haven somewhere. </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The beliefs of the Tea Party are consistently <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm/2010/05/10_fictious_tea_party_beliefs.html">decried as lies</a>, or are at least acknowledged as less than the truth. Leaders of the homophobia movement regularly get caught in <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-anti-gay-activists-caught-being-gay/joanne">an intimate but homosexual embrace</a>. So-called grassroots movements are revealed time and time again to be nothing more than a well funded corporate battering ram, designed to increase the corporate bottom line while leaving in its wake the destruction of countless American dreams. And yet they still claim the moral high road.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Why do we allow this happen? Why do we allow them to take the moral high road time and time again when they are actually engaging in appalling behavior that is damaging our country? Why do we keep letting them dictate to us the content of our American dream, instead of standing up to correct the record? We let them use our willingness to allow women to be in charge of their own reproduction distract the populace from the lying, cheating and stealing that is going on right in front of them. We allow complicity in the conservative destruction of the American dream because we keep thinking that people elected to serve the general welfare could not possibly be so self-involved, or that the people who elect them will make an informed decision instead of a gut-reaction to hyperbole laced talking points the next time around. </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR35Fh7NvOCngGbyf25yW4Jh1LGpvkh47uH5J1H_m9Wgb7uAaMDjP-jKqAPzIYHJegIMhCI4f2qmQPJzTXwmT4QSZ6Vl7ymy5c9AMD5CGXsLsDgEtdi61oRSMJC4cX6jl8F2syjCCnHcc/s1600/liberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR35Fh7NvOCngGbyf25yW4Jh1LGpvkh47uH5J1H_m9Wgb7uAaMDjP-jKqAPzIYHJegIMhCI4f2qmQPJzTXwmT4QSZ6Vl7ymy5c9AMD5CGXsLsDgEtdi61oRSMJC4cX6jl8F2syjCCnHcc/s1600/liberty.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We need to stop letting Conservatives win by using vague words, asserting part-truths, and preying on our all too human emotion of fear. Let’s call out the Tim Pawlenty’s for their unlawful actions that they boldly brag about while campaigning. Let’s call out the Mitt Romneys, who despite his lack of neckties will never be able to relate to the “average American.” Let us not be intimidated when they screech about the liberal bias of today's "gotcha" media, when Rupert Murdoch is one of the main financiers of the Tea Party movement.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Liberal and liberty have the same root word, and yet we consistently let them paint us as the enemies of liberty. Enough is enough! By being the friends of liberty we are the friends of the American people and therefore we are friends of the Republic that derives its sovereignty from the people. We are for the people, and it’s time we were a little more assertive about that fact.</div><div><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-54739394430437958902011-08-21T15:19:00.002-05:002011-08-21T15:20:22.634-05:00Let's give Conservatives precisely what they want<div style="text-align: right;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">contributed by Katie Foley</span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It may surprise you to hear this, but I have a friend who is a conservative, Yankees fan. (It's the latter I find most upsetting.) Recently he said to me, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oh, yes, I forgot that it's all still Bush's fault..."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzObH2-qtCUnU2-HNdBXpPr71PPH9UweEf6LhIbuJC3g9VV2NClNMAVcw5kyytkIZHabuMgc1V1w8RQtPjsVHsyFbm2cohHO7yZUhMQCfMTJfMZbr6BQ8AkcCj4azrM86tqLxMRsYOK5k/s1600/fists.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzObH2-qtCUnU2-HNdBXpPr71PPH9UweEf6LhIbuJC3g9VV2NClNMAVcw5kyytkIZHabuMgc1V1w8RQtPjsVHsyFbm2cohHO7yZUhMQCfMTJfMZbr6BQ8AkcCj4azrM86tqLxMRsYOK5k/s200/fists.gif" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This got me thinking. I decided that, if anything, a good degree of fault lies at the feet of Liberal</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 14px;">s and Democrats. We keep thinking that Conservatives want to govern when all they really want to do is fear monger and assure the wealth and privilege of themselves and their friends. Like an abuse victim we keep coming back thinking, "This time it'll be different, it'll be better. [They] won't hurt [us] again."</span></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 14px;">The most dangerous time for the victim of abuse s/he leaves. At this point of our political discourse, I'm willing to assume the risk. The South wants less government intrusion? Then the North should stop sending them money. People want the Federal Government to adhere to the text of the Constitution? Fine, let's stop Social Security, Medicare, farm subsidies, and the Federal Criminal Code. People want states to have more authority under the 10th Amendment? Fine, no more DOMA, no more Federal scheduling for "controlled substances", and no more "Leave No Child Behind". </span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">At this point I'm all for giving Conservatives precisely what they wish for. Let's have this fight on the State and Local level and let's have the Fed leave us alone. You don't want to play nice? Well then it's on.</span></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-65033396264501714122011-08-18T21:00:00.011-05:002011-08-18T21:03:32.114-05:00Habitat for Humanity in SD50!<div style="text-align: right;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">From the desk of Todd Olin</span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><br />
</i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkqPZLaML3F-4FrwfSU6as9wv6m5IWsgauQ5ml00LRD6xkeVkHPCGe3UISfwsOr9Yw0EhrWlgyB2VDa8VcZhROdZshKC6ECJE43AkuLn7FwxZqs6mQxAXcGXMiJ_awisOjGSaGK6dHhw/s1600/HabforHum.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkqPZLaML3F-4FrwfSU6as9wv6m5IWsgauQ5ml00LRD6xkeVkHPCGe3UISfwsOr9Yw0EhrWlgyB2VDa8VcZhROdZshKC6ECJE43AkuLn7FwxZqs6mQxAXcGXMiJ_awisOjGSaGK6dHhw/s1600/HabforHum.gif" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Below is an email I got from Mr. Todd Olin. If you are interested in becoming involved with this project, please let me know at katie.j.foley@gmail.com. I will then let Todd know you're interested so he can add you to his list. All said we'll need between 10-15 volunteers, so clear your calendar and get ready to do some community service!</div><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;">Hi Everyone,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you’re receiving this email, that means that you signed up to find out more about the Habitat For Humanity volunteer event on November 5th. This is a fantastic opportunity for DFLers in SD50 to make a difference right here in our community. Political organizing is a vital part of our commitment to improve our society, but the ideal of service that we hold so dear is bigger than politics. Projects like these let us put our ideals directly to practice and improve peoples’ lives.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The event on November 5th is a rare opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity on a Saturday—they rarely have weekend events. The project will run from 8:30 to 4:00 (with a break for lunch, of course). No construction or other experience is required—and there is plenty for everyone to do no matter what age or ability.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I will contact everyone again in the coming month to provide more details about the specific project we’ll be working on and to confirm the final list of volunteers. So for now, please just stay tuned.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">People will definitely see us doing this work and remember that DFLers get out and practice what they preach!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Todd Olin</div></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-27986511878778052902011-08-12T14:16:00.006-05:002011-08-14T01:27:24.140-05:00A Perfect Night for a Picnic<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Contributed by Katie Foley</span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><br />
</i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3TGnsXWysrldWeyPGLzBlavXbrXqMwMOed9_CGKMELU3HzEClesP6V68_2HJJHeTbYEmgZCTNp74DKjfWyijRlrftDGYUUgAyvTjF0Yd6-RxujaDZGAHieSku0GQyhBSTc0VJC29rwo/s1600/barbecue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3TGnsXWysrldWeyPGLzBlavXbrXqMwMOed9_CGKMELU3HzEClesP6V68_2HJJHeTbYEmgZCTNp74DKjfWyijRlrftDGYUUgAyvTjF0Yd6-RxujaDZGAHieSku0GQyhBSTc0VJC29rwo/s200/barbecue.jpg" width="192" /></a>The annual SD50 picnic took place on Wednesday, August 10. Mother Nature was more than accommodating - the temperature was in the upper sixties, a light breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay, and the clouds in the sky were more reminiscent of rabbit tails than rain. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;">The result of perfect weather and well executed marketing meant that around 110 people showed up to Kordiak Park to enjoy some good food and great political engagement. In attendance were Congresswoman Betty McCullum, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Kathy Olson on behalf of State Senator Barb Goodwin, State Representatives Kate Knuth and Carolyn Laine, Congressional District 4 Chair J.P. Barone, Senate District Chair Bill Krueger, candidate for New Brighton City Council Graeme Allen, and representatives from the Minnesota Health Plan and Amy Klobaucher Re-election campaign. </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: left;"></div>I thought that though all of our civil servants gave fantastic speeches, Mark Ritchie’s was the one that really hit home. He mentioned that in 2008, 2.92 million people voted in Minnesota (“I know, I counted…”). Two years later, during the 2010 gubernatorial and midterm elections, there were 800,000 fewer ballots cast. He argued that in order to ensure DFL/Democratic victories in 2012 we need to make sure those 800,000 voters show up to the polls.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBzrVdg6xSf09lgNEqDFnB7bHW5HzpxIILiEW79N0DF8rIxeUH86cybJMxo8asjMiPUu1bMwD62lLncvYjS0HHS2Jfy2o_EviXDFD6aD7_sHTWOBeQaka7OB0LTF8u5LaYG-LVrXu3fE/s1600/votehere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBzrVdg6xSf09lgNEqDFnB7bHW5HzpxIILiEW79N0DF8rIxeUH86cybJMxo8asjMiPUu1bMwD62lLncvYjS0HHS2Jfy2o_EviXDFD6aD7_sHTWOBeQaka7OB0LTF8u5LaYG-LVrXu3fE/s200/votehere.jpg" width="200" /></a>According to Mr. Ritchie, somewhere between 30,000-40,000 Minnesotans turn 18 every year, so we need to make sure they are engaged in the political process. He also mentioned that new residents and new citizens might need us to help them understand the intricacies of Minnesota's political process, the caucus system in particular. I think he had a salient point. We need to identify those who could benefit from our experience and help them become engaged. There should be campaign issues that reflect the concerns of today's youth, giving them a stake in the process and encouraging them to exercise their fundamental right to vote. History shows that if we can get 800,000 more people to the polls it is likely they'll vote Democratic.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;">Betty McCullum remains as fierce an advocate for liberal issues as ever. Carolyn Laine assured us that though she is not 100% recovered from her horrible reaction to a prescribed medication, she is “fine” and appeared ready to get back in the proverbial saddle on behalf of her constituents. Kate Knuth candidly stated that it was an incredibly difficult session, but that she was very encouraged by the energy that appeared in the form of Wisconsin Solidarity demonstrations and protests to the upcoming Amendment vote that could Constitutionalize discrimination in Minnesota by defining marriage as a fundamental right that only applies to some couples. </div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QXxsKkcr-GFPVbtUVVO90FUGo1NSnVBleEEgwRX4nSPFfuRVpJWZnUbWB8igkg3aL_Zv5QuXBhnugt549h1P9myl6Tjebykzpnuxj7XjxwNATXCrTHTJ_8ZCy8tRHeJICEn-xG2AVr4/s1600/redistricting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QXxsKkcr-GFPVbtUVVO90FUGo1NSnVBleEEgwRX4nSPFfuRVpJWZnUbWB8igkg3aL_Zv5QuXBhnugt549h1P9myl6Tjebykzpnuxj7XjxwNATXCrTHTJ_8ZCy8tRHeJICEn-xG2AVr4/s1600/redistricting.jpg" /></a><br />
J.P. Barone was as entertaining as we’ve come to expect. He mentioned that the Special Redistricting Panel created by the Minnesota Supreme Court is required to have its final decision regarding the redistricting plan ready by noon on February 21, 2012. To that end, Mr. Barone wanted to remind us that though we will soon be surrounded by new faces in our new districts, we are still part of the same family. This is a cheesy metaphor, perhaps, but apropos nonetheless. We need to remember that we have a lot to fight for in the upcoming elections. We cannot let our insecurities and/or old habits interfere with the job that needs to be done. Or, as J.P. stated, we need to remember to use the best ideas from everyone, regardless of whether they reflect how we’ve “typically” done things. He also *finally* presented SD50 Chair Bill Krueger with the plaque commemorating his receipt of the Distinguished Party Service Award which was given to him at the Bruce Vento dinner back in October of 2010.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;">Though Senator Barb Goodwin was unable to make it, she sent her regards through Kathy Olson. Graeme Allen spoke about his upcoming bid for a seat on the New Brighton City Council. One of the things he spoke of is the conservatives that have lately infiltrated the City Council. He stated that though they speak out against state workers and have caused to be laid off many city employees, they voted to have the city provide them with health insurance. As Mr. Allen pointed out, this is supposed to be a public service thing, “we don’t need to give ourselves health care.” Though it is this blogger’s belief that Mr. Allen needs to embrace the political practice of kissing babies, I look forward to helping him on his campaign and would like to encourage others to do as well.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;">SD50 Central Committee member Todd Olin mentioned an upcoming Habitat for Humanity event taking place in our district on Saturday, November 5. He will be providing more details in the future which I will happily pass on to anyone interested. And finally, thanks are due to Steve, Deb, Val, Rick, Kathy, Betty, Mildred, Jim and Kristen Hopwood, Graeme, Jered, and anybody I've accidentally omitted, whether you're a member of the planning committee or you helped set-up and/or tear-down. Without volunteers we are nothing but ideas without action, so thank you for showing up and giving yourselves to the cause! </div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">GRAEME ALLEN FOR NEW BRIGHTON CITY COUNCIL! </span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: large;"><b>J</b></span></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-76629054723084071262011-08-08T11:58:00.005-05:002011-08-08T12:20:36.618-05:00Women's Rights: There Are Still Battles to be Fought and WON<div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Contributed by Katie Foley</i></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div>This weekend I met a stunning young woman from a primarily Buddhist, South Asian island nation. She has been educated in the United States, earning both her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from a state university. She is now doing whatever she can to extend her stay in the U.S. because she knows that if she returns to her island home it is likely her parent’s will have picked a husband for her. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kM9AjUbwJNr-4xP0Pdv6seKKvNtExwel6zZ2q6F_paTWLjlK32ITBZmv5hVbzE0QxgmD28FrBmM9xbHaiV9rRI3VlZJShYabOI7stxd6zyfTZudf1R67dDo61beKTcEFEN9UAdZ1zHw/s1600/women%2527srights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kM9AjUbwJNr-4xP0Pdv6seKKvNtExwel6zZ2q6F_paTWLjlK32ITBZmv5hVbzE0QxgmD28FrBmM9xbHaiV9rRI3VlZJShYabOI7stxd6zyfTZudf1R67dDo61beKTcEFEN9UAdZ1zHw/s1600/women%2527srights.jpg" /></a>It’s only natural for a flaming liberal and rabid feminist such as myself to contemplate at length the state of Women’s Rights, not only in this country but world-wide. Women have come so far since we were finally given the franchise in 1920 [1], a *mere* 133 years after the Constitution was adopted by the Constitutional Convention. [2] Thanks to World War II, when women were needed to produce supplies for the men fighting the war, women learned the satisfaction to be gained from financial independence. However, I know for a fact my grandma had to hide that she was married from her employer lest she be fired for being derelict in her house-wife duties.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But even though we have entered the second decade of a new millennium, there are still innumerable strides to be made in order for women to gain the full equity of U.S. citizenship. It’s no secret that women earn substantially less than men for comparable work, 78 cents on the dollar according to the latest census data. [3] Even if women find themselves in a position of equality with men they are still expected to present themselves as feminine and desirable, perhaps even demure. This is true of women in any professional capacity, from lawyers to doctors to politicians such as Michele Bachmann. I may not agree with her politics, or even think her completely sane, but I resent that she has to strive to appear feminine amidst what must be an exhausting bid for the GOP nomination. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The continued subordination of women is not limited to cultural or economic phenomena. In February of this year the GOP in Congress wanted to limit abortion funding by inserting the word “forcible” before the word “rape” in federal legislation. [4] This implies that there may be some types of rape that are okay, as long as they are not “forcible.” Then again, I cannot think of a way that rape could be anything but forcible, given that the common law definition of rape is “unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman…through force and against her will.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act, women will have access to free birth control, including the “morning-after” pill, through their private insurers. Those of us who have been perturbed for years by the fact that insurers were more interested in ensuring old men can still get erections than helping women with family planning [5] find the new mandate to be a step in the right direction for women’s rights and women’s health. In fact, studies indicate that as many as 2/3 of women believe contraceptives should be covered by private insurance plans. Yet the vociferous right-wing has indentified this as nothing more than a battle tactic by the culture warriors on the left. This is not about women’s health, it is just liberals looking to impose their immorality on the pocket books of private insurers. [6] </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The last example I'll give of the stagnation of progress for Women’s Rights advocates was in the form of a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court failed to allow a sex discrimination case against Wal-Mart to be certified as a class action, splitting 5-4 over the issue of whether all of the women alleging employment discrimination on the basis of sex had a common claim, a requirement in class action law suits. [7] What this means is that each woman will have to individually litigate the issue, a daunting and expensive task when you’re fighting a global super power such as Wal-Mart. The bottom line is that Wal-Mart will be able to continue its *alleged* practice of employment discrimination on the basis of sex because the likelihood of being sued successfully for having done dropped significantly with the Supreme Court’s decision. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t pretend to know the solution to the problem of the continued efforts of those in power to subordinate women. I don’t know what we can do to liberate women in South Asian island nations and the Middle East from the religious and cultural chains that bind them. What I do know is that what we have been doing has not been enough, and for a nation committed to “Equal Protection of the Law” we are sadly lacking in the area of Women’s Rights. Just as all people should be allowed to marry who they want regardless of gender, women should not be told to be more feminine in the work place and should have insurance coverage for family planning. Women should not have to fear a forced marriage or wonder whether the rape they experienced was “forcible” or not. As the old Cheris Kramarae quote says, "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." Women are over half of the population, it’s time to make the less-than-half part of the population truly acknowledge and value our humanity. I will not let my uterus dictate where I go in life. No other women should have to either. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">[1] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">[2] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Constitution">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Constitution</a> </div><div class="MsoNormal">[3] <a href="http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/acsbr09-3.pdf">http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/acsbr09-3.pdf</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">[4] <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/09/abortion-forcible-rape-language-hr-3_n_820846.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/09/abortion-forcible-rape-language-hr-3_n_820846.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">[5] <a href="http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51391">http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51391</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">[6] <a href="http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2011/08/01/cbs-spins-new-obamacare-birth-control-mandate-good-news">http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2011/08/01/cbs-spins-new-obamacare-birth-control-mandate-good-news</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">[7] <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/20/groups-blast-laud-high-court-for-decision-against-nations-largest/">http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/20/groups-blast-laud-high-court-for-decision-against-nations-largest/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
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</div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8225465566567388847.post-66632445561566137272011-07-29T13:08:00.000-05:002011-07-29T13:08:44.371-05:00It's Picnic Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With upcoming local elections and challenges posed by the "Tea Party", it will be an important time to join us for the 8th Annual SD-50 DFL Picnic taking place Wednesday, August 10th at Kordiak Park.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgId_GNWE5GJRJHPFA0823gBG6pgnRfqS98bVrknB-tzIiwL_Sg68i9wC_kXxky1sbHbzoLvx0ntLK2p7ZtUeeg4uQrjWDzuTGA-XXCoAx9AehLTdnzbEtQ_7l8htrXKnPCJhRnE3_CB1w/s1600/picnic_catering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgId_GNWE5GJRJHPFA0823gBG6pgnRfqS98bVrknB-tzIiwL_Sg68i9wC_kXxky1sbHbzoLvx0ntLK2p7ZtUeeg4uQrjWDzuTGA-XXCoAx9AehLTdnzbEtQ_7l8htrXKnPCJhRnE3_CB1w/s200/picnic_catering.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Wednesday, August 10</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>6:00 to 8:00 pm</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Kordiak Park</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1845 49th Avenue NE, Columbia Heights</b></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course, taking center stage will be Senator Barb Goodwin, Representative Kate Knuth, and Representative Carolyn Laine! There is no charge, but a free will donation will be accepted.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE! </span></b></div>Katherine Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167697199811473208noreply@blogger.com0