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Archive for the ‘Great American Women’ Category

Anania and Int’l Human Rights Day

Posted in 51 Percent, ERA, Feminist Majority, Great American Women, Human Rights, Humanism, LGBT, Politics, tagged , , , , , , on December 10, 2010| 1 Comment »

Elizabeth Anania Edwards died on New Year’s Day in the new Lunar Hijri calendar of 1432. That first day in the month of Muharram, where it is forbidden to fight, she stopped and gave up her life to a disease. Though most in the US don’t use the word or embrace the context, she could have been considered a martyr, to the cause of ending breast cancer.

We in the United States often wear blinders when it comes to looking beyond our boundaries, but her death was noted outside our confines. Pakistan Times carried THIS.

I found myself wondering at the complexity of translation from English to Arabic that must have occurred, and fascinated by the resulting translation back to English in the Pakistan Times, I nevertheless recognize the syntax of the press release found in many other publications. It’s a reminder to me that the world really does listen, engage and even honor those it finds worthy.

In looking at the day in Wikipedia, it seems in a mystical sense, all of a piece that her death day was also that of the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Bombing, the day Indonesia invaded East Timor, the day Yassar Arafat acknowledged Israel, the Day the Republic of China moved to Taipei and the day the US first executed a person by lethal injection. Days of tribulation and days of human rights achievements are always linked.

Anania studied law, then, spent her life helping others, struggling for their rights in bankruptcy court and family law. She went to Washington and told our government how the dysfunction of our health system and bankruptcy laws did more than anything in our country to break people financially and kill them.  Anania spoke out for the human rights of others. Maybe there were other reasons, but she did not take the name of Edwards until and in honor of her son’s death in 1996. In another time she would probably have held the stage herself, rather than as a Senator’s wife. A daughter of the 70’s promise of human rights, her life was too short, but she strove to make it worthy. I think she succeeded.

Her death day folds into this week’s UN celebration: International Human rights Day, where this year’s recognition is for those defenders to end human discrimination.  To recognize her is to understand the honorable struggle ongoing in the world.

So, it will be sad and pathetic it will be when these people show up at her funeral tomorrow. My pity is for them. If you wish to send an  honorarium you might send to the Komen Fund in South Florida, (At the bottom of the Examiner page.) or the Wade Edwards Foundation. It’s all of a piece.

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New Appointments by the Guvernator

Posted in 51 Percent, Communications, Congress, ERA, Feminism, Feminist Majority, Great American Women, Politics, women, Women's Rights, tagged , , , , , on July 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Geena Davis and Alexandra Gleysteen have both been appointed to the State’s “Commission on the Status of Women”, by Governor Schwarzenegger. The appointments are pending CA Senate confirmation.

I’ll just say to whomever is editing Wikipedia for these two, Geena’s page definitely needs revising to better reflect her activities as a woman’s advocate. Alexandra needs inclusion. Better bios were found on the “appointed” link.

They certainly deserve Senate confirmation.

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I Like This!

Posted in 51 Percent, Feminist Majority, Great American Women, Politics, tagged on March 11, 2010| Leave a Comment »

If you haven’t checked out the Young Women Misbehaving’ website lately, be sure and go there. This month, in honor of Women’s History Month, they have complied a  wonderful list of women who “misbehaved” and made history. Today’s list is HERE.

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December 8th, 2009, Senate Health Battles to Date

Posted in 51 Percent, Children, ERA, Feminism, Feminist Majority, Great American Women, Health Care, I Own My Vote, just say no deal, LGBT, NOW, Politics, The New Agenda, women, tagged , , on December 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The continuing saga of H.R. 3590.

Members of the Senate have now submitted 150 amendments to H.R. 3590, including approved S.AMDT.2786, which changed the name of the bill to the PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AMERICANS, and substituted the health care text for that of the original bill involving homeownership. As you may recall that amendment was approved on November 21st when the motion for cloture was agreed to.

Since that time the following additional five amendments have been approved, one amended amendment has been approved and one has been tabled:

S.AMDT.2791 – Mikulski Amdt. 2791 As Amended (by AMDT.2808.); To clarify provisions relating to first dollar coverage for preventive services for women.

S.AMDT.2826 – Bennet Amdt. No. 2826; To protect and improve guaranteed Medicare benefits.

S.AMDT.2870 – Whitehouse Amdt. No. 2870; To promote fiscal responsibility by protecting the Social Security surplus and CLASS program savings in this Act.

S.AMDT. 2899 – Stabenow Amdt. No. 2899; To ensure that there is no reduction or elimination of any benefits guaranteed by law to participants in Medicare Advantage plans.

S.AMDT.2926  – Kerry Amdt No. 2926; To protect home health benefits.

S.AMDT.2939 – Pryor Amdt. No. 2939; To require the Secretary to provide information regarding enrollee satisfaction with qualified health plans offered through an Exchange through the Internet portal.

And one motion to successful tabling of an amendment S.AMDT.2963 – Motion to Table Nelson Amdt. No. 2962; to prohibit the use of Federal funds for abortions.

On the other side, the following five amendments have been rejected and 4 motions have been rejected:

S.AMDT.2836 – Murkowski Amdt. No. 2836; To ensure patients receive doctor recommendations for preventive health services, including mammograms and cervical cancer screening, without interference from government or insurance company bureaucrats.

S.AMDT.2901 – Thune Amdt. No. 2901; To eliminate new entitlement programs and limit the government control over the health care of American families.

S.AMDT.2905 – Lincoln Amdt. No. 2905; To modify the limit on excessive remuneration paid by certain health insurance providers to set the limit at the same levels as the salary of the President of the United States.

S.AMDT.2927 – Ensign Amdt. No. 2927; Relative to limitation on amount of attorneys contingency fees.

S.AMDT.2942 – Gregg Amdt. No. 2942; To prevent Medicare from being raided for new entitlements and to use Medicare savings to save Medicare.

McCain Motion to Commit H.R. 3590 to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009.

Hatch Motion to Commit H.R. 3590 to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009

Johanns Motion to Commit to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009

McCain Motion to Commit H.R. 3590 to the Committee on Finance; Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009.

As you can see, with only twelve amendments dispensed out of one hundred and fifty, the battle and debate for our national health care is not done. It seems a little unrealistic for Reid to say they will be done by the Holiday Break- but hey, he’s the expert.

Senator Boxer’s successful push to get the “Nelson Abortion” abortion tabled , was tremendous. It might take some of the pressure off. HERE is the vote:

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs —54
Akaka (D-HI)Baucus (D-MT)

Begich (D-AK)

Bennet (D-CO)

Bingaman (D-NM)

Boxer (D-CA)

Brown (D-OH)

Burris (D-IL)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Collins (R-ME)

Dodd (D-CT)

Durbin (D-IL)

Feingold (D-WI)

Feinstein (D-CA)

Franken (D-MN)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

 Hagan (D-NC)Harkin (D-IA)

Inouye (D-HI)

Johnson (D-SD)

Kerry (D-MA)

Kirk (D-MA)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Kohl (D-WI)

Landrieu (D-LA)

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Leahy (D-VT)

Levin (D-MI)

Lieberman (ID-CT)

Lincoln (D-AR)

McCaskill (D-MO)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

Mikulski (D-MD)

 Murray (D-WA)Nelson (D-FL)

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV)

Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Snowe (R-ME)

Specter (D-PA)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Tester (D-MT)

Udall (D-CO)

Udall (D-NM)

Warner (D-VA)

Webb (D-VA)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs —45
Alexander (R-TN)Barrasso (R-WY)

Bayh (D-IN)

Bennett (R-UT)

Bond (R-MO)

Brownback (R-KS)

Bunning (R-KY)

Burr (R-NC)

Casey (D-PA)

Chambliss (R-GA)

Coburn (R-OK)

Cochran (R-MS)

Conrad (D-ND)

Corker (R-TN)

Cornyn (R-TX)

 Crapo (R-ID)DeMint (R-SC)

Dorgan (D-ND)

Ensign (R-NV)

Enzi (R-WY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Gregg (R-NH)

Hatch (R-UT)

Hutchison (R-TX)

Inhofe (R-OK)

Isakson (R-GA)

Johanns (R-NE)

Kaufman (D-DE)

Kyl (R-AZ)

 LeMieux (R-FL)Lugar (R-IN)

McCain (R-AZ)

McConnell (R-KY)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Nelson (D-NE)

Pryor (D-AR)

Risch (R-ID)

Roberts (R-KS)

Sessions (R-AL)

Shelby (R-AL)

Thune (R-SD)

Vitter (R-LA)

Voinovich (R-OH)

Wicker (R-MS)
Not Voting – 1
Byrd (D-WV)

If you want to know more go HERE.

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The Monarchs Die

Posted in 51 Percent, Children, ERA, Feminism, Great American Women, NOW, Politics, Sports, women, tagged , , on December 8, 2009| 2 Comments »

SacBee is reporting that the Monarchs did not find a team buyer. The players will be dispersed to other teams. I liked one commenter’s point attached to this article, that the winning team (The women’s) was being killed and the losing Kings team (The men’s) was not.

Draft will disperse Monarchs players after bid for Bay Area move fails

By Debbie Arrington

darrington@sacbee.com

Published: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 – 11:11 am

[Instead of moving as a team, Monarchs players will be dispersed Monday in New York, the WNBA announced.

Today, the WNBA scheduled a dispersal draft of Sacramento’s franchise, one of the original eight WNBA teams and the 2005 champions….]

http://www.sacbee.com/latest/story/2379917.html

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UN Resolution 1325, Does it Apply to the US?

Posted in 51 Percent, Children, Feminism, Feminist Majority, Great American Women, Health Care, I Own My Vote, just say no deal, LGBT, NOW, Politics, PUMA PAC, The New Agenda, women, tagged , , , on November 21, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The ninth anniversary, on Oct 31st, 2009, of UN Resolution 1325, dedicated to women peace and security, was marked this year by a series of events starting with open debate at the UN Security Council and leading up to adoption of the  “Third Resolution On Women, Peace & Security, SCR 1888″.

As is usual, a report of the Secretary General, in preparation of the debate was delivered on dated Sept 16, 2009. #S/2009/465, Entitled “Report of the Secretary-General on women and peace and security”, HERE, is an 18 page document outlining events, conclusions and recommendations relating to how women last year, in various places around the globe, were affected by war, it’s aftermath, and the difficulties of finding a voice. I encourage you read it.

WomenWatch has a webpage HERE, devoted to information about this important global resolution directed toward the advancement of peace and security for women. It’s section entitled “Background to Resolution 1325, From the UN Charter to Security Council Resolution 1325” provides a wonderful synopsis of the path taken from the beginning of the UN, to the resolution’s adoption.

The geographic area of United States is not technically in a theater of war. Therefore, the events that happened last year in places like Somalia or Afghanistan do not apply to us. However, one cannot help but find resonance in some of the actions that are taken against women in our country. Deliberate destruction of medical supplies and measles vaccinations targeted for women and children strike a chord with unequal medical treatment provided here. Gang rape as an act of war, an old enemy of women, as well as men and children, is not too far off from the gang rape that occurs in our streets. Many countries around the world now have better representation of women in government than we.

The Security Council reports that there is an absence of “a clear monitoring mechanism” for implementation of 1325, therefore, it has continued to play a strong advocacy role. Part of this problem may relate to it’s own difficulty in promoting women to positions, such as higher council levels and monitoring, which in turn relates to how successful the member countries have been at providing them.

In any event, sixteen countries have thus far made an effort toward advocacy of women’s goals by developing national action plans. They are Austria, Belgium, Chile, Côte d’Ivorie, Denmark. Finland, Iceland, Liberia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Plans of Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Nepal were reported to be under development.

So despite the fact that that we are permanent members of the Council, we have not so far produced a national action plan. Not us. Nowhere in the report are we mentioned. Yep, that’s global leadership! Now it’s true that we just had an election and we have some new blood[1] [2] staffing the upper levels of the Security Council. I take the UN’s point, however, if we want to lead, that we must do a better job of achieving gender parity. We must be willing to develop our own national action plan.  In doing so we will see the similarities.

[1] Opening Remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Adoption of a UNSC Resolution to Combat Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict

 

[2] Remarks by Ambassador Rosemary A. DiCarlo, U.S. Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs, during a Security Council Debate on Women, Peace, and Security, in the Security Council Chamber

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Get your shot!!!

Posted in 51 Percent, Children, Feminism, Great American Women, I Own My Vote, just say no deal, The New Agenda, women, tagged , on November 13, 2009| 1 Comment »

If you haven’t got your H1N1 shot yet and you aren’t allergic to eggs, go get your gal-durn shot. If you are allergic to eggs and don’t have medical insurance with which to get medical advice, contact these people:

www.solanocounty.com/H1N1

www.flu.gov

www.cdc.gov

www.cdph.ca.gov.

Solano County CA. has now confirmed the death of a six year old. A forty-year old man died recently, 80 people have been hospitalized and we have had one school dismissal. Maybe that doesn’t seem like much in a population of more than 400 thousand. Why do you want to be one of the lucky ones that got it?

Then, there is this, a now confirmed case of H1N1 in a cat. If yours aren’t feeling well, get it checked out.


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Veteran’s Day 2009, and NNAHM

Posted in 51 Percent, Feminism, Great American Women, I Own My Vote, just say no deal, Politics, PUMA PAC, The New Agenda, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

WAPO is commemorating Veteran’s Day, with an article on Tammy Duckworth and the new generation at the VA.

Today’s Christian Science Monitor’s article discusses new attempts to help homeless vets. I have to say I don’t think there has been this much Federal activity in this direction since Governor Reagan. You may remember him. He’s the one that did so much in aid of the population’s growth in CA when he shut down thousands of hospital beds as a cost cutter.

President Obama was busy speechifying at Arlington, as he did yesterday in Fort Hood, Texas.

New Hampshire’s Peterboro, the company that has been making USAn made baskets since 1854, is offering a few patriotically themed baskets in celebration of Veterans Day. You know the ones; they make picnic, pie and bicycle baskets.

My hometown is having a parade in just a few minutes, and I’ve been searching for my display flag, the one my mother gave me, all day. I haven’t been able to find it since we packed a few things into storage.

Elsewhere around the Bay area, these VA events are happening.

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On Oct 30 Barack Obama proclaimed November as National Native American Heritage Month. (NNAHM)

Indigenous peoples in Alaska are giving informative lectures on various tribes and nations.

As well, in Alaska, the Juneau Empire is featuring daily, a different member of the Juneau native community.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is taking applications for their 2010 list of Endangered Native American Places.

The Library of Congress has put together an interview and web page on Keith M Little, Navajo code talker during WWII.

The National Park Service has nicely featured in their National Register of Historic Places, properties relating to “American Indian Heritage Month”.

Mills College, in Oakland, CA is commemorating the month with various activities. The next will be an evening of music and dinner on November 19th.

WaterturtleWeaver has a new 2010 ethnobotany calandar on sale, that looks scrumptious! The project was a cooperative effort including well known artist-ethnologist Deborah Small and photographer-weaver Rose Ramierz.

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Happy Birthday Abbie!

Posted in 51 Percent, Feminism, Great American Women, I Own My Vote, just say no deal, Politics, PUMA PAC, The New Agenda, women, tagged , , on November 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Born this day, November 11th, 1744: Abigail Adams, First Lady of the United States, March 4th, 1797- March 4th, 1801.

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Maria Mayer

Posted in 51 Percent, Feminism, Great American Women, I Own My Vote, just say no deal, Politics, PUMA PAC, The New Agenda, women, tagged , , on November 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

On this day November 10th, 1963, Maria Mayer became the first American woman and second woman ever, to win  the Nobel Prize in Physics. Her working life was indicative of the strictures many women have suffered toward achievement in a male dominated field.

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