Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
Sometimes an idea hits me leading to an epiphany. Epiphanies for me usually take the shape of the realization that a 
belief I’ve held for a long time, is actually more important in the scheme of things than I had previously thought about. This happened with me some few years ago when the opposition to gay marriage defeated a voter initiative. I had been a believer in the need for equality for Gay men and women since I was a teenager. After all the bullies who were beating me up kept calling me a “fag, or “queer” and while I wasn’t, I got insight into what it must be like to be homosexual. In life you have the choice of identifying with the bully, or those who are bullied. I’ve always chosen the latter. So as a young adult I cried tears of joy when “Stonewall” happened and the police found that Gays would no longer be easy targets. Working for NYC’s Human Rights Administration and then living in Manhattan gave me the privilege of meeting and befriending Gay people of both sexes. When AIDS hit the scene I had many friends die and I worked to help the Division of Aids Services as a Budget Director. Yet while I always completely supported LGBT rights, for a while I believed the focus on Gay Marriage, shouldn’t be in the forefront of the movement. The argument over Proposition 8 in California http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_8 gave me an epiphany that led me to see that not only was the right to marriage an essential part of ensuring the Constitutional Rights of Gay people, but it was the key element. Being unable to assist in the health care choices of long term partners, in some cases even being barred from the funerals, or participating in ones’ partners Health Plan are important Constitutional issues and the essence of the battle.
Last night my wife and I saw and were very moved by Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln”. There was a scene in it during a congressional debate where one congressman said in effect “If we grant Blacks freedom, then we’ll have to give them the right to vote……and if we give them the right to vote we will have to give women the right to vote. In truth it was another six decades before this country bestowed upon its’ women the basic Constitutional Right of voting as my wife pointed out to me. Later in the evening we watched the Bill Maher Show and during the discussion reference was made to the frequency of abuse and murder of women throughout the world and suddenly my epiphany. While I’ve always supported women’s rights, it is so easy in a world where so many wrong things occur daily to not place the abuse and murder of women particularly at the top of an agenda decrying unjust war, drone attacks, racism, economic disparity and torture, to name a few. As it became clear to me last night, the murder, rape, bondage and the degradation of women is part and parcel of all these issues of evil and not merely one aspect of them. Considering that women comprise at least half of humanity, the mistreatment of women worldwide is actually the most important issue humanity faces. We must solve this before we can even hope to solve any other great issue. Because I’m not really a great thinker, many of my “epiphanies” are ones that are obvious to many. However, when they do occur I am willing to reconsider the hierarchy of my beliefs. Unlike my other guest blogs I will not tire you with the evidence of what to me is self-evident. Do you agree, or do you have other world problem solving priorities?
One Billion Rising
Flash Mob How-To
January 16, 2013
http://onebillionrising.org/blog/entry/one-billion-rising-flash-mob-how-to
Groups around the world will be performing flash mobs for One Billion Rising on 14 February 2013. Flash mobs are surprise performances of choreographed dances in public places where people will gather together to dance and celebrate One Billion Rising. These flash mobs will be a creative expression as well as raising awareness about violence against women and girls.
http://www.womenlobby.org/spip.php?article4394
Some deserve beating. The scripture says that it is justifiable. The word is more important than what any woman has to offer.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/12/the-gop-and-violence-against-women.html “Last time I checked, women made up more than half the electorate. A political party that so easily allows itself to get painted as hating on the ladies is a party on the road to extinction.”
Blouise, Yep. Let’s hope Boehner and the boys don’t hold this up again. Hopefully they learned something from the election.
Fact: in 1989 there were no laws against stalking.
Fact: according to the FBI, in 1997 almost one-third (29 percent) of all female homicide victims were killed by their husbands or boyfriends, a rate that has remained relatively constant since 1976.
Fact: Domestic violence is the largest cause of intentional injury to women.
Fact: In response to considerable anecdotal evidence
of police “leniency” in arrests for domestic violence, as of 2000, all states authorize warrantless arrests of domestic violence offenders based solely on a probable cause determination that an offense occurred and that the person arrested committed the offense
The push to criminalize domestic violence began in the 1970’s. Most domestic violence cases were referred to Family Court for “counseling” until women’s group took up the battle and pushed for criminal legislation. It has been a rough road to hoe but each decade has brought progress.
Rand Paul voted against! Guess the acorn …
And Rand Paul who also voted against the measure will be giving the Tea Party response to Obama’s address. Idealist, There are 20 women in the senate. Only 4 are republican. I see both Texas senators voted against it. Cornyn is scared of the Tea Party so he votes with Cruz.. Glad I am leaving the red state.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/vawa-vote_n_2669720.html
“Senators who voted against the bill included Republicans John Barrasso (Wyo.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), John Boozman (Ark.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Cornyn (Texas), Ted Cruz (Texas), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Orrin Hatch (Utah), James Inhofe (Okla.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Ron Johnson (Wisc.), Mike Lee (Utah), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Rand Paul (Ky.), Jim Risch (Idaho), Pat Roberts (Kansas), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), John Thune (S.D.) and Tim Scott (S.C.).
Rubio, who put out a statement on his VAWA stance Tuesday, will give the Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address later Tuesday evening.”
Rubio’s statement:
http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/fighting-for-florida?ID=73127f36-238f-4d9d-b6fb-b4681a4b440a
SwM,
Only 22, then there must be a lot of female R senators. Or some Rs voted for it, or did they lay down their votes?
Anyway, let’s hope that Canfor, Boehner and all the misogynists in the House (some blue dog dems) all have a stroke, but the measure gets to the floor. The show must go on.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/02/12/1556601/senate-passes-vawa-again/ The Violence Against Women Act passes with no help from the 22 republican male senators who voted against it.
Should have proofread it myself. Will do.
Some have already replied to suggest sites for your monument! .-)
One suggests even the monuments form:
Nude man and woman standing holding hands. Text below: “God gave us both rationality and emotion. The former to women, the latter to men. Fortunately a little barter system was created.”
The puritans and anxious moms’ associattion together with the Vatican will add fig leafs.
Idealist: Then correct the typo; I said “because we trust society as a whole to punish them if we do.” that final ‘we’ should by ‘they’. We trust society as a whole to punish them if THEY do [some kind of crime].
I am sending TonyC’s essay to some friends.
A guide many need. And a few will take.
Tony C, 1, February 11, 2013 at 10:47 am.
Again a concept new to me, or ordered in a fashion new to me.
Well stated and rumination worthy.** Thank you.
** Epiphanic :o)
Revealing someone’s identity without their permission?
Surely you can taunt better than that.
TonyC,
I retired pleased by your answer, and encouraged as well. Thanks for putting emotions back in the equation.
Not a surprise to you, but I realized that here caring for the old ones so that you may be cared for in your time is your insurance, and part of the contract you sign with society.
M.Ball
1, February 10, 2013 at 11:41 pm
My, my!
We’ve left the gals behind to recount our medical adventures. I guess all that “news cycle” stuff isn’t just babble.
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Perceptive 😉
Idealist: if we did not have trust then we would be less than our domestic pets and our goats, cows, and sheep, etc.
The point is not that we cannot have trust, the point is to recognize that trust is something that you feel emotionally, like “respect,” “love,” “comraderie,” etc.
Idealist says: So we would not have a society were it not for trust.
A “society” is like an insurance company in this respect. An insurance company (at least a non-corrupt one) is an invention that lets you substitute the chance of a major loss for the certainty of the average loss. In other words, your premium every month becomes a “certain” loss, but you no longer have to worry about the major loss (say your house, car, or hardship that would befall your family if you died in an accident).
Society is a similar model; instead of being forced to trust individuals, we instead join (or remain in) a society which we trust in aggregate. So we can worry less about untrustworthy individuals stealing from us, defrauding us, assaulting us, etc, because we trust society as a whole to punish them if we do. If everybody could be trusted to tell the truth and keep their word and contracts without coercion, to not steal, to not engage in coercion or deception for selfish or desperate reasons, then we don’t need a society, police, or laws.
Trust is not what builds a society, society is the solution when you cannot trust individuals or strangers but still would like to be able to walk about without being armed to the teeth.
Idealist says: Yes, it hurts to be betrayed, but living at odds with the world (even for good reason) is a tough row to hoe.
I do not think I live at odds with the world. I strive to see the world as it is without the fuzzy filter of emotion. That does not mean, in the least, that I strive to be unemotional; in fact I am the exact opposite: I believe that rationality exists as a tool to serve the emotional being, that the whole point of life is the emotional experience. But for rationality to serve me well it has to operate on truth, I cannot let emotions infect or mask my rational perception of the world and the people in it (including me).
Emotions define my goals in life, they are what determine what I will find pleasure in, satisfaction in, take pride in, enjoy, and so on. Rationality is just the tool I use to achieve those goals.
Thanks people. No words for it, just thanks.
Mike, it is money that steers there. At least some.
Here you’re never sure as the money and personnel at the hospital are always rationed. 10 years ago the heart nurses spent a lot of time smoking in their room and eatinng cake. Now they run like scalded rats, and have much more qualified jobs. Bedside ECGs, etc.
Very glad for you and us all that they gave you amiodoral, which I presume is a market name for Amiodarone. Did the ambulance folks or the hospital where you were headed? Very qualified ambulance people (sometimes) here.
Again, thanks all.
“Considering that women comprise at least half of humanity, the mistreatment of women worldwide is actually the most important issue humanity faces.”
Some would say the better half of humanity, Mike.
And what Tony C. said. It has been my experience that while a great many criminals in prisons are emotionally stunted in some way or otherwise mentally ill, fewer of them are psychopaths than sociopaths and by far the most dangerous psychopaths are outside the penal system. It’s a great mistake to think that because psychopaths are broken that they are inherently irrational.