2011: The Year of Protests?

Several continents seem to be protesting for changes in government/policies. The latest, London. I am surprised at the numbers in the UK. All of the so-called news channels have only been hyping The Royal Wedding. I believe that most people are hard-working. It seems that the majority of people dedicate their entire day to work and receive less compensation in the form of benefits and other sources of security that keep their quality of life at its current level. There has to be changes. I used to have a very good quality of life because the military--especially living overseas--offered free health care. Health care is now a luxury for me. Being that I am employable but no one is hiring, I have gone without health care for years. It is scary.

I was thinking about mental health care for those in war-torn countries. I remember watching the news years ago and it speaking of how Iraq did not have enough child psychologists. I was terrified to hear that. I then started to wonder about the people in the military: do they have mental health specialists in the war zone? I believe that would be logical but from what I have heard, through word-of-mouth, they are mostly concerned with mental health once the infantry men (I do not believe women fight while deployed to those areas) return to their homes/ duty stations.

An uncle? Someone who married into our family served in either World War II or The Korean War. As a child, we thought it was funny to tease him because he would doze off and erupt into violent outbursts--moving and speaking as though he were in the war, even though he was on the couch or at the table. We were scared of him because we couldn't predict when it would occur and we didn't know how to react. I feel guilty about that because I shouldn't have been so ignorant of such a serious condition. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder stayed with him until his death in the 90s and I hope that no one else has to suffer that same fate.

I can't think too clearly today. 

 

Capitalize Me!

Child labor laws do not apply in certain circumstances: youtube/blog profits and street performers. There is a street performer who appears very young that croons to the many visitors that the travel industry attracts. I have seen this girl out at very early hours in the morning--the same hours that the drunk and disorderly are roaming the streets and the prostitutes, who everybody, including the cops, knows are prostitutes, are looking for customers. The young street performer's income must be very lucrative in order for her parents to have her in such an environment. 

The Youtube generation uses social networking and other media sites innocuously but are being criticized by the national media. It seems that the latest distraction is named Rebecca Black and she has a song titled, "Friday" that everyone is commenting on. I adhere to the old adage: accentuate the positive. . .and therefore, I will not critique the song. I think that those who make negative statements must remember that Rebecca is a child. She is probably not unlike other children who have fun being silly on Youtube. The thing that bothers me is that this, once again, is the bread and circus. Entertainment diverts our attention to the salient issues that the news should be broadcasting.

Corporate news is biased. I prefer Democracy Now over CNN, Fox, MSNBC and every other major news source. Democracy Now does not have the viral videos and other distractions that are used in the "news". Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez are exceptional journalists. They have maintained the journalistic integrity that other broadcasters: Fox News, has never had and will probably never know.  

Good news: At&t and Verizon have allowed calls and texts to Japan to be free until March 31st.

Click on the link for more information.

AT&T, Sprint & Verizon Offer Free Calls & Texts to Japan From U.S. [UPDATED]

Was Obama's Libya Attack Impeachable?

Fellow Democrat Dennis Kucinich believes so and I remain confused. I am confused because there are other areas in the world that have their government committing similar crimes and there is no military response from the U.S. and the other allies; when a lot of countries gather together and bomb a country, isn't that considered a World War? And finally, what is our objective and exit strategy? There is too much confusion. Peace is simple. When a U.S. Air Force man ejected from his plane in Libya, he was not attacked. The countries bombed Libya and now no one wants to take responsibility. The U.S. has said they are not trying to kill Gaddafi--that would be a criminal act, but to bomb his compound is. . .? Why can't someone arrest Gaddafi? He appears to be in the compound and the U.S. will not kill him, so does this mean that another country's military can kill him? I don't know. Too many questions and the news does not answer any of them.

In other news. . .I am sick of hearing about these "Tea Party" people, too. Conservatives and party should never be included in the same sentence. They seem like homophobic zealots who resort to religion to defend their lame arguments. I used to like Victoria Jackson, the has-been from Saturday Night Live, but she is relevant to politics and pop culture? No wonder she is no longer funny--being associated with the Tea Party and being closed-minded is a bad route to take for a so-called comedienne.

If Ms. Jackson was so offended by the Glee kiss, she should have turned off the television. The only attention that she could attract came from her latching onto a popular show in order to bash homosexuals and spread her weird Tea Party/religious viewpoints.

I have to fake it until I make it because today I am not feeling like giving anyone the benefit of the doubt and I am losing hope in them--not hope itself, but hope in a few people. I wanted Obama to make those changes that he spoke about so frequently throughout the campaign and after the election. I have not seen positive changes. I do not care what race or party the President of the U.S. is from; what I do care about is how he treats the people in the world. War is inhumane. I hope that no one ever has to see it. Bombs, blood, bodies and fear. A thirty-year-old in Afghanistan has only known war. That is unbelievable. I hope that peace comes. I continue to seek ways to help those who are in the crossfire. I do not treat military members with disrespect or protest because they are following orders. Those who commit the shocking crimes such as Abu Gharib, and the most recent trophy pictures in Afghanistan, were probably allowed to join the military instead of doing jail time--yes, there really are waivers for certain psychos and other people who need punishment or rehabilitation rather than to serve in the military. I'm rambling, so take care. Hasta Manana.

Since When Has Standardized Testing Become The Child's Decision?

Listening to CNN, I heard the journalist say that a child had decided standardized testing was against her religious/personal beliefs--the same justification that is used against required school vaccinations. This is one of the problems with the American Education system, in my opinion. Are we allowing children to have too much power over their education?

There were some valid reasons why the child did not believe in the testing; one being that it is used to evaluate the teachers, and some teachers will lose their jobs if the students do not perform at the designated learning level. That, in my opinion, is a valid argument. Not wanting to be compared to students internationally, makes sense, too, but tests must be used in order to assess a child's learning and to use such justifiable reasons for not taking a test is unacceptable. Testing is a very important part of the learning process.

I have issues with testing. I think that it would be an easier and more accurate measure if all students were taught from the same lesson plan. I believe that lesson plans should be standardized. Education is changing. Students are now attending middle and high school online, schools are closing, and the use and knowledge of technology is now a requirement rather than an elective.

I can see this issue backfiring and all students opting to not be tested. That would make the public education system worse and be a boon to those who can afford to attend private schooling. I was fortunate enough to have attended excellent schools. I did not feel the pressure from the standardized tests because our lesson plans had been created to teach us what we could anticipate to see on the tests.

CNN also said that the recession has hit women harder than men. The reason? Female-dominated fields are now welcoming more men. Two of the fields named? Education and Health care.  

Another loophole: diplomatic immunity, aka extraterritorialism

I have the time.com app on my so-called "smartphone". I came across an article that spoke about a man named Raymond Davis who "allegedly" killed two Pakistani citizens and was being held in the country. I would not be surprised if this story becomes a lifetime movie because what saved Davis was Sharia Law. 

This entire story seems fictitious because there are so many layers in order to arrive at the truth. Here is what makes it complicated. At first, Davis was a diplomat. Diplomats--as I know from growing up around TCKs whose parents worked at the American Embassies--have a great shield that protects them known as Diplomatic Immunity.

Diplomatic Immunity can be abused. Those with this protective status cannot be held to the laws of the country they reside in or visit. There were stories that I heard of diplomats who had speeding and driving under the influence tickets issued by the host country, but that the said country could not collect on because the diplomat could use their right: diplomatic immunity.

Supposedly, Davis was a diplomat--at first--and then, CIA. After CIA, he was an employee of Blackwater--which has since changed its name to Xe. In this tangled web, I do not know who Raymond Davis is but I know that he used Islamic law in order to be freed of the killings.

Sharia law is generally used and practiced by the Wahabbis. Wahabbism is what most Western countries have an issue with. Some of the laws are interpreted in a way that justifies oppression and other crimes against humanity.   Who paid the blood money? Will other Muslim countries suggest that offenders be tried according to Sharia Law? Too many questions arise from this seemingly innocuous trial.

The British thrived in Hong Kong under the protections of diplomatic immunity because the British could commit crimes with impunity. There are circumstances where I am sure that it is needed, but in other cases, there should be oversight to ensure that it is not being abused. 

A Great Example of a Double Standard

"The hypocrisy of Democracy"--Chris Rock.

I dislike the term, "anti-war". I prefer that the protesters are called pro-peace. The protesters had an official order to not hold their demonstrations in front of The White House, but did so, and were arrested. From the news link, it seemed peaceful and it had a well-educated crowd--it included Daniel Ellsberg--but they disobeyed an order and were arrested.

Too bad this logic does not apply to the families of fallen soldiers, who cannot draft such orders when they have the religious zealots spreading fake information, and being rowdy outside of their relatives' funerals. Their erratic behavior is viewed as tolerable and is protected under The First Amendment. . .I am far too logical.

I have never felt the need to be on one side or the other. I always hope for peace, and until it occurs, I try to reason what is best to help those devastated by war. This may seem contradictory, but I refuse to be as naive as to believe that my vote counts, I know that it does not, and that my voice will be heard, I have written those in government and have not received any responses. I know that a lot of what is said is said, "in theory". It appears contradictory that we are supportive of protests in other countries but angered by those in our own.



It seems as though these wars: Iraq and Afghanistan, and the new bombing campaign in Libya are testing our rights. Do the American people want more wars? I want peace. We have tried war for too long: Afghanistan marking the longest U.S. War in American history.

Here is the link to the AP story about the protesters:
U.S. Protesters arrested at the White House

Flexing our muscles?

U.S. ships have been deployed to Libya. Historically, this is a sign of intimidation. Hopefully, it doesn't escalate beyond that. To say that the U.S. Military is overstretched, is an understatement. I always hope for peace, and when that is not possible--which, it always is in my opinion-- but when the Military, U.N. et cetera, choose other options, I think of what is the best possible outcome of this horrible quandary. My advice: avoid the politics within Libya and other countries in which, 1. We do not understand the culture; 2. We do not speak the languages of the majority and minority; 3. We do not have a well-planned entry and several exit strategies.

People often say that politics is played. Perhaps, in certain countries, it is but The Middle East is one of the most culturally and politically complex regions in the world. I would find it hard to believe that anyone--even the native-born and raised individuals--could accurately predict what the outcome will be once there is foreign intervention. The exiles have been away from their country for too long to remember and understand their own culture, from a contemporary perspective, and also have not experienced the hardships that the protesters have endured. 

Democracy to other countries is probably not the same definition of democracy that Westerners are familiar with. Traditions and tribal and other loyalties will somehow have to be accounted for and integrated into their form of democracy. Would we want the responsibility of supporting their interpretation of democracy? Surely, it will be translated to conform to their culture and not ours.

Translation is another problem. Arabic is a hard language and I think that it would benefit the translators if they had a knowledge of the Quran. Relgion is a large part of the cultures in The Middle East and I believe that in order to have a working knowledge of the language, it would also benefit to know the religion, not practice it, but understand it in terms to anticipate the ideology. The basis of so much rests in Islam and being a devout reader of the Quran. The Middle East has a lot of diversity. It is not only composed of Arabs and Muslims. I hope that I do not sound like a reductionist by proposing the religion, but I do believe it is very important in their politics. I do not believe they hold the same separation of religion and country as some Western countries do.


Since it appears that we are headed into Libya, have we decided how we will exit? For ships and planes, it is simple, but I still don't understand the purpose of showing U.S. Military might. I don't understand the politics of the Middle East. I will not pretend that I do. I hope that there is a diplomatic solution to the problem and that everyone draft resolutions and whatever else they believe they need to better their country.