Darfur

The situation in Darfur is just unbelievably horrific. I suppose that is why I hadn't posted about this previously. It is sad that the international community has basically allowed these atrocities to continue. Recently, a group at my college has begun organizing a chapter of Amnesty International; they are hoping to get the college community to help create awareness on this issue - hence this post.

Amnesty International USA has a very good page containing a late update on the situation and some links for action. Please take a moment, educate yourself, and act.

Pay Equity Day

Today (what's left of it) is "Equal Pay Day". This day symbolizes how far into the next year women must work on average to earn as much as men earned the previous year!

Today is a good day to reflect on the problems women still face in the workplace. Discrimination (yes, still in 2005), the glass ceiling, the sticky floor, and less monetary value placed on "women's work" such as child care, all contribute to the problem.

Today is a good day to remember that many women are either the sole support of their families or provide a vital part of family income. By expanding the choices women view on their horizons, by allowing them to progress as far in their careers as their talents can carry them, and by compensating them fairly, not only women, but families and society will greatly benefit. Families will have a better standard of living and society will feel the impact of their fully utilized capabilities.

The Coalition of Labor Union Women has an Equal Pay Day site, as does the National Committee on Pay Equity.

Now Hear Us!

While reading about the 2005 Jefferson Center Muzzles, something I'd thought about previously came to mind. The Muzzles cited both major parties for their treatment of protesters. The right to protest and dissent is central to our democracy. It should be cherished, not stifled. We should all be concerned about the treatment given to protesters. The next hot issue may be one which makes us want to join a protest. How would we care to be treated?

The thought that occurred to me, however, is that I wonder just how effective such protests really are. Lawmakers and decision makers are very insulated from us now. There are so many layers of security, lobbyists, and staff between ordinary citizens and our representatives that it's difficult for us common citizens to make our voices heard. Town hall meetings with the President are filled with partisan crowds, so very little real discussion of issues is heard. I'm not much on going to marches, but I do often send e-mails or letters to national and state officials. I wonder how effective even that is. We need to find ways to (civilly, of course) break through and get our decision makers to pay attention. Maybe they should be required to visit a grocery store at least once a month. They could meet us and see the challenges some people face in order to feed a family. Maybe there should be "People's" press conferences (regularly, not just during debating season) where ordinary folks are selected by lottery to ask questions. Maybe there should be some limits on the access lobbyists have. Maybe, as was mentioned earlier, there should be real campaign finance reform. What do you think?

Happy Birthday, Thomas Jefferson!

I know it's getting late in the day, but Happy Birthday, nevertheless to our Third President. He reminded us that freedom of speech "cannot be limited without being lost."

Let's remember some more thoughts of Jefferson's as his birthday celebration winds down:

"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people...They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

Those are excellent observations that all of us should remain mindful of.

On or around his birthday, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression gives out the "Muzzles" to those who have tried to stifle free expression. Go here - or use the link in the side bar - to read about the 2005 Muzzle awardees. I found the story of the high school valedictorian who stood up for her right to free speech against the school who earned a Muzzle very inspiring.

Journalism Under Fire

I truly believe that an independent judiciary is crucial to our system of government. I believe that a free and independent press is as well. That's why I hope the courts would lighten up and not force journalists to reveal confidential sources. Jim Taricani, a Rhode Island reporter was just freed today after serving a sentence of home confinement for not revealing a source. I believe that if a source needs confidentiality, this should be honored. Sometimes, that is the only way the person may feel comfortable about providing information. Without this type of information, often the public would not be completely informed. I want a press that is not afraid to investigate and question everything, especially the government!

Here's another article about recent developments in this area. I hope that we all will support the establishment of a federal shield law for journalists.

Keep the "Third Branch" Independent

I'm very concerned about the rhetoric and posturing that has been going on concerning our judiciary. Yesterday, the religious right had a conference on "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith". I wonder if these folks care about what the Constitution says. Rep. DeLay (who has "threatened" judges recently) and others want Congress to interject itself into the judiciary system.

At this point, everyone's alarm bells should be ringing. The Constitution of the United States created 3 independent branches of government, so that there would be checks and balances on power. For Congress to intervene or otherwise pressure the judiciary as they are proposing would compromise an independent judiciary, which is vital to our democracy.

I'm with Sen. Minority Leader, Harry Reid. The Sen. is quoted as saying, "I believe in our Constitution. I believe in the separation of powers doctrine. I believe that the Founding Fathers were wise in developing these branches of government - executive branch, legislative branch, judicial branch - one having no more power than the other".

Another Threat to Online Privacy

I'm a fairly upstanding person, but I still value what little online privacy I may have left. I'm always complaining about "cookies". I won't accept them unless absolutely necessary. Although they are "supposedly" to help a website remember you (why?) or remember what pages you've visited if you're ordering from them, I suspect their real purpose is just to track our movements on the web. In fact, one of the tech support people at my ISP told me he thought there was no such thing as a good cookie.

I'm also alarmed at the personal information some websites want if they make you "register" to use them. For example, both my local newspaper and the Philadelphia Inquirer ask for your birthdate! Ok, so maybe I shouldn't be so sensitive about my age, but there is another reason I haven't registered with either one. In an age in which we have to guard against identity theft, a birthdate is sensitive information that we shouldn't have to give out just for some registration purposes. We all ought to be concerned about the availability of personal information in this digital society. For example, this article investigates how information brokers sell social security numbers, often with little or no verification that the request was legitimate.

Now, getting back to cookies. It seems a company, United Virtualities, has found a way to restore cookies that have been deleted from hard drives! Their system uses Macromedia flash player. You may want to read this and use the link provided to get information on adjusting your flash player settings.

We need to let our legislators (state and national know) that we are concerned about privacy issues and want legislation to address them. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of CA has introduced several pieces of legislation that could help consumers with some online privacy issues.


P. S. I also e-mailed United Virtualities to tell them I was not fond of their cookie-busting technique. Links are current as of today, 4/8.