Lauren's Blog

2003-11-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

last post here...

All posts can now be found at laurenpressley.com. Thanks for visiting!

2003-11-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

new blog

Hi there. I now am using MovableType for blogging. The site can now be found at http://www.johnborwick.com/lauren/blog. It's moving to it's own site soon, so I'll post with that address when it happens. See you there!

2003-11-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

blogging

I'm having so much fun with blogging that I'm finding Blogger doesn't quite fit my needs anymore. I want to have comments, trackback, and categories... more freedom in my template! So, I'm considering a move in the following days. Stay tuned for more information!

2003-11-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

my issues with class

I attend a fair number of liberal group meetings. I go to a liberal church, I go to Dean Meet Ups, I hang out with lots of liberal friends, but for some reason class rarely comes up. It's not even that it doesn't come up, but it's blatantly ignored. I identify as a feminist. I am very concerned with issues of gender equality. But I also realize that gender issues have nothing on class. Class is one of the biggest issues in this country and it's one that people aren't educated about and people who do know about it have been brought up to think it's rude to discuss.

Brilliant.

Brilliant for the right, that is. I just took a political compass quiz online. My graph came out on the left/libertarian end. I am in no way libertarian. I don't trust people in a capitalist system enough. I felt a bit better about my score when I saw that the dimensions I'm closest to are also labled communism & anarchism. That's closer to the socialist leanings I have. I'm pretty pumped up about the reading list, too. (If you would like, you too can take the quiz.)

I know that a lot of my peers are concerned with class issues a little bit. Which brings me to organizations. There just aren't many for people who want to do activist work with class issues. The Democratic Socialists of America is (to my knowledge) the largest activist group working with class in the country. But they have that dang "socialist" in the title that leads people to thinking of "socialism" which inevitably leads to think of any lawless, revolutionary social scheme. Grr.

For all the wonderful things I love in the DSA they won't drop the word Socialist, because they (rightfully) see it as a tie to their past and corrupted by their enemies. There enemies have done such a good job that now no one wants to be affiliated with them. Luckily they are not flooding elections with an alternate liberal candidate. Their statement for the 2004 presidential election is 'that defeating George Bush's reelection bid was 'imperative', but declined to endorse any candidate at this time. The statement urged 'DSA members and our allies, in working for progressive candidates in the primaries, to advance our support for peace, universal health care, workers' rights and a living wage, reproductive rights, racial justice, etc. Only a Democratic campaign that emphasizes a progressive agenda can effectively mobilizes the broad constituencies of working people, women, people of color, peace activists, environmentalists and global justice activists that will be needed to defeat the Bush regime." Ahh, I can dig that. Any democratic candidate that can beat bush and still upholds socialist values.

So now I'm left wondering what I can do locally to support class issues. The DSA locals are few and far between. l plan to continue volunteering at Crisis Control, but I don't think that's enough. Maybe graduate school should be a major focus for me.

2003-11-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

more on the reagan special

Just wanted to include this link. It's from USA Today and includes a good evaluation of how everyone looses in this situation.

2003-11-06T14:10:00.000-05:00

for anti-death penalty folks in n.c.

Urge Governor Easley to Grant Clemency to Joseph "Timmy" Keel

Joseph Timothy Keel is scheduled to be executed in North Carolina on November 7, 2003. Amnesty International is concerned that the State of North Carolina intends to execute Mr. Keel, despite the fact that he suffers from serious mental disabilities. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has called for an end to the use of the death penalty against anyone suffering from any form of mental disorder.

2003-11-06T14:08:00.000-05:00

activism against gender violence

The Center for Women's Global Leadership is starting 16 days of activism against gender violence. You can get your action kit here.

2003-11-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

dean's big decision

is being decided the democratic way. If you are a Dean supporter go here to read about if we should reject or accept federal matching funds. The campaign contacts you, and you vote on an electronic, phone, or paper ballot. I am not sure if you can request a ballot now, but it's worth a shot if you would like to have a voice in this decision.

2003-11-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

dean and labor

The Political Wire says that Dean got the SEIU endorsement. Leaders of the Service Employees International Union "told at least three Democratic campaigns Wednesday night" that Howard Dean will get "a prized presidential endorsement from the AFL-CIO's largest union."

2003-11-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

jobs & the economy

Now that I have a job it's really easy to forget how hard it is to get one. It's good that there are blogs dealing with this on a regular basis to remind us. Apparently, though the economy is picking up the job market isn't. The current economy is the worst for jobs growth since the Great Depression.

2003-11-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

dean and the flag

So Dean did apologize. & I am thankful for most of his remarks:
"I have retracted and apologized for that statement. I still firmly believe we need a dialogue on race in this country and I think we need to appeal to white southern voters if we are going to have any success in the south. I think the way to do it is to appeal to things we have in common such as the need for jobs and education."

I am glad that he retracted and apologized for the statement. I think that the rest of this quote shows that he still doesn't quite get what offended many voters. It still sounds like he's saying that all southern white voters wave the confederate flag. I'm pretty sure this is not what he believes based on the massive amount of reading I have done on the issue, but the average voter is going off of soundbytes in the media and they're not going to pick up on those kinds of subtleties. They'll still think that he is stereotyping white southern voters.

2003-11-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

many many sites about the anti-abortion law

Couldn't have phrased it better myself: another post on the ridiculousness of the Bush anti-abortion law. Click on the link to the photo. Obscene really does describe the smiles on all their faces. The Dems also link to photos.

Another note on this comes from Dean. This is one of the big reasons I support him. I appreciate his rationality at a time like this.

Alas, a Blog has a fantastic entry on why the republicans want to push through an act against partial-birth abortion. I highly recommend this for anyone concerned with this issue.

The Feminist Majority Foundation sent a post about the federal judge in Nebraska that issued a temporary injunction to prevent implementation of the law. Federal judges in San Francisco and New York are also considering suits against the new law. The most important part of this post (for me) is that Kim Gandy, NOW president, explained "the truth is that the term 'partial-birth abortion' doesn't exist in the medical world - it's a fabrication of the anti-choice machine."

2003-11-06T13:01:00.000-05:00

baby kos!

I read the Daily Kos a lot, though I don't always comment on it. His wife and he just had a baby and I just found the blog for it. Today he has a post of the 23 hour labor. He's a fantastic story teller and this also has some great photos.

2003-11-05T14:23:00.000-05:00

stupid, stupid, stupid mr. bush

Again from the Feminist Majority Foundation, women's rights activists protest abortion procedures ban.

The National Organization for Women protested President Bush's signing of a bill banning abortion procedures today in Washington, DC. "As George W. Bush signs the deceptively-named Partial-Birth Abortion Ban into law, women's rights activists across the country will be recommitting ourselves to keeping abortion safe, legal and accessible," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "Here in Washington, NOW will be protesting outside the site where the bill is signed. We won't stand by silently as this Administration attempts to erode our rights."

The most upsetting part of this for me is that the federal ban that became law today does not include a health exception. I mean, what the fuck. Thankfully pro-choice groups have already filed lawsuits to prevent the law from taking effect.

update:
WASHINGTON - President Bush signed legislation Wednesday banning a certain type of abortion, but less than an hour later, a federal judge blocked implementation of the law in the cases of four Nebraska doctors who filed a lawsuit against it.

2003-11-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

Kos asks about a return of the draft

In this post he says that several commentors have recruited volunteers to fill the vacancies on local draft boards. He wonders if they are "oiling up the draft machine?" The Pentagon, though quietly moving to fill draft board vacancies nationwide, says that there is no reason to worry. (by the way, thanks to John for pointing this out.)

This seems particularly scary to me for two reasons.

1- This means we're about to be up to something much bigger than what we are up to.

2- My peers would need to deal with some serious issues about how they feel about the draft. Makes me want to consider Canada for graduate school.

2003-11-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

i love

this woman.

2003-11-05T14:02:00.000-05:00

rockin' the vote

There's a transcript of CNN's Rock the Vote Democratic Presidential Debate online. It includes several interesting jewels.

-------
COOPER: Now, the candidates, about your responses... we've already seen your debate. We've heard the stump speeches, the talking points, the sound bytes. In fact, I don't know if you all know, but there is actually a drinking game on some campuses during these debates ... that when you say your stock phrases, somebody downs a shot.

And I hate to do this, but just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, take a look at these videos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARK: When I was in the United States Army...
KERRY: When I was serving in Vietnam...
EDWARDS: My dad worked at a mill his whole life.
MOSELEY BRAUN: I've always been a woman...
LIEBERMAN: My Web site, joe2004.com...
SHARPTON: My Web site, al2004.com...
KUCINICH: I have a plan to get the U.N. in and the U.S. out, to get the U.N. troops in and the U.S. troops out, to get the U.N. in and the U.S. out.
CLARK: I voted for Al Gore.
LIEBERMAN: You've got to start where Al Gore...
LIEBERMAN: Al Gore said to me...
EDWARDS: ... to Al Gore and I, we want to reach out to the middle class.
MOSELEY BRAUN: Shrinking middle class.
SHARPTON: Particularly the middle class..
SHARPTON: Middle class...
SHARPTON: Middle class...
DEAN: Ken Lay...
EDWARDS: Ken Lay...
SHARPTON: Enron...
MOSELEY BRAUN: Enron...
MOSELEY BRAUN: Enron...
KUCINICH: No more Halliburton...
DEAN: We benefited in Vermont...
DEAN: Vermont...
DEAN: We've actually done this, and a lot of this in Vermont.
KUCINICH: This is a grassroots campaign to take back America...
DEAN: It's time to take our country back.
CLARK: Take this government back.
EDWARDS: Back to the American people.

I really did start laughing with the Edwards quote about the mill.

-------
about Dean's comment about southerners with confederate flags:

DEAN:And I make no apologies for reaching out to poor white people.
SHARPTON: Jesse Jackson went to South Carolina with all of us protesting the flag. The issue's not poor Southern whites. Most poor Southern whites don't wear a Confederate flag, and you ought not try to stereotype that.

no kidding. Sharpton nailed this one on the head. This is the argument I've been making about this statement for months. Edwards, a fellow North Carolinian, didn't get it quite as right as Sharpton. In response to a questions implying that he has been saying that confederate flag wavers should not be embraced he said:

EDWARDS:Exactly the same thing happens with people from the South. I have seen it. I have grown up with it. I'm here to tell you it is wrong. It is condescending. And the only way that we as a party are going to win the White House back is to reach out to everybody and treat them with the dignity and respect that they're entitled to.

I'm glad he's speaking out against this.

-------
COOPER: All right, we are getting a lot of e-mail pouring in. Probably a predictable question just got asked. It is an e-mail from a viewer: 'Which of you are ready to admit to having used marijuana in the past?' And they want us to go around and ask each of you. Governor Dean?

DEAN: We'll all keep our hands down on this one.
KERRY: Yes.
KUCINICH: No, but I think it ought to be decriminalized.
SHARPTON: I grew up in the church. We didn't believe in that.
EDWARDS: Yes.
LIEBERMAN: Well, you know, I have a reputation for giving unpopular answers in Democratic debates. I never used marijuana, sorry.
CLARK: Never used it.
MOSELEY BRAUN: I'm not going to answer.
DEAN: Yes.

2003-11-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

dean's campaign of the people

Dean is asking his supporters if he should accept federal matching funds or not.

2003-11-04T16:51:00.000-05:00

vegan thanksgiving recipes

I've started to think about what I need to make for Thanksgiving. I thought some of you Vegans might like the most useful pages I've found so far:

An entire menu that focuses on traditional side dishes, &c. It also includes alternatives to turkey.
Traditional side dishes in case the recipes on the first page aren't good enough ('cause we know that sometimes the alternative recipe is a little weird).

2003-11-04T16:48:00.000-05:00

Jesus and Mary

Last night John, his mom, and I watched an ABC special dealing with The DaVinci Code. It was a bit pop-culture, simplistic, and non-critical, but interesting to watch nevertheless. A main focus of the special was dealing with if Jesus had been married to Mary Magdalene. I'm inclined to think so. At the very least I have to think there was some relationship there.

Anyway, it was a fun watch and got me thinking about liberal theology and feminist liberation theology again. Though I identify as UU, I think that Jesus' message is central to my understanding of how we should act, and these liberal theologies deal with the part of the message that I tend to focus on.

2003-11-04T16:40:00.000-05:00

a missing CBS special

A lot of blogs seem to be upset at CBS for caving to white house pressure and canceling the miniseries on Ronald Reagan.

Why are they surprised?

The media is ever growing more conservative. Much of this comes from politics (for example, post 9/11). Of course powerful politicians are going to be upset about a show that is not entirely positive about their best conservative leader.

I've heard liberals say that CBS pulled the show because it is distasteful to show something so negative about a man who is in the last phases of his life. I used to be the kind of person who would make those remarks too. Now I'm inclined to think that this information needs to be made public, because the republicans will always have an excuse for why it shouldn't be on the air.

2003-11-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

this man is funny!

I can't wait to see Sharpton on SNL!

2003-11-04T16:32:00.000-05:00

candidate's positions on the death penalty

Here you go. It's interesting that this one only chose to cover Clark, Kerry, Edwards, Dean, Gephardt, & Lieberman. The others are all pretty much anti-death penalty from what I understand.

2003-11-04T16:22:00.000-05:00

freedom to marry, for all people

I know several people who see marriage as an essentially sexist and oppressive structure. Many of these people also understand marriage to be discriminatory against the BGLT community. (& many people who see marriage as a wonderful institution also think that it is discriminatory against the BGLT community.) The way these individuals deal with marriage varies.

Rev. Julie Denny-Hughes said that she would no longer sign marriage licenses because "It occurred to me that as long as I am signing marriage licenses, as an agent of the state, I am supporting the legal delineation of two groups of people which my faith tells me are not distinct."

The current main page at the Unitarian Universalist Association website discusses this issue. It links to a page chock-full of information. It introduces the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, as well.

2003-11-04T15:51:00.000-05:00

libraries not minding their business

The nextgen librarian listserv is up in arms over this piece.

The author, Hal Niedzviecki, says that "libraries need to mind their own business" and leave pop culture programming to commercial groups. He says that the problem with this boils down to two issues:

First, the issue of promoting literature through "one book" and "votes for the best book" type events. He says that this is just a tool of capitalism, that it promotes one book above others which is contrary to the library's mission of promoting all information equally.

The second issue is that libraries offer a "strange array" of services and programs. Niedzviecki says that the array is so broad and disconnected that it doesn't make sense. He says that events should be related to the library's mandate, "to function as a free accessible storehouse and dispensation service for information." He clarifies that the library should focus on teaching its patrons how to interpret and speak back to the media system that now dominates information dispensation.

The librarians on my listserv are upset because they feel that he is missing the bigger picture: that funding comes from corporations so we have to appeal to them, that many people don't use the library so we should do whatever it takes to get them in there, that he is an elitist who biased against all things popular.

But I have to agree with him. I do think libraries are in a pinch-- as are most social programs and institutions in this country. Pandering to pop culture is required in a capitalist environment with little funding for government programs. It may be useful for libraries to offer programming and events to bring in funding, but I think they should also heed Niedzviecki's warnings.

I completely agree with his first point. The library has no business of furthering the business of the publishers. When they are promoting one book or one series of books above all others they are, in effect, altering the information given to the patrons. Buying 20 copies of the same book just because it is on the bestsellers list may be good for business, but it also means 15-19 other books will not be bought.

I also sympathize with his second point. Yes, libraries should be focused on getting patrons to be able to deal with the massive flux of information they receive through day-to-day their immersion in mass media. I think this could happen via programming, seminars, or one-on-one conversations. However, in a state where funding comes from commercial organizations, I think that offering a wide array of programming is a decent compromise. At least by offering a broad selection the library is offering a lot of information, just as it should through its collections.