BlogHer - democracy - Comments

Thank you Kate!

Jill Miller Zimon — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:44:19 -0500

Great way to end another insane election is coming whether we like it or not day. :)

have faith

aftercancer — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:21:29 -0500

Here's one for you. She's 108 and just voted for Obama http://aftercancernowwhat.wordpress.com/2008/10/18/shes-108-and-voted-fo...

Kate

I blog at http://www.aftercancernowwhat.wordpress.com

Party People

averyotto — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:15:03 -0500

I wish I could throw a party. I live in Alabama. Even here you see more than a few Obama signs in the yard. The Bible Belt South lives up to its spurious history. I live here and I want to make change happen where it counts most. So in the upcoming weeks, I will be on my feet, hitting the street. This is a time of action. Most Americans in the wake of the Wall Street crisis, in the midst of small town despair, and with our ecological future in such desperate question will not vote with blind loyalty. The basis of American optimism and ingenuity is that we thrive with change. So its time to face our demons and get to the polls and vote.

last day to register

zephoria — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:45:57 -0500

Last day to register in CA: October 20

Yeah, I know CA all too well. This all started as "proposition parties" so that we could figure out what on earth those damn ballot measures were saying. Cuz you probably know that what they say on the surface ain't what they say when you look at them.

Take, for example, this year's Proposition 4. Its title is: "Sarah's Law: Child and Teen Safety and Stop Predators Act." What does it actually do? It prohibits minors from getting an abortion without parental consent (the fourth attempt at the same proposition). Regardless of which side of the choice/life debate you're on, this is skeezy. It's intentionally misleading because who wouldn't be interested in stopping predators?

Planning my party

Maria Niles — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:38:42 -0500

I am the person my family goes to for information about all the down ballot stuff because I'm a geek about it. Throwing a party sounds like a great way to get people engaged rather than relying on me to just do homework for them.

Thank you!

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What a great idea danah!

Elisa Camahort — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:36:51 -0500

I've held fundraisers before, and I've done voter registration activities, but I never thought of doing the above. And as you well know California is a state that has become deluged with these Proposition slates every election...most of which I feel too overwhelmed to really learn enough about...and I often leave portions of my ballot blank, rather than vote blindly.

Hmmm...off to figure out last day to register in California...

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The Implications Has Got Me Nervous

Gena Haskett — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:12:06 -0500

When I get time I will post more of his speech on my blog. If PR/media people are some of the folks that are setting the tone for national conversations no wonder we are in the trouble we find ourselves.

If a basic human instinct is routinely manipulated as a means of demonstrating power/control then how do we connect with other groups to say you have been chumped?

The good news is that PR/media power can only extend so far, there is a limit where the society will set up and say "No, this is not acceptable."

Wish this could have happened seven years ago.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

Gena, you bring me to reflection

Kim Pearson — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:51:30 -0500

First, yes, indeed to what T said.

Second, I am reminded of Toni Morrison's amazing and controversial 1993 Nobel prize speech, which is worth reading in its entirety, but which says, in part:

Oppressive language does
more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than
represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge. Whether
it is obscuring state language or the faux-language of mindless
media; whether it is the proud but calcified language of the
academy or the commodity driven language of science; whether it
is the malign language of law-without-ethics, or language
designed for the estrangement of minorities, hiding its racist
plunder in its literary cheek - it must be rejected, altered and
exposed. It is the language that drinks blood, laps
vulnerabilities, tucks its fascist boots under crinolines of
respectability and patriotism as it moves relentlessly toward the
bottom line and the bottomed-out mind. Sexist language, racist
language, theistic language - all are typical of the policing
languages of mastery, and cannot, do not permit new knowledge or
encourage the mutual exchange of ideas.

Thanks for the dimension that you have contributed to this discussion.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Thank you - and a word for others who died

snigdhasen — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:55:28 -0600

Ladies, thank you for stopping by.

Nita, it's lovely to see you here. I admire your blog and appreciate your perspective.
Indeed, Pakistan has its task cut out. It has to recognize how desperately it needs to push the armed forces out of civil life. But given the power the Army has enjoyed thus far, it is not likely to give it up in a hurry. Plus, the Army itself has to be convinced that its existence cannot be defined solely by India.
India cannot do much but wait and watch and hope. Global politics is odd.
Good luck to them!

Kalyn, your admiration for her is not misplaced. Bhutto did have an extraordinary life. I was reading about her in the New York Times this morning . She deserves the accolades she gets.
But, she did face her share of criticism. Yesterday, I was watching a PBS discussion, where a former Pakistani official "reminded" everyone that the Taleban grew in strength in Pakistan under her rule. Also, she was chairman of her party for life, not letting any other leader grow in prominence, which has left a void now. I have heard that before. My question is, what were the other leaders doing when all this was going on?

Despite everything, I agree with you that under the current circumstances, she was Pakistan's best shot at democracy. She deserves the praise she gets. She is an exemplary Muslim women who fought against all odds.

Kim, thanks so much for your comment. Yes, I felt the same way too. But then every country covers the story from an angle that suits them.
I still can't help smiling every time they raise the question of her sunroof, as if it were something out of the ordinary. Anyone who has followed a campaign in the sub-continent will know that it comes as no surprise, threats and all things considered :)

That's why we have BlogHer!

I would like to spare a few thoughts for the 20 other people who also lost their lives in the blast, the 30-odd people who died in the following violence, and the 130 who fell in the first major attempt on her life in October.

Snigdha

Good post

Nitajk — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:46:35 -0600

This is a nice overview Snigdha. I agree that the Army has still an important role to play. One can only hope that the public is so shocked by Benazir's assassination that they act...I don't know how though.

A Wide Angle View of India.
Nita

I admired her greatly

Kalyn Denny — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:55:37 -0600

I don't know why I always was so fascinated by Benazir Bhutto. Possibly it was nothing more than the fact that she felt to me like the first world leader in my generation who was a woman. It might not have even been true, but that was my perception of it, and I always had a fascinated admiration for her. I will always think of her as a remarkably principled and courageous person who died trying to make a difference for the country she loved. Thanks for your very interesting post.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Thank you for this perspective

Kim Pearson — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:11:02 -0600

One of my frustrations with a lot of the US news coverage so far is that it seemed to focus so heavily on the implications of this events for the US,without taking the time to fully explore what it means for the people in that region. I can understand how easily that happens -- this is a global tragedy with tremendous implication for regional and international security. But in the rush, I think we lose perspectives that are important to understand, such as yours. Thanks again.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|