What you can do for the people of Egypt

Sometimes world events can be overwhelming. In recent years I have watched democratic uprisings in Tibet, Burma, Iran and most recently in Tunisia and Egypt. And this is only a handful of the many world events where oppressed people have risen through despair to fight for their freedom and for justice. Without the help of an army or weapons millions have united to amplify their voices, to fight for their right to speak freely, worship freely, work freely and love freely. Their voices raised so their oppressors and the world would hear their pain and act.

Tianamen Square 1989

I was just fifteen when students protested in Tiananmen Square to mourn and express their desire for change. It was the very dawn of my political awareness, that there were others suffering in the world beyond my backyard. It would be four years before I participated in my first protest, but seeing those images changed me.

Here in the United States, where we take for granted most of what others live without every day, watch the twenty-four hour news cycle in awe as people just like us face tear gas, water cannons, guns and worse. We can feel helpless, living our lives thousands of miles away.

We are not helpless. Get over the distance and realize this: we are all part of the revolution. There are millions of smaller actions we can, and do take very day to help those who struggle and fight for freedom and justice. Many, you are already doing. Some, would take little effort. They all make a difference.

An Egyptian mother hugged her child as she watched
thousands of Egyptian protesters gather at
Tahrir Square in Cairo. 2011

Be a witness. This is something we all do in our own way. The simple act of watching CNN and witnessing the heartbreaking, terrible acts against protestors is our own act of solidarity. We must witness oppression, no matter how painful it is to watch. Name it. Call it oppression and injustice. Watch the twitter feeds and live stream video if you can. It is a simple act of consciousness raising. You are witnessing history in the making. Remember it.

Raise awareness. This is another act that can be simple. It can be done by retweeting, forwarding an email or asking others if they are watching. Talk to others about it. You may be surprised at how many people you know have NO IDEA this is going on.

Those are easy, right? Well, if you are hankering for a little more of a challenge...

Learn more. So you have watched the news and you are following things on the internet, now what? There are some great web sites that are updating regularly here and here. I find that news programs and many web sites rarely give the historical context to really understand a conflict halfway around the world. After all, this is a very different culture and history from that of the United States. Find other sites. Not every source is reputable or balanced.

Want to do something with more impact?

Support organizations that fight for freedom. Amnesty International and the Council for a Community of Democracies. also, USAID does a great deal of work to improve democracy worldwide.

Contact your elected representatives. Find out who your elected officials are and contact them to let them know you want U.S. action to support freedom and democracy.

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Voice your solidarity by writing a letter to your local newspaper (most allow you to submit them via email or online now). Thank them for their news coverage, specifically say you support the movement and ask them to cover more. These stories quickly fade due to lack of interest. Your letters will keep the story in the news and keep the movement going.

Join solidarity demonstrations. People all over the U.S. are taking to the streets in peaceful solidarity to our sisters and brothers across the world. Simple web searches can find them. For twitter users, #Jan25 is a good hash tag to follow for Egypt and there is a decent web site with a list of some of them.

Martin Luther King Jr. said “The arc of history bends toward freedom.” We must be on the right side of history when it comes to these challenges. Even actions that seem small build movements and create change. Be the change you seek.

The State of the Union: In Cloud Form

I originally began this post before the State of the Union. As per usual, life got in the way of living and now I am rewriting it post delivery.  I had wanted to discuss my hopes for what I wanted President Obama to speak about. Now I can complain that he did not.

It is a much easier post to write now. After all I do not have to predict anything and I will not be wrong. It is probably the safer route for a new blogger anyway. But I digress.

I am forever disappointed in the State of the Union and other major political addresses. Most likely it is because I am a policy geek. I revel in the details, the contradictions and the impact. When the President say things like ‘we must lead” or ‘We must move forward,” I do not know what that means. It sounds pretty, but has no concrete meaning.

There is not enough room within one single speech to change minds, but it can set a tone. I like to look at it as a theme.

On way I like to check on the major themes of a speech or article is to run it through a word cloud program. No, it is not scientific, but it is interesting to me. You can find them online and it is free. Word clouds size words based on how many times they are said. So if the word taxes is said twenty times and “budget” is said six times, “taxes” will appear larger than ‘budget’ in the cloud. Here is a link to my favorite.

Before I go further with my thoughts, take a look at word clouds from some recent and famous State of the Union addresses to compare. Take a look:

Here, George Washington delivers the very first State of the Union Address in 1790. He lays a foundation of key aspects of our fledgling democracy.

 

One of my favorite addresses is Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 speaking of the ‘four freedoms,” preparing Americans for World War II.

Fast Forward to Ronald Reagan’s 1988 address, at the end of his first term, leading to the "end of big government."

George H. W. Bush in 1991 talks about his thousand points of light.

Bill Clinton’s 1999 “Bridge to the 21st Century” address was also one of my favorites.

George W. Bush’s 2003 address setting the stage for the Iraq invasion.

I will not comment on these. I just thought they were an interesting retrospective.

Again, there is nothing scientific about the word cloud. It simply tells you which words the President said the most. However, to me, they are very interesting to view. They give you a very good sense of the times and perspective.

Okay fast forward to Obama’s 2009 speech when his largest words were health care, education, people, energy, future and plan. All that “hopey changey” stuff that Sarah Palin seems to hate so much. It served to inspire so many of us to work so hard toward what we thought was a shared agenda.

I, along with many of my progressive friends quickly became disillusioned with our goals and course as we watched the GOP and ‘tea party’ eviscerate the end game. How could we let the public option slip out of our grip? Where was the end to the Iraq War? Why was big business still running the show?

First, let me say that I am still disillusioned -- probably as much as previous generations who have fought for progress and ended up falling short of our ideal goals. However, we must acknowledge that while the last two years were not ideal, we did move forward.

This country moved forward in more ways than can easily be summarized. Economic stimulus, a step toward health reform that has eliminated pre-existing conditions, covered millions of young Americans, allowed all Americans to serve freely in the military regardless of their sexuality, banking reform, and yes, he did reduce troop numbers in Iraq (I know, I know, but it was change).

So without further ado, here is the word cloud for last night’s State of the Union address.

On Birthdays

Today is my birthday. In our culture, we hold our birthdays in special esteem. We hold off on working hard, try to add a little more fun into our day and expect to be celebrated. Some people take off from work, others plan vacations, parties, special lunches etc.  We crave facebook posts and birthday cards and if we are lucky, our co-workers acknowledge us with a cake and a round of singing.

I can honestly say I fall into many of these camps. Perhaps it hearkens back to the days of my childhood when the world seemed to stop for my birthday. My entire class celebrated my birthday, my parents made special meals and gave me gifts. In fact, I can remember practically every birthday from age two to twenty one. I will be honest. I know it is because I love being the center of attention, but as someone who is memory challenged, this recall is quite a feat.

These days I try to extend my birthday for as long as possible. Not only have I planned parties and lunches, but I begin celebrating a good week before my birthday and continue the celebration long into February. After all, I am a special person and deserve to be celebrated (hey, no low self-esteem here).

However, this year is starkly different for me. It is easy to take a day (or three weeks) to celebrate when life is going along just dandy. Unfortunately, I have not been blessed with that situation in recent months. So instead of saving up all my favors for my birthday, I have been cashing in on the love and kindness of friends and family for many weeks. In that I have found contentment and joy.

I do not need a birthday to know I am loved. I do not need a party to be taken care of. My friends and family are there whether it is January 24 or December 9 or July 28. While I thought I needed to celebrate more than ever this year, what I have learned is that I celebrate in better ways every day. In every lunch date, phone call, dinner invite, text message and email is a little bit of a birthday celebration. Every hug is a true gift. Every simple act of support is the people I love telling me that they are happy I am part of their lives.

I am joyful they are a part of mine. That is the best birthday present ever.

Professional Sports and Social Justice

With the Superbowl nearing, I am bubbling with anticipation as a New York Jets fan. The excitement just keeps building. However, few people know that I grew up as a New York Giants fan, in a family of Giants fans.

Growing up I learned to love sports. I played all sorts of team sports such as soccer, softball and volleyball. In 1986 I both learned to play football in gym class and I caught Giants fever when they were on their way to the Superbowl. I had been a devoted fan well into adulthood. I’d collected team paraphernalia such as hats, shirts and mugs and adored it all. One year, I even enjoyed a special gift of seats at the championship game where the Giants won 41-0. What a thrill!

However, just a few years later, something changed. I had for years thought about by purchase and patronage of businesses and the impact my consumer decisions have on the world. I was buying organic and fair trade food whenever possible, supporting local business, trying to buy in ‘made in the USA’ and avoid sweatshop products. I searched for union made products and even began researching the foundations of large corporations and where they gave their money.

The process of being this careful is both enlightening and daunting. I had the luxury of being able to afford choose where I shop. I avoided Wal Mart and Regal Cinemas and did my best to be aware of as much as possible. However, I never thought about my sports teams. Why would I?

Professional sports teams are brands and regardless of whether a the National Football League or National Baseball League are officially non-profit clubs, the leagues, team owners and companies selling team brand merchandise make a lot of money.

Then a good friend told me something that changed my life (in a sense). She informed me that the New York Giants Foundation, run by the owners of the New York Giants, were large donors to organizations like the Eagle Forum and Focus on the Family. These two organizations were particularly  troubling to me due to their work against women’s access to reproductive health care. I was already working for a reproductive rights organization and here I was patronizing an organization whose owners were working against me.

Of course I did not just take my friend’s word for it. I did my research. It can be more difficult than you think. I could not get the information I was looking for on the Mara Foundation web site. So I went to a better source: Guidestar,org. This site let’s you view foundation and nonprofit tax forms where they have to disclose to whom they give money or from whom they receive money.

Gahhhh! She was right! It was all that and more. So now I was in a tough spot. How would I keep to my values and still enjoy professional football? Would I compromise my values and stick with a team I had loved and cheered for most of my life? Would I keep my team shirt and hats? Yes, that was an important question.

When I shared my concern with my family and friends they scoffed. “It’s just football,” “You’ve been a fan since you were a kid,” were just a few of the nicer comments I received. It was still a serious issue to me and I was troubled that my support would help an organization which is fighting against the very freedoms I worked every day to achieve.

Could I be a football fan and still remain true to my values? I was determined. So I bid farewell to the Giants and spent a full year trying to decide to which team I would switch my allegiance. I looked through many web sites and organizations. Many NFL teams have foundations focused on youth activities and nutrition, education and poverty.

The New York Jets Foundation looked like an excellent organization and I would still be cheering for a team in my own state. Two of my brother-in-laws were also fans and I really liked the head coach and quarterback at the time, Herman Edwards and Chad Pennington. What a relief! I had made a decision! I threw myself back into the sport, learning new players and a new history.

It took some time to really get excited about the game again. I did not want to give up watching a sport I love, nor did I want to support people I did not believe in. So here I am, a New York Jets fan!

In the end, I am glad I took time to pause, think and research where I am putting my money and support. Is it possible to be a consumer who only buys and supports companies and organization with which you are completely politically aligned? I am not sure. I try as much as I can. This year, I am rewarded in watching the New York Jets play for the AFC Championship, and maybe, just maybe, the Superbowl!

Celebrating 38 years of Roe v. Wade

Today is the 38th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. It is appropriate that my first full post falls on this date not just because I worked for a reproductive rights organization for the last ten years, but also, because I have wanted to write about it for even longer. I recently left that organization, allowing me to speak more freely.

Today I celebrate Roe v. Wade not because I fought to protect it for the past ten years but because women in the United States are still fortunate to have the right to make their own health care decisions. Without Roe v. Wade politicians would make decisions about from which health care procedures I can or cannot benefit, not me with the consult of a physician. It is a wonderful and awesome burden to carry.

The decisions women have to make about their lives, their health and that of their family are complex and difficult. For most women an unintended or problem pregnancy can be life changing, but every situation is different. In fact, their are as many reasons for choosing an abortion as their are women.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, half of all women in the United States will face an unintended pregnancy and 1 in 3 women will have an abortion within their lifetime. That is astounding. Many people uncomfortable with abortion use this statistic to call for a ban on the procedure. This statistic should bring just the opposite reaction. How can you ban a medical procedure that a third of American women will need in their lifetime? That is a horrible way to deal with the problem.

Yes, we all want to decrease the need for abortion. Banning, or even restricting access to the procedure cannot achieve that. We must first look at the many reasons women decide to have an abortion. The most common reason is that the pregnancy was unintended. Judging women for a lack of intention makes children a punishment instead of a joy. Instead, we must make preventing pregnancy easier in the first place. We must work toward better education and access to health care services.

We also must increase women’s parenting options. That means health insurance coverage of prenatal/maternity care, birth options, post natal and pediatric care. It also means living wages, affordable child care and employment protection for caregivers. In other words, our society must value motherhood. Anyone who calls him or herself pro-life must fully support and actively fight for these services. For without them, a woman cannot make a fair decision about unintended pregnancy and motherhood.

This goes right back to the difficult decisions (and sometimes easy decisions) women must make when facing an unintended pregnancy. The first question that often comes to mind is, “Can I care for a baby?” And if all the above things are not in line, the answer is more often than not no.

But even if the answer is yes, the pregnancy can still go awry. I have heard far too many heart wrenching tales of pregnancies that have had terrible outcomes, where long into the pregnancy, it was terminated to protect the mother’s health or life.

In my active fight for reproductive rights and justice, I have never asked anyone to support an abortion for themselves. Instead, I ask others to try to understand the world in which these difficult decisions are made and to respect and honor others decisions. I ask others to ensure that women have the ability to make and carry out this decision.

Carrying out her decision would have to mean she does not have to

• drive too far to find a provider
• face violence when she does reach her provider
• wait twenty-four hours after she has already made her decision
• get permission from her parents or partner or rapist
• pay too much for the procedure due to lack of health insurance, or
• be forced to pay for and view an medically unnecessary ultrasound.

The list goes on and on.

Despite all my discouragement regarding access to health care and circumstances to make a decision regarding an unintended pregnancy, I am still celebratory of Roe v. Wade. I am still grateful for being able to find safe abortion care in the United States. Indeed it, and all the hoops placed around it is all my generation has known.

However, I hope that the future holds a world where every child is wanted and loved.

Thoughts Right Now

Welcome to Thoughts Right Now, my blog. It is named after one of my favorite songs by Tori Amos - Thoughts.

 

I read and watch the news as it evolves. Over the last few years, I have been  listening on the blogosphere, facebook and twitter. It has been a journey of learning not just about technology and its many positive and negative uses, but it has become a community for me to learn and share. However, I have found that I have much more to say than the comments section of a blog or 140 characters will allow. Many bloggers and news reporters do not seem to look at news in the way I would like. They tend to lack perspective and a general curiosity. And it does not matter what the subject is.

I am critical of food blogs and recipes that fail to offer substitution suggestions or comment about increasing amounts for parties. I get frustrated with journalists who just copy and paste press releases. Anonymous commenters who spew vile rhetoric are a blight on free speech. I pride myself in the fact that I have put my real name on every blog comment I have ever written.

So what is an open-minded progressive to do? I have a lot to say. So I thought I would say it. Yes, I’ll post my thoughts on politics, but this blog will be about more. I hope to take the best of what I see online and offer my own two cents. My thoughts. Whether it be about politics and social justice, travel, art, food and cooking or family and pets, I promise to be honest and open to different perspectives

You will quickly learn I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth. Perhaps, after blogging for a little while, I will find my filter. Or, perhaps, wearing them the way I do will become fashionable.

I welcome your comments. I ask that if you leave a comment you use your real name. I am using mine. Please keep your comments about the subject and stay away from personal comments. And if I break this rule, I expect to be called on it and corrected.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you find Thoughts Right Now interesting and engaging.

Best,
Alisa