Hi Katalusis friends,Animals have intelligence and feelings; read the email below that just hit my inbox:
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Welcome to Katalusis for progressive views on politics, religion, environmental issues, and popular culture. (Photo of the Mississippi River from the University Club in St. Paul, MN.)
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Poachers Strike Again!
Hi Katalusis friends,Animals have intelligence and feelings; read the email below that just hit my inbox:
Monday, September 28, 2015
Tell the Tea Party Wing of the GOP to grow up
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| Tea Party Member |
The American people are increasingly fed up. From Taylor Marsh:
THE QUINNIPIAC poll released today couldn’t be clearer and neither could the foreshadowing. The Republican right is making an error in judgment on shutting down the government, though Speaker Boehner will likely ruin Senator Ted Cruz‘s party. At our house that means my husband won’t lose work, which matters very much to us, though we’re hardly the only ones paying attention to this issue.
Several of my friends and I signed the petition below from DCCC Action; here's your opportunity to sign on and tell the Republicans to grow up:Nearly seven in 10 Americans — 69 percent — oppose shutting down the government over funding for Planned Parenthood, according to the results of a new national Quinnipiac University poll released Monday. But as far as cutting off funding to the group, 52 percent said they would oppose doing so, compared with 41 percent who supported such an action. Women opposed such an action by a wide margin — 60 percent to 34 percent — while men responding to the survey supported an end to federal funding 49 percent to 44 percent. [Politico]
http://action.dccc.org/stop-
DCCC Action
(202) 863-1500 | www.dccc.org | Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. |
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Saving the elephants!
I've long been in awe of elephants; there's just something about these regal, dignified animals. It's horrifying that elephants are facing extinction. Take a look at the email I just received from saveanimalsfacingextinction.org:
 | Virginia Bergman |
| 41 DAYS LEFT to save the elephants! 1 message |
| saveanimalsfacingextinction.org | Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 10:42 AM | |
Reply-To: info@saveanimalsfacingextinction.org
To: vbergman422@gmail.com
| ||
Monday, September 21, 2015
The gaffe-prone Biden and memories of Anita Hill
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| Anita Hill at Harvard Law School, 9/14, via Wikipedia |
However, we've just been informed that Jill Biden is "on board" with Joe's potential 2016 run.
Naturally, all this talk about the likelihood of Biden challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party's nomination next year is bringing up an unpleasant memory or two in Biden's political history, e.g., the Anita Hill debacle. Politico's got the story:
If Joe Biden gets into the presidential race, allies and supporters of Hillary Clinton say there are just two words that will make a difference as he seeks support among women and African-Americans: Anita Hill.
Nearly 24 years have passed since the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in which Hill, a respected law professor, was grilled under oath about alleged inappropriate sexual behavior by Thomas, her former boss. The graphic testimony gripped Washington and the country and spurred intense public conversations about sex, harassment and the nominee's charge of being subjected to a "high-tech lynching for uppity blacks.''
Ever since, for many women and blacks, Hill's name conjures an image of a black woman struggling under attack by a dozen powerful white men asking aggressive questions and questioning her character.
If Biden decides to run for president, his path to the Democratic nomination requires him to stand in the way of the woman who could be the first female president — and issues of sex and gender will be on the table whether either side likes it or not.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
100 elephants killed daily by poachers!
However, in addition to the American poachers cited above, Tim Gettleman at the NY Times reported in 2012 that the ascending Chinese middle class is the primary culprit fueling the demand for ivory.
Gettleman quoted a U.S. State Department official regarding the matter:
“China
is the epicenter of demand,” said Robert Hormats, a senior State
Department official. “Without the demand from China, this would all but
dry up.”
He said that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who condemned conflict minerals from Congo a few years ago,
was pushing the ivory issue with the Chinese “at the highest levels”
and that she was “going to spend a considerable amount of time and
effort to address this, in a very bold way.”
In the past, there were many practical uses for ivory; today, as pointed out by Rebecca J. Rosen at the Atlantic, plastic has superseded ivory in many cases, including piano keys. Unfortunately, Rosen explains, "ivory's usefulness, combined with its warm luster and its receptivity to engravings, meant that it gained stature as a luxury good from the get-go."
In other words, Rosen suggests, ivory ranks up there with diamonds as a cultural symbol.
SaveAnimalsFacingExtinction.org reminds us:
At the end of July, President Obama, with support of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, announced new measures to stem the ivory trade, including a ban on the interstate sale of most ivory in the U.S. and new restriction on when ivory can be exported.
These measures help to send the message that the US will NOT tolerate the senseless slaughter of elephants and other animals.
We need to make sure important legislation like this has the support it needs to be put into full effect. We need to take action and make sure these regulations fully protect our precious elephants.
Thanks for your support, SaveAnimalsFacingExtinction.
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Saturday, September 12, 2015
From the Rs: Defund Planned Parenthood or we'll shut down the government!
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| Courtesy of Fastcompany.com. |
Now it seems the Rs, as the late Molly Ivins referred to them, are so set on defunding Planned Parenthood, they're willing to shut down the government if they don't get their way. This letter from the Democratic Governors Association just landed in my inbox:
ONLY 8 DAYS TO STOP TED CRUZ’S OBSESSIVE CAMPAIGN TO DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD … OR SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT!!!
ACT NOW TO SAVE WOMEN’S HEALTH FUNDING: $50,000 NEEDED FOR RAPID RESPONSE NOW. ALL GIFTS DOUBLED >>> CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!
ACT NOW TO SAVE WOMEN’S HEALTH FUNDING: $50,000 NEEDED FOR RAPID RESPONSE NOW. ALL GIFTS DOUBLED >>> CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!
Friends,
If there is ONE THING anti-women extremists
like Ted Cruz and the Koch brothers can’t stand, it’s women having the
freedom to make their own decisions. They lose their minds.
That’s why Cruz rushed back to Washington
from the campaign trail: He’s leading the charge to cut critical funding
from Planned Parenthood – spinning his most heinous attacks NOW – and
using the threat of a government shutdown to bully his opponents.
RED ALERT: ONLY 8 DAYS LEFT IN SESSION TO PREVENT A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
We need your immediate support to stop these
extremists from destroying Planned Parenthood. Please give as much as
you can to fight for women’s rights by funding Democratic Action, our
grassroots movement to stop Cruz and the Kochs’ cronies from rolling
back equality everywhere.
Donors are DOUBLING EVERY DOLLAR we receive for RAPID RESPONSE before midnight, up to $50,000. GIVE NOW TO DEFEND PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND STOP CRUZ’S SHUTDOWN!
If you've saved payment info with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Paid for by Democratic Governors Association.
Contributions or gifts to the Democratic Governors Association are not tax deductible.
Contributions or gifts to the Democratic Governors Association are not tax deductible.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
A letter from Hillary explaining the email matter
Hi Katalusis friends,Just wanted to share this letter from Hillary Clinton in which she explains that pesky email issue. I don't expect this to shut up her critics, but at least the public stands a chance of being better informed about it despite the GOP's propaganda.:
virginia --
I wanted you to hear this directly from me:
Yes, I should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and one for my work at the State Department. Not doing so was a mistake. I'm sorry about it, and I take full responsibility.
It's important for you to know a few key facts. My use of a personal email account was aboveboard and allowed under the State Department's rules. Everyone I communicated with in government was aware of it. And nothing I ever sent or received was marked classified at the time.
As this process proceeds, I want to be as transparent as possible. That's why I've provided all of my work emails to the government to be released to the public, and why I'll be testifying in public in front of the Benghazi Committee later next month.
I know this is a complex story. I could have -- and should have -- done a better job answering questions earlier. I'm grateful for your support, and I'm not taking anything for granted.
I understand that you may have more questions, and I am going to work to keep answering them. If you want to read more, including my emails themselves, please go here:
https://www.hillaryclinton.
Thank you,
Hillary
Monday, September 7, 2015
A Labor Day Salute to Diversity
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| Recently, Corrine Bauer and Pat Melody, members of my Mindfulness Meditation Group, held a vigil on behalf of Hispanic immigrants locked up in the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center. Thanks to Corrine and Pat for being mindful of the welfare of others. |
Picture this: I’m a young WAF assigned to clerical duties in an office
on Scott Air Force Base, near East St. Louis, Ill. On this particular
morning I overhear an Air Force major and a colonel, both Caucasian,
discuss the qualifications of a civil service employee under
consideration for promotion; the colonel apparently likes her resume.
Then he asks, “Is she Caucasian?”
“Negative,” the major replies.
Here's the deal: I’m a Caucasian who grew up in lily-white, rural northwestern Ohio, and this was the first time I’d seen up close the ugliness of racial discrimination. Stunned, I sat there at my typewriter, trying to focus on my work.
(In the weeks that follow, I notice the employee in question is not promoted.)
On the upside, my stint in the military provided my first opportunity to make friends with members of other races and ethnic backgrounds.
I’ve not forgotten Hispanic Maria Venegas; African-Americans Katie Harmon, Annie Terry, and Adeline Lincoln; Parisian French Caucasian Monique Horlaville; and New Orleans French Caucasian Priscilla Bertrand.
Years passed before I encountered a comparable diversity in civilian life ― diversity fostered intentionally in the regional office of a large corporation located in a thriving upscale suburb.
Admittedly, the company’s motives were more practical than altruistic. At a department meeting, Tony, our African-American assistant manager, asked if any of us knew what was behind the diversity initiative. He rolled his eyes when I suggested that our company supported diversity because it was the right thing to do.
Tony then explained the business case for diversity: “If we want to sell our products to the Hmong community, African-Americans, Hispanics, Gays, women, or other minority group, we’d best include their members in our workforce.”
Altruistic or not, it’s amazing how quickly people can adapt to an inclusive environment when their livelihoods are at stake and before long, the 2000 plus employees in that huge office building formed a genuine community featuring many of the amenities and rituals of a small town.
Sad to say, our community ― by then a model of diversity ― became a casualty of corporate downsizing when, thanks to technology, our work was moved elsewhere. But for quite a few years each of us had good cause for celebrating Labor Day.
Perhaps the time will come when a majority of Americans will have matured sufficiently to create similar communities, whatever their context, purely because it’s the right thing to do.
“Negative,” the major replies.
Here's the deal: I’m a Caucasian who grew up in lily-white, rural northwestern Ohio, and this was the first time I’d seen up close the ugliness of racial discrimination. Stunned, I sat there at my typewriter, trying to focus on my work.
(In the weeks that follow, I notice the employee in question is not promoted.)
On the upside, my stint in the military provided my first opportunity to make friends with members of other races and ethnic backgrounds.
I’ve not forgotten Hispanic Maria Venegas; African-Americans Katie Harmon, Annie Terry, and Adeline Lincoln; Parisian French Caucasian Monique Horlaville; and New Orleans French Caucasian Priscilla Bertrand.
Years passed before I encountered a comparable diversity in civilian life ― diversity fostered intentionally in the regional office of a large corporation located in a thriving upscale suburb.
Admittedly, the company’s motives were more practical than altruistic. At a department meeting, Tony, our African-American assistant manager, asked if any of us knew what was behind the diversity initiative. He rolled his eyes when I suggested that our company supported diversity because it was the right thing to do.
Tony then explained the business case for diversity: “If we want to sell our products to the Hmong community, African-Americans, Hispanics, Gays, women, or other minority group, we’d best include their members in our workforce.”
Altruistic or not, it’s amazing how quickly people can adapt to an inclusive environment when their livelihoods are at stake and before long, the 2000 plus employees in that huge office building formed a genuine community featuring many of the amenities and rituals of a small town.
Sad to say, our community ― by then a model of diversity ― became a casualty of corporate downsizing when, thanks to technology, our work was moved elsewhere. But for quite a few years each of us had good cause for celebrating Labor Day.
Perhaps the time will come when a majority of Americans will have matured sufficiently to create similar communities, whatever their context, purely because it’s the right thing to do.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Jimmy Carter's faith
For years, President Jimmy Carter has been the victim of trash talk from even his fellow Democrats. At the age of 90 and recently diagnosed with cancer, Carter is finally being recognized for the powerful and inspiring example he has been, not only for Americans, but for people around the globe. This article by Leonard Pitts on Carter's faith is well worth reading:
America is a nation of faith. So it is often said.
In
faith, a baker refuses to bake a cake for a gay couple’s wedding. In
faith, a minister prays for the president to die. In faith, terrorists
plant bombs at the finish line of a marathon. In faith, mosques are
vandalized, shot at and burned. In faith, a televangelist asks his
followers to buy him a $65 million private jet.
And no one is even surprised anymore.
In
America, what we call faith is often loud, often exclusionary,
sometimes violent and too frequently enamored of shiny, expensive
things. In faith, ill-tempered people mob the shopping malls every year
at Christmas to have fistfights and gunfights over hot toys and highend
electronics.
You did not hear much about faith last
week when Jimmy Carter held a news conference to reveal that he has
four spots of cancer on his brain. The 39th president made only a few
references to it in the nearly 40 minutes he spoke, and they were all in
response to reporter’s questions. Yet, you would be hard-pressed to
find a more compelling statement of belief in things not seen.
Unsentimental, poised and lit from within by an amazing grace, Carter
discussed the fight now looming ahead of him, the radiation treatments
he will undergo, the need to finally cut back on his whirlwind schedule.
He
smiled often. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said, in
such a way that you believed him without question. And it was impossible
to feel sorry for him.
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