I recently received a letter from Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. This letter appeared to endorse President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I appreciate the precedent such a nomination has the possibility of creating, nevertheless Planned Parenthood is blatantly disregarding its goal of leading the reproductive rights movement by endorsing Judge Sotomayor.
Judge Sotomayor made it clear she does not support the reproductive rights of women in her 2002 decision of Center for Reproductive Law and Policy v. Bush. In this decision, Sotomayor supported the Bush administration policy of denying family planning funds to foreign organizations that perform or promote abortions. Sotomayor stated, “the government is free to favor the anti-abortion position over the pro-choice position, and can do so with public funds.”
Planned Parenthood claims to believe in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual's income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence. As such, Planned Parenthood should be ethically opposed to Sotomayor’s nomination.
If Planned Parenthood intends to continue advocating public policies and endorsing public figures which guarantee reproductive rights and ensure access to such services, I would encourage Cecile Richards to reverse her endorsement of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Now is the time to apply pressure to Congress and President Obama, to provide a nomination that will achieve the historic qualities of his current nominee, without taking a step back in promoting human rights.
(Submit your concerns and ask Cecile Richards and Planned Parenthood to reverse their endorsement of Judge Sonia Sotomayor by emailing Planned Parenthood at pponline@ppfa.org or calling 212-541-7800 or 202-973-4800)
Wednesday, May 27
Wednesday, December 10
5 Questions for President-Elect Obama's Transition Team
by J.E. Remy
(Vote on these and other questions, or submit your own and be part of solving our country's challenges at the Change.gov "Open Government: Open for Questions" feature)
(Update 12/12/08: This edition of Open for Questions has come to a close, but all the submitted questions and votes are archived here.)
- The Bush Administration misled congress regarding Iraq, condoned torture of prisoners, spied on Americans, and refused to comply with subpoenas. Will an investigation into potential war crimes be held? Will Bush be given amnesty for his actions?
- Civil unions may provide rights similar to marriage, but segregation ensures differences between hetero- & homosexual partnerships--assigning same sex-couples second-class status. Will President Obama end separate-but-equal treatment of same-sex couples?
- While it's critical to promote policies that help prevent unintended pregnancies and make abortion less necessary, how will the Obama administration ensure the right to a safe, legal abortion is made more accessible and unrestricted?
- The past several months have made it clear that religious ceremony and tradition is marginalizing and repressing civil marriage for many citizens. How can church and state be separated in civil marriages--both opposite and same-sex?
- President-Elect Obama opposed the Protect America Act, but voted for retroactive amnesty to telecoms providing warrantless wiretapping. Will other organizations that assisted Bush in illegal activities receive amnesty to restore stability and ensure intelligence?
(Vote on these and other questions, or submit your own and be part of solving our country's challenges at the Change.gov "Open Government: Open for Questions" feature)
(Update 12/12/08: This edition of Open for Questions has come to a close, but all the submitted questions and votes are archived here.)
Tuesday, December 9
Preface to sine cera: What I Think People Think About
by J.E. Remy
Published in:
sine cera: What I Think People Think About
This year a star 40 times bigger than our sun appeared in the night sky. Billions of years ago, the star exploded in a gamma ray burst powerful enough to vaporize any planet nearby. Only now is its light reaching us--the most distant object visible to the naked eye. And, as our eyes are able to see across the universe, creations built by our hands stretch across the solar system: the MESSENGER space probe reached Mercury, the Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars, and the first privately developed space vehicle went into Earth orbit.
Over the past year we've heard messages of hope and change, and we've experienced building feelings of dread and frustration. The unknown effects of the Large Hadron Collider created a sense of unease, but tests ultimately failed to work. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan. Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike threatened coastlines, and a series of tornadoes struck the Southern United States as primary elections began. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue. And the U.S. has plunged into recession, beginning a world economic crisis where Americans worry about stock and gas prices, while cost and unavailability of food are triggering riots and unrest in many third world nations.
Even so, we are unwilling to accept the dark clouds hovering over us--and we shouldn’t. The world’s largest high-energy particle accelerator is being repaired and promises to answer questions about the birth of our universe. The first operations using bionic eyes took place in London. The Kivu war ended in the Congo. Bhutan held its first ever general elections. Bill Gates left his day-to-day position at Microsoft to focus on philanthropic efforts. We’ve seen and participated in protests for equal rights, marching through the streets of Salt Lake City. And we’ve elected the first African-American President of the United States, based on his economic platform, and his promise to refocus our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We’re living in a paradoxical world--one frustrated by the past and present, but tenaciously hopeful for the future.
This edition of sine cera is marked by that paradox. The DiverseCity Writing Series anthology has always been a collection of writing from people living in the Salt Lake community, but now these people are speaking their minds in an attempt to change their world. Frustrations are being aired, sometimes with angry words and strong language. And dreams are beginning to surface through the clouds of memory and imagination. A dialogue has started, with no end in sight.
Included are stories of reflection and regret, fear and hostility, aliens and the alienated, desire and disenchantment. You’ll find tales of heartache, manipulation and loneliness, but you’ll also find fond memories, achievements and magic. I invite you to join this community, and welcome you to share the thoughts in this collection: sine cera: What I Think People Think About.
The preceding essay is the preface to the eleventh DiverseCity Writing Series anthology, sine cera: What I Think People Think About. The DiverseCity Writing Series is a community writing program offered through the SLCC Community Writing Center. This program offers multiple, on-going writing groups throughout the Salt Lake metropolitan area. These open-interest and specialized groups offer inspiration through feedback and writing prompts. And, twice a year, they offer their writers the opportunity to achieve publication through the sine cera anthology, with selections from the publication read at a public reading.
To listen to a KCPW podcast of the December 2008 reading, visit www.kcpw.org/article/7087.
For more information about the SLCC Community Writing Center, visit www.slcc.edu/cwc.
For more information about the DiverseCity Writing Series and sine cera, visit www.slcc.edu/cwc/dws.
Published in:
sine cera: What I Think People Think About
This year a star 40 times bigger than our sun appeared in the night sky. Billions of years ago, the star exploded in a gamma ray burst powerful enough to vaporize any planet nearby. Only now is its light reaching us--the most distant object visible to the naked eye. And, as our eyes are able to see across the universe, creations built by our hands stretch across the solar system: the MESSENGER space probe reached Mercury, the Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars, and the first privately developed space vehicle went into Earth orbit.
Over the past year we've heard messages of hope and change, and we've experienced building feelings of dread and frustration. The unknown effects of the Large Hadron Collider created a sense of unease, but tests ultimately failed to work. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan. Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike threatened coastlines, and a series of tornadoes struck the Southern United States as primary elections began. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue. And the U.S. has plunged into recession, beginning a world economic crisis where Americans worry about stock and gas prices, while cost and unavailability of food are triggering riots and unrest in many third world nations.
Even so, we are unwilling to accept the dark clouds hovering over us--and we shouldn’t. The world’s largest high-energy particle accelerator is being repaired and promises to answer questions about the birth of our universe. The first operations using bionic eyes took place in London. The Kivu war ended in the Congo. Bhutan held its first ever general elections. Bill Gates left his day-to-day position at Microsoft to focus on philanthropic efforts. We’ve seen and participated in protests for equal rights, marching through the streets of Salt Lake City. And we’ve elected the first African-American President of the United States, based on his economic platform, and his promise to refocus our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We’re living in a paradoxical world--one frustrated by the past and present, but tenaciously hopeful for the future.
This edition of sine cera is marked by that paradox. The DiverseCity Writing Series anthology has always been a collection of writing from people living in the Salt Lake community, but now these people are speaking their minds in an attempt to change their world. Frustrations are being aired, sometimes with angry words and strong language. And dreams are beginning to surface through the clouds of memory and imagination. A dialogue has started, with no end in sight.
Included are stories of reflection and regret, fear and hostility, aliens and the alienated, desire and disenchantment. You’ll find tales of heartache, manipulation and loneliness, but you’ll also find fond memories, achievements and magic. I invite you to join this community, and welcome you to share the thoughts in this collection: sine cera: What I Think People Think About.
The preceding essay is the preface to the eleventh DiverseCity Writing Series anthology, sine cera: What I Think People Think About. The DiverseCity Writing Series is a community writing program offered through the SLCC Community Writing Center. This program offers multiple, on-going writing groups throughout the Salt Lake metropolitan area. These open-interest and specialized groups offer inspiration through feedback and writing prompts. And, twice a year, they offer their writers the opportunity to achieve publication through the sine cera anthology, with selections from the publication read at a public reading.
To listen to a KCPW podcast of the December 2008 reading, visit www.kcpw.org/article/7087.
For more information about the SLCC Community Writing Center, visit www.slcc.edu/cwc.
For more information about the DiverseCity Writing Series and sine cera, visit www.slcc.edu/cwc/dws.
Thursday, November 20
Another Open Letter to President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden
by J.E. Remy
On November 6th, I wrote to express my appreciation for President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden’s plan to bring about change. I am pleased to see the civil rights agenda has been expanded to include support for the LGBT community. It is exciting to see your support for full civil unions and the welfare of all citizens, while opposing unfair policies and the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Providing such rights for couples is a welcome start, and can begin to turn around many of the discriminatory laws and practices currently plaguing the LGBT community. However, even if this goal is met, there will continue to be separate-but-equal treatment of same-sex couples. Full civil unions may provide legal rights and privileges equal to marriage, but a system segregated to ensure noted differences between heterosexual and homosexual partnerships will continue to assign same sex-couples to a second-class status.
Equal marriage for all citizens, no matter their sexual orientation, is the only way to ensure complete equality. As I mentioned in my previous letter, there is no reason a civil agreement needs to suffer from the marginalizing repression of religious ceremony. Separate church and state, and legalize same-sex marriage.
(Submit your ideas and be part of solving our country's challenges at Change.gov)
On November 6th, I wrote to express my appreciation for President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden’s plan to bring about change. I am pleased to see the civil rights agenda has been expanded to include support for the LGBT community. It is exciting to see your support for full civil unions and the welfare of all citizens, while opposing unfair policies and the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Providing such rights for couples is a welcome start, and can begin to turn around many of the discriminatory laws and practices currently plaguing the LGBT community. However, even if this goal is met, there will continue to be separate-but-equal treatment of same-sex couples. Full civil unions may provide legal rights and privileges equal to marriage, but a system segregated to ensure noted differences between heterosexual and homosexual partnerships will continue to assign same sex-couples to a second-class status.
Equal marriage for all citizens, no matter their sexual orientation, is the only way to ensure complete equality. As I mentioned in my previous letter, there is no reason a civil agreement needs to suffer from the marginalizing repression of religious ceremony. Separate church and state, and legalize same-sex marriage.
(Submit your ideas and be part of solving our country's challenges at Change.gov)
Sunday, November 16
The Tiresomely Offensive Martyr Stance of the Mormon Church
by J.E. Remy
I recently finished reading an article published by the Deseret News entitled “Heroes and Victims in the Prop. 8 Struggle.” In it, Orson Scott Card adamantly argues a subject on which he readily admits to not having done any research. If that isn’t enough, he irresponsibly tries to pass email spam as factual news. All this while presenting the now tiresomely offensive martyr stance being taken by members of the Mormon church. In case it isn’t clear for any LDS church members: you are not being targeted, you are being asked to answer for your support of sexual segregation through a modern version of anti-miscegenation law.
The fact that Mormons are a small percentage of the voters in California is a large part of the concern regarding the LDS church’s involvement with Proposition 8. Despite a small population, Mormons were 80% to 90% of the early canvassers in election precincts. Funds for the Proposition 8 campaign are now estimated at $40 million, with Mormons from around the nation providing as much as $22 million in support of a California proposition—over half of the funds used in the campaign. By a narrow margin of 52%, Proposition 8 succeeded, now citizens are using their democratic rights of free speech and peaceful assembly to finally let their voices be heard.
Contributions of individual members were used to drown out those voices during the vote, but it is becoming clear that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints directly donated a significant amount to the Proposition 8 campaign. The LDS Church only reported a single contribution of between $2000 and $5000, while actively encouraging church members to donate and support. However, the church also organized phone banks, news releases, direct mailers, door-to-door canvassing, speakers, distribution of campaign materials, and transportation of leaders and representatives, in addition to producing at least 9 commercials, 4 broadcasts and 2 satellite simulcasts over 5 western states in support of Proposition 8. If any of this was used to contact non-members, it is considered a campaign contribution and must be reported under the Political Reform Act of 2007. A complaint regarding this has already been sent to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
As I mentioned in my open letter to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it’s true, the church is not alone in their support for this bill, there’s a long list of contributors to the campaign from a variety of religions and cultural backgrounds. Still, the Mormon church was the leading contributor in ensuring voters were manipulated into supporting a law with no secular purpose, to advance the position of their religion and foster excessive government entanglement with Christian beliefs. In doing so, they ignored their own religious tenants by interfering with the functions of state and manipulating law rather than obeying, honoring and sustaining it. For this, they should be ashamed. Nevertheless, distracting ourselves with why Proposition 8 passed ignores the heart of why so many individuals across the nation are now fighting for equal marriage rights.
Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of our society. To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as religious tradition and the advancement of hetero-normative practices embodied in laws denying equal marriage--classifications directly subversive of the principle of equality--is surely to ignore citizens of liberty and due process of law. The freedom of choice to marry must not be restricted by invidious discrimination against particular sexual orientations. The freedom to marry, or not to marry, another person should reside with the individual and not be infringed upon by the State.
(Leave your feedback regarding Orson Scott Card’s article at http://www.nauvoo.com/contact_desnews.html or by writing Card directly at http://www.hatrack.com/contact.shtml. Submit your concerns regarding the inaccuracy and offensive nature of this article to the Deseret News at http://mormontimes.com/contact/? or by writing Mormon Times Editor David Schneider at daves@desnews.com.)
(11/23: Since writing this letter, it has been revealed that the LDS Church not only had a leading role in Proposition 8's success, but has been instrumental in fighting against women's rights world-wide. I also discovered a 1992 article by Dallen H. Oaks warning Mormons to "expect the same broad latitude of discussion of their views that conventionally applies to everyone else’s participation in public policy debates... opinions on the application of moral questions to specific legislation will inevitably be challenged by and measured against secular-based legislative or political judgments.")
I recently finished reading an article published by the Deseret News entitled “Heroes and Victims in the Prop. 8 Struggle.” In it, Orson Scott Card adamantly argues a subject on which he readily admits to not having done any research. If that isn’t enough, he irresponsibly tries to pass email spam as factual news. All this while presenting the now tiresomely offensive martyr stance being taken by members of the Mormon church. In case it isn’t clear for any LDS church members: you are not being targeted, you are being asked to answer for your support of sexual segregation through a modern version of anti-miscegenation law.
The fact that Mormons are a small percentage of the voters in California is a large part of the concern regarding the LDS church’s involvement with Proposition 8. Despite a small population, Mormons were 80% to 90% of the early canvassers in election precincts. Funds for the Proposition 8 campaign are now estimated at $40 million, with Mormons from around the nation providing as much as $22 million in support of a California proposition—over half of the funds used in the campaign. By a narrow margin of 52%, Proposition 8 succeeded, now citizens are using their democratic rights of free speech and peaceful assembly to finally let their voices be heard.
Contributions of individual members were used to drown out those voices during the vote, but it is becoming clear that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints directly donated a significant amount to the Proposition 8 campaign. The LDS Church only reported a single contribution of between $2000 and $5000, while actively encouraging church members to donate and support. However, the church also organized phone banks, news releases, direct mailers, door-to-door canvassing, speakers, distribution of campaign materials, and transportation of leaders and representatives, in addition to producing at least 9 commercials, 4 broadcasts and 2 satellite simulcasts over 5 western states in support of Proposition 8. If any of this was used to contact non-members, it is considered a campaign contribution and must be reported under the Political Reform Act of 2007. A complaint regarding this has already been sent to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
As I mentioned in my open letter to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it’s true, the church is not alone in their support for this bill, there’s a long list of contributors to the campaign from a variety of religions and cultural backgrounds. Still, the Mormon church was the leading contributor in ensuring voters were manipulated into supporting a law with no secular purpose, to advance the position of their religion and foster excessive government entanglement with Christian beliefs. In doing so, they ignored their own religious tenants by interfering with the functions of state and manipulating law rather than obeying, honoring and sustaining it. For this, they should be ashamed. Nevertheless, distracting ourselves with why Proposition 8 passed ignores the heart of why so many individuals across the nation are now fighting for equal marriage rights.
Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of our society. To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as religious tradition and the advancement of hetero-normative practices embodied in laws denying equal marriage--classifications directly subversive of the principle of equality--is surely to ignore citizens of liberty and due process of law. The freedom of choice to marry must not be restricted by invidious discrimination against particular sexual orientations. The freedom to marry, or not to marry, another person should reside with the individual and not be infringed upon by the State.
(Leave your feedback regarding Orson Scott Card’s article at http://www.nauvoo.com/contact_desnews.html or by writing Card directly at http://www.hatrack.com/contact.shtml. Submit your concerns regarding the inaccuracy and offensive nature of this article to the Deseret News at http://mormontimes.com/contact/? or by writing Mormon Times Editor David Schneider at daves@desnews.com.)
(11/23: Since writing this letter, it has been revealed that the LDS Church not only had a leading role in Proposition 8's success, but has been instrumental in fighting against women's rights world-wide. I also discovered a 1992 article by Dallen H. Oaks warning Mormons to "expect the same broad latitude of discussion of their views that conventionally applies to everyone else’s participation in public policy debates... opinions on the application of moral questions to specific legislation will inevitably be challenged by and measured against secular-based legislative or political judgments.")
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
