The Independent shows Dems some love

UCSB Students Rally for Sexuality-Based Employment Rights

The L Word Actress Sings in Support of March

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

By Joe Soeller (Contact)

Shortly after noon on Tuesday, members of the UCSB's Campus Democrats and Queer Student Union marched across campus to rally support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) , a proposed federal law that would prohibit discrimination against employees based on sexual orientation. While two similar bills were introduced to the House of Representatives, House Resolution 3685, which does not prohibit discrimination of employees who are transgender, passed the House on 11/7 by a vote of 235 to 184 and is now on the Senate Legislative Calendar awaiting vote.

“We’re celebrating that we’ve gained some amazing ground,” said Amanda Wallner, a spokeswoman for Campus Democrats who, along with approximately one-hundred other supporters, participated in the rally. Garbed in black, pink and red, the participants wove their way through campus, chanting “The queers and allies will never be defeated!” and “What do we want? Equal rights! When do we want it? Now!” drawing the attention of nearby students on foot and bicycle, many of which were forced to yield.

By 1 p.m., the marchers arrived at Storke Plaza, where representatives of Campus Democrats and Queer Student Union, along with two guest speakers, shared their opinions on ENDA. “We want to show our support for other states,” said Nina Garcia, co-chair of the Queer Student Union, who mentioned that although it’s illegal in California to discriminate an employee based on sexual orientation, 31 states currently do not prohibit this form of discrimination.

Actress Daniela Sea

“This is the modern version of the Salem witch hunts. The only way we’re going to move forward as a people is to move forward together,” said UCSB professor Aaron Belkin, who spoke at the rally. Belkin, professor of political science, offers a course on sexuality minorities in the military , which focuses on homosexuals in the military. “We cannot give into the politics of divisiveness.” Besides omitting gender identity in its scope, H.R 3685 does not apply to members of the Armed Forces, businesses of less than fifteen people and religious organizations.

Daniela Sea, an openly gay actress who portrays a transgender character on Showtime’s The L Word, spoke and sang at the rally, lending support to those who’ve faced adversity for their sexual orientation. “I like seeing all the different factions of people," she said. "All the good people come out for this kind of stuff. It’s inspiring,”

Joe Soeller is an Independent intern.

--> Thanks to Joe for being so great. Everyone pick up a copy of the Independent this Thursday (or maybe next week...I dunno) on campus or anywhere, the Independent is everywhere! Yay us!!! Also, check out the website and comment on the article, create some buzz so that they are more likely to cover our stories in the future.

ENDA is awesome!!!

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed through the House of Representatives on November 7, 2007. It protects employees from being fired from their job, or otherwise discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. It is the single biggest piece of national legislation for the queer community. ENDA represents an important step in civil rights legislation and will hopefully lead to even more protections for the queer community.

This bill was first introduced into the House over 30 years ago. It has been a long hard struggle and it is far from over. We still have the Senate,we still have Bush! We still don't have protections based on gender identity. What the hell? Why is it that we refuse to protect the people who need protections the most. The version of the bill that included protections for transgendered employees did not make it past committee and when an amendment was discussed on the floor, it was appallingly evident that it did not have enough support to pass.

Let's take a look at what the "religious right" had to say. (I think the one about the queer community being a privileged class is my favorite.)

"Pray for the defeat of ENDA"
(Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council, October 4, 2007)

FACT: Concerned Women for America, an extreme organization, released an opinion noting GLBT people "suffer from clinical self-delusion":

• "If passed, the bill would grant special employment rights and protected minority status to individuals who define themselves based upon chosen sexual behaviors and others who – among other things – suffer from clinical self-delusion." (Matt Barber, Policy director, Concerned Women for America)
• "Homosexuals and cross-dressers are a privileged group, not an oppressed minority as activists would have you believe." (Matt Barber, Policy director, Concerned Women for America)

FACT: Additionally, Concerned Women for America said ENDA "legalizes sexual harassment":

• "The bill legalizes sexual harassment. …Female employees would have to endure both systematic sexual harassment and a hostile work environment by being forced to share bathroom facilities with any male employee who got his jollies from wearing a dress." (Matt Barber, Policy director, Concerned Women for America)

FACT: The Family Research Council also demanded its members to "defeat" ENDA and to stop the employment of "homosexuals":

• "ENDA must be ended by people of Christian faith who will no longer allow the homosexuals to trample our rights and freedoms through ever-increasing government discrimination." (Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council, October 4, 2007)

I hope that made you laugh/cry as much as it did me. Here at UCSB, Campus Democrats and Queer Student Union are holding a rally on Tuesday, November 27 in support of the bill passed through the House. The rally will have food, music, and some amazing speakers. Professor Aaron Belkin, a specialist in the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy, and Daniela Sea, who plays a female to male transgender character on the L Word (amazing), have both agreed to speak that Tuesday. Through this rally, we hope to educate our campus about this important issue, show our gratitude to our leaders in the House for passing this bill, urge the Senate to quickly pass their version of ENDA, push for bigger and better legislation, and let President Bush know that the queer community and its many allies will not sit quietly if he vetoes this bill.

Bringing the Climate Crisis Full Circle: The Importance of Green Collar Jobs

How can you effectively mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, jump start the American economy, and significantly decrease poverty and unemployment in the United States?


Green Collar jobs.

What are green collar jobs? Green Collar jobs are "blue-collar work force opportunities created by firms and organizations whose mission is to improve environmental quality." Examples of green collar jobs include installing solar panels, construction of green buildings, public transit jobs related to driving, maintenance, and repair etc. Unlike just "green jobs" like wind power or solar power engineers, which are high skilled jobs that require tons of education, green collar jobs simply put a green spin on "blue collar" jobs.

By reducing our consumption of fossil fuels , and investing in renewable energy/energy efficiency in the U.S., it is estimated that thousands, if not millions, of new jobs will be created.

(Click on the link to go to a fact sheet for more specific info/facts, a result of my research/summer internship at the Environmental & Energy Study Institute. It was passed out at a congressional briefing today on green jobs, yee!)

Think about it. We spend over $300 billion/year on importing foreign oil. The Apollo Alliance calls for a $300 billion investment in clean energy over a 10 year period, which will create 3 million new jobs!

And not just any new jobs, but new jobs for the poor. With the help of Van Jones and orgs like "Green for All," this will be one environmental movement that will not skate over the poor. The debate on eco-apartheid and the environmental movement as a "luxury" is something that I'd really like to get into, but not in this post.

So investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency will not only benefit the environment, but our economy as well!

Talk about turning the old, "economy vs. environment" adage on its head. Take that, Republicans! Now you have to fight global warming, whether you like it or not. Our economy depends on it.

Check out: http://www.greenforall.org/
http://www.apolloalliance.org/

Toys from China Contaminated by Date Rape Drug

I couldn't actually make this up if I tried. "Aqua Dots" from China are coated in a substance that becomes GHB when ingested by children causing them to "vomit and become comatose after swallowing." The product is a bunch of small colorful candy sized beads aimed at the 4 Years Old + market which has never been known to swallow things that look like candy.

I wish I had it in me to make jokes about this, but I can't. If anyone ever tries to tell you that we need less government regulation, this is why they're an idiot. No one is policing Chinese manufactures and so they do what every business tries to do, maximumize profits. Even if it means making toys coated in lead paint or in this case DATE RAPE DRUGS. Two children were put into comas after ingesting the toy before the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall, and its almost certain thousands more would have needed to be hospitalized without government intervention, The toy was one of Walmart's Top 12 Picks and Christmas is just around the corner.

Feinstein, Senate Committee Approves Mukasey Nomination

I had to post this article on the blog simply because of the picture:

Diane Feinstein is seen smiling/chatting with Charles Schumer, the two Democratic Senators who broke away from the Democratic Party and approved Michael B. Mukasey as attorney general despite opposition from most of the committee’s Democrats over Mr. Mukasey’s refusal to label a harsh interrogation technique used on terrorist suspects as torture."

Russ Feingold, (D-WI) is sitting in the middle and he looks PISSED. (BTW, Feingold is one of the, if not THE, most progressive Senators in Congress. I had the opportunity to introduce him at the Campus Progress National Student Conference last June, and he was amazing. And very nice.)

I tracked down Feingold's statement about his opposition to Judge Mukasey:

"At this point in our history, however, the country needs more. Simply put, after all that has taken place over the last seven years, we need an Attorney General who will tell the President that he cannot ignore the laws passed by Congress. And on that fundamental qualification for this office, Judge Mukasey falls short."

Fight on, Feingold.

BTW- Let your Senator know that you disprove of her decision to approve Judge Mukasey! Call her office at (202) 224-3841 and give those interns a piece of your mind.

President Bush is Officially the Most Unpopular President Ever

Okay, so the linked USA Today article is actually about how the majority of Americans think that going to war with Iran is pretty much one of the craziest things we could do right now (and is worth a look on it's own. But I just needed to share this from the very end of the article:

"Bush reached an unwelcome record. By 64%-31%, Americans disapprove of the job he is doing. For the first time in the history of the Gallup Poll, 50% say they "strongly disapprove" of the president. Richard Nixon had reached the previous high, 48%, just before an impeachment inquiry was launched in 1974."

More unpopular than Nixon. Think about that for a second. Why is impeachment a dirty word again?

Two videos of the day

Hey everyone! I hope all those that came to the pong tourney at my house had a good time.

I wanted to quickly post two articles. The first comes to us from rawstory, which has an article saying the assisting attorney-general was hesitant about the use of waterboarding and tried it for himself. Afterwards, he walked away pretty stunned and was about to write a memo instructing for more regulations when the White House booted him out. Check it out at:

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/03/waterboarding-abc-news-levin/

Finally, my boy Obama made a suprise appearance on SNL. Very good skit!

Oct. 30th Debate- Who watched?

You might or might not know that there was a Democratic Presidential debate at Drexel University in Philly last Tuesday. Who watched it? What did you think?

For those of you who didn't get to see it, you can watch it online at msnbc.com. Just click on the title of this blog to take you to the msnbc site, scroll down the page and find "Watch the Debates." Annnd, presto! Debate.

I watched most of it online, and wasn't very impressed. Unfortunately, I missed the part where Kucinich admitted to have seen a UFO at Shirley MacLain's house, and when asked if he believed in life on other planets, Obama replied- "I believe there is life here on earth." Wow, really? And I thought we were all robots....

Clinton was on attack throughout most of the debate. There was a lot of talk about Iran, and the new sanctions. She tripped over herself on immigration, social security, etc. Richardson came to her defense towards the end. I knew I always liked that guy... not that I'm defending Clinton, I don't support her- but c'mon. I'm kind of over this whole dems fighting dems thing. Aren't we supposed to be bashing the Republicans?

My favorite topic, global warming, was not discussed. Maybe that's why I'm not so enthused about the debate? Oh well, it's only the livelihood of our planet at stake (and those poor, cute polar bears! Start feeling guilty right....now) I really, really want there to be a debate entirely dedicated to global warming. Will that happen? Maybe. But only if Americans realize how important that issue really is.

David Brooks wrote a pretty entertaining synopsis of the debate in the NYTimes today: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/opinion/02brooks.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

And John Edwards campaign just came out with a clip highlighting all of Clinton's "double talk" from the debate:
http://johnedwards.com/watch/politics-of-parsing/

Thoughts?