This video of Texas legislators voting multiple times on bills ought to make citizens hopping mad.
At election time we look at our lawmaker’s voting records, but how do we really know that they truly voted for the things that are on their record?
Compared to the rest of developed nations, U.S. companies offer less family friendly options than many nations. I’m torn on what to think of this, though.
For example, one of the areas where the United States was accused of being un-family friendly is in the area of breastfeeding. There is no federal legislation guaranteeing the right of a woman to breast-feed at work. But there are state laws on the books about breastfeeding. I don’t know how many of them (if any) protect the woman’s right to breast-feed at work. But I also don’t know many women who are bringing their infants to work with them. Do these laws include pumping? How much of a problem is this in the nation’s work places?
I also don’t know how much I really want the federal government really mandating a lot of what companies do. If they’d mandate caps on how much they can pay their CEO’s compared to their lowest paid workers, that might be an initiative I could get behind, but how many sick days employers are required to give. I don’t know. Would there be exemptions for companies under a certain size?
As it stands, every time the federal government does something to “protect” the people, it seems to have negative effects. Wouldn’t it be nice if companies would just create a family friendly environment without it being legislated?
From SaveDarfur.org:
Did you know that 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes in Darfur, Sudan? Each day, they face threats that are hard for us to even imagine including rape, disease, and starvation.
These people need our help to put an end to the genocide and they need it NOW.
Please join me in taking the first step to stopping the violence.
Sign the Save Darfur Coalition’s petition urging President Bush and the UN Secretary-General to take immediate steps to stop the killing.
Together, we can make a difference in the lives of millions of people in the region who desperately need outside help.
The Save Darfur Coalition is urging the international community to prevent further killings, displacement, and rape by deploying the UN peacekeeping force that has already been authorized, strengthening the understaffed African Union force that is already in Darfur, establishing a no-fly zone, increasing humanitarian aid, and ensuring access for delivery of food, medication and other essential supplies.
Please do not stand by while the violence continues – you can make a difference.
Go to http://www.SaveDarfur.org to get involved.
Then please forward this message to your friends and family and ask them to join you.
If you’d like to make a donation to support the campaign, you can do so here.
Thank you for your help
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Donate to Help Save Darfur
Help build the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur by supporting the Save Darfur Coalition’s crucial awareness and advocacy programs. Click here now to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation.
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The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of over 175 faith-based, advocacy and humanitarian organizations whose mission is to raise public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to mobilize a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of more than two million people in the Darfur region. To learn more, please visit their website.
Want to know more:
SaveDarfur.org has a post called “Background” that’s worth checking out…
DOWNLOAD: Policy Talking Points (Updated 1/22/07)Darfur has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for over three years. At least 400,000 people have been killed;
I’m curious what others think about this. A family returning home from Florida was removed from their flight when their three year old child would not take her seat. The airline says the flight was already running 15 minutes late but does not specify whether that was because of the little girl’s tantrum or because of the airline’s own issues. It also doesn’t say whether they boarded early when passengers traveling with small children are allowed to load, which means we don’t know how long the little girl had been out of control—five minutes or thirty.
Personally, I think this is why it’s a good idea to bring a carseat on a flight. If they don’t want to sit, too bad. Strap ‘em in. On the other hand, I can understand a small child feeling overwhelmed, overtired, hungry, etc. when having to deal with air travel. Who knows how long they had been at the airport already? But I also know that if I was sitting on the flight with my own children, and they were being pretty patient, I wouldn’t want to wait an extra 15-30 minutes while someone else dealt with their child?
So, what do you think? How much leeway should parents of small children be given when loading an airplane?
This website has fabulous pictures from the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. I suggest taking a look. It also has a breakdown of the ships that were sunk and lives that were lost.
Today marks what may well be the last gathering of Pearl Harbor survivors. 7:55 this morning marked the 65th anniversary of the attack that marked the beginning of World War II involvement for the United States. I really hope that there will be a 70th anniversary meeting for the men, who gather every 5 years, but most members are in their 80s. I think we all ought to take a moment today to remember these men, their sacrifices and a generation that is passing from our midst.
Graduate journalism students at prestigious Columbia University are upset after rumors circulated at the school and in the media that one or more members of a media ethics course cheated on an exam. Some are concerned that the scandal will taint their degree from Columbia— a degree which costs close to $100,000 to obtain. The professor of the course is giving a make-up question of sorts, dealing with rumor, anonymous sources and ethics at a fictitious newspaper. Perhaps this experience will be the most valuable lesson in ethics these students could receive.
As many of you with small children probably know, The Wiggles are down a man. Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page, is leaving The Wiggles due to illness and will be replaced by Sam Moran. Greg is suffering from orthostatic intolerance, which causes dizziness, fatigue and nausea. Greg is a favorite Wiggle in our house and will be missed. Here’s hoping he makes a full recovery soon.
There is a recent trend towards birth control methods that eliminate your period. Initially, this was done as a way to avoid having a period for big events, such as weddings, honeymoons, etc. Now, you don’t need a reason. Products, like Seasonale, allow women to only have a period four times a year. New products on the horizon would eliminate a period altogether. So, that’s great, right? No muss, no fuss. No more “curse”.
I’m just not so sure this is a great idea. One, I think that God created our bodies to menstruate for a reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but I’m not about to question it. If you buy an expensive car, and the designer of the car says “Change the oil every 15,000 miles”, do you decide to change the oil infrequently, if at all? If you do, don’t expect the manufacturer to honor the warranty.
Second, I don’t trust that this is physically healthy. How much does this increase the risks already associated with hormonal birth control? Doesn’t it seem like common sense that your body would need a break from the day in, day out chemical bombardment of birth control?
And, finally, what will this do for long-term fertility? Are the 18 and 19 year olds opting to forego menstruation now going to be the 30 year olds seeking fertility treatments ten years 15 years from now because they’ve been trying for five years to get pregnant?
Now, I have to admit I am biased in this area. The only birth control we use is pregnancy and frequent, extended birth control. Yes, we have five children and, yes, I have to put up with the periodic (no pun intended— okay, maybe just a little bit) discomfort of a period, but I’m not worried that’s going to harm me. And, hey, it even gives me an excuse to lie around for a few days a month 
So, what do you think? No periods— is it a good or a bad thing?
Another 60-something is expecting a baby and, no, it’s not Mick Jagger or Rod Stewart. Patricia Rashbrook, a 63 year old child psychologist, is seven months pregnant.
I wonder what makes 60 year old women decide that it’s a good time to have a baby. Is it an attempt to regain their youth? Shouldn’t they be preparing to be grandparents, which can be a full time experience (just ask my Mom)?
I don’t know why it disturbs me so much. True, it made me a bit squeamish when Larry King became a father. But, generally speaking, older men becoming parents just doesn’t have the same effect. Is it because we KNOW it’s unnatural? I mean, men can continue to father children naturally for much of their lives, but God has given women a timer, and when your time is up, shouldn’t it be UP?
