Veronica Arreola asks "Aren't Latinas Women Too?" in response to the National Council de La Raza press release on health care reform that didn't mention the Stupak amendment.
It's the first ever Independent Bookstore Week in NYC. Look for events and ways to celebrate the week here.
Really sad news about the brutal murder of a gay teenager in Puerto Rico.
A new daily newspaper is launching in Detroit next week. Anna Clark has the details, including the fact that it's the first daily newspaper to be launched in a major US city since 2002.
An Arkansas ten year old refuses to recite the pledge allegiance because the US discriminates against gays and lesbians.
Today is the first day of Transgender Awareness Week.
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"The police investigator suggested that he deserved what he got because of the "type of lifestyle" he was leading."
Oh my God, that's one of the most disturbing things I've ever heard. It makes me depressed for humanity.
What the hell is wrong with people? Why kill, hurt, or hate anyone because if their color, gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, or anything else?
I'll never understand it. Everyone deserves to live, and nobody ever deserves harm unless they've harmed someone else.
I don't know the laws or views of homosexuality in Puerto Rico, but thank God that I live in America where someone would get fired for saying anything along those lines.
You are aware that Puerto Rico is part of the US right? I believe it's a territory or something like that. I'm not to familiar with its history nor do I care very much for it (not because it's not important I'm just not personally interested in it). People of Puerto Rico have American Citizenship.
Yes I'm aware, but so is Guam and the Virgin Islands, and they have different views and laws.
Guam - like Puerto Rico, a former Spanish colony - was also conquered by the US during the Spanish American War (it was also conquered by Japan in 1942 during World War II and restored to US rule by an invasion by US Marines in 1944) - currently, it's a commonwealth, with an elected government, is considered by the UN to be a US colony, and Guamanians are US citizens. The commonwealth has it's own laws, but they are superseded by US federal law.
The US Virgin Islands were a colony of the Kingdom of Denmark - during World War I, to protect the islands from German naval attack, the King of Denmark sold the islands to the United States. Like Guam and Puerto Rico, today the US Virgin Islands are a commonwealth with an elected government, and Virgin Islanders are US citizens.
Folks from Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands are US citizens by birth, just like all other Americans, with the same constitutional rights and protections under federal law.
Puerto Rico was conquered by the US military during the Spanish American War in 1898.
"Porto Rico" (the official US government spelling for the territory for the first 53 years of US rule) was directly ruled by US military governors from 1898 to 1951.
Thereafter, it became a Commonwealth governed by elected Puerto Rican governors, with it's own Senate, House of Representatives and court system. Like everywhere else in the US, federal law prevails over the local legal system, and there are also federal courts in PR.
The United Nations considers Puerto Rico a US colony.
Puerto Ricans are United States citizens by birth, and have been since 1917.
I'm sorry you can't be so bothered to care about the history of 3 million of our fellow Americans, and how they came to be a part of our country.
I'm quite aware, thanks. No need for a reminder.
Meant for that to be below your reply to me, not to Mary.
Puerto Rico didn't have legalized gay marriage from what I'm reading on Wikipedia, but I won't say doesn't since i don't know if that's changed.
That's why I said that I didn't know about the views of homosexuality.
Eh, I don't really particularly care. I know enough history as it is in general. I'm learning quite a deal about English 19th century history from a literature class. I have no need to know about Puerto Rico, I don't particularly have the urge to visit either. If I did I'd learn about local customs but not really history unless there was something historical that I found interesting.
I'm more interested in English history, Spanish history before the whole fascist regime took power, French history, Mexican history, and Canadian history. Oh, and Australian. I know nothing about Iowa, does that make me a bad person for not caring about Iowan history like Puerto Rican history? I have a general idea of their history but not too much.
I find this slightly troubling. It's fine to be more or less interested in one region or period of history (for example I am an early American historian) but it is strange to say that you don't care about the history of a particular place that is directly relevant to the point you are trying to make. I'm not trying to criticize you or your interests, but dismissing important information because it doesn't interest them is one of the most frustrating things that my students do.
"The police investigator suggested that he deserved what he got because of the "type of lifestyle" he was leading."
This statement is only acceptable when it is a reference to the jailtime that murderous homophobic people face.
Not when it's a reference to one's sexual preferences.
I stopped saying the pledge of allegiance in school as soon as I understood what it meant, about sixth or seventh grade, though I still stood up so no one noticed. I just wasn't comfortable pledging allegiance to anything, it made me feel like a liar, plus I was already seriously questioning the whole "under God" thing.
I continued standing for and reciting the pledge but in junior high I stopped after "one nation." I remember thinking, "Under God doesn't belong in here, I don't think we're indivisible, and we definitely don't have liberty or justice for all." That was kind of my compromise in a super-conservative town/school.
The Arkansas 10-year-old recently gave a speech at a NWA Center for Equality fundraiser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgC9HsuAwaw
Oh, forgot to add, he was also featured in The Huffington Post and on CNN: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/10-year-old-wont-pledge-a_n_355709.html
You write, "thank God I live in America where someone would get fired for saying anything along those lines."
Are you aware that people (Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter are only the most obvious examples) say more or less that exact same shit all the time and even if they do get fired (as in Ann's case), their popularity and ratings increase?
It is perfectly acceptable to be glad to live in America but please recognize that there is just as much homophobia and threat to queer people here as there is in Puerto Rico.
That was supposed to be in reply to the first comment. Oops.
That little boy is very brave to stand up for gay rights at such a young age. I haven't forgotten how cruel kids were when I was that age and this little guy is in for a tough time for going against the grain and thinking for himself. Kudos to him for being such an upstanding, chivalrous individual.
there is a serious lack of independent book stores in DFW, with the exception of half-priced books. one just finally opened, but it's in effin' plano.
When I was a kid, I refused to say the "under god" in the pledge of allegiance. We were learning about separation of church and state, no prayer in schools, etc, and that phrase wasn't even in there until they put it in in the 50s to counteract the godless commies. Plus, my parents were atheist. But no big deal was made out of it-- my parents told me to either just not say it, or to say "under good" instead. Since we all said it at once, the teacher never made a bit deal out of me skipping one phrase.
That 10 year old is hands down AMAZING! At such a young age to be sticking up for his beliefs, most kids that age haven't even begun to discover their true ideals. That's exactly why people need to talk openly about same sex relationships, and educate younger kids so that they'll grow up to be more informed and less prejudiced.
I think thats why this whole fight bugs me to begin with. Parents think they're protecting their children but in reality they're breeding them to be prejudiced. Just because a child is informed about same-sex relationships doesn't mean they're going to identify as being gay. Instead, they'll grow up to respect other peoples opinions and choices and say 'hey, thats ok. not my preferred lifestyle, but its not my life or my choice to make.' That would be just one step towards putting a stop to violence.
But I guess that just makes too much sense for some.
I wish we had an Independent Bookstore Week in the L.A. area. My boyfriend and I are about to close our independent bookstore because our community would rather drive 10-20 miles to go to Borders or Barnes and Noble than support us. Our shop has been around since 1976 and we recently expanded it, but no dice. Here's a link to our website http://littleoldbookshop.com/
We're totally heartbroken.