Liberal Panda

What is socialism?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:41:00 +0000

The blog Socialism Or Your Money Back has posted a short Q&A concerning socialism. It's an interesting read - here.

For some reason or another, I'm practically always labeled a socialist on every political quiz I take. In fact, I believe that's been my answer every time. However, the main reason I'm not a socialist is because I'm enough of a realist to know it wouldn't work. Human nature is never going away, and people are greedy. They don't want to share. People want to be the best, they want the nicest things, and they want to be lazy. While socialism could work in communes and very small communities, and certain aspects could be worked successfully into our world (such as workers having a lot of rights), capitalism, at least at the moment, isn't going anywhere.

Apologies

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:09:00 +0000

I'm sorry for the striking loss of posts recently. I got accepted into a university where I'll be pursuing my major in political science, and that's been my only focus lately. I've also been working 8-5 every single day, and getting home after 6 and trying to do everything I need to do with dial-up isn't really the best environment to get work done in. However, I've spent my day off minimizing everything; I've unsubscribed to blogs and newsletters, deleted a bunch of time-wasters from my bookmarks folder, and sought out time-saving apps and sites. At least when I get to school I'll have broadband!

I'd love to hear how some of you save time and increase your productivity. Leave me tips in the comments.

Decidership

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:56:00 +0000

Urban dictionary, the site where you can discover the meaning of any slang and made-up word in the world, says that a "decidership" is "A form of government with one person exercising absolute power and unrestricted control in a government who regularly disregards opinions, petitions or mandates of the people or elected representatives." It's scary, but America is a decidership.

The Bush administration has proven time and time again that it doesn't care what people of this country think or want done. No poll or protest could ever change their mind. They do what they want to do. When the ground they're standing on gets a little shaky, they use the media as a tool of diversion. Find another Osama tape, blame something on the lying liberals. Change the subject.

Sometimes I feel as though George Bush will not step down from his presidency. It's hard to imagine, isn't it. Luckily, I don't think Americans are dumbed down to the point that they'll accept that yet unless something catastrophic takes place. Something akin to 9/11.

Global Incident Map

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 08:59:00 +0000

The Global Incident Map shows terrorist threats all over the world. Most of them don't make the news, so it's interesting to see what's going on. Each event has it's own symbol, and when you mouse over you get a definition such as, "INDIA - Smallpox alert in Northeast". There's no real use for this, but it's noteworthy nonetheless.Global Incident Map

Aunt Jemima

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:28:00 +0000

A petition has been created for the removal of the Aunt Jemima image and name, one of the many racist/sexist icons used by an American company. According to the petition,

The racist, sexist stereotype of Aunt Jemima has become entrenched into the subconscious memory and culture of all Americans, and like a health-destroying bad habit, has sneaked into our existence and psyches as to have become a normal image that no longer holds feelings of disgust, shame and revulsion. That the manufacturers of Aunt Jemima have for over 100 years been able to so skillfully integrate this disparaging symbol into American culture, as to lend it as imparting endearing qualities across all racial, gender and ethnic groups, has had a profound impact on the image black Americans have had of themselves and of the image whites, and other races, have had of black people, and especially the image that black women have had to contend with.

There is also an article about the history of Aunt Jemima at Beautiful, Also, Are the Souls of My Black Sisters.

I have a feeling that, in the decade coming up, many degrading logos and images will be replaced by something far better. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking of my part. But I do think that people are finally realizing that icons like Aunt Jemima is dangerous to our society.

Sunday Zen

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 22:17:00 +0000

"If one looks with a cold eye at the mess man has made of history, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he has bee afflicted by some built-in mental disorder which drives him toward self-destruction." - Arthur Koestler

Soldier may be punished for protesting war

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:50:00 +0000

Adam Kokesh, a "war-on-terror" veteran, may have his honorable discharge status removed because he attended an anti-war protest wearing his uniform. This reminds me a lot of the professor who was added to the no fly list because he gave a lecture criticizing the president. Remember what the attendant at the airport asked? "Have you been to any protests lately?"

Why is our government punishing our soldiers for speaking out about a war they feel is wrong? Because there is already a growing number of people in this country who have lost confidence in the Iraq war, and they're scared that once the soldiers start speaking out they'll have to play by the rules. From monitoring their blogging to taking away their benefits, the American government is prosecuting it's soldiers for not wanting to be a witness to a great crime.

Monday Spotlight: The Animal Rights Library

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 29 May 2007 00:16:00 +0000

There has never been a lack of literature surrounding the animal rights movement. A topic as controversial as it is, people on both sides of the debate have written long essays and books filled with an uncountable amount of facts, numbers, and names. It's hard for AR-ers to read everything, but The Animal Rights Library is a great place to start. Containing full texts from both classic and modern writers such as Jeremy Bentham and Peter Singer, activists can read up on the pro-AR side of the story without having to spend hundreds of dollars on books.

The Animal Rights Library

Note: If anyone knows of a similar anti-AR online library, please post in in the comments.

Is it REALLY an immigration issue?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 24 May 2007 03:07:00 +0000

On March 30th, Alfredo Ramos killed two girls in Virginia Beach, VA while driving drunk. He later admitted to being in the country illegally. Since then, officials have made more of an effort to detain and deport illegal immigrants.

The story made national headlines when Bill O'Reilly made (yet more of) a spectacle of himself while arguing with Geraldo Rivera. Here's the video: (note: I'm currently using a slower connection, so I'm assuming this is the right video)

Mr. Rivera's right. Completely. This had nothing to do with illegal immigration, but it had everything to do with drunk driving. Instead of working to further reduce the number of people who drives drunk, which would be a daunting task, all the focus has gone to the seemingly easier solution: blame a group that already has a ton of bricks on their shoulders. America is increasingly becoming more and more hostile to immigrants, particularly those of South American heritage. Our government's even gone so far as to build an actual fence! The American people need to realize that our entire nation was built upon immigrants wanting a better life and a fresh start - to take that same hope away from people today is selfish.

Monday Spotlight - Green is the New Red

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 23 May 2007 00:53:00 +0000

Note: Sorry this is a day late.

Green is the New Red has been my favorite blog since I found it last year. It focuses on "eco-terrorism", aka the Green Scare. It's horrifying how much freedom is being taken away from activists, and it's not just those of us who work for the environment/animal rights causes. Every time a bill like AETA passes, it's a setback for everyone who wants to change this country through activism. Reading Green is the New Red keeps all of us up-to-date on those people working to put activists behind bars, and how the rest of the world views activism.

Green Is The New Red

Oops

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sat, 19 May 2007 00:39:00 +0000

I came across an interesting short article in the May/June issue of VegNews. Apparently, Yum Brands, who owns KFC, unknowingly tried to buy an abandoned warehouse owned by PETA in Norfolk, VA. When PETA offered them the property for free if they would put stronger animal welfare rules into place, they said no.

Education

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:26:00 +0000

A new Center on Education Policy survey has concluded that students in the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades are performing only slightly better in history and civics. 43% of 12th grade students, for example, in 2001 performed at or above the basic level, jumping to only 47% last year. For the same group, there was just a 1% increase in civics.

Although I'm glad there's been at least a little progress, it's nothing to be overly happy about. There's still a long way to go before we can be certain that American students are learning about their nation's history and the way the government works. Both subjects are vital to a successful nation. History teaches us to learn from our mistakes, how to spot bad government before it takes over, and gives us a much deeper understanding of how this nation works and how it came to be. Civics is undoubtably the most important class available to students. Politics affects every one of us, whether we realize it or not. With less emphasize in schools, it's inevitable that every new generation will be less and less interested in politics, law, and rights. Even today, there are millions who feel that voting is pointless, and that don't care if a law is just or not as long as it doesn't directly effect them. People are becoming passive and unconcerned with the state of America and the rest of the world, and with students not getting the best history and civics education, leaders will have an almost open door to uncontrollable power and corruption.

I graduated from high school in 2005, and I can say with all confidence that I didn't get a great education. Sure, I took pre-calculus my senior year, was in AP History and English, and took two years of Latin, but every teacher I had was more concerned with test scores than with making sure every student had a complete understanding of the subject. When a school has higher test scores, they get awards and, more importantly, money. Instead of classes being about learning, they've become nothing more than a crash course before the big test. There's so much standardized testing in schools nowadays that most children are burned out before they get to high school. We've also become fantastic guessers and bullshitters. I can easily make a paragraph into a full page essay by doing nothing but adding fluff. My teachers used to teach us how to guess on an exam or end of school test; just eliminate until you find the one that makes the most sense. Why not just teach us enough that we can take the test without having to guess?

Another, even bigger, problem in schools is having more opportunities for the more advanced students. This was at least true in my own high school. The AP students were encouraged, given more freedom to learn how they wanted, and were treated with respect by teachers and counselors. Not so for the rest. I was lazy in my 9th grade Honors English class, so my teacher reccomended me for the regular 10th grade course. I was utterly stunned when I got there. We never did anything. I remember reading maybe three books at most, writing a one page fictional "fairy tale", and watching cartoons. I felt like I was in a special ed. class. It was like the teacher didn't even care about us; she spent most of the time getting stuff together for her AP class for 12 graders. I had the same teacher for that same class two years later, and we wrote two essays a week, read a new book every month, had lengthy discussions about everything from news and politics to literary devices and eras. The difference was startling, and in a way I'm glad that I had the opportunity to see what it was like for students who don't have the AP privalege. One teacher we had even told us that they didn't worry as much about the academic kids since most of them wouldn't go to college or make the most of themselves. She was under the impression that they were all lazy and incapable of doing anything worthwhile. Maybe they would have cared more if the teachers had cared about them.

Monday Spotlight: YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:19:00 +0000

YouTube is a lot more than just a place to watch music videos and quirky home movies. There is so much political and news-related material that you can find practically anything; the latest clips from your favorite news program, satire (not all of it good), old campaigns and commercials, commentary, interviews, and more.

There's also plans for CitizenTube, a politically themed site from YouTube. Which is a great idea, since it'll make videos easier to find.

YouTube

Christian Nationalism

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 09 May 2007 22:58:00 +0000

I'm currently reading Michelle Goldberg's Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. While the whole topic is certainly worth talking about at great length, there's a passage I came across from George Grant's book that shows just how scary these radical right-wing Christians are:

Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a comission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ - to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness.
But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice.
It is dominion we are after. Not just influence.
It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time.
It is dominion we are after.
World conquest. That's what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less....
Thus, Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land - of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts, and governments for the Kingdom of Christ.

A lot of readers might think he's an extreme example of Christian Nationalism, and he is, but I think it still speaks very clearly for the religion and its followers. I don't want anyone to think I'm anti-Christian, because I'm not. What I am against is the people who use it to make decisions, and the people who, like Mr. Grant here, want it to take over every aspect of everyone's life.

The biggest problem I have with Christianity is its refusal to accept other religions. And when politicians use it as a basis to their policies, it threatens our freedom both to religion and personal behavior. Gay marriage and abortion are perfect examples.

I've noticed, as has Michelle Goldberg in her book, that Christians are almost always mentioning how they're under attack and being persecuted for their beliefs. That astounds me. Especially since when Christianity (or any other religion for that matter) is used as a foundation for government or laws, people of other religions are being persecuted.

Eastern vs. Western Math

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 09 May 2007 00:25:00 +0000

On April 25th, the BBC had an article about Britain's Royal Society of Chemistry offering £500 to anyone who could answer a math question from a Chinese entrance exam.
This is the BBC's example of a similar question from a UK exam:

When I was in elementary school, our teachers used to tell us that the Chinese school systems were much more strict than our own, and that the students were twice as smart as us. What I'm wondering now, however, is why the west is so far behind. Any thoughts?

Monday Spotlight: Americans United

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 08 May 2007 00:24:00 +0000

Americans United "...protects separation of church and state by working on a wide range of political and social issues." An organization like AU is especially important today in a country controlled by the far right. One of their recent victories was having Wicca recognized as a religion for military tombstones (here's my story on that). For the sake of our freedom, please support Americans United.

Americans United

The Army Regulates Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 06 May 2007 23:39:00 +0000

According to Wired, soldiers must now have personal e-mails and blogs run by an officer before posting. While I understand the need for military secrecy when it comes to things like positions and plans, this rule is set up to fail. Eventually, if it hasn't already happened, officers will stop approving blogs that are critical of the war, with the explanation that it'll embolden the enemy (which the Bush administration already holds to be true). The main problem I have with this blogging regulation is that it'll silence the voices of our soldiers, making the war farther away from Americans than it currently is.

When you watch the mainstream media, you'll notice that the most frivolous news usually gets the most attention. For example, CNN going commercial free for the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Little if any attention is paid to Afghanistan or Iraq. This is mostly because our war-mongering leaders know that they can get away with much more if the general public is oblivious to what's really happening; if they're living behind pretty curtains. Silencing soldier bloggers is along the same lines; as long as people don't know what the soldiers are really feeling, there will be no larger outcry for a change.

Posting

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 06 May 2007 01:03:00 +0000

I'm sorry for the lack of posts the last few days. I started back at work and have been working long hours. From now on, I'll be posting more frequently. As always, send suggestions and opinions my way, along with topics you'd like to see discussed. Thanks!

Horses

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 06 May 2007 00:50:00 +0000

The Kentucky Derby was today, so I thought it would be appropriate to discuss it here. Horse racing is cruel and exploitive. I'm sure some of the owners treat the horses alright most of the time, but when a horse is injured, is the owner thinking first about the horse or their investment? They're treated as objects. Horses aren't free when they're constantly being trained so their owners can win a fancy prize. Animal Aid has a great site for horse racing. You can read it here.

Smoking Bans

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sun, 06 May 2007 00:05:00 +0000

Smoking bans are nothing new. In 1590, Pope Urban VII wanted to excommunicate people who smoked tobacco in or around churches. More recently, as more and more information concerning the dangers of second-hand smoke has been discovered, companies, states, and even whole countries have put some sort of ban in place.

There's always a lot of controversy over any kind of ban. One one side are people who see improved living conditions, in this case with better health and smoke-free restaurants. On the other hand, people feel as if they're losing their freedom to enjoy life and being told how to treat their own bodies.

I support smoking bans. In fact, I'd love to see every public place in the country have a smoking ban of some kind. It's not that I have a problem with people smoking, especially since I have no business in the matter. However, I don't want my health to be jeopardized because of someone else's smoking. If you walked into a place of business swinging a gun around firing, you'd be arrested on the spot. Why? Because you're jeopardizing the health and well-being of the people around you. Smoking does the same thing, but because it takes years, even decades, to notice the effects, you're not arrested. Instead, you're handed an ashtray.

Due to time restraints (see next post), I've scanned Wikipedia for a list of the reasons people might not support a ban.

Government is interfering with personal lifestyles and rights. My argument against this is that the smoker is also interfering with personal lifestyles and rights. I doubt the person next to you wants lung cancer.
Economic loss. Like Wikipedia says in a few more words: just as many people want smoke-free environments.
Disputes over science of bans. I feel like there's been more than enough evidence of second-hand smoke being dangerous. Anyway, until further evidence disproves the theory, wouldn't it be better off on the safe side?
Hypocrisy. The main point of this part of the article was that people felt as though the government was be hypocritical due to their using smoking bans but still profiting off tobacco tax. In my opinion, this isn't hypocritical in any way. Public smoking bans are protecting other citizens from second-hand smoke; their health is in danger because of someone else. However, people should be allowed to smoke if they want to. As long as they aren't endangering someone else, they should be able to smoke. I don't see this as hypocrisy, just as the government protecting the lives of its citizens.
"Victimless crime". Supposedly, smoking is a personal choice, and if other people don't like it, they can leave. You know people inside that building are smoking, so if you choose to go in, you know you're going to be inhaling their smoke. Like the article says, not everyone has the choice to leave.
Health care. This argument says that if you don't smoke, then you'll live longer, therefore racking up just as much or more health care costs then smokers, who'll die way before you. This is absurd. It's like punishing people for wanting to be healthy.
Smoking moves. When you ban smoking in public buildings, people will move outside. When you ban smoking outside in a specific area surrounding a non-smoking building, people will smoke somewhere else. I don't quite see the debate here, except that smokers might run out of places to smoke.

Call to action: 9/11 Information Petition

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 01 May 2007 19:35:00 +0000

A petition was started this past winter by Monica Gabrielle, Lorie Van Auken, Mindy Kleinberg, and Patty Casazza in relation to information that concerned pre-knowledge of the September 11th attacks.

Excerpt from the petition:

We, the undersigned, demand the immediate declassification and release of all transcripts and documents relating to the July 10, 2001 meeting that took place between former CIA Director George Tenet and then National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice. It has been alleged that this urgent and out-of-the-ordinary meeting was called to discuss the increasingly dire warnings of an imminent al Qaeda attack within the U.S.

...In addition, we again call for the declassification and release of both the redacted 28 pages of the Joint Inquiry Into The Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 (JICI) and the CIA Inspector General’s report, “CIA Accountability With Respect To The 9/11 Attacks”.

When this petition reaches 15,000 names, they are going to take it to Washington, DC. There are already 11,145 signatures at 3:45pm, May 1st. This petition is important because the public has the right to know just how accountable our government was for those attacks.

Petition - Public's Right To Know
Kudos to 911Blogger for their post on the petition

Monday Spotlight: Lantern Books

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:07:00 +0000

A new feature of this blog will be Monday Spotlight. Every week I'll blog about a specific website that advances freedom, animal rights, environmentalism, human rights, or any similar cause.

Lantern Books is an online retailer/publisher that specializes in books concerning "animal advocacy, children's books, health & environment, psychology, religion, social thought, and vegetarianism".

Lantern Books also publishes a fantastic blog, The Lantern Books Blog, which has a wide array of material. Even better, most posts have a section at the end devoted to books on related topics.

You can visit their website here: Lantern Books

Previous spotlight: Charity Navigator

Chernobyl

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:59:00 +0000

Today is the 21st anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in history. On this date in 1986, near Pripyat in Ukraine, reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl power plant was part of a routine shutdown. The employees, who have since been regarded as inadequate, disregarded the safety instructions about the reactor becoming unstable at such low power. After a quick power surge, the reactor exploded and fires fed contamination into the air, ultimately releasing 100-150 million curies of radiation. The radiation contaminated parts of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, although some European stations recording small amounts of radiation far away from the plant. Belarus, who got the worst, lost 20% of it’s farmland immediately after the accident. Half of the radiation from Chernobyl was found in Belarus. 200,000 people eventually had to be evacuated, but because the government was slow and wasn’t honest with the citizens in the surrounding towns, many people were exposed unknowingly to the radiation. As officials realized how far-reaching the radiation had traveled, the evacuated more and more people. Thousands of “liquidators” were brought in from around the USSR to work in the cleanup efforts. All of them received very high does of radiation. To fight the fires that were continuously feeding more radiation into the air, they threw 5,000 metric tones of lead, boron, sand, and clay onto it. After it failed to significantly reduce radiation, they built what has since become known as the “sarcophagus”. However, because it was hastily built, it was not made to last. Plans are underway to build a newer, stronger containment. Initially, there were only two deaths (both workers who will killed during the first explosions), but by August the figure had risen to 31.

Many studies have been done around Chernobyl since the accident. Today, 1 out of 4 Belarussians live on contaminated land, which is about 2.1 million people. The radiation collected in the soil, destroying farms and poisoning groundwater. Thyroid cancer has increased dramatically in children born and raised after the accident. Overall, though, it’s very hard to say what the exact toll of the Chernobyl tragedy was. Although most scientists agree that the high numbers of thyroid cancer patients is a direct result of the radiation, other illnesses are harder to attribute to it. Many of them could also be caused by stress or poor nutrition. In the studies done throughout the years, the number of actual deaths due to Chernobyl has been anywhere between the 31 killed immediately after the accident to Greenpeace’s 270,000. The number usually agreed upon is 10,000 - 50,000. Chernobyl had a lasting effect on the area’s citizens, but it also had a large effect on the rest of the world.

Chernobyl taught us that accidents can and do happen. Since 1986, nuclear power plants have been made considerably safer, but they will never be fool-proof. Activists have used Chernobyl for years to highlight just how dangerous nuclear power is. Every year in America, there are a number of unreported near-accidents at plants around the country. Luckily, none of them have become disasters, but it’s not inconceivable that it could happen here in America.

There are plenty of alternatives to nuclear power. The US would be much better of investing all of their money and resources in clean energy, which will be the choice for future generations. For example, in place of dangerous, dirty, and current sources of energy, there could be wind, water, or solar power. Great leaps are being made in science that are constantly making these forms of energy cheaper and more effective. Let’s all get behind clean energy and save ourselves from another Chernobyl.

Please take a moment to give your thoughts to the victims of Chernobyl, some of whom have to live with terrible illnesses and destroyed lives.
Chabad's Children of Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl's Children Project International
Children of Chernobyl USA
For the Children
Humanity for Chernobyl
Strong Like a Willow

There's also a great book on the subject, Svetlana Alexievich's Voices from Chernobyl, a collection of first-hand accounts of the disaster.

This is funny?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:25:00 +0000

There's always been people with disgusting and offensive humor. Most of the time I just ignore it. I gave up trying to change people long ago, especially since I grew up in a place where most of the people aren't exactly considerate (your typical redneck, racist, chauvinistic Bible-belt town). But this says a lot about today's American culture.
I can't even imagine how you propose a joke like this. It's hard to picture someone saying, "I know what we could do - lets joke about being in a rape club. That'd be hilarious!" Like the good people at Feministing put it, ASSHOLES.

One more potential accident

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:16:00 +0000

The U.S. has just made an agreement where Japan will build the first nuclear power plant in the country in 30 years. Supposedly, according to Samuel Bodman (our energy secretary), Japan is capable of making the safest reactors.

I've always been against nuclear power. I think it might have something to do with my near-obsession with Chernobyl (who's anniversary is tomorrow - watch for my post), but I have a feeling it goes a lot further than that. I remember reading somewhere that there are thousands of near-accidents at U.S. plants that go unreported. It's not inconceivable that something catastrophic will happen due to one of these.

There's also no perfect way to get rid of nuclear waste, which sticks around for thousands and thousands of years. There's no telling what long-term affects the waste will ultimately have, but I can assure you it won't be good.

The main reason I'm against Nuclear power: It's unnecessary. The money our government is investing in this project could very well be invested instead in clean energy. We all know that clean energy is the way to go, but for one reason or another our leaders are ignoring it. It would be better for the US to go ahead and put all our resources into clean energy instead of being behind the times.