Paula B. Mays2013-06-20T02:09:37-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=paula-b-maysCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Paula B. MaysGood old fashioned elbow grease.Witnessing 9/11tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9491582011-09-07T12:31:51-04:002011-11-07T05:12:02-05:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
I left the country on September 8, 2011 for a trip to Barcelona Spain to continue my study of the Spanish language in a Spanish language school. I arrived on September 9, Sunday. My biggest problem at that time was I didn't like the housing arrangements I had been given and was bargaining with the school to get new living quarters for 2 weeks. I finally was successful and secured a lovely hostel with a balcony view of Barcelona.
I remember telling my friend before I left that I was going to really like this school because Tuesday, September 11, was a holiday -- Catalan Day -- National day of Catalonia (Barcelona is in perpetual flux as to whether it is a part of Spain or its own nation of Catalonia). "Yahoo," I told her, "a holiday on the second day of school -- this is pretty nice."
Having situated the housing, I enjoyed the first day of school Monday, September 10. I even met an American actor who had been sent there by Hollywood to perfect his Spanish so he could be in the Spanish version of Charmed.
Then it was Tuesday, that lovely school holiday, and so I set off to explore Barcelona. With my living situation all sorted out, I could now visit the architecture of Gaudi, La Segrada Familia (Gaudi's magnificent cathedral which has never been completed), the Picasso museum, the site of the Barcelona Olympics and lovely Spanish food.
And I was off, comfortable shoes in toe, first to one of the most famous places in Barcelona, Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a row of city blocks where all sorts of things happen, birds, people on stilts, mimes, and restaurants and bars. Las Ramblas it was then. Happily I trotted along in awe of the sites and sounds of this beautiful and old country of Spain.
"A Sangria it is," I say to myself. I can drink a couple and still get up for school the next day, and who can not have sangria in Spain? I'm enjoying lovely Sangria (ok, so I nearly fell off the bench when I put my seat into what I thought was brick but was really a tree, which caused quite a commotion), when some guys start to chat and they asked me where I'm from.
"Washington, D.C.," I say with pride. "Washington they say?" "It's being bombed." Ha ha ha I think, funny guys -- radical anti-Americans. "No, really, they say it's being attacked right now. New York and Washington." "They think there could be thousands of people dead -- you need to go find a television."
It was at this point I knew they were not just some joksters. This happened to be after the first plane hit the twin towers so I actually saw the second plane hit. This was completely Kafkaesque as I'm sure you can imagine. In Barcelona in fact -- people thought it was a War of the Worlds, type television show and it took several days for people to realize this was an actuality.
So in the end the planes didn't fly for several weeks and I stayed in Barcelona. I was one of the lucky ones, my movie star friend and I bonded during that time. He and I started off complaining that George Bush was President and who could have voted for him. But even he thought Bush did a good job on his speech after the attack. Obviously, I will always remember this time along with millions of Americans. I will always remember too, that friends called from around the world, including Spain to assure I was safe -- even though I wasn't in the U.S. And I remember that when I returned, I returned to a sad but more together America.
We have since lost that feeling, but for a brief shining moment, in spite of the pain we were one country. The world was on our side and we band together as a nation accepting and loving and caring for one another. Out of the ashes came cohesion. This was the impression I first got when I returned to the U.S. two weeks after the attack.
I'm sorry it did not last as a rainbow at the end of this tragic tale. I am also sorry that we turned our Americanism into fear and hatred of a foreign peoples because of the act of radical zealots. During this commemoration, perhaps we can restore the cohesion that quickly flashed like a star through the galaxy.
]]>The Strauss-Kahn Case Raises Interesting Issuestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8636942011-05-18T17:27:57-04:002011-07-18T05:12:01-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/said that black women were not attractive.
This represents two forms of assault on women, if the Strauss-Kahn allegation is true, especially to women of color, a phenomenon which continually rears its ugly head.
Secondly, the issues of power and status are also raised by this latest event. First, evidently the people of France are indignant because Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund, was arrested in public in New York on Saturday while about to fly to Paris after a chambermaid at a New York hotel said he had tried to rape her earlier in the day. The French reportedly feel more discretion was required because of his status. This is an interesting concept. The French it seems, feel power and status give you a certain elitism when it comes to criminal prosecution. The U.S. operated on more of our democratic ideals, which is that every man is equal and no special elite status is due to public figures. Hooray to the U.S. for this one!
Then there are the cries that "he couldn't have done," why would he be interested in a maid? Unfortunately, with regard to women and women of color, this has been a pattern of history. We can look at our own history of Thomas Jefferson, and the other thousands of slave owners who assaulted or bedded and attacked black women.
Thirdly, apart from black women, what about the power assault of women in general -- that is, famous men using women either in an assault manner or even allegedly consensual sex. (I posit that a "consensual relationship," is almost impossible in such a situation.) The maid of a hotel does not have power over the famous IMF leader, or any man in a hotel room she is trying to clean.
It will be interesting to see how this case progresses and whether it will have an impact on the assault, especially of women of color.]]>The Philosophy of Non-Violence: Adoption of a Doctrine of Peacetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8100662011-01-18T17:58:58-05:002011-05-25T18:25:24-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge,aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964.
At the time of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, it's appropriate to examine his theme of non-violence in the context of today's world.
The idea of non-violence as a principle that needs to be taught is an interesting concept. In other words, non-violence is not intuitive to our human nature. Therefore maybe here in America we need some classes. Maybe we need to be taught the principles of non-violence, Maybe that is what is wrong here?
Because something is desperately wrong. In our country, violence is an epidemic. We hear about the violent shootings of masses of people, like the recent shooting in Tucson, Arizona, and everyone seems upset for a moment and then that is it; it's back to business as usual. Often there is momentary talk of gun control, of helping the mentally ill; but soon enough it is forgotten.
Most epidemics require an immediate response. At even the mention of a flu epidemic or a virus epidemic top specialists are called into action, money is spent on research, vaccines are created; general panic takes over in our efforts to curb the epidemic.
In this epidemic of violence however, we are silent; and tacitly condoning. The Bureau of Statics show that although the amount of violent crimes has decreased somewhat since King's day, it is still astronomical, and worse, the statistics which show that 60 percent of the crimes committed are committed with fire arms. This is clearly evidence of an epidemic.
Using my previous analogy, if this were a flu epidemic in which 60 percent of the sickness was caused by a flu virus, the country would be in a state of alarm and panic. But we are not.
It is almost as if we have been brainwashed. Brainwashed by the NRA, (National Rifle Association) and by our unnatural enraptured love with the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the right to bear arms. Here are more statistics evidencing the extent of the effects of gun violence:
Roughly 16,272 murders were committed in the United States during 2008. Of these, about 10,886 or 67% were committed with firearms.
Based on survey data from the U.S. Department of Justice, roughly 5,340,000 violent crimes were committed in the United States during 2008. These include simple/aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, rapes, and murders. Of these, about 436,000 or 8% were committed by offenders visibly armed with a gun.
But even in light of these statistics, the reticence to do something about the guns which cause our epidemic illness is astounding.
The recent slaughter in Tuscon, which caused a Congresswoman of the United States to be shot in the head; and the death of a nine year old child is not enough to makes us even take a second look at the epidemic of violence.
So maybe we do need training as King said. Maybe we do need classes. Maybe we need training in public debate that does not require the use of violent metaphors or vitriolic language. Maybe we need workshops in talking to one another. Maybe we need classes in the 2nd Amendment it's history and purpose?
Maybe we need all of these to adopt the philosophy of non-violence espoused by Dr. King. Perhaps a series of town hall meetings on fighting the epidemic of violence which are both educational and thoughtful. Perhaps, on line computer training on the philosophy of non-violence; or a news series featuring the MSM, main stream media for educational purposes.
We can likely come up with creative ways of implementation of teaching non-violence; the question is though, what will be the catalyst to make this a reality?]]>Round Up and Slaughter Wyoming's Response to Too Many Horsestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7365322010-09-23T16:30:24-04:002011-05-25T17:50:22-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/are magnificent and sacred animals that we cared for and nourished.
Likewise, when we think of the West Coast of the United States, places like Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah, we immediately think of horses running free wild mustangs roaming and surveying, in their magnificent elegance, the vast open lands and stunning sunsets. It's the legendary stuff of movie classics and television shows; bold survivors of harsh lands, these free horses mirror our own freedom and survival instincts.
But in Wyoming, there is a drive to slaughter horses that have outlived their usefulness or are considered to be over populated in that State. "There has been a tripling in the number of abandoned horses every year for the past three years," said Sue Wallis, a Wyoming state representative and executive director of the UOH (The United Organizations of the Horse). To this end, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal signed HB 122 into law March 9, 2010, which allows horses to be sent to slaughter as livestock (akin to cattle and sheep). The law provides the Wyoming Board of Livestock with three options to deal with abandoned, stray, feral or abused animals which enter into their jurisdiction. The Board may take the animal to public sale, which was the only option prior to this legislation, or may now send the animal to slaughter or destroy the animal.
Representative Wallis wants to build a slaughterhouse; but it is suspected that Wallis stands to profit as UOH executive director from the proposed slaughterhouse. "This project will cost millions of dollars," Wallis said, "but there is quite a lot of government financial help available from rural development funds, plus money from wealthy private investors in the horse industry." And Wallis would like to see an additional six equine slaughterhouses within the United States. She suggests that the meat could be used within a state in publicly financed institutions like prisons, schools, nursing homes and "for the needy."
But is Wallis's plan to stun the horses in the head and then slaughter them humane? Many in the State believe that it is not. One Wyoming resident says, "It is my understanding that horses do wake up from this "stunning" and are conscious as they are gutted." Scott Beckstead, an equine protection specialist for the Humane Society of the United States, believes that slaughtering horses can never be humane.
"[Horses] are extreme flight animals. When they enter the kill box, they become very agitated, making it near (sic.) impossible to execute a humane kill. It is a major betrayal to our horses. We would never slaughter our cats and dogs."
Successful efforts were made to prevent the slaughter of west coast horses in Nevada this summer, where U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), sought to round up the horses for slaughter. Thousands of horses were saved. Presently in Congress there are bi partisan bills for the prevention of the slaughter of horses. The Senate bill was introduced March 26, 2009 by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator John Ensign (R-NV). The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (S. 727). The bill is a companion to HR 503 the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, re- introduced by Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), Representative Dan Burton (R-IN) and others. The Senate bill was referred to committee as of June 2010, but no word on its passage on either bill. As this seems to be one of the few bi-partisan actions of this Congress seemingly the bill should gallop to passage.
Wallis anticipates approximately 6 months for her slaughterhouse plan to come to fruition. When I remember my high school days and the beautiful equestrian events, I never thought of their wilder free roaming cousins as kill box victims soon to be dinner. We encourage the Senate and House to urgently pass the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act. ]]>Oberon and the Interference of the Dreamtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7000392010-09-13T12:43:45-04:002011-05-25T17:30:22-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/"When thou wakest, it is thy dear:/ Wake when some vile thing is near." Act 2, Scene 2, lines 33-34 A Midnight Summer Night's Dream -- William Shakespeare
"When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir, this note was a promise that all men yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Martin Luther King Jr. August 28, 1963
These words were uttered by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on that hot day in August 1963 to the throngs of thousands who marched on Washington and gathered at the Lincoln Memorial filled with hope and anticipation. They gathered surrounding the Monument and the Capitol, some having come thousands of miles, at the feet of the man that emancipated the slaves some years earlier.
Famously known as the "I Have a Dream Speech," it embodied King's hope for social justice, equality, economic parity, and peace. The location was purposeful and the speaker was purposeful in his intent. He spoke at the feet of Lincoln of his dream steeped in his faith and in his belief in the U.S. Constitution.
Now, turn the clock forty some years ahead and thousands and thousands more, including the children of those 1963 marchers, are gathered in that same spot as King to watch the inauguration of the first African American President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama. It was cold that day in January contrary to that hot August day, but the dream was alive and it kept us warm! And they came as King predicted, black men as well as white men, they came in droves with their hearts on their sleeves. And they were self-congratulatory too, about how far they had marched from 1963 to that day.
But, as in an Oberonian like dream interference sequence, forces soon emerged, (before the president was in office one year even), to try to derail him and seemingly the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Barack Obama, the manifestation of King's dream, was called a racist -- attempts to re-write history; to associate him with an economy he did not cause, wars he did not start and so on. It was and is relentless.
One of the greatest dream killers has been radio and television personality Glenn Beck who leads the charge in calling this presidential legacy of the dream a racist, along with various other terms -- and he continues to do so using his radio/television show as a bully pulpit to further the Republican agenda and calling for action that is the antithesis of King's "Dream." On calling President Obama racist, Beck said August 30 to Fox News correspondent Chris Wallace:
Chris Wallace: "Do you regret having called [Obama] a racist and saying he had a deep seated hatred for white people?" Beck: "Of course I do. I don't want to retract the, um ... I want to amend that I think it is much more of a theological question, that he is a guy who understands the world through liberation theology, which is oppressor-and-victim."
Clearly, Beck rejects all that King stood for and all that President Obama has tried to do in particular seeing the government as an agent for social change. For example, compare the below:
Beck vs. MLK on the role of government in fighting poverty:
BECK : "President Obama is "addicting this country to heroin -- the heroin that is government slavery." KING: "We will place the problems of the poor at the seat of government of the wealthiest nation in the history of mankind."
Yet, brazenly, on Saturday August 28, on the 47th anniversary of the historic march and "I Have a Dream" speech, Beck chose to speak in King's shadow and to hold a rally/religious tent revival in the same spot on the Lincoln Memorial. Like Elmer Gantry he preached to his throngs about religion and attempted to leave the appearance that he was King like, despite the fact that he has gone out of his way to destroy the very president who represents the fulfillment of King's dream.
But like Oberon in a Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare -- Beck's dream interference is simply that -- an interference. He cannot stop the dream and he cannot stop the dreamers,the American people and their hope for the first African American President Barack Obama and for America. As stated by one reporter, " Beck will be a smeary stain in history next to King." And I add -- next to President Barack Obama.
Note: Thanks to HP poster for providing the contrast between Beck and King on the issue of poverty.
]]>Why Does the Rhetoric Have To Be So Outrageous?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6804452010-08-12T15:48:27-04:002011-05-25T17:20:22-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
But now I am going to do the same thing I just accused the people above of doing. I'm going to argue that our times are unique and the fight is unique and the discourse is unique. (There's an exception to every rule). I believe there are reasons for this; that forces have converged like the elements of a tornado, to form a destructive political whirl-wind. Here are the elements of our political tornado:
1. The historical election of an African-American President after years of slavery, Jim Crow and discrimination, and a country that has neither ended discriminatory practices nor healed from the past.
2. The economy- The severe economic collapse from which millions of Americans have suffered.
3. 9/11 and the wars- Perpetual warfare that is taking its toll on the country even though the battles are in distant lands.
4. The bailout- The resentment felt by many that the banks were bailed out while they continue to suffer; and even worse that the banks refuse to lend to re-start the economy after being bailed out by taxpayers.
5. Growing pains- Yes, growing pains. As a nation, we are growing and taking a new direction, a more multi-cultural and more inclusive direction. We are only a few hundred years old after all.
There is a great chasm in our country as a result of the above listed variables. This brings me to the present day. There seems to be a part of the country gripped in fear, and this fear has turned into absurdity manifested in crazy rhetoric--almost a comic play; theater of the absurd. It began with the formation of a "Tea Party," seemingly modeled after Revolutionary Patriots- but what often comes of looking extreme on every issue. Every day we hear outrageous statements from their sympathizers from the "right wing," and even some Representatives such as Senator Kyl's recent assertion that we should get rid of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Then there are the so called "Tea Party," candidates such as Ms. Sharron Angle of Nevada who have made "outrageous" an almost art form, with statements such as the BP fund set up as a result of the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico is a "slush fund."
Then there were the marches with the guns and the yelling at the President during a State of the Union address and on and on it goes. And then we have the birthers, ah yes, the birthers who practically make the President an alien or the subject of major plot hatched 40 some years ago to take over the country. And with the discussion of the Islamic Center in New York it has gotten completely out of hand!
It's just all so dramatic and outrageous. But does it need to be? Can the rhetoric be toned down? Can other party candidates be bi-partisan on at least some issues? Is it necessary to always have the great divide on every issue? Is it necessary to be so extreme? How do we end this great chasm?
]]>A Boil on the Neck of Prosperitytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6609872010-07-27T17:20:38-04:002011-05-25T17:10:24-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
Unemployment is bad for the entire country not just for the individuals who are unemployed, here are several reasons why:
1. A severe decrease in the tax base and a heavier burden on those employed to pay taxes.
2. An Increased medical burden for all as those who are unemployed can neither afford preventive care nor pay for non-emergency care despite the current Health Care Reform Act.
3. Higher incidents of crime and in particular fraud, and in the number of those victimized by fraud as people feel desperate to find means of support.
4. The ripple down effect on consumerism as the number of consumers of goods and services is diminished by high unemployment. Thereby causing more unemployment.
5. And suicide,in particular suicide of people who ordinarily would not think of such a dramatic solution, but who have become hopeless as a result of long periods of unemployment.
So how do we solve this crisis? As some expected of him apparently, the President cannot simply wave his magic wand and poof crisis over. To solve a crisis of such epic proportions requires thinking outside of the box and the cooperation of us all in developing new and innovative ideas. And we have an example in President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who, when faced with the same sort of crisis in the 1930's, developed creative programs such as the WPA, Social Security, the GI Bill. I am not arguing that 20th century programs are appropriate for the 21st century per se, but that we need our own version of creative policy thinking. I believe President Obama is developing such programs but he faces intense opposition and obstruction.
And it's like déjà vu all over again. President Roosevelt faced the similar opposition. Cries of socialism (The S word); the changing of America forever; constitutional violations were all the same things said in the Roosevelt administration.
The modern day Republican Party is the opposition of the day, often obstructing attempts at finding solutions to the present unemployment crisis. Recently, the Republican Party touts the end of the current jobs program, despite the fact it would result in further unemployment. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/27/tanf-emergency-fund-congr_n_660365.html#comments. A recent filibuster of unemployment benefits left millions in despair. To end this crisis and for the good of America we cannot let the obstructionist stand in the way of progress. The past is our guide to the future. To end the unemployment crisis innovation is required, spending is required, and all of these programs are required. All of this must be done and perhaps more! Let us urge our Congress and our President to support and create innovative ways to end the unemployment crisis; and let us not let obstructionism stand in our way. It is crucial that we do so. It is urgent that we do so.]]>Is the Denial of Health Insurance Claims a Violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.3159322009-10-13T16:29:52-04:002011-05-25T14:20:22-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
The recent health care proposal reforms have provided the opportunity for many Americans to bear witness to their own personal health care horror stories. Most of the stories are heart wrenching, and have even resulted in the deaths of Americans denied health insurance coverage. A recent story in the Huffington Post is one such example. In this story a young girl died after failing to receive a liver transplant in time, due to denial of coverage for the operation by her insurer, Cigna.
In the Cigna case the family was insured under an employee benefit plan regulated by ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. ERISA establishes the minimum requirements for pension plans and health care insurance plans. Although ERISA does provide for some protections to the employee, it permits insurers to determine to whom, and for what they deny coverage. In the case of this family, the insurer denied the liver transplant claiming the procedure was experimental. The family later also lost its claim for damages, after the death of their daughter because of a 1987 Supreme Court case; Pilot Llife Ins. co. v. Dedeaux, 481 U.S. 41, 1987,where the Court issued a ruling that shields employer-paid health care plans from damages over their coverage decisions. In fact the courts have routinely issued decisions denying consumers recourse for insurance denial, even in cases such as the Cigna, where the result was death. This 2005 article from the Los Angeles Times illustrates the point.
Is the denial of health care and health insurance a violation of the U.S.Constitution?
Equal Protection Clause -- U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution, 14th Amendment provides that "nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
This has come to be termed the "Equal Protection Clause." Roughly, the Equal Protection Clause prohibits government, State and Federal from denying rights to one group that another group enjoys. Perhaps the most famous of the Equal Protection Clause decisions is the Civil Rights cases, in particular: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), the Supreme Court decision that mandated that "separate but equal," as applied to public accommodations is violative of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Equal Protection Clause so far has only had limited application to health care. The Supreme Court for example applied the Equal Protection Clause In Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990).As in the recent famous Shivo case- the issue hinged on determining the patient´s wishes while in a vegetative state. The court found that Cruzan, though in a vegetative state and therefore incompetent, following a car accident, had the same right to refuse treatment as a competent person under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
I argue that the Equal Protection Clause applies to health care treatment in general and especially in ERISA employee benefit cases. Patients whose life and death decisions about health care are left solely in the hands of the insurer -- who can willy nilly decide who gets care -- are not being given equal protection under the 14th Amendment. The recent wave of horror stories brings this point home. Health insurance reform therefore, is not only needed, but in fact it may be required under the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, the Equal Protection Clause may require some form of Public Option as the only way health care treatment can be accessible to all Americans.
]]>A Teachable Momenttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.2448772009-07-25T15:55:16-04:002011-05-25T13:45:21-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Gates
Although there have been varying accounts of the story, the gist appears to be that Professor Gates returned from a trip to China and was unable to enter his home. Gates and his driver proceeded to enter the home by a side entrance. A suspicious passerby called the police to report a break in at the residence. The police officers, including Sergeant James Crowley of the Cambridge Massachussets police, who is the subject of dispute with Gates, responded to the call. All that has been agreed upon is that words were exchanged and Gates was arrested outside his home.
What is also agreed upon, and is the most troubling to me, is that Gates was arrested after he submitted identification indicating he resided in the home. But, as with every story there are two sides. Officer Crowley, who is white claims Gates, who is black, was verbally abusive and thus he arrested him for the amorphous crime of being "tumultuous." Gates claims the officer would not identify himself and was abusive.
Leaving aside who is at the most fault, here's my take on the incident: neither side spoke to one another, during the exchange, and neither side understood the language of one another. President Obama made the most salient and provocative statement about the incident in his recent press conference; specifically, that it should translate into a "Teachable Moment." To me that means the moment when we learn to talk to one another and not simply at-- or about one another through the prison glass of our great cultural and ethnic divides.
In 1994, 8 men of various racial and ethnic groups attended a racial dialog retreat in California, (the retreat featured only men so as not to confuse the dynamic of men/women relationships). Facilitator, filmmaker/community therapist Lee Mun Wah, created a powerful documentary of this retreat entitled "The Color of Fear," http://www.tcnj.edu/~kpearson/color/packet.html, which dealt with racism from many points of view, specifically: African American, Asian, Hispanic. The film starts off by defining what it means to be an American. Interestingly, it becomes immediately clear that each of the men, have a different perspective on the term, " Being American." However, as the retreat progresses, the participants seem to grow and to listen to one another as they explore racial perceptions in America. The retreat is most powerful to me, and it is the type of dialog we need in this country if we are ever to end this racial chasm. It can be found on youtube.com parts 1-5 or 6 http://www.youtube.com/results?feature=moby&search_query=color+of+fear+documentary&search_type=&aq=0&oq=color+of+fear
As indicated, from my perspective, Sergeant Crowley and Professor Gates spoke different languages in that moment in time in the house of Dr. Gates. Gates spoke the language of history, oppression, and racial profiling. Crowley spoke the language of enforcement, protection of citizens, duty, and power. The election of President Obama is not going to end racism alone. I would advocate we use this teachable moment, and hold a series of townhall retreats, which are open and honest as in the "Color of Fear." Maybe then, we can--- even through our diversity of thought, culture, and language-- speak one language of America.
]]>President Obama Should Consider Increasing Number of Supreme Court Justicestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.2094322009-05-30T20:36:44-04:002011-05-25T13:25:21-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
This is significant because the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court affect the inhabitants and citizens of the United States in virtually every aspect of life from marriage, to integration, to abortion rights. But arguably, in some cases, the Court has taken a while to catch up to the zeitgeist of the age. This is because the Court has traditionally been limited to a sort of patriarchal group of white men perched on a hill deciding the lives of Americans.
Until 1980, for example, the Court had never had a woman Justice. Upon the resignation of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg expressed the loneliness in decision making in being the only woman on the court. Ginsberg noted, during a recent case involving a 13-year-old girl who was strip searched by Arizona school officials looking for drugs, that her male counterparts could not understand the humiliation to a 13-year-old girl of being stripped searched: "They have never been a 13-year-old girl," Ginsburg said. "It's a very sensitive age for a girl. I didn't think that my colleagues, some of them, quite understood."
Her statement is symbolic of the change needed to the Court. To achieve this change, President Obama should consider asking Congress to increase the number of members of the Supreme Court. This is not unprecedented in Supreme Court history. A study of the Court shows that it has changed the number of its members at least six times before determining in 1869 the number to be nine members.
In another historic era that has been compared to today, the 1930s, President Franklin D Roosevelt considered increasing the number of Supreme Court Justices. But Roosevelt failed in his attempt at what is referred to as "court packing." His goal was to increase the number of his party on the Court in order to push through his historic New Deal legislation. But President Obama is in a different position and this era is different in one important respect to the 1930s: the changing demographic of America, which makes the time seem right to increase the number on the Court. It is indisputable that the demographics of America are changing and that there are more minority groups represented in this country. Therefore, having a virtually all white male Supreme Court is no longer viable. Increasing the number of Justices on the Supreme Court would permit representation of more demographic groups such as Asian people, Hispanic, and African American. This is undoubtedly the point nominee Judge Sotomayor was making in her now controversial comment as to how her Puerto Rican background would aid her in deciding cases. Varied input is crucial to a representative democracy and in all phases of government.
]]>Bread for the World Leader Calls for New Obama Cabinet Level Agency to End World Hungertag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.1719092009-03-07T13:22:12-05:002011-05-25T13:05:20-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
The March 1st Forum featured Bread for the World President David Beckmann, http://www.bread.org/about-us/david-beckmann.html, and what he said is worthy of national note. Bread for the World is a Washington D.C. based organization whose focus is on eradicating hunger around the world. While religious in origin, its policy focused mission is both ecumenical and secular. The organization describes its mission in large part as policy change. "By changing policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities in which we live." http://www.bread.org/about-us/our-mission.html.
Beckmann, who works to eradicate hunger with singer and co-founder Bono and actor Brad Pitt in the relief organization known as ONE, http://www.one.org/blog/category/people/singersmusicians/bono/ indicated that the poorest people around the world have predictably been the most adversely effected by the present economic recession. Sadly, the number of people in developing countries living in abject poverty has jumped from 850 million (a number which had remained virtually constant for decades), to 1 billion in the last few years. The price of basic grains needed for survival in many countries, he notes, has risen 50-100% in the last 2 years.
With these daunting statistics, Beckmann calls for reform of U.S. foreign assistance policy, particularly with regard to foreign aid delivery. There are "flaws in the delivery of foreign aid," he stated; and he claims the economic recession is the perfect time for reform."This is the year to fix foreign assistance," asserts Beckmann, and he added, fixing foreign assistance now will have a lasting positive international and domestic effect. Mr. Beckmann backs up his claim by citing examples of food riots breaking out in several developing countries which will likely only escalate if the growing hunger trend in developing nations continues. This Mr. Beckmann implies, is a threat to our own national security.
To remedy this, his ultimate dream is the creation of a separate Cabinet level agency called the Department of Global Development whose sole interest is that of foreign and domestic aid distribution. Beckmann sees this reform as bi-partisan and calls for such an effort to ameliorate food aid distribution. The U.S. has made great strides in reducing disease and extreme poverty he admits, but this progress is presently under grave threat. I for one hope we can look beyond our own economic woes and see the importance of efficiently and effectively eradicating world hunger, a problem that does not need to exist in this century. I wish that Beckmann´s dream of a separate and focused agency to do so will be realized, because as Mr. Beckmann declared, "It´s the right thing to do."
]]>A "Stimulating" Evening Attending an Economic Recovery House Eventtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.1654432009-02-12T10:49:00-05:002011-05-25T13:05:20-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
Urgency in the passage of the bill was again stressed by the President in his speech Monday as thousands lose their jobs daily and the rest stop spending. But there has been much debate about the efficacy of the proposed stimulus plan. To gather support for the bill, President Obama requested through "Organizing for America," that citizens attend various house meetings last weekend to discuss the plan. I attended one such event in Northern Virginia at the invitation of my friend Julie which was advertised as: "Eat, Drink and Be Informed (Economic Recovery Meeting) We'll gather with friends and neighbors to view a short video that will describe The President's Economic Recovery Plan. It will also answer questions submitted by fellow citizens."
The event began with a video from our own Virginia former Governor, now head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Tim Kaine, answering questions from citizens around the country, and encouraging those present to discuss the economy and how it is affecting us personally.
My group which consisted of an intelligent and thoughtful collection of Northern Virginia residents was eager to take on the task. Discussion ranged from: whether there should be a tax on gasoline to support the use of alternative fuels, to a universal 4% mortgage rate, to the importance of increased funding for education in the bill. Northern Virginia residents also voiced its objection to amending the bill too much to include tax cuts, while deleting portions which provide for more direct as well as long term relief. Our group developed an action plan to support the stimulus plan, and agreed to continue our grassroots efforts together. It was a very fruitful evening and we all felt a part of the solution.
An article in the New York Times, however, by Sarah Wheaton seems to make light of this grassroots meeting effort. Ms. Wheaton states: "In addition to creating the impression that the government is listening to Americans' woes, the White House will be able to use the anecdotes to refine its pitch for the package." She also defines the house meetings as merely a "repurposing" of the campaign efforts. As one who attended one of these events I cannot agree. While the last 8 years were marked by decision-making in a bubble which led to the current economic crisis, by contrast, the "house" economy plan meetings represent real change, to wit: an opportunity to solicit a variety of ideas and opinions in order to make the best decisions for the country. Millions of real people are affected by this economy and instead of making light of the house gatherings and the President whom she described as "chillin" this weekend in Camp David, Ms. Wheaton would do better to applaud the involvement of "we the people" in our economic and national future.
]]>Who Are These Invisibles? Living Up to the Truth of the War in Iraqtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.1568772009-01-12T11:36:48-05:002011-05-25T13:00:22-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
But I submit it goes deeper than just the issue of torture. One question I continually have about this war is: Who are the unnamed "invisible" non-combatant innocent people of Iraq that have been killed or affected by this war? The question of the invisibility of humans was raised in the Civil Rights movement, and is comparative to the Iraq war. Ralph Ellison, for instance, in his book The Invisible Man, brings out this notion of the nondescript, almost non-existent Negro human being. In a poignant illusionary analysis, Ellison, describes his protagonist a "Negro" man being required to put 10 drops of black paint in a discolored can of paint. It appears the paint is only made visible once it is stirred and turns "pure white." , This to me is analogous to the invasion of Iraq. Advocates of the invasion appear to believe Iraq could only be made whole if we dropped our metaphoric 10 drops of democratic paint into that country of otherwise invisible people. "[T]he president's messianic vision, to bring democracy to Iraq," states Professor Noam Chomsky in a 2005 interview with Democracy Now.
Secondly, in his book about the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., author and scholar, Taylor Branch refers to the notion of "invisible souls." In On Canaan's Edge, Branch quotes Dr. King as saying, "The Ghetto Negro has been invisible for so long and has become visible through violence." A prescient statement I think and perhaps apropos. Unfortunately, after the fall of Sadaam Hussein, only growing violence and the possibility of Al Qaeda in Iraq drew attention to the likely decaying country and in a growing Civil War.
But nevertheless, the suffering innocents in Iraq remain invisible. We barely know the names of the American soldiers who have died, been injured, crippled or maimed in the war, but as to the innocent non-combatants in Iraq, we know even less. Illustrative of the point, something called the Iraq Body Count reports over 90 thousand casualties of non-combatant deaths since the fall of Saddam's regime.
Others, however, estimate that anywhere from 400 to 1 million non-combatants have been killed since the Iraq invasion.
And so, I challenge the so called "Main Stream Media," or as my HuffingtonPost friends like to call it, the MSM to do some stories on these Invisibles who have suffered in Iraq. Bring out the facts about this war so that we can face up to the truth and begin to heal. Introduce us to some of these families who have lost loved ones; tell us an accurate body count of noncombatants. This is not the first difficult truth we have had to live up to in America; we have had to live up to slavery, the intermittent of Japanese Americans during World War II, the Tuskegee experiment, the treatment of Native Americans and so forth, so we can face this truth as well. America is a strong nation, and our strength comes in large part from our ability to right the wrongs of the past. Ellison's invisible hero reminds us of our duty to speak up for the "Invisible Man" when he says,.""And it is this which frightens me: Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you?"
]]>Calling for a New Era of Civil Rights Enforcementtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/theblog//3.1543662008-12-31T12:21:04-05:002011-05-25T13:00:22-04:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
Clearly, we have placed the burden of the world on the shoulders our new President, but unfortunately, he has inherited a legacy of downfall, which includes the field of Civil Rights enforcement. Hopefully his policies and appointments will, to coin a phrase, "trickle down" to areas such as the enforcement of Civil Rights and anti-discrimination claims, because in this area, the record of the outgoing administration is dismal. And there is plenty of evidence to support this claim. As early as 2004 the TracReport, a non-partisan tracking source of federal data, which describes itself as: "Your source for comprehensive, independent and nonpartisan information about federal enforcement, staffing and spending," found that ¨Key data from the Justice Department and the federal courts show that the government's enforcement of civil rights cases -- an extremely rare event under all recent presidents -- sharply declined during the Bush years.¨
The decline in the enforcement of civil rights mirrors my own recent experience with discrimination in the federal government. Specifically; experiencing discrimination and then having efforts to redress claims ignored, including, petitions to high officials unresponded to, courts refusing to grant jurisdiction despite evidence of discrimination, and even a Congress that seemed reluctant or scared to require accountability for violation of civil rights laws. From my perspective and as evidenced by the studies in this area federal agencies were given carte blanche to discriminate. Ironically, a Conservative administration, whose platform emphasis is on enforcement of the law, required little to no enforcement of the law in the area civil rights, particularly by the Department of Justice whose duty it is to enforce such laws. The same TracReport states: ¨Looked at over a longer period, the annual number of what the Justice Department calls "referrals for prosecutions" -- those instances when the investigative agencies recommend that charges be filed against a particular individual -- were down by almost half, 3,733 in FY 1994, 1,903 in FY 2003." And there is plenty more evidence, that under the exiting administration, Civil Rights enforcement was not a priority. A 2004 article from Nationworld, for instance, indicated, "This confirms what everyone in the civil rights community has known for the past four years, which is that President Bush's Justice Department does not have a commitment to full enforcement of the nation's civil rights laws," said Christopher Anders, legislative counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union."
And there was no change in these policies during the next 4 years of the administration. For example, in June 2008, Policy Archive also investigated this issue and found the enforcement of civil rights to be in "disrepair."
Studies in this area indicate that the political appointments of President Bush, especially in the Department of Justice, were a key factor in the lack of enforcement of anti-discrimination laws. A 2006 article from Boston.com noted, " Many experienced civil rights lawyers have been assigned to spend much of their time defending deportation orders rather than pursuing discrimination claims". The hopeful trickle down effect then comes from the fact that the articles make clear, that by contrast to the past administration, the new President has the power to make appointments that can assure equal opportunity and accountability for violations of anti-discrimination laws, especially in the Department of Justice.
But why does this matter now that we have elected an African American President? While like every African American, I am proud of the strides we have made in civil rights and equal opportunity, I don´t believe we have reached Utopia in civil rights with one election. It seems crucial to me that the new President take the issue of Civil Rights and anti-discrimination enforcement seriously because not to, means the pride the country had in the election of Barack Obama, and the representative tears of the Civil Rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson on election night were for naught.
]]>Ebenezer Scrooge - Hope, Redemption and the 2008 Electiontag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/theblog//3.1529232008-12-23T13:38:20-05:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Paula B. Mayshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-b-mays/
Oddly, this Christmas season, it seems one of the old classics, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, and its protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, delivers the same timely message, of hope and redemption. Dickens´ metaphorical story has been resurrected at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., this Christmas season, and recently, its star, Martin Rayner, who plays the old curmudgeon Ebenezer, in this production, spoke about the character of the man, and the redemptive purpose of his dream journey at the Washington National Cathedral´s weekly Sunday Forum on December 21, 2008.
The Sunday forum at the Washington National Cathedral, is a conversation between the Dean of the National Cathedral, The Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd, III and influential figures in our society. The forum, which is free and opens the public, has featured such guest as Jon Meacham of Newsweek, to Tavis Smiley, radio and talk show host.
This particular forum, December 21, 2008 consisted of a conversation between Dean Lloyd, actor Martin Rayner, who plays both Ebenezer Scrooge and Charles Dickens in this year's Ford's Theater, production and Dickens scholar John Galvin, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. In examining Dickens and the character of Ebenezer, more closely, Rayner and Galvin conclude that he is more than just a mean old man turned nice. Scrooge offers a much deeper message which is relevant to the present. The journey of Ebenezer, they suggest, is really about hope and redemption. At first, Scrooge is confused that the haunting message from his old partner Jacob Marley, and the ghosts which visit him, was simply about being rich and miserly. But being rich was not the problem for Ebenezer. Losing his way, living in isolation from the world and forgetting about his responsibility to his fellow man, was the real problem for Scrooge.
The parallel to the present, was personified when actor Martin Rayner demonstrated some of his monologues from this Christmas Carol production. When asked by the Cathedral Dean about the more spiritual or deeper message of the work, both Rayner and Gavin made the analogy to the recent election of President elect Barack Obama. In America, as it was with Mr. Scrooge, being rich is not per se the problem. In America, too, in recent times, we have been operating in isolation from the world, starting wars of aggression, not abiding by our own idealistic notions, such as the Geneva Convention, and permitting and condoning torture.
Likewise, "Want," and "Need," were two of the most haunting figures for Scrooge, and he is sternly admonished by the Ghost of Christmas Present, for ignoring these two looming figures. And so it has been with America, as we have watched the disparity between the rich and poor dramatically increase in the past 8 years. It seems analogous that the 3 Ghost have visited America as they came to Ebenezer Scrooge, and offer us hope and a chance of redemption. 1. The Ghost of our past racism and arrogance, 2. The Ghost of a present, where we have allowed ourselves to demolish our ideals and principles; and 3. The .Ghost of the future, a warning of a devastated and decimated super power, if we don't find our way. But the good news is, like Scrooge, we have been offered hope and our opportunity for redemption, and if as a nation, we heed the ghastly warnings, perhaps we will grow a better and even stronger nation, a real representative model to the world.
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