Saturday, April 26, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
true love weights
There was a disturbing question at last weekend’s “Compassion Forum” on CNN, a program during which reporters asked Senators Clinton and Obama questions related to their faith. The question was asked by Dr. Frank Page, President of the Southern Baptist Convention of Senator Obama.
The claim in this question, that True Love Waits had a significant impact on the dramatic decline of AIDS in Uganda is, quite simply, breathtaking. The decline in the rate of infection has largely been attributed to the fact that the majority of those who were infected died. New infections were minimized through an approach called ABC, which stands for Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms.
But even these tenets are near impossible for many women to follow in Uganda because they simply do not possess the social or economic power to make decisions regarding their own sexual health. Indeed, one of the fastest growing groups of those infected with HIV is married women.
In 2004, I was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda. While I was spending a few days at a fellow volunteer’s house, we heard the chilling screams of a child being beaten two doors down. By this time, we were both all too familiar with this sound. The boy’s mother had locked them up together in their small, 2-room dwelling and was screaming at him and hitting him, probably with a cane as was common in Uganda. This attack was among the most brutal either of us had witnessed. We banged on the door, threatened to call the police. My friend tried to get the other neighbors involved, but they were reluctant to meddle, believing that there was “nothing that could be done” or that it was none of their business. A neighbor boy filled us in on the abusive mother's plight. The father of her three children had left them for another woman, a second wife. The woman and her children were left destitute. No money, no job, no food, no recourse. She was, by all accounts, at the end of her rope and taking it out on her young son.
Where does true love and abstinence fit into that picture? Can we really believe that if her husband returned, she would abstain from having sex or even ask him to wear a condom to protect herself from HIV/AIDS? No, she would do what she needed to do to put food on her table and take care of her children in the short term.
The oppression of women puts them in very precarious financial situations. They are dependent on men for food, shelter, clothing and to care for their children. Each sexual act becomes a Faustian bargain pitting the choice of immediate financial security against the longer term prospect of good health. Abstinence and demanding safe sex become luxuries they cannot afford. HIV/AIDS tomorrow is not such a threat when no food today can lead to a more immediate death.
At another point during my service, I read a story about a remarkable 11-year old girl who, when asked to speak at a community gathering, did so and then proceeded to demand that her elders do something to stop the raping of young girls like herself. Raping by uncles and principals and other adult males of young girls and sometimes boys is all too common and she wanted to know when it was going to end.
Where does true love and abstinence fit into that picture?
I am not against abstinence. It has its place in comprehensive sex education and in HIV/AIDS prevention. What I am against is a one size fits all solution to complex situations, especially when the solutions are conceived from a uniquely western perspective. In many nations and cultures, just the idea of true love is a quaint ideal only westerners can enjoy.
We cannot afford another administration that embraces this parochial and ideological approach to HIV/AIDS policy. Not only do we limit our effectiveness in fighting HIV/AIDS, but we send a message to the world that we simply have no intention of seeing things from their point of view.
PAGE: Thank you, Senator Obama. Thank you for being here at Messiah College for the Compassion Forum. Southern Baptists have been very active for years in sub- Saharan Africa in the HIV/AIDS relief ministries. Sometimes orphan care, sometimes educational activities.
But we also are involved in a ministry called True Love Waits, which has been credited by the government of Uganda for lowering the AIDS infection rate there dramatically from 30 percent to 6 percent. But we also teach a part of that, that faith has a role in the issue of HIV/AIDS. Do you concur with that and would you elaborate on that, please.
BROWN: Can I just clarify, True Love Waits is an abstinence program.
PAGE: Abstinence based and faith based, yes.
The claim in this question, that True Love Waits had a significant impact on the dramatic decline of AIDS in Uganda is, quite simply, breathtaking. The decline in the rate of infection has largely been attributed to the fact that the majority of those who were infected died. New infections were minimized through an approach called ABC, which stands for Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms.
But even these tenets are near impossible for many women to follow in Uganda because they simply do not possess the social or economic power to make decisions regarding their own sexual health. Indeed, one of the fastest growing groups of those infected with HIV is married women.
In 2004, I was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda. While I was spending a few days at a fellow volunteer’s house, we heard the chilling screams of a child being beaten two doors down. By this time, we were both all too familiar with this sound. The boy’s mother had locked them up together in their small, 2-room dwelling and was screaming at him and hitting him, probably with a cane as was common in Uganda. This attack was among the most brutal either of us had witnessed. We banged on the door, threatened to call the police. My friend tried to get the other neighbors involved, but they were reluctant to meddle, believing that there was “nothing that could be done” or that it was none of their business. A neighbor boy filled us in on the abusive mother's plight. The father of her three children had left them for another woman, a second wife. The woman and her children were left destitute. No money, no job, no food, no recourse. She was, by all accounts, at the end of her rope and taking it out on her young son.
Where does true love and abstinence fit into that picture? Can we really believe that if her husband returned, she would abstain from having sex or even ask him to wear a condom to protect herself from HIV/AIDS? No, she would do what she needed to do to put food on her table and take care of her children in the short term.
The oppression of women puts them in very precarious financial situations. They are dependent on men for food, shelter, clothing and to care for their children. Each sexual act becomes a Faustian bargain pitting the choice of immediate financial security against the longer term prospect of good health. Abstinence and demanding safe sex become luxuries they cannot afford. HIV/AIDS tomorrow is not such a threat when no food today can lead to a more immediate death.
At another point during my service, I read a story about a remarkable 11-year old girl who, when asked to speak at a community gathering, did so and then proceeded to demand that her elders do something to stop the raping of young girls like herself. Raping by uncles and principals and other adult males of young girls and sometimes boys is all too common and she wanted to know when it was going to end.
Where does true love and abstinence fit into that picture?
I am not against abstinence. It has its place in comprehensive sex education and in HIV/AIDS prevention. What I am against is a one size fits all solution to complex situations, especially when the solutions are conceived from a uniquely western perspective. In many nations and cultures, just the idea of true love is a quaint ideal only westerners can enjoy.
We cannot afford another administration that embraces this parochial and ideological approach to HIV/AIDS policy. Not only do we limit our effectiveness in fighting HIV/AIDS, but we send a message to the world that we simply have no intention of seeing things from their point of view.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
it ain’t over ‘til it’s over
December 13, 2000, the day before my 35th birthday, was a dark day. After five long weeks, Vice President Al Gore conceded the presidential race to George W. Bush following a Supreme Court ruling that stopped the vote count in Florida, and effectively handed Bush the presidency.
I was inconsolable, deflated, angry. Angry at the Supreme Court, angry at Bush and his cronies, and angry at Floridians. But mostly… angry at Al Gore. How dare he concede! It wasn’t up to him! It was up to us, the voters! We are the ones who decide who is to be our president, not the candidates. Their job is to campaign. Our job is to choose. And half a million more of us across the nation chose Al Gore over George Bush.
So here we are again. Pundits, the press, and some Democrats calling on Senator Clinton to get out of the race. They say the math is near impossible. She can’t win without a miracle. It’s getting ugly. It’s damaging to the Democratic Party. They’re tired of the race.
So what? They’re not the ones voting. Ask most people in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Puerto Rico and North Carolina if they want it to end. They’re signing up in record numbers to choose a new president. Turning up at rallies, putting signs on their lawns, donating to the candidates’ campaigns. They’re fired up. Do you want to tell them they don’t get to participate? I sure don’t.
If you’re tired of the noise, tune it out. Try following American Idol instead until a nominee is chosen. And consider these reasons why it’s good for the Democratic Party to keep the primary race going:
- Americans are registering as Democrats in record numbers. In every state the primary continues, more and more Democrats are added to the rosters. Clinton or Obama will need these voters in November – in every state, not just the 40 plus that have already voted. (www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-06-voterregistrations_N.htm)
- Before Mike Huckabee conceded the Republican nomination to John McCain (i.e., when both primaries were still competitive), four times as many people went to the polls to vote for Clinton or Obama as went to vote for McCain! High voter turnout can continue in every state if we let it and lead to higher voter turnout among Dems in the general election.
- John McCain is background noise. Let’s keep it that way.
- The candidates are getting a more thorough vetting in a “safer” Democratic primary before entering the general election.
- Elections are good for local economies with money spent on advertising, hotels, transport, food and beverages, sign and banner printing, etc. In this economy, many states welcome the extra revenue.
As a Hillary supporter, I will be much more enthusiastic about supporting Obama if he wins if all the votes get counted. Democrats should consider there are others like me.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
five ways to spend that stimulus check!
The way I see it, the government has driven up our national debt to nearly $10 trillion, financed a war on borrowed money, failed to provide basic services and protections to Americans, and yet somehow sees fit to send us (many of us who do not need it) a check for $600. Most Americans will either spend the money on personal items (what the government is hoping for) or put it toward debt relief (not a bad idea).
But here's another idea - use the money to fix what the government has broken. Here are a few examples:
1) Where FEMA failed, you can make a difference - Donate to Habitat for Humanity New Orleans (http://www.habitat-nola.org/) or better yet, sign up for the Jimmy Carter Work Project in May and build homes in the 9th Ward!
2) To counteract a greatly weakened Environmental Protection Agency - give money to The Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org/).
3) Since we can't trust the USDA to protect our food supplies, even the hamburger meat sold to our public schools(!) - Spend a little extra money and buy grassfed, free range beef (at Whole Foods or http://www.lgbeef.com/) or donate money to your local school for their lunch program.
4) Since we can't trust the FAA to protect our skies - Take a vacation on Amtrak or a non-American airline.
5) If our $10 trillion national debt is keeping you up nights worrying about your children's or grandchildren's future, you can help pay it down. Send a check to the US Treasury. Make it payable to the Bureau of the Public Debt, and in the memo section, notate that it is a Gift to reduce the Debt Held by the Public. Mail your check to:
Attn Dept G
Bureau Of the Public Debt
P. O. Box 2188
Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188
If you decide to spend your stimulus check in one of these ways, write your representatives and tell them what you did and why. You can find out who they are at http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/. And, feel free to share other ideas by posting a comment.
Until the government starts making the right decisions, we'll have to do it for them!
But here's another idea - use the money to fix what the government has broken. Here are a few examples:
1) Where FEMA failed, you can make a difference - Donate to Habitat for Humanity New Orleans (http://www.habitat-nola.org/) or better yet, sign up for the Jimmy Carter Work Project in May and build homes in the 9th Ward!
2) To counteract a greatly weakened Environmental Protection Agency - give money to The Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org/).
3) Since we can't trust the USDA to protect our food supplies, even the hamburger meat sold to our public schools(!) - Spend a little extra money and buy grassfed, free range beef (at Whole Foods or http://www.lgbeef.com/) or donate money to your local school for their lunch program.
4) Since we can't trust the FAA to protect our skies - Take a vacation on Amtrak or a non-American airline.
5) If our $10 trillion national debt is keeping you up nights worrying about your children's or grandchildren's future, you can help pay it down. Send a check to the US Treasury. Make it payable to the Bureau of the Public Debt, and in the memo section, notate that it is a Gift to reduce the Debt Held by the Public. Mail your check to:
Attn Dept G
Bureau Of the Public Debt
P. O. Box 2188
Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188
If you decide to spend your stimulus check in one of these ways, write your representatives and tell them what you did and why. You can find out who they are at http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/. And, feel free to share other ideas by posting a comment.
Until the government starts making the right decisions, we'll have to do it for them!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
tuzla tall tale or sleep-deprived slip-up?
In August 2006, at the same time I was flying from Jakarta to Makassar in Indonesia, my mother was undergoing surgery for Stage 1 breast cancer in France, where she lives. On the news that morning were stories of rioting in Makassar, a city for which I received danger pay when traveling there. Gangs of young men were "sweeping" hotels, which means they were threatening to burn down the hotels if the staff didn't provide lists of western expatriates staying there, presumably for intimidation purposes. They'd followed through on their threats before. Students were breaking windows and setting fires on the campus I was going to the next day. The US Embassy, always erring on the side of caution, warned Americans to stay away until things cooled down.
My colleague in Makassar said he and his driver would pick me up from the airport and we would take the road that avoided the town center. Contacts from my colleague's previous line of work in security confirmed to him that the situation was indeed serious. While his security experience put me somewhat at ease (his six-foot tall, muscular frame didn't hurt either), his concern for our safety heightened my anxiety.
As the plane landed, I had a "Godfather" moment alternatively imagining my mother going under the knife, then the riots that would be greeting me in the streets of Makassar.
In the end, we saw no violence. At the university, the rector cheerfully showed us the broken windows and a few that had already been repaired. Our meetings proceeded as planned. My mom came through her surgery with flying colors. When I remember that day, however, I can't divorce my sense of trepidation from the events - or non-events - as they actually occurred.
I imagine Hillary Clinton feels much the same way about her trip to Tuzla, Bosnia. Being warned of potential sniper fire, being sent into a country to which the Secret Service would not send her husband, taking her young daughter along with her no doubt created a sense of unease easily recalled when revisiting the memory, regardless of how the trip actually played out. And with all due respect to Sheryl Crow and Sinbad, whose patriotism in these events is to be admired, the First Lady and her daughter would be more likely targets for snipers wanting to send a message to America than a singer or a comedian.
In my experience, when describing "danger zones," the State Department, the military and the media go out of their way to instill fear. Just read the travel warnings issued by the State Department on Indonesia and Uganda to see what I mean. My guess is that Mrs. Clinton received one of these hair-raising briefings before her journey, and under the pressure of a relentless campaign and sleep deprivation, it caused her to misremember the actual events. Not to mention that over 16 years, she has visited more than 80 countries, including Iraq as a Senator where she probably did have a corkscrew landing. In that context, is it that hard to imagine she would mix up events that occurred over 12 years ago?
But don't take my word for it. Two staffers who traveled with her explain what really happened here and why her recollection was not that off-base: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/opinion/01muscatine.html?scp=2&sq=tuzla&st=nyt.
Wouldn't it be nicer if we could give the candidates the benefit of the doubt and remember that they are all human instead of harping on every misstep?
My colleague in Makassar said he and his driver would pick me up from the airport and we would take the road that avoided the town center. Contacts from my colleague's previous line of work in security confirmed to him that the situation was indeed serious. While his security experience put me somewhat at ease (his six-foot tall, muscular frame didn't hurt either), his concern for our safety heightened my anxiety.
As the plane landed, I had a "Godfather" moment alternatively imagining my mother going under the knife, then the riots that would be greeting me in the streets of Makassar.
In the end, we saw no violence. At the university, the rector cheerfully showed us the broken windows and a few that had already been repaired. Our meetings proceeded as planned. My mom came through her surgery with flying colors. When I remember that day, however, I can't divorce my sense of trepidation from the events - or non-events - as they actually occurred.
I imagine Hillary Clinton feels much the same way about her trip to Tuzla, Bosnia. Being warned of potential sniper fire, being sent into a country to which the Secret Service would not send her husband, taking her young daughter along with her no doubt created a sense of unease easily recalled when revisiting the memory, regardless of how the trip actually played out. And with all due respect to Sheryl Crow and Sinbad, whose patriotism in these events is to be admired, the First Lady and her daughter would be more likely targets for snipers wanting to send a message to America than a singer or a comedian.
In my experience, when describing "danger zones," the State Department, the military and the media go out of their way to instill fear. Just read the travel warnings issued by the State Department on Indonesia and Uganda to see what I mean. My guess is that Mrs. Clinton received one of these hair-raising briefings before her journey, and under the pressure of a relentless campaign and sleep deprivation, it caused her to misremember the actual events. Not to mention that over 16 years, she has visited more than 80 countries, including Iraq as a Senator where she probably did have a corkscrew landing. In that context, is it that hard to imagine she would mix up events that occurred over 12 years ago?
But don't take my word for it. Two staffers who traveled with her explain what really happened here and why her recollection was not that off-base: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/opinion/01muscatine.html?scp=2&sq=tuzla&st=nyt.
Wouldn't it be nicer if we could give the candidates the benefit of the doubt and remember that they are all human instead of harping on every misstep?
Thursday, April 3, 2008
let them eat cake
John McCain on the mortgage crisis:
“51 million homeowners are doing what is necessary — working a second job, skipping a vacation and managing their budgets to make their payments on time,” he said. “That leaves us with a puzzling situation: how could 4 million mortgages cause this much trouble for us all?”
McCain and his wife are estimated to be worth $100 million and own eight houses. I'm guessing none of them were purchased with a sub-prime mortgage.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
“51 million homeowners are doing what is necessary — working a second job, skipping a vacation and managing their budgets to make their payments on time,” he said. “That leaves us with a puzzling situation: how could 4 million mortgages cause this much trouble for us all?”
McCain and his wife are estimated to be worth $100 million and own eight houses. I'm guessing none of them were purchased with a sub-prime mortgage.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
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