BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE
LIFE CONTINUES TO BE HARDER IN 2012 THAN IT WAS IN 2008 FOR COVER GIRL AND CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O. BACK WHEN HE WAS A FRESH AND DEWEY EYED THANG, THE PRESS IGNORED HIS BITCHERY AND SPIN AND OUTRIGHT LIES.
NOW THAT HE'S GOT SOME MILES ON HIM -- THAT SHOW -- THEY'RE LESS ENCHANTED [LESS, NOT UNENCHANTED] AND WILL AT LEAST NOTE, AS TIME MAGAZINE DOES, FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN HE LIES THROUGH HIS TEETH IN PUBLIC.
THEY'LL ALSO OCCASIONALLY NOTE THE LEGAL ISSUES THAT QUESTION BARRY O'S PLANS.
STILL THE KOOL-AID TABLE MAINLY JUST STAYS SILENT AND IT'S LEFT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO NOTICE JUST HOW DIFFERENT 2008 BARRY O -- WITH HINT OF NIPPLE -- IS FROM 2012 BARRY O -- WITH SLUMPED SHOULDERS.
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Today Alsumaria reports
that Iraq's Football Association has just announced that they will be
creating the first women's football league in Iraq. That's an advance
for Iraqi women. June 22nd, Women's Campaign International released [PDF
format warning] "Iraqi Future Search," a report on the state of Iraqi women. WCI notes:
Despite
Iraqi women's increasing political, social, and economic participation,
barriers to full gender equality still remain. Numerous reports have
detailed the problems facing women's equality in Iraq, but their
recommendations have often languished due to the enormity of the problem
or lack of stakeholder buy in.
Women's
Campaign International (WCI) has taken a different approach -- bringing
seemingly disparate stakeholders from around the region to spend two
days debating, brainstorming, and visioning a better future for Iraqi
women. WCI's ALWANE Coalition two-day Future Search fostered a spirit of
collabortion and understanding, empowering participants to work
together to develop a common vision, identify objectives, and map out
strategies and concrete action steps that will advance women's
leadership and participation in every sector of Iraqi society.
From the report, we're noting the following:
On the second day, the Iraqi delegation outlined a more in-depth depiction of the trajectory of women's rights in the past 100 years of Iraq's history.
Participants listed noteworthy
dates, highlighting a number of regional and national firsts for women,
including: the first internationally recognized woman reporter,
activist, poet, singer author, and film star, the graduation of the
first women doctors, engineers, architects and lawyers, the appointment
of the first woman Minister, officer, and Parliament Committee head, the
first women to win internationally acclaimed prizes in journalism,
architecture and writing, and the first woman Nobel Peace Prize
laureate. Other historical moments captured included the beginning of
the first women's movement, the publication of the first women's
magazine, the drafting and passion of the personal status law,
citizenship law and other constitutional amendments regarding women's
rights and freedoms, the signing of CEDAW and other international
conventions which advance and protect women's rights, and most recently
the drafting of a comprehensive national strategy for eradicating
gender based violence.
In this process,
Iraq stood out as having some of the most laudable achievements in the
advancement of women's rights in the region, but also having undergone
some of the sharpest declines due to a turbulent past troubled with
conflict, sectarianism, invasion and instability. In revisting the past,
participants were better equipped to understand the present reality of
women's rights in Iraq and more fully prepared to make informed
decisions about the future.
We
need to include that because, repeatedly, non-Iraqis feel the need to
act as though they've discovered or given some great gift to Iraqi women
in the last few years when the reality is the Iraq War destroyed so
much for Iraqi women.
From the past that they can take so much pride in the Iraqi women who came before, they moved to the present.
* Decrease in women's presence and participation in media, journalism, and sports
* Decline in levels of health
* Decline in economic level of widows and orphans
* Decline in social rights
* Decline in scientific successes for women
* Decline in women's political participation
* Decline in leadership positions for women
* Increase in unemployment among young women
* Continued practice of customs and traditions harmful to women
* Lack of legislation advocating for women
* Low participation of women in executive and judicial branches
* Decline in women's freedom
* Decline in number of educated girls
* Decrease in the number of women Ministers from 27 to 1
Only one woman in the Cabinet. And let's not pretend Iraqi women were silent when this development took place. From the December 23, 2010 snapshot:
Tuesday,
Nouri al-Maliki managed to put away the political stalemate thanks to a
lot of Scotch -- tape to hold the deal together and booze to keep your
eyes so crossed you don't question how someone can claim to have formed a
Cabinet when they've left over ten positions to be filled at a later
date. One group speaking out is women. Bushra Juhi and Qassmi Abdul-Zahra (AP) report,
"Iraq's female lawmakers are furious that only one member of the
country's new Cabinet is a woman and are demanding better representation
in a government that otherwise has been praised by the international
community for bringing together the country's religious sects and
political parties." As noted Tuesday, though represenation in Parliament
is addressed in Iraq's Constitution, there is nothing to address
women serving in the Cabinet. Aseel Kami (Reuters) notes
one of the most damning aspects of Nouri's chosen men -- a man is
heaing the Ministry of Women's Affairs. Iraqiya's spokesperson Maysoon
Damluji states, "There are really good women who could do well . . .
they cannot be neglected and marginalized." Al-Amal's Hanaa Edwar
states, "They call it a national (power) sharing government. So where is
the sharing? Do they want to take us back to the era of the harem? Do
they want to take us back to the dark ages, when women were used only
for pleasure."
And
of course the only woman is the one who's publicly declared war on
women's rights and then, when the uproar kicked off, tried to backpedal
it. That's not novel. That's not the unique part. Here's the unique
part, she thought she could get away with it. That goes to how much
damage the illegal war has done.
Iraqi
women have not had the luxury to sit still during the illegal war.
They've had to take to the streets to fight for their rights. They've
done that repeatedly. They did while the Constitution was being drawn
up. They show incredible strength repeatedly. They take to the streets
in demostrations against corruption, against the 'disappearing' of so
many Iraqis who just 'vanish' into the 'legal' system, against the lack
of jobs, against attacks on journalists and activists and they are
always ready to stand up for themselves. Dropping back to February 11th of this year:
Al Mada notes
a group of women demonstrated in Iraq on Baghdad's Mutanabi Street -- a
large number of women from the picture -- to salute Iraq women and the
pioneering Iraqi women of the 20th century feminist movement. The women
noted the widespread discrimination against women (illegal under the
country's Constitution). Dr. Buthaina Sharif made remarks about how the
rights of women are a cause for all men and women to share. Dr. Sharif
saluted Paulina Hassoun who, in 1923, edited Iraq's first feminist
magazine Layla ("On the way to
the revival of the Iraqi woman"). She spoke to Iraq's long history of
social progress in the 20th century and decried the violence aimed at so
many women today. (The UN estimates that one out of five Iraqi women is
a victim of domestic violence.) Those demonstrating had passed a list
of recommendations.
1) The Constitution must be followed.
2) The government needs to establish a fund for women -- women who are widows and women whose husbands have left them.
3) Public assistance for the education of girls to prevent them from being forced to drop out.
4) Subsidies for young families which would encourage marriage and building families.
5) Better housing for women and priority on housing lists.
6) Training sessions should be opened to women and job creation should keep their qualifications in mind.
7) Double the amount guaranteed by the ration card.
8) Efforts to discredit women by sullying their names with false rumors should result in prosecution in court.
9) Freedom and unity is for all and that includes women.
10) Restore normal life by providing potable water (safe to drink) and electricity.
11) create a Higher National Committee of women and men from different backgrounds and ages
Nora Khaled Mahmoud and Mahmoud Raouf file a follow up piece for Al Mada on the demonstration noting thatit included intellectuals and activists and could said to have been prompted by the Minster for Women's recent remarks that men and women were not equal and her insistance upon dictating how women dress. The note Iraqi women spoke of women's history being a continuum of two experiences: Injustice and triumph. Women face injustice and they triumph over it. They declared that democracy is traveling around the world and that Iraq must be a good model for it. They noted that, throughout the women's movement in Iraq, women and men have taken part in the struggle for equality and that, as early as the 20s and 30s, Iraqi clerics joined in the demands for equality for all. Women, they insisted, must not lose their freedom and that this is even more clear when they hear the Minister for Women publicly declaring she does not believe in equality. While that's her opinion, the women state, that's not the opinion of alll women and it's not the opinion of the Constitution. Journalist and feminist Nermin Mufti declared that civil liberties and personal freedoms are declining in Iraq and that the Minister for Women should represent the interests of Iraqi women and seek to claim the rights guaranteed to women, not rob them of their rights little by little.
1) The Constitution must be followed.
2) The government needs to establish a fund for women -- women who are widows and women whose husbands have left them.
3) Public assistance for the education of girls to prevent them from being forced to drop out.
4) Subsidies for young families which would encourage marriage and building families.
5) Better housing for women and priority on housing lists.
6) Training sessions should be opened to women and job creation should keep their qualifications in mind.
7) Double the amount guaranteed by the ration card.
8) Efforts to discredit women by sullying their names with false rumors should result in prosecution in court.
9) Freedom and unity is for all and that includes women.
10) Restore normal life by providing potable water (safe to drink) and electricity.
11) create a Higher National Committee of women and men from different backgrounds and ages
Nora Khaled Mahmoud and Mahmoud Raouf file a follow up piece for Al Mada on the demonstration noting thatit included intellectuals and activists and could said to have been prompted by the Minster for Women's recent remarks that men and women were not equal and her insistance upon dictating how women dress. The note Iraqi women spoke of women's history being a continuum of two experiences: Injustice and triumph. Women face injustice and they triumph over it. They declared that democracy is traveling around the world and that Iraq must be a good model for it. They noted that, throughout the women's movement in Iraq, women and men have taken part in the struggle for equality and that, as early as the 20s and 30s, Iraqi clerics joined in the demands for equality for all. Women, they insisted, must not lose their freedom and that this is even more clear when they hear the Minister for Women publicly declaring she does not believe in equality. While that's her opinion, the women state, that's not the opinion of alll women and it's not the opinion of the Constitution. Journalist and feminist Nermin Mufti declared that civil liberties and personal freedoms are declining in Iraq and that the Minister for Women should represent the interests of Iraqi women and seek to claim the rights guaranteed to women, not rob them of their rights little by little.
For
the future, they outlined goals in a variety of areas: political
sector, economic sector, cultural sector, legal sector and social
sector. From the last category, we'll note the following goals:
* Draft and promote legislation that eliminates and prohibits harmful customs and traditions.
* Promote society's understanding of the distinctions between religion and certain harmful customs and practices, such as nahwa.
* Draft and promote legislation that prohibits child marriage.
* Draft and promote legislation that prohibits the compulsory wearing of the hijab.
*
Promote societal support of women in political leadership roles, so
they can attain equal representation without the need of a quota.
* Address the challenges facing women in marginalized and rural communities.
* Eliminate gender stereotypes that prevent women from fully attaining personal and professional goals.
* Establish a society that respects individuals for their qualifications and value rather than their gender.
The report notes:
Though
participants reflected diversity in backgrounds, positions and
expertise, the Future Search concluded with a unified sense of
commitment towards promoting and advancing women's rights and leadership
in Iraqi society. All participants have returned to their repective
responsibilities with concrete objectives and action steps towards
achieving the commitments made here. Iraq's future is not fixed or
predictable, but this Future Search, engaging Iraq's current and future
generation of leaders, sparked a renewed spirit of collaboration and
steadfastness to a cause that cuts across all levels and sectors of
society.
To conclude the Future Search
process, each participant in attendance signed an Agenda for Action, and
included a personal message of inspiration and commitment reflecting
their personal connection to the advancement of women's rights and
leadership in Iraq.
And
many great signed statements from various Iraqi women follow but one of
the best is unsigned. Anonymous wrote, "A woman should be fair, and she
does not forget the suffering of her sisters when she is in a
decision-making position." Another statement worth noting is from the
Baghdad Provincial Council's Dr. Sabah Abdul Rasool Abdulreeda who put
her statement in the form of a prose poem:
I led the revolution
I was at the front lines
I am not a shame
I am a mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter of the generous people
If you are proud that you are males
Then I have pride in my gender a thousand times more.
Moving from poem to song . . .
Beat down in the market, stoned to death in the plaza
Raped on the hillside under the gun from LA to Gaza
A house made of cardboard living close to the rail
Somebody's mama, somebody's daughter
Somebody's jail
And I feel the witch in my veins
I feel the mother in my shoe
I feel the scream in my soul
The blood as I sing the ancient blue
They burned in the millions
I still smell the fire in my grandma's hair
The war against women rages on
Beware of the fairytale
Somebody's mama, somebody's daughter
Somebody's jail
-- "Somebody's Jail," written by Holly Near, first appears on her Show Up
I'm
still marveling over the fact that a brand and corporation -- using a
female to front it -- could pimp the lie that the Iraq War brought
advances for Iraqi women and that Iraqi women were playing sports for
the first time (click here for my gripe on that). I would hope that it's
very clear that I do not think, "Oh, those poor Iraqi women. If only
they could have it like us here in America where everything is perfect."
It's not perfect for women in the US. If I felt that way, I wouldn't
note that women can't afford Gina Chon's decision to sleep with her source who happens to be a government official. Ava and I wouldn't have spent the time noting
that Bill Moyers return to public television just means another male
host on PBS who can't provide an equal number of women (less than
one-third of the guests on his first 20 shows were women). We wouldn't
have teamed with Ann for the study of Fresh Air which found that in 2010 only 18.54% of Terry Gross' guests were women. Ava and I wouldn't write pieces like "TV: A week of hating women"
if women in the US had achieved equality. Equality's far from achived
-- or even legally recognized, the Equal Rights Amendment did not pass
-- and the huge set back the Iraq War and the US government's decisions
brought to women's rights in Iraq? I firmly believe that American woman,
at any time, could suffer the same setback and have to start all over
and fight the way the brave women of Iraq are doing now. And that's
obviously not some rare thought on my part. That's the operating
principal behind the review Ava and I wrote of the (bad) TV show Jericho and that piece has remained hugely popular -- according to Jim,
it's still in the top ten most read of all the things Ava and I have
written for Third. Obviously, it speaks to something (besides the need
to call out bad TV). Any other week, I'd assume this was known but after
this week starting with a corporation and brand thinking they could lie
and claim that Iraqi women had not had sports until the Iraq War
provided them with so much -- after that huge lie, I want to be really
clear on that. Women struggle all over the world.
Recommended: "Iraq
snapshot"
"Iraq is missing billions due to corruption? "
"One gets booed, the other gets applause"
"Crapapedia"
"2 women, 3 men"
"oh, shut up, joe biden"
"I Miss America"
"The future"
"Humans and computers merge?"
"AIDS"
"Speak up, Jess"
"Spying and sushi"
"THIS JUST IN! HE STILL STRUGGLES!"
"The deadlock"
"Iraq is missing billions due to corruption? "
"One gets booed, the other gets applause"
"Crapapedia"
"2 women, 3 men"
"oh, shut up, joe biden"
"I Miss America"
"The future"
"Humans and computers merge?"
"AIDS"
"Speak up, Jess"
"Spying and sushi"
"THIS JUST IN! HE STILL STRUGGLES!"
"The deadlock"
No comments:
Post a Comment