The Soccer Mom Vote

Come Together, Right Now!

The primaries are finally going to swing into my state, along with several others, next Tuesday. I thought by now I'd have come to some decision. I thought I would have heard something that told me definitively that Candidate X was superior to Candidate Y, or that perhaps someone other than Hillary could survive the Republican mean machine to come.

But what I have been hearing in the last couple of weeks has been more disheartening than anything else. Although comments flying back and forth between the Clinton and Obama camps, as well as from their supporters, have generated slew of side discussions (some good, some damaging) about race and gender, I propose that everyone is missing the point.

Personally, I don't care which barrier is more important, or has been more destructive over time, or which one should be broken first. From my admittedly privileged position as a working, white, woman, I'm just thrilled that we might really make progress in one of these areas if not both of them, and I'm thrilled that the Democrats are the ones opening these doors. But really, all of this is secondary.

The occasion of President Bush's final State of the Union address serves as a reminder that all the rhetoric in the world is not going to fix the damage that has been done to our nation in the past seven years. Bush will leave us with a world more dangerous than it should be, more dangerous than it might have been if we had stuck to our pursuit of democracy (and bin Laden) in Afghanistan and stayed out of Iraq.

Now we have a world that is menaced by an emboldened Iran, threats from Hamas and Hizbollah who have only gotten stronger since Bush took office, and an al Queada that grows in dark places like a multi-headed hydra. Don't let the notion that we haven't been attacked here since 9/11 fool you. There were eight years between the first attack on the World Trade Center and the second one. This is an organization that plans, and waits. 

In addition, our go-it-alone stance, has left us literally standing alone. A recent request to NATO for additional help in Afghanistan was refused, resulting in even more of our Marines being sent into the region. The military is stretched to the point of accepting more and more recruits without so much as a high school diploma. This is our volunteer army?

Clearly we need to consider that our security might be dependent on more than just military might. Surge or no surge, there has been little progress in Iraq where it counts. Only diplomacy will secure any permanent stability on that front, and there has been no movement and very little effort in that arena.

We are also facing an era of diminished economic influence around the world. What will it mean for the United States to operate in this kind of multi-polar world where throwing our weight around has a far less of an impact on our leaner, nimbler competitors?

And what of our own competitiveness? Where is the emphasis on science and innovation? Where are our research dollars going? Are we solving problems in disease prevention and enviromental resources like alternative energies and potable water, or are we developing monstrous and defective attack helicopters that cost a lot of money and cost soldiers' their lives?

The petty bickering over race and gender must stop. In the face of all these other challenges, to focus too much on this smacks of small-mindedness. After the last seven years, that's the last thing we need in our new President.

Universal Healthcare is the Best!

hello everyone,

i am literally boiling over about the healthcare issue and must voice some perpective to all my fellow american citizens who have never lived in a country that has universal healthcare. i was born and raised in the usa (most of the time without health insurance) and after falling in love, have lived in montreal for 11 years.

in short, canada takes care of its own on the healthcare game, HANDS DOWN. i luckily grew up "healthy enough" in the states that i didn't end up having a situation like John Q (watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqFiFhGpB34 and tell me what YOU would do as a parent!), or like some of the people in michael moore's new must see film SiCKO. he's taking the film one step further to encourage americans to SPEAK OUT about their own healthcare challenges in the usa to help lobby congress at:(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEFoq_5RbC4

i have to tell you, after living on both sides of the fence (so to speak), that canada's universal healthcare is an AMAZING system that americans could only be so lucky to have! that is the plain, simple truth. those who disagree are most likely either:

a. americans who have never lived in canada themselves &/or are misled by the majority of advertiser-agenda-controlled american media.

(or)

b. canadians who have lots of money and would like to be able to have private healthcare so they don't have to wait in line for a medical check-up... which i hate to say is why alot of americans don't believe in universal healthcare -- because they can afford private insurance (and the preferential treatment that comes with it) and don't want to pay higher taxes to subsidize those who cannot afford it. it is a very selfish POV, if you ask me.

and as the film SiCKO reveals, even having private health insurance in the states is wrought with horrific stories of scandal and greed-driven, inhuman cases of dying humans being left in the lurch by insurance companies unwilling to help them!

to further illustrate my point, i shall kindly refer you to an american tv clip below, which takes the healthcare crisis even one step further... how pharmaceutical companies and government have A LOT to gain by people getting sick in the first place. this is the hard truth and i'm sure is too difficult to swallow for most people. check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHXXTCc-IVg&eurl=http://widget-91.slide.com/widgets/sf.swf

the point of the clip, to me, which mirrors my views in general, is that the problem ultimately comes down to our FLAWED ECONOMIC MODEL in the usa.

capitalism is about greed and profit. until we prioritize the greater common good over the individual on issues of health and education in the usa, nothing will EVER change. even if everyone could afford private insurance, the system is based on giving the least amount of care so insurance companies can make MORE money for their dear shareholders. only universal healthcare can give you a system where a doctor will prescribe what you need, not what an insurance company TELLS him or her that you need...

canada is a socialist society, which means (among other things) that citizens believe that it is a basic, human right to have equal access to healthcare and education. as such, they agree to pay higher taxes to make that happen! and they even throw in public television and the arts as well (ie: our national public broadcaster CBC -- the PBS of canada -- is subsidized by taxpayers!).

it boils down to priorities. if you believe that we are one big family on this planet, then we should put our $ where our mouths are. pay higher taxes and help EVERYONE have these basic rights like the citizens of places like canada, france and sweden.

our children, and our children's children, deserve better than what we have given them so far. PLEASE take the time to speak out about this issue. it is time that americans brought back the humanity in democracy. it is not too late!

i look forward to your feedback! and if you're ever in montreal, let me know and i'll give you a personal tour of our healthcare facilities!

sincerely,

soccermombobbijo

accumulating small changes

Today, I'm joining in Blog Action Day, whose focus this year is on the broad and complex topic of the environment.

I'm not one of those people who has always been hip to the issues of environmentalism.  Oh, sure, I had a phase in high school where I became a vegetarian and protested animal cruelty in debate class, but I can't claim any title like "lifelong activist".  In fact, I have a confession to make: up until January, I didn't even bother recycling.

A trip to the desert sparked my conversion and I am happy to say that our household has adopted a number of changes that I'm proud of.  My husband calls me the "recycling Nazi" because of my diligence in recycling and reusing all that we can.  I buy and eat local and/or organic food often.  I carry a compact extra cloth bag with me when I'm running errands to avoid using plastic.  My daughter and I both use reusable cups for trips to Starbucks.  I've gradually switched out the cleaners in our house to more natural, eco-friendly options. We stopped buying bottled water.  I hang laundry to dry on the line when weather permits.  I try hard to carpool and combine errands when possible to reduce carbon emissions. 

There are two points that I'd like to make, however, about these changes.  One is that they are, individually, small.  It hasn't been hard to make them because I started with one change and it led to another.   Once I started recycling, a process that required me to sort by hand, I started paying attention to packaging when I was buying the grocery store.  That, in turn, led me to pay more attention to the food we were consuming.  Then I noticed the number of plastic bags that came home with in just a single shopping trip.  And so on.  I haven't done anything radical, I've just done things that made sense.  Once I started down the path, one thing led to another.

The other point I'd like to make is that I'm not doing all I can, and there are limits to what I'm willing to do to make our lifestyle more green.  Sometimes organic is too expensive.  I could join a CSA, but haven't.  I could compost, but don't.  I could have a whole stack of canvas or cloth bags for the grocery store (which I'm working on, but not there yet).  We use a lot of Method cleaning products because they work and they're easily accessible at Target.  If I had to buy everything at a health food store, I'd balk.  I don't have a bike.  I rarely walk.  I still drive a small SUV.

There are many others -- including some of the contributors to this site -- who are ahead of me on this issue.  I applaud them.  I admire their tenacity.  I find it amazing that they use glass straws to avoid plastic.  But I'm not there yet.  I might not ever be. 

I am, however, doing something. I'm hopeful that if we all do a little more something, we can make a difference.

What are you doing?  What makes you take action?  What prevents you from making change?

American Value

I was working out the other morning and watching the news headlines scroll by on the screen at the front of the gym.  I say “working out” because I was on a treadmill and the treadmill was moving.  A large headline flashed up on the screen saying that 40 people had been killed in a suicide bombing in a crowded public area.  My heart skipped a beat as I imagined the victims and their families, all the pain and suffering they were going through.

 

Where did this atrocity happen?  Certainly a terrorist attack of this magnitude would receive nonstop media coverage for the next several days and I would learn all the sickening details.

Then came the second headline.  The bombing had happened in Iraq.

“Oh.  Iraq.  Again.”

And I kept going with my workout.  No one seemed much ruffled by the news.  We were all burning a few calories and waiting for Matt Lauer to interview some interesting celebrity.

Thinking about the incident later, my mind drifted back to the shootings at Virginia Tech a few months ago.  We were a nation united in outrage, terror and mourning.  Those innocent students and professors’ lives had been ended in a tragic and violent manner and we were touched deeply.

How then could I casually wipe the sweat from my face, turn up my MP3 player and walk on when the victims were not killed on American soil?

A suicide bombing at a mall in North Dakota or a public market in Seattle would bring this country to a standstill, if only for a short time.  Do we value the life of an American civilian that much more than the life of an Iraqi?  How many Iraqi college students would need to be killed to merit an equal reaction in the American public to what happened after Virginia Tech?

Is it because it’s a warzone?  Is it because it’s so far away?  Have we simply given up on the Middle East?

I think I’ve shut off an emotional connection to the violence in Iraq to save myself from living in a constant state of anxiety and fear.  If I give that Iraqi mother lying dead in the street a name and a face, then I have to do something about it.  And I don’t have the first idea what to do.

“My name is Kathryn and I’m sorry your country is torn apart by war with my country.  We really wanted to make things better for you.  Would you like some blueberry muffins?”

It’s not enough.

Xamon Song

Where is this happening?:  A multinational corporation made a deal with a the government of a small, poor country to pay good cash in order to take advantage of the natural resources.  Everyone was fine until the corporation pushed harder into land occupied by natives, who then pushed back with a rebellion.  Now, the government's siding with its corporate bedpartner, nearby countries have sent in "security" forces, and the corporation, impatient to continue their profitable rape of the land, has hired private paramilitaries to silence the rebellion -- by whatever means necessary.

Guesses?

In this particular case, this political backdrop provides the set-up for a work of fiction.  The country is Xamon, a place that doesn't exist anywhere and yet certainly exists.  Told from the perspective of a young man who enlists in the military and finds himself confused by the politics of the conflict while plunked down firmly in the center of it.  Eddie, a recent high school graduate with aspirations of making it big in the music business, guides us through the story with a unique voice -- a little reminiscent of Salinger's Holden Caufield, but without anywhere near the adolescent angst (or all the cussing).  He could be any G.I, from any town, probably a C student with a lot of social awkwardness, who learns in basic training that he has exceptional sharp shooting skills and the patience and stealth to gather intelligence. 

Eddie and his buddy Mike volunteer for service together and find themselves paired for security duty in Xamon.  Rumors are flying about who is really supporting whom, and their force receives word that human rights activists are also patrolling the area, with reports of mass killings of local villagers occupying land wanted by the corporation.

What happens to them is predictable: Eddie and Mike cross paths with a young woman one day in the middle of an otherwise routine patrol.  Digna is young, passionate and idealistic, and she's there with two other human rights' activists, looking for evidence of foul play in the local villages.  When she and the young soldiers backtrack to the village she'd fled from, they find a massacre of the place.  Men, women, children -- civilians -- pulled from their homes and shot down in the middle of an open field.

The scene, and the resulting discussion among the characters, as well as their actions, is what serves to make this novel worth reading.   The characters recognize that they are bearing witness to actions that are unjust and morally despicable.  The question, for them, and for all of us is, What next?

Human Rights Watch lists its current campaigns for ending human rights violations, ranging from the crisis in Darfur, to Burma's use of child soldiers, to the use of the death penalty in the U.S.  Amnesty International does the same. Many (but not all) of the most flagrant abuses happen beyond our borders, and much of it occurs to vulnerable groups -- ethnic or religious minorities, children, women, the poor.  This isn't about partisan politics, it's about agreeing that all the human beings on this earth deserve basic rights -- freedom from slavery and torture, recognition under the law, fair treatment in the justice system,  freedom to marry and have a family, to live with reasonable health and well-being and pursue work and education. 

Are we willing to say that these people matter too?

In the words of the character Digna, "It has to matter...And someone has to do something.  And even if they don't, I have to do something, I have to at least try to get the word out."

* * * * *
We've got two autographed copies of Xamon Song to give away to Soccer Mom Vote readers, courtesy of the author, Adam Stone, and his wife Shannon (who just happens to be a regular reader and commenter here!). 

To enter, simply leave a relevant comment with a valid e-mail address.  I'll pick two winners at random on Wednesday, July 11.  Winners will be notified by e-mail. 

    

mothers and babies, here and elsewhere

I'm going to be frank: I easily tire of the breastfeeding versus formula feeding debates that rage across any forum for Western parents on the internet.  Breast is best!  Formula feeding is fine!  We all have our opinions and make the choice that is most reasonable for each of our families.  In the land of plenty, we can at least agree there's a choice -- even if we continually feel compelled to justify which choice we've made.

However, I find myself growing increasingly aware that the majority of the world's population doesn't live where clean water, adequate income and well-maintained sanitation are the norm.  Infants in these conditions clearly benefit from breastfeeding.  Period.  The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, and should continue to receive breastmilk in addition to solid foods for until age two or beyond.  They have good reason and good research on which to base this recommendation.  Where the water is dirty and sanitation is poor, a bottle of formula can cause a digestive infection that can quickly dehydrate and kill an infant.  Where families aren't able to pay the price for enough formula, parents may use a more dilute solution, causing malnutrition and slowing growth.  Where infections are common and medical care is limited, children clearly benefit from the additional immune protection afforded by breastmilk. 

Despite an international code of recommendations regarding the marketing of infant feeding products -- which in many countries has become law -- formula companies continue to promote their products to healthcare workers and parents in developing countries.  Their means of marketing, including gifts to new parents, samples, and campaigns targeting vulnerable populations increase the acceptibility of infant formula and have been shown to decrease breastfeeding rates.

The costs are great: children die, and the numbers aren't small.  A recent report from the WHO estimated that, globally, approximately 1.45 infants die because of suboptimal breastfeeding in developing countries.

One and a half million children. Every year.  To put this in perspective, that's the equivalent of the entire population of the metropolitan area where I live.

This doesn't sit right with me.  In fact, it makes me want to kick some corporate behind.  Preying on vulnerable populations to increase sales of a product that is unnecessary at best (with reasonable exceptions made for cases where formula is truly needed), and LETHAL at worst is unethical and injust.

The U.S. needs to take action to set a better standard for infant feeding practices.  According to the most recent IBFAN report (2006), the United States has not implemented the international code for marketing as law.  (In my own limited experience [n=1], formula samples were offered to me in addition to a free diaper bag in the hospital.  Such practices would be outlawed if the code were in effect.) 

In addition, the U.S. government needs to throw some of its financial and political strength into enforcing the rules for the large multinational corporations that profit from infant formula sales.  Nestle, whose website proudly pronounces it "the largest food and beverage company in the world, is historically one of the worst offenders.  And while there is an organized effort to boycott Nestle, this 30-year-old boycott has yet to be effective.  Something more needs to be done, and the most efficient way of enforcing ethical behavior is to hit the companies where it hurts: the bottom line.

While the debate boards at iVillage may rage on between who will breast feed and who will formula feed, I'm ready to look at the bigger picture.  How do our choices as individuals and nations of privilege affect those struggling to survive?  What model are we providing (and what misconceptions are we promoting) related to those choices?