Practical Christianity

I read today about Otto von Bismarck.  He was the German Chancellor, a conservative, who created the first universal healthcare program in the world.  That was in 1883.  He called his program "practical Christianity."  He also initiated a disability insurance for workers and old-age pensions.  It is possible to be a conservative and think of the welfare of the working man.  However, I have discovered that conservatives talk about patriotism but don't act in the interest of national health and welfare.  Putting Americans health and welfare before individual, singular welfare is patriotic.  The following was implemented in Germany 140 years ago: 
Health Insurance Bill of 1883
The first bill that had success was the Health Insurance bill, which was passed in 1883. The program was considered the least important from Bismarck's point of view, and the least politically troublesome. The program was established to provide health care for the largest segment of the German workers. The health service was established on a local basis, with the cost divided between employers and the employed. The employers contributed 1/3, while the workers contributed 2/3s . The minimum payments for medical treatment and Sick Pay for up to 13 weeks were legally fixed. The individual local health bureaus were administered by a committee elected by the members of each bureau, and this move had the unintended effect of establishing a majority representation for the workers on account of their large financial contribution.
I have heard many Americans call the Affordable Healthcare Initiative socialism.  Bismarck was never a socialist--he was a staunch conservative.  But he was also very patriotic and saw that by helping the working  people--who were the backbone of the country--he was doing what was best for Germany.  He called it practical Christianity.
What many conservatives want to get rid of is what they call Obamacare. This is the Affordable Healthcare Initiative that gives Americans affordable access to healthcare.  Just like in Bismarck's Germany, the insured has to pay for the insurance.  Patriotism has a different face in 2012 America. It's patriotic to think of the health of you fellow countrymen and women and for those of you who believe in Christ. . . its practical Christianity.
Wear your red, white and blue proudly. . . be a patriot, not a hypocrite.

Now What?

Today my son had me watch a trailer for a documentary that won the Jury Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.  The documentary is called: "The Revisionists."  This is about how the Texas State Board of Education is trying to change how American history is taught, or actually what is taught, by promoting a right wing religious agenda.  This is all well and good if it was just a person promoting his or her book--but this is about a major publisher of textbooks.  This is concerning the publication of a majority of books that might or will be published for the majority of American school children.  Should we be scared?  Anyway the trailer gave me the shivers and I think that we as history students owe it to ourselves to look at this documentary.  See if you can stream it onto your computer when its available.  I'm not sure if it is out there yet.  The producer was just on The Colbert Report recently promoting it so if it isn't available yet it will be soon.  The choice of extremism is never a good thing. Promoting an extreme ideology always leads to undesirable consequences.  I hope the lunatics don't get a firm foothold and lead us into becoming right wing fanatics.
Fortunately, higher education teaches us to reason and think.  More and more people do not have the advantages that we have as students.  We should be so happy that we landed in this class and got to read and learn about the different ways people were able to effect change: through an effective campaign, an effective form of political action, and WUNC displays.  Who knows when we might need to become social activists and start a social movement.
As thinking and reasoning people who have the ability and opportunity to participate in a democratic republic, don't forget that voting is your golden ticket that other people do not have who live without democracy.  Though I do believe that the game is rigged because of Citizens United and the Super Pacs, I still feel that we can speak loudly by participating in our democracy.  Right wing candidates usually win the city and local elections because few progressives and liberals get off their ass and go to the polls and vote in those "minor" elections.  We have an opportunity coming up in June and the big election in November.  As history majors who have had the opportunities to learn how things got so f--ked up we can be the voice of reason to those who really don't know what we history majors have learned.  If we become the people that we aspire to be, we might change things for the better.  Who knows?  Why not see what happens!

No Nukes Please

Sunday's LA Times (May 6, 2012) posted an article and picture of a Japanese anti-nuclear activist who attended a rally in Tokyo on Saturday.  The rally was initiated to celebrate the successful anti-nuclear campaign that resulted in the shutting down of all 50 Japanese nuclear reactors.  Since the earthquake and tsunami that led to the meltdown of the nuclear reactor in Fukushima activists have vigilantly campaigned for the closing of the reactors.  Now the reactors cannot become active again until (or perhaps if ever) it can be proved that the reactor can withstand earthquakes and tsunamis and local residents must also approve the restarting.  The campaign, rallies with a recognizable symbol, numbers, worthiness, unity and a committed effort in a country that allows peaceful protests all worked together to achieve their anti-nuclear goal.
Much closer to home we have the San Onofre nuclear reactors.  In February of this year these reactors were completely shut down after it was discovered that there was "extensive wear in brand new generators" (Hiltzik, LA Times 4/29/12) and a radioactive leak that resulted.  The Edison utility company has a lot of say-so with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which is unfortunate.  We are left in the dark about the problems that exist and are potentially dangerous close to our own homes.  When businesses have too much clout and the over-sight commission does the bidding of these institutions, instead of protecting the general welfare, the result is always unfortunate. 
The climate and energy director of the Friends of the Earth (we read about this activist group) has been studying the nuclear reactor policy and problems and believes that the oversight NRC has not proved to be doing an effective job protecting us.  Great!
The NRC did create a task force to study the reactors after the Fukushima tragedy.  They discovered that the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon plants are "similarly situated in coastal earthquake zones with limited options for large-scale emergency evacuations." (Hiltzik)  Yikes!
There are 104 nuclear reactors in our nation.  We are energy hogs and just don't seem to care as much about our safety and health until a tragedy occurs at which time we are completely amazed that problems exist that should have been addressed by those we pay to protect us.  Edison has stock holders who are interested in the bottom line and are profit motivated.  This proved to be the case when it was just discovered in February that the generators at San Onofre were not up to grade and should have been inspected and approved by the NRC .  Instead, when they were installed, the NRC took the word of Edison who maintained that their work did not require prior approval and re-licensing by the NRC.  Unfortunately, this commission, that is supposed to look out for us, trusted Edison and did not do the necessary oversight. 
With so much at stake, social activist organizations like the Friends of the EArth are needed to keep us aware and informed so we can weigh the consequences and rally or vote (yes people VOTE) to make people do the right thing as stewards of the people.
The activists that demonstrated to have the 50 reactors shut down in Japan were successful because of their nation's awareness created as a result of a crisis.  I hope we pay attention and rally for better oversight before we are forced to because of a meltdown.

Native Americans and Manifest Destiny, once again

The LA Times posted an editorial on Tuesday, May 1, regarding Native American objects found at the site (near Blythe) where the Genesis solar energy project is on the fast track to get up and running.  The solar developers did not consult with the tribes about whether there was the possibility of ancient remains or objects existing in the area, and, the company did not do the "required archaeological work in a thorough way" (LA Times) to determine if remains were present in the location(s) chosen.  Yes that's right. . . they moved in on Native American legislated/protected areas and decided that it was more important for the project than the rights of a few Indians.  Sounds like a story we have heard before.  In the process of the solar site developing, Genesis workers uncovered remains and objects but said that it was "a minor scattering of items".  The Native American Repatriation law was enacted to protect the rights of the Indians and the Indians are threatening to sue over protecting what took them so long to achieve: their rights to these ancient sites.  What we will probably see happening (again) is that the Indians will have to step back and let progress be the deciding factor.  Maybe it was always that way for the Native Americans: progress by the "enlightened majority" took precedence over the needs and rights of the indigenous people.  I'm not sure how this one will turn out but the LA Times thinks that the energy project is too important toward our future and should proceed.  Looks like there might be a "new treaty" in the development.  

But for democracy. . .

Studying social activism has made it all the more apparent that the key component to any social movement is democracy.  Today is May Day and rallies, marches and protests are on-going to raise public awareness to issues that involve worker's rights and other issues like immigration.
When I was growing up the school/church area celebrated May Day with the crowning with flowers of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Nothing was ever mentioned about worker's rights or even "Law Day" as it became known as in 1958 to draw attention away from the "communist plot to overthrow the government by the labor unions and workers" that post-WWII and Cold War fears propagated.
So here we are today with Pershing Square the site for an evening rally after a day-long march by workers and Occupy protesters.
My husband re-routed his commute to downtown LA today and will tonight because of the street closures in that area around Pershing Square.  He gets to see democracy in practice while there today. . . lucky him.
Democracy is something we take for granted.  These workers and others, like many of us, are seeing our rights trampled on and wonder if as a democratic nation we, the people, are losing our voice.
I hope the media gets the story of what is going on in LA today out there.  We may not agree with the protests or protesters but THANKFULLY they have a right to assemble and a right to free speech because we still live in a democracy!!

Kony 2012?

The Gladwell article raised interesting questions about social media and its influence on social activism.  The Kony issue that caught fire via social networking is a recent example.  The warlord got the attention of 87.5 million-plus people via the YouTube video produced by the American NGO "Invisible Children." Everyone was talking about it.  It was on all the news stations and when one of the other warlords was convicted of criminal actions in the World Court it also kept the interest flowing.  However, as I mentioned in a previous blog, it seems to have lost its momentum with many of those who discovered it and reacted to it only through the social media.  Gladwell argues that the strong-tie phenomenom that was present with the Greensboro lunch counter sit-in members is not present with those who engage through social media.  I would agree. 
Saturday morning my family members and I discovered that we had a Kony 2012 poster attached to both our front door and to the tree in our front yard. Across the street from our house was a huge poster of the same.  We don't know where they came from.  My daughter sent money to the cause and isn't sure if that was the connection.  Anyway, most of my neighbors were unsure what the poster meant.  It is a very unique statment with both the GOP elephant and DNC donkey blended to show this is not about politics.  But where is this cause going?  I am not sure.  I do know that the US has sent troops to help the African Union track Kony down but not sure if even half the 87.5 million who connected with the video are still aware of any of the LRA leader's current situation or about how he is believed to be on the run but not stopping his mission as he moves eastward. 
So I think that though social media does get the word out and bring awareness, like Gladwell stated, it does not involve the high risk activism that is necessary to see the campaign through to its success. 
The Greensboro students had the courage of their convictions.  Kony internet followers don't need that kind of courage.

Social Media Gives Needed "Invisibility"

Gladwell speaks to the need for a strong-tie phenomenon to have a long-term successful campaign of social activism.  I agree.  I think that social media networks have enabled people to hide behind the facade of networking because they do not have strong personal ties with most the entirety of the people they have "friended."  In this way one can say or do whatever, whenever, and never really feel any viable risk.  The passion that was present during the Civil Rights Movement, some may argue, was present in bringing awareness to the warload, Kony, and the Invisible children.  I believe that the networking that occurred as a result of this awareness campaign did create involvement, BUT as Gladwell has stated, this is low-risk involvement.  In my own household the "Kony" issue has not been spoken of for about two-three weeks.  Low risk involvement and lack of structure equal little risk and less sustained effort.  Social media is a tool that can raise awareness but the commitment factor seems to have a weak showing.

Battered Women's Movement

I asked my small group members if they knew anyone who had been battered.  They did not.  This could be for many different reasons.  (I wish I did not know violence first hand). What first struck me was the fact that I am the only female in my group and that they, as males, may be less aware of violence toward females.  We didn't get into why they didn't know anyone but it did strike me that perhaps it is because they are guys. Though this is a generalization there might be something to it.  The Women's Resource Center was established at CSULB in 1979.  It was originally the Women's Opportunity Center and was started by a group of  female students to address the inequities in women's status at the university and in the larger culture.  Battered women were just beginning to get funding for programs and shelters at this time.  The WRC today, as always, provides a safe place for women to seek information and one-on-one or group support for concerns like domestic violence, (October is Domestic Violence Awareness month) and sexual assault (April is Sexual Assault Awareness month).  Through programs like "Take Back the Night" and Project Safe" and the "Clothesline Project" they continue to assist women in oppressive situations.  Though there may not be someone you "know" that has been victimized, the victimization of women is happening all around you.  Last week the WRC provided a "Stalking Workshop"--this includes cyber-stalking which is more subtle but causes fear and victimization.  In our video we learned that so many imprisoned women have been victims of violence either/both as a child or as an adult.  This is a very tragic situation.  I would think that with today's economic recession, mortgage foreclosures, and high rate of poverty and unemployment that violence against women would be on the rise.  Tragically I grew up in a very patriarchal society where the Catholic church (especially in this rural area) controlled people's lives to a great extent.  Men ruled women and children and violence occurred and was even tolerated.  Women were NOT allowed to divorce because of the threat of excommunication from the Catholic church.  One women dared to divorce and was ostracized.  Women did not effectively step out of the bounds of patriarchy until the late 1970's. OUCH!!!.  I blame the church for allowing that kind of behavior to continue without a safety net for the victims.  (WWJD indeed!). I see a complacency among women (all ages) concerning women's issues.  I call them "women's issues" because I don't think guys really concern themselves with what women have to go through just walking on campus at night.  Women, as a group, have power to create a better world for themselves and which translates into a better world for all.  What do you think?  

Where do we draw the line?

After reading about the articles for today I was moved by my own memories of growing up in Minnesota.  I remember the stereotypes that existed.  We would travel past reservations in the summer on our way to the Canadian border cabin we stayed in.  The reservation living conditions were awful: tar-paper shacks that were so small and flimsy.  I also remember the comments about how the Indians would never amount to much because they were prone to laziness and alcoholism.  Great . . . my family were all racists.  Sad to remember that I grew up at a time when most Indians were not even allowed to vote because there were constant restrictions put on their access.  Sad to remember that separate was inherently unequal in the North as well as the South.  My grandmother would sew First Communion dresses for the Indian girls to wear as part of the Indian children's assimiliation to the Anglo Christian culture.  Wow. . . history matters!
The American Indian Movement, like the Civil Rights Movement has developed over time and with many steps but still, sadly, stereotypes persist.  An article in Monday's LA Times reveals how a man dug up the graves of Native Americans on Catalina Island for years and sold the remains for profit.  He even decorated the inside of his museum with the bones of the Indians: decorated the window and door frames with pieces of the skeletons.  We need to let the repatriation of Native American remains and objects go forward and allow some much needed healing.

Can this class change your life?

I took this class because I have always been an advocate of social justice and wanted to learn about social activism.  I have learned valuable information and useful information. Like why people feel a need to change things up and how certain groups view their/our world.  The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Anti-Nuclear Movement, Environmental Movements (especially my own carbon footprint) and others have again made me focus on the importance of looking at who holds power in this country (and as well, internationally). Never assume that the government has your best interests at the forefront of its goals.  I am continually disheartened when I find out that corporate greed is winning out over the common good.  As members of the same country and planet that seems such a short-sighted approach for big business: short term gain for profit over long-term problems and destruction of our health and environment.  I have tried to be involved when I can and encourage all of you to always try to stand up for what is right.

A small example of my own commitment involved our local school superintendent who was putting profits ahead of the student's welfare. My rage led me to raise community awareness by attending school board meetings, starting petitions, passing out information to parents and letting the board know that kids MUST come before short term profits. Through this I discovered that one should never assume that their voice is not important. I garnered the support of educated and respected individuals in the community who helped to organize a public meeting with the superintendent.  Though  I was labeled a lunatic by some of my neighbors who felt that the superintendent was a "god" who could do know wrong, I kept at it.  In the end, the school board listened to our group and realized that we wanted them to put the welfare of the children first and expected them to also.  We made a difference!!!  They made the superintendent change some of his programs.
We all hate bullies yet allow ourselves to be bullied all the time because we don't think our voice matters.  As I read your blogs Iam so encouraged by how you are changing things around for those that need your time and commitment.  Many of the children and adults you work with are on the lower end of the economic spectrum and you have changed things up for them. 
Awareness of situations comes first and because of this class we all are becoming more aware of the world.  But that is not enough.  Action must follow awareness or we really are letting the bullies win.  

Empowering Conference. . . Glad I Was There1

The Women & Careers Conference was a very worthwhile event.  Dr. Jeane Caveness, the Asst. Dean of Students, is the director of this annual event and her planning and vision came together in a very empowering program.  The speakers ( professional women) spoke about their professions and how they were able to make the leap from college to career.  The keynote speaker was a regional VP for Kohl's. She believes that it is important to have a great mentor and be open to take different paths than originally thought you would take.  She traced her career from travel/tourism to working an insurance company, Target and now Kohls. One of my favorite speakers was an environmental attorney who formed her own consulting group.  She said that internships are very important and that one of her internships was working on the campaign of Barbara Boxer.  Another speaker said that she tried to find a career that best fit her personality and attributes.  She became the women's basketball coach at Cypress College. Another speaker spoke about her path to becoming Exec. Producer of Fox weekend radio.  She said that she started temping and tried to become the person that the company needed/wanted and it worked into a career.  All of the speakers recommended John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.
Though this was a very empowering and very informative conference I thought it was interesting that some of the speakers spoke about how they are perceived, as women, in their careers.  One speaker said that she has to give marketing presentations to mostly male executives. She said that the men became more interested in what she had to say because she is prepared, knowledge and confident.  This gave me the feeling that in the professional world men are still the default model that women are compared to.  At the break I asked the environmental attorney if that is her perception.  She said that over time she has seen that this is less the case, but, this may be because of her reputation in the field and her years of experience. She does believe that the comparisons of women as women to men in the same field still does exist.

I have now finished with my service learning project. I am doing my research into the Women's Resource Center to gain all of the historical information I can.  I hope that my search is rewarding. 
I am so glad that I became connected with the WRC.  Wish I had discovered it sooner.

Everybody is Busy. . .

I think I have a different perspective on my project this week.  I think that the reason that the reason that I feel that I am not leaning a lot or feel like I am being trained is that the Conference was only 6 weeks away when I went to my first orientation.  That did not give the director adequate time to meet with us or train us and I believe that she is overwhelmed with her other responsibilities as Assistant Dean of Students.  So, I think that my expectations may have been over jealous and now I see that in the short amount of time we/I have to help with this project, I have discovered more than I thought.  For one thing, I found out a lot more about the organizations and clubs that meet on campus.  I met with some of the groups to pitch the Conference and was surprised to discover how professional they are.  I met with mostly pre-med, science and math club, and physicians assistants and nurses.  Their meetings were very structured and held in the Union meeting rooms which are very much like the faculty conference rooms.  I also discovered that if I had been given the necessary tools earlier, I would have been able to solicit donations from many different vendors and businesses.  I did really well with just two weeks to solicit BUT most of the people told me that they needed a minimum of 6 weeks to get approval of my request.  Anyway. . . I also got to know more about the Women's Resource Center and how they provide a place for women to discuss issues in a safe space and the staff is so, so friendly.  The Conference March 16 and I feel that I will learn quite a lot the day of the function that I can use in the future.  

Where do I Fit In?

The last couple of weeks I have been really working to stay focused on the tasks assigned to me for the upcoming Women and Careers Conference.  I have not connected with the Women's Resource Center before this service learning project and I am still unclear exactly what the WRC is all about.  I am working on the Conference which is an annual event of the WRC but I feel like the mission is not being presented clearly.  I am working on donations, yet I feel that this is all being done WAY TOO LATE!  I am not sure why it has fallen to the last few weeks to get cracking on this, but I just have to see if I can get donations of door prizes in this extremely short amount of time ( two weeks).  I just got the flyers on Friday and the go ahead to speak/connect with 5 different organizations to solicit for donations.  The event is on March 16 and does  promise to be a great way for women to discover/learn from the successes of the key speakers.  We are not meeting as a group again until March 9 which is only one week before the event.  Hope I can meet with on-campus groups and get the message out.  This is the 14th Annual Women and Careers Conference and it is the first time as a student I have heard of it.  I hope that the publicity gets out there.  I want this to be a successful event and feel that I contributed to that effort.  Leadership could be tweaked a bit to make this all run smoother for the student volunteers.  I'm hoping it all comes together.  

Women & Careers Conference

Today I met with the team that is coordinating the Conference.  The conference is a major event that is organized through the Women's Resource Center.  This free Conference is held annually in an attempt to help women achieve their career dreams Dr. Caveness coordinates this event and currently their are 5 volunteers, including myself, helping to plan this event.  Along with soliciting door prizes for this event I will be working a table from 11:00 to 1:00p.m. on February 22 in the Quad for the Student Services Festival.  At this time I will be giving out information for this free event and registering interested students. Our next meeting is Friday, Feb. 24 in the Women's Resource Center.  By the next meeting we are to decide which on campus organizations we will be able to meet with to encourage participation in our event.  I am also hoping to mention this event in each of my classes and give out the flyer with the registration  information.  The event is only a month away so there is much to do to prepare.

A Movement may not be a Social Movement but . . .

After examining the Wikipedia list of social movements I chose the Slow Food Movement.  Though I determined that it did not fit the criterion for being a social movement my son argued that I was wrong.  Though I saw that Slow Food lacked the numbers, unity and commitment elements that would make it a social movement, my son, who is a true Slow Food advocate believes that the numbers that Wiki has posted are misleading and that the movement actually got started long before the Spanish Steps/McDonalds rally. When someone is involved and feels passionately about their cause it may be difficult for them to see that their "movement" has not met the full definition OR perhaps there is more to the story than Wiki has written.  My son said that Alice Waters started to bring recognition to the Slow Food cause long before 1986.  He is probably right.  Perhaps what we see on Wiki is misleading and needs updating but based upon what is posted there, Slow Food does not fit the definition though it might someday.  It was interesting to see how many of our class picked the Slow Food movement.  Maybe it is a larger movement than the posted 100,000 members that Wiki has posted.  My son is looking into proving both Wiki and me wrong.

Blog #1: Introduce Yourself!

Hometown:

Minnesota is where I was born.  I was raised in a German farm community on land that my immigrant great-great grandparents settled in the 1860's. The community was so small that everybody really did know all your business. We did not even have private phone lines and people would listen in on other peoples phone conversations. My father was born and raised in the city of Minneapolis but when he married my mother, he moved to the farm with my mother and grandparents. I went to a small VERY strict parochial school and it wasn't until I went to high school at an all girls Catholic high school in the big city of Minneapolis that I realized how ridiculously sheltered a life I had lead. Catholic high school girls can be sooooo bad. After high school and some college I travelled with friends to California to visit their relatives and never went home. 

Facts about your family:

I have been married FOREVER and have 4 grown children and 2 step children.  

Why did you choose to attend Cal State Long Beach?

After I decided to pursue a degree, I naturally decided to attend where 3 of my kids attended.  They all had great experiences and I have actually had courses with some of their former professors.

What do you want to do when you graduate from the university? 

I hope that my degree will help me to get a better paying job. My husband though is just hoping to have more time with me with me no longer worrying about my courses. 

If you could choose one personal object to represent you, what would that object be? 

This one is hard for me,  but. . . the best I can come up with is my car.  Not the vehicle itself but what it represents for me.  I've travelled all over the U.S. and would love to jump in the car and do it again. I never get tired of road trips.

Who are your heroes? 

Ralph Nader is way up their on my list of heroes.  What a selfless, civic minded man. He is proof that regulations on big business are necessary to protect the American people from corporate greed.  Another hero of mine is Michael Moore.  He too fights the powerful to improve the lives of the powerless. 

If you could travel to one spot anywhere in the world, where would you want to visit? 

I have always wanted to go to Niagara Falls. Ever since I was a little kid I thought of the Falls was a must see.  Still waiting.

What are your current favorite books? What books would you recommend to someone you just met? 

I just read Hunger Games. I think most everyone would enjoy these books.  One of my favorites of all times though is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.  Though not a new book it is written as a series of short stories about immigrant Indian people and it is really well written.

What pushes your buttons? What are your pet peeves? 

Bullying is so unnecessary and really just makes me nuts.  I become so upset when I see it that it is hard for me not to speak up. My pet peeve has to do with rudeness.  When someone borrows something it bothers me when they don't return it.

What music are you listening to currently? 

I really like Fleet Foxes and some of the old stuff from Bob Dylan.  

Favorite colors?  

I have always liked yellow and orange and have shades of these colors throughout my house.

Favorite Web sites? 

I'm a political junkie so I like: politico.com, salon.com and colbertnation.com.  

Favorite foods?  

Pizza is my all time favorite.  I also like cheese--I think that comes from being raised in farm country.

All-time favorite movies?  

I love the movie Life is Beautiful, such a moving story.  I just recently saw To Kill a Mockingbird at the theater on classics night. . . it still is one of my all time favorites.

Favorite artists? 

Ryan Gosling and Bill Murray are two of my favorite artists.

Favorite free-time activities? 

I do like to see movies and hang out with family in my free time.

Why did you enroll this course? What are your expectations?  

The current environment in this country has lead to my interest in social activism.  By taking this course I hope to understand the history of social activism and how it has evolved and changed over time and hopefully become more involved with social change.