The Vote of One Woman

Less than a hundred years ago, I would not have been able to vote for president. 

This fact may seem vague or hazy in many of our minds. There's often just one paragraph in the history books about women's suffrage. But I can't forget it.

Less than two hundred years ago in Texas, I would not have been allowed to have my own property if I was married. My clothes, my hairbrush, my books - all would be considered property of a husband. If I earned my own money, he would not have had to share it with me. It became his.

When I was four years old, I lived in a world where there had never been a female Supreme Court Justice.

Someday, I will live in a world where I'll be able to say: I remember the first woman president.

Until that day, I will strive to cast my vote for the candidate who best represents the hope for all of us to one day live in a society where justice is woven into the system and fabric of our society, just as injustice is today.

Because there was a time when I would not have been free, I refuse to deny freedom to others. For if those who had the privilege of voting and governing had not stood up for my rights, I would not have been able to cast my ballot and make my voice heard.

Harry Burn - a Republican from Tennessee -
believed he had a moral imperative
to extend the franchise to women. 

Tomorrow, votes will be cast all over this country. Most of us think: Which candidate will increase my prosperity? Who will be best for me?

I cannot think that way. I cannot, because Harry Burn said this when he cast the vote which led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment:  I appreciated the fact that an opportunity such as seldom comes to a mortal man to free 17 million women from political slavery was mine.

I voted for Barack Obama not because I think he is perfect, or even a particularly brilliant president, but because I believe that I have a moral imperative to increase the spread of justice throughout this country. I cannot, in good conscience, vote for anyone who would deny rights to gays, would appoint a Supreme Court justice who would deny women's right to choose, for anyone who would use the franchise as a weapon. Obama is not perfect, but our civil rights, and those of our fellow Americans, mean too much for me to vote any other way.

Say it Ain't So-bama!

You know those SNL sketches: Really?!? with Seth and Amy?

Well, I want to say, Really?!? Barack?

Today, President Obama announced that he's proposing the opening of great swaths of America's waters for oil exploration. News reports suggest this was a concession to Republicans, in hopes that they'll support a more comprehensive energy bill later on.

Haven't we realized by now that Republicans won't support something they don't believe in just because you once gave them a cookie? And many, many Republicans don't believe there's any reason why we should reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

The President said this is "... part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy."

That's like saying war will move us to peace, or eating pie will move us to being skinny.

Beyond the obvious damage this could do to our fragile oceans, to beautiful creatures like polar bears and orcas, and to the push for cleaner energy; this proposal doesn't make the energy industry happy either. They say it doesn't go far enough. So not only is this an environmental fail, it's a political fail as well.

We don't need more oil. We need more clean energy.

Really.

*Photo courtesy of Chad Teer, and WikimediaCommons. Chad doesn't endorse this site, but he's nicely made his work available to those of us in internet land.

Bad News, Good News

There's been lots of news about the environment this week, even though it's only Tuesday. I'm of the opinion that bad news should always be given first. So here goes ...

GLOBAL WARMING IS IRREVERSIBLE.

Apparently, a new study is showing that we can't go back when it comes to CO2 emissions. Carbon dioxide becomes trapped in the oceans and even if we freeze emissions, it will take hundreds of years for a cool down, created dust bowls and glacier melting.

Bummer.

It seems like we'd better move fast, then, to curb emissions. Luckily, we have some good news ...

PRESIDENT OBAMA LIKES THE ENVIRONMENT

Our new president has already signed a memorandum allowing states to apply for tougher emissions standards. Its a small change, but I like the idea that Obama is making a statement, early on, that it's not going to be business as usual when it comes to global warming.