08.10.11
Posted in Social Justice at 12:13 am by beely
Fantastic! Warren Jeffs put away for life for being a child molester and serial rapist. But, what about the community that permitted him to continue his actions? What about his bat-shit crazy wives and brother-husbands who condoned his monstrous behavior? How can a person of conscience stand by and do nothing, knowing he and others were abusing little girls and young women? That sickens me almost as much as what Jeffs did.
Does America now stand by and say the deed is done, we have justice? Or, does America continue and go after the whole damned sick and twisted, evil cult that is FLDS? Don't all the recordings and documents prove the complicity of other cult members? Shouldn't everyone involved, men and women, be charged with being accessories to the crimes Jeffs was charged and convicted? Shouldn't all properties and financial wealth be seized and held in escrow for the young girls and young women who must now live with the actions and inaction of the adults in their cult "community"? These girls will need serious psychological counseling for many years to come and support from social service organizations to deal with their pregnancies and babies born out of these unholy unions.
We should have learned numerous times before about dynamic leaders and their followers: Jim Jones and Jonestown, Applewhite and the Heaven's Gate whackos in San Diego. But do we do anything? Is the Branch Davidian/David Koresh episode of child molestation and rape not a powerful enough lesson that we cannot look the other way? We must protect the innocent and not allow these evil actions go unpunished.
KOLD TV coverage of life sentence verdict for FLDS leader, Warren Jeffs
Permalink
07.30.11
Posted in Social Justice, Uncategorized at 1:00 am by beely
I had a thought driving down North 1st Ave as it turns into Euclid Ave south of Grant on the way to Speedway this fine July 2011 afternoon.
First Ave to Euclid – from Grant Rd. to Speedway Blvd.
I noticed an increase in the amount of graffiti all over the walls around houses, duplexes and apartments. Why would any prospective UofA student have any desire to live anywhere along that section of Euclid? A student moving here to go to school would take a look at all the prospective separate houses and duplexes, apartment houses with walls covered in summertime juvenile delinquent grafitti and say, "No freakin' way am I living in an area filled with gangsta tags! This is so ghetto, Buffy! Oh my god!"
On the face of things I would almost agree with this fictional student. But another thought crossed my mind. What if the young, native Tucsonans decided to intentionally put up the grafitti in a play to discourage incoming residents and drive away absentee landlords? Kind of like a reverse gentrification? Drive property values down so local people can afford local housing? They have pride in the housing their grandparents and great-grandparents help to build and are tired that native Tucsonans cannot afford to live in neighborhoods they helped found and develop.
If you can get past the pathetic display of juvenile delinquency and teriitorial bullshit, you can enjoy the houses for their Craftsman style from the late 1920s through the 1940s and 1950s. Wonderful examples of truly fine design and great Tucson home building.
Of course, this argument has a flip side: if you intentionally degrade an environment to make it less attractive to others, you are also making it less desireable for your own habitation. I just don't get the mentality behind graffiti and the senseless defacing of the city. Anarchists? Frustrated idiots with out the balls to have a creative outlet for their anger and frustration? Or simply deranged sociopaths who take great joy in bringing down the quality of life for everyone. I'm voting for the latter.
Permalink
06.25.09
Posted in Social Justice at 1:24 am by beely
The following Arizona Daily Star headline caught my eye yesterday afternoon (6/24/2009). I had not heard anything about these bills before yesterday and I freaked out! Was Arizona going the way of South Dakota and with a one-two-punch, repeat the attempt to require teens get parental permission before they try to get a “prescription” and support pharmacists who want to deny the “morning after” pill because it goes against their religious beliefs? (This last blog article is about Religious Right/American Taliban nutjobs who attempted to support pharmacists in Illinois.)
Here’s a brief run-down of the story and the legislation that has passed in both the Arizona state House and Senate:
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
06.23.09
Posted in Environment, Social Justice at 5:46 pm by beely
Heartbreaking story on NY Times article on the continuing problems with the Union Carbide accident in Bhopal, India and how Dow Chemical is still doing its best to do nothing about the after-effects and weaseling out of helping with remediation of the site/community. Groundwater and soil are rarely tested and continued birth defects plague the area. Toxic waste is still being stored in sheds and a toxic sludge "pond" is used daily by children and dogs.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
Posted in Social Justice at 3:59 pm by beely
Some thoughts about the current state of life in Tucson and future possibilities.
Neighborhoods where I live (Central Tucson) are changing and I think there are some very serious repercussions for my fellow citizens, especially folks who don't own their own home.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
Posted in Social Justice at 3:54 pm by beely
I finished watching a really fantastic PBS series called, African American Lives, and was touched by the presenter (Henry Louis Gates, Jr) and his guests and their stories and histories. Listening to their heritage was deeply moving for me.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
Posted in Social Justice at 2:35 pm by beely
Wouldn't it be nice if extracurricular activities were in fact that!
In my experience in teaching high school, however, your dream ain't never gonna happen – and here's why: parents.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
Posted in Social Justice at 2:33 pm by beely
I believe that extra-curricular athletic competition (team/intramural sports) has absolutely no place on high school campuses. I don’t have any personal interest in athletic competition (aside from watching the occasional local minor league baseball), but what galls me most is the time, energy, and money taken away from students reaching for scholastic greatness, achieving their greatest academic potential and goals and being flushed down the shower stalls in all the locker rooms across the country.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
Posted in Linux For All, Social Justice at 2:23 pm by beely
I have an article elsewhere on Beelybox about more students using cell phones and those students being technically savy. What about the students who have very limited access or no access to technology at all? What happens to them in this flattened world? Here are some points to consider and ideas that can be implemented.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
Posted in Environment, Social Justice at 2:06 pm by beely
Here's the NYTimes story about the Union Carbide Corporation's Bhopal India chemical plant disaster from the day after the accident on 12/3/1984. Accident? Here is a very instructive bit of history on how we do out-sourcing and some of the consequences.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »