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Posted on 03.10.08 by Stephen Covington @ 11:45 am
A Saudi Arabian woman named Wajeha Al-Huwaider has posted a video of herself on the internet driving - an innocuous activity in most areas of the world, but one that has sparked considerable controversy in an oil-rich nation governed by a strict brand of Sharia law. Throughout the video, Al-Huwaider explains that female drivers are fairly common in rural areas, but her aim is to encourage women across the nation to take a more active role in driving, particularly in urban areas. This particular effort was made to coincide with International Women’s Day. Al-Huwaider is a leading women’s driving activist in Saudi Arabia, and supports having the ban overturned by the government. Previous mass protests have resulted in punishment for all involved. It is unclear what the Saudi government response to this might be, but with both cars and gasoline prevalent in the country, along with rapidly changing social norms, the issue will probably not go away soon. Filed under: Foreign affairs and Social issues Comments: 7 Comments |
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Posted on 03.09.08 by Stephen Covington @ 9:21 am
History has shown us that government is addicted to power, and will often abuse it when given the chance. This isn’t anything specific to government, per se - it’s a predictable aspect of human nature. Take any group of people, make them feel special, give them power over others, and with enough time, they’ll find a way to misuse it. This is almost something that can be taken for granted - so much so, that the Founders wrote the Constitution specifically to curb such abuses of power. Oh, THAT’S what those Amendments were for? It’s too bad someone didn’t tell us that, before we legislated them away. This footage is a few years old, but I had not seen the ABC News clip until recently. Here we see oppression being put into practice on a local scale - surreal video of military troops patrolling American neighborhoods, and with the assistance of local law enforcement, running willy-nilly through houses, disarming people and trampling on multiple Constitutional rights. Now follows another video from the NRA about some law-abiding people who got stepped on by their own government. Filed under: Opinion and Social issues Comments: 9 Comments |
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Posted on 02.03.08 by Stephen Covington @ 6:05 am
The Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, a ballot initiative long-sought by social conservatives in the Sunshine State, has received enough valid petitions to be put forward in 2008. The amendment, which would prescribe a change to Florida’s constitution, will be a legal obstacle to same-sex couples obtaining marriage licenses. It does not prohibit civil unions, or the awarding of benefit rights to same-sex couples on a piecemeal basis. The Marriage Protection Amendment has been backed chiefly by an organization called Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage. A phone call on Saturday to the number listed on the website, Florida4Marriage.org, went to voicemail at a law firm in Orlando. Organizers thought that they had enough signatures to make the measure eligible for the ballot in December, but were deterred by a computer glitch that left them 22,000 petitions short; the threshold for a measure gaining ballot status in Florida is 611,009 petitions. The Coalition responded by having supporters gather approximately 92,000 signatures in 13 days in a short burst of activity, ensuring that it would be well within range of making the goal. Aside from its face value for conservatives, the measure may significantly affect the presidential election. Florida, often a key battleground state in years past, has grabbed the spotlight early this year by moving its primary forward and hosting a slugfest between former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Arizona Senator John McCain, who ultimately emerged the victor with help from military and senior citizen voters. If McCain is unable to effectively energize the evangelical base, they may turn out to defend marriage - and if the Democrats come together on a polarizing candidate like New York Senator Hillary Clinton, many conservatives may feel compelled to vote for McCain, even if he is not their ideal choice. Huckabee as veep would make this much more palatable for many. Filed under: Social issues Comments: 6 Comments |
