A lesbian teen wanted to take her girlfriend to her school’s prom. She had personally raised over $200 and even created the theme for the year. Tharptown High School refused to let her bring her date to the prom and after several organizations demanded she as allowed to attend the school decided to cancel the prom all together. Making the girl the scapegoat. What a bunch of bigot assholes.

Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri vetoes a new law that would allow same-sex couples to make burial decisions for each other. According to him that is a disturbing erosion of the principles surrounding traditional marriage. So even when dead as a gay men you deserve no basic rights according to that asshole.

In Memphis 2 men were arrested after they attempted to set fire on a rainbow flag at the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center. The arrest was not after a fight with the police though and one of the men had to be punched and pepper-sprayed. It’s the second act of vandalism on the center. In september a billboard featuring a gay marine as destroyed on Nation Coming Out day. The crime inspired hundreds to rally in response.

Ginger: this part is a bit more emo – i didnt realise so many of your emotional troubles were related to being queer
Scar: gotta have emo hey
Ginger: most certainly. this 2nd part is way nicheER than the 1st one tho
Scar: rilly?
Ginger: at some points i was like, ok i dont get it, even tho i consider myself to be relatively queer-literate in some limited aspects
Scar: what didnt you get?
Ginger: maybe its just me
Scar: it is rather very queer tho
Ginger: definitely, of course it is, i mean you wrote it hey
Scar: lolol yeh
Ginger: there is this whole “painful ordeal” thing to the queer scene at times.. and of course i dont get it because i have never had to get through all those emo troubles myself.. i guess… i dont know how to put “what i dont get” in words
Scar: mmm, i think i do need to explore dyke drama more actually
Ginger: what do you mean?
Scar: whole tendency to get all emo/drama about everydamnthing
Ginger: its perfectly justifiable even (or especially) from a straight viewpoint.
Scar: not always
Ginger: well generally i think it’s a huge emotional thing to realise you’re not exactly what is expected of you in a heteronormative society
Scar: yeh sure, but then do ur relationships HAVE to all be soap operas?
Ginger: yes, its human nature
Scar: how depressing
Ginger: what may seem insignificant to your friends is a huge drama for yourself, its always like that in life BUT i totally understand the painful ordeal thing
Scar: i guess it is human then …
Ginger: it just sometimes seems, from my outsider viewpoint, like the lgbtqi scene is SO CAUGHT UP in their painful ordeals and oppression and whatnot that there is no big picture anymore.  i mean how many more letters do we have to add until everyone is satisfied
Scar: yeh i think thats what i meant – ghetto mentality
Ginger: talking about the big picture, one of my lgbtqiabcdefghijkl… friends is campaigning for gender-neutral toilets… and gets totally hostile when i dare to mention that there are bigger problems for the lgbtqiabcdefgh… movement than flippin TOILETS – because obviously and apparently, there are no bigger problems….
Scar: maybe they REALLY need to go?
Ginger: what about diapers? JUST TOTALLY POLITICALLY INCORRECT KIDDING. but then again – which ones to buy?!?!?!  the ones for girls or the ones for guys?
Scar: gender neutral ones duh
Ginger: but DO YOU KNOW how difficult it is to find gender-neutral diapers?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!  they always have a baby on the package and the baby will most probably be either a boy or a girl.  do you know WHAT THIS IMPLIES?!??!
Scar: tell
Ginger: that the diapers are for baby GIRLS or baby wan.. i mean BOYS!!! BUT we can’t actually SEE if its a girl or a boy because the babies are WEARING DIAPERS on these photos…
Scar: hahahaaaaaaaaaaaa
Ginger: and do you know how much it would cost to install a third toilet section like EVERYWHERE just so the lgbtqiabcdefg movement is STILL UNHAPPY? i think it would be more useful to spend this money on the actual people.
Scar: like what? how would you spend it?
Ginger: ok lets assume that for the UK it would cost a few billion to install toilets  everywhere – schools, kindergartens, universities, town halls, cinemas, everywhere.   and of course under the anti discrimination whatever law the govt would have to pay at least subventions for all of this, even if it was in the private sector.
Scar: ok wtf is a subvention
Ginger: financial help… towards something
Scar: oh thankies
Ginger: i would take the money, put it in an account, and pay for things so lgbtqi people will DEFINITELY be less unhappy. e.g. those who cant afford gender related surgery for example. or spend it on those who are out of work because no one will hire a f2m security guy or a m2f gynecologist. and a few politicians and beaurocrats with an actual brain so they can legalise some necessary legislature concerning those things.
Scar: ah good one gooood, dyke-hag
Ginger: and keep the rest and go on the flippin holiday that i deserve.
Scar: you know ima rape this for my “novel” right?

Meanwhile Back at the Coffee Shop

Helen pushed a few buttons, straightened up, brushed her fringe from her face and then started as she realised she was being watched.  “Siri!  Welcome … coffee?”  Scar just nodded and followed Helen to a booth.  Helen leaned forward, both hands cupped gently around the coffee mug and her knee touching Scar’s, but only just.    “It’s safe to talk here right now, it isn’t always,” said Helen and Scar breathed a sigh of relief.  “Helen …” she began, but Helen interrupted, “I’ve made certain compromises – many compromises, to be a part of Plan Q.  I won’t deny what I feel for you, but there’s too much at stake to be selfish.”

Holy electronic creeping jezuz, thought Scar, it could take forever.  She met Helen’s gaze and said, “You know what?  It’s all about choices and I respect yours.  OK I’m faking it, I got that bullshit from a fortune cookie, but I will fake-respect it anyway.”  Helen stared harder.  Scar continued, “No really, you gotta do what you gotta do and so do I.  We’re not kids anymore, Helen.”  Helen was starting to look decidedly nervous, “Scar, if you’re not 100% behind Plan Q, you’re a risk,” she said.  Scar rolled her eyes, “Yeah … whatcha gonna do?  Kill me?  Go right ahead, doll.”  The pressure on her knee increased as Helen replied, “I’m stuck right between the devil and the deep blue sea here, Scar.”  Scar raised her eyebrows, stood and turned away.  Then she stopped and said, “Let me know when you’ve worked out which one of those I am.”

As she left the coffee shop, Scar cursed herself soundly.  Did she have to let that pompous fucking dykely brain-buzz of hers get in the way every single time?

Infiltration, thought Scar, is crap.  We get treated like dirt and moved to the Queer Quarter.  Can’t have this job, can’t go into that shop, gotta wear the pink triangle.  No votes, no benefits, no … no structure.  So along came Plan Q to usher the Queers silently and secretly out of the Quarter and back into the mainstream, to live fake-Hetero lives.  A closet, in other words.

You have [1] new message!

“I bet we can find 1 000 000 Trojans on Facebook!” now has [126 664] members!  Invite your friends!

Over a hundred thousand closeted Queers then, out of the Quarter and in amongst how many million Hets?  Suddenly Scar wondered what the authorities would prefer anyway; the Quarter, stuck out like an eyesore on the edge of the city, or closet-cases blending quietly in.  The numbers were never going to be enough to swing a vote or mount an insurrection, unless they recruited Hets to the cause and if they were all as deep cover as she was, how was anyone ever going to do that?  It was a real shame that protest marches didn’t happen anymore, thought Scar – even if they didn’t accomplish much, as least they were fun.

Log on
Who do you want to be today?
An old-fashioned dyke.
Syntax error
The kind with short hair and nails and faded jeans and big boots
Syntax error
The kind that fucks women and doesn’t hide it
Syntax error

*NEW*
Sender: Her0
Subject: 4TW?
Message: we need to talk
*NEW*
Sender: VETO
Subject: apple danish
Message .
*NEW*
Sender: Bear
Subject: Help
Message: scar, i can’t take this anymore, i just can’t.  i’m thinking of busting back to the quarter.
*NEW*
Sender: Troyville Admin
Subject: New Features!
Message: Show your support for the revolution – send Queer Flair today!
*NEW*
Sender:Nina Ragnarra
Subject: Siri?
Message: Siri is that really you?

They’d dealt with family issues back at the clinic by trying to get patients to contact their families, to reconnect.  Siri had no family – not in the standard Queer my-family-doesn’t-understand kind of way either.  She’d lost her parents in a waterway blowout when she was ten and her little sister too.  Nina …

Scar reeled away from the screen, sweating like a scared horse and breathing about as hard.  She drove her knuckles into her eyes.  It was impossible.  It was a scam.  It was … what the fuck was it?

This morning over breakfast, my girlfriend fixed me with one of her very special looks and said, “You know it’s going to get boring, right?  At some point it’s going to become a grind and you’re going to keep writing, right?”  I said I thought that offering me new and curious sex as an incentive might work and she agreed, on the basis that it’d be a community service.  Mind you, she’s grown a tad taciturn since I started quoting her verbatim here.

Feeling as if her head was a thousand miles from her feet, Scar bailed out of her chair and went to find a nice, reassuring pill.  Anna’s aesthetics, sweetie darling … and so she slept, better than babies ever do and the next day, she took her woolly head off to work.

She’d been picked for a promotion, her intense connection to colour sent her straight to Intermode Node Control, where she sat in a green glow with a bunch of geeks and made sure that shuttles and airway and waterway connected, that the signals timed in perfectly, that the dance went on smoothly for all of the drones out there in Generika City.  She celebrated by blowing her paycheque on a re-engineered stingray leather jacket.  She paced past the doorway of java Divers about 25 times without going in.  She ate a McJunk burger and went home.

The main screenfeed pulsed gently on the wall in time to someone’s heartbeat, but not Scar’s – she wasn’t sure she even had one any more.  Behind the screen, Nina or at least, the idea of Nina and a million memories of Nina.  Sweet, scatty little Nina, with the Jurassic Atari collection and refusal to wear any colour but green.  She’d have been 30 now, if she’d … fuck it.  Scar logged on again.

Reply: Nina Ragnarra
Subject: Yes
Message: it really is
*SENT*
Reply: Bear
Subject: Deer …
Message: i’m struggling too, is it safe to talk here?
*SENT*
Reply: VETO
Subject: apple danish
Message: hamlet?
*SENT*
Reply: Her0
Subject: o.0
Message: so let’s talk
*SENT*

*ACCEPT*

Veto’s Troyville “lair” was pretty blank, really and Veto’s avatar was, of course, a droid.  In meatspace, Scar grinned hard.  In cyberspace, she typed,

Scar: Hey
VETO: ‘sup dyke?
Scar: not digging the revolting, man
VETO: >_<
Scar: you?
VETO: its the tech
Scar: ?
VETO: cant explain here d, just remember what i say – its the tech
Scar: k

You have [3] new notification!
* Her0 has sent you a [pink triangle] from Queer Flair
* Bear has sent you a [pink triangle] from Queer Flair
* VETO has sent you a [flatfeed console] from Facebook Flair

Cryptic motherfucker, but Scar thought she knew his methods well enough after all these years to work it out eventually.  Tech.  It’s the tech.  And it’s tech from the Hetero side of town, which is the better side, the uptown side … it’s the tech.  OK.  Save file and ponder later.

You have [1] new notification!

Her0: thanks for coming
Scar: i miss you man, it’s just that you look like a whole bunch of chaos to me
Her0: ouch
Scar: i need a quiet life man
Her0: scar would you get off that high horse for a minute?
Scar: >_>
Her0: irl, id just kiss you
Scar: XD!
Her0: are you asking me to give up the revolution for life in the quarter with you?
Scar: no … i dont know … i think im asking you to join another aspect of it all. the rev. and yes, life with me.
Her0: what other aspect?
Scar: cant tell you yet i dont even have all the details – i guess you gotta decide if you wanna keep on with the infilt or maybe trust whatever the hell we have, you and i
Her0: ur def the deep blue sea scar

Time to delete 20 more pink triangle notifications, time to say goodbye, time to sleep.  Time not to sleep, but instead to lie stimming – and thinking about Nina, Her0, Nina, Her0 … and Veto’s enigmatic tech thing.

Scar strutted into JD after work the next day with a whole new air of confidence she attributed directly to her stingray leather jacket.  Spending that kind of money on skin added to your height, no doubt.  “My that’s a rather dykey walk!” said Helen, “I think I like it.”

“It’s the tech,” said Scar, rolling up her overall sleeves and grabbing yet another mug of house blend.”  Helen looked mystified.  “I worked it out this morning.  The way to power is not conforming, it’s independence.  We’ve tried fitting in and it hasn’t worked since ancient Greece; you and I don’t have time to wait for another civilisation to fall, we have to do whatever the hell we can with now.”  Helen listened and as she listened, her knee began to touch Scar’s again.  “We sit there out in the Quarter, bitching because the Hets get all the cool screens and feeds and shit and meanwhile, those are just doorways to the real thing, to the net, to freedom and power.  We bust our asses scoring obsolete crap and then we’re limited to what we can access, because – we don’t have any servers!”  Helen was nodding now, “We need a fucking network!”

Helen sat back and stared at Scar.  “I’m in,” she said.  “Trust?” asked Scar and Helen replied, “ALT236”

Somehow a great ass looks even better when it’s on a geek, don’t you think?  ALT236 is, of course, the keyboard shortcut for the infinity symbol.

The way to get the tech components would be to use all the little Queer moles out there in Het land to thieve them and the Quarter to hide them and build them.  Scar flicked rapidly at her wristfeed and messaged Veto.

i’m in.

*NEW*
Recipient: Bear
Subject: just do it
Message: connect VETO
*SENT*
Recipient: Her0
Subject: next
Message: connect VETO. alt236
*SENT*
Recipient: VETO
Subject: +
Message: +Bear +Her0
*SENT*

The debate regarding Mayor Sullivan’s Six Year Fiscal Budget for the municipality of Anchorage has been the topic of much heated debate this past week, complete with fireworks within the chambers of the Loussac Library that shot off when Assemblyman Bill Starr called Assemblywoman Sheila Selkregg’s 13 suggested floor amendments a “communist manifesto,” and voiced his opinion that he would prefer to see free market, capitalist principles spotlighted in our city budget. I suppose it could be argued that focusing the loosely packed crowd in the chambers, half of whom were there to argue against higher taxes, on tea party talking points could rally many to Mr. Starr’s defense. But it was a significant and dishonest stretch, and was clearly an attempt to pander. Whether you agree or disagree with government having a role in funding for the arts, the library, and public transit, this lurch was as unnecessary as it was ugly, partisan, and just plain uninformed.

In case you missed this part of the evening’s festivities, here is Bill Starr disclosing how he decides matters of policy, announcing that he will not launch into a diatribe, just before launching into a diatribe:

This insinuation that Dr. Selkregg was attempting to turn the municipality of Anchorage into Communist China sparked other assembly members to jump to her defense. Most notably, Mr. Gutierrez offered a poignant perspective on both the accusations against his colleague and the Mayor’s apparent inability to work with the assembly:

“It’s funny, the conversation tonight, it reminded me of something I’ll paraphrase. If Dr. Selkregg were to give food to the poor, we’d call her a saint. If she asked why the poor had no food, we’d call her a communist. I apologize for that happening to you this evening. Mr. Claman said something that really kind of helped crystallize my thoughts. You know, in six years, Mr. Mayor, your predecessor cast one veto. In about six months, you’ve now cast three. We’ve heard quite a bit from you about how you wanted to work with this body; how you were looking forward to working collaboratively with the assembly. I would suggest that this is not the way.”

Subsequent to this remark, the assembly voted on the proposed amendment which passed by a margin of 6 to 5.

Mayor Sullivan immediately vetoed it.

What is it about Dr. Selkregg’s proposed amendments that seems to have frightened the free markets out of Dan Sullivan, Bill Starr, and has Eddie Burke, Dan Fagan, and his cohorts at the Alaska Standard condemning Assemblymen Selkregg, Gray-Jackson, Gutierrez, Flynn, Claman, and Drummond as the “Socialist 6?”

Let’s take a look inside the legislation and see. I’ll put Dr. Selkregg’s proposed amendments in bold.

The First Amendment comes under the “Major six year operating and program goals,”  within the section given the name “Quality of Life” by the Mayor. It lists different areas of focus within the fiscal plan, and reads as follows:

“We are committed to maintain and improve our quality of life through the following goals:

• Maintain our public facilities to a high standard to maximize recreational and cultural opportunities.
• Encourage citizen participation in sports, recreation and cultural programs.
• Promote efforts to encourage private sector support for these programs.
• Continue to provide financial support for the operation of the Anchorage Museum and the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.
• Work Cooperatively with the Anchorage School District to share facilities and program
• Continue to provide financial support for arts, cultural, recreation, and athletic programs.”

So far, I have to say that I’m not feeling Lenin’s presence. Dr. Selkregg adds an emphasis on financially backing certain programs that directly attribute to the quality of life in Anchorage, which could be argued doesn’t even depart from the spirit of the administration’s language in this section; pledging their support for such programs that promote “cultural opportunities”.

This hardly conjures the image of bread lines, and in fact sets a complimentary tone, in accordance with the Municipality’s city charter’s Bill of Rights, which states “The right to a locally directed, ongoing planning process that is based upon the community’s goals, objectives and policies for the future.” That’s an important piece of legislation, firmly in place, to remember as we go through these various proposed floor amendments.

Amendment Two takes the volume up to eleven. It is proposed in the same section (“Major six year operating and program goals”), but represents it’s own subcategory within:

“Community Sustainability:

The municipality is committed to building a sustainable community that maintains and enhances the livability, health, and vitality of the community and the natural systems now and in the long-term future.

The municipality will use a decision-making model that addresses the relationship between economic, social, and environmental issues, and ultimately supports financial sustainability. This model recognizes the following critical relationships in decisions that relate to building our community:

• Planned physical development impacts to environmental and financial sustainably, and social conditions
• Diversity, social and cultural equity contributions to economic and environmental sustainability;
• Reliable energy and food security are central to the security of our community;
• Local skills, businesses, products, and resources are central to building a sustainable economy.
• Open space, parks, and trails provide social, environmental, and economic benefits to the community.”

This is a section we can identify as containing language which could introduce a bee or two into Mr. Starr’s bonnet.

Review the specifics in this amendment and roll it around on your tongue for a moment. This is where we see the first use of the terms “social” and “equity,” which are the keywords that sent Mr. Starr on a capitalist defensive campaign. Is this communism? Or socialism?

I would argue this would more accurately be categorized as common sense. For those of us who enjoy living in Anchorage and intend to live out our days here, hopefully leaving a nice place for our children to do the same, we need to entertain an idea largely left absent in discussion to this point: sustainability. This was an accidental city, but guaranteeing a future means doing a lot more than simply hoping that the accident repeats itself.

Caring about how future developments, residential and commercial alike, impact the continued viability of the environment, economy, and culture of Anchorage are basic elements of diligently planned free market capitalism just as much as they could be perceived as components of democratic socialism. Diversity breeds an economy, and community creates sustainability.

Amendment 3 falls under the Mayor’s “Fiscal Policy,” which states:

“Contribute to the quality of life by leaving discretionary income in the hands of the public rather [than] have government increase the collection of taxes and utility rates:

• Limit increases to property taxes
• Limit increases to utility rates

• Operate within available revenues and maintain a favorable bond rating
• Continue to adjust the budget consistent with cost of living and population changes as required by the tax cap law”

This seems to be a fail safe. If heating costs sky rocket, as we’ve seen in Rural Alaska, to a point where many people are choosing between heat and food, we need to have elbow room in terms of government subsidizing cost.  I support the mayor’s calls for responsibility and conservation; turning the thermostat down a notch, and refraining from using appliances during certain designated periods. But back up plans are a nice thing to have waiting in the corner. Similarly, if we experience a population boom, or if new developments require increases in public services like transportation, policy needs to dictate that these movements can be made without handicapping us.

Quite honestly, I would have gone a lot further with this one. We’ve dealt with increasing living costs, high inflation, and stagnant wages for too long. My personal opinion would be to demand percentage restricted wage caps in private business. The highest paid employee’s salary should never exceed 250% the salary of the lowest paid worker. This would force salaries at the bottom to increase if CEO’s wished to increase their own pay. This is democratic socialism. It’s also how we increase wages and really manage to put the money back in the public’s hands.

This what I would suggest, and probably is a bit more radical than many would wish. And it’s me who’s suggesting it, not Dr. Selkregg. So far, she has only made suggestions common throughout the US and proven beneficial to all within society.

Amendment 4:

“Public Safety:

• Provide a safer community with a reduction in the level of violent crimes
• Reduce loss of life and property from fires
• Maintain the ISO rating
• Respond timely to calls for paramedic and EMT assistance
• Resolve the inebriate homeless problem
• Work to reduce gang activity”

Quite honestly, if the mayor intends to reduce death by fire, violent crime, and alcoholism, I’d be very interested in what the complaint would be against reinforced efforts to also combat gang activity. Personally, I’d love the notable increase of gunfire at night in Fairview to quiet down a bit. This is “communistic” only if translated as an equal distribution of crime fighting measures and emergency response. Not exactly the Orwellian nightmare that seems to be keeping some members of the Assembly up at night.

Amendment 5 is an extension of the administration’s section on Economic Development and reads as follows (the strikethrough sections are Dr. Selkregg’s changes):

“Economic Development:

• Provide a business friendly local government through stable business taxes and streamlined permitting and plan review.
• Develop strategies to provide housing options that will allow our work force to continue to work in Anchorage.
• Judiciously use our development tools such as tax deferrals and tax abatements to encourage new business.
• Maximize economic development efforts through the Anchorage and Eagle River Chambers, growth and diversity in coordination with the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AECD), and Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB), local Chambers of Commerce, the Alaska Small Business Development Center, and other local organizations.
• Utilize the expertise and tools found in the Office of Community Planning & Development, the Anchorage Community Development Authority, and the Heritage Land Bank.“

So, there’s a bunch to digest here. Mainly though, we are again being shown a change in the spirit of the language to respect a focus on growing a diverse economy by relying on more than our respective chambers of commerce, including opening up the dialogue to bring in additional small business growth, native inclusion, and the advice of organizations which focus on sustainability and development, rather than sole exclusivity in relation to profit, which we know can often come at the expense of the populace.

Amendment 6 is quick, to the point, and has to do with the bus system.

“Transportation:

• Improve quality flow by completing road connectivity plan. Extend the life cycle of the roads.
• Complete the port project and market its expanded capabilities
• Maintain existing bike trails and plow key sidewalks in winter
• Maintain a viable public transportation system and seek to increase ridership and available routes
• Integrate land use planning and transportation planning”

This is a complicated issue as well as a very personal and troubling one to many in our community. In Mountain View, for instance, only 40% of residence have their own, or a shared, automobile. Thus, priding the communal value of a WalMart Superstore and the jobs it creates only extends its merits to those who have access to get there. “Maintaining a viable public transportation system” means, at a core level, getting people to and from work, in order to sustain a living wage. A basic requirement for quality of life is the access to financially support one.

Seeking increased ridership is a logical necessity for the continuity of this crucial function of the public sector. It needs to pay for itself, which, unfortunately at this point, it does not. But cutting service routes only compounds the problem. People won’t have an easier time getting to work if there is no bus, nor will profits to public transportation increase if ridership declines. My personal opinion on this is two fold and I won’t attempt to describe it here in detail, instead saving it for another day. But, suffice to say, we need to invest in buses that run on renewable energy that will lower costs in the long run, and we need to give our entire system a makeover; clean up the depot downtown, tighten up some of the lax policies in place right now (I’ve heard some gruesome stories about things that take place on buses and waiting at stops), and make public transportation a privilege that people take advantage of, rather than a last ditch option that people will do anything to get around.

To the larger issue of this amendment, though, I would remind Mr. Starr and Mr. Sullivan that getting people to work should fall under the purview of the municipality, if they intend to maintain a vibrant service industry.

Amendment 7 is, like #2, it’s own subcategory under the “Major Six Year Operating and Program Goals.”

“Health and Human Services

• Work in coordination with local health providers to maximize the efficient delivery of quality health care in Anchorage
• Continue efforts to enhance the quality of life for the people of Anchorage by promoting good physical and mental health, and illness and injury prevention.
• Coordinate with federal and state agencies to protect the environment
• Work in coordination with local governmental and non-governmental agencies to provide services to people in need.
• Work to increase State and Federal Funding to support community public health programs.
• Seek to meet national standards for community health service.“

This is one case where I fail, somewhat, to see the necessity of this language, and actually think it serves as counter intuitive to Dr. Selkregg’s overall intent with these amendments to ensure that the municipality does not neglect its responsibility to the general welfare of and equal opportunity afforded to the public.

Of all the divisive issues plaguing the community, and the country, health care, at least for the moment, is the top dog. And while I will not claim that, had this section been left out, that Starr or Sullivan, in particular, would have had a change of heart regarding the package of offered amendments, I don’t think that this improved the situation, and in fact only further fanned the flames of anger from those who believe that the municipal body is only here for emergency services.

I’d love to have municipality-based health care centers, but that just doesn’t seem in the cards anytime soon, sadly.

Amendment 8 added yet another subcategory:

“Federal-State-Municipal Relations

• Continue to work cooperatively with other municipalities and cities in Alaska and the United States to further municipal interests.
• Continue to work with the state and federal governments for program support and revenue assistance.
• Use all state revenue sharing for property tax relief and debt service.
• Continue cooperation and partnership with all military bases in Alaska’s South-Central Region.”

I would find it concerning that this would be perceived as objectionable. This simply states that we should work with the state, our military establishments, and Washington; encouraging their financial support of various programs, easing our financial burden. I can appreciate, in the wake of Palin’s furor over stimulus funds last summer, the reticence people might have to commit to outside money with “strings attached,” but, until a problem such as this actually manifests itself in reality and not in the mind of an excitable former governor prone to making wild and inflated statements, I’m not convinced we need to work against ourselves from the outset.

This brings us to the point where Assemblyman Starr allegedly lost his composure, staring at the 9th Amendment, another subcategory:

“Social Equity

The municipality recognizes social equity should not be traded for efficiency. Social equity-enhancing policies, particularly the investment in housing, neighborhoods, and education, can in the long run, boost economic growth, alleviate poverty, and increase overall community prosperity.

• Promote fairness, justice, and equity in the formation and implementation of public policy.
• Realize fair, just and equitable management in the distribution of public services.”

Please take notice of one crucial distinguishing characteristic here, which possibly escaped Mr. Starr as he ducked underneath his covers, certain that China was under the bed: Dr. Selkregg is calling for the “fair, just and equitable management in the distribution of public services”[emphasis mine], not public wealth.

This means that if you live a less affluent neighborhood, this should not preclude you from the same police or hospital response as would be provided in a higher income area. This is critical in any community, and, in my opinion, absolutely should extend to education, housing, etc. It should also extend to public transportation for reasons noted earlier (Amendment 6).

Amendment 10: another subcategory.

“Community Libraries

Libraries provide a critical link to information essential to social equity. The municipality will work to support and leverage private and non-profit resources to ensure stability of library funding that reflects the community’s population growth and service needs:

• Maximize the use of existing resources through investment in technology.
• Engage a new generation of users while maintaining traditional users.
• Identify and develop strategic partnerships to increase the Library’s capacity to serve.
• Develop mechanisms to engage the public in designing user-driven service models.
• Encourage use by maintaining a welcoming environment.
• Engage non-traditional audiences through programming and targeted outreach efforts.”

As I speak, there is a town hall going on at the Loussac regarding the future of the public library system. Hopefully, they will come up with some positive steps in these directions.

Personally, to the dismay of my wife, I believe that libraries, whether we like it or not, are going the way of the phone booth. However, within this proposed language are some pivotal steps which, if taken, could refute that theory. “Engage a new generation of users” especially captures this possibility. Using the model of internet cafes which we see popping up all over the place, perhaps we could work in partnership with Anchorage schools in setting up after school programs for moderate membership fees; let them play Warcraft at the library for a couple bucks an hour.

Also, tighten up the online library. As of now, you can borrow virtual audio books online. The system has its fair share of kinks, such as limited supply and a strange issue where only one person can “borrow” an audio book at a time, as if it is a physical object. But, to the chagrin of library lovers, I would forecast that this is the future – not just for audio files, but online texts as well. On the down side, kiss those library jobs goodbye, and bid farewell to the central location that so many of us grew up accustomed to. Disagree? I hope you do, and I hope you come up with an alternative.

Amendment 11; another subcategory:

“Arts and Culture

Arts and Culture are essential elements in building and sustaining a vibrant, thriving community. The Municipality of Anchorage will play a leadership role in public support of Arts and Culture through the following efforts:

• Leverage public, private, and non-profit support, and strengthen the arts and culture community’s work with youth, elders, and all the socio-economic elements of our city to emphasize the unity of Anchorage.
• Encourage and support the businesses, civic leaders, and the arts and culture community in working together to take full advantage of the benefits provided by creative individuals and organizations in the community.
• Support Arts and Culture in our children’s lives as a tool to foster valuable skills such as discipline, empathy, insight, and intellectual and emotional development.”

I think that to discourage public/private/non-profit partnerships is insane. And not supporting the arts department is not simply an aesthetic, although many testimonies wrote it off as such. The arts is not an aristocratic escape; it is the equal opportunity afforded to our children, and ourselves, to dream, to celebrate cultural diversity, and to offer a gravitational pull downtown for droves of residents and tourists alike to revolve around, encouraging them to become patrons, not just of plays and concerts, but of our restaurants, art galleries, bars, and hotels.

Nothing takes the spark out of our children’s eyes and economy, alike, as a drought in the arts department. People who are calling this funding wasteful spending for the wealthy elite are both depriving our youth of a slew of formative experiences, but they are also seriously missing the point – and grossly overestimating my annual income.

Floor Amendment 12 comes under the Mayor’s section entitled “Fiscal Projections and Potential Strategies,” and offers a bleak, albeit realistic, image of the effects that our current “great recession” might inflict on Anchorage in our near future. It also leads right into the finale, Amendment 13, so I’ll let them run their natural course before final comments.

“The fiscal downturn that could impact our projections include:

1) “Do Nothing” – Take no Action except to increase property taxes

2) “Take Action Now” – Reduce the size of government and minimize property tax increases

“Scenario Three” – which reflects a middle path between scenario 1 and 2 – is not addressed in this document. However, the projections and potential strategies for Scenario Three may be added to the Six Year Program after the 2010 budget process is completed.”

The two scenarios posed as a summary by the administration are very convenient, in terms of rallying support to his cause. I’m sure that few people bothered to read through Dr. Selkregg’s amendments and instead skipped, as is often the case, to the end, upon which they saw two black and white options:

1. Your taxes go up

2. Your taxes go down.

Now that’s how you make a statement. In essence, the mayor is essentially saying that if you follow his plan, property taxes will go down. He doesn’t touch the reality that the dismantling of the municipality could very easily be a side effect. If you don’t follow his plan, you will be taxed out of your home.

This is absurd, and a great display of the divisive, all or nothing, my way or the highway, partisan approach to governance offered by our current Mayor, who simply wants to starve the beast, and possibly do completely away with property taxes, replacing them with a sales tax, which would benefit landowning corporations far more than anyone else.

Any compromise is dismissed as a communist manifesto, because it plays right into the unwillingness of the people to actually read into alternative suggestions, and think critically about finding middle ground. Instead, it devolves into “know your enemy,” anti-government rhetoric.

It’s sad and shameful, and a testament of Mayor Sullivan’s inability and unwillingness to argue his policies on their own merits, that he would sink to the level of the defamation of Dr. Selkregg’s character, in order to implement his budget. And it very well may cost her a seat on the Assembly, which is up for grabs in April, along with that of Chairwoman Debbie Ossiander, Matt Claman, Dan Coffey, and Jennifer Johnston.

Which means we need to get involved.

If there ever was a test
Then I’d be better than the rest
‘Cause I know better than the most
That love will haunt you like a ghost
It’s the everlasting feeling
Of not being who you want to
Of not saying what you mean to
Though you really, really want to
And as the ashes of the trees
That you have burned down
On your way
Comes together in a pile
They form a mountain in my way
And I know that I must force it
To get out of here alive
I try to think of something else
I try to keep the spirit high
But it’s not love that makes you wiser
Makes you better or refine you
It’s not love that keeps you fit
Pulls you up and realigns you
It’s the battle with yourself
And it’s the things
That you must go through
To get it right and get it over with
And get back in the world
But it’s not that I still want you
You’re not standing in my way
And it’s that I feel lost
And feel there’s something left to say
It just really left me
That one question in my head:
Do you ever wish that you
Could just forget that we have met?

you’ve got nothing to be scared of
you have no reason to cry
I am not going to leave you
you are not going to die
but it’s a war that I am fighting
and I’m not going to give in
I have to tell the enemy
that she is never going to win
everything was okay
things were just as they should be
everything had reasons
that I was way to blind too see
everything was okay
everyone was in their place
and everything was planned
and played out in the proper pace
now it’s your turn for the questions
ask me anything you like
ask me if I’m okay
and if I will be alright
ask me how it feels
to be beaten and be tied
to finally let go
and come out on the other side

ALEMANHA - As críticas não param, mesmo dias após a decisão do Tribunal Europeu de Direitos Humanos proibindo crucifixos nas salas de aula escolas públicas italianas. O primeiro-ministro italiano, Silvio Berlusconi, afirmou que o veredicto é um motivo para se “duvidar da sanidade mental da Europa”.

A edição desta quinta-feira (05/10) do renomado jornal católico Avvenire também atacou a conclusão dos juízes, dizendo que ela cria uma onda de animosidade em relação à cruz e faz do continente uma “terra de ninguém”. A decisão repercutiu também na Alemanha, onde nos anos 90 Tribunal Constitucional Federal decidiu que crucifixos devem ser retirados da decoração das salas de aula, caso os alunos se sintam incomodados.

Na época, o símbolo cristão tinha como um de seus mais influentes aliados o cardeal Joseph Ratzinger, então prefeito da Congregação para a Doutrina da Fé e hoje papa Bento 16. O Vaticano lamenta agora o veredicto europeu. “Esta Europa do terceiro milênio nos tira os símbolos mais valiosos e nos deixa somente as abóboras da festa de Halloween”, afirmou Tarcisio Bertone, secretário do Estado do Vaticano.

Liberdade de religião

No entender do tribunal sediado em Estrasburgo, uma cruz dentro de uma sala de aula de uma escola pública atenta contra a liberdade de religião dos estudantes e contra a obrigação de neutralidade religiosa do Estado. A decisão atinge a Itália, um país profundamente católico, dono de uma história longa e comum com a Igreja e com seus papas. Em 2006, os juízes do supremo italiano haviam decidido contra uma mãe que se disse incomodada com o crucifixo pendurado nas salas de aula de seus filhos. Após fracassar nos tribunais de seu país, ela foi até a última instância europeia.

Entre os argumentos dos magistrados italianos para negar o recurso, estava o conceito de que a cruz é hoje um símbolo para os valores da Itália e do Estado, considerando que a religião católica é a única citada na Constituição do país.

O governo de Roma pretende recorrer da decisão. Somente caso o recurso não tenha sucesso, os crucifixos terão que ser retirados das salas de aula italianas. Para Berlusconi, que há meses vinha enfrentando críticas da Igreja devido a seus deslizes na vida privada, essa é uma oportunidade para ganhar pontos com os religiosos e com o eleitorado católico, posando como novo defensor dos valores cristãos.

Na Alemanha, políticos conservadores e representantes da Igreja se manifestaram contra a decisão. O padre Hans Langendörfer, secretário da Conferência dos Bispos da Alemanha, disse que a notícia é uma “grande decepção”, observando, entretanto, que o veredicto só diz respeito à Itália e não terá influência sobre a situação atual na Alemanha.

Símbolo de humanismo

Há 13 anos, esse mesmo debate causou controvérsia no país. Em 1995, pais de uma escola no estado da Baviera, de população eminentemente católica, conseguiram que Tribunal Constitucional declarasse como inválido um trecho dos regulamentos escolares daquele estado, em que era prevista a presença de um crucifixo em toda sala de aulas dos colégios da região. Os juízes basearam a decisão na neutralidade do Estado, enquanto os religiosos alegaram que a cruz é um símbolo cultural para paz e humanismo.

Com a derrota, o governo da Baviera se decidiu por uma solução alternativa, segundo a qual os crucifixos poderiam continuar nas classes, até que alguém proteste com argumentos justos. A atual decisão de Estrasburgo foi considerada “infeliz” pelo secretário de Cultura bávaro, Ludwig Spaenle. Ele ressaltou que as cruzes continuarão penduradas nas salas de aula da região e que só serão retiradas caso pais ou alunos se manifestarem contra “por motivos de credo ou ideológicos”.

Algumas escolas básicas locais não apresentam mais crucifixos em seus recintos, devido a reclamações de pais ou de funcionários. Nos outros estados alemães, o problema é quase inexistente. Embora em muitos estados haja discussões sobre a importância de se ministrar aulas de religião nas escolas públicas, somente a Baviera tinha o crucifixo nas paredes como uma regra escolar oficial.

:: Fonte: O Verbo

Los/las invito a firmar el petitorio de REDI. El 15/10 algunos diputados votaron en contra en la legislatura pero no alcanzó… Se trata de ley 3230 que fija una prórroga de 1 año del cumplimiento del mandato constitucional contenido en el artículo 43 de la Constitución de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires donde se establece que el 5% de los empleados del gobierno de la ciudad de Buenos Aires y de las empresas concesionarias de servicios públicos deben ser personas con discapacidad, en concordancia con lo dispuesto por el art. 75, inc. 22 de la Constitución Nacional.

Aquí el mensaje:

Como muchos/as sabrán, la Legislatura de la Ciudad por medio de la ley 3.230 intenta prorrogar el cumplimiento del cupo laboral de Personas con Discapacidad en la Ciudad. Le estamos solicitando al Jefe de Gobierno que vete dicha ley.

Les pedimos que por favor accedan al petitorio online, lo lean y, si están de acuerdo, lo firmen:

cupo

Se agradece la firma y la difusión!!!

Muchas Gracias,
REDI Asociación Civil
www. rediderechos.blogspot.com

Απάντηση του Ευάγγελου Βενιζέλου σε δημοσίευμα του «Βέτο της Κυριακής»

Ο υπουργός Εθνικής Άμυνας κ. Ευάγγελος Βενιζέλος, αναφερόμενος σε πρωτοσέλιδο δημοσίευμα της εφημερίδας Veto της Κυριακής, το οποίο είχε ήδη το Σάββατο αναρτηθεί στο διαδίκτυο, δήλωσε τα εξής:

Το πρωτοσέλιδο δημοσίευμα της εφημερίδας Βέτο της Κυριακής, συμφερόντων του κ. Μάκη Τριανταφυλλόπουλου χρησιμοποιεί το όνομα και τη φωτογραφία μου έτσι ώστε να προσβάλει βάναυσα και κατά τρόπο ενσυνείδητο και οργανωμένο την τιμή μου ως πολιτικού προσώπου. Η εφημερίδα θα ισχυρισθεί ίσως ότι δεν αναφέρεται σε μένα, αλλά στον ογδοντάχρονο πατέρα μου που είχε την ατυχία να συναλλάσσεται με το ελληνικό δημόσιο και να αγωνίζεται επί χρόνια για την εκτέλεση αμετάκλητων δικαστικών αποφάσεων…

Όλα όμως αυτά είχαν γίνει αντικείμενο τηλεοπτικής εκπομπής του κ. Τριανταφυλλόπoυλου, συμπτωματικά στις 19 Ιανουαρίου 2009, την ημέρα που ως κοινοβουλευτικός εκπρόσωπος του ΠΑΣΟΚ έδινα στη Βουλή τη μάχη για την συγκρότηση της εξεταστικής επιτροπής για το Βατοπέδι. Τότε παρενέβην στην εκπομπή και εγώ ο ίδιος, τονίζοντας ότι θα διερευνήσω πλήρως το ζήτημα για το οποίο δεν είχα ως τότε ενημέρωση, πράγμα που έκανα ενημερώνοντας και τον κ. Τριανταφυλλόπουλο.

Παρόλα αυτά, τώρα ο κ. Τριανταφυλλόπουλος επανέρχεται, επαναλαμβάνοντας και διανθίζοντας την αλλοίωση και την αντιστροφή της πραγματικότητας, η οποία έχει ως εξής:

Συνεχίζεται εδώ

helectra