Author: mopress

RF Blader’s essay on teen pregnancy (CounterPunch, Dec. 18) resituates debate about youth morality and puts the spin back to where it belongs, on adult-led policies of human development.

As Lappé and friends argue, where young women feel secure in their futures, pregnancies will be postponed. And a primary indicator of the security offered to a young woman is the education that she finds in her neighborhood.

“In fact, study after study has shown that people tend to have the number of children they want, regardless of whether more modern birth control methods are available or the government has a family planning program. Rather, the fact that women are getting educated reflects a multitude of changes in society that empower women and provide them with opportunities in the workplace” (World Hunger: 12 Myths).

Or as Amartya Sen sez, if adults would get “fired up about hunger or illiteracy” as a starting point, then the logic of human development would make more sense all around (Hunger is Quiet Violence).

In the wake of Craig Foster’s death, we could resolve to begin making more sense in Texas, where we happen to be blessed with a fountain of youth flowing North. To simply feed and educate all the children of our land would surely bring the chaos of our souls to a quicker peace than another thousand yards of fence or another thousand prison beds.

We begin with a the Rio Grande Guardian tribute by Michele Angél: “Tributes have poured in from South Texas for Equity Center founder Craig Foster for the pivotal role he played in helping property-poor schools receive a fair share of state funding.

“Foster, whose encyclopedic grasp of school finance and the tax system was used extensively in court during the landmark Edgewood ISD v. Kirby lawsuit against the state, is credited with helping change the way the state of Texas funds its public schools.”

To study a problem, to know it well, to speak credibly about human inequities: the life of Craig Foster shows how these things do make history.

Note: we have additional reasons to be worried about the leadership agenda coming from the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. So we share this email message from Equality Texas regarding electoral mood shifts–gm

Fort Worth Elects Openly Gay Joel Burns to City Council

The 80th Session of the Texas Legislature ended this past May in turmoil over the leadership of Speaker Tom Craddick. Yesterday, Tom Craddick was again on voters minds as Dan Barrett, a Democrat, won election to HD 97 in southwest Tarrant County where no Democrat had won for nearly 30 years.

“My wife and I put our hearts into this, because so many other people were putting their hearts into it,” said Barrett. Yesterday’s runoff election fills the Texas House seat vacated upon the retirement of Anna Mowery, who earned failing marks from Equality Texas on pro-equality issues.

Barrett’s opponent, Mark Shelton, aligned himself with Speaker Craddick. “It seemed to me that Shelton was never speaking for himself,” said Barrett. “Everything had to go through e-mail or though his handlers. It was as if everything came from Craddick.”

Republican Speaker Candidate Jim Keffer said, “Tonight’s outcome in the HD97 special election proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick is a sinking ship for the Republican Party in Texas.”

Because Barrett was elected to finish the remainder of Mowery’s term, Barrett and Shelton could face each other again in the November 2008 general election. Shelton has already filed for the Republican primary in March 2008.

Barrett was elected with support from the Tarrant County Stonewall Democrats, Human Rights Campaign, and pro-equality members of the Tarrant County delegation: Rep. Lon Burnam, Rep. Marc Veasey and Rep. Paula Pierson.

Also on Tuesday, voters elected Joel Burns to the District 9 seat on the Fort Worth City Council. Burns, who was a member of the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, becomes the first openly gay member of the Fort Worth City Council.

“I have big shoes to fill,” said Burns. “My goal is to be the kind of city councilman the district has seen in the likes of Ken Barr and Wendy Davis, by getting up and working hard every day.”

Burns received the endorsement of, and financial support from, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Joel is the partner of Equality Texas board member, JD Angle.

Congratulations, Joel & JD!

Email from Riad Elsolh Hamad–gm

Dear Friends,

Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund is pleased to announce that Bir Zeit University in Ramallah, Palestine received 10 laptops and the peripheries for a wireless network.

The university dedicated the Physics Laboratory where the computers are to Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund as you see in the link below.

We extend our deep gratitude and appreciation to our generous donors, buyers of arts and crafts through our website and to our volunteers who work very hard to sell the arts and crafts at events around the United States.

We could not have done this without them and without their dedication to the well being and safety of the children in Palestine . PCWF intends to extend this program to other colleges and universities in Palestine and to provide young men and women with the opportunity to continue their education and to work towards a free Palestine with peace and justice.

Please consider making a donation towards our effort to support Bir Zeit University and other academic institutions in Palestine or by forwarding this message to your family, friends and colleagues and asking them to do the same.

Also, you can help by buying Palestinian arts and crafts through our website and one hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards job creation in Palestine and to support our projects in Palestine.

Looking forward to hearing from you and thanks again for your generosity, work and support for the children of Palestine.

Salamat
Riad Elsolh Hamad
Coordinator

www.flickr.com/photos/8914880@N05/

Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund. 201 W. Stassney # 201, Austin, Texas 78745 Support the children of Palestine by buying Palestinian arts and crafts. Sustain the Palestinian economy and provide jobs for the men, women and farmers in Palestine to live with pride and dignity TILL WE RETURN.

www.pcwf.org

www.marhabafrompalestine.com

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The Uni*n of Arab News Agencies awarded its prize for the best photograph of 2007 to the Syrian News Agency (SANA) for a picture of a seven year old girl busy studying while sitting on a sidewalk in Damascus as she was selling candies.

The young photographer Wasim Kheir Beik 27 was able to take the photo only after many trials because the girl refused to be photographed and covered her face with her small hands every time he tried to snap a picture. Wasim said that he was able to photograph her with a zoom lens at 30 meters when he was accidentally at her usual place to sit while working and studying.

As for the message that he wanted to relay though the photo, Kheir Beik said, “I want to prove that a human being by will and toil can defeat poverty and deprivation.”

The Uni*n called the photo “Education and Work”

Wasim called it: “Challenge.”

Translated by Adib S. Kawar with some idiomatic modification by Joachim Martillo. Forwarded by thorsprovoni@aol.com–gm