The Non-Right To Vote

  


Due to the election time-period, I thought it'd be appropriate to write about voting. I'm the least politically charged person I know, however I do understand topline issues that take place in our government and that's what I'd like to discuss.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was recently renewed in July 2006 which allows for the federal registration of voters in states that had 50% or less registered minority voters, rather than voters being registered by individual state or locally.

Now, the issue comes because minorities do not have a Constitutional or federal right to vote. The Voting Act of 1965 just tries to ensure that minorities won't be discriminated against when registering to vote. Our Caucasian counterparts have an implied right to vote.

I know that I, for one, have not yet voted and it's not because I'm lazy or because I don't want to. The fact is that I applied for my voting card and it was rejected for having a PO Box, which I blindly overlooked. The other reason I haven't voted is because I face an issue that many young potential voters face: I do not know the issues. With all of the voting campaigns bum-rushing the television screens in the month before the election, each candidate seems good and bad at the same time. I wish that each year someone would publish "Voting for Dummies" and outline just the basic lists where I can compare candidates.

But the truth of the matter is that candidates' past voting records are all in flux because of other surrounding political issues. For example, one candidate may vote against the right to an abortion, not because or moral issues, but because if they do that, then someone else may have promised them their vote on another bill. All of the corruption surrounding elections, as evident with candidates stealing monies for their personal campaigns, I just don't know if there really is a good candidate for any office. But, if I don't vote, I basically feel like I've neglected my duty to voice my opinion, especially since 40 years ago African-Americans and other minorities were not permitted to vote at all.

So, I think it's up to us to inform each other about the facts, or what's left of them, when these critical election periods arise. I can't "Rock the Vote" if I have no idea what or whom I'm voting for. When I read a brief op-ed article on Why We Need The Constitutional Right to Vote, a movement largely led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, I realized that:

1. I need to vote while I'm still allowed and
2. If I'm confused on who to vote for, I'm sure others are too and it's up to me to find out as much info as I can and share the unadulterated, organic facts with others before these election periods arise.

Does anyone else out there feel that they need help when it comes to voting? Is this something that affects young people, all people, or just minorities?

Not sure if anyone will respond to this one, but I just wanted to voice a few thoughts I had been having.

Emergency Contraception: To Prescribe or Not?

WWRT reader Karen sent us an email newsletter with this article in it (Thanks, Karen!).


Article Here: Link to Washington Post Article


This article talks about a 42 year old woman who felt forced to have an abortion because her doctor would not prescribe her an emergency contraceptive, otherwise known as the "Plan B" pill. While abortion is a divided issue, contraception overall is not. However, if emergency contraception is truly contraception, why would doctors forgo prescribing it to a patient? I guess in some respects, it's seen as an immediate abortion, although when a patient takes the conctraception, she does not know whether she is pregnant or not because the pill has to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse in order to be most effective.

Is emergency contraception the new abortion? Should doctors be allowed to not prescribe it based on individual discretion, or should all doctors be held to prescribe it to women in need?

What do YOU think? (Don't forget to read the article. It's an interesting story.)

Star Jones Reynolds: The Great Debate

Though the Star Jones Reynolds vs. Barbara Walters fight is "oh so last week," a colleauge of mine reopened this can of worms for me with a fresh perspective on Star's departure and Barbara's dealings with it.

My friend said that it's the typical minority woman's struggle. If she demands what she deserves career-wise, she's seen as a bitch. If she doesn't, then she never gets what she's due.

This sparks "The Great Debate":
Was Star ousted partly because she was a demanding, successful minority woman?

SPEAK UP! This issue affects us all, and if professional minority women continue to face this "trap", we have to discuss how we can overcome it and get the success we all deserve!

If you missed Barbara's announcement about Star leaving the view, check it out here.

Check out Star's response to the rift between her and Barbara on The Today Show.

Something New (The Movie): Is It Really Possible?

If you've seen the movie (now on DVD) "Something New", I hope you can identify with this post. As a sucker for romantic comedies, I was completely engrossed in the movie all the way to the end. A+ on my scale because it had it all: a successful career-focused woman, the adventurous underdog of a white guy (who happened to be extremely cute), the successful power-driven black guy, and enough sexual repression and tension to spark a wildfire that would put Smokey the Bear in retirement.

So, after explaining why I loved the movie to a friend, he told me that what happened in the movie is just too unrealistic because no successful African-American woman would ever go for a struggling, "granola" (his words) white guy with a non-professional job. Period.

I begged to differ, of course, but when he asked for examples, I came up short. So, my question to you all is this:

Do you think it's possible for a successful, career-driven woman to date a non-professional, adventerous guy who makes significantly less money than she does?

On thinking further about the money difference, I just remembered that Simon Baker was an architectural landscaper and did work for million-dollar homes (the parents of the chick who set him and Sanaa up). So, maybe he wasn't so "granola" after all. :)

Speak up! Do professionals only date other success-driven professionals? Or is there still a chance that any of us could experience "something new"?

Tags: Something New, Trailer & Clips, Simon Baker, Sanaa Lathan, Blair Underwood, Alfre Woodard, Mike Epps, Donald Faison

Can women really run the world?

With the lack of any good, pertinent articles to discuss, I've decided to raise an issue that I think is pertinent to all of our lives: Can women really run the world? In the latest Marie Claire, Julia Stiles talks about the 10 hardest things she's learned. The one that intrigued me most was: #4 - "If women could channel all the time and energy they spend on diets and food issues into something else, we'd be running the world. Or maybe I'm crazy."(click here for the article)

When I read this, it threw me off for a second. I guess I had just imagined these words coming from someone with a less-than-airbrushed blonde-haired, blue-eyed size 2 bombshell who's on the front cover of one of the country's most popular women's magazines. But maybe that's just me. Regardless, she does bring up a good point.

Yesterday, I turned on Oprah and saw that they were giving a young African-American woman help with her eyebrows. They even had the world-famous Anastasia come on the show and do this woman's eyebrows in front of the audience. The only thing I could think of was "Are we more concerned about plucking, pulling, relaxing, doing other things to our body than we are about world issues or even national issues (e.g. Hurricane danger, Afghanistan's exponentially increasing death toll, etc.)?"

In Oprah magazine's latest issue, there's a great article about how women in Sweden (I think it's Sweden)are ususally the breadwinners and the men stay home to raise the kids. They have a better maternity leave and women are more abrasive than those in the U.S. due to their wish to keep the balance of power equal to that of men (i.e. many women refuse the men if they try to pay for a date, etc.).

Women abroad are running their countries, but is it possible for American women to do the same? Or do we have more of power struggle due to the acts of chivalry and male-domination that has ruled this country since Washington was president?

Are women are still hitting the "glass ceiling" or is there a chance for us to really have equal access to the same positions and power as men?

Daddy Issues That Affect Your Career

It's crazy to think that the type of father you had could affect your success in the workplace, but this article does bring up some interesting points about how this could be possible. In a new book called "The Father Factor" by Stephan Poulter, it discusses how children of a certain type of father may be able to use their childhood experiences to their advantage in their career. For example, if you had an explosive father, you'll be better at reading people's moods which could help you be sensitive to your boss and co-workers. Or, if you had an absentee father, you're probably more inclined to be an over-achiever...to do more than your father ever did.



Read this article (it's short and interesting): Click Here

What type of father did/do you have?

Do you think you can attribute any of your successful or unsuccessful work behaviors to him?

This is a great topic and I can't wait to see your comments!

Choosing the Sex of Your Baby: Have We Gone Too Far?

Click Here for Article
Today's article talks about the new craze of foreigners flocking to the U.S. to choose the sex of their next baby. It's called "pre-implantation genetic diagnosis", and for $19,000 you too can choose the sex of your baby with 99% accuracy. However, this phenomenon brings up lots of issues, such as whether choosing your baby's sex will lead us to creating "designer babies" where you can choose their hair and eye color as well. Just like you'd customize your new car, you could customize your baby. In essence, cloning people could become a mass-production nightmare. Also, this phenomenon could create gender imbalance and an underclass of people who cannot afford to create the perfect child.

I believe that God's natural selection for the sex of your baby is the only way for it to be chosen. There's a reason why it's taken us 2000 years to figure out this technology...maybe it's not supposed to be figured out. I would be more supportive of this technology if it was used to generate medically helpful advances, but seeing that people are simply wanting a girl rather than a boy is unacceptable.

With pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, are we playing God or is this a new technology that can lead to more satisfying lives due to your ability to create the family balance that you want?

Speak up!

Can Typically "Forbidden" Relationships Work?

What's the best relationship advice? "Don't get any". I heard that from a friend's mom, and basically it means that when you're looking for answers in your relationship, only look to yourself...not others. Other people have their own biases and mindsets about relationships that may not fit with yours.

Questions:
What do you do when a relationship is typically "forbidden" by society, such as interracial relationships, one-night stands that turn into long-term relationships, and relationships where there's a huge age difference? Can they work?

Check out this article where typically "forbidden" relationships have worked out for the better.

What do you think? I know in the "Interracial Dating" post, many people had comments on people's mindsets regarding this (scroll down the right hand side of this blog to find the Interracial Dating post...it's under "Previous Posts").

Do you know of any stories where a typically "forbidden" relationship has worked out? What are the struggles that it presented?
- Long Distance
- Interracial
- Big Age Difference (older + younger person dating)
- Class Differences (blue collar + white collar dating)
- Same gender

SPEAK UP!
Billy Joel, 55, and 23 year old wife, Katie Lee

Dave Chappelle with wife and child



Other Articles on Dating:
Dating in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s
Why More Black Women are Dating White Men
5 Guys Every Girl Has To Date
5 Secrets of Successful Long Distance Relationships

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