I am not old enough to remember the first run of the TV police show, Dragnet. But it was still in healthy reruns (like Seinfeld and Friends are, today) when I was growing up, and I remember it well. I especially remember how Jack Webb, the star and lead Los Angeles police detective on the show, used to stop the irrelevant prattle of stereotypical '60s housewives and condescendingly demand, "Just the facts, Ma'am".

We no longer think of women as typically housewives, and we no longer think of women, housewives or not, as over-heated, gossipy fools who have to be constantly reminded to be relevant, like they were in Jack Webb's world. That's progress. But we have also given up something that we should have kept – the value of the ideal of "Just the Facts, Ma'am." Now we are lost in the equally stupid idea that there are no facts, only spin. The Texas schoolbook authorities, who seem to have more control over K-12 education in America than Stalin had over anything in the old Soviet Union, have taken advantage of this new stupidity to add more right-wing spin to the already right-wing-spun history of our country that we teach our children. The result, I suspect, will not be as the Texas schoolbook authorities intend: it will not be more right-wing children; it will be more jaded, ignorant children.

Is that what Supreme Court Justice Thomas is indicating when he never asks questions at a hearing? Is it time to question the integrity of the court and lifetime appointment of the judges? Where do these judges come from? They usually come up through the ranks, starting from our local courts. I have an example of where they come from.

Last Saturday I volunteered to do a phone bank for the group Organizing for America to help in Barack Obama's efforts to pass his health care reform bill. These past few months I've grown passionate about getting this health care reform bill passed, as I've seen friends and family members lose jobs and struggle with their health care. A recent March 6, 2010 editorial of the New York Times makes a strong argument for the passing for the bill, noting how it'll help 30 million people who are at present uninsured. The same paper has a graphic that shows the 20 times since 1980 that the reconcilation process has been used, as the Democrats may use that tactic to avoid a possible Republican filibuster. To support Obama and the Democrats in their efforts to pass this bill, supporters of health care reform should contact their Senators and Representatives, to show that many voters in their area support such a measure. To contact your Senator or Congressman, you can click the links to find your Representative or your Senator.

According to CNN, "Basma al-Khateeb, of the Iraqi Women's Network, said it was vital for Iraqi legislators of both genders to defend the Iraqi "Law of Personal Status," which protects women and families, and limits the influence of religious courts."

"It's considered one of the most advanced family laws in the region. It's based on Sharia law, but takes the best (of it) for the benefit of women and family," she told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on International Women's Day

Al-Khateeb said the 25 percent quota was a "double-edged sword" for women because political parties choose candidates who are not trained or outspoken, and who will do as they are told.

A few weeks ago President Obama had a health care reform conference with Democrats and Republicans to try to reach a bipartisan consensus on a health care reform bill. From what I read and what I watched on youtube, some interesting debates occurred between the participants, but no real consensus was formed. I personally think that a lack of consensus was reached because the idealogical gap between conservative Republicans and moderate and liberal Democrats is just too great for there to be much compromise. The Republicans in Congress right now have too strong a belief in the ability of the markets to resolve major national issues to jibe with the Democrats belief in the government's role in curbing the worst excesses of a market economy. I strongly support the efforts of President Obama and the Democrats to pass the health care reform bill, and support their tactic of using the legislative maneuver of reconciliation to achieve it. Though partisan politics have always been a part of the United States history, why have so few Republicans crossed party lines to work with Democrats in an important national issue? To find the solution, I think one needs to look at the history of the Republican Party and the rise and fall of the Progressive Republican within its ranks.

Getting out of the office is always the best thing I do. It's not the most productive in terms of what needs to get crossed off my to do list, but it oftentimes feels way more productive and beneficial than checking off the list of things I need to do for work.

So, I was happy to show off our programs on a tour. Guests are always impressed by the way all of our youth greet with a formal handshake, eye contact, and, "How are you today?" Because we expect the kids to greet every new person they see, it also challenges me to do the same. So, as we toured, I introduced myself to an adult who walked in.

She introduced herself as Rose Martin, David's mother. I knew immediately who she was talking about. David will be 6 years old next month. He is enrolled in the After-School Academy. I hear funny stories about David all the time because he answers with incessant stream of consciousness when you ask him a question. His stream of consciousness talking makes you think his brain is working so much faster than he can tell you, but he's going to keep talking until he gets his point across. Though David talks a lot, his verbal skills are not that great. He is a little difficult to understand. However, like just about any person, when you listen long enough, you begin to understand everything he says.

According to Jezebel.com, "Natalie Randolph, former wide receiver for the D.C. Divas women's pro football team, has been named the head football coach at Calvin Coolidge Senior High School. She is the only woman to hold that job in the entire United States."

"I hate shaking hands," she said at the time, "because they walk right past me and don't realize I'm a coach."

Wow, this is incredible! I attended a WNBA game and was amazed at not only the talent but excitement! I was highly disappointed with the attendance. I feel Men's sports are idolized, while women are seen as "inexperienced" or "inadequate" to perform the same as the boys, it's really sad and shows ignorance.

Lawrence Wilson, Randolph's attorney, says he "would expect some type of hesitancy about having a female coach, but I haven't seen it."

I received email discussing: Words have meanings and politicians who want to control your life know that. The text of the message addressed the fact that the switch from using “global warming” to “climate change” was not a coincidence. Well, Duh! Words were invented because sign language was rather limiting in carrying on a conversation.The switch from using “global warming” to “climate change” was not a coincidence. Whether you call it ‘global warming’, ‘climate change’, ‘environmental activism’, ’smog’, or whatever else you think of is not the issue that needs to be addressed?

In 1960 when John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, ran for president, anti-Kennedy politicos warned that if he won the election, the country would end up being run by the pope. By golly, they were right. A few years later, Pres. Ronald Reagan established an embassy in the Vatican and sent an ambassador there, a practice that has continued to this day.

Now, as President Obama is pushing for a reconciliation vote on the troubled health care reform bill, which has in truth become a health-insurance reform bill, members of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are reenergizing their efforts to kill reform if, in their words, reform does not “…truly protect the life, dignity, conscience and health of all.” Translated, this means the health reform bill should ignore the needs of women who want their insurance to cover elective abortions. In fact, the bishops gave themselves away when they wrote in a Jan. 26, 2010, letter to Congress, “Disappointingly, the Senate-passed bill in particular does not meet our moral criteria on life and conscience.”

"Spurred by a warming climate, daily record high temperatures occurred twice as often as record lows over the last decade across the continental United States, new research shows. The ratio of record highs to lows is likely to increase dramatically in coming decades if emissions of greenhouse gases continue to climb." -- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder CO. Nov. 12, 2009

My to-do list never seems to end. Sometimes I have to realize my workload will never go away no matter how hard I try and recognize visiting the programs are sometimes the best thing I can do.

At lunchtime, I decided to check out our LOL (Ladies Oxygen Luncheon) led by Dr. Rhonda, a pediatrician in our clinic. LOL is an opportunity for current, future, and seasoned parents to come together and talk about different parenting and relationship issues. The number and variety of women at the luncheon were impressive--a young mother, pregnant with her 3rd...a couple of mother/daughter pairs...grandparents. Some parents came on their lunch breaks. I was encouraged by the attendance. Our CEO once told me, "people vote with their feet." It seems to me the parents in our community are voting.

Those of you who have followed the stories I've written here (such as this one) regarding Mabel Rawlinson may remember that finally last summer President Obama signed a bill authorizing the U.S. Congress to award her with a Congressional Gold Medal.

In World War II, over 1,100 women, called the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), were trained to fly for the Air Force. All 1,100 of the WASP will be honorees at the ceremony this week in Washington DC.

Of course, Mabel won't be there. I will go in her place. Mabel died in 1943 in the cockpit of her Air Force bomber. Only 38 of these brave women died in service to the country. My mother's sister, Mabel Rawlinson, was one of those 38 fallen heroes.

Wednesday morning, my heart will be heavy as I enter the United States Capitol building.

There are poems and there are POEMS. The kind you learned in elementary school and remain with you, for good or bad, defining, for many, a genre that should be avoided at all costs. Or the kind that hit you straight in the gut and remind you, if you are lucky enough to have gotten this far, just how powerful words can be.

For those of you who are in the latter group – clinging to those gut-wrenching, mind-bending poems you just can’t get out of your mind – Split This Rock Poetry Festival, to be held right here in DC, you’ll want to put on your literary calendar.

Billed as a celebration of “poetry’s power as an agent of change,” Split This Rock brings together poets, artists and social activists from across the country – indeed, from across the globe – in a gathering whose goal is to pull the rigid chains of the political establishment. And what better place to do this than at the gravitational center of world power.

Last week an internal Republican National Committee document was leaked that was put together by the finance director. In the document low dollar donors are said to be reactionary and motivated by fear.

High dollar donors are said to be motivated by their egos...

When outgoing Republican Senator, Jim Bunning (KY), blocked unanimous consent for an extension of unemployment benefits and highway funds last week, the only explanation he would give is that the bill was not paid for. Democrats, and even many Republicans, were quick to charge him with inconsistency. In the past Bunning voted for the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq war, and many other things that were not paid for. Recently, he even voted against running Congress on a pay-as-you-go basis. So his recent stand against helping victims of the economic crisis, because it is not paid for, seems inconsistent.

I'll grant that his recent stand is silly, and immoral; but maybe it is not inconsistent. Maybe his guiding principle is that Congress should insist on pay-as-you-go only when there is a chance that they might help poor people more than rich people. Or maybe he thinks that Congress should insist on pay-as-you-go only when there is a chance that they might make Democrats look good. Or maybe, as John McCain and some of Bunning's other supporters suggest, his recent stand is not necessarily bad just because it is inconsistent. Maybe he changed his mind about pay-as-you-go, recently. Despite what pundits say, changing your mind is not necessarily a bad thing: we couldn't mentally grow beyond two or three years old if we couldn't change our minds.

In the Long Beach area, a grassroots and coalition campaign is taking place to clean up the air pollution and poverty in the local seaports. The air around the seaports is dirty because port truck drivers earn too little to buy trucks that would belch out fewer diesel particulates, tiny particles that contribute to cancer and asthma.

The Teamsters union, environmental groups, and local residents have teamed up to form a group called the Coalition for a Clean and Safe Ports to persuade the Port of Los Angeles to adopt a far-reaching plan that bars old trucks from hauling cargo from the port and to find a way to buy new vehicles.

A study found that drivers earn around $9.50 an hour, ninety five percent do not have retirement benefits, and only ten percent have health insurance. Truckers work over 11 hours a day on average, and many work 14 hours or more. Most of these truck drivers live in the neighborhoods surrounding the seaports, and they and their families are deeply affected by the dirty air from the trucks.

According to The Star, "Women in the Middle East have broken down some educational barriers, secured a bigger economic role and won other rights in the past five years but still suffer great inequalities, a study showed."

Fifteen of 18 countries in the poll recorded gains in women's rights in the period, notably in Kuwait, Algeria and Jordan, United States-based group Freedom House said.

Wow!

Lately, a lot of focus has been given to the plight of the big national newspapers that have dominated the media over the past several decades. Part of my work in the library is handling the newspapers that the library subscribes to, and in the past year, several newspapers have folded as a result of declining subscriptions and a younger generation that gets its news from the internet. Those major newspapers that are surviving seem to be getting thinner, as the newspapers have cut staff to adjust to declining revenues. I've been reading interviews of political cartoonists, a profession that has been affected by the decline in readership, as the major newspapers are the main avenues of many of their work. Many political cartoonists have lost their jobs, as well as the reporters and other people in the newspaper industry.

While the major newspapers are declining, a silver lining may be the rise in local and specialized newspapers that aim at a more specialized or local market. While the major newspapers fight with the internet to deliver national news, local papers seem more able to deliver local news that are often ignored by bigger papers. I contribute cartoons for the Tri-City Voice, a wonderful smaller newspaper that reports news in the Milpitas, Newark, Union City, Fremont, and Sunol areas of the Bay Area in California. Under the radar of the two major papers in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News, smaller papers like the Mountain View Voice, the Palo Alto Weekly, the Sunnyvale Sun, and the Los Altos Town Crier are popular in their particular cities and give important information about their neighborhoods and local politics.

Here are the final collection of quotes from The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care:

Which inequalities will society tolerate? Is it acceptable that some people are left to die because they can’t see a doctor when they get sick? That question encompasses a more basic question: Is health care a human right?... Is medicine a commodity to be bought and sold, a product like a car, a computer, a camera?... The creation of a national health care system involves political, economic, and medical decisions, but the primary decision to be made is a moral one (p. 212).

Twenty two thousand Americans (USA) die each year from treatable diseases (because they do not have health care) (p. 217).

Does a wealthy country have an ethical obligation to provide access to health care for everybody? Do we want to live in a society that lets tens of thousands of our neighbors die each year, and hundreds of thousands face financial ruin, because they can’t afford medical care when they’re sick?... Every developed country except the United States has reached the same conclusion: Everybody should have access to medical care. Having made that decision, the other nations have organized health care systems to meet that fundamental moral goal. ...

At the start of the twenty-first century, the world’s richest and most powerful nation does not have the world’s best health care system. But we could… We can heal America’s ailing health care system – and the world’s other industrialized democracies can show us how to do it (p. 239).

U.N. Female Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro on Monday during the opening of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting acknowledged more action is needed to help countries advance gender equality and women's empowerment, VOA News reports.

"More and more people now understand that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is not just a goal in itself, but a key to sustainable development, economic growth, and peace and security," Migiro told delegates, according to U.N. News Centre.