Views in brief
A bill to punish poor students
TENNESSEE BILL SB 132, proposed in late January, would link welfare benefits and student's grades.
Proposed earlier this year, the bill is part of an attack on education and struggling communities of color. Republican Rep. Stacy Campfield is urging that family welfare benefits be deducted based on a student's attendance, grade-level progression and standardized test scores. A provision in the bill would exempt students with disabilities from upholding these academic requirements.
This legislation would take more resources away from struggling communities by basing assistance on student achievement in underfunded schools. These schools have been under attack due to No Child Left Behind and the increase in standardized tests.
Working-class communities and schools are the ones most in need of support systems through various forms of funding and resources; SB 132 would place added economic strains on such communities. Campfield's legislation also is another way to target schools, teachers and unions by finding new ways to build momentum against them in the push toward union-busting and privatization.
Campfield is creating a blatant racial and economic attack on communities of color in the state of Tennessee. Basing a family's welfare benefits on the academic standing of their children makes no logical sense. This is especially harmful to English Language Learners, whom are already at a disadvantage when it comes to education due to the lack of assistance that they are provided with.
The bill would further prohibit immigrants from accessing educational and social support systems and would place even more pressure on students already faced with discrimination.
Stacy Campfield is proposing yet another hurdle for struggling working-class families, schools and communities.
Stephanie Brown, Amherst, Mass.
Who's stopping R.I. marriage equality?
ON THE night of March 21, Rhode Islanders flocked to the State House to testify for--and against--marriage equality. Testimony started shortly after 4 p.m. and did not end until nearly 5 a.m. the next morning.
There were some positives and negatives. On the negative side, unfortunately, have been the tactics from the group "Rhode Islanders United for Marriage," which supports marriage equality.
These tactics revolve around constantly lobbying the Rhode Island legislature. The sense of urgency around marriage equality is not felt by politicians. Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, meanwhile, has not called for what is most needed: a mass rally demanding an immediate "yes" vote on equality.
State legislators are part of the problem when it comes to marriage equality. The state Senate president, a Democrat who opposes equality, has consistently postponed a vote in the Senate in order to find a lousy compromise "deal."
Numerous compromises have been proposed that would legislate discrimination. The first is a bill that would put the question of equality on the ballot, leaving equality up to voters. Another more recent compromise would allow not only religious institutions, but also small businesses, to be exempt from recognizing same-sex marriages.
These compromises, sellouts and setbacks are from Rhode Island's almost entirely Democratic legislature.
However, Gov. Lincoln Chaffee, a Republican-turned-liberal-Independent, has testified in favor of equality and said he will veto these measures.
Democrats, including Rep. Arthur Handy, gave some of the most bigoted testimony against equality as public testimony was heard. At one point, Handy proclaimed, "I refuse to be in the closet with my Bible."
The bigots have raised their voices and have been more mobilized than the majority of the population that, according to polls, supports equality. The anti-equality forces have used clichéd arguments to insist what "God wants." They have said that marriage equality hurts children and families--with no basis to back up their claims.
But marriage equality does have the support of some priests, rabbis and, most importantly, the wider public.
Rhode Islanders have fought for more than 10 years to get the marriage equality bill out of committee for a vote. They finally did it this year. Far more grassroots pressure from the general public will be needed, however, to make sure it passes.
Rhode Island politicians may be waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on cases involving the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (signed by former
President Clinton), as well as California's anti-equality Proposition 8, before they vote.
Right now, Rhode Island is the only state left in New England that does not recognize marriage equality.
Greg Morse, Providence, R.I.
A feminist icon takes on the "dudes"
THE CLOSING event for Columbia College's recent Women's History Month celebration featured former Bikini Kill and Le Tigre singer Kathleen Hannah.
Now living in New York, Hannah presented her work in a forum titled My Art: Punk Rock Feminism and Beyond. Covering her 20-plus years of writing and performing music, as well the role that feminist politics played in her graphic designs, Hannah spoke candidly about what inspired her to become an activist and an artist.
She described the early '90s college culture of misogyny and sexual violence at her college campus in Olympia, Wash.--a place known as a "hippy, liberal arts college." Even there, women did not feel safe to walk alone to their cars, and rape and sexual harassment were a constant reminder that they were under attack.
Fast-forward to 2013, where nearly 19,000 cases of sexual assault have been reported in the U.S. military and we've been witness to the Steubenville rape case, as well as a proliferation of rape culture, media objectification and a legislative assault on women's rights and bodies--an agenda that both political parties support.
For fans of Hannah's previous musical endeavors, this presentation was particularly interesting because she guided the audience through a small window into the emergence of not only her own bands, but also the formation and demise of the "riot grrl" movement. For Hannah, it was her time volunteering with a women's shelter and her own sexual harassment that spurred her to activism.
During the presentation, Hannah was interrupted by a man sitting in the back. The first time, he spoke out while she was describing the need to create a safe space for women in a meeting called "Girl Talk." The second time, the heckler interrupted with "How tall are you?"--ironically, while Hannah was explaining the importance of female crowd participation at punk rock shows and the importance of developing a safe space for women and girls in what many considered a "boys club" at the time.
Hannah told the heckler to "get the fuck out," much to the delight and applause of the gathered crowd. "Thank you for reminding us that sexism still exists," she added.
Several audience members--men and women--stood up to remove the man, but he was quickly escorted out by college staff.
In the 20-plus years since the debut of Hannah's band Bikini Kill, two things remain abundantly clear: First, the war on women is alive and well--as is the knuckle-dragging backlash to women in punk rock. Second, a new feminist movement is desperately needed to not only prevent more Steubenville "Jane Does" and counter the full-scale assault on women's bodies, but to foster new Bikini Kills, new Le Tigres and other new forms of radical women's art in a subculture dominated by "dudes."
Shane Johnson, Columbia, Mo.
Struggling to keep my health care
IN RESPONSE to "The sickening cost of health care": I pay one-third of my income in health insurance. I have a chronic bad back, which was suppose to have been covered by a workers' compensation claim.
Having a bad back makes it difficult to find work, and thus difficult to pay for medical bills.
When price gouging occurs, my insurance goes up. Soon I won't be able to buy insurance I can afford.
Sometimes my condition is so bad that I have to seek emergency treatment, which is very expensive. I don't want to go without insurance.
So I definitely agree with this article, which makes people aware of the sickening cost of health care. We need to be informed in order to fight a system that makes so many people suffer needlessly.
Bonnie Ford, Gresham, Ore.
Michelle Rhee's real agenda
IN RESPONSE to "A challenge to Michelle Rhee": Thank you, Jesse Hagioplan, for seeing Michelle Rhee for what she is and for spreading the word from out in Seattle. We here in Washington, D.C., where Rhee was chancellor of public schools, have been on to her for years.
Her greatest skill among many (e.g., bullying, manipulating and misrepresenting statistics, making a good first impression) is lying with a straight face. Unfortunately for her, the facts are catching up with her and following her around the country.
The big question is why do the billionaire corporate reformers still support her? Certainly they are smart enough to see that her brand is tarnished and can't help them for much longer. What will happen will they determine that she is of no further use to them?
Anonymous, Washington, D.C.
