Thursday, February 28, 2019

"Me Too" Not Relevant in Rural Nevada, Trump Supporter Prevails

In a small county in rural northern Nevada, Melanie Keener was once the second-most powerful person in law enforcement. But since reporting the sheriff for sexual harassment, her nearly 20-year law enforcement career has been ruined. The county administrator said in court proceedings that there have been "numerous" complaints against the sheriff. 

And how is the boss doing? Great as you might imagine. Gerald Antinoro, known as Jerry, has never been prosecuted for a crime.

Antinoro gets his inspiration from his hero Donald Trump. On the bookshelf nearby his desk is a framed picture of him and President Trump. He said he related to Trump because he was accused of so many "false" things driven, he said, by political vendettas.

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/27/695230044/coming-forward-has-broke-me-metoo-movement-comes-to-rural-nevada

Chicago to Have It's First Black Female Mayor

No matter whether she is a self-described political outsider who has never run for office or a longtime city alderman and chair of the county's Democratic Party, Chicago will have its first female African American mayor, with either former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot or Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. 

The two women beat out 12 other candidates, including the well-funded William Daley, whose father and brother each served as mayor for over 20 years. Daley, who spent millions more than the other candidates, came in third.

Lightfoot has highlighted her sexual orientation, touting the possibility of becoming the first openly gay mayor of Chicago. "I'm running for mayor to build a Chicago City government that represents and defends every person, no matter their race, gender, or sexual orientation," she said.

The United Methodist Church voted this week not to allow anyone like Lightfoot to be a clergy member, or to allow any of their clergy to perform a marriage for anyone of her sexual orientation. So out of touch.

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/27/698450630/chicago-to-get-its-first-black-female-mayor-both-candidates-head-to-runoff

Menstruation - More Discussion Along with Questions with Academy Award

A 26-minute film that profiles women in an Indian village who band together to manufacture affordable menstrual pads received an Academy Award for best documentary short. 

But for women across the world, we know that the problems and discrimination we face related to being the biological bearers of children goes way past having menstrual products available. 

An NPR article about the movie, Period. End of Sentence, discusses lack of hygiene in schools, frequency of girls' leaving school at puberty, restrictions from families because of perceived possible pregnancy, missing classes at school, forced isolation of not being able to go to temples and not being able to cook, etc.

We can only imagine how menstruation would be viewed if men instead of women menstruated. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/02/28/694733979/a-period-movie-won-the-oscar-so-why-are-some-menstrual-health-experts-ambivalent

Wehner: Republicans Will Go After Anyone Who Is A Threat to Trump

Peter Wehner's opinion piece in the New York Times entitled "Republican Sink Further Into Trump's Cesspool" is a classic. He states that what the Republicans did not say during Michael Cohen's testimony in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform says more about them than what he did say.

"Republicans on the committee tried to destroy the credibility of (Cohen's) testimony, not because they believe that the testimony is false, but because they fear it is true."

People on the top of hierarchies and their supporters fabricate incredible lies and mistruths in order to keep hierarchies going, and rationalize away any problems in doing so.

"Republicans are dedicated to annihilating truth in order to defend Mr. Trump and they will go after anyone, from Mr. Cohen to Robert Mueller, who is a threat to him."

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/opinion/cohen-trump-loyalty.html

United Methodist Church - On the Wrong Side of History

The United Methodist Church this week placed itself firmly in the ranks of people clinging to hierarchies as it rejected the One Church Plan, a measure what would have erased the denomination's restrictions on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriages. At a special session of the church's General Conference held in St. Louis, the vote was 438 to 384 to uphold the Traditional Plan.

Traditional in this case, of course, means traditional hierarchies, where heterosexual relationships, limited to those heterosexual relationships deemed appropriate by this religious body, are acceptable. Everyone else is pushed so far down their hierarchy that they aren't even recognized.

Our sympathies go out to those people at the conference who tried so hard to bring the United Methodist Church into the 21st century. We know they are very disappointed, and are worried about the future of the denomination in a time when hierarchies are crumbling elsewhere, and people holding on to the past seem more and more out of touch.

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/26/698188343/united-methodist-church-votes-to-keep-bans-on-same-sex-weddings-lgbtq-clergy

First Female Chief Ranger at Great Smokey Mountains National Park

Chattanooga native Lisa Lendy will become the Great Smokey Mountains National Park's first female chief ranger. Currently the chief ranger at Big Bend National Park in Texas, she will oversee the division of the park the performs law enforcement duties, wildland fire operations, emergency medical services, search and rescue operations, and backcountry operations.

Ms. Hendy is a certified paramedic, firefighter, aviation manager and a swiftwater rescuer.

At the time when hierarchy supporters are trying so hard to gain real ground, breaking down the hierarchies they support continues to happen every day.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/27/us/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-female-chief-ranger-trnd/index.html