This is a backup blog…

this must have been a book review

subj. 1947 report on Segregation -applies to Developing mkts today

“The Economic Reason

One of the principal economic problems facing us and the rest of the world is achieving maximum production and continued prosperity. The loss of a huge, potential market for goods is a direct result of the economic discrimination which is practiced against many of our minority groups. A sort of vicious circle is produced. Discrimination depresses the wages and income of minority groups. As a result, their purchasing power is curtailed and markets are reduced. Reduced markets result in reduced production. This cuts down employment, which of course means lower wages and still fewer job opportunities. Rising fear, prejudice, and insecurity aggravate the very discrimination in employment which sets the vicious circle in motion.

Minority groups are not the sole victims of this economic waste; its impact is inevitably felt by the entire population. Eric Johnston,

[142]

“

Nice graphic here: P. 143

from: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/civilrights/srights4.htm#139

These explanations of how segregation impacted the US economy apply equally to how resource drain from Developing (fka Third World) economies impacts the world economy. This is the chief ECONOMIC reason that we need Fair Trade and equal exchange laws. All the world suffers when part of the world is denied equality, via policy or path dependent history, as the case may be, we urgently need to cooperate and share with the entire world our technologies and our resources because unless we do so, we are all limited.
Peace,
Shira

or so I thought…

“Marriage and community: the real true meaning importance of same-sex marriage and or why society we must should support all marriages.”

society exists to facilitate the maximization of potential of each member of society.

Couples give more to society if the community (society in miniature, molded to a group) support and encourage the couple to stay together and contribute as a stable couple to society.

A synergistic relationship forms where the couple gives more to the community, and is in turn reinforced by the community, enabling them to be more effective both as a couple and as members of the community. Both members of the couple and the community are able to accomplish more through this mutually beneficial relationship.

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“Keep Us Safe”: Why Cooperative Community is what we need to be building

Marriage, for all couples, strengthens communities and creates synergistic relationships which keep us safe

Economic Democracy, which as Dr. King pointed out, is the only true means of both riot prevention and thus of lasting social stability, requires a high level of cooperation

Preventing torture and sensless killings, such as that of Travon Williams, depends on the existence and maintainance of respect and trust within and between communities such that that can then cooperate effectively to prevent the dehumanization and hate crimes which ultimately result from lack of understanding and cooperative interaction between indivuduals and communities

Marriage Cooperative. The idea is that single people looking for spouses form a group and take turns being the match-maker for each other. Each single person would find 4 trusted long-term friends/family to form his/her “marriage panel”. That panel of 4 persons would be empowered to look over the match-maker´s possibile matches for the single person, and then meet with the marriage panels of the possible dating candidates. The match-maker and both marriage panels then meet and discuss the match before the two singles are introduced to each other. That way at least 8 people who know the two singles have a chance to agree on whether those two could form a healthy happy marriage, and there are 9 people guarranteed to support the marriage.
Thoughts?

know your rights and tell everyone, at the right time…

depression leads to poor decisions…

poems on how

We Die Willingly

should be read and cited before marriage as a reason to stop the wedding…

certainly if anyone had read my poem…

in the General´s West Point address, which I first read and found so inspiring as a cadet in both the Civil Air Patrol and Dunbar´s Jr. ROTC batallion. The text is available here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/1068922/posts That speech and the ideals it represents may be what got me kicked out of Annapolis, in fact. When I arrived at the Naval Academy, I expected the ideas I had been taught as a cadet to continue to the Brigade of Midshipmen and to the officer corps: Nobless Oblige, defend and support the weak, work together to serve the ideals that make our democracy great. But I found a very different reality there, and in questioning, earned the ire of both my upper classmen and several of my classmates to boot. Contemplating the meaning of friendship, and the twilight of one´s life, I find that I have been told that I was out of touch, or had my head in the clouds, or lived life as the world should be rather than as it really is, been called a Crusader, over and over. The courage of my convictions remains with me, yet I tire of the struggle. What do I want from my life? Only to make that contribution which only I can make, to be a bridge, to help re-create the cooperation which existed, not only between communities here in DC, but to inspire people to recall and rebuild what was old Al Andalus, and the cooperation of La Convivencia. To gather and encourage people of good will and decency to promote cooperation and community for the sake of us all. Peace, Shira 2013-06-18 My overall Mission: To build a community of friends comitted to making a lasting difference in the world. I try to live so that others do not have to suffer. Universal Health Care, a “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UifIPnDaCVA” Basic Income for all, and more Intentional Community would all go a long way, I believe, toward creating a more caring and healthy world. On an individual level, I am forming the DC Eco-Tourism Cooperative (Still true…) Read, Write, Dream, Teach ! ShiraDest 22 February, 12016 HE

I suppose you have never lived through a situation where death became preferrable, and the situation had been created by people who claimed to be helping you? I have, and believe me, risking your life to go somewhere else and help your family live is preferable to living in a war zone, as El Salvador and much of Latin America have been, due to the democratically elected governments that our CIA has a habit of regularly otherthrowing. So, in a way, someone did hold a gun to their heads and force them to come up north. It was US.

Also, although this was not part of our original conversation, those who know me, know that I do not wear jewlery of any kind. When my partner many years ago wanted to buy me diamond earrings (when I have never had any pierced body parts in my life, and pointed out that I did not intend to pierce my ears for this dubious gift), I refused. Possibly contributing to the demise of the relationship. I pointed out then, those fifteen years ago, that conflict diamonds were a stain on the conscience of the world, but apparently it needed to be dramatized in cinematic form with the new flashier name of blood diamonds for anyone to notice.

Thank you for making my points.
Shira

This was written 20 years after the events described. Even then, I couldn’t eat for days. 20 years spent repressing this memory…

“Honor Stolen, Honor to be Avenged”

He had humbled me, taking my honor from me, declaring me his wife. Taken from me my virtue, my obedience, taking my reason and even my will, nearly my life. When I could withstand the pain no longer, and cared not whether I lived or died, as he said I would, I cried out. Not to his God, but to my teacher, a woman of valor. Now, five years later, he had seen me, telling me he forgave me for ruining his life, and putting his arm around me, told me that he wanted me back. That I was still, and always would be, his. Destined to have his children. Destined to obey him. I said, feeling the stiff collar of my uniform, that I had always only wanted this, his arm around me, his affection, this was all I ever wanted. And he sneered, pushing me away, anger and punishment written in his face, as when he pushed my head toward his manhood, ordering me to put my mouth where I would rather have vomitted. He had pushed me then, too, away, but then fallen atop me, not stopping until the pain was all I could see. Now, the pain was emotional, rejected by the one person who had taken my honor, and now derisively denigrated me, refusing even to respect the rank I wore, so hard earned, on my sharply creased Class A daily dress uniform. My status as an officer meant nothing, as had my pain, my wishes, my belief in his promises, his prophecies, my obedience, to him. My faith, never enough, was now entirely broken, symbolized by the officer´s rank on my uniform. I straightened my posture, lifted my head, as I boarded the train, and he watched, leering.

Now, five years later, in a library, where I had always thought myself safe, here he was. Appearing out of nowhere, advancing toward me, demanding to be heard. I fled his angry eyes, his voice, that same tone, the same smell as each time he would grapple me to the floor, my face still stinging from his slaps, pressing the breath out of me as he reminded me never to question him, the pain beginning afresh, grating as he tore in, once again, to where he hoped to force my body to bear him fruit. I ran to the stairs, my books thrown in my bag hastily over my shoulder, as I prayed he could not follow before I found shelter, reliving the feeling of his weight crushing me into the floor, searing my birth canal, now forever closed. I fled, humiliated, vowing to leave even at the cost of losing a scholarship that had granted me life, not knowing how I would survive now, not halfway through my studies. This scholarship had given me hope, purpose, a way to live. Now, the monster who was to protect me, get me out of the frying pan and into school, putting me into a caldron of his own instead, had returned, for me. How many times would he return, seeming more angry each time, and why now, when I was nearly on track again, steering my course to a life of meaning, succeeding and planning to live. To give back to the community, contribute and make others proud. Where could I go that he would not find me, again advancing upon me? Not in a uniform, this time, I felt lost, as I ran, without any cover, source of strength to fall back upon, to hide from this disgrace.

poisoning myself…

FaithOverFearOfLosingAnger

-It´s what´s been wearing you out all of this fucking time, eating away at you.

-Yes, I know, I knaw at my insides every goddamned day, and I know that! I can see it. but that does not change the fact that I still feel the pain, and am afraid of losing the anger, caving in to the fear, and bowing down to this abominable system, becoming a vacuous fool just like everybody else. Like everybody else who needs a cause to look for, some good deed to do, and merely joins a campaign or volunteers for the advocacy group of the month, raises money for some group that helps those affected by what he or she also has, cancer, whathave you. Even in our giving we are selfish, and I do not want to devolve to that.

-So your anger gives you a real cause, a worthy cause, something real against which to do battle.

-My anger gives me a reason to hope. To keep going, to fight for solutions to the real problems, the underlying causes that everyone else is overlooking, out of ignorance or often sheer unwillingness. It gives me focus, and strength.

-It is tearing you apart. You must see that. You fear of losing the sense of outrage is holding you back from living. Yes, accepting that this abuse happened, and letting go of the anger, even letting go of your pain, can be a frightening thing, for a kind hearted person, which you are. I understand your fear of losing that righteous anger, and of accepting the world as a mediocre and squalid place. I get that, how without trying to change it, releasing your pain can be almost as bad as denying the pain of the abuse itself. The fear of becoming a vapid and vacous superficial part of the ME and NOW world, like the rest of society is understandble, can make becoming a vigilante almost seem like a good idea by contrast, at times. But you have to let it go. You are letting them win. Dead or alive, for over twenty years now, you have been the one suffering and envenenandote, poisoning yourself from the inside out, feeding on the bitter wormwood of your own abuse. It has to end, and only you can make that happen.

-But how?! How to let go of the pain and anger without becoming a simpering idiot like the majority of people? How to keep a focus on making this world a place worth living when for many people it is not, and never will be? How to accept that one has been given a measure of good luck, through intelligence or fortitude or beauty, and that these things are not a curse, meant to drive home all the more the ultimate worthlessness of life? How can one enjoy when there is so much suffering and evil out there? And it really is out there. Not just for me. It did not happen only to me, but to many people like me. Vulnerable, stuck, apart, outside, other. My brains and will and looks may have bought me entrance into another world, but only partially, and no one I have ever met both understands and can withstand my past. So how do I ever manage to stop being alone when everyone is afraid of me, because of what I have survived?

-That my friend, is where faith comes in. You must have faith in something, be it G-d, your Creatrix, the Universe, or even Linus´ bedraggled security blanket. You need something to hold on to besides the cold but true logic that this world is a random and capricious place in which anything can happen. I know, I know, -holding up a hand -Hear me out. Even if it is true, and this world is a place where fairness is often a fairy tale, but you still need to have hope, and that is what faith can give you. Hope in the idea of hope. Keep trying, because if you give up, the world will never get any better. That paradigm shift you are looking for needs a visionary to put the idea out there, ready for when the time comes, and it actually becomes possible. Keep striving.