Parity-the state or condition of being the same
in power, value, rank, equality.

The Invisible Injuries of the Invisible Ranks Friday 02 January 2009 by: Carissa S. Pickard, t r u t h o u t | Perspective Expectations I never expected it to be so damn windy in Texas. I expected it to be still, dry and hot - something like Arizona, maybe. Of course, nothing is really what I expected it to be when I married Caynan. I never expected to feel so lonely, so isolated, so out-of-place and out of sorts all the time, always in that in-between place of neither here nor there, neither this nor that. As an Army wife (excuse me, as six percent are male, Army "spouse"), you are no longer a civilian, but you are not a soldier either. I don't know what military life was like before 9/11, but I can tell you what it is like now: and it isn't quirky and wacky and "just like civilian life but different." There is a reason Sarah Smiley (a female Dave Barry) is a Navy wife and Jenny (the cartoon) is an airman's wife: Army and Marine wives have less to laugh about. In March 2008, The Associated Press reported that 72 percent of Iraq deaths were Army, 24 percent were Marine, two percent were Navy and one percent was Air Force. These percentages obviously reflect who is being deployed the most; i.e., who is being exposed to combat and who isn't. However, there is not a huge difference in the overall size of each individual branch; e.g., the Army has a little more than 500,000 active duty soldiers, the Marines have nearly 195,000 troops, and the Navy and the Air Force each have approximately 330,000 service members. Read more about The Invisible Injuries of the Invisible Ranks posted 3 January 2009

Judith Kaye’s Example Editorial Published: December 13, 2008 nytimes.com New York State’s chief judge does two daunting jobs: In addition to presiding over the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, and deciding cases, the chief judge oversees a state court system that receives more than four million filings each year. In her 15 years as chief, Judith Kaye has excelled at both, earning national praise for her jurisprudence and as a court reformer. Her mandated retirement at the end of the month, at age 70, leaves Gov. David Paterson with a high standard in choosing her successor. Judge Kaye was the first woman on the Court of Appeals and the state’s longest-serving chief judge. She is the author of hundreds of majority opinions, works of uncluttered prose that include groundbreaking decisions: holding the state accountable for failing to provide the “sound, basic education” its Constitution requires; allowing gay people to adopt their partners’ children; striking down provisions of a death penalty statute. Her dissents also exerted great influence, like her eloquent demolishing of the flawed reasoning behind the 2006 decision denying same-sex couples the freedom to marry in New York. It was cited prominently this year by the court majorities that recognized same-sex marriage in California and Connecticut. Read more about Judith Kaye’s Example posted 15 December 2008

Barack Obama, Feminist in Chief? Subject to Debate By Katha Pollitt December 3, 2008 The Nation "Can't we just be happy for five minutes?" my daughter asks when I tell her about the criticisms Barack Obama is getting from some feminists I know. "It's not that I don't care about sexism. I do! But we have four whole years to complain." Inauguration day is over a month away, but on e-mail lists I belong to, Obama's already chauvinist in chief. He made sexist theorizer Larry Summers director of the National Economic Council. He's turned Michelle Obama, a top-notch lawyer, into a stay-home helpmeet and fashion plate. Barbara Walters's interview with the Obamas comes in for special opprobrium: Barack interrupted Michelle, patronized her ("When Mama's happy, everybody's happy") and on the all-important question of what kind of puppy they would get the children, said it wasn't going to be a (uh-oh) "girly dog" like Walters's beloved Havanese. Not the best choice of words, although I'm with him on little yappy dogs. When I watched the interview on YouTube, I thought the Obamas were great together: affectionate, teasing but respectful, funny, smart, delightful. Barack came across as probably the most involved father to sit in the Senate, let alone the White House, in 200 years. Yes, he interrupted Michelle, but she also interrupted him--and Walters interrupted them both. Read more about Obama as "Chauvinist in chief" posted 13 December 2008

Civil rights beacon Odetta dead at 77 Wednesday, December 3, 2008; 8:29 AM Washington Post WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Odetta, the deep-voiced folk singer whose ballads and songs became for many a soundtrack to the American civil rights movement, has died at age 77, her manager said on Wednesday. Douglas Yeager said Odetta passed away late Tuesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, after a decade-long fight with chronic heart disease and pulmonary fibrosis in her lungs. "May Odetta's luminous spirit and volcanic voice from the heavens live on for the ages," Yeager said in a statement. "Her voice will never die." Odetta Holmes, born in Birmingham, Alabama, on December 31, 1930, told the Times in a 2007 interview the music of the Great Depression, particularly the prison songs and work songs from the fields of the deep South, helped shape her musical life. Read more about Odetta's life and contributions posted 7 December 2008

Feminism, post-election Sexism persists; witness Clinton's treatment and Palin's nomination. By Vivian Gornick November 9, 2008 For a second-wave feminist like myself, this election year has been a roller-coaster ride: exciting, and sick-making, and yet again exciting. We have seen an eminently qualified woman contend for a presidential nomination and fail, at least in part because she was demonized as a dragon lady; then we have seen a shamefully unqualified woman handed a vice presidential nomination, at least in part because she was a walking advertisement for Mrs. America. Taken together, such unforeseen events have been remarkable, especially insofar as they remind us of where we are, as a culture, in the centuries-long struggle to normalize equality for women. The second wave of American feminism is now in a period of quietude, even of setback. After nearly 40 years of noisy activity on behalf of women's rights, a large part of the country thinks the revolution's been won, another large part thinks what feminists have accomplished amounts to a drop in the bucket, and yet a third part remains irredeemably opposed to feminist values. Such an extraordinary division of viewpoint indicates that whatever the gains for women have been, they are by no means indisputable, much less guaranteed a lasting life. Read more about Feminism, post-election posted 10 November 2008

An Open Letter to Barack Obama BY ALICE WALKER | TheRoot.com Nov. 5, 2008 Dear Brother Obama, You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about. I would advise you.... Read more about Alice Walker's advice posted 7 November 2008

Quote of the Day "I remember (former Chilean) President Lagos once was so touched by something his eyes were teary and the press said 'oh, what a sensitive man'. When I do it, I am called hysterical." Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile

This is Your Nation on White Privilege September 14, 2008 By Wise, Tim Tim Wise's ZSpace Page "For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help. * White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay. * White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.? Read more about White Privilege submitted by Meredith Dean posted 20 September 2008

Presidential Policies on the Arts -Obama Has One, McCain Doesn't Although history will judge the United States on the quality of our artistic expression, there has been almost no discussion of arts policy in the mainstream coverage of the current presidential campaign. When future generations look back at us, will the U.S. be honored for its cultural achievements? How will the candidates ensure that the U.S. is an enduring inspiration to the world? There are substantial differences between the two candidates on this issue. Barack Obama has assembled a National Arts Policy Committee of 33 arts leaders (approximately half are women), and with their help he has drafted a two-page platform in support of the arts. The Democratic platform includes a plank that echoes Obama's views. In stark contrast, neither John McCain's website nor the Republican platform lists the arts as an issue. Even in the section of their platform that deals with education, the Republicans stress a "back to basics" approach and do not mention the arts. This analysis was sent to us by the Fund for Women Artists. Read more of their analysis posted 13 September 2008