Critical Thinking In Utah

Utah Valley State College has invited film maker Michael Moore to speak to its student body. This is so controversial that a panel discussion about Moore's appearance was packed. One item from the Salt Lake Tribune's account of the meeting astounded us:

"Kay Anderson, father of a UVSC student who lives next to Sederburg, called his appearance an insult to the community. 'I should not have to send my children to a private university to get a conservative education when I live in a conservative community and have a state college in my back yard that is paid for by conservative taxpayers and donors,' he said. 'A balanced education does not require we teach our children to be so open-minded that their brains fall out.'

Anderson held up a cashier's check for $25,000 to help restoke student-body coffers if student President Jim Bassi and Vice President Joe Vogel rescind the Moore invitation.

But Anderson's offer drew hisses and boos from the capacity crowd. Even a petition to recall the two student leaders reportedly has stalled."
excerpt: Salt Lake Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2418051

Two things are astonishing, one of them gravely disturbing. First, the expectation that a public university, subject to state and federal guidelines, will provide the same philisophical approach to education as a private college or university.

Second, and this is the disturbing part, the idea that being open-minded is a bad thing. We at The Thinking Woman were taught that anything worthwhile will hold up to challenge and scrutiny. We were sent to college with the hopes of our developing that skill. Certainly this applies to religious faith and should apply to all areas of life. Like it or not, all adults ultimately form their own set of values. What we learn from our parents will not leave us.

But try to insulate, to discriminate, to isolate, can backfire so that children will reject the very core values their parents hold sacred.

It's not the children's brains but their values we're worried about.

What Do Women Want? An Open Letter To Senator John Kerry (D-MA)

Dear Senator Kerry,

There has been a lot written in the press lately about how you are losing women’s votes. As two women who represent your Democratic core, we would like to tell you what we, as women, want to hear.

While we’re proud that as a son of privilege you volunteered for Vietnam, we’re sick of hearing about it. Ditto all the allegations about George W. Bush shirking his military service. It’s time to give up this nonsense. It has little impact on our lives today. Frankly, we’re sick of it and it’s making the two of you look like spiteful little boys, not accomplished men.

As Democrats, we want you to keep asking and demanding the answer to: “Are you really better off than you were four years ago?”

We need to hear how you are going to keep us safe. Not broad promises but actual plans where you tell us (in laymen’s terms) what you will do to achieve your goals.

We need to hear what you are going to do so that we can have what we need to take care of our children. Talk to us about how you are going bolster the economy and support small businesses, a great many of which are run by women. Tell us how we can be sure our children will be fed, well educated and have their medical needs looked after.

Tell us how we can find and keep a home if we are poor. Tell us what you will do when we are left without a man in our lives, especially the majority of us who will outlive our mates. Tell us that your plans to make sure we won’t spend our old age living in a closet eating cat food.

We need to hear optimism. Yes, “Hope is on the Way” is an uplifting slogan, but we also need to hear creativity. What new ideas have you come up with that will give us reason to believe that hope really is on the way?

We need to see the real you. You are still pretty much a tall cipher with great hair, a winning smile and a rich wife. We don’t know you and as women we are very interested in what makes a person tick. We are also appreciative of men who make us feel safe because they are honorable, decent and kind. If you are these things, show us.

Lastly, treat us as intelligent human beings and you’ll win our confidence. Treat our concerns seriously and you’ll win our respect. Treat our needs as an important part of your campaign and you’ll win our vote. That’s what women want. It couldn’t be any simpler than that.

Sincerely,
The Thinking Women

A brief discussion of various styles of primaries

Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the California open primary was unconstitutional, other states have had to revise their approaches to their primaries. Here, briefly, is a general explanation of some of the various primaries:

"Blanket" primary
A blanket primary is similar to a general election. Voters can jump around on the ballot, voting for whom they choose. The idea behind this form of primary is to allow people to choose the candidate they most prefer, giving party affiliation little importance. Candidates are still associated with a party, and each party's candidate with the most votes (in a contested primary) moves on to be that party's candidate in the general election in November. Until the Supreme Court rule it as unconstitutional, this system was used in Washington, California and Alaska.

"Closed" Primary
Most states use a primary system in which voters can select only within a party. In some states, a voter has to actually register as a party member in order to vote in that party's primary. Whether or not a voter registers a party affiliation, at the polling place the voter must "declare" a party to vote, either to receive the proper ballot, or to have the voting machine set to prevent "crossing over." This system is disliked because, especially in small communities, the anonimity of one's party affiliation can be questionable. This problem is often alleviated by printing all parties on one ballot, with the choices made completely in the voting booth.

Louisiana System
In Louisiana, voters can choose any candidate from any political party in the opening round of voting. If one candidate wins a majority of votes cast, that candidate is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two vote-getters -- regardless of party affiliation -- move on to the general election.

Every woman should register -- and vote

Women make up 51 percent of eligible voters. Yet 50 million women did not vote in the last election.

Not even a hundred years ago, women marched, protested the office of the president, and were unconstitutionally arrested, imprisoned and brutalized as part of the effort to win women the right to vote. Their argument? Taxation without representation is unconstitutional.

Any person eligible who does not register and take the time to vote is essentially being taxed without representation. We as women should honor the women who worked tirelessly to gain us the right to vote by voting our consciences. Many of these pioneers never lived to exercise their right.

This Saturday, a progressive coalition called America Votes will register as many people as possible, especially women, on what they are calling a National Women's Election Action Day. We at The Thinking Woman support and applaud this large-scale effort to register every eligible voter.

Of course, you don't have to be a progressive to vote. No matter what your political philosophy, make certain you are legally registered to vote. Check with your secretary of state's office or local voter registration office to verify that you are registered. If you are not, make sure you register in time for the November election. The deadline on this varies from state to state, so inquire now.

Let's make this year the year that the president was elected by a true representation of voters.

Remember, not voting is akin to taxation without representation.

• Women Should Vote Because:*
  We are 51 percent of the population, and with this majority voice we CAN influence the direction of critical policies important to us -- like childcare, choice, personal safety, economic security and a healthy environment.
• We are not effectively exercising our hard-earned constitutional right. 22 million registered unmarried women did not vote in the last election. And more than 50 million eligible women -- married and unmarried -- are not even registered to vote.
• A poll last year of some 3,000 women of diverse backgrounds conducted by the women’s voting project Women's Voices, Women's Votes found that 65 percent of the women polled believe this country is going in the wrong direction.
• Based on the findings of a recent survey by Business and Professional Women USA, retirement security, job opportunity, good schools and housing costs are all of HIGHER importance to women than homeland security.
• Voting statistics among all women can be improved. According to the U.S. Census bureau in 2000, some 30 percent of eligible women were not registered to vote.
• Registering is only half the battle. Almost half of registered unmarried women don't vote. If they turned out in numbers, unmarried women would be the largest voting bloc and would be the deciding "X" factor in close elections.

*from MOVEONPAC

Just what we don't need...digital women as pinups

The Associated Press recently reported that Playboy will be featuring (female) video game characters as pinups:

Playboy is taking a chance on silicon instead of silicone. The October issue of the men's magazine features several video game characters posing in the nude -- images created by the game companies through detailed computer illustration.

"Hopefully, the purists won't get too bent out of shape. This is just the next version of the pinup," said Playboy senior editor Scott Alexander, who developed the project.
The computerized models are part of the magazine's video game preview, titled "Gaming Grows Up." The five-page section starts with a topless image of the half-vampire, half-human title character from "BloodRayne," a leather-clad woman who fights with 3-foot blades attached to her arms...Digital women could become a regular feature if readers approve.

Now, we at The Thinking Woman are firm supporters of the freedom of the press. But this goes too far.

We can argue that digital pinups already exist. It's widely known that Playboy has been using air brushing for years to bring perfection to their pinups. But air brushing, digital enhancement and other techniques are commonly used in many publications to make models and celebrities alike look "perfect." So why not take it one step further, and eliminate the real person? Just create the impossibly ideal woman -- don't forget the weaponry! -- and fantasize about her, instead.

Of course, Playboy for years has been publishing erotic drawings and paintings. But here's the difference: A picture stays a picture, and remains a piece of paper. A digital person can be animated to move, talk, and live in such a realistic world that they can become as real a character as any created by an actor on film.

Let's be realistic. A large portion of Playboy's readership is under age 18. Do we really want our sons thinking this is an achievable norm? It puts even more pressure on our daughters, in a society already unhealthily fixated on appearence, to try to achieve an impossible-for-most body image.

At a time in life when boys and girls should be developing relationship skills, they do not need to have the additional pressure of competing with a fantasy woman.

Ralph Nader's list of issues link

http://www.votenader.org/issues/index_home.php

Democratic Party Platform link

http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf

Please note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader for this link. If you are unable to access, please let us know and we will help you find the text.

Republican Party Platform link

Full text: http://www.gop.com/About/PartyPlatform/Default.aspx

The importance of Platforms

We have heard John Kerry and George W. Bush speak at their respective conventions. And both will be doing a lot of persuasive speaking in coming weeks up to the election. And both sides will spend millions on advertising, trying to convince us to vote for their candidate.

But when we make our choice, we need to go beyond the campaign rhetoric. It is important to read the platforms of the parties, because a party's nominee is pledged to uphold the party's platform and represent not just himself, but the approved agenda of his or her party.

That is why The Thinking Woman is publishing links to the full text for the platforms for the two parties along with a link to Ralph Nader's list of issues. (We have been unable to find the full text as yet of his party platform.)

At this time we are not including the platforms for other parties, but that may change in the coming weeks.

It is a lot of reading, but please take the time to read the platforms. These, more than anything else, will tell you exactly where the candidates stand.