Good morning!

This write says it all.

From CNN:

Why I fear for my sons

Editor’s note: Kimberly Norwood is a law professor at the Washington University School of Law and editor and co-contributor of “Color Matters: Skin Tone Bias and the Myth of a Post Racial America.” The opinions in this commentary are solely those of the writer.

(CNN) – I am a 54-year-old black woman — a mother, lawyer and law professor. I teach at the Washington University in St. Louis Law School and live 12 miles away from Ferguson, Missouri.

The median household income in my suburb is $85,000 per year. In Ferguson, it is $36,000. In my suburb, 3.5% of the people are black. In Ferguson, almost 70% are black. These are stark contrasts. Yet I share things in common with black people in Ferguson and, indeed, throughout the United States.

When I shop, I’m often either ignored as a waste of time or scrutinized as a potential shoplifter. In June, my daughter and I walked into the china and crystal department at a Macy’s department store. I was about to speak to the salesperson directly in front of me. She walked right past me to welcome the white woman behind us.

My daughter looked at me and said: “Really? Did she just ignore us?” My daughter is a young teenager at the crossroads of “skin color doesn’t matter” and “oh yes, it does.” She is in transition. I felt hurt, anger and embarrassment.

But this kind of encounter happens routinely.

Driving, I tend to have a bit of a lead foot — hitting 45 in a 35 mph zone. The few times I have been stopped in my suburb, the first question I’m asked is whether I live “around here.” Not one of my white friends has been asked that question when they were pulled over by a police officer.

Last summer, my teenage daughter was shopping with four white friends at a mall in an affluent St. Louis suburb. As they left the store, two mall security guards approached my daughter. They told her the store had called them and reported her as a shoplifter, and asked her to come with them. After a search, they found she had nothing. So far in her young life, mall security guards have stopped her on suspicion of shoplifting three times. Each time she was innocent.

I also have three sons. My two oldest are 22. They are 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-4 and each weighs more than 220 pounds. One recently graduated from college; the other will graduate in 2015. The youngest is 13. All three like to wear jeans and the latest sneakers. They love hoodies. They like looking cool. These three young men have never been arrested or even been in a fight at school.

Every time my sons leave the house, I worry about their safety. One of my sons loves to go out at night to clubs. I worry about potential unrest at the clubs — yes, black-on-black crime is a problem, and despite what many people think, black people complain about it all the time in their communities and churches and in newspapers and on radio stations.

I also worry about his drive home and his being stopped by police.

The data in Ferguson are an example of the larger picture in the St. Louis County area. Police stop, search and arrest black people at a disproportionate rate, even though they are less likely to possess contraband than white people.

This son of mine who likes to go out at night is big and tall and he has brown skin. He graduated from college in May but cannot find employment. He is an intelligent, clean-cut young man.

But the negative stereotypes automatically assigned to his skin color follow him everywhere, even in job interviews, like extra weight. It reminds me of the airline employee who asks before you can check your suitcase: Did a stranger ask you to carry something or pack your bag? In my son’s case, the answer is yes. He is carrying extra weight, unfairly, and without his knowledge or consent, packed in his luggage.

A few years ago my husband and I went on a cruise. My older boys were teenagers at the time and were taking summer enrichment classes at a school about a mile from our home. They planned to walk to school in the morning. At the top of a long list of things to do before we left for our trip was “e-mail chief of police.”

I explained to the chief that my husband and I were going on a cruise, I was a member of the community and that my two sons would be walking to school. I attached pictures of the boys, explaining that only a couple of black families lived in the neighborhood. My sons did not normally walk in the neighborhood, so they would draw attention.

I offered to bring my sons to the police department so officers could meet them. The police chief and I met and all went well.

But I’ve asked myself: How many parents of white sons have thought to add to their to-do-before-leaving-town list, “Write letter to local police department, introducing sons and attaching photos, so police do not become suspicious and harass them”?

Even though my older boys are men, I still worry about them. I worry about my 13-year-old. This worry is a stressful, and sadly normal, part of my daily existence. My youngest will be 6 feet tall in the coming weeks. He has brown skin.

These young black men have arrows pointed and ready to shoot at them daily — black-on-black crime, police encounters, societal bias and mistrust. Shortly after the Michael Brown shooting, I met with a group of my 13-year-old’s black male friends to explain to them what happened in Ferguson, and what to do and how to respond if they are ever stopped by the police. My words reminded me of stories and fears my grandfather used to share with me about his encounters with police during the Jim Crow era.

These are just a few of the many ways in which people in America are treated differently based on the color of their skin. This has been going on for a long time. I hope the events in Ferguson will encourage people to see the stark differences in the experiences of black people — not just black people who struggle economically but also black people like me — and white people as they go about their routine, daily lives.

*****

Readers: If you ever think that you have it hard, you have no idea how hard it is to be a black person just trying to live a “normal” every day life. A black person’s “normal” is far different from a white person’s “normal.”

I can say over and over again, “Have some compassion for your fellow world citizens and step into their shoes before you judge,” but I know that’s not enough. It’s not enough to have compassion because racism rears its ugly obstinate head higher and stronger…and at this point, it’s winning.

What’s the solution? In my opinion, it’s going to take perseverance from many, and more likely a demographic change, for racism to end.

Thoughts? It’s Friday…start flapping. Blog me. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

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All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2014

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

Lisa, and your daughter Debbie, Vivian,  all the women who wanted to be Mo’ne Davis growing up, and all the little girls, who because of Mo’ne, can now have an inspiration…a role model, to follow, I just couldn’t help but give Mo’ne Davis another day.

Here’s the write from The Bleacher Report:

Female Little League World Series Star Mo’ne Davis Proud to Pave the Way

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — On the eve of Philadelphia’s Taney Dragons’ opening game at the 2014 Little League World Series, 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis sat in a quiet wooden dugout on one of the back fields following her team’s latest practice.

It’s amazing Taney is even here to begin with, in its first World Series in only its second year of existence since chartering in 2012.

We talk about the constant onslaught from the media. “For people that want to take pictures and stuff,” Davis, a South Philly native, explains, “I always say ‘no’ most of the time ’cause I get tired of it … ’cause I’m probably just tired at the end of the day.”

At the end of this day, she’s just finished long-tossing and taking ground balls for nearly two hours. Cameras are getting packed up into vans. Elbows have stopped leaning on the yellow padding lining the fences.

Most kids her age might struggle with the exposure, but Davis sees the positives.

“I was on Sports Science earlier,” she snaps back. “It was pretty cool.”

I ask if they came to Williamsport to talk with her. “I didn’t know I was going to be on. I was playing Ping-Pong and Zion [Spearman, her teammate, sitting in the dugout with us] spotted it. It said: ‘Sports Science with Mo’Ne Davis’ … even though they spelled my name wrong” (the ‘N’ is not capitalized).

Visiting the international stage of Little League baseball and walking past every other team that has made it this far, you’d think it was required that all the players wear their new gear every step of the way. Each regional team is a like a mini marching band in a different bright color. Instead of hearing music and seeing instruments, you hear plastic cleats on concrete and see two aluminum bats in each bag.

But let’s be real: Everybody looks the same.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Yet something about Mo’ne Davis stands out.

As much as the world wants to know her all of a sudden, wants to figure her out and tell her who she is, wants to remind her of all that she means—she knows herself better.

Even if Davis changes the Little League World Series forever, it doesn’t stand a chance at changing her.

And it’s so much more than her gender, her appearance and her clothing, which included a worn-in red Chase Utley Phillies shirt and Kevin Durant basketball shorts.

In talking to her, you find that she’s both magnetic and intimidating. But the beginning of her young baseball career was a bit less smooth.

“I started playing when I was seven,” Davis explains. “I knew a couple people on the team because of my cousin, but I didn’t talk to most of the teammates ’cause I didn’t know them.”

In Little League, kids ages four to six play in the T-ball division, so Davis missed the chance to hit a static baseball. She was also seven, without close friends, on an all-boys team.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

So forget inquiring about the first game she must’ve realized she was as good as, if not better than, most of the boys. How about hitting a moving fastball?

“I don’t remember [a first game] actually,” she admits, eyes widening, smirk forming. “But I remember my first baseball practice was with a pitching machine.

“I struck out, like, every time except for my last at-bat. I hit it off the end of the bat … it was foul and it rolled fair. It was my very first hit. It didn’t really sting. It was one of those off the very end. That’s how it was.”

How it is now: Davis grips a ball and blows her competition away. In the regional championship, she threw a complete-game shutout to help clinch her team the final spot in the field of 16. She struck out six, walked three and allowed just three hits.

She’s the celebrity of the Little League complex. She’s the center of the sports world this week.

But Davis isn’t the first girl to come this far—she’s actually the 18th—and she isn’t the only one competing in Williamsport in 2014. She’s rooming with Canada’s Emma March.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press/Associated Press

They don’t sit up late at night discussing their role in reconstructing gender lines in America. Do they share a little advice for each other?

That’s different: “Kind of. Sometimes.”

But for anyone who’s ever played baseball, you know it’s really about the game, the quirkiness and, of course, the competition.

“She tells me about how her teammates act, and I tell her how crazy we are,” Davis says. “But I don’t tell her too much, like, too much about baseball, how our team plays … I don’t really do that.”

Though Davis appears to be one of the most dominant players in Little League—and perhaps will prove to be one of the most impressive females to ever play—it wasn’t like that every step of the way.

“Well, my very first year I wasn’t the best, but I kind of got better. The next year, that’s when I was really starting to get better.”

Once that learning curve took hold, there had to have been only a few select gut reactions from an opposing team: awe or anger. And don’t forget assumption.

“Teams actually thought I was a boy. They didn’t know I was girl till, like, almost a year later. It was just weird.”

And of course, once her gender was known, there must be something else giving her a competitive advantage.

“Some teams thought I was cheating because my hair was long. They said I had more power when I was pitching, so I had to, like, hold it up in a ponytail.”

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

“It was a lot of rumors going around. They tried to get me not to play,” Davis says, now cracking a smile and a shrug. “But we just kept playing.”

She’s also quick to give credit where it’s due. She remembers a longtime South Philly umpire—and ally—and how he routinely came to her and her team’s side, having called many of their games.

“We knew the umpire—Mike … I don’t know his last name—he knew us very well. He’d say, ‘No, they’re not cheating. She’s a girl … she’s just as good as every one of the guys on your team.’”

Davis wasn’t just playing against guys; she was playing against older ones. ”We actually played a year up so it was more different. It made us better. We came this far, so…”

And in talking to her, it’s that “we” that’s so central to this 13-year-old.

So how’s all this attention on the collective “we”? She explains: “We kind of take turns with people being interviewed. Some [teammates] don’t want to do it, but they still kind of do it.”

By “do it,” she doesn’t mean solely talking to reporters. “Not just the interviews, but most stuff … being together for so long. It’s been really annoying. ‘Cause teams just break up [sometimes]. But we’re still together on the field.

“It seems like we don’t fight at all.”

Except—I remind her—for that one fly ball. The one toward the end of their practice, misplayed out in center field, giving way to a chorus of strained voices that it should have been caught—especially with Game 1 the next day.

“Yeah…that fly ball,” she says with a sharp look.

CHRIS GARDNER/Associated Press

I ask Davis if she’d ever consider opting to play with girls in spite of the, at times, suffocating attention.

“No. I already play basketball and soccer with girls for school. I don’t think I’m ever going to go to softball. I hate softball. I even tried it in sixth grade, so I can say, I hate softball.”

Basketball, however, is what she really loves.

So we started talking about another female making history among the men: the San Antonio Spurs’ Becky Hammon, the first full-time female assistant coach in the NBA.

Says Davis of Hammon’s story and success: ”That’s cool,” in a matter-of-fact manner. A subtle reminder that “matter of fact” is perhaps how we should look at these stories. “They might win another championship … I’m rooting for the Warriors.”

I ask her if we’ll see a female head coach in the NBA in the next 10 years. “Maybe. Hopefully. Yeah, I could see that … maybe even the next five years.”

We discuss how Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he’d draft former Baylor star Brittney Griner if she were the best available. Media members like ESPNW’s Kate Fagan had shot it down with narrow headlines like, “No woman, not even Griner, could play in NBA.”

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Says Davis of that idea: “I think in a couple years, that will change. Hopefully because of this. Hopefully it changes.

“If it doesn’t, I will change it for myself.”

So when all’s said and done—in spite of the endless focus on her and Taney, and on the female-among-the-boys storylines—does she still embrace the power of what she’s capable of doing on this stage?

“I guess it’s my pride to pave the way. Hopefully we [Davis and March] will pave the way for more girls to come.”

Before she begins paving the way in Game 1 on Friday, one last thing Mo’ne just wouldn’t want you to screw up—after you make that “N” lowercase, include the apostrophe, and appreciate her athleticism rather than the fact she’s in a boys league. Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls),” as has become a myth of sorts, is not her go-to.

“No,” she says. ”That’s actually not my walkout music.”

“My walkout song is ‘Girl on Fire’ by Alicia Keys. His [Zion's] mom says I look like Beyonce. But I really don’t, so I don’t know where that came from.

“It’s just that song.”

Want proof that Davis is on fire? She can’t go more than 10 yards without being stopped—more apt: stopping for—anyone and everyone. Their jaws slack, their eyes are big, their hands are out, they’re tearing furiously through scorebook pages to find that one space for that one signature from that one girl.

People don’t just want to see her; they want to be around her. You get that sense from the types of people who approach her: young kids, big kids, adults, boys, girls, black, white, American, Japanese, Caribbean.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

She is going to make a statement and have an impact in whatever she pursues. If it’s not through Little League, she’ll be a trailblazer in an older, larger baseball league. If not baseball, it’ll be basketball. And if not sports, it’ll be with her personality, her brain and her voice.

But first thing’s first: those sports. Where does Mo’ne Davis see herself in five to six years? In 10 years?

She thinks for a moment: “Probably be the point guard for UConn wearing No. 11, starting point guard.

“Then hopefully I’ll be in the WNBA.”

 UPDATE: Mo’ne Davis’ amazing story kept growing on Friday afternoon, as she pitched a complete game shutout to help defeat a team from Tennessee 4-0. Her team next plays Sunday, Aug. 17, against the winner of Friday night’s Texas vs. Rhode Island matchup.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2014

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Robert I: Thanks for posting your comment. Obama is the first president who truly wants the diversity of this country to have an equal voice, and who doesn’t put money and his race ahead of others like all the past presidents did, and what the repubs are currently trying to do. Repubs will ruin this country and the world, which include their own friends and family, because of their deeply rooted racism and their obsession of money and retaining white power.

Carole: Although I hardly ever take a bus these days, I used to and I despised waiting at a bus stop for that exact reason. It’s so uncomfortable waiting there. Now I get harassed the most when I am getting gas. How I wish we still had gas attendants so I didn’t have to get out of the car to pump. What it is with men and gas pumps? (No need to answer the obvious.)

I also get harassed when I am just walking by myself. Rarely if I am with a man. (Alison: I think you nailed it.) However, like you Madeline, I had a boyfriend who would jump on a guy’s throat for just looking at me. I didn’t like it but I was too young then to know why he was reacting that way. It took me to be out of that relationship for years to discover just how much of a “owned little piece of meat” I was to him.

Yes Hoyt, it is that bad. See Natalie’s comment.

Tarub: Well said. I believe that if men in this country could do what the men in the Middle East do to their women, they would.

Well, in light of my comments, onto today’s write, From SF Gate:

Equal Rights Amendment ratification long overdue

Our Constitution granted women the right to vote 94 years ago, but efforts to ban discrimination based on sex have never earned constitutional status. This gaping legal hole was summed up recently by conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia: “Certainly the Constitution does not require (discrimination on the basis of sex). The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t.”

Women today aren’t guaranteed equal pay for equal work and are subjected to restrictions on contraception and family planning services, unfair workplace conditions and laws that favor the perpetrators over victims in cases of sexual assault. The need for constitutionally guaranteed equality remains shamefully overdue. How can we have “liberty and justice for all” when a prohibition against sex discrimination is missing from our nation’s blueprint?

The Equal Rights Amendment was introduced in every session of Congress from 1923 until 1972, the year it finally passed. The amendment required ratification by 38 states, but fell three states short.

The 15 states that have not ratified the ERA are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia. The Illinois Senatepassed the ERA in May and the Illinois House is set to vote on it in November.

The ERA would provide women with remedies to combat discrimination in pay equity, pregnancy accommodations, contraceptive coverage and domestic violence. Currently, women face a double burden when they are victimized. They must first prove the violation happened, and then they must also prove intent to discriminate based on sex. The ERA would banish this “intent” requirement forever.

As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated, “I would like my granddaughters, when they pick up the Constitution, to see that notion – that women and men are persons of equal stature.”

And so I have introduced House Joint Resolution 113 to eliminate the deadline for ERA ratification.

The ERA has had its deadline moved in the past; the 27th Amendment (congressional pay), was ratified 202 years after it passed Congress. When states tried to rescind their support for the 14th and 15th Amendments, their efforts were struck down by the courts; therefore, the 35 states that have already voted for the ERA cannot take back their support.

Equality is only three states and 24 words away. It’s time for these words to be made constitutional law: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”

If you’re a local Bay Area Girl:

*****

Readers: Liberty and justice for all was never meant for anyone except a few white men. Women were certainly not included in that “for all”…nor any OTWs.

Uma: Love it.

Rita: Thank you, twice. :) By the way, did you coin MSD’s or am I just not with it? Either way, I like it. I also like the term “evil villainaires.”

Thoughts? Blog me. 

Peace baby. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2014

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

In case you thought I forgot about the Koch Brothers, I haven’t.

From Politico:

Koch Fact Number 6: The Kochs are trying to dismantle our public education system.

For right, Common Core fight prelude to bigger agenda

Common Core supporters have struggled to counter the critics. | AP Photo

The Home School Legal Defense Association is putting the finishing touches on a documentary painting the Common Core standards in ominous terms. FreedomProject Education, a Christian homeschool group affiliated with the John Birch Society, is promoting an hourlong video on the “threats to American liberty” posed by the standards. Even the evangelical group Focus on the Family has chimed in with a video that pivots from the perceived dangers of Common Core to the need to push for expanded school choice.

All of this has left supporters of the standards reeling.

“There’s no doubt it’s going to be a brutal legislative session,” said Michael Petrilli, executive vice president at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

Petrilli has spent the past year traveling from statehouse to statehouse, attempting to shore up support for Common Core. He expects to earn many more frequent-flier miles trying to keep the standards on track as protests mount, especially in wavering states such as Indiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Michigan.

The Common Core State Standards were written by nonprofit education advocacy groups with input from state associations and funding from the Gates Foundation. The Obama administration gave states financial and policy incentives to adopt the standards in 2010; most quickly did, often with little public debate.

In the past year, as the standards have begun rolling out in classrooms nationwide, the opposition has picked up steam.

Tea party activists angry about federal overreach have joined forces with liberals who object to the new standardized tests and worry that Common Core asks too much of some students and too little of others. Conservative organizations — including think tanks connected with the Koch brothers, such as the Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation — have dedicated the most resources to fighting the standards, but liberals have been highly active on social media and at public hearings.

And they’re not happy that conservative political strategists are seeking to harness the opposition to their own ends.

“I would be very concerned if opposition to Common Core became a vehicle to promote vouchers and charters,” said education historian Diane Ravitch, a prominent critic of the standards.

The politics of the debate are so tangled that education policy analyst Frederick Hess said he doubts groups like FreedomWorks would be able to mold the opposition into an effective lobbying force for bold goals like expanding vouchers.

“How do you take a whole bunch of disjointed criticism from left and right and use that to mobilize people for a policy agenda?” said Hess, of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

But strategists leading the fight are convinced it will work.

The anti-Common Core movement so far has been about saying “no” to the standards, “but at some point soon, we’ll have to define what ‘yes’ is — and school choice is a perfect ‘yes’ for people to galvanize around,” said Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a conservative think tank.

Exhibit A: North Carolina, where the wealthy and influential conservative strategist Art Pope funds a think tank that has mobilized strident opposition to Common Core.

That think tank, Civitas Institute, also backed a successful drive in the Legislature last year to eliminate teacher tenure and enact a voucher program to pay private school tuition for low-income students. Lawmakers stipulated that voucher students will not have to take the same state tests as public school students — a huge win for Common Core foes, who want private schools to feel free to teach what they want, without pressure to prepare students for exams aligned to the new standards.

Bob Luebke, education policy analyst for Civitas, said the voucher bill may well have passed in North Carolina even without the Common Core fight stirring up parent demands for school choice. But his colleague Terry Stoops, who works on education for another Pope-funded advocacy organization, said linking the two issues is helpful and would likely give a boost to voucher legislation in other states.

In addition to Missouri, Tennessee and Kansas are likely battlegrounds.

In Kansas, a voucher bill failed to pass in 2012 — but Americans for Prosperity spent the fall holding town halls across the state, in part to prod anti-Common Core activists into pressing the issue anew in the coming months. “It’s one of our key talking points,” said Peggy Venable, AFP’s state policy adviser.

As they take up the fight against Common Core, conservative groups are injecting a dash of professionalism into a scrappy mom-and-pop campaign.

They have the money to fly prominent Common Core foes to testify before state legislatures and speak at public forums. They’ve helped rookie activists set up websites and recruit allies. They’ve drafted model legislation.

Their battle-tested political strategists have even drawn up game plans for key states — including how to secure meetings with key lawmakers and which talking points to stress.

“For a mom like me who has spent the last 14 years raising children, buying groceries and cleaning house, having those type of groups to ask questions of, … it’s been invaluable,” said Debbie Higginbotham, a mother of six in Orange Park, Fla., who sees the standards as a federal power grab. “They’ve been a huge asset.”

*****

Readers: What’s on your mind? Lots on mine but little time. Got to run. Blog me.

Peace & Love.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2014

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

“Just noticing…”

From the Huff Po:

These Are The Things Men Say To Women On The Street

Street harassment is defined as any unwanted gawking, whistling, commenting and/or physical contact of a sexual nature — something that up to 99 percent of women report experiencing in their lifetimes. In case you needed proof that the sidewalk can be a hostile place for women, these are just a few of the things female editors at The Huffington Post have heard while walking down the street:

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“Just noticing…”

What men are saying about street harassment.

This video was created by a group of women and men in NYC who believe that street harassment is wrong, and that we all have a role to play in ending it – especially us guys. The video shows non-violent some ways that men can interrupt street harassment as it happens. (And it happens all the time. Seriously. Go check. We will wait.)

“Just noticing…”

One guy stands up for women and he gets knocked unconscious.

From Think Progress:

Man Knocked Unconscious For Trying To Stick Up For Women Being Catcalled

NYC protester against street harassmen

A 39-year-old man was knocked unconscious, and ended up being taken to the hospital for treatment, after attempting to push back against a group of men who were catcalling several women on a Philadelphia street this weekend.

According to NBC Philadelphia, the man was in downtown Philadelphia around 2:45 a.m. on Saturday when he noticed a car full of men pull up next to a group of women on the street. After they began taunting and catcalling the women, the man said something to the effect of “hey, watch what you’re saying.” That prompted the men get out and punch the victim in the head. He hit the concrete and fell unconscious.

The man, whose name is not being released, received treatment for his head injuries in the hospital. “This is a tragic, tragic story. Here’s a guy trying to stick up for these girls and he gets victimized,” Philadelphia police captain George Fuchs told NBC.

The incident highlights the fact that it’s not entirely uncommon for street harassment — something that an estimated 65 percent of women have experienced at some point — to turn deadly. Although catcalling is often framedas simply a compliment for the women subject to strangers’ advances, and it’s hard for some people to understand why women wouldn’t enjoy being reminded that they’re attractive, research into the subject has revealed it actually makes victims feel unsafe. The majority of women report feeling “angry, annoyed, disgusted, nervous, and scared” when they’re catcalled, and many of them are concerned it will escalate into something more physically threatening.

There’s a lot of precedent for those concerns. When women reject men’s sexual advances, they’re often met with violence, even when they’re in public. For instance, last year, a 14-year-girl was walking down the street when a man offered her $200 to have sex with him; when she refused, he pulled her by the hair and choked her. Not long after that, a woman was on a run in California when a man pulled up next to her and offered her a ride; when she declined, he hit her multiple times with his car.

Many more stories along these lines are collected on the website “When Women Refuse,” which was launched after Elliott Rodger went on a shooting rampage against “every single blonde slut” who rejected him and sparked a national conversation about gender-based violence.

Street harassment prevention groups encourage men to be part of the solution by speaking up when they see women on the receiving end of unwanted attention. As the incident in Philadelphia illustrates, that can sometimes subject allies to the same type of violence that plagues women.

*****

Readers: What are you “just noticing?”

Blog me.

Peace & love…

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2014

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"