Today is Women's Equality Day celebrating the event in August 26, 1920 when the last certification (that of Tennessee) for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed. It is quite simple:
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Giving the right to vote to Women did not solve the problems. Women still struggle for equality in our society. I grew up in a single parent household (helped by grandparents) without much child support from my male parental unit. I watched as my mother used her secretarial skills to cover her bosses mistakes for years and yet her wages were not enough to support our family. If it had not been for my grandparents allowing us to live with them we would not have had much of a place to live.
I watched one day at the optometrist when a mother told her daughter that the glasses she needed would depend on whether or not her father would provide the money for them. Teachers used to be paid more if they were male. Progress is being made but more needs to be done.
Once I asked my kids how many representatives there were in the US House of Representatives. We had just read the statement "...there are even 10 women who are U S Representatives" in their (outdated) Social Studies Book. I then asked them about the percentage of women in the world. They guessed 50 % (actually the percentage is about 52%)
Today Wikipaedia gives these figures:
As of 2009, 441 members of Congress are male (83%) and 92 are female (17%).
Still not very representative. Even though the Speaker of the House is a woman their sex is still under-represented. So I would still recommend to the women in our world to get more involved. God knows they could not screw it up any worse than the men have..
Check out the Anthony Center for more information on the struggle.
Islam
There are things about our country that I value highly. One of those is the freedom of religion. I am free to worship my creator (or not) in any way I wish. And my neighbor is free to worship his conception of the deity however he wants.
We did not start out that way. Many of the early Colonies were established so that the people living there could worship the way they wanted to but no one else could. Maryland was the notable exception. They did evolve however until:
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, written in 1779 by Thomas Jefferson, proclaimed:
- "[N]o man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."
Muslims have been a part of our country since the 1700's and they have been peaceful citizens and valued members of our society. In fact you may not know this but Iowa can claim the first Mosque in the United Stated. The Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids.
I taught Muslim students and was sensitive to their religious needs as I tried to be to those who were of the Christian, Jewish or Hindu Faith in my classroom. I wanted every student to feel that they had the right to bring their religious preferences with them and I would respect those practices while they were in my room.
That is one reason why I decry what (so-called) Christians are doing in our country today. A Vandal did about $3000. damage to the Mosque in Cedar Rapids. Turns out it was a 19 year old from a nearby town. Don't know his motivation but I can guess. Almost all religions have a history of violence and intolerance. I still think the answer is that we need more Love in the equation. On both sides. Perhaps the young vandal should have to do community service at the Mosque and attend some of their social meetings and really get to know them as people. Once you know someone the hatred can disappear. And perhaps instead of throwing rocks through windows we should work together to build that understanding and LOVE ONE ANOTHER. At least that is my solution.
Addendum: I just got back from my Lodge tonight As I sat there I looked at the Altar and realized that in both Lodges in which I hold membership there are three books on the Altar. The Holy Bible, the Tanakh and the Quran . I like it that way. They get along fine. We should also.
Thanks for stopping by to listen. Hugs, j
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