May 2005 Archives
France Votes "Non" on EU ReferendumBy on May 30, 2005 1:08 PM | No Comments
France, the very country that has been a leading force in the European Union's development, voted decisevely against a move to ratify the EU constitution today. This is very bad news for the Union, and puts its future into question.
The EU is such a fascinating project. What is the Union? A geographic entity? A political entity? A philisophical entity? It's not entirely clear. Many Frenchpeople indicated they voted against the referendum because of their staunch opposition to the inclusion of Turkey, a country ideologically very different from the other EU nations. Turkey's inclusion does call into question the definition of the EU. How big can it really get before its boundaries are meaningless?
A commentator from BBCNews interviewed a representative of the Turkish government argued that the inclusion of a Muslim state into the EU would help ease tensions between Muslim and Non-Muslim European nations by bringing them to the same table. But this argument begs the question: can a country so philisophically different from the EU ever really become fully integrated? It's not entirely clear. Talks with Turkey begin October 3rd, and are likely to last many months if not years.
In any case, I believe that time will bring some form of Union in Europe. It seems to me to be the next logical step in globalization. And I think it's a good one - if markets are increasingly outgrowing the unit of nation-state, then regulation to control those markets has got to come from a body that is supernational. The European Union is the fist real project that aims to meet the demands of the global political economy. It's demise would be, I believe, devastating.
For LGBTQ People, the EU is especially promising because it could create a singular human rights policy for 250,000,000 Europeans. Same-Sex marriage could well be a part of that policy, especially as more and more European nations extend benefits to same-sex couples. Immigration problems that plague same-sex couples could potentially become a thing of the past for Europe. The global legal precedents possible here are tantalizing. The same is true for other human rights issues - for women, people of color, and many more. I, for one, hope the EU makes use of this potential.
3 Crosses Burned in DurhamBy on May 26, 2005 6:03 PM | 1 Comment
As a 22 year-old American, it is often easy to forget the rich history of violent racist intimidation that we have around us. Today that history came back to haunt Durham - a town just 5 minutes from my apartment, where I am writing this post.
Durham is a town unlike too many others in North Carolina - it is both a city and a county. There seem to be, in my experience, so many different sides of Durham. The area immediately surrounding Duke University hosts a college town-type setting that is not too unlike Chapel Hill. The area known as Downtown Durham is a markedly different place. The racial make-up is dramatically different here than at Duke University - many more people of color live in the Downtown area, just a 5 minute drive from Duke's campus. And moving over towards the area surrounding Southpoint Mall that straddles I-40, you get a strange mix of uberdevelopment and transient people who commute to various places in the area.
In North Carolina, approximately 20% of its residents are African-American, according to the Census Bureau. In Durham, however, that statistic is double that, or 40%. It is no great surprise, then, that the racial tensions there are somewhat different than in other areas of our State. This is certainly impacted by the strange political mix that occurs in any city whose population is so heavily impacted by a college or university.
3 crosses were burned in Durham last night and KKK materials were reportedly left near the scene of at least one of the crimes. Worse yet, it appears that the crimes could be connected to a series of protests earlier this month by Fred Phelps' clan of haters (aka godhatesfags.com). Below is an e-mail being circulated by the NC Peace and Justice Coalition with more information on the events (you can also see the CNN article). It includes information about vigils happening tonight and contact information should you want to get involved in the community response to this heinous show of racism in the South.
Dear Friends and Allies: Last night, Wednesday May 25, "Several motorists spotted a tall burning cross near Interstate 85 and Hillandale Road around 9:15 p.m. It was located near the back parking lot of St. Luke's Episcopal Church. At the same time, callers to 911 reported another cross burning near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and South Roxboro Street.The first real post.... "The Condom Backlash"About an hour later, Durham firefighters responded to another burning cross on Dillard Street in downtown Durham, just across from the WTVD studios. Fliers purportedly from the KKK were left at that location. The United House of Prayer for All People is located nearby. The crosses were several feet tall. Officers took away the burned crosses for further investigation". (From ABC 11 Report)
The Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham is calling for vigils at all three locations tonight, Thursday May 26, and believe strongly that a large community response to the cross burnings is important. The NC Peace & Justice Coalition encourages everyone in the area to join in a loud community response to these acts of violence, hatred, racism and intimidation.
PLEASE COME TONIGHT TO ONE OF THREE CANDLELIGHT VIGILS TO STAND AGAINST KLAN VIOLENCE, CROSS BURNING, AND RACISM IN OUR COMMUNITIES: BRING YOUR CANDLES!
DOWNTOWN VIGIL: 6:00 community dinner and discussion on the cross burnings and the communty's response, 7:30 pm Vigil: Meet for both at the Durham Main Library parking lot, at 300 N Rosboro, between Holloway and Liberty streets. The dinner will take place within walking distance of the library. The vigil will likely take place near the site of the cross burning, 2 blocks away at the United House of Prayer on Dillard and Holloway. If you can help bring a dish, banners, or candles please Contact Andrew Pearson, kangaroo@email.unc.edu 360 2028.
WEST DURHAM VIGIL: 8:00 pm At or near ST. Luke's Episcopal Church, (919) 286-2273, 1737 Hillandale Rd, Durham 27705, near I-85. The Church pastor and neighborhood and community groups are involved in the planning. Contact: John Schelp, bwatu@yahoo.com, Old West Durham Neighborhood Association,
SOUTH DURHAM VIGIL: 8:00 pm on the sidewalk on South Roxboro Street, near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., in front of the site of the cross burning. The plan at present is to have everyone gather on the sidewalk at the site of the burning on South Roxboro Street tonight at 8 pm and bring a candle "to shine some light in this moment of darkness." Churches and civic organizations are being contacted and fliers are being printed up. Contact Terry and Ann Lee Mosley, mosgen@earthlink.net, 489-8592.
WE JUST WON'T TOLERATE... RACISM
NO, WE WON'T TOLERATE... EXPLOITATION
WE JUST WON'T TOLERTAE... INJUSTICE
WE'RE GONNA STAND.... WE'RE GONNA STAND...
By on May 26, 2005 12:36 PM | No Comments
Oy! It's Thursday morning and I'm at work at UNC's computer help center and I figured, hey, what could be a better time to post my first real blog entry?
I've long resisted the blog movement - but finally my technocrat urges gave way and here I am. I want this to be a blog that's not just my rants and raves about the day-to-day things in my life - though you can be sure to hear bits and pieces of that - but also with some analysis and, hey, why not some thought-provoking material?
Today I'll just start off lite. Eric Rofes just posted an article on Gay.com about the recent rise in unprotected sex and methamphetamine use in gay men accross the nation called "The Condom Backlash". In it, he critiques the public health campaigns of the past 20-30 years or so, and argues that maybe gay men are just so burnt out from all the fear-based education that they've been numbed to its message.
I've thought quite a bit about this lately - what's causing this recent rise in unprotected sex and HIV infections? It's troubling - the number of new infections had been on the dramatic decline since *1996* until 2003. As a gay man who has grown up in the South, I can say that my sex education was clearly not adequete - I learned through my own research on the Internet at a young age.
This might seem to contradict Rofes' message about being inundated with anti-sex sex campaigns - but he's coming from an environment based in San Francisco, not North Carolina. But, still, I'd like to end this first short entry just considering his argument:
We have been "educated" to death. Under the rubric of "safer-sex," and "HIV prevention" we've been told what to do and what not to do, shamed and guilted incessantly. We have been messaged and marketed a million times. We have been directed, instructed, commanded, suggested, harangued and manipulated -- all by people who believe that if you tell people repeatedly what to do or not to do with their sex, they will comply.Okay so we're up
By on May 25, 2005 1:45 PM | No Comments
Alright, it's up and running. Now to finalize the appearance! More soon.
Testing...By on May 25, 2005 1:00 AM | No Comments
1,2,3