Parental Notification Effort in California

In November, Californians may be voting on a constitutional amendment requiring parental notification for teens seeking abortion care. The law may seem harmless, but in reality, its intention is to decrease instances of abortion by promoting parental intervention in teens' medical care.

Dow Closes Down 2.93%

I just received my trusty New York Times Afternoon Alert saying that the Dow closed down today 2.93%. Now I don’t know much about the stocks, except that my entire happiness after 65 is relying on a robust market, but I do know that this is bad. With all focused on the war in Iraq, health care and immigration, the economy is starting to wail with tell-tale middle child syndrome symptoms. Have we forgotten about the impact that 7 years of ineptitude and gross overspending on “national security?” Of course, I am preaching to the choir here on Rewire about these issues, but it seems like the economy, as well as other former hot button issues like abortion, have gotten lost this year. This is not to say that “new” issues like the environment and same-sex marriage have aren’t 100% deserving of the attention they are getting by our candidates, but if we don’t focus on a wider range of issues (and the media is mostly to blame for the coverage they provide), these “forgotten” issues will begin to rear their ugly heads in much the same way that the Dow is today.

Goodbye to What, Exactly?

Robin Morgan's Goodbye to All That, #2 is driving me crazy.

It’s so striking, but it epitomizes my problem with the invidious media rhetoric that has dominated this election season. STOP PITTING GENDER AGAINST RACE! Stop ignoring multiple realities and realize that 2008 is a year of change, and that these paradigms that pundits and political correspondents are perpetuating are old fashioned and irrelevant. It’s time to move forward.

My Vote Finally Counts

I just voted and I couldn't be more excited! I was shaking as I marked my candidate's name. This is civic engagement at its finest and I feel a real camaraderie with other people my age. We're NOT apathetic. We are a force to be reckoned with. I know I shouldn't be saying this but for the first time in my life, I feel like my vote finally counted. I grew up in Hawaii and it seemed like every election, the results were called before our polls even closed (aside from 2000, that took weeks, remember?). But now, as a proud resident of California, my vote actually mattered on Super Tuesday! I can't wait for the results to start pouring in.

Let’s Really Talk About Sex

My problem with the sex education I received had little to do with content, which was fairly comprehensive, and more to do with the delivery. Sex was presented as something shameful and embarrassing, more of an awkward chore than an essential component of a young person's education.