What's your story?

"I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans ofthe poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them", such is my CALLING!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Case For Semenya

So I was sitting in class (Human Sexuality class) on Thursday thinking about my own perspective on this Semenya subject as we were discussing it. It turned out that I had more questions than "meaningful" contributions to offer to the class. I'm sure by this time everyone is pretty much in one way or anoother aware of the Semenya saga - the South African 800m athlete who is being stripped of her glory just because they think she might be a male. Good heavens! How many more of this nonsense do we have to listen to?

My fury right now is channeled towards the fact that we as a people, in the first place, always have to place others in categories other than what they've identified themselves with, and actually belong to. Why should Semenya have to be judged on the grounds of her looks, talents, and abilities/capabilities? On the matter of her looks, I'ld say it's the lamest of excuses that any body would make in order to categorized another as male or female, if you asked me. Okay here's the deal. There are so so many men who are gorgeous, I mean flat-out GORGEOUS! Right? So, are we in effect saying we should put "i am a woman" labels on their foreheads? I don't know people.

Here's where I personally think the IAAF falters. Well, from my experience as an athlete, whenever the team has to go out and compete in a major event, the coach has to send our stats ( times, distances, etc) to whatever board that is officiating the event. Okay what's my point? My point simply is that the IAAF knew in advance, or at least had an idea about how fast Semenya runs. Meaning whatever objections or doubts they are having right now about her "profile" should have been dealt with prior to allowing her to compete. Why did they let it slide and then make a public spectacle out of her. This kind of humiliation, in my opinion, goes beyond Semenya. It cuts through all female athletes and most importantly, womanhood. That's just my stand. It makes me wonder sometimes, would she be this "famous" if she didn't win? Huh? What a shame (smh).

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Madam Speaker,...

Hiya folks, well as you can see I’ve had this blog for how long? 4 years? Wow. Yet never ever in my whole life have I had the urge to post something on this blog than I do now. Today has been a particularly hectic day for me: trying to write a paper I don’t even know how to start, reading a book I can’t understand, spending over two hours at a rehearsal nobody but one showed up for, going beyond my league to help a friend in need, and the list goes on and on and on. But hey, what can I do or say when duty calls?


Sometime during the day I logged on to my Twitter account and two of my twiddies (twitter buddies) had tweeted on #HCR. Curious to know what was going on, I followed the trend and realized Speaker Pelosi’s “deem and pass” dream to have the president’s historic health care reform bill passed had been trashed. As it stands, I hear the Democrats are now confident they have enough votes to pass this landmark legislature. So what’s the hold up? Well I’ll tell you, the passage of this bill is as shaky today as it was from the beginning, apparently.

I personally haven’t had the opportunity to read what is contained in this piece of legislature, and don’t intend doing so any time soon because I don’t see myself as a possessor of the technical and intellectual knowhow necessary to decipher the language therein. For this reason, I would like to lay it out that whatever position I’m taking is dependent upon listening to the arguments of both parties involved. I must, at this point, confess though that I’m very much appalled by the attitudes of the self-centered, hypocritical, truth-impaired Republicans whose only agenda these past times has been to “kill (the) bill”. Why kill the bill? Because it’s going to make other people’s lives better, bringing them (just) a step closer to where our dear politicians (all sarcasm intended) are? Lord have mercy (smh). I’ve come to realize that it’s in the Republican DNA to seek their own good, and only their own good. And as for the coffee shop peop…, sorry I mean the tea party people, I can’t even begin to talk about them yet so I’ll let them slide.

If the GOP folks claim they care about us so much and wouldn’t sit down for this tragedy - the Healthcare reform - to befall us, why didn’t they help us when they had the chance to? (Eight years was enough to do something). So what is this “freedom, liberty, and the right to choose” that they refer to? The same one the insurance companies and BIG PHARMA already control? Hm. Oh, I did not mention my favorite terminology (in this debate): “socialized medicine”. And did I also mention, speaking of socialized medicine, that the Republicans’ main argument now is that the bill will cut spending on Medicare and social security? I guess I just did. “…cut spending on Medicare…”? Are you kidding me? Point of order, Madam Speaker, uhm, the last time I checked they were against this same Medicare when the proponents tried to birth it. Same damn scare tactics then, same damn scare tactics now. A trip through time and space also reveals that these exact same scare tactics were used on the then ignorant people of sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, to be precise), about the Great Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s good intentions for the nation (or better yet, the continent). If you ever wondered why Ghana, and for that matter Africa, is in the stand-still position it finds itself, you have your reason – GOP’s scare tactics, even with a democratic leader! Fact check. Wow, history indeed does repeat itself.

On a serious note though, I think it’s about time we get this bill over with. Let me just give you a taste of my personal story. I have been a member of the working class of this country for only God knows how long, but never in my “healthy” life have I had insurance. If you’re thinking I’ve never had the need for insurance then think again. The one time I had the opportunity to own health insurance I was reluctantly compelled to yield it back because my hours at work were cut and there was no way I could afford it.

Mind you, I am only one in millions and millions of Americans who are throwing away their health and gambling with their lives day in and day out just because they don’t have (access to) health insurance. For Christ's sake why don’t we just give this (Universal Healthcare Bill) a try and see how it works out? After all even if it doesn’t work for us (and God forbid it doesn’t), what is there to lose? It would be like moving from one bad neighborhood to another equally bad one, only a difference in scenery. And just in case you didn’t know (which I wouldn’t expect anyone not to know), the great United States of America is the one industrialized nation in the world without any kind of universal health care for its people. How lame. I say let’s just put our egocentric, partisan cups down and give Americans something to live and work for. It is only the morally rightful thing to do.

                          Pass the bill, pass the bill, pass the bill!!!




N.B: As at the time of posting the bill had already been passed into law. YAYYYY