Southern California Proposes Secession

Souther California wants to secede from the rest of the state.

See the article in the LA Times here.

The state would be more populous than Pennsylvania and Illinois!

Just when I thought my studies secession were getting interesting, it pops up in my own country!

Failing Parallel Systems: Serbia Can't Afford Kosovo

For the past 12 years, driving through many Serbian enclaves in Kosovo one would see an abundance of people sitting as "security guards" at banks, post offices, and courts. However, none of these banks, post offices, or courts were run by Kosovo. Rather they were part of a parallel system funded by Belgrade. The many people employed there were also funded by Belgrade. For 12 years, many of these Serbs in Kosovo collected a check from Belgrade to resist assimilation into the Kosovo state system, or to even open businesses, go to Kosovo run schools, or take advantage of other benefits from the international community that was aligned with Kosovo.


For many years, these Serbs were under the patronage of Belgrade, collecting checks. That said, there were other checks from other internationals, and from Kosovo. Lets just say, there was money from different people at different times.

This kind of apathy and stagnation trickled down to the kids in the population, as described by my friend from Belgrade working there with the international community (excuse the vagueness, I just don't want to "expose" him). When the system was such that you could collect a check, very few youngsters made an effort to take advantage of opportunities within Kosovo or beyond.

This same friend mentioned before, working with Serbian IDPs in an enclave here, then told me something crazy. He could not get into his office because of very large protests of Serbians. He inquired into what was happening.

Belgrade had cut funding. They could not afford to pay for the six security guards at the post office in this parallel system. With economic troubles, it just was unfeasible to keep the remnants of this protest against Kosovo alive. At a certain point dollars speak louder than nationalism.

To boot, no one really reported this on the news; neither in Kosovo, nor Serbia, nor the English sources. Naturally, there is a strategic interest to not report this. Serbia doesn't want to seem like it is giving up on Kosovo and Kosovo often times doesn't want to admit this parallel system.

Naturally, all of this information is from word of mouth and from spending time with Serbian IDPs in this country. However, this is a critical sign at a critical moment in Kosovo. Serbia can't afford Kosovo anymore. There are bigger fish (like EU membership) to fry. With money leaving from many of the serial donors of days past, Kosovo could be facing a lot of civil unrest from the youth and now, even from the old who received those checks. Time is ticking in Kosovo.

Congrats South Sudan: Reflections from Kosovo, the 2nd Youngest

Last night, I sat in the NATO military base in Kosovo, Film City. With the American and Portuguese troops, I had delicious BBQ, sang 50s songs, and joked about riding a tank with them that is still on the base. These troops were still getting combat pay, meaning to say that they get the same pay in Afghanistan and Kosovo if they are the same rank. We drank to the fact that NATO will never leave in 100 years (the hope of many here) and that Kosovo was no longer the youngest country in the world.

Today, at a constitutional law conference designed in part by USAID to consult on amending the articles of the constitution dealing presidential elections, revamping the presidency (possibly making changes from vote by parliament to direct vote), and rethinking presidential powers. Considering 2/3 presidents in Kosovo have violated the constitution, serious problems exist in both the constitutional court and very possibly the constitution itself. Anyways, one person with a kind of melancholy announced, "KOSOVO IS NO LONGER THE YOUNGEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD."

The room was quiet for a moment. Suddenly constitutional reform was not as much an adventure of a new nation, but a task and duty that had to be readjusted because of failure. Naturally Kosovo is still new born, but the branding of "THE YOUNGEST" is not there. There was a lot of work to do, a lot of laws to change, a lot of rewriting of constitutions, a lot of corruption to kick, and a lot of mandates to meet.

Reflecting on all of these things, I realize that the term "STATE-BUILDING" is perhaps more of a vogue thing in Political Science terms; it sounds nice and when you look from afar, it certainly does seem like "building" a state. It was very attractive for a while until I think many realized, on the ground and not from afar (with the challenges--sometimes failures--in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, etc.) that you don't go in and "BUILD" anything. I argue the better term is "TRANSITIONING" not so much building. "STATE-BUILDING" seems vain, imperialistic even as a term. Frustrating at times. Perhaps some think it is like building a country in Sid Meiers Civilization. The thought is that "THE PEOPLE" will build this government and state, when in reality power remains in the hands of very few, if not completely foreign individuals. "Building" is one thing. "Getting by" seems more like it. Even just not falling backwards, but moving forwards. With failed missions like the ICO in Kosovo (recently insinuated by many journalists and newspapers as a failed mission), there are a lot of haunting and frustrating things ahead in the future for young states coming out of serious conflict zones.

I think about what is ahead for South Sudan. Secession is easier than building a country. "Getting by" is hard enough. The expectation of international assistance has its own complications as well. While I tend to be happy for South Sudan for its secession (and its recognition, something Kosovo will continue to struggle with), I can't help but think of the challenges of just putting together a decent constitution... and making sure people follow it. Luckily its secession was recognized by Sudan (Serbia still refuses to recognize Kosovo), but challenges still lie ahead. one challenge out of the way...

Kosovo is a lot better than it was 12 years ago, but it has a long way to go and optimism is beyond even waning. While I am happy for South Sudan, I can't help but think about where it may possibly be 5 or 10 years from now.

Liminality: Kosovo in Stages

Pardon my perhaps "aimless" reflection. Indulge me in this post. I promise some more investigative and interesting posts after this:

A dear friend of mine once describe me as a liminal person: always between one belief, place, status, identity or another one. I would say this may be true, but less because of liminality and more because of my own personal interest in both sides of the same coin.

Perhaps this is what draws me to Kosovo, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Palestine, Nagorno-Karabagh and many other places that have a liminal status.

The fascinating thing about Kosovo is that I have seen it develop and change in three years now. Someone has joked to me that Kosovo is kind of like Hotel California. You can check in any time you like, but you just can't leave. You can stab it with your steely knives but you just can't kill the beast. Its a kind of place that endlessly has something to change, develop or grow. Because of the general openness of the population here, most things like national politics, information, gossip, networks, and news are in your grasp. Learning about how development, change, transitioning, and growth (or decline) after a high profile war is all at your finger tips here and there is a temptation to continue to watch where it goes.

In any case, I have seen Kosovo on the threshold of many different stages each year. When I first arrived in 2009 for only 4 short days in Kosovo, NATO (KFOR, the Kosovo NATO mission) was just beginning to pull out its street patrols in the capital. I could still see Italian troops in the street, guarding Mother Theresa street. Kosovars, still high from independence were very optimistic; I was, after all, at a youth entrepreneurial conference. Many internationals were very obviously still here. The following year, the first day I touched down in 2010 there was a some several thousand Muslims protesting for the right to wear hijab in school. A stray away from the farm? NATO still patrolled parts like Mitrovica and I witnessed IDPs that still did not have homes. KFOR billboards lined the streets and so did Tony Blair's face!

This year, I had to search for NATO cars and the billboards were not as obvious. Barbed wire still abound, but rusting everywhere, the first thing I see are Muslim protests in the street for the right to mosques. Major mergers in parties had occurred between a very pro-economic reform group and a seemingly anti-internationalist, near anarchist group (that had not been a political party until recently). One politician, recently charged with war crimes, had his party pay for billboards showing their support for him and denouncing any allegation of violent crime. Somehow, things were on a different stage entirely. People were restless. There were recent protests against government corruption as well. That said, the IDPs I had visited, now had houses. Something had developed and grown, though the main street (Mother Theresa) still had not been completed and was the same as it was last year. Kosovo seems to be a place that always changes but always stays the same.

Perhaps there is a constant state of limbo in Kosovo that is of interest to a scholar or journalist. The general openness of all the people here allows you to get a glimpse into everything from pop culture, corruption, islamic fundamentalism, politics, education, and the military. Though now 12 years after the war, Kosovo has a long way to go, but with every year, takes a step towards a new "inbetween." I am fascinated to see its direction and its development and have been honored to watch it.

An Act of Balance: Street Artist Tüfujeger

Living in a hostel, some pretty diverse types of people run into you. I've met Scottish Red Cross Workers, American English teachers, a Polish couple with a kid who have been on the road for a year, some random Iranians, a Latvian man who is finding himself, and German foresters.

However, meeting the Swiss street artists, Tüfujeger, exposed me to an underground world of street art.

Tüfujeger (his street name) has been on the road for almost a year. Starting in his home of Switzerland, he biked through Austria, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and finally Georgia. Never taking planes or buses, he insists on sleeping in his tent and living cheaply. When not biking, he is painting. Check out the website of his work here.

When talking to Tüfujeger, you get a real sense of a man embodying the idea of "Everything in moderation, even moderation." He is truly, as he says, "an act of balance." Having studied Art at University in Switzerland, getting a teaching degree to appease his father, Tüfujeger realized that he was not cut out for galleries or classroom, but rather the more deviant underground world of street art.

Ever since youth, he has been "playing soccer and painting" to fill a need to express himself in a public forum--whether you want to hear/see him or not! He likes going to the streets because its a public space that challenges the right to speech and also what we perceive as acceptable or beautiful. Working both slow and fast, he has trained his body to move with the environment that he paints within, adjusting each work not to some preconceived plan, but to the environment, the stories, and the people in each area. If there is something Tüfujeger does not like, its a white wall. He much prefers stories to layer, to interact with.

While he says he does not like to philosophize about his art, he told me that one should not go into street art with the expectation of analyzing or judging. You should just feel what you see. He told me when writing this blog, "Don't write about me, write about the paintings!" Such a fascinating man deserved some recognition though! That said, his works usually feature twisted figures that interact with the surfaces upon which they are painted. Here, in the hostel courtyard we see a figure with a bottle of chacha, some tomatoes (someone was eating them during this), some dice because of a common game played here, and more. There is something fluid about his thought and work. It may seem deviant and even a little creepy, but there is a flow that makes it beautiful, or at least very much Tüfujeger!

The Autonomous Republic of Adjara

As I walked past her in Batumi, one woman carrying a shopping bag stopped in front of me and gazed at my tourist map, and then my eyes. The hopeful and excited look on her face said, "THEY'RE HERE!"

This seemed to be the trend during my time in Batumi, a Black Sea-side resort town in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, the Republic bordering Turkey that is officially part of Georgia. Batumi and Kobuleti, two tourist destination cities on the coast, have been eagerly awaiting tourists from the West for many years, but it really hasn't been until this year that it had any attraction that would bring Western tourists en masse. While investments are rolling in and construction is 24/7, the signs of what Batumi once was are everywhere. The delay in development was not helped in that it was governed by an authoritarian dictator for many years who treated Adjara as his own country--not part of Georgia. It also did not help that for many years before that it was barricaded from the Western world by the Red Wall that was the Soviet Union.

By the looks of Batumi today, you would not guess that even 5 years ago, electricity was rationed off to only a few hours a day and most homes around the city still had straw roofs. Yet, as I was boarding the Mashrutka (minibus) to return to my 8 hour overnight sleeper train (for a trip that would take 3 hours anywhere else) back to Tbilisi, an old Russian man explained all of this to Misha and myself. Batumi had come a long way, and I'll tell you why.

For the longest time, Adjara, like Georgia, had been under Soviet Control. When the fall of the wall came around, a new fellow, Aslan Abashidze, came to power. Because of Georgia's general lack of a strong and cohesive government, and its desire to appease its separatist provinces so long as they stay part of Georgia, Abashidze could rule Adjara as if it were his own country. He collected taxes on the border with Turkey, had a standing militia, and was essentially distinct from Georgia. Naturally Abashidze was not the best ruler (later, he was charged with embezzling over 98 million lari and murdering a civil servant). When the Rose Revolution happened in Georgia, deposing long time leader Shevardnadze and putting in Sakashvili, it wasn't long before the new leader tried to get Adjara under control. Sakashvili eventually got Abashidze to flee to Moscow. While military tensions were high, not a single shot was fired.

So finally, this beach town long a favorite of Soviet tourists could open itself up to the world. The lonely Sheraton there had long been a symbol of the potential for tourism, but it wasn't until this very year for anything substantial to be built, including a new chic Radisson and a Kempinski hotel. Boardwalks, restaurants, attractions, and renovations that make the city look like a tropical, Parisian, St. Petersburg-ian paradise, juxtaposed against the relative poverty surrounding such new buildings make Batumi a very apt location to study budding development in a post-Soviet zone.

Last year when Misha went, most buildings were either mossy unfinished skeletons of a time when development was more prominent and promising.

Today, development is a reality and the skeletons will not be skeletons for long. While most tourists come from Turkey, Iran, Armenia, and Azerbaijan still, there is a slow trickle of French, German, British, and Americans backpacking in.

During the day, an old woman stopped Misha and I--not wanting to give us a homestay surprisingly; she just wanted to know where we were from and it we were enjoying Batumi. When I said I was an American, she blessed me and "spat" on me in that my Big Fat Greek Wedding kind of way. I was welcome in Batumi.

8 Proud Hours in Warsaw

When I think of Warsaw, I think of something like this (Photos are my own):

After getting off of a rickety Polish airlines flight (LOT)-- (they lost my baggage even before I got on the plane, and just told me so), my suspicions were confirmed: Catholic, elements of post-Soviet architecture and broad avenues, European in the center. Sure, I stereotype.

What I did NOT expect, right as I was visiting one of the last synagogues in Warsaw, was a lot of loud, a lot of rainbows, and a lot of pride in this thriving "young" country.

The Spaniards gone wild. (Reminds me of my first pride in 2006, Madrid)

Whatever you are, you can be proud. (The rest of the sign reads, "Proud by choice")

SRSLY

This one is for a special friend. Notice the flag.

Warsaw was hopping with pride. Announcers, men "dressed" as priests, drag queens, lesbians, gays, straights, purples. We all marched together with the support of the police (who were thanked, by the little Polish I could understand). We marched together to the armory (I think?) towards Old Town where dancing, chanting, laughter, and love ensued. Balloon (wo)man, my favorite.

Of course, Poland is a traditionally ethnic country, and at the fringes of every Pride, there is always some not so proud people, held back by police (don't let this picture fool you, those police are just getting off duty).

Anti-Gay posters.

One man was even sprinkling holy water on the crowd.

As I was being shoved around by lenses much larger than mine, I decided to get some lunch before I starved to death from lack of food for almost 12 hours (or edible food). In the process of getting some perogies (sp?) I stumbled upon a movie set, WWII something:

Lord knows today, I was both in front and behind a lot of pictures...

For a country that went from communist to European Union capitalist (and the president of the EU is polish this year) in only a span of about 15 years, I am really impressed at how far they have come and the amazing direction they are going. I AM PROUD!

The Rent is Too Damn High

Oh leader of the "Rent is too damn high "party, Jimmy McMillan. How right you are.

Don't know what I'm talking about, click here.

The Rent or the Deficit is too damn high. Walking around Natrona Heights Pennsylvania today, I saw some things that I witnessed in some of the poorer towns of the Black Sea region where I have traveled:

1) Pawn Shops and Cash for Golds (I have counted FIVE new ones during my time at home)

2) Empty buildings to be rented

3) Small tobacco stores

4) Banks I have never heard of

5) Buildings falling apart and not kept up

Naturally, of course, these things could be anywhere. It was just the uncanny parallel of aesthetic and visual likeness that threw me a curveball.

Of course there was more to all of this, but you get the idea. Basically, what I know is the United States of America is matching up with some of the poorer towns in the world. Stop into a makeup store nearby, and they tell you they haven't sold anything in a week. Walk into certain grocery stores and they make you check your big purse at the door because of excessive amounts of shoplifting. The economy is bad and getting worse. As my astute mother pointed out, many people are just finishing up their unemployment benefits (which began at the crashes in 2008 and 2010). As people have no money to spend and no one else's money to spend, it only gets worse and worse.

I don't think most people in the cosmopolitan circles one usually frequents in the Ivy League see the effects of this poverty and how harsh of a toll it is really taking on parts of America. It is honestly frightening to see how derelict parts of what I must call my hometown have become.

If there is one thing people cling to, it may not be their "guns and bibles" but definitely the victories of the American military. A victory that happens thousands of miles away, that certainly did not resuscitate the dying businesses surrounding the super market where I took the picture of this t-shirt.

How is this helping us?

Seeing Robert Gates tear up in front of Diane Sawyer sparks many questions in me about the nature of war, economy, morale, and morality, just as it does in, dare I say it, Gates himself?

A few thoughts. Not developed, obviously. More importantly, observations.

21

At 12:01 AM on June 4th, I ventured to the local dive bar to get my first legal six pack in the United States of America.

Previously, I had backpacked alone through the Balkans, the Middle East, and other parts of the world. I had shot guns. I received military recruitment mail. I drove across America. I have been attending an Ivy League institution. I drank legally in Muslim countries and five continents. I had driven many motorized vehicles. I voted in a presidential election. I drank legally in Canada.

I had not, however, drank legally in the USA.

So I go in. The place smells like aged beer and the people look like part of the furniture of the place itself. The beer refrigerators were dark. My thought was that they stopped selling beer after 9 PM! Oh No!

I ask, in perfect non-Pittsburghese English, the barmaid with big boobs: "Excuse me, do you sell liquor in this state after 9 PM."

She stares.

"Yea. Go get 'un."

I retrieve the only thing I could find palatable amongst the Buds, IC Lights, Natty Ice, and other brands: Sam Adams.

I go to the cashier of the silicon bra: "How much?"

"You are not from here, are ya?"
"Kind of..."

"Well enjoy. $13."

I pay and she turns around. I'm insulted. After all of these years, I could have just waltzed in here and gotten a six pack, just like that? I say, "Don't you want to see me ID??"

"No. You are old enough."

I pause.

"Well I just want you to know that I have been 21 for 10 minutes!"

She motions me to show her the ID, tries (and fails) to get the bar goers of ancient times to sing Happy Birthday. I leave, with a sense of pride, accomplishment, and perhaps a little bit of sadness.

I am no longer a "kid" but a bonafide woman. When did that happen? Oh wait. 11 minutes ago.

Cigarettes, Pumping Gas, Moronic People: Signs Our Country Is Going Crazy?

I thought this was something that was so moronic, that no one would ever even consider the possibility of something like this happening in real life because common sense and LIFE SAVING INSTINCT would prohibit it:

Gasoline Fight

But NO. Today, as I was pumping my gas in a local grocery story gas station, I saw a woman and her daughter lighting up as they were pumping gas. At first, I was struck with the sensation of, "Why you dumb b****es!" But then I realized, "Wow, they could really catch this place on fire." So I decided to approach them, as calmly as I could, considering my innards were shaking with anger at their idiocy. I said, "Are you aware you can catch this place on fire with that lighter and those cigarettes?"

"Yes" said the very obvious chain smoker with sagging skin, wrinkled lips, and charred complexion.

"Do you care that you could kill everyone here?"

"I'm aware, okay?"

"So why aren't you a little accountable for the lives of everyone around here, okay?"

She got angry and started to walk towards me so I ran inside and told the attendent. Just FYI to you readers, smoking and pumping gas is illegal. I told him that some insane woman outside was smoking and pumping and he also freaked out, but laughed pretty hard too. I went back outside with my mother, both of us talking quite loud,

"How could you be so stupid?"

"Seriously, don't they know that is illegal?"

"Well at least they are on camera."

"Oh I hope she heard me."

Seriously. ACCOUNTABILITY folks. If there is one thing I Can-not-stand, it must be incompetence. If you are not awake enough to realize that you could possibly kill someone because of your own addiction, carelessness, or incompetence, you do not deserve the same freedoms the rest of us have. This kind of moronic behavior is something I do not tolerate (clearly). I feel a duty to my fellow human and myself; if we are in this game of evolutionary russian roulette, I want to make sure that we have the best odds of survival. I am not afraid to raise my voice when something I see is life-threatening.

Funny enough, in my near shaking anger as I drove away (as I heard the woman b***h about how I "didn't have the right to tell someone how to live" --hunny, I have the right to try to stay alive), I thought of America. It is kind of a political jump to make. Basically, is this the kind of behavior America is coming to? I didn't know who to blame. I jumped to stereotypes: Conservatives for their "freedom" and "no intervention" ideology, or liberals with their "rights for all" and "entitlement" and "welfare state." I might have had five different bad radio talk shows going on in my head and finally realized (whilst listening to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies) that it wasn't anyone's fault but that one person, for not having the common sense to stave off her addiction for 5 minutes to pump gas. Seriously, it wasn't political. It was just life.

So my moral of the story? If you see behavior that could harm others and kill everyone in an instant, don't make a political charade out of it. Change that behavior.

Commonsense.

Civil War Reenactments

This year marks the 150th anniversary of America's "War Between the States" (not the "Civil War" according to the Prussian General actor at one reenactment). Unlike perhaps other countries who hold moments of silence for their some 500,000 who died in war, Americans like to celebrate the history and symbolism of this war by reenacting it.

As one dear friend said, "A sitting African-American President from Illinois (who sounds more and more Lincolnesque) at the same time of Civil War Reenactments. Strange times indeed." And rightly said. At a time in American history where we have powerful blacks, women, minorities, Southerners, Northerners, and many troops on ground abroad fighting very bloody wars, you would think Americans would not feel a need to constantly celebrate the Civil War, but they do.

My sister, inspired by a book, Confederates in the Attic, by Tony Horwitz, decided to do her senior project exploring Civil War Reenactments. First top? Lewisburg, West Virginia. During this particular May weekend, reenactors would carry out a four day "living history" extravaganza.

Now, Lewisburg has been voted the "coolest small town in America" by travel magazines. It has quirky little shops, yoga, homeopathic medicine, and tons of people who love to study the Confederates; very few think of themselves as Yankees, even though West Virginia, "Mountain Moma" as John Denver might say, seceded from Virginia in a disagreement over whether they should be Confederates or Yankees; one reenactor told me the disagreement was not over slaves, but overeconomy--the rich folk in the East were doing all the politicking while the poor white trash in the West were doing all the dying.

This is a trend in Civil War Reenactor Speech. As one Prussian General who fought on the side of the Confederates told me, the biggest misconception about the War Between the States was that, "Americans just want to put it on a bumper sticker, 'SLAVERY.' It was more than that. It was economy and states rights." Alright, economy in the South depended on slave labor (which of course New York and other cotton consuming industries depended on), but what rights were they trying to exert other than to keep their economies in healthy condition, to lower tariffs, and to keep the slaves that allowed them to have such labor intensive economies. One Black Soldier, from the 54th Massachusetts regiment claimed, "Slavery had NOTHING to do with the war. Not one thing." Then we asked if it had anything to do with moral, "Maybe. Sure you wanna go shoot the guy oppressing you, but we just wanted to be like everybody else. Not about slavery at all." I think you are feeling what I'm feeling right?

Indeed, aside from slavery, many reenactors place many of their own anxieties onto the war. The man playing General Lee assured us that if Lee were alive today, he would be part of the Tea Party. Because really, the rebel flag and Confederacy were exactly what American conservatism were today; anti-government, rebels with a cause of keeping the government out of their issues. Another man claimed he did reenactments because "The First thing that dies in war is the truth" and that we all had to read the other side to know "truth." I don't deny these things. Another man was very concerned about how youth learn history; his teachers had been very cruel to him in college with certain failing grades when he had to make a relative's funeral and couldn't make up the exam. He felt he was beloved by his students because of his stories and did reenactments to tell STORIES. He did have some really interesting stores too!

(temperance movement, at the irish pub of course)

Perhaps the strangest aspect is the frequency of such reenactments. One woman from Montana who used to work for the Department of Defense claimed she used to do just one a month, now spends almost every weekend in the spring and summer devoted to being different Confederate women, prostitutes, dames, abolitionists, and peacemakers. (While she was there, she led a temperance movement and threw all the guys out of the Irish Pub!) She said she liked it because it reminded her of a simpler time and life back home in Montana (though she assured us she saw some interesting things, like events leading up to the Fall of the Berlin Wall, or archaeology in Tel Aviv). She flashed in and out of personae, as if living multiple lives in multiple times and places.

The strangest thing is that all of the reenactors placed their own wishes, desires, doubts, frustrations, and hopes onto this war reenactment. Everything they hated about the government could somehow be in there. Everything they love about a certain lifestyle was suddenly manifest. Some men escaped their boring day jobs as mechanics, store cashiers, or high school students in small towns. Some women escaped their husbands for a little while and found other women doing the same. The war, the Rebel Cause, and the reenactment suddenly became a sort of escape, even despite being a symbol of suffering, division, slavery, and death. These "living historians" preached the truth, just like the Evangelical preacher at the Confederate Sunday Mass claimed. Everyone in the reenactments has their own truth; they choose when they die and when they resurrect (which is ultimately shouted at the end of skirmishes as well!). They choose what kind of history they approve of and which are too simple. (States rights and economy apparently do not go back to the issue of slavery at all, but each reenactor can tell you that the buttons on underwear at the time were made of animal bone, or that train tracks were standardized during the Civil War.)

All and all, this strange phenomenon in American history will be here for a long time. Perhaps as we sit here and dwell on how half a million lives were lost 150 years ago for economics, slavery, belief, propaganda, power, or rights, we should think of our own paranoia, angst, problems, shame, and concerns in an era of struggling economics, bipolarity, and division; let us not let history repeat itself except in a reenactment, on a hot summer day in Lewisburg, in 19th century garments.

Coming Soon: Civil War Reenactment Feature

Keep your eyes posted for a feature on the bizarre yet entertaining phenomenon of Civil War Reenactments. My sister and I loaded up the car to travel to Lewisburg WV (voted "Coolest little town" in America!) to see the "Battle of Lewisburg" that took place 150 years ago this past Sunday, May 22. Writing it! If only my allergies would allow me to type and think faster...

No Mitch; Who?

As you probably have heard, Mitch Daniels is not running for president.

#hopeless

Debt. Debt. DEBT.

My generation is screwed.

What is a liberal girl like myself to do? Obama 2012? c'mon, can't someone give this guy a run for his money?

Mitch Daniels: The Dinner

Perhaps you know about my rather interesting relationship with conservatism. Born with a fiscally conservative father (currently undergoing a kind of "social liberal" make-over), without any one religion, raised on a horse farm in the hills of Pennsylvania, having attended an all-girls feminist and near bra burning institution, and currently at Yale--the bastion of elitist liberalism on the East Coast---naturally I have a funny kind of relationship with the GOP and with those Dems.

I mean, come on think about it:

+ (PLUS) +

=

? WTF ?

When I heard of this Mitch Daniels fellow, it was through my friend Max Eden, who started the Students for Daniels movement, to try to get Mitch to run for President in 2012. Ambitious and dedicated as he was, Max (the former long haired hippie who campaigned for Obama) started a national student movement with over 65 chapters at schools around America to get Mitch to run.

I was skeptical. How could a REPUBLICAN ever solve America's problems. But then I researched more about this guy. Some basic stats: Under Mitch, Indiana (what I thought to be quite the poor "backwards" state before), now has a Triple AAA credit rating by Standard and Poor's. He changed a $600 million deficit into a $370 million surplus within a year. He has reduced the state's debt by 40%. He has brought many jobs to the region and many international trade deals. His goal is to make Indiana the best place to open a business in the world. Basically, he wants people to have the choices in their pursuit of happiness.

That is Mitch's thing: choice, agency, freedom.

Of course, I ask about social issues. On these, Mitch is relatively quiet. Okay, pro-life, but has not banned abortion in the state. He has supported the choice of abortion up to 20 weeks (by then, you should know...) Gay marriage, he has been quite quiet on. Of course, I am skeptical of him on these issues, but the man is deeply concerned with the deficit of our country and how our country is just about to default on our debt. As he said, "Our problems right now are purely mathematical." He is less concerned with converting values as he is from converting red to blue ink on a ledger.

Basically, I was curious. I decided to go to the Indiana GOP dinner along with over 50 other students from out of state who are all gunning for Mitch to run. We were "tipped off" that he might announce his candidacy that night (based on the fact it was live streamed and nationally televised). Luckily, a member of the Indiana Republican Party donated the $200 per head dinner tickets... and made sure we sat in the very front next to the podium in a room of 1,100 people at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis. I put on a not-so-Republican blue dress with grey stilettos and went down to meet Mitch at 5:00. He had agreed to meet with all of us students, encouraging us that "If anyone could be a factor in his candidacy, it was us." He also encouraged that "Most politicians don't know 'why' they want to run, other than for themselves. I know the 'why' now it is just if me and my family are ready." (He later made the analogy that running was like going bungy jumping with 5 people who did not want to jump). He was charming, short (5'6"), self-deprecating, but very very intelligent. I was struck by his humility. He was just not so much of a rock star as one sees in Obama.

At dinner, he said he "was not saying we wouldn't" run, but he definitely let the issue aside. Instead, he emphasized out the Indiana GOP was different than national movements. In Indiana, they were more concerned about getting things done fiscally and economically, offering up a social truce until everyone could agree on certain things, like the budget. He said that the Indiana GOP used to be a "conservative party" meaning they did not like change or newness. Part of his goal was to make sure not just the GOP but Indiana changed that way, dusting themselves off and "MAKING THE CHANGES" that make everyone else change. Some would say he is speaking as Reagan would want. Others, including myself, think he is calling for a new order (even if informed by those Republican heydays).

Mitch was definitely no Newt. That is for damn sure. While we did not get the announcement of candidacy we had hoped for, we got a speech from Cheri Daniels, Mitch's reluctant wife. From one of Mitch's politicos, we ascertained that this was a test in Cheri's public speaking abilities; she has never campaigned for Mitch before and would have to hold off on milking the cows and being Indiana state's "Miss Maiz" or champion milker in order to give a public speech. (Wearing shorter heels would have helped....) It was a sign they were preparing for the public light.

At the dinner, I was sitting with the women from Chicks on the Right, a conservative blog dedicated to giving conservatism a make-over. (Check out the article they wrote after here). They helped me understand certain social issues of Mitch's I had been skeptical of. They were cool and wanted to sop my friend from Tennessee "up with a biscuit." They commented about Cheri's very full chest and loved Max and Michael, the two Students for Daniels leaders.

After dinner, we mingled. Max ended up asking the governor to a bar after and, after canceling his other plans, the Governor came with the Students for Daniels! I was standing outside of the hotel (not wanting to walk the 6 blocks to the bar in my heels). The Governor saw me and asked, "Do you need a ride?" I said yes, and soon 4 others were with me, riding in the Governor's personal SUV. He was genuinely kind.

Later at drinks, I asked him a more personal question, "Why did you go into politics?" He answered more along the lines that in college, he had been inspired while working in the Mayor's office, but went into the private sector upon their advice. Later, people were begging him to go into public service! (Better than forcing oneself early on!) For him, it was a twist of fate, interest, and passion. He asked me then, not where I go to school, but said, "Danielle, where are you from?" I was struck that he knew my name. I had not tag on. (He must have remembered me as the "ambivalent Democrat" on CNN, because I did not talk to any of his politicos up to that point). Turns out we are both from Western PA and he was happy to share his Kennywood park memories, Steelers fanaticism, or love of sports. He was actually driving to Monongahela the next day.

I was struck. I actually liked someone in politics. WHAT? How could this be? A REPUBLICAN no less?

In the end, I hope he runs, regardless of election. His dialog about fiscal truth and responsibility is something this nation needs (even if we don't get it at first). Making the social truce and focusing on the monetary (which is directly tied to the social) is the first step in the political process I would like to see in 2012. Unfortunately if Newt or some such person gets the nomination, I fear further division. At least both Obama AND Mitch can talk to both sides of the party line.

Who knows, Mitch just might make this bleeding heart liberal think twice about one or two things. And it certainly would not be from his charm, height, or smooth talking, but sound reason, proof, and logic.

THE DO GOODER

Welcome to my 101st post! (I must be a slacker blogger if it has taken this long...)

Anyways, just wanted to share a new film I starred in called, THE DO GOODER, directed by my dear friends Emmy Pickett and Jimi Patterson. The film is very musical with keen attention to details, rhythm, timing and a core story. I have every song in it stuck in my head and the images (aside from me being a complete narcissist now) are also stuck in my head.

I hope you enjoy it, and tell Jimi and Emmy that you liked it by visiting their vimeo page and giving them loads of compliments.

Check it HERE.

CLICK IT. DO IT.

Love it. Also check out the trailer, which is equally entertaining HERE.

Waiting to Hear: Where are the voices of the Title IX Signatories?

Often times with feminist issues and leaders, if you are not with them, you are against them. Sometimes we fear to ask questions of our feminist leaders, for fear of seeming contrarian. I am not. However, Trying to speak out with an alternative vision for feminism can be particularly difficult for fear of being perceived as being a chauvinist, a self-hating feminist, or as Gloria Steinem said, “If you are not a feminist, you are a masochist.”

However, I am feminist. A large majority people in the Yale community, including myself, thought something had to be done about the way Yale handles cases of sexual harassment and assault. However, judging by the general sentiment I have experienced, many people in the Yale community are more frustrated than pleased with how the 16 signatories of the Title IX complaint went about their way in reforming Yale’s sexual grievance system in near secrecy, without any community lead up or dialogue before going to the Federal government.

I know that what the Title IX complaint is trying to do is reform the institutional inner workings of Yale's policies surrounding sexual harassment and assault. I agree something had to be done, but the fact that there was no public lead up calls into question some of the tactics they used. Of course they got results, but I often wonder at what expense? Especially when they have not voiced their complaints in the Yale student community as directly as they have to national news... The result is a lot of miscommunication on campus. A lot of frustration. A lot of unnecessary sexual jokes and at times, hostilities towards what has been called an "unnecessary and wasteful investigation." As I overheard someone at lunch the other day, this was an "Egregious waste of Federal spending on an investigation that could take place internally." I disagree that this was a waste of spending or a waste of time---something had to happen! However, I think that there has to be major clarifications about the nature of what the Title IX complaint entails, how it was created, etc.

Basically, what I hope and expect is that the public representatives of the Title IX Signatories step forward and explain directly to their peers the nature of their investigation and what it entails, and more importantly, why they chose the tactics they did with so little lead up. If we are to follow our feminist spearheads, we want to know what exactly they are saying.

I just really hope that the Yale community clarifies something that could be potentially divisive in the student body. Title IX can be a very positive step for change, so long as we accept it as such and not misconstrue or misconceive its implications.

Title IX: From a Closeted Feminist

Yale is undergoing a federal investigation by the Office of Civil Rights for violation of Title IX after a group of 16 Yale students went to the feds with complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination of the Yale campus, particularly after many incidents (like DKE shouting, "No means yes, Yes means Anal," the "Yale Sluts" incident done by frat boys, lack of more serious action in punishment to bring about a more equal and zero-tolerance environment for sexual discrimination). If found guilty, Yale could lose $500 million of federal funding under Title IX.

Just to bring attention for more news:

The Yale Herald

From Broad Recognition

The Yale Daily News

Article to be coming soon either here or in another outlet.

A few things to consider:

1) Why not a larger emphasis on the biggest problem: the internal labyrinth of the inadequate sexual grievance review system at Yale? (This is undergoing some reform, but still....)

2) Why not a lead-up on the part of those 16 girls? Why not a larger community movement This grievance comes out of no where, unbeknownst to the Yale community until the Feds were notified. We need a campus movement primarily before we bring in the Feds to solve our problems.

3) Hopefully this will lead to more investigations into sexual harassment/discrimination in hazing both at Yale and around the country. One can hope.

4) How does the average Yale woman feel about this? Most support some sort of reform and investigation, but tend to think we should go about this in a different way, with a lot more community dialog. (Just from talking to a lot of women on campus)

5) What will this do to Yale's Title IX funding?

After hibernation, I'm back: provoked by ROTC and Columbia

After a long hiatus filled with over 200 pages of writing and countless and thousands of pages of writing, I have decided to come back to my blog, which had remained silent since September. Sometimes that desire to speak out has higher risks to be judged more harshly when you are in Yale's environment. But here is to my commitment to greet success, failure, love and criticism. Here we go again. I mustn't relent!

What actually prompted my voice again was the egregious treatment of a wounded veteran and student at Columbia University.

Check it out:
Here
and Here

Now, if there is something that makes my blood boil, its discrimination against people of color (I say this to describe anyone who is not "white," as also proscribed by a Diversity conference I attended. I know the debate here too), gay, lesbian, transgendered, bi, women, or disabled. For a long time, my support of ROTC was tarnished by Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) but when it was repealed, I was overjoyed. For a traditionally "conservative" institution, this had to be a huge move that I applauded. To me, this was as enormous step in rights of LGBT peoples and towards social progress in America.

Now, if there is something else that makes my blood boil and churn, it is the mocking or disrespect towards a wounded soldier. Regardless of whether you support wars, conflicts, humanitarian missions, or not (or the other myriad of functions the military plays), a wounded man is a wounded man who suffered a lot to be alive where he is today. A veteran is not "THE MAN" but only a man who happens to have gone through a lot more than most Americans could handle. He is still probably going through things that he cannot handle without much difficulty and struggle. Shame on those disrespectful students who boo a wounded man.

Columbias students' signs "The Military Preys on Low Income Communities" might have a point or an observation. However, this should in no way be a source of legitimacy to ban ROTC, a source of bringing highly educated, talented, and schooled individuals into the army. If anything, the re-introduction of ROTC into the Ivy League could change the military's operation, its values, and its operations. An educated soldier is a force to be reckoned with, one who can (someday) even climb the ranks and gradually shift the military to a new and better place.

Protesting alone and insulting victims of war will not change the military but only create a larger problem. Dialogue from the outside, but also, more importantly, within the military is the MOST IMPORTANT. If anything, internal dialogue, brought about by educated persons from NYU, Davidson, Yale, University of Pittsburgh, Pomona, Harvard, Columbia, and everywhere around the country, is perhaps the most powerful force of change for the military, not the isolation of the military--- that would only create a larger gap between America and a military filled with old, stern, and hardened men and a bunch of "low income" victims.

I encourage ROTC on college campuses as a force of creating more dialogue, change, and progress in US Armed Forces.

I support our troops. I support our LGBT community. I support our women and men. I may not support certain military decisions.

I will scorn those who hiss at a gunshot victim who has put on a uniform for our country. I will equally scorn those who discriminate against any person of color, gender, sexual preference, or religious identity. Out of a sort of nausea, something inside of me really wants to say "Get Real" Columbia, but instead, I'll say, "Rethink this, Columbia." I know Yale has been.



Note: If my terminology, so important in civil and social rights, has in any way offended or has been misattributed, I apologize. I really did carefully consider my word choices. I hope my sister is proud.