When Preventing Rape is Too Costly

I was absolutely at a loss for words when I came across this article at Think Progress about talking about how the American Action Forum was against new policies proposed by the Obama administration aimed at preventing rape and sexual abuse in the U.S.’s prisons. They complained that the measures were too “complicated” and “costly.” I was quite enraged by the response. We’re talking about preventing rape, for crying out loud, and they’re complaining it’s too complicated and costs too much. What the hell is going on?!
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The Endless Cycle of Oil Dependance

When I was growing up in California, pretty much everyone drove everywhere. When I was 16, I was the odd one out as someone who didn’t have a driver’s license and a car. Ten years later in the U.K., I only know three people who have their own cars. A whole lot of people I know don’t even have a driver’s license. I think a large part of that is to do with public transportation. Brits complain about their bus and train system a lot, but it’s a sight better than what we get in much of the U.S.
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Palestinian Hunger Strike

I’ll be upfront about my opinions about Palestine: I’m for a two-state solution. In part because I think that’s the only way to solve a lot of the conflict in that region. I also recognize that the Palestinians have as equal a claim on the land as the Israelis. Mostly though, Israel lost the upper hand with the Six-Days War and the subsequent treatment of Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank, which isn’t to say Hamas’ actions have been great either. Both sides have committed horrible acts of violence against each other.
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Privilege the Video Game: Version 1.1

Among my e-mails, the other day, I found something from Julie Gillis with a link to this article about privilege. Basically it compares privilege (social inequality) to the difficulty setting of a video game. It acknowledges that other factors (such as individual personalities and abilities) influence what effect privilege has on a person’s life. In the case of the linked article, the other, personal factors are represented by ‘stats’ in video games. Basically the analogy is like this: difficulty setting (privilege) is about how the world perceives and interacts with your character, while the stats (personal circumstances) are about how well you are individually equipped to deal with the world.
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Stephen King Wants to Be Taxed More

Apparently Stephen King, along with a few other rich Americans, wants his taxes raised. The whole article is a pretty good read, which is no surprise considering it’s written by a major award winning author. He makes what I think are some pretty good points throughout, but what I want to focus on is the part at the end where he says this, “I want you to acknowledge that in America, we all should have to pay our fair share!”
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