Todd Akin: Going too Far

 How far is too far when it comes to expressing political and religious beliefs? Before the 2012 elections, Missouri Republican Representative Todd Akin may have gone too far expressing his stance against abortion. The following quote made by Akin is scientifically false and offensive to many people, women and men. The statement was made in augment against abortion even in cases of rape.

  “It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”

 Akin's statement was regarded as inexcusable even by Alin's party.However, the Republican Party allowed him to continue his race for Missouri Senate. Although, even in the Republican state of Missouri, Todd Akin's statement contributed to the victory of Democrat Claire Mckaskill. More on the reaction of Akin's infamous statement can be read in the August, 2012 New York Times article: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/us/politics/rep-todd-akin-legitimate-rape-statement-and-reaction.html?_r=0

  

Macklemore takes a Stance

 The genre of Hip-Hop has been known for it's valgarity and often using anti-gay lyrics. Even some of the most respected rap artists have used such lyrics. For example, Tupac Shakur and Eminem. Part of the reason why these artists used anti-gay language is because it was considered normal in the hip-hop culture. Eminem has since apologized for using such lyrics in his early career. 

 A new rap artist, Macklemore, along with his producer Ryan Lewis, have made a stance against homophobia and general inequity. Because of the rap duo's growing popularity, they have brought their message to a mainstream audience. Macklemore a and Ryan Lewis's single "Same Love" has made their stance clear and caused many fans to support equal treatment of all, reguardlsss of sexual orientation. However, is a single group's messeage strong enough to change the view of the mainstream hip-hop culture? I think more artists need to write about similar issues as "Same Love" discusses, not fearing the negative attention by those who disagree. This link leads to the official music video for "Same Love." http://youtu.be/hlVBg7_08n0

Gender Wage Inequality in America

 In the USA, the wage gap between men and women has been an ongoing issue. 50 years ago, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay act that sought to end gender discrimination within the work place. However, wage gaps were still present. 

 President Obama signed an extension of Kennedy's act called the Paycheck Fairness Act and declared one of his primary objectives would be to close these wage gaps. But still, men are payed more than women. It is estimated that women earn 77 cents compared to a dollar earned by a man. An NPR article deeply explores this issue: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125998232

Jackie Robison's Mission Complete

 I am a huge fan of baseball but before my time, the sport was regarded as "a white man's game." African Americans were forced into their own Negro Leaque and were not accepted into the MLB. This discrimination was ended when first basemen Jackie Robison was made part of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He faced trials but was known as a great player, winning the rookie of the year in 1947 and National League MVP in 1949. Robison paved the way for non-white professional baseball players.

 Jackie Robison's mission of allowing everyone the chance to play in the MLB was completed. Today, many of the greatest names in baseball are minorities or from other countries; from the Cardinals' Carlos Beltron to the Yankees' legendary closing pitcher Mariano Rivera. Discrimination in the sport of baseball has been banished thanks to number 42, the great Jackie Robison.

Stuck on Lay-Off

 The recent government shutdown has finally ended, or at least funded. However, during the shutdown, many government workers were laid off for the duration of the shutdown. In addition, they were not given the chance to seek employment in other work places. This violated the workers rights to earn an income and support their families. Understandably, this issue and other issues surrounding the government shutdown has outraged many American citizens. Fortunately for the laid off workers, the income lost was paid when the decision to end the shutdown was made. However, how and why could anyone deny a person the opportunity to be employed during a lay-off?

DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional, Finally

 Today, 14 states in the USA allow same-sex marriage. However, same-sex married couples were denied the rights and benefits granted to straight married couples due to the Deffence of Marrige Act or DOMA. This law was made in 1996 to protect "the institution of traditional marriage." Now that same-sex marriage is legal in some states, the law negatively affected people who were married in an "untraditional" way. This year, on June 26, DOMA was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Finally, same-sex couples have access to the federal benefits of straight couples. Another step has been made towards equlaity. The following link leads to an article on Huffington Post that explains DOMA and the battle to repeal it. The article was posted in May of 2012, over a year before it was repealed. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1559031

The article states argrruments both for and against the repeal of DOMA.

Taught Equal Treatment of All

 I am from a small town in Missouri that had little diversity. Thus, many people where not exposed to different cultures and types is people. So, racism and homophobia were common. However, my parents taught me to treat everyone (regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation) equally. Being taught this from a young age made me passionate about human rights and equality. 

 Exposure to different people also contributed to my interest in this issue. My uncle, as well as a former classmate of mine, wittinessed  discrimination because they were gay. This made me want to help reduce and stand against homophobia.