Comment
The neocon revolution US unilateralism was a means of breaking the old order. Now it is building new alliances
Martin Jacques
Thursday March 31, 2005
The Guardian
With any new political phenomenon, there is always a tendency to underestimate its novelty and treat it as some kind of short-term aberration. I vividly recall how long it took commentators and analysts, on the right and left, to recognise that Thatcherism was something quite new and here to stay. Similar doubts greeted the Bush administration and the neocon revolution: its novelty would be short-lived, it would not last and it was just not viable. It is always hard to imagine a new kind of world, easier to think of the future as an extension of the past, and difficult to comprehend a paradigm shift and grasp a new kind of logic.
There was speculation last autumn that the second Bush term would be different, that the breach with Europe would be healed as a matter of necessity, that the US could not afford another Iraq, that somehow the new position was unsustainable. Already, however, from last November's presidential election it was clear that the neocon revolution had wide popular support and serious electoral roots, that it was establishing a new kind of domestic political hegemony. In fact, the right has been setting the political agenda in the US for at least 30 years and that is now true with a vengeance. All the indications suggest that the revolution is continuing apace.
The appointment of John Bolton as the US ambassador to the United Nations and the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz as president of the World Bank reveal a determination to place the cadres of the neocon revolution in key positions of power and influence and thereby create the conditions for its continuation and expansion. This was heralded almost immediately after the presidential election with the decision to replace Colin Powell, a man of very different political hue, with Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state.
During the first Bush administration, and especially in its conduct of the Iraq war, the neocon revolution was often characterised as unilateralist, but this was always somewhat simplistic. No nation can simply go it alone, certainly not one that seeks to dominate the world. However strong it
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Oakland born and raised, Fierce Warrior Fred Korematsu Passes (a people service no 9)
We take this somber moment to pause and remember a great American.
Unwavering and unafraid, Fred led everyone down a path of moral fortitude with the use of just one word: "No".
Though jailed and abandoned for his willingness to demand his constitutional rights in the frenzy of World War II, he never gave up the fight. His eventual victory against a corrupted government proved to be a victory for us all. Both revered and reviled by Presidents, very few have had the fortitude to do what he has done.
Fred was not just a icon to the Japanese American community but to all communities around the country and around the world because he stood up for justice. When a very narrow minded leader said "you're either with us or you're against us", Fred boldly replied, "we're against you, because you violate the rights of ordinary people!" For all who knew him and for those who didn't, he proved that individual rights matter in war time every bit as much as they do in peace time and for that, he will remain a hero to us all.
(from Herb H.)
BACKGROUND
Born: 1919-2005Birthplace: Oakland, Calif.
Korematsu was born to a Japanese-American family that owned a flower nursery. Korematsu refused to go to an internment camp. In 1942 he was arrested and sent to a camp.
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the military commanders on the West Coast to issue whatever orders were necessary for national security. Curfew and exclusionary orders soon followed.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 1944 on the grounds of military necessity.
In 1983, Korematsu appealed his conviction. Later that year a federal court in San Francisco overturned the conviction, stating that the government's case at the time had been based on false, misleading, and at racially biased information.
Judge Patel commented on the lessons of Korematsu v. United States:
Korematsu remains on the pages of our legal and political history. As a legal precedent, it is now recognized as having very limited application. As historical precedent, it stands as a constant caution that in times of war or declared military necessity our institutions must be vigilant in protecting constitutional guarantees.
It stands as a caution that in times of distress the shield of military necessity and national security must not be used to protect governmental actions from close scrutiny and accountability. It stands as a caution that in times of international hostility and antagonisms our institutions, legislative, executive and judicial, must be prepared to exercise their authority to protect all citizens from the petty feats and prejudices that are so easily aroused.
In 1988 Congress passed legislation apologizing for the internments and awarding each survivor $20,000.
Unwavering and unafraid, Fred led everyone down a path of moral fortitude with the use of just one word: "No".
Though jailed and abandoned for his willingness to demand his constitutional rights in the frenzy of World War II, he never gave up the fight. His eventual victory against a corrupted government proved to be a victory for us all. Both revered and reviled by Presidents, very few have had the fortitude to do what he has done.
Fred was not just a icon to the Japanese American community but to all communities around the country and around the world because he stood up for justice. When a very narrow minded leader said "you're either with us or you're against us", Fred boldly replied, "we're against you, because you violate the rights of ordinary people!" For all who knew him and for those who didn't, he proved that individual rights matter in war time every bit as much as they do in peace time and for that, he will remain a hero to us all.
(from Herb H.)
BACKGROUND
Born: 1919-2005Birthplace: Oakland, Calif.
Korematsu was born to a Japanese-American family that owned a flower nursery. Korematsu refused to go to an internment camp. In 1942 he was arrested and sent to a camp.
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the military commanders on the West Coast to issue whatever orders were necessary for national security. Curfew and exclusionary orders soon followed.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 1944 on the grounds of military necessity.
In 1983, Korematsu appealed his conviction. Later that year a federal court in San Francisco overturned the conviction, stating that the government's case at the time had been based on false, misleading, and at racially biased information.
Judge Patel commented on the lessons of Korematsu v. United States:
Korematsu remains on the pages of our legal and political history. As a legal precedent, it is now recognized as having very limited application. As historical precedent, it stands as a constant caution that in times of war or declared military necessity our institutions must be vigilant in protecting constitutional guarantees.
It stands as a caution that in times of distress the shield of military necessity and national security must not be used to protect governmental actions from close scrutiny and accountability. It stands as a caution that in times of international hostility and antagonisms our institutions, legislative, executive and judicial, must be prepared to exercise their authority to protect all citizens from the petty feats and prejudices that are so easily aroused.
In 1988 Congress passed legislation apologizing for the internments and awarding each survivor $20,000.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
More immigrant restrictions are being considered ( a people service no. 8)
ACTION ALERT! ACTION ALERT! ACTION ALERT!
The National Immigration Forum and has already signed on to letters of support in rejecting the REAL ID Act.
Please take a moment to read about the REAL ID Act and call your legislator as soon as you can. Thanks to NAKASEC for and the National Immigration Forum for providing this background!
Congress is threatening to take away drivers licenses and other important rights from immigrants. This past February 10, the REAL ID Act (H.R. 418) passed in the House by a 261-161 vote.
The REAL ID Act does nothing to strengthen national security or address the problems with the broken immigration system. America urgently needs legislation supporting comprehensive immigration reform and not another measure to drive immigrants deeper into the shadows of society.
Broadly, the REAL ID Act puts greater restrictions on immigrant access to drivers' licenses, making it more difficult for those fleeing persecution to attain asylum, and waives potential environmental concerns in constructing a fence to close a 3-mile gap along the US-Mexico border.
The bill also severely curtails the rights of immigrants to have a fair trial and expands the definition of "terrorism" to include actions normally protected by the first amendment.
Of particular concern to the Asian Pacific American community, the Real ID Act drivers' license provisions would create the following 3-tiered system for drivers' licenses:
1. States will be prohibited from issuing drivers' licenses to undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants will be forced to drive to work and school without licenses, and therefore auto insurance, making the roads unsafe for everyone.
Most of these undocumented immigrants, numbering one million Asian Pacific Americans, are long-term residents and integral part of our communities, our economy and our nation. They live, work and study in America and should not be deprived of the basic right to drive, work and contribute to society.
2. All drivers' license applicants will undergo unnecessarily burdensome proof of identity standards. Even citizens will be impacted by this provision. There will be long delays as the Department of Homeland Security will have to verify the citizenship of each license applicant.
Moreover, naturalized citizens who do not have U.S. passports or access to their naturalization certificates may have difficulties getting their licenses because they cannot prove that they are U.S. citizens.
3. Temporary licenses, expiring according to the validity period of one's visa, will be issued to certain legal non-immigrants. Legal non-immigrants who are in the U.S. to work or study will be forced to carry drivers' licenses or IDs that single them out from the general population.
Furthermore, they will likely have tremendous difficulties getting or renewing their licenses or IDs, as many employees of state Departments of Motor Vehicles will not understand the complexities of immigration law.
Communities are also concerned that these provisions are likely to lead to discrimination or racial profiling of those who may look "foreign."
The REAL ID Act has moved to the Senate. We need to continue reaching out to senators to ask that they oppose the REAL ID Act. A coordinated national day of action is in the works for the Week of April 11. We’ll send out details later, when we have them. Stay tuned!
IN THE MEANTIME, WHAT CAN WE DO?
Call or visit your senators while they are in their district office. Your senators will be home through April 1st. In addition to arguing against the REAL ID Act on the merits, please ask them to take this additional step:
o If they are Republican: They should tell their leadership—Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Bill Frist (R-TN)—that they oppose REAL ID, don’t want to see it as part of appropriations legislation, and that attaching it may bog down the appropriations bill in extended debate. Cochran is Chair of the Appropriations Committee and Frist is the Senate Majority Leader.
o If they are Democrat: They should tell their leadership—Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Harry Reid (D-NV)—that they oppose REAL ID, don't want to see it as part of appropriations legislation, and that attaching it may bog down the appropriations bill in extended debate. Byrd is the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee Reid is the Senate Minority Leader.
This step is important, because REAL ID must be kept off the Senate version of the spending bill. The appropriators (that is, Cochran and Byrd) may be convinced to keep it off the spending bill because they generally do not like controversial policy proposals attached to their spending bills.
For suggested talking points, please visit http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=654
Write a Sample Letter If you prefer to send a letter by fax to your senators’ offices, you can use the sample letter on the National Immigration Forum's website, and personalize it.
BACKGROUND
REAL ID Goes to the Senate
The House passed a bill that will provide additional money for the war in Iraq, for military operations in Afghanistan, and for tsunami relief (among other things). As expected, James Sensenbrenner’s REAL ID Act has been attached to that appropriation bill. The bill passed the House 388 to 43.
As you will recall from previous e-mails, the REAL ID Act, if enacted, will make it practically impossible for someone to win asylum in the U.S., requiring asylum seekers to meet a credibility standard that no member of Congress (for example) could meet.
It would also induce states to deny drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants; further restrict the due process rights of immigrants; give bail bondsmen unprecedented powers to decide whether an immigrant is a flight risk and to go after him or her; and give the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to waive all laws that he feels might interfere with building border barriers.
For a more detailed review of REAL ID provisions, and for materials related to the bill, go to our Web site:
http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=701
Ultimately, a supplemental appropriations bill will pass overwhelmingly in the Senate. The question now is, "Will it have REAL ID attached to it?"
THE SENATE’S OPTIONS
The Senate can take up the House appropriations bill (with REAL ID attached), or senators can consider their own appropriations bill. In the latter case, that bill may face amendments as it goes through Senate passage (including something like REAL ID, if someone were to offer it).
In any case, the Senate will have to deal with REAL ID, either in the chamber or during a conference committee with the House. One way it may do so is to insist that REAL ID be dropped from any House/Senate compromise package.
On the other hand, some senators may feel that if the House wants to attach an extraneous immigration matter to a military operations supplemental spending bill, the door is open for other immigration provisions that are priorities for senators.
The Senate will consider the supplemental spending bill after they return from recess April 5th.
Please contact your legislator today!
Anh Phan
Director of Communications
Organization of Chinese Americans
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 601
Washington, D.C. 20036
tel: 202.223.5500
fax: 202.296.0540
The National Immigration Forum and has already signed on to letters of support in rejecting the REAL ID Act.
Please take a moment to read about the REAL ID Act and call your legislator as soon as you can. Thanks to NAKASEC for and the National Immigration Forum for providing this background!
Congress is threatening to take away drivers licenses and other important rights from immigrants. This past February 10, the REAL ID Act (H.R. 418) passed in the House by a 261-161 vote.
The REAL ID Act does nothing to strengthen national security or address the problems with the broken immigration system. America urgently needs legislation supporting comprehensive immigration reform and not another measure to drive immigrants deeper into the shadows of society.
Broadly, the REAL ID Act puts greater restrictions on immigrant access to drivers' licenses, making it more difficult for those fleeing persecution to attain asylum, and waives potential environmental concerns in constructing a fence to close a 3-mile gap along the US-Mexico border.
The bill also severely curtails the rights of immigrants to have a fair trial and expands the definition of "terrorism" to include actions normally protected by the first amendment.
Of particular concern to the Asian Pacific American community, the Real ID Act drivers' license provisions would create the following 3-tiered system for drivers' licenses:
1. States will be prohibited from issuing drivers' licenses to undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants will be forced to drive to work and school without licenses, and therefore auto insurance, making the roads unsafe for everyone.
Most of these undocumented immigrants, numbering one million Asian Pacific Americans, are long-term residents and integral part of our communities, our economy and our nation. They live, work and study in America and should not be deprived of the basic right to drive, work and contribute to society.
2. All drivers' license applicants will undergo unnecessarily burdensome proof of identity standards. Even citizens will be impacted by this provision. There will be long delays as the Department of Homeland Security will have to verify the citizenship of each license applicant.
Moreover, naturalized citizens who do not have U.S. passports or access to their naturalization certificates may have difficulties getting their licenses because they cannot prove that they are U.S. citizens.
3. Temporary licenses, expiring according to the validity period of one's visa, will be issued to certain legal non-immigrants. Legal non-immigrants who are in the U.S. to work or study will be forced to carry drivers' licenses or IDs that single them out from the general population.
Furthermore, they will likely have tremendous difficulties getting or renewing their licenses or IDs, as many employees of state Departments of Motor Vehicles will not understand the complexities of immigration law.
Communities are also concerned that these provisions are likely to lead to discrimination or racial profiling of those who may look "foreign."
The REAL ID Act has moved to the Senate. We need to continue reaching out to senators to ask that they oppose the REAL ID Act. A coordinated national day of action is in the works for the Week of April 11. We’ll send out details later, when we have them. Stay tuned!
IN THE MEANTIME, WHAT CAN WE DO?
Call or visit your senators while they are in their district office. Your senators will be home through April 1st. In addition to arguing against the REAL ID Act on the merits, please ask them to take this additional step:
o If they are Republican: They should tell their leadership—Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Bill Frist (R-TN)—that they oppose REAL ID, don’t want to see it as part of appropriations legislation, and that attaching it may bog down the appropriations bill in extended debate. Cochran is Chair of the Appropriations Committee and Frist is the Senate Majority Leader.
o If they are Democrat: They should tell their leadership—Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Harry Reid (D-NV)—that they oppose REAL ID, don't want to see it as part of appropriations legislation, and that attaching it may bog down the appropriations bill in extended debate. Byrd is the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee Reid is the Senate Minority Leader.
This step is important, because REAL ID must be kept off the Senate version of the spending bill. The appropriators (that is, Cochran and Byrd) may be convinced to keep it off the spending bill because they generally do not like controversial policy proposals attached to their spending bills.
For suggested talking points, please visit http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=654
Write a Sample Letter If you prefer to send a letter by fax to your senators’ offices, you can use the sample letter on the National Immigration Forum's website, and personalize it.
BACKGROUND
REAL ID Goes to the Senate
The House passed a bill that will provide additional money for the war in Iraq, for military operations in Afghanistan, and for tsunami relief (among other things). As expected, James Sensenbrenner’s REAL ID Act has been attached to that appropriation bill. The bill passed the House 388 to 43.
As you will recall from previous e-mails, the REAL ID Act, if enacted, will make it practically impossible for someone to win asylum in the U.S., requiring asylum seekers to meet a credibility standard that no member of Congress (for example) could meet.
It would also induce states to deny drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants; further restrict the due process rights of immigrants; give bail bondsmen unprecedented powers to decide whether an immigrant is a flight risk and to go after him or her; and give the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to waive all laws that he feels might interfere with building border barriers.
For a more detailed review of REAL ID provisions, and for materials related to the bill, go to our Web site:
http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=701
Ultimately, a supplemental appropriations bill will pass overwhelmingly in the Senate. The question now is, "Will it have REAL ID attached to it?"
THE SENATE’S OPTIONS
The Senate can take up the House appropriations bill (with REAL ID attached), or senators can consider their own appropriations bill. In the latter case, that bill may face amendments as it goes through Senate passage (including something like REAL ID, if someone were to offer it).
In any case, the Senate will have to deal with REAL ID, either in the chamber or during a conference committee with the House. One way it may do so is to insist that REAL ID be dropped from any House/Senate compromise package.
On the other hand, some senators may feel that if the House wants to attach an extraneous immigration matter to a military operations supplemental spending bill, the door is open for other immigration provisions that are priorities for senators.
The Senate will consider the supplemental spending bill after they return from recess April 5th.
Please contact your legislator today!
Anh Phan
Director of Communications
Organization of Chinese Americans
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 601
Washington, D.C. 20036
tel: 202.223.5500
fax: 202.296.0540
Monday, March 28, 2005
Fighting For The Right To Vote (a people service no 7)
PETITION TO SUPPORT REAUTHORIZATION OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965
Whereas, 1965 Voting Rights Act is one of the nation's most important civil and human rights victories leading to political empowerment and voter enfranchisement;
Whereas, key provisions of the Voting Rights Act will expire in August 2007 unless Congress acts to reauthorize them;
Whereas, efforts to make the provisions of the Act "permanent" or"nationwide" will make it vulnerable to challenge by those who want to dilute or eliminate the Voting Rights Act.
I demand that President Bush and the Congress declare their publicsupport for REAUTHORIZING THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT and its enforcementprovisions to make America a more perfect union;
I support the RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION and allied organizations joiningin a COALITION OF CONSCIENCE to March and Rally in AUGUST 2005 to commemorate the 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND MOBILIZE TO WIN ITS EXTENSION IN 2007.
I DECLARE THAT EVERY VOTE COUNTS, AND DEMAND THAT EVERY VOTE BECOUNTED.
Let this be the season of a new Pro-Democracy Movement in America.
the petition link http://www.rainbowpush.org/petition/
Whereas, 1965 Voting Rights Act is one of the nation's most important civil and human rights victories leading to political empowerment and voter enfranchisement;
Whereas, key provisions of the Voting Rights Act will expire in August 2007 unless Congress acts to reauthorize them;
Whereas, efforts to make the provisions of the Act "permanent" or"nationwide" will make it vulnerable to challenge by those who want to dilute or eliminate the Voting Rights Act.
I demand that President Bush and the Congress declare their publicsupport for REAUTHORIZING THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT and its enforcementprovisions to make America a more perfect union;
I support the RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION and allied organizations joiningin a COALITION OF CONSCIENCE to March and Rally in AUGUST 2005 to commemorate the 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND MOBILIZE TO WIN ITS EXTENSION IN 2007.
I DECLARE THAT EVERY VOTE COUNTS, AND DEMAND THAT EVERY VOTE BECOUNTED.
Let this be the season of a new Pro-Democracy Movement in America.
the petition link http://www.rainbowpush.org/petition/
Little Manila Symposium in Stockton 4/9 (A people service part 6)
From: Dawn Mabalon
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 15:54:57 -0800
Subject: Little Manila Symposium in Stockton 4/9
Join us April 9 in Stockton as we celebrate the contributions of the Filipina/o Labor Movement in Stockton's Little Manila and provide a progress report on the revitalization and preservation of Stockton's Little Manila neighborhood!
"Reclaiming the Legacy: The Labor Movement and the Filipino Immigrant Experience in Stockton, California, 1920s to 1950s."
Don't miss this great opportunity to learn about this very important part of our American history that is not widely taught at local schools.
For more info, click on http://www.littlemanila.net.
The conference will take place on April 9, 2005 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at San Joaquin Delta College, West Forum. Onsite registration fees are $5 for students and $10 for general public.
The conference consists of three sessions:
1. Immigration and Settlement
2. The Filipino Labor Movement in Stockton
3. The Little Manila Foundation - A Progress Report
Little Manila Foundation is dedicated to honoring and preserving the history of Filipino-Americans in Stockton and the Central Valley. This forum is part an educational series that provides an opportunity for us to share our community's heritage with the general public.
Our invited speakers represent experts from the labor movement, academia, and the community who will share their knowledge and perspectives on the role of Filipinos during a vital period of the building of California's agribusiness.
From the 1930s through the 1970s, Filipino laborers were actively involved in labor organizing to protect their rights as workers and to demand better wages and working conditions. The Filipino Agricultural Laborer's Association in fact led the noted 1938 Asparagus Strike that crippled the asparagus industry. The strike led to first Filipino labor union affiliation with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Filipino labor leaders later formed the Agricultural Worker's Organizing Committee that allied with the National Farm Workers Association and became the genesis of the United Farm Workers (UFW). Among the founding members of the UFW, were Larry Itliong and PhilipVera Cruz, both of whom were veteran Filipino-American labor union leaders. As Vice Presidents of the UFW, Itliong and Vera Cruz worked alongside Cesar Chavez to lead the famous Grape Strikes and Boycott movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
"Reclaiming the Legacy" is sponsored by Cultural Awareness Program of San Joaquin Delta College.
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 15:54:57 -0800
Subject: Little Manila Symposium in Stockton 4/9
Join us April 9 in Stockton as we celebrate the contributions of the Filipina/o Labor Movement in Stockton's Little Manila and provide a progress report on the revitalization and preservation of Stockton's Little Manila neighborhood!
"Reclaiming the Legacy: The Labor Movement and the Filipino Immigrant Experience in Stockton, California, 1920s to 1950s."
Don't miss this great opportunity to learn about this very important part of our American history that is not widely taught at local schools.
For more info, click on http://www.littlemanila.net.
The conference will take place on April 9, 2005 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at San Joaquin Delta College, West Forum. Onsite registration fees are $5 for students and $10 for general public.
The conference consists of three sessions:
1. Immigration and Settlement
2. The Filipino Labor Movement in Stockton
3. The Little Manila Foundation - A Progress Report
Little Manila Foundation is dedicated to honoring and preserving the history of Filipino-Americans in Stockton and the Central Valley. This forum is part an educational series that provides an opportunity for us to share our community's heritage with the general public.
Our invited speakers represent experts from the labor movement, academia, and the community who will share their knowledge and perspectives on the role of Filipinos during a vital period of the building of California's agribusiness.
From the 1930s through the 1970s, Filipino laborers were actively involved in labor organizing to protect their rights as workers and to demand better wages and working conditions. The Filipino Agricultural Laborer's Association in fact led the noted 1938 Asparagus Strike that crippled the asparagus industry. The strike led to first Filipino labor union affiliation with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Filipino labor leaders later formed the Agricultural Worker's Organizing Committee that allied with the National Farm Workers Association and became the genesis of the United Farm Workers (UFW). Among the founding members of the UFW, were Larry Itliong and PhilipVera Cruz, both of whom were veteran Filipino-American labor union leaders. As Vice Presidents of the UFW, Itliong and Vera Cruz worked alongside Cesar Chavez to lead the famous Grape Strikes and Boycott movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
"Reclaiming the Legacy" is sponsored by Cultural Awareness Program of San Joaquin Delta College.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Barbara Lee Endorses David Kakashiba (people service part 5)
Endorsements: Add Representative Barbara Lee to the list,
"I am pleased to support David Kakishiba for City Council. David has what it takes to be a tremendous leader for the City of Oakland," Rep. Barbara Lee said. "He has built a remarkable coalition of support that truly represents the great diversity and promise of District 2. I look forward to being a part of this exciting campaign."
--Representative Barbara Lee Also, if you haven't heard, Assemblywoman Wilma Chan has endorsed David:“David Kakishiba is an independent leader who has dedicated his life to serving our children and their families,” said Assemblywoman Chan.
“David knows the community and how to solve real problems.”--Assemblywoman Wilma ChanComing Up:Headquarters OpeningFriday, March 25th6-8:30pm
It's free and open to the public, bring your friends and family. To RSVP call 2680013 Volunteer:The campaign is going strong! David has support all over the district. But we need your help to get in touch with people. Here's how you can help:
1. Endorse David--join Barbara and Wilma, send an email back endorsing David
2. Donate to the campaign--every penny helps!
www.kakishiba.org3.
Have a House Party--have David meet 20 of your friends4.
Volunteer--the Phonebanks are buzzing, sign up now5.
Lawn Sign--pick up a lawn sign or have one delivered
The election is fast approaching, David needs your support now!
Call the campaign headquarters at: 268-0013
Thank you so much for your support, together we can bring independent, experienced leadership to Oakland.
Sueanne McNeil Biotti Campaign Manager
David Kakishiba for City Council
600 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94606268-0013 ph
www.kakishiba.org
*********************************
This is very good news, David has garnered the support of 2 independent progressive elected individuals. Pass it on and contribute to his campaign. Stay tuned for details on Filipinos for David Kakashiba reception.
Thank you in advance.
"I am pleased to support David Kakishiba for City Council. David has what it takes to be a tremendous leader for the City of Oakland," Rep. Barbara Lee said. "He has built a remarkable coalition of support that truly represents the great diversity and promise of District 2. I look forward to being a part of this exciting campaign."
--Representative Barbara Lee Also, if you haven't heard, Assemblywoman Wilma Chan has endorsed David:“David Kakishiba is an independent leader who has dedicated his life to serving our children and their families,” said Assemblywoman Chan.
“David knows the community and how to solve real problems.”--Assemblywoman Wilma ChanComing Up:Headquarters OpeningFriday, March 25th6-8:30pm
It's free and open to the public, bring your friends and family. To RSVP call 2680013 Volunteer:The campaign is going strong! David has support all over the district. But we need your help to get in touch with people. Here's how you can help:
1. Endorse David--join Barbara and Wilma, send an email back endorsing David
2. Donate to the campaign--every penny helps!
www.kakishiba.org3.
Have a House Party--have David meet 20 of your friends4.
Volunteer--the Phonebanks are buzzing, sign up now5.
Lawn Sign--pick up a lawn sign or have one delivered
The election is fast approaching, David needs your support now!
Call the campaign headquarters at: 268-0013
Thank you so much for your support, together we can bring independent, experienced leadership to Oakland.
Sueanne McNeil Biotti Campaign Manager
David Kakishiba for City Council
600 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94606268-0013 ph
www.kakishiba.org
*********************************
This is very good news, David has garnered the support of 2 independent progressive elected individuals. Pass it on and contribute to his campaign. Stay tuned for details on Filipinos for David Kakashiba reception.
Thank you in advance.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
A people service (part 4) DAY OF EDUCATION AND ACTION at UCLA
DAY OF EDUCATION AND ACTION at UCLA
Wednesday, March 16
(There will be a carpool from Berkeley - if interested, contact BAMN - info below)
* Reverse the Drop in Underrepresented Minority Enrollment throughout the UC system!
* Open Up UCLA to Mexican, Latina/o, black, and Other Underrepresented Minority Students
* Eliminate the S.A.T. requirement
* Mexican, Latina/o, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, other minority, white, documented and undocumented - We Are All Californians
* Build the New, Integrated Independent Civil Rights Movement
9:00 am: Rally before the UC Regents Meeting, at Covel Commons, UCLA
10:00 am: Attend the meeting and speak to the UC Regents
11:00 am: March! (Gather at Covel Commons)
====================================
In January, the New Civil Rights Movement succeeded in forcing Ward Connerly from his post as a Regent of theUniversity of California. The petitions we signed and circulated, the marches and conferences we participated in won us this very important victory.
For over 12 years, Ward Connerly used his position as a Regent to promote and protect white privilege and depriveLatina/o, black, Native American, and other underrepresented minority youth in California of their right to an equal, quality education.
His actions have made our state a place inwhich public education is increasingly segregated, separate and unequal. Now he is gone from that position. A very significant opportunity is now open to us. We must grab hold of this opportunity with our full determination. Already, a process of mass discussion and movement to reverse the drop in underrepresented minority enrollment has begun in the UC system.
On March 3, BAMN organized a day of action atUC Berkeley in which nearly one thousand college, high school and middle school students rallied and marched to demand a reversal of the drop in underrepresented minority enrollment at Berkeley.
More than 350 professors from across the UC system, other professors from as far away as North Carolina, and the UC Berkeley student government endorsed the events. In response to the growing movement, UC-Berkeley ChancellorRobert Birgeneau stated "reversing the drop atUC-Berkeley is the top priority of his administration."
This movement must spread to UCLA and become a statewide campaign.
This March's UC Regents meeting will be the first Regents meeting without Ward Connerly.
This meeting will be very important for two reasons. First, the decisions they are making now, in his absence, will shape the future of the UC system. By acting now, we can set the agenda for the University of California.
Despite the increasing numbers of applications from Latina/o, and black students to the UC system, they have been systematically kept out in increasingly greater numbers. This makes clear there is no substitute for active affirmative action measures in admissions to the UC system.
The new SAT which students will soon take will be more discriminatory than the previous one and will magnify white privilege in California. Mexican, Latina/o, Asian American students and others whose first language is not English are certain to do worse with the new essay section that has been added.
To make the turn that must be made in the UC system, the active positive use of race in admissions must be restored and the S.A.T. must be eliminated. We must fight to make the UC system an institution of openness and opportunity, not segregation and white privilege.
We must remake the UC system into an institution that is truly representative of the state of California, and can bring forward the intellectual vitality that our state holds.
Second, this meeting comes at a particular time in the admissions cycle. Decisions are being made right now that will determine next fall's incoming class across the UC system. Immediately we must reverse what has been an unacceptable decline of Latina/o, black, and Native Americana admissions across the UC system this past year.
Black student enrollment on every UC campus dropped last fall. Last fall atUCLA less than two dozen black male students entered who were not on an athletic scholarship. (See chart below)
This is not acceptable! The forces for progress and equality in California have a tremendous amount of power now. This Day of Education & Action can take important steps in mobilizing our full strength. The New Civil Rights Movement is uniting California. Shoulder to shoulder, Mexican, Latina/o, black, Asian American, Native American, other minority, and anti-racist white - together we are struggling for a state and nation of sister and brotherhood where the abilities of all are developed to their fullest.
Together we must struggle for a society wholly free from racist inequality and segregation, discrimination and prejudice, sexist abuse and degradation that stifles human potential and dulls the mind and spirit.
If we take up this struggle with our full determination and creativity, we can transform our state from being the center of attacks on minorities and immigrants into the center of progress for equality and justice.
Where California goes, so will the nation.
====================================
UCLA FRESHMAN ADMISSIONSUCLA 1997
Chicano/Latino - 1,461 (15.4%)
Black - 470 (5.0%)
Native American - 79 (0.8%)
Underrepresented Minority Total - 2,010 (21.2%)
Total # of Students - 9,467
UCLA 2003
Chicano/Latino - 1,303 (13.8%)
Black - 267 (2.8%)
Native American - 33 (0.3%)
Underrepresented Minority Total - 1,603 (16.9%)
Total # of Students - 9,461
UCLA 2004
Chicano/Latino - 1,152 (13.1%)
Black - 199 (2.3%)
Native American - 31 (0.4%)
Underrepresented Minority Total - 1,382 (15.7%)
Total # of Students - 8,823
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES 2003
Chicano/Latino - 34.2%
Black - 7.3%
Native American - 0.9%
Underrepresented Minority Total - 42.4%
Sources: UC Office of the President, California Department of Education
====================================
Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action,
Integration, & Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality
By Any Means Necessary (BAMN)
www.bamn.com (510) 502-9128
california@bamn.com
For more information on the movement, go to http://www.bamn.com
or write to http://us.f410.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=california@bamn.com&YY=50262&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b .
*************************************************************
Brief Commentary: I refer the reader to earlier post related to Affirmative Action and my full support of its effort as an Affirmative Action admit and a Regents Scholar.
Of historical note: California has a long establish history of race base segrationist behavior, legislation and other overt actions towards people of color. Acts like anti-misceganation laws to prevent inter marriage with "brown" men (read Filipino and other communities who served as the laborers to the state and white women), Bakke Case, "yellow" journalism (Hearst Newspaper being its largest practioner),, Chinese Exclusion Act et al. We have a long way to go to achieve a just society. I applaude the efforts of BAMN.
Wednesday, March 16
(There will be a carpool from Berkeley - if interested, contact BAMN - info below)
* Reverse the Drop in Underrepresented Minority Enrollment throughout the UC system!
* Open Up UCLA to Mexican, Latina/o, black, and Other Underrepresented Minority Students
* Eliminate the S.A.T. requirement
* Mexican, Latina/o, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, other minority, white, documented and undocumented - We Are All Californians
* Build the New, Integrated Independent Civil Rights Movement
9:00 am: Rally before the UC Regents Meeting, at Covel Commons, UCLA
10:00 am: Attend the meeting and speak to the UC Regents
11:00 am: March! (Gather at Covel Commons)
====================================
In January, the New Civil Rights Movement succeeded in forcing Ward Connerly from his post as a Regent of theUniversity of California. The petitions we signed and circulated, the marches and conferences we participated in won us this very important victory.
For over 12 years, Ward Connerly used his position as a Regent to promote and protect white privilege and depriveLatina/o, black, Native American, and other underrepresented minority youth in California of their right to an equal, quality education.
His actions have made our state a place inwhich public education is increasingly segregated, separate and unequal. Now he is gone from that position. A very significant opportunity is now open to us. We must grab hold of this opportunity with our full determination. Already, a process of mass discussion and movement to reverse the drop in underrepresented minority enrollment has begun in the UC system.
On March 3, BAMN organized a day of action atUC Berkeley in which nearly one thousand college, high school and middle school students rallied and marched to demand a reversal of the drop in underrepresented minority enrollment at Berkeley.
More than 350 professors from across the UC system, other professors from as far away as North Carolina, and the UC Berkeley student government endorsed the events. In response to the growing movement, UC-Berkeley ChancellorRobert Birgeneau stated "reversing the drop atUC-Berkeley is the top priority of his administration."
This movement must spread to UCLA and become a statewide campaign.
This March's UC Regents meeting will be the first Regents meeting without Ward Connerly.
This meeting will be very important for two reasons. First, the decisions they are making now, in his absence, will shape the future of the UC system. By acting now, we can set the agenda for the University of California.
Despite the increasing numbers of applications from Latina/o, and black students to the UC system, they have been systematically kept out in increasingly greater numbers. This makes clear there is no substitute for active affirmative action measures in admissions to the UC system.
The new SAT which students will soon take will be more discriminatory than the previous one and will magnify white privilege in California. Mexican, Latina/o, Asian American students and others whose first language is not English are certain to do worse with the new essay section that has been added.
To make the turn that must be made in the UC system, the active positive use of race in admissions must be restored and the S.A.T. must be eliminated. We must fight to make the UC system an institution of openness and opportunity, not segregation and white privilege.
We must remake the UC system into an institution that is truly representative of the state of California, and can bring forward the intellectual vitality that our state holds.
Second, this meeting comes at a particular time in the admissions cycle. Decisions are being made right now that will determine next fall's incoming class across the UC system. Immediately we must reverse what has been an unacceptable decline of Latina/o, black, and Native Americana admissions across the UC system this past year.
Black student enrollment on every UC campus dropped last fall. Last fall atUCLA less than two dozen black male students entered who were not on an athletic scholarship. (See chart below)
This is not acceptable! The forces for progress and equality in California have a tremendous amount of power now. This Day of Education & Action can take important steps in mobilizing our full strength. The New Civil Rights Movement is uniting California. Shoulder to shoulder, Mexican, Latina/o, black, Asian American, Native American, other minority, and anti-racist white - together we are struggling for a state and nation of sister and brotherhood where the abilities of all are developed to their fullest.
Together we must struggle for a society wholly free from racist inequality and segregation, discrimination and prejudice, sexist abuse and degradation that stifles human potential and dulls the mind and spirit.
If we take up this struggle with our full determination and creativity, we can transform our state from being the center of attacks on minorities and immigrants into the center of progress for equality and justice.
Where California goes, so will the nation.
====================================
UCLA FRESHMAN ADMISSIONSUCLA 1997
Chicano/Latino - 1,461 (15.4%)
Black - 470 (5.0%)
Native American - 79 (0.8%)
Underrepresented Minority Total - 2,010 (21.2%)
Total # of Students - 9,467
UCLA 2003
Chicano/Latino - 1,303 (13.8%)
Black - 267 (2.8%)
Native American - 33 (0.3%)
Underrepresented Minority Total - 1,603 (16.9%)
Total # of Students - 9,461
UCLA 2004
Chicano/Latino - 1,152 (13.1%)
Black - 199 (2.3%)
Native American - 31 (0.4%)
Underrepresented Minority Total - 1,382 (15.7%)
Total # of Students - 8,823
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES 2003
Chicano/Latino - 34.2%
Black - 7.3%
Native American - 0.9%
Underrepresented Minority Total - 42.4%
Sources: UC Office of the President, California Department of Education
====================================
Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action,
Integration, & Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality
By Any Means Necessary (BAMN)
www.bamn.com (510) 502-9128
california@bamn.com
For more information on the movement, go to http://www.bamn.com
or write to http://us.f410.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=california@bamn.com&YY=50262&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b .
*************************************************************
Brief Commentary: I refer the reader to earlier post related to Affirmative Action and my full support of its effort as an Affirmative Action admit and a Regents Scholar.
Of historical note: California has a long establish history of race base segrationist behavior, legislation and other overt actions towards people of color. Acts like anti-misceganation laws to prevent inter marriage with "brown" men (read Filipino and other communities who served as the laborers to the state and white women), Bakke Case, "yellow" journalism (Hearst Newspaper being its largest practioner),, Chinese Exclusion Act et al. We have a long way to go to achieve a just society. I applaude the efforts of BAMN.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Local Action: David Kakashiba for District 2 Council
Dear Friends,
Terry, Lillian, and I support David Kakishiba for District 2 City Council seat. This special election will be a mail-in ballot process, no voting at the polls.
David has proven to be committed to the neighborhoods, while succeeding to create million dollar funds for children and youth services. He has a very good track record as a member of the Oakland Public Schools Board of Education, where his infatigueable efforts resulted in new construction for detriorating schools in Oakland's flatlands.
David is up against candidates who have backing from developers and status-quo leadership. We support David because he works at a grassroots level, relates to his consituencies' needs and issues, and he is looking for avenues towards real change.
We are now collecting donations to his campaign, so that he can get the word out to a district that includes Chinatown, Jack London Square, parts of Grand Lake, Lakeshore, and Oakland Avenue, Park Blvd, Eastlake with Highland Hospital, stretching to 23rd Avenue.
Please send donation of any amount, checks made out to David Kakishiba Campaign,
City Council in the memo section, to 1122 East 21st Street, Oakland, CA 94606.
We want to bundle our donations together and present to David in one lump sum at the end of March early April when we will schedule a reception for him. Our goal is to raise at least $600 to over a 1K, if the generosity is there. If you live or work in District 2, or you have other family or friends throughout Oakland and beyond who could help, please distribute this appeal to all.
In the struggle to create grass roots candidates in the political pipeline that will represent us into the next major elections.
Thanking you in advance for any help you can provide.
Terry, 510-499-3477
Lillian, Filipinos for Affirmative Action 510.465.9876
A-1 onepinoy@hotmail.com
* If you donated to David's campaign, let either of the three of us know so that we can track Filipino contributions and will make a point to mention it at the reception to be held in David's honor.
Terry, Lillian, and I support David Kakishiba for District 2 City Council seat. This special election will be a mail-in ballot process, no voting at the polls.
David has proven to be committed to the neighborhoods, while succeeding to create million dollar funds for children and youth services. He has a very good track record as a member of the Oakland Public Schools Board of Education, where his infatigueable efforts resulted in new construction for detriorating schools in Oakland's flatlands.
David is up against candidates who have backing from developers and status-quo leadership. We support David because he works at a grassroots level, relates to his consituencies' needs and issues, and he is looking for avenues towards real change.
We are now collecting donations to his campaign, so that he can get the word out to a district that includes Chinatown, Jack London Square, parts of Grand Lake, Lakeshore, and Oakland Avenue, Park Blvd, Eastlake with Highland Hospital, stretching to 23rd Avenue.
Please send donation of any amount, checks made out to David Kakishiba Campaign,
City Council in the memo section, to 1122 East 21st Street, Oakland, CA 94606.
We want to bundle our donations together and present to David in one lump sum at the end of March early April when we will schedule a reception for him. Our goal is to raise at least $600 to over a 1K, if the generosity is there. If you live or work in District 2, or you have other family or friends throughout Oakland and beyond who could help, please distribute this appeal to all.
In the struggle to create grass roots candidates in the political pipeline that will represent us into the next major elections.
Thanking you in advance for any help you can provide.
Terry, 510-499-3477
Lillian, Filipinos for Affirmative Action 510.465.9876
A-1 onepinoy@hotmail.com
* If you donated to David's campaign, let either of the three of us know so that we can track Filipino contributions and will make a point to mention it at the reception to be held in David's honor.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
You The Have Right To....Health (A people service part 4)
March 8, 2005
From Medscape Public Health & Prevention Public Health Perspective
You Have the Right to...Health?
Dabney P. Evans, MPH, CHES
If you are a fan of crime dramas as I am, you've probably heard the familiar expression, "You have the right to remain silent; you have the right to an attorney..." This oft repeated phrase captures a set of rights known as Miranda Rights. As Americans, we are aware of our rights as citizens. We pound our chests and claim our entitlements when those rights are being violated. In a famous 1964 case, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in his opinion statement on obscenity said, "I know it when I see it."[1] Human rights are many times just the opposite. You know it when you don't see it or don't have it; you know it when your rights are being violated. But where do those rights come from, and is the right to health among them?
Human Rights are understood as an arm of international law which includes the United Nations Charter, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Human rights are a set of beliefs about the societal basis of human well-being and about what people need to maintain their human dignity. Human rights describe the relationships between individuals and society, specifically government. They are a kind of pact; we pledge our allegiance to our country, and governments pledge to respect, protect, and fulfill our human rights.
But what does this have to do with public health? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "...a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."[1] Health can further be understood through the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which states that health is seen as a "social goal whose realization requires the action of many other social and economic sectors in addition to the modern health sector."[2] Every country in the world has signed at least 1 international human rights treaty that address health-related rights.[3]
Enter Human Rights
Human rights provide a system for public health professionals to reconnect with the populations we serve. Human rights are a set of distinct values that are agreed upon around the world. Further, they are codified in international treaties that have been adopted by most countries. By combining human rights principles with public health methods, we find a common language through which we can communicate. We obtain a junction for collaboration and cross-disciplinary education with others familiar with the human rights language. Finally, we discover a set of ethical principles based on human dignity and nondiscrimination.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, "It is my aspiration that health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." The international human rights documents define the right to health and outline the steps to be taken in order to achieve it. Article 25.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."[4]
Article 12.2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights further outlines, "...the steps to be taken by the states parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child;
The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene;
The prevention, treatment, and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational, and other diseases; and The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.[4]"
Public health professionals are obligated to work towards the achievement of these objectives in 2 ways.
First, if we choose to adopt the principles and rights outlined in the human rights corpus as a set of public health ethics then we are morally bound to focus our efforts towards the fulfillment of the right to health.
Second, many public health professionals are employed by federal, state, and local governments. As such, these public health professionals are also state actors. States act as signatories to international treaties and, by extension, state actors are legally bound to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights outlined in the treaties to which the state is a party.
The former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, has stated, "The right to health does not mean the right to be healthy...but it does require governments and public authorities to put in place policies and action plans which will lead to available and accessible healthcare for all in the shortest possible time.
To ensure that this happens is the challenge facing both the human rights communities and public health professionals."
Many public health professionals around the world have actively been incorporating the principles of human rights into public health practice. In April 2005, 300 of these practitioners will gather in Atlanta, Georgia, for a conference entitled Lessons Learned from Rights-Based Approaches to Health. Cosponsored by the Emory University Institute of Human Rights, CARE USA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO, Doctors for Global Health, and the human rights offices of the Carter Center, featured speakers will include former US President, Jimmy Carter; former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson; and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Paul Hunt.
As conference planning chair, I invite you to join us for this exciting conference to learn more about how human rights and health may be incorporated to achieve the challenge set forth by High Commissioner Robinson.
References
WHO. Constitution. In: Basic Documents . 36th ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1986.
WHO. Declaration of Alma-Ata. "Health for All" Series no. 1. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1978.
WHO. 25 Questions and Answers on Health and Human Rights. Health and Human Rights Publication Series. July 2002(1). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002.
Columbia University Center for the Study of Human Rights. (1994). Twenty-Five Human Rights Documents. New York: Columbia University; 1994:6-16.
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to acknowledge the conference planning committee members, the conference cosponsors, and generous donors to the upcoming conference Lessons Learned from Rights-Based Approaches to Health (April 14-16, 2005; Atlanta, Georgia).
Dabney P. Evans, MPH, CHES , Lecturer, Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health; Executive Director, Institute of Human Rights, Emory University; Atlanta, Georgia
Disclosure: Dabney P. Evans, MPH, CHES, has disclosed that she is employed by and received grants for educational activities from Emory University.
Medscape Public Health & Prevention. 2005; 3 (1): ©2005 Medscape
************************************
A Brief Commentary
This seems to be a day for posting on Public Health, yes.
Though the writer advertises an upcoming conference to be held in Atlanta this April, her point is succinctly articulated.
As a synthesis of current applicable laws, treaties, declarations -- human rights/health is critical to our very existence, hence warrants protection and efforts to expand it’s inclusiveness as to who is protected.
I welcome your comments on my postings and if you wish to share your thoughts, kindly send me an email at onepinoy@hotmail.com
From Medscape Public Health & Prevention Public Health Perspective
You Have the Right to...Health?
Dabney P. Evans, MPH, CHES
If you are a fan of crime dramas as I am, you've probably heard the familiar expression, "You have the right to remain silent; you have the right to an attorney..." This oft repeated phrase captures a set of rights known as Miranda Rights. As Americans, we are aware of our rights as citizens. We pound our chests and claim our entitlements when those rights are being violated. In a famous 1964 case, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in his opinion statement on obscenity said, "I know it when I see it."[1] Human rights are many times just the opposite. You know it when you don't see it or don't have it; you know it when your rights are being violated. But where do those rights come from, and is the right to health among them?
Human Rights are understood as an arm of international law which includes the United Nations Charter, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Human rights are a set of beliefs about the societal basis of human well-being and about what people need to maintain their human dignity. Human rights describe the relationships between individuals and society, specifically government. They are a kind of pact; we pledge our allegiance to our country, and governments pledge to respect, protect, and fulfill our human rights.
But what does this have to do with public health? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "...a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."[1] Health can further be understood through the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which states that health is seen as a "social goal whose realization requires the action of many other social and economic sectors in addition to the modern health sector."[2] Every country in the world has signed at least 1 international human rights treaty that address health-related rights.[3]
Enter Human Rights
Human rights provide a system for public health professionals to reconnect with the populations we serve. Human rights are a set of distinct values that are agreed upon around the world. Further, they are codified in international treaties that have been adopted by most countries. By combining human rights principles with public health methods, we find a common language through which we can communicate. We obtain a junction for collaboration and cross-disciplinary education with others familiar with the human rights language. Finally, we discover a set of ethical principles based on human dignity and nondiscrimination.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, "It is my aspiration that health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." The international human rights documents define the right to health and outline the steps to be taken in order to achieve it. Article 25.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."[4]
Article 12.2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights further outlines, "...the steps to be taken by the states parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child;
The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene;
The prevention, treatment, and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational, and other diseases; and The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.[4]"
Public health professionals are obligated to work towards the achievement of these objectives in 2 ways.
First, if we choose to adopt the principles and rights outlined in the human rights corpus as a set of public health ethics then we are morally bound to focus our efforts towards the fulfillment of the right to health.
Second, many public health professionals are employed by federal, state, and local governments. As such, these public health professionals are also state actors. States act as signatories to international treaties and, by extension, state actors are legally bound to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights outlined in the treaties to which the state is a party.
The former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, has stated, "The right to health does not mean the right to be healthy...but it does require governments and public authorities to put in place policies and action plans which will lead to available and accessible healthcare for all in the shortest possible time.
To ensure that this happens is the challenge facing both the human rights communities and public health professionals."
Many public health professionals around the world have actively been incorporating the principles of human rights into public health practice. In April 2005, 300 of these practitioners will gather in Atlanta, Georgia, for a conference entitled Lessons Learned from Rights-Based Approaches to Health. Cosponsored by the Emory University Institute of Human Rights, CARE USA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO, Doctors for Global Health, and the human rights offices of the Carter Center, featured speakers will include former US President, Jimmy Carter; former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson; and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Paul Hunt.
As conference planning chair, I invite you to join us for this exciting conference to learn more about how human rights and health may be incorporated to achieve the challenge set forth by High Commissioner Robinson.
References
WHO. Constitution. In: Basic Documents . 36th ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1986.
WHO. Declaration of Alma-Ata. "Health for All" Series no. 1. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1978.
WHO. 25 Questions and Answers on Health and Human Rights. Health and Human Rights Publication Series. July 2002(1). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002.
Columbia University Center for the Study of Human Rights. (1994). Twenty-Five Human Rights Documents. New York: Columbia University; 1994:6-16.
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to acknowledge the conference planning committee members, the conference cosponsors, and generous donors to the upcoming conference Lessons Learned from Rights-Based Approaches to Health (April 14-16, 2005; Atlanta, Georgia).
Dabney P. Evans, MPH, CHES , Lecturer, Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health; Executive Director, Institute of Human Rights, Emory University; Atlanta, Georgia
Disclosure: Dabney P. Evans, MPH, CHES, has disclosed that she is employed by and received grants for educational activities from Emory University.
Medscape Public Health & Prevention. 2005; 3 (1): ©2005 Medscape
************************************
A Brief Commentary
This seems to be a day for posting on Public Health, yes.
Though the writer advertises an upcoming conference to be held in Atlanta this April, her point is succinctly articulated.
As a synthesis of current applicable laws, treaties, declarations -- human rights/health is critical to our very existence, hence warrants protection and efforts to expand it’s inclusiveness as to who is protected.
I welcome your comments on my postings and if you wish to share your thoughts, kindly send me an email at onepinoy@hotmail.com
A People Service (part 3) Public Health's Future
DAILY BRIEFING March 4, 2005
RELATED STORIES
Bush administration wants to cut CDC funding (02/08/05)
Study calls for public health preparedness standards (01/13/05)
Senators try again to strengthen public health workforce
By David McGlincheymailto:McGlincheydmcglinchey@govexec.com
A group of senators are pushing for legislation that will promote public health students to enter the civil service.
On Thursday, Senators Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Richard Durbin, D-Ill., introduced the 2005 Public Health Preparedness Workforce Development Act. Hagel and Durbin introduced similar legislation last year, but it stalled.
In his year-end report to constituents, Hagel identified public health staffing as a key area of concern. He said Nebraska is facing the largest wave of public health retirements in the country.
"This legislation aims to increase the pipeline of qualified public health workers ... by offering scholarships to students going into the public health field," Hagel said in a statement. "It also encourages current employees to stay in the public health field by providing loan repayments."
Hagel said there are "critical public health workforce shortages" that must be addressed "before it becomes a crisis."
The bill would authorize $35 million each year for public health scholarships and $195 million annually for loan repayments.
The bill received immediate support from Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Public health advocacy groups also praised the lawmakers for their effort. Several experts warned that the nation's public health emergency preparedness could suffer if initiatives like this are not passed.
"The ability of the public health system to respond adequately to any situation depends on a well-trained public health workforce," said Richard A. Raymond, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. "States could lose up to 45 percent of their experienced workforce through retirement by the end of 2006. We need to ensure that there are enough people being trained to take their place."
"Public health is on the verge of a massive brain drain in its workforce. The impending mass retirement of baby boomer public health officials is a crisis in the making," said Shelley A. Hearne, executive director of Trust for America's Health. "Replacing this experienced workforce ... needs to be a top priority for the country in order to protect U.S. citizens from health threats ranging from bioterrorism to the obesity epidemic."
According to Hagel, the average age of the public health workforce is 47 - seven years older than the nation's average.
**********************
Brief Commentary:
For those of us in the health non-profit sector, this could be an opportunity to build a pension plan after all?
Let's conduct an unscientific survey, raise your hand if you would jump to work for city, county, state, or federal offices addressing health care systems, policy and programs?
Accordingly, want to acknowledge the "foresight" of the supporters of the bill. Many of us in the non profit health sector arena have not given much thought or created pathways for those who will replace us as we push closer to retirement. Perhaps, there is magical thinking going on, the diseases we champion and its adverse impact on the populations we serve will vanish in due time (during your working life).
RELATED STORIES
Bush administration wants to cut CDC funding (02/08/05)
Study calls for public health preparedness standards (01/13/05)
Senators try again to strengthen public health workforce
By David McGlincheymailto:McGlincheydmcglinchey@govexec.com
A group of senators are pushing for legislation that will promote public health students to enter the civil service.
On Thursday, Senators Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Richard Durbin, D-Ill., introduced the 2005 Public Health Preparedness Workforce Development Act. Hagel and Durbin introduced similar legislation last year, but it stalled.
In his year-end report to constituents, Hagel identified public health staffing as a key area of concern. He said Nebraska is facing the largest wave of public health retirements in the country.
"This legislation aims to increase the pipeline of qualified public health workers ... by offering scholarships to students going into the public health field," Hagel said in a statement. "It also encourages current employees to stay in the public health field by providing loan repayments."
Hagel said there are "critical public health workforce shortages" that must be addressed "before it becomes a crisis."
The bill would authorize $35 million each year for public health scholarships and $195 million annually for loan repayments.
The bill received immediate support from Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Public health advocacy groups also praised the lawmakers for their effort. Several experts warned that the nation's public health emergency preparedness could suffer if initiatives like this are not passed.
"The ability of the public health system to respond adequately to any situation depends on a well-trained public health workforce," said Richard A. Raymond, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. "States could lose up to 45 percent of their experienced workforce through retirement by the end of 2006. We need to ensure that there are enough people being trained to take their place."
"Public health is on the verge of a massive brain drain in its workforce. The impending mass retirement of baby boomer public health officials is a crisis in the making," said Shelley A. Hearne, executive director of Trust for America's Health. "Replacing this experienced workforce ... needs to be a top priority for the country in order to protect U.S. citizens from health threats ranging from bioterrorism to the obesity epidemic."
According to Hagel, the average age of the public health workforce is 47 - seven years older than the nation's average.
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Brief Commentary:
For those of us in the health non-profit sector, this could be an opportunity to build a pension plan after all?
Let's conduct an unscientific survey, raise your hand if you would jump to work for city, county, state, or federal offices addressing health care systems, policy and programs?
Accordingly, want to acknowledge the "foresight" of the supporters of the bill. Many of us in the non profit health sector arena have not given much thought or created pathways for those who will replace us as we push closer to retirement. Perhaps, there is magical thinking going on, the diseases we champion and its adverse impact on the populations we serve will vanish in due time (during your working life).
Monday, March 07, 2005
Site Development Update
As the blog take's shape, kind reader you have been most patient.
As of today, an evolving structure is taking form:
A) A People Service are useful sites and other references that has help me muddle through
B) Gastronomy is the living through better eating approach of the Bay Area
C) Local Action towards deep root setting in my hometown (home grown activism)
D) Musings and Muttering or tid bits and not insights are stuff of interest to me and maybe to you--helps me from talking to myself regularly
E) Ah the all important Other section, the general and miscellaneous(presently includes rules of engagement on this site, pictures etc...)
Pledging to flag the sections as they come up, if overlooked, let me know
As of today, an evolving structure is taking form:
A) A People Service are useful sites and other references that has help me muddle through
B) Gastronomy is the living through better eating approach of the Bay Area
C) Local Action towards deep root setting in my hometown (home grown activism)
D) Musings and Muttering or tid bits and not insights are stuff of interest to me and maybe to you--helps me from talking to myself regularly
E) Ah the all important Other section, the general and miscellaneous(presently includes rules of engagement on this site, pictures etc...)
Pledging to flag the sections as they come up, if overlooked, let me know
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