I'm not a bumper-sticker person, but one that I really like is, "Think globally, act locally." It's important to be aware of how our policies and actions effect everyone, not just our neighbors or countrymen or allies, but the poor and needy everywhere. But we can only do what we can do. No matter how much we want to change the world, our actions take place in a given place and time and it helps to have a bit of focus.
Now I'm the first to admit that my ideals are rarely even modestly echoed in my actions, but I try to do some little bit of good for the world with my life. As someone who has based his career on the idea that information is power, a part of what I try to do is stay informed. I don't do nearly as good a job as I would like, but I at least skim headlines in some news source (even if it's just The Daily Show) every day. And in keeping with the bumper-sticker motto, I try to get news at all levels: international, national, and local. I know many people who don't feel the Kansas City Star is worth their time, but I think keeping up with it is an important part of the equation and have a personal subscription.
One of the problems with the paper, though, is it's damn website requires you to have an account to read anything but the latest stories. So when I read a story and want to share it with others, just providing a link doesn't do the trick since who really bothers to create an account just to read something when following a link? I know I don't. I've been trying to decide what to do about this, but there were three things in Wednesday's (11/16) paper that I wanted to share enough that I'm willing to say screw it. Here they are, if I interest you enough to take the effort to find them, great, if not, oh well.
The first one a short article titled, "State Board Chief Faults Blue Valley Book Rulings." Steve Abrams, chairman of the Kansas Board of Education, isn't satisfied to just take evolution out of our schools, now he wants to start banning books. He's come out now as critical of Blue Valley for not withdrawing Beloved after it was challenged. "It just surprises me that the board and the administration doesn't want to do anything about it, when you have parents coming up to try to get rid of this porn." I'm sorry, but when did we stop being a democracy? No matter how vocal a minority group is, they don't get to decide policy if everyone else thinks the book is good literature. I'm sick of schools and others being forced to make decisions based on the outcry of a few instead of the feelings of the silent majority.
Of a similar political nature is the editorial "Cure Threatens Right-Wing Propaganda." The subtitle is "Abstinence-only crowd says lifesaving medical advance will send teens the wrong message." The main idea is that conservatives are working to keep quiet a new prevention for cervical cancer because it also prevents an STD. They would rather have women die of cervical cancer than remove a reason to scare kids out of having sex. Brilliant.
The third is an article by Lewis Diuguid about a college student from our community, "Young Woman Speaks Out to Change Minority Stereotypes." My heart swells with pride when I read it because I know her. Rickeena is one of the students I spent a week with as a volunteer at the National Conference for Community and Justice's Anytown camp. While I can hardly take credit for Rickeena's intelligence and leadership, it makes me feel good to know I might have been a positive influence. And I'd love to tell you more about Anytown, so let me know if you are interested.
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