Internet Sales Tax Is a State Money Grab
Amy Payne
April 22, 2013
Why are states so eager to collect taxes on Internet sales?
In short, because they could grab money from other states.
Heritage legal expert David Addington lays it out:
Like the money-hungry federal government, many state governments have financial and political interests in getting their hands on more and more money to grow their governments. It is not surprising that many of those state governments find out-of-state businesses to be lucrative and politically easy targets for tax legislation.
Addington explains how this would work. Take, for example, a company whose workforce and warehouses are in New Hampshire. This company has no contacts with Illinois other than taking remote sales orders over the Internet.
The Internet sales tax proposal would allow Illinois politicians to use the New Hampshire company as their tax collector. The New Hampshire company would have to collect Illinois sales tax on its remote sales to Illinois residents and send the taxes to the Illinois state government.
As The Wall Street Journal puts it, “Small online sellers will therefore have to comply with tax laws created by distant governments in which they have no representation, and in places where they consume no local services.”
Who’s hurt?
Consumers nationwide could be hit with higher prices.
Internet companies, which would be forced to collect taxes for thousands of jurisdictions.
Who’s helped?
State politicians, who find it politically easy to impose tax collection duties on out-of-state businesses that have no say on taxes or tax procedures in that state.
States collecting new tax revenue to grow their governments.
The Senate is likely voting today on this proposal. As Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) put it, “what this is about is officials in cash-strapped states across the country looking for new ways to plug their budget holes.”
And because Congress would be allowing states to grab from other states, Addington notes that “all the politicians get to hide from the consequences of their own tax decisions.”
The bottom line: “Less money in the pockets of people, more money for big government.”
Share With 911 is accessible from anything that connects to the Internet, like this SmartBoard
Local Company Share With 911 takes on School Safety
April 11,2013
Share With 911 creates private and secure Emergency Communication Networks (ECN) for your school, campus or building, linking the people who need help directly with those who respond to provide it.
“We turn your computer, mobile phone or tablet into a emergency communication device that enables you to share and receive critical, emergency information with your co-workers and First Responders, in real-time.” – Erik Endress, CEO
We enable 911, Police and Building Administrators/Managers to broadcast real-time alerts, such as the need to lockdown or evacuate, to your employees, directly to their mobile device. When they receive an alert, your employees respond by sharing their actual location, their status, headcount and a message about what they see or the help they need.
Now, First Responders can see what is happening while responding to and once on the scene of the emergency. This information is prioritized for them in real-time, showing them where they need to go first, to mitigate a threat such as an active shooter or where to find trapped and injured persons.
Incident Commanders, First Responders and Building Managers can use our system to communicate directly with your employees keeping them informed and directing them to take specific actions by transmitting incident updates right from their own mobile device.
Share With 911 was designed with high occupancy locations in mind. Places like schools, college campuses, shopping centers, hospitals, high-rise office and residential buildings or any place where you have a large number of people, in the same location, involved in the same emergency, are the places where our system can make a big difference.
Share With 911 is Powered By OnScene Technologies, Inc. a Ramsey, New Jersey company that applies technology-based solutions to location-based problems.
The web-based platform connects people inside of an emergency with 911, Law Enforcement and First Responders via private, secure Emergency Communication Networks (ECN) that are accessible from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.
The idea for Share With 911 came from our CEO, Erik Endress, himself a volunteer First Responder for more than 25 years, who was frustrated by the communication disconnect that existed during these incidents.
Share With 911 was designed with high occupancy locations in mind. Places like schools, college campuses, shopping centers, hospitals, high-rise office and residential buildings or any place where you have a large number of people, in the same location, involved in the same emergency, are the places where our system can make a big difference.
You can contact OnScene Technologies right now at (201) 785-7902 or by emailing erik [at} onscenetechnologies.com
Big Government ends where it always does in bankruptcy
Judge rules Stockton, Calif., to enter bankruptcy
By By Tracie Cone on April 01, 2013
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The people of Stockton will feel financial fallout for years after a federal judge ruled Monday to let the city become the most populous in the nation to enter bankruptcy.
But the case is also being watched closely because it could answer the significant question of who gets paid first by financially strapped cities — retirement funds or creditors.
“I don’t know whether spiked pensions can be reeled back in,” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein said while making the ruling. “There are very complex and difficult questions of law that I can see out there on the horizon.”
The potential constitutional question in the Stockton case is whether federal bankruptcy law trumps a California law that says money owed to the state pension fund must be paid.
In making his ruling, Klein disagreed with creditors who argued that Stockton failed to pursue all avenues for straightening out its financial affairs.
Student loan write-offs hit $3 billion in first two months of year
Elvina Nawaguna Reuters
6:13 p.m. CDT, March 25, 2013
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Banks wrote off $3 billion of student loan debt in the first two months of 2013, up more than 36 percent from the year-ago period, as many graduates remain jobless, underemployed or cash-strapped in a slow U.S. economic recovery, an Equifax study showed.
The credit reporting agency also said Monday that student lending has grown from last year because more people are going back to school and the cost of higher education has risen.
“Continued weakness in labor markets is limiting work options once people graduate or quit their programs, leading to a steady rise in delinquencies and loan write-offs,” Equifax Chief Economist Amy Crews Cutts said in a statement.
Equifax analyzes data from more than 500 million consumers to track financial trends.
U.S. student loan debt reform has become a more pressing issue since the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reported in March 2012 that the total surpassed $1 trillion by the end of 2011 and as interest rates on subsidized Stafford loan rates are set to double in July.
Photo credit:Boyd A. Loving Two Injured When Honda and Toyota Collide In Ridgewood
March 25,2013
Boyd A. Loving
2:53 PM
Ridgewood NJ, A Honda Passport and Toyota Camry collided at the intersection of South Van Dien Avenue and Grove Street early Monday afternoon resulting in injuries to the occupants of both vehicles. The driver of the Camry was trapped in her vehicle until members of the Ridgewood Fire Department freed her by using the “Jaws of Life” to remove the driver’s side door. She was transported to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood by members of the Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps; the other injured party refused medical aid at the scene.
Both vehicles were removed from the scene by flatbed tow truck. Westbound traffic on Grove Street and northbound traffic on South Van Dien Avenue was detoured to facilitate work by emergency personnel and the tow truck operator. Ridgewood PD officers under the command of Lt. Forest Lyons investigated the accident and provided traffic control.
“Stop The Cyborgs” is a new site that attempts to bring a balanced trepidation to the unbalanced idea that we’ll all be walking round with Google’s outer brain strapped to our faces.
Chris Matyszczyk
by Chris Matyszczyk
March 15, 2013 12:21 PM PDT
The opposition will congregate in dark corners.
They will whisper with their mouths, while their eyes will scan the room for spies wearing strange spectacles.
The spies will likely be men. How many women would really like to waft down the street wearing Google Glass?
It won’t be easy. Once you’ve been cybernated, there’s no turning back. Which is why the refuseniks are already meeting in shaded corners of the Web.
One site is called “Stop The Cyborgs.” It claims to be “fighting the algorithmic future one bit at a time.”
A sticker being offered on the “Stop The Cyborgs” Web site.
It’s going to take a lot of bitty fighting, but the people behind this site — they’re naturally anonymous, in an attempt to stop Google spying on them — say they’re fighting Google Glass in particular.
They say that it will herald a world in which “privacy is impossible and corporate control total.”
Reader says the vote according to Judge Carver needs to be before June 30th? Anyone have an issue with this?
Hello. the vote according to Judge Carver needs to be before June 30th? Anyone have an issue with this? I see a RUSH to vote as a huge NO for Valley? How can you do due diligence by then? YOU CAN’T so vote is either NO or extended. Prolonged extended studies are fine. Keeps delaying Valley and their ignorance.
YES IGNORANCE, on VALLEY’s part! While you’ve been fighting with Ridgewood for an unfair expansion: Hackensack Hospital, has purchased Pascack Valley and will be opened before you even break ground. Valley, has proceeded in a pig headed manner. Expecting this town to lie down for their requirements which are so unreasonable. There are so many other options they should have taken. First, they should have purchased Pascack Valley. Second, they should explain why they can’t expand at their Paramus location which is a much more appealing location for their future needs. Valley, are you listening? Ask for 700,000 sf in Ridgewood and watch your height. Renew within and privitize your rooms, your not going to need as many now due to Pascack Valley, so don’t over expand. You have plenty of money so don’t waste it. Stop driving that fear of endangered species. We’ll go under if we can’t do this? Nonsense, you have better options and you’re not trapped here on this site, like The Record article said. Your just trapped from over expanding here. GO to Paramus for the changes you require. Do not strain Ridgewood with more police, fire, trafiic, and higher taxes. I don’t even want PILOT. You shouldn’t be able to leverage a planning board, village council, or judge to over expand your structure on this site. I think the Rolling Stones song should be the theme here: “You can’t always get what you want”! Please stop trying beacuse it’s not what Ridgewood needs!
When someone says “minimum wage,” what comes to mind?
Do you think of teenagers flipping burgers? Or a single parent trying to feed several kids?
While President Obama and other proponents of a higher minimum wage want you to visualize that single parent, the truth is that a burger-flipping teenager or college student with a part-time job paints a much more accurate picture of the minimum wage in America.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for an increase in the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour. Today, Democrats in Congress are arguing that the President didn’t go far enough, proposing an increase to more than $10 an hour.
Minimum-wage increases reduce the number of entry-level minimum-wage jobs available—actually hurting many of the workers proponents want to help.
And who are these workers?
The President and others keep going back to five key myths about minimum-wage workers. Heritage labor expert James Sherk has already debunked them all.
Myth #1: Hordes of Minimum-Wage Workers
Very few Americans are actually working for the federal minimum wage—it’s just 2.9 percent of all workers in the United States.
In other words, 97 percent of American workers make more than minimum wage.
Myth #2: The “Working Poor” Getting By on Minimum Wage
More than half of minimum-wage workers are between the ages of 16 and 24. These young people tend to work part-time, and a majority of them are enrolled in school at the same time—so the after-school burger flipper or college student with a part-time job is the real deal. A hike in the minimum wage primarily raises pay for suburban teenagers, not the working poor.
In fact, America’s poor aren’t the “working poor” at all. Sherk explains that “Contrary to what many assume, low wages are not their primary problem, because most poor Americans do not work for the minimum wage. The problem is that most poor Americans do not work at all.” Cutting down the number of entry-level jobs by raising the minimum wage surely isn’t going to help these people who need jobs.
Myth #3: Minimum-Wage Workers Trapped in Poverty
The average family income of a minimum-wage worker is more than $53,000 a year. How is this possible at $7.25 an hour? Few workers with minimum-wage jobs are the primary earners in their families. This is also true of older minimum-wage earners. Three-fourths of workers 25 and older earning the minimum wage live above the poverty line. In fact, 62 percent have incomes over 150 percent of the poverty line.
Myth #4: Lifelong Minimum-Wage Earners
Minimum-wage earners don’t stay in those jobs forever. It’s easy to get the idea from politicians that “minimum-wage workers” are a permanent class of people. But in fact, two-thirds of minimum-wage workers earn a raise within a year. As they gain experience and employment skills, they become more productive and can command higher wages. Entry-level, minimum-wage jobs are the first rung on many workers’ career ladders.
Myth #5: More Single Parents on Minimum Wage
Very few single parents are working full-time in minimum-wage jobs. Unfortunately, politicians overuse that example. A greater proportion of employees in the overall workforce (5.6 percent) are single parents working full-time jobs, while for minimum-wage workers that proportion is 4 percent—because so many minimum-wage workers are secondary earners.
Don’t be fooled by the myths. A minimum wage increase will not reduce poverty. Instead, it will hurt many of the workers its proponents want to help. As James Sherk and Rudy Takala sum it up:
A higher minimum wage would help some workers, but few of them are poor. The larger effect is hurting the ability of potential workers living in poverty to get their foot in the door of employment. A minimum wage hike might help politicians win plaudits from the press, but it wouldn’t reduce poverty rates.
Readers Debate Urbanization and Multi Family Developments
“How much longer will it take to get through town?!? How much more air pollution will come from all the extra cars idling at lights waiting to make turns? How much more in taxes will everyone have to pay for these developments for all the extra services required? How many more pounds of trash will each of these housing developments generate?”
“The apartments will certainly generate more in taxes than they require in services. Is quite comical to see all of these new residents complain about ‘extra cars’ when they are driving their monster SUVs around, blocking the roads daily in front of Ridge and Willard, while IDLING their motors. Its ok for you newbies to soak the empty nester’s tax money for your astronomical school budgets, but god forbid a multi-generation businessman decides to improve his property. You people are nothing but a bunch of hypocritical limousine liberals.”
“I think Ridgewood is already overbuilt. We should go back to the good old days when Ridgewood was a classy , gentele hamlet. Accordingly, I propose that every structure built in town since 1900 should be razed to the ground. We would have far less congestion, far fewer students in the school system, no more bloated bureaucracy in Village Hall and things would be just picture perfect again.”
“I have a question for anyone who can answer it. If these housing units are built as proposed how many will be Mt. Laurel housing? ( low income ) The village bought the farm on hillcrest to prevent development there because of low income requirements, the cost of paying another municipality to have your low income housing has skyrocketed. Is this another cost the tax payer is going to get strapped with? Is there anything in the developers proposal that deals with this.”
Desperate Postal Service tries to find its “cool” factor
By Elvina Nawaguna
WASHINGTON | Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:03pm EST
(Reuters) – The U.S. Postal Service, desperate and almost broke, is looking to the wallets of younger Americans for some relief.
The federal government’s mail transport and delivery agency this week said it will roll out a line of apparel and accessories it plans to sell in department and specialty stores.
The “Rain Heat & Snow” brand of clothing, named after the Postal Service’s motto trumpeting its carriers’ determination to overcome whatever Mother Nature can throw at them, would put USPS in the “cutting edge of functional fashion,” it said.
“The idea is to blend in with the younger audiences as well as the more educated consumer,” said Roy Betts, a spokesman for the Postal Service.
The fashion line is not the cash-strapped Postal Service’s first attempt to woo younger shoppers. In 2011, the agency waived a rule that required people of note featured on stamps to be dead at least five years.
Frostbite: Damage to body tissue caused by that tissue being frozen. Warning signs include loss of feeling and a white or pale appearance in extremities, such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, or the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, Get medical help immediately ! If you must wait for help, Slowly re-warm affected areas. If the person is also showing signs of hypothermia, warm the body core before the extremities.
Hypothermia: Low body temperature. Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion. If a person’s body temperature is below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, Immediately seek medical attention.
IF MEDICAL CARE IS NOT AVAILABLE:
•Begin warming the person slowly, warm the body core first. If needed use your own body heat to help.
•Get the person into dry clothing and wrap them in a warm blanket covering them completely, including the head and neck.
•Do not give the person alcohol, drugs, coffee, or any hot beverage or food; warm broth is better.
•Do not warm extremities (arms & legs) first! This drives the cold blood toward the heart and can lead to heart failure.
Strain from the cold and hard labor may cause a heart attack.
•Avoid overexertion, such as shoveling heavy snow, pushing a car, or walking in deep snows, especially if you are not in peak physical condition.
•If you must shovel snow, take it slow and lift small amounts, especially when removing heavy snow, slush or ice.
Food & Drink Food provides the body with energy for producing its own heat. Keep the body replenished with fluids (water and juice; limit your intake of caffeine and alcohol) to prevent dehydration.
How to be prepared at home:
• Keep a battery powered radio and extra batteries for news and official broadcasts.
• Store food that can be prepared without an electric or gas stove.
• Stock emergency water and cooking supplies
• Have flashlights, battery-powered lams and extra batteries in case of a power outage. Candles and matches can be a fire hazard
• If you have a wood stove or fireplace store a good supply of dry, seasoned wood.
• Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure your family knows how to use them and knows fire prevention rules
• Keep in touch with elderly neighbors or family
Be prepared if you go out:
• Wear layers of thin clothing instead of single layers of thick clothing
• Avoid overexertion. Cold weather puts an added strain on the heart. If you add unaccustomed exercise, such as shoveling snow or pushing a car, you may risk heart attack or stroke.
• Mittens are warmer than gloves.
• Wear a hat; most body heat is lost through the top of the head.
• Cover you mouth with scarves to protect your lungs from directly inhaling the extremely cold air.
Winter driving tips:
• If you must travel, take public transportation whenever possible. If you must use a car, take winter driving seriously. Travel by daylight, and keep others informed of your schedule. Drive with extreme caution; never try to save time by driving fast or using back-road shortcuts.
• Make sure you car has fuel, and is equipped with chains or snow tires
• Keep you car “winterized” with antifreeze. Carry a “winter car kit” that includes a windshield scaper, flashlight, tow chain or rope, shovel, tire chains, a blanket, a bag of sand or salt, a fluorescent distress flag and an emergency flare in case you are trapped in a winter storm. Keep extra outerwear and pre-packaged food in the car. Make sure you windshield wipers are working properly and there is windshield washer fluid in the car.
If a blizzard traps you in your car:
• Pull off the highway; stay calm and remain in your vehicle where rescuers are most likely to find you.
• Turn on your emergency flashers and hang a distress flag fro the radio aerial or window.
• Do not set out on foot unless you can see a building close by where you know you can take shelter. Be careful; distances are distorted by blowing snow. A building may seem close but be too far to walk in deep snow.
• If you run the engine to keep warm, open a window slightly for ventilation. This will protect you from possible carbon monoxide poisoning. Periodically clear away snow from the exhaust pipe.
• Exercise to maintain body heat (by clapping and moving around) but avoid over exertion. In extreme cold, use road maps, seat covers and floor mats for insulation. Huddle with passengers and use your coat as a blanket.
• Never let everyone in the car sleep at one time. One person should look out for the rescue crews.
• Be careful not to use up battery power. Balance electrical energy needs — the use of lights, heat and radio — with supply.
• At night, turn on the inside dome light, so work crews can spot you.
Streets Versus Dreams
by Craig Vincent Mitchell, PhD
I was thinking about postinga new articlebut then I remembered thispiece that I wrote. This article was originally published in a newsletter for the Ruth Institute a few years ago,but the content is still on target. Under President Obama, black unemployment is higher than it has been in over forty years.Because his inaugurataion followed so closely to Dr King’s birthday, I wanted a little separation between the two events.
Over the last few years, as I have travelled the country, I could not help but notice that many large cities have a street named in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately, I also noticed that these streets are often in the worst part of those cities. As such, King’s memory receives a dubious honor, at best. But perhaps some honor is better than none at all.
In like manner, King’s dream is only partially fulfilled. To be sure, black people have equal rights. Unfortunately, we do not have an equal chance at success. Was this the design of conservative white men? Not at all, in fact, this situation was put into place by liberal men of all stripes. More specifically, men who subscribed to socialism. When president Lyndon Baines Johnson began his Great Society program, he consigned many black people to familial breakdown, immorality and poverty. Granted, this was not his intent, but socialism did to black people what it does to everyone. It rewards vice instead of virtue by financially encouraging irresponsibility, and self destructive behavior.
Rather than strengthening the family, it encouraged women to have children out of wedlock, and for the men not to be fathers to these children. Rather than empowering black people to succeed, the Great Society made us dependent on the state. The government provided housing, a modicum of food, and other bare necessities. Should the mother begin work to have a better life, the government would stop all support to make their situation even worse. Thus, for almost four decades, black people were trapped in a system that was the opposite of King’s dream. In all fairness, many more white people were locked onto this system as well. As black people only comprise 10% of the population of the U.S. more of us were adversely affected.
The result of socialism is that black people have a higher rate of out of wedlock births. We also have a higher divorce rate, a higher poverty rate, and a far greater tendency to be a victim of crime. Boys without fathers are far more likely to be involved in crime. Girls without fathers are far more likely to experiment with sex and have children at an early age. Children without fathers are more likely to be high school dropouts, experiment with drugs and alcohol. Socialism distorted and destroyed many black families. With socialism, the state becomes a cruel god, or perhaps more accurately, a devil. This devil will grant some desires, but at an outrageous price.
Thomas Sowell reports, that in spite of racism, the black community before the Great Society was experiencing great economic growth.[i] The family is the building block of any community. Strong communities are based on strong families. After the Great Society, the black community is a mess. It may not be experiencing King’s dream, but it at least has a street named after him. Somehow, I think King would prefer to see his dream fulfilled.
In the 1990s, president Bill Clinton, with the help of a number of republicans, greatly reduced the scope of the Great Society. He was aware of its deleterious effects and took action to make changes. Many democrats are committed to socialism and fought Clinton’s changes tooth and nail. Many so- called black leaders (I did not vote for them) urged them on, in spite of socialism’s immoral, anti-family agenda from Hell. These men are quick to invoke King’s name, but somehow they have either forgotten or ignored his dream. Instead of King’s dream, they offer a nightmare that keeps the black family and the black community in a state of distress.
In many ways, I am an example of the success that King hoped for black people. There are many other examples to point at, and there are more all of the time. The free market results in a rising tide that lifts all boats. Nonetheless, there are many more black people who are victims of the socialist system, who can’t get out. They believe that these socialist politicians care about them, when in actuality, these politicians are using them to stay in power and maintain the status quo.
It is not an accident, that Martin Luther King Jr. was a family man and a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was empowered by the theological virtue of love (latin- caritas) The love of God and the love of man for God’s sake. This love moved him to do great things. This love cost him his life. This is not to say that King was perfect. History teaches us that the best of men are men at best. King’s dream, is goal that all should strive for. His dream of a land of equal opportunity for all should extend far beyond the streets that are named after him.
[i] Thomas Sowell, Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? (New York: Quill, ‘1984), 82-85.
Something different, I know this is a bit off the beaten track for this blog but we though readers may enjoy the insights in this article. Chryssoula Katsikoudi is Middle East Analyst, education and human rights activist .
Is Jordan the next Middle East conflagration of political and social
December 23,2012
Chryssy Katsikoudis
Geostrategic Forecasting Corporation
The recent protests that swept through Jordan in response to the governments decision to cut fuel subsidies has now turned into calls for overthrowing the Monarchy of King Abdullah II. Some of the extreme slogans included chants from the “Arab Spring” favoring “democracy,
justice, and freedom.” However, the Middle East has been known for not particularly being engaged in democratic reforms, especially intervention from the West, such as the United States, has caused further American hostility. Jordan has been politically unstable in the last few years,
and many argue that the hopes and chants for “democracy, justice, and freedom” are another set of extreme slogans used among a generally reformist opposition.
In today’s world, many Muslims and non-Muslims believe that democracy is at constant odds with the Islamic faith. The issue is not about transition, but whether Islam can support a democratic order. What makes democracy so controversial in the Middle East, also in many
other cultures around the world, is the fact that it has a unique historical root in the West. However, as much politically unstable as Jordan is, it is unlikely it will collapse or be exposed to Jihad Islamist fanatics like we are seeing in Somalia at the moment.
Unlike Syria or Iraq at the moment, Jordan is a fairly middle-income country – despite its budget crisis – with a strong and respectable military. Its state legitimacy and the people of Jordan interacting allows the country to invest in jobs, medical care, and most importantly education. Women’s issues have also taken a step forward, however, many women’s rights activists argue there is still a lot to be done. Ever since Jordan’s independence from Britain in
1946, women’s movement have fueled the engine of gender-inequality in the country. Educated women were granted suffrage by 1955, but it was not until 1974 where all women were granted the right to vote. In 1993, the first female candidate was elected in the lower house of Parliament
soon after following the first women appointed to the upper house of Parliament.1 Despite its past and recent turmoil, as a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, Jordan seems to be the most “democratic” government in the Arab world today. A country exposed to conflict in the
North and financial crisis, it is the least corrupt. Or so it seems;
In Jordan, murder is punishable by death, but so called “honor killings” which are still happening on many occasions, the courts have the right to commute or reduce the sentence, particularly if the victims family is asking for leniency. Why is it that men are not fully
prosecuted for murdering female relatives over honor-crimes? How can a country who represented to the international community as a legitimate, and prosperous state, by celebrity Queens such a Noor and Rania, to be so patriarchal; at the same time when current Queen Rania
is portrayed as a symbol for female equality by her people?
Ahmad Ghashmary, a unique and rare male feminist, has been a passionate advocate to stop social and legal acceptance of men murdering female relatives to honor-crimes. In 2006, the Jordanian Supreme Court suspended Fatima Habib from her position as a trial judge because she
had sentenced Saleh Radwan to death for killing his younger sister, Dana, when he discovered that she was having an affair with a male friend of his. Saleh went on saying that his sister has
ed. Sanja Kelly and Julia Breslin, “Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa,” (New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2010), pp. 193.
“dishonored the family.”2 Outraged by the sentence, some of the male judges wanted to sign a petition to appoint a male judge to the Supreme Court to give “proper justice to the dishonored man.”3 And so they succeeded; Habib was believed to be in favor of women and that was a good
enough reason to welcome the Courts decision to replace her. Judge Habib said in one of her statements that the Supreme Court decision to reverse her sentence was “barbaric.” She went on saying, “It will take us ages to convince people here that women are human beings, that they are
as wise as men if not wiser sometimes.”4 This case was only a sheer example of how extremists spread propaganda claiming that women’s emancipation is a Western plot designed to eliminate Islamic morals. Khaled Abou El Fadl, a Professor of Law at the University of California in Los Angeles, and a Muslim, argues in his book “The Great Theft” that Jihad and the treatment of women in Islam are the two most controversial and misunderstood topics about the Islamic faith; and I believe he is absolutely right. The issue of women in Islam, as well as Jihad, invokes the images of oppression and cruelty against women. However, the sole problem does not lie with Islam as a religion itself, but the fact that ultraconservative and extremists have adopted the truth about the Islamic faith and formed Islam’s image into a dominant role to be misunderstood by the world, especially the West. This patriarchal society lead by supremacy has turned honor killings justifiable, when in reality it has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.
After all, when we see all the turmoil and protests going on in Jordan recently, the media and many lead us to believe that Jordan is nowhere near from collapsing, and all this is just another “riot” that will pass; but the problem lies much deeper that that. Yes, Jordan does have
strong international relationships and a strong military, but is that all it takes for a developed, and “democratic” country as many claim, to be on verge of collapse? What if women were suddenly to take the streets of Amman and started a revolution as they have in Tunisia a few years ago?
Isn’t the oh so influential Queen Rania a symbol for women’s emancipation?
In the midst of all the struggle for women’s equality in Jordan, Ahmad Ghashmary believes there is hope. In 2007, he has launched a new group called “LAHA” which means “For Her” in Arabic to encourage activism for women’s rights. He believes changes must come for women if they are not to lose half of their society. However, as much as we love to hope this fine activist will succeed to get his massage through, the real problem is not only social attitudes in families but with the “government” itself, or more so the Courts.This attitude of understanding the motives for killing relatives as an excuse to reduce or pardon the sentence will guarantee the social collapse of Jordan; if murder is punishable by death, then so shall honor killings be. A country cannot prosper “democratically” is distinctions like that are made. Women can no longer be trapped in a maze; trying to find their way out of a
long road ahead.
ed. Nasser Weddady and Sohrab Ahmani, “Arab Spring Dreams,” (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012), pp.
110.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid, pp. 111.
US Post Office has busiest day of year
December 17,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The U.S. Postal Service had its busiest day of the year this past Monday.With just over a week left until Christmas, the cash-strapped agency said it expected some 658 million cards, packages or other pieces of mail to be shipped on Monday or about 25 percent more than the average day.
Patrick R. Donahoe, the 73rd Postmaster General of the United States has said that US Post Office needs to cut $22.5 billion in annual costs by 2016.
Something different, I know this is a bit off the beaten track for this blog but we though readers may enjoy the insights in this article. Chryssoula Katsikoudi is Middle East Analyst, education and human rights activist .
The Two Faces of Qatar
December 6,2012
Chryssoula Katsikoudi
Geostrategic Forecasting Corporation
Smaller than the state of Connecticut, with a native population of less than 300,000 and occupying a small peninsula on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, this small Persian Gulf State called Qatar has been a significant international player in the recent years. Currently ranking amongst the highest in oil and gas reserves, as well as the country’s GDP ($150,6bill) and GDP/Capita ($179,000), this small Arab emirate has experienced one of the worst economic times as well as becoming the world’s richest country. As far as their involvement with other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Qatar has played a leading role in shaping the events in the Libya and Syrian, as well as Emir Sheikh’s visit to the Gaza Strip last month; one of the most fascinating and intriguing visits the Hamas territory has ever experienced. This art of “shuttle diplomacy”1 as Michael Stephens calls it in one of his articles, essentially legitimized Hamas, who has been in control of the Gaza Strip since 2007. Qatar’s favoritism on pursuing the Palestinian cause by supporting Hamas and the values of the Muslim Brotherhood means that they are also engaged in promoting Islamist movements. It is not out of charity the emir of Qatar pledged $400 million to invest in schools, housing, and construction because he suddenly felt like a philanthropist. It is because Qatar is seeking to achieve an Arab unity by playing the “rich man of the Middle East” only to gain the dominance in Arab politics, which could eventually be beneficiary to U.S.Foreign Policy concerning the Middle East; especially now that President Barack Obama has been re-elected for a second term in the White House. From Ottoman rule to its independence from Great Britain; from a devastation following World War II to become one of the richest and most influential countries in the world, one would think that this tiny country in the Middle East must also be one of the most developed ones then it comes to the uniqueness of the Qataris.
However, the only unique thing about the Qataris that they are the minority in their own homeland. With a population of approximately 885,000 and only 25% being from Qatar, there is no denying that ethics, religion, and patriotism are highly and strictly valued in the Qatari society. As an absolute Monarchy, the government is responsible with providing employment and housing for every family, and sole focus on the importance of religion, morals, and values. One would assume that life in Qatar would be much easier than in any other country in the Middle East – well, maybe for men. As a rich and growing country, Qatar is also very backwards concerning gender equality and has been criticized by many women’s rights activists. Despite its influential role in diplomacy between the West and Iran, Qatar is culturally very conservative, second in following Saudi Arabia’s cultural oppression against women. Women have to be covered from head to toe, and the image of the “hidden face of eve,” as Nawal el Saadawi labels in her book, has become a sinking sadness with a complete lack of identity as to what it is to be called a woman. Although Qatar favors and endorses the education of women, they are still separated from men, and are not allowed – or rather not advised – to speak or interact with men in any sort of way while on university grounds. Sound familiar? In Saudi Arabia, a rival neighbor to Qatar, women are not allowed to walk down the streets without being accompanied by a man; they are not allowed to drive cars, or chew gum, or even watch television if a man is not present. This extremeness hardly applies to Qatari culture that much, but the patriarchal system of dominance is still very much embedded into society; an example, for the most part, marriages are still arranged, and women are “passed over” to a stranger they will see for the first time after the wedding ceremony; a similar Chinese culture. Interestingly enough, although the abaya is not as penalized for not wearing it in public, many women do so anyway. This is an indication that although religious culture is taken very seriously in Qatar, modernity and liberalization still linger in the air like microscopic dust particles; you can’t see them but they definitely affect you in some way.
Ever since the rise to power of the current emir of Qatar, women have hoped for a revolutionary change, comparing their role in society with Qatar’s position in the Middle East. There have been municipal elections for women and men, however, it is an approach taken like the slogan used in Bahrain, where “women run, women vote, and women lose.” Yes, women are allowed to vote since 1999, however, political parties are banned in Qatar, therefore it gives limited political and electoral activity. The emir’s wife, Sheika Mozah, has served as an influential role for women’s independence in Qatar; but to what extent this independence is understood is another issue. The only formal independence Sheika Mozah has successfully achieved is enforcing education for women, which in most parts of the Middle East are not even allowed discussing. It is true, Qatari women are allowed to vote, drive a car, and pursue career opportunities, but the restrictions they face in their culture are stronger than anything else, and all those rights they posses which seem to the Western world as a progress in modernization, fade away because women still believe that gender equality does not categorize them. It is a very common psychological approach Muslim women who live under strict patriarchal laws tend to take. Instead, they express their individualism by the way they present themselves in public. For example, even though they are covered completely, with only their eyes and hands showing, they replace the cultural, black abaya with more colorful ones using excessive accessories. And since the only parts which are not covered are the eyes, hands, and feet, shoes – believe it or not – have become an important part of their “dress code.”
Many Qatari women claim that they have a choice and can do as they please, but the extent of how accurate that statement is varies. How can a country so devoted to their religion, so conservative, be so liberal at the same time and allow women to do what they want as if they were “equal to men?” Or is that just a statement for the West to believe? Then again, as a conservative Islamic nation, Qatar did send Noor Hussain Al-Malki, the first Qatari woman ever, to compete in the London’s Summer Olympics. However, culturally conservative Qatar was visible as Al-Malki was wearing a head scarf, long sleeves, and leggings. Afghanistan was also amongst those who send women to compete at the Olympics for the first time. Is this really a step in the right directions or was this mainly an “act” for the sake of the Olympic Games, and to send a message to the West?
Despite all the major reforms Qatar has enacted since 1995 and the several steps taken to promote more equality amongst women, the fight against cultural discrimination can only be won if equality is achieved in both law and practice. Providing women with education can be used as a great tool to educate them about their rights, especially when they are outnumbered by men two to one. This influences women’s participation economically and as well as in all aspects of Qatari society. In 2006, Qatar enacted the country’s first family law, which meant that instead of judges deciding the fate of women regarding marriage, divorce, and inheritance based on their interpretations of the sharia law, this new law gave women an improvement compared to the older system. However the new system may benefit them, women still remain underrepresented in the workforce as well as in the government. Qatar’s constitution, Article 35, does say “All people are equal before the law,” and that “there shall be no discrimination on account of sex, origin, language or religion,”2 providing all citizens with equal rights, and although women can complain to the police if they have been victims of gender based discrimination, most of the time their complaints are being over-looked because the courts still operate on the principles of the sharia law. It is not surprising that the emir of Qatar favors the principles and values of the Muslim Brotherhood, hence Qatar’s investment in tourism and industry projects along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
Ultimately, Qatar remains a patriarchal society and although the government has recognized that violence and discrimination against women is an issue, their laws have not specifically outlawed it. As previously mention, Qataris are in their own unique way the minority in their own country, and while foreign women are allowed to obtain a driver’s license, Qatari women still need to ask permission of their husbands to do so. When it comes to domestic violence, in 2007 there were a reported 107 cases of women being victims of domestic abuse.3 Furthermore, Qatari women also tend to be much more educated then men, with 66.6%of female citizens holding degrees.4 Despite this, they remain underrepresented in the workforce. Could it be that women have become a threat in the eyes of the patriarchate system? When it comes to women and their reproductive rights, abortion in Qatar is permitted in the first trimester if a licensed physician can determine that the mother’s life is in danger or if there is a serious abnormality with the fetus. Ironically, it is impossible to determine the abnormality of the fetus in the first trimester, and whether the child will be born with a mentally disabled; so technically, that assumption can be easily refuted.
To conclude, there is no doubt that Qatar remains one of the richest countries in the Middle East, and while the government has taken steps toward improving the lives of women, many of those reforms still remain uncertain. Providing women with a government based education is far better than not educating women at all.
1 https://www.opendemocracy.net/michael-stephens/shuttle-diplomacy-qatar-playing-politics-in-palestine
2 Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa, ed. Sanja Kelly and Julia Breslin, (New York:
Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2010), pp. 399.
3 Ibid. pp. 408
4 pp. 411
Ultimately, it is through the knowledge they acquire that they will be able to expand culturally, challenging the social norms which keep the trapped; one step away from emancipation. Unless these reforms are firmly institutionalized, they will be of limited consequences.
