Women’s equality by year 2593!
2012 2012-06Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 10 →
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They say patience is a virtue. But waiting 581 years for economic equality may be pushing it.
Queen’s University (in Kingston, Ontario) professor Kathleen Lahey thinks that is how long it will take, given present trends, for women to enjoy economic parity.
“The rate of change has been virtually nonexistent since 1997,” wrote Lahey. She pointed out that the recession of the early 1990s, and the current recession, erased many of the gains women won from 1977 to 1993, noting that they benefited little from billions of dollars in federal and provincial infrastructure spending.
Lahey said that the 2012 federal budget changes to Canada’s Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement, health care spending, the national private retirement system, infrastructure spending, and cuts to public services and employment will impose the heaviest cuts on women and on members of other vulnerable groups. — B.W.
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... Chicago NATO protest (continued from page 3: “Students mobilize in Colombia”) from exercising your first amendment rights. We are going to be very proud to have the people who have sacrificed more than other Americans leading our march.”
Next was Aaron Hughes, a member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and one of some 40 veterans who turned in their medals at the end of the march. Hughes said: “Everyday 18 veterans commit suicide; 17% of the service members in Afghanistan are under pychotropic medication; 20-50% in the service are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma. One-third of the women serving in the military are sexually assaulted by their peers; 48% of the individuals that report sexual assaults are males. “The military is in a mental health crisis right now. These generals—their task is to care for these service members—are not living up to that task. If they cannot live up to their task, how are soldiers to accomplish their mission of supposedly building democracy with their brothers in Afghanistan? That’s why IVAW demands an immediate withdrawal and the return of all our brothers and sisters from Afghanistan, so Afghans can begin healing, so we can begin healing.”
Also at the press conference was Jan Rodolfo, National Nurses Union Midwest director. The 170,000 strong NNU joined the anti-NATO/G8 protest call, providing free bus rides for many protesters from outside Chicago. The NNU called its own noontime rally/march for May 18 in downtown Chicago. The nurses finally settled on a rally in Daley Plaza, after settling with the city following a protracted fight over the march route and “security” issues. The NNU rally drew busloads of nurses from around the country, especially from California, and with supporters, totaled a lively crowd of 1000-2000 protesters. Speakers focused on the savage attacks on health care and unions around the world.
Rodolfo explained the NNU’s proposed “Robin Hood Tax,” a .05% tax on all stock sales. The NNU says the modest tax would generate $350 billion per year, three times the debt of all 50 states! Supporting the nurses’ struggle was Chicagoan Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, who performed a defiant set of radical, class-struggle songs.
There were no arrests during the permitted May 20 Creative Nonviolence; political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, via speaker phone, who received a standing ovation; Malik Mujahid of the Muslim Peace Coalition; Medea Benjamin of Code Pink; and Joe Lombardo of UNAC. Free the NATO 5!
Brian Church, Jared Chase, Brent Betterly, and two other protesters, called “the NATO 5,” were arrested Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images (Above) Occupy Chicago marches on March 19 to protest the NATO summit meeting. leader Carlos Montes! Jail the NATO war criminals, not protesters! n