#Abolition of Human Rights in the Philippines
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Michael Tiknis
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The engraging unfairness of Dobbs. :: June 27, 2022
Robert B. Hubbell
Standing alone, the abolition of an existing constitutional right that results in the subordination of women to theocratic state legislatures is anti-democratic, un-American, and a violation of human rights. Even so, the manner in which this Court chose to dispense with a right that is recognized in 174 of the world’s 195 nations was hurtful and cruel. Indeed, Alito’s opinion seems designed to give offense while inflicting injury.
....
Let’s start with Alito’s biggest lie. He writes, “It is time. . . to return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” That misdirection has become the right’s antiseptic re-telling of the abolition of a constitutional right. The Dobbs decision returns the issue of abortion to “the people’s elected representatives” because it abolishes the right to privacy and personal autonomy over reproductive choice that was recognized for fifty years.
A crude analogy is a mugger who claims that “I sent the victim to the emergency room,” ignoring the fact that the injuries he inflicted on the victim necessitated the trip to the hospital. “Returning the issue to people’s elected representatives” is the result of abolishing a constitutional right. First and foremost, Dobbs abolishes a constitutional right. Don’t let anyone confuse that fact by pretending Dobbs is really about empowering “the people’s representatives” to decide the issue. It is not.
The decision is particularly maddening because it reverses the global trend toward greater liberty and freedom that marks the modern world. Yes, there are exceptions to that trend in the 21 nations that ban abortion entirely—an ignominious list the US has now joined: Andorra, Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Jamaica, Laos, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Palau, Philippines, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, and Tonga.
Perhaps the most grievous sense of injustice flows from the fact that Dobbs marks the first time the Court has abolished a constitutional right—a right that was hard-won by millions of women alive today who fought for its recognition. The nearest comparison would be if the Court reversed its ruling that “separate but equal” education and accommodations are impermissible under the Constitution. Such a ruling would deny the equality and dignity of Black Americans; so, too, with the ruling in Dobbs. One class of Americans has been told “You are not equal; you are less than your male counterparts and the state will take control of the most basic aspects of your personhood.” Whenever we discuss Dobbs, we must acknowledge that its effect is to deny the equality and dignity of women.
The sense of unfairness is compounded by the fact that at least two (and possibly three) justices lied to the Senate during their confirmation hearings. The opinion in Dobbs makes clear that the Kavanaugh and Gorsuch always believed that Roe was “egregiously wrong” from the start—an opinion they concealed from the Senate and the American people.
The fact that Senators Collins and Manchin have accused Gorsuch and Kavanaugh of misleading them during private interviews is shocking. Both justices should resign in disgrace. But like Kavanaugh’s infamous defense of his love of beer, he has no shame. He does not care that the world knows he is a liar. The sense of impunity and callousness makes their attack on the rights of women all the more heinous.
The reactionary majority pretends that returning the issue to the states will restore balance and harmony to a democratic system. It will not. Instead, it will exacerbate inequality and divisiveness along geographic, wealth, and religious grounds. Americans in some states will have a right over reproductive choices, while others do not. Poor Americans will not have the same ability to circumvent abortion bans by traveling to other states. And some Americans will see their religious beliefs codified as law while others will be told that their personal beliefs do not matter.
The patchwork of conflicting laws and elevation of differences will create two Americas. Affluent Christian evangelicals will surreptitiously travel to other states when their personal circumstances collide with their public professions of faith. Poor women will not have that choice but will be forced to give birth to children that the white, male, Christian-dominated legislatures have no intention of supporting with adequate healthcare, safe schools, or food security.
Finally, in a breathtaking display of ignorance and insensitivity, four male justices dismiss the burdens and risks of pregnancy and the life-altering consequences of forcing a woman to give birth. That ignorance and insensitivity is not diminished by the fact that the reactionary majority includes a woman who is a member of a religious cult on the fringes of American society.
#Michael Tiknis#women's rights#human rights#illegitimate SCOTUS#Opus Dei Court#political cartoon#Robert B. Hubbell#Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter
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Holidays 5.28
Holidays
Abolition Day (Saint Martin)
Amnesty International Day
Araw ng Watawat (Philippines)
Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
Border Guard Day (Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia)
Border Patrol Day (US)
Community Police Officer Day (Ukraine)
Contemplate Your Vicissitudes Day
Day of the Kindergarten Teacher (Argentina)
Derg Downfall Day (Ethiopia)
Dike Asteroid Day
Dniester Day (Moldova)
Downfall of the Derg Day (Ethiopia)
Feast of Zerowork
Flag Day (Philippines)
Ganatantra Diwas (Nepal)
Gardeners Practice Patience Day
German Diversity Day (Germany)
Gone-ta-Pott Day [every 28th]
Harambe Day
Human Rights Giving Day
Ian Fleming Day
International Butler’s Day
International Day for the Unreached
International Day of Action for Women’s Health
International Day of Treacher Collins Syndrome
International Hug a Musician Day
International Masturbation Day
James Bond Day
Julia Pierpont Day
Kiev Day (Ukraine)
LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Day
Menstrual Hygiene Day
National Girl Power Day
National Jake Day
National MDR Day
National Multiple Births Awareness Day (Canada)
National Reflexology Day (Canada)
Nepali Community Day (Albany)
Republic Day (Nepal)
Sierra Club Day
Slugs Return From Capistrano Day
Tano Day (aka Swing Day; Korea)
TDFR Republic Day (Armenia, Azerbaijan)
Telugu Self-Respect Day (India)
Wankers Day (Australia, UK)
Whale Day
Whooping Crane Day
Wild Thyme Day (French Republic)
Women in Trousers Day
World Blood Cancer Day
World Day of Mixed Breed Dogs
World Dhole Day
World Dugong Day
World Hunger Day
World Menstrual Hygiene Day
World Nutrition Day
World Play Day
Youm-e-Tkbir (Day of Greatness; Pakistan)
Food & Drink Celebrations
Crab Day
International Hamburger Day
Jell-O Day
National Beef Burger Day
National Brisket Day
World Passion Fruit Martini Day
4th & Last Tuesday in May
Mampoer Festival (Moonshine Festival; Cullinan, South Africa) [Last Tuesday]
Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]
Thick Girl Appreciation Day [4th Tuesday]
World Bedwetting Day [Last Tuesday]
Independence & Related Days
Armenia (TDFR Day; from Ottoman Empire, 1918)
Azerbaijan (from Russian Empire, 1918)
First Republic Day (Armenia)
Republic Day (Azerbaijan)
Weekly Holidays beginning May 28 (4th Week)
Scripps National Spelling Bee [thru 5.30]
Festivals Beginning May 28, 2024
Canadian Screen Awards (Toronto, Canada)
Vienna Independent Shorts (Vienna, Austria) [thru 6.2]
Feast Days
Amnesty International Day (Pastafarian)
Augustine of Canterbury (a.k.a. Austin; Christian; Saint)
Bernard of Menthon (Christian; Saint)
Beryl Cook(Artology)
Caraunus (Christian; Saint)
Carl Larsson (Artology)
Constantine (Positivist; Saint)
Creiddylad Abduction (Celtic Book of Days)
Day of the Pin-Hiding and Button-Losing (Shamanism)
Edward Teach Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Einherjar (Fallen Soldiers Celebration; Norse)
Germain of Paris (Christian; Saint)
Ian Fleming (Humanism; Writerism)
Ignatius of Rostov (Christian; Saint)
Insect Hearing Festival (Japan; Shinto)
John Calvin (Episcopal Church)
Jörg Immendorff (Artology)
Justus of Urgel (Christian; Saint)
Lanfranc (Christian; Saint)
Margaret Pole (Christian; Saint)
Maeve Binchy (Writerism)
Media Ver IV (Pagan)
Patrick White (Writerism)
Pere Ubu Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Pythian Games (Ancient Greece; Everyday Wicca) [Every 4 Years]
Scuzullo (Muppetism)
Seasons Meditation Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)
Senator (Christian; Saint)
William of Gellone (Christian; Saint)
Zainul Abedin (Artology)
Lucky & Unlucky Days
Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]
Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 25 of 60)
Premieres
Annie Moved Away (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1934)
Aquarius (Film; 2015)
As Tears Go By, recorded by Mariann Faithfull (Song; 1964)
Avalon, by Roxy Music (Album; 1982)
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (Novel; 1970)
The Bourne Supremacy, by Robert Ludlum (Novel; 1986)
Bramton Wick, by Elizabeth Fair (Novel; 1952)
Careless Caretaker (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1962)
Charbonneau: Man of Two Dreams, by Win Blevins (Historical Novel; 1955)
Cinderella (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1933)
Creedence Clearwater Revival, by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Album; 1968)
Cruella (Film; 2021)
The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)
Duty and the Beast (Phantasies Cartoon; 1943)
Edge of Tomorrow (Film; 2014)
A Face in the Crowd (Film; 1957)
The Goon Show (UK Radio Show; 1951)
The Green Line (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1944)
Hatfields & McCoys (TV Mini-Series; 2012)
The Isle of Ping Pongo (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)
It’s a Small World (Disneyland Ride; 1966)
King Lear (Film; 2018)
Lorenzo (Disney Cartoon; 2004)
Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man, by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty (Song; 1973)
Maleficent (Film; 2014)
The Mask of Dimitrios, by Eric Ambler (Novel; 1939)
Melody (Disney Cartoon; 1953)
The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy (Novel; 1961)
Mr. Norris Changes Trains, by Christopher Isherwood (Novel; 1935)
Notting Hill (Film; 1999)
Oh What a Knight (Disney Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1928)
Ozzie Ostrich Comes to Town (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)
Pinky Doodle (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1976)
Raising Helen (Film; 2004)
Ration for the Duration (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1943)
Rocky III (Film; 1982)
Saved! (Film; 2004)
Songs For Beginners, by Graham Nash (Album; 1971)
Stop Making Sense (Concert Film; 1999)
Super Mario Bros. (Film; 1993)
Tickle Me (Film; 1965)
Tortilla Flat, by John Steinbeck (Novel; 1935)
The Untrained Seal (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1936)
Walking the Floor Over You, by Ernest Tubb (Song; 1941)
Wicked (Musical Play; 2003)
Wicked Wacky (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1951)
Today’s Name Days
German, Wilhelm (Austria)
German, Velimir, Vilim (Croatia)
Vilém (Czech Republic)
Vilhelm (Denmark)
Roman, Roome, Roomet, Roomo (Estonia)
Alma (Finland)
Germain (France)
German, Wilhelm (Germany)
Dimitrios, Dioskouridis (Greece)
Csanád, Emil (Hungary)
Emilio, Ercole, Priamo (Italy)
Vilhelms, Vilis, Villija (Latvia)
Jogirdas, Justas, Rima (Lithuania)
Wilhelm, William, Willy (Norway)
Augustyn, German, Jaromir, Priam, Wiktor, Wiktoriusz, Wilhelm, Wrócimir (Poland)
Nichita (România)
Viliam (Slovakia)
Emilio, Germán, Guillermo (Spain)
Borghild, Ingeborg (Sweden)
Bevan, Bevis, Emil, Emiliano, Emilio, Faron, Ferrin, Ferron (USA)
Today is Also…
Day of Year: Day 149 of 2024; 217 days remaining in the year
ISO: Day 2 of week 22 of 2024
Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 17 of 28]
Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 21 (Ren-Chen)
Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]
Hebrew: 20 Iyar 5784
Islamic: 20 Dhu al-Qada 1445
J Cal: 29 Magenta; Eighthday [29 of 30]
Julian: 15 May 2024
Moon: 71%: Waning Gibbous
Positivist: 8 St. Paul (6th Month) [Constantine]
Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 4 of 15]
Season: Spring (Day 71 of 92)
Week: 4th Week of May
Zodiac: Gemini (Day 8 of 31)
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Holidays 5.28
Holidays
Abolition Day (Saint Martin)
Amnesty International Day
Araw ng Watawat (Philippines)
Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
Border Guard Day (Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia)
Border Patrol Day (US)
Community Police Officer Day (Ukraine)
Contemplate Your Vicissitudes Day
Day of the Kindergarten Teacher (Argentina)
Derg Downfall Day (Ethiopia)
Dike Asteroid Day
Dniester Day (Moldova)
Downfall of the Derg Day (Ethiopia)
Feast of Zerowork
Flag Day (Philippines)
Ganatantra Diwas (Nepal)
Gardeners Practice Patience Day
German Diversity Day (Germany)
Gone-ta-Pott Day [every 28th]
Harambe Day
Human Rights Giving Day
Ian Fleming Day
International Butler’s Day
International Day for the Unreached
International Day of Action for Women’s Health
International Day of Treacher Collins Syndrome
International Hug a Musician Day
International Masturbation Day
James Bond Day
Julia Pierpont Day
Kiev Day (Ukraine)
LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Day
Menstrual Hygiene Day
National Girl Power Day
National Jake Day
National MDR Day
National Multiple Births Awareness Day (Canada)
National Reflexology Day (Canada)
Nepali Community Day (Albany)
Republic Day (Nepal)
Sierra Club Day
Slugs Return From Capistrano Day
Tano Day (aka Swing Day; Korea)
TDFR Republic Day (Armenia, Azerbaijan)
Telugu Self-Respect Day (India)
Wankers Day (Australia, UK)
Whale Day
Whooping Crane Day
Wild Thyme Day (French Republic)
Women in Trousers Day
World Blood Cancer Day
World Day of Mixed Breed Dogs
World Dhole Day
World Dugong Day
World Hunger Day
World Menstrual Hygiene Day
World Nutrition Day
World Play Day
Youm-e-Tkbir (Day of Greatness; Pakistan)
Food & Drink Celebrations
Crab Day
International Hamburger Day
Jell-O Day
National Beef Burger Day
National Brisket Day
World Passion Fruit Martini Day
4th & Last Tuesday in May
Mampoer Festival (Moonshine Festival; Cullinan, South Africa) [Last Tuesday]
Taco Tuesday [Every Tuesday]
Thick Girl Appreciation Day [4th Tuesday]
World Bedwetting Day [Last Tuesday]
Independence & Related Days
Armenia (TDFR Day; from Ottoman Empire, 1918)
Azerbaijan (from Russian Empire, 1918)
First Republic Day (Armenia)
Republic Day (Azerbaijan)
Weekly Holidays beginning May 28 (4th Week)
Scripps National Spelling Bee [thru 5.30]
Festivals Beginning May 28, 2024
Canadian Screen Awards (Toronto, Canada)
Vienna Independent Shorts (Vienna, Austria) [thru 6.2]
Feast Days
Amnesty International Day (Pastafarian)
Augustine of Canterbury (a.k.a. Austin; Christian; Saint)
Bernard of Menthon (Christian; Saint)
Beryl Cook(Artology)
Caraunus (Christian; Saint)
Carl Larsson (Artology)
Constantine (Positivist; Saint)
Creiddylad Abduction (Celtic Book of Days)
Day of the Pin-Hiding and Button-Losing (Shamanism)
Edward Teach Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Einherjar (Fallen Soldiers Celebration; Norse)
Germain of Paris (Christian; Saint)
Ian Fleming (Humanism; Writerism)
Ignatius of Rostov (Christian; Saint)
Insect Hearing Festival (Japan; Shinto)
John Calvin (Episcopal Church)
Jörg Immendorff (Artology)
Justus of Urgel (Christian; Saint)
Lanfranc (Christian; Saint)
Margaret Pole (Christian; Saint)
Maeve Binchy (Writerism)
Media Ver IV (Pagan)
Patrick White (Writerism)
Pere Ubu Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Pythian Games (Ancient Greece; Everyday Wicca) [Every 4 Years]
Scuzullo (Muppetism)
Seasons Meditation Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)
Senator (Christian; Saint)
William of Gellone (Christian; Saint)
Zainul Abedin (Artology)
Lucky & Unlucky Days
Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]
Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 25 of 60)
Premieres
Annie Moved Away (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1934)
Aquarius (Film; 2015)
As Tears Go By, recorded by Mariann Faithfull (Song; 1964)
Avalon, by Roxy Music (Album; 1982)
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (Novel; 1970)
The Bourne Supremacy, by Robert Ludlum (Novel; 1986)
Bramton Wick, by Elizabeth Fair (Novel; 1952)
Careless Caretaker (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1962)
Charbonneau: Man of Two Dreams, by Win Blevins (Historical Novel; 1955)
Cinderella (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1933)
Creedence Clearwater Revival, by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Album; 1968)
Cruella (Film; 2021)
The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)
Duty and the Beast (Phantasies Cartoon; 1943)
Edge of Tomorrow (Film; 2014)
A Face in the Crowd (Film; 1957)
The Goon Show (UK Radio Show; 1951)
The Green Line (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1944)
Hatfields & McCoys (TV Mini-Series; 2012)
The Isle of Ping Pongo (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)
It’s a Small World (Disneyland Ride; 1966)
King Lear (Film; 2018)
Lorenzo (Disney Cartoon; 2004)
Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man, by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty (Song; 1973)
Maleficent (Film; 2014)
The Mask of Dimitrios, by Eric Ambler (Novel; 1939)
Melody (Disney Cartoon; 1953)
The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy (Novel; 1961)
Mr. Norris Changes Trains, by Christopher Isherwood (Novel; 1935)
Notting Hill (Film; 1999)
Oh What a Knight (Disney Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1928)
Ozzie Ostrich Comes to Town (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)
Pinky Doodle (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1976)
Raising Helen (Film; 2004)
Ration for the Duration (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1943)
Rocky III (Film; 1982)
Saved! (Film; 2004)
Songs For Beginners, by Graham Nash (Album; 1971)
Stop Making Sense (Concert Film; 1999)
Super Mario Bros. (Film; 1993)
Tickle Me (Film; 1965)
Tortilla Flat, by John Steinbeck (Novel; 1935)
The Untrained Seal (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1936)
Walking the Floor Over You, by Ernest Tubb (Song; 1941)
Wicked (Musical Play; 2003)
Wicked Wacky (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1951)
Today’s Name Days
German, Wilhelm (Austria)
German, Velimir, Vilim (Croatia)
Vilém (Czech Republic)
Vilhelm (Denmark)
Roman, Roome, Roomet, Roomo (Estonia)
Alma (Finland)
Germain (France)
German, Wilhelm (Germany)
Dimitrios, Dioskouridis (Greece)
Csanád, Emil (Hungary)
Emilio, Ercole, Priamo (Italy)
Vilhelms, Vilis, Villija (Latvia)
Jogirdas, Justas, Rima (Lithuania)
Wilhelm, William, Willy (Norway)
Augustyn, German, Jaromir, Priam, Wiktor, Wiktoriusz, Wilhelm, Wrócimir (Poland)
Nichita (România)
Viliam (Slovakia)
Emilio, Germán, Guillermo (Spain)
Borghild, Ingeborg (Sweden)
Bevan, Bevis, Emil, Emiliano, Emilio, Faron, Ferrin, Ferron (USA)
Today is Also…
Day of Year: Day 149 of 2024; 217 days remaining in the year
ISO: Day 2 of week 22 of 2024
Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 17 of 28]
Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 21 (Ren-Chen)
Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]
Hebrew: 20 Iyar 5784
Islamic: 20 Dhu al-Qada 1445
J Cal: 29 Magenta; Eighthday [29 of 30]
Julian: 15 May 2024
Moon: 71%: Waning Gibbous
Positivist: 8 St. Paul (6th Month) [Constantine]
Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 4 of 15]
Season: Spring (Day 71 of 92)
Week: 4th Week of May
Zodiac: Gemini (Day 8 of 31)
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Why the Death Penalty Should Not Be Re-Imposed in the Philippines
Zacaria Benrajiv T. Guialel AB PolSci 3B
BLOG 6
The issue of whether the Philippines should reinstate the death penalty is highly controversial, sparking discussions among policymakers, human rights activists, legal scholars, and the public. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the justifications for capital punishment as a deterrent and a means of providing justice to victims, the available information indicates that reintroducing it would be a serious error. In addition to moral and ethical concerns, there are pragmatic and structural justifications for maintaining the abolition of the death sentence in the Philippines.
Primarily, the death sentence infringes upon the fundamental human right to life, which is protected by numerous international agreements and conventions. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights explicitly affirms that every person possesses an intrinsic entitlement to life, irrespective of the conditions. Reinstating the death penalty in the Philippines would be a step backwards in the country's dedication to protecting human rights and would weaken its reputation as a champion of fairness and respect in the international world.
Moreover, the death sentence is intrinsically irrevocable, posing the possibility of executing those who are innocent. Although there have been improvements in forensic science and legal procedures, the judicial system is not without flaws, and there are instances where innocent individuals are wrongly convicted. Once an individual is executed, there is no chance for exoneration or remedy for wrongful convictions. No society should be willing to accept the risk of executing an innocent person, particularly given the permanent nature of the punishment.
Furthermore, empirical evidence has demonstrated that the death sentence is an ineffectual means of deterring criminal behavior. Multiple studies have been unable to yield definitive proof that the use of capital punishment has a substantial effect on diminishing crime rates. Indeed, numerous nations that have eliminated capital punishment have observed a gradual decline in rates of violent crime. Instead of acting as a deterrence, the death penalty sustains a cycle of violence and retribution, offering little in terms of addressing the underlying factors of criminal conduct.
Moreover, the reinstatement of capital punishment will hinder endeavors to advance restorative justice and rehabilitation in the Philippine criminal judicial system. Instead of prioritizing punishment and vengeance, which have limited impact on addressing the root causes of crime, it is more effective to invest resources towards prevention, rehabilitation, and providing support for victims and their families. Restorative justice models place healing and reconciliation as the top priority, providing a more compassionate and efficient response to crime and its consequences.
To summarize, the reintroduction of capital punishment in the Philippines is not only ethically incorrect but also inefficient, irrevocable, and unproductive in dealing with crime and advancing the cause of justice. Rather than relying on antiquated and oppressive methods, the government should prioritize the implementation of empirically-supported strategies that target the underlying factors contributing to criminal conduct, enhance the judicial system, and safeguard the basic human rights of every person. The Philippines can only progress towards a fair and peaceful society by wholeheartedly embracing principles of justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity.
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Should the Philippines Bring Back the Death Penalty: Criminality, Justice, and Human Rights
The Philippines has a long and complex history with the death penalty. Abolished in 2007, its return has been a constant topic of debate, particularly in the context of crime and public safety. This blog delves into the arguments for and against re-imposition, considering the impact on criminality, justice, and human rights.
Arguments for Re-imposition: Justice and Deterrence
Proponents of the death penalty often cite retribution and deterrence as key reasons for its return. They argue that heinous crimes like drug trafficking and murder deserve the ultimate punishment. The death penalty, they believe, delivers a sense of justice for victims' families and serves as a strong deterrent against future offenses.
In the Philippines, this perspective resonates with a public frustrated by rising crime rates, particularly drug-related violence. The belief is that the death penalty will incapacitate dangerous criminals and send a strong message to potential offenders.
Arguments Against Re-imposition: Flawed Systems and Human Rights
Opponents of the death penalty raise critical concerns about the fairness and efficacy of the justice system. They argue that a flawed system with a high incidence of wrongful convictions risks taking innocent lives. The Philippines' justice system faces challenges, including poverty-stricken defendants with limited access to proper legal representation. This raises the possibility of death sentences based on weak evidence, leading to irreversible injustices.
Furthermore, the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent is highly contested. Studies have shown little to no correlation between capital punishment and reduced crime rates. Rehabilitation and strengthening law enforcement are often seen as more effective solutions.
The death penalty also faces strong human rights arguments. It is considered cruel and unusual punishment, violating the right to life. Additionally, the Philippines, by ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is obligated to uphold the abolition of the death penalty. Re-imposing it would violate this international commitment.
The Road Forward: A Balanced Approach
The debate on the death penalty is unlikely to be definitively settled. However, there are steps the Philippines can take to address public concerns about crime without resorting to capital punishment.
Strengthening the Justice System: Investing in a more efficient and fair justice system is crucial. This includes improving access to legal representation, reducing case backlogs, and ensuring proper investigations.
Focus on Rehabilitation: Effective rehabilitation programs can help reduce recidivism rates and offer a path for reintegration into society.
Addressing Root Causes of Crime: Poverty, lack of opportunity, and social inequality contribute to crime. Investing in education, social programs, and job creation are crucial to tackling crime at its source.
The Philippines can ensure public safety and uphold human rights through a comprehensive approach that prioritizes a strong justice system, rehabilitation, and addressing the root causes of crime. While the emotional pull of the death penalty is strong, a more nuanced and sustainable approach is needed to build a safer and more just society.
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Final Major Project - Thoughts 16
Protest Songs
Among social movements that have an associated body of songs are the abolition movement, prohibition, women's suffrage, the labour movement, the human rights movement, civil rights, the Native American rights movement, the Jewish rights movement, disability rights, the anti-war movement and 1960s counterculture, art repatriation, opposition towards blood diamonds, abortion rights, the feminist movement, the sexual revolution, the LGBT rights movement, animal rights movement, vegetarianism and veganism, gun rights, legalisation of marijuana and environmentalism.
Martin Luther King Jr. described the freedom songs this way: "They invigorate the movement in a most significant way... these freedom songs serve to give unity to a movement."
EXAMPLE IN EAST-ASIA
China
Chinese-Korean Cui Jian's 1986 song "Nothing to My Name" was popular with protesters in Tiananmen Square.
Chinese singer Li Zhi made references to the Tiananmen Square massacre in his songs and were subsequently banned from China in 2019. Three years later, during the anti-lockdown protests in China, this was used as a protest song across YouTube.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong rock band Beyond's "Boundless Oceans Vast Skies" (1993) and "Glory Days" (光輝歲月) (1990) have been considered as protest anthems in various social movements.
During the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Les Misérables' "Do You Hear The People Sing" (1980) and Thomas dgx yhl's "Glory to Hong Kong" (2019) were sung in support of the movement. The latter has been widely adopted as the anthem of these protests, with some even regarding it as the "national anthem of Hong Kong".
Philippines
From the revolutionary songs of the Katipunan to the songs being sung by the New People's Army, Filipino protest music deals with poverty, oppression as well as anti-imperialism and independence. A typical example was during the American era, as Jose Corazon de Jesus created a well-known protest song entitled "Bayan Ko", which calls for redeeming the nation against oppression, mainly colonialism, and also became popular as a song against the Marcos regime.
During the 1960s, Filipino protest music became aligned with the ideas of Communism as well as of revolution. The protest song "Ang Linyang Masa" came from Mao Zedong and his Mass Line and "Papuri sa Pag-aaral" was from Bertolt Brecht. These songs, although Filipinized, rose to become another part of Filipino protest music known as Revolutionary songs that became popular during protests and campaign struggles.
South Korea
See also: Music of South Korea and Korean protest songs
Commonly, protest songs in South Korea are known as Minjung Gayo (Korean: 민중 가요, literally "People's song"), and the genre of protest songs is called "Norae Undong", translating to the literal meaning "song movement". The starting point of Korean protest songs was the music culture of Korean students movements around 1970.[66] It was common in the 1970s~1980s, especially before and after of the June Democracy Movement in 1987, and associated with against the military governments of presidents Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo Hwan reflecting the will of crowd and voices of criticism of the day. From the middle of the 1990s, following the democratisation of South Korea, Korean protest songs have lost their popularity.
Taiwan
"Island's Sunrise" (Chinese: 島嶼天光) is the theme song of 2014 Sunflower Student Movement in Taiwan. Also, the theme song of Lan Ling Wang TV drama series Into The Array Song (Chinese: 入陣曲), sung by Mayday, expressed all the social and political controversies during Taiwan under the president Ma Ying-jeou administration.
Thailand
See also: Phleng phuea chiwit
In Thailand, protest songs are known as Phleng phuea chiwit ("songs for life"), a music genre that originated in the '70s, by famous artists such as Caravan, Carabao, Pongthep Kradonchamnan and Pongsit Kamphee.
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Abolition of the Commission of Human Rights. Why or why not?
Abolition of the Commission of Human Rights. Why or why not?
The CHR, created under the 1987 Constitution, was tasked to investigate all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights. It is embedded in our constitution in relation to the International Humanitarian Laws and other laws governing human rights.
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, in Section 18 Article XIII says simply that there must be a creation of an…
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Today, November 30, is the birthday of Andres Bonifacio— a Filipino working-class hero and patriot who established the Katipunan in 1892 at age 29, and kickstarted the Philippine Revolution in 1896. Today is also the anniversary of the founding of Kabataang Makabayan, the socialist youth organization established during the Marcos era, and the formal founding of Anakbayan in the Philippines, chosen specifically to highlight our goal as youth and students of continuing the struggle for national sovereignty and national democracy that was started by Bonifacio so many years ago.
Even now, the Philippines lacks true independence as our people struggle to free the nation from foreign control. This year, President Duterte agreed to restore the Visiting Forces Agreement after meeting with the US Defense Secretary, dealing another blow to the sovereignty of the Philippines by allowing U.S. military to remain present in the country. At the very same time, Duterte has continued to literally sell out Filipino sovereignty to China and Chinese ruling class interests, signing away the ancestral lands of Indigenous people in the Cordilleras to Chinese foreign corporations in agreements such as the Kaliwa Dam Project and the Chico River irrigation project; buying overpriced vaccines and putting the Philippines in more debt to the Chinese government; and all the while ignoring the Chinese navy’s aggression against fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea. Today, members of Anakbayan Queens rallied with members of @1sambayanusa and other NY-based @bayan.usa.ne organizations outside of the Chinese consulate in Manhattan to say: Atin ang Pinas! China layas!
It is true that elections are coming in May 2022, and with them, Duterte’s six-year presidential term will come to an end. However, we know that we cannot let our guard down just yet. We must stay vigilant and unite against the Duterte-Marcos tandem and the anti-independence, anti-people sentiments that they represent. Even when it comes to progressive candidates, such as Leni Robredo, we must push for support of pro-people choices, such as the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC. We have seen the ways the Duterte regime has used the NTF-ELCAC to attack the national democratic movement by labeling human rights activists, including youth and students, as “terrorists”, while the Filipino people continue to be truly terrorized by the devastating effects of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism. All people in support of peace and freedom in the Philippines must come together to bring an end to this violent and militaristic entity.
Today, we in AB Queens remember Bonifacio by continuing his legacy of resistance. We call upon Filipinos, both in the Philippines and in New York, to resist against fascism and the Duterte-Marcos tandem! Resist against U.S. and China’s foreign control! Resist against imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism! Continue the struggle for national democracy until the Filipino people achieve true independence and liberation!
-- Anakbayan Queens, 30 Nov 2021
[Image ID: 1. A member of Anakbayan Manhattan and three members of Anakbayan Queens hold placards on the sidewalk. Two members are holding a red flag with the AB Queens logo on it. The placards read: “No to Marcos-Duterte”, “Demilitarize the West Philippine Sea”, and “Atin ang Pinas! China layas!”
2. Members of Anakbayan and 1Sambayan stand on the sidewalk during a rally.
3. A member of Anakbayan Queens reads a statement from his phone while two Anakbayan members hold the Anakbayan Queens flag behind him. He is wearing the “Atin ang Pinas!” placard around his neck.]
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Prostitution is Sexual Violence
The phenomenal worldwide spurt in prostitution, sex trafficking and sex tourism particularly in the third world countries in the wake of globalisation and economic liberalisation has generated increasing interest and international debate on the question in the past two decades or so. While some organisations activists and feminist groups are demanding the abolition of prostitution and sex trade, some others are aggressively campaigning for the legalisation and recognition of prostitution as a profession. The advocates for legalisation demand that it be give the status of an industry and the sex must be considered similar to the any type of work and prostitutes be considered as sex workers.
The issue has assumed importance in the context with even the ILO calling for economic recognition of prostitution as legitimate work.
In India too, several NGOs had taken up the issue; some have held a conference of sex workers as in Kolkata in 1997, ‘98 and again 2001 and put forth arguments demanding legalisation. A few have opposed the demand for legalisation as they felt it would only legitimise the violence on women and the sale of human bodies.
What should be the standpoint of the proletariat with regard to the question of legalisation of prostitution? Would legalisation of the profession improve the position of the prostitutes? What are the root causes behind the phenomena of prostitution? And why has it taken a phenomenal leap in recent years? What is the correct solution to the problem? Let us deal these questions.
A brief historical background
Historically, the origins of prostitution can be traced to the emergence of the class society and the so-called civilisation when, for the first time, woman become subordinated to man. Lack of property rights, segregation from social production and division of labour along gender lines have made the woman powerless and totally dependent on men from childhood to old age. In a class-divided society, economic and social power was naturally in the hands of the class that owned the chief means of production.
The vast majority of the non-propertied classes had to live by selling their labour. Their body has been the only asset these non-owning classes possessed and it is only by pressing their body into service in exchange for a wage or remuneration in kind that their very physical survival could be ensured. Prostitution too arises from the compulsions in a class divided society to sell one’s body for the sake of one’s subsistence. Unlike men of the labouring classes women do not have the opportunities to take part in similar productive activities due to relations of patriarchy enforced by society. Thus, since each class is internally divided along gender lines, and the power accrues to the man of each class due to relations of patriarchy, women are rendered powerless and socially and economically vulnerable.
Thus even when women enjoy the benefits and privileges, of the class they belong to, they do not have an independent status of their own. Their class status is accrued only by virtue of their attachments to the men of that class, either as daughters, wives, sisters or mothers. Once the support of the men of her family is withdrawn, she becomes propertyless even if she belongs to the middle class, thereby leading to a life of insecurity and even poverty. This social and economic vulnerability of women arising out of gender inequalities in class societies plays a significant role in sustaining prostitution.
Women with no assets and few options have to rely on the sale of their bodies to maintain themselves and their dependents. Those who have been forced into prostitution are generally the destitute, the deprived sections of the society, belonging to the lower castes, and the tribals. The simple fact that hardly 1%of the property in the world is owned by women today shows the acute vulnerability and powerlessness of women.
Prostitution is created and sustained by the male dominated society where male sexuality and masculinity are socially constructed by patriarchy and female sexuality is controlled and denigrated. Masculinity is proved by man’s ability to access several women. Within feudal society, prostitution was restricted, to be found for example around temples, institutionalised in the form of the devadasi system. The development of market forces transformed prostitution into a trade. Prostitution centres grew in port cities; around the colonies of migrant male workers; and around cantonment and military barracks.
Natural calamities such as famines, floods, earthquakes and epidemics or social and political upheavals such as wars led to large-scale displacement of populations and to a phenomenal increase in the number of prostitutes as more and more uprooted, hapless women were left with no other options of livelihood.
Thus the colonial era gave an impetus to the sex trade by pushing millions of women to sell their bodies in the areas where migrant male work force or military troops were located. But it is the development strategies pursued by the various governments of the Third World countries in the neo-colonial phase that has seen it grow by heaps and bounds. Big dams and mining and industrial projects, break up of subsistence economies by modern technology leading to pauperisation of entire communities, cyclones, floods and families resulting from indiscriminate deforestation and so on, has uprooted millions of people from their homes and a large number of women have been forced to seek a refuge in prostitution to eke out a living.
For instance, there are 2-3 million prostitutes in 400 red light areas in India (Indian Express 6/10/2000). 30% of prostitutes in the country are children whose numbers are increasing by 8 to 10% annually. Almost 80% of the prostitutes belong to the lower castes and tribals who are forced into the profession for sheer survival. Among others a considerable section of women are forced into prostitution due to patriarchal oppression in the family and society victims of rape by the male chauvinists, deception by lovers, victims of rape in communal riots and atrocities by the police and the state’s armed forces and so on. It is estimated that every year the sex traffickers in connivance with the police bring around 100,000 poverty stricken Nepalese women and children to Indian brothels from Nepalese villages.
Globalisation and Sex Tourism
The single most important factor, however, is the promotion of the sex-tourism in Third World countries. Tourism in Third World countries, particularly in Asia, become a growth industry in the 1970s and in vigorously promoted as a development strategy by international aid agents like the World Bank, IMF and USAID. Between 1960 and 1979, tourist arrivals in South East Asia increased 25-fold. The revenues accrued to these countries on account of tourism was £3 billion in 1979. Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore of South East Asia and Kenya, Tunisia, Mexico, Srilanka, Peru, countries of the Caribbean etc., have made tourism one of their main areas of production. Asian, African and Latin American women are the main export product who attract male tourists from Japan, the US and Europe. For instance, as many as 50,000 women and children from Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe are brought to the US under false pretexts and are forced to work as prostitutes or abused labourers or servants, according to a CIA report.
According to a report about 2 to 3 lakh women are working in the sex trade in Bangkok, camouflaged as massage parlours and hotels. Another estimate puts the figure even higher – about 10% of Bangkok’s women are believed to be engaged in sex trade despite the official ban on prostitution. In Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, the number of prostitutes is estimated to be around 1,00,000.
Burgeoning flesh trade leading to a veritable explosion in numbers worldwide in the past two decades is the fall out of the policies of globalisation and economic liberalisation adopted by most countries of the world. The development strategies pursued by the South East Asian countries during the 1970s have been repeated in India during the 1990s. Three major reasons can be cited for the quantitative and qualitative jump in the sex trade.
Firstly, the sex trade is now organised on a global basis just as any other multinational enterprise. It has become a transnational industry. It is one of the most developed and specialised industries that offers a wide range of services to the customers, and has most innovative market strategies to attract clients all over the world. The principal players and beneficiaries of the sex industry are cohesive and organised. The intricate web of actors involved in the sex trade today includes nor just the prostitutes and the client, but an entire syndicate consisting of the pimps, the brothel owners, the police, the politicians and the local doctors. The principal actors connected to the sex trade are not confined by narrow national or territorial boundaries in the context of a globalised world. They operate both legally as well as clandestinely and it is believed that the profits according to the organisations of sex-industry currently equal those flowing out of the global illegal trade in arms and narcotics.Moreover like any other multinational enterprises, such as the tourism industry, entertainment industry, travel and transportation industry, international media industry, under ground narcotics and crime industry and so on.
Thus the magnitude, expanse, organisation, role of capital accumulation and range of market strategies employed to sell sexual services make the contemporary global sex industry qualitatively different from the old practice of prostitution and sex trade.
The second factor, which makes sex trade qualitatively different today, is that it has become a chosen development strategy by several Third World countries. The World Bank, the IMF, the Asian Development Bank and several other imperialist aid agencies have encouraged the development of tourism and entertainment industry in Third World countries with the aim of meeting their balance of payments and debit deficits. As a result, sex tourism and sex entertainment have developed at an amazing speed and have acquired national and international legitimacy under globalisation as never before.
The third factor that has led to the burgeoning of the flesh trade is the neo-colonial exploitation of the cheap raw materials and resources of Third World by imperialist capital. The countries, which have undergone structural adjustments under the dictates of World Bank and the IMF, are forced to export their raw materials and cheap resources. Women and children constitute an important component of the resources of Third World countries and hence are considered a prime export item for the "development" of these countries. Women and children, whose labour is exploited beyond acceptable human rights standards, have become one of the prime tools for capitalist accumulation. The migration and traffic in women from areas of low concentration of capital to high concentration areas i.e., from rural to urban and from the less developed areas of Asia, Africa and Latin America (and now Eastern Europe in) to the industrial countries.
This has become possible due to massive population and development of large sections of the population in the Third World countries who are left with no other options than to sell their bodies and labour in order to eke out a living. And it is the women and children who form the principal composite of these newly deprived and dispossessed sections due to globalisation. International capital through the vast media network at its disposal – the print and electronic media, the internet etc – is able to mould the minds of the people living in an already patriarchal, male-dominated world in favour of commodification of the female body from the crudest to the most sophisticated of ways. Capitalism had transformed relations between human beings into callous cash relationships; it had commodified every aspect of human life including human body parts, female reproductive work and virtually every thing on the earth. Capitalism has no ethics other than amassing profits. It had converted woman into a sex object and placed her in the market for sale. Under globalisation, this had reached levels unknown in human history due to the sheer magnitude and power of the principal players and wrought havoc on the lives of the vast majority of the wretched of the earth.
We thus find from the foregoing that today prostitution has been transformed into global flesh trade – a multinational or transnational enterprise that fetches enormous profits to the governments of several countries, to the multinational syndicate of capitalists, pimps, mafia gangsters, politicians and the police while the women are helpless victims in this bizarre drama. The annual turnover of prostitution business worldwide runs to billions of dollars. No wonder, the imperialist agencies, the NGOs funded by these agencies, the governments of some of the countries, and the media controlled by the imperialist sharks, have begun canvassing for legalisation of prostitution. Of course, all in the name of the welfare of the prostitutes. Quite a few progressive and liberal democratic organisations and individuals also sincerely endorse the stand for legalisation from a humanitarian standpoint. . Seeing the way the existing laws in India, the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1986 and provisions of the IPC (1860) are framed and utilised they argue that the oppression of prostitutes can be done away with. They think that by legalising prostitution, women professing the trade will have all the legal rights like any other industrial workers and will be free from the harassment of the pimps, police and the clients.
Let us now analyse the arguments put forth for the legalisation of prostitution and whose interests these actually serve.
Arguments in favour of legalisation
Vesya Anyay Mukti Parishad (Kolkata) which is an association of prostitutes that had come into existence during the latter half of the 90s, is among the most vocal proponents of legalisation. The following are a few of its arguments. "Prostitution is a way of life like any other. It is not created for the benefit of the men rather it is primarily for the women who live off it. Women in prostitution make money out of the sex and are the breadwinners of their families.
"We believe that we are more empowered than most women within male-dominated patriarchal structure. The relationships we share with the men from our families are more honest and equal because the purdah of double standards is not necessary.
"Economic independence from men is a reality that we enjoy with pride and dignity. Brothel owners, goons, the police and the self-appointed crusaders of morality in society harass us, try to curb our independence and are forever trying to douse our spirit.
"We demand the eradication of all laws concerning prostitution which are oppressive and help in further criminalizing the trade.
"We believe that we challenge and undermine structures of power by using a part of our womanhood – our sexuality as a source of our power and income.
It wants to distinguish between "trafficking, which is criminal issue and adult prostitution."
"We believe that making money from sex is not selling a part of our body which is in no way different from selling our brains or physical labour.
"We protest against a society that deems our work contribution as less prestigious than other traditional forms of work.
"We believe that despite living within a capitalist patriarchal society and having the experienced the freedom of living outside the patriarchal system, it is almost impossible for us to contemplate entering such a system with its inherent double standard, lopsided value system and inequalities."
One would be surprised to see the above statements coming from an organisation of the prostitutes themselves. It appears as if the prostitutes have chosen to be what they are by free choice, that choosing is a form of rebellion against the patriarchal system and oppression in the family and society at large. Through these arguments not only are they juxtaposing the individual right with the structural circumstances but they are also reducing human rights to the rights of the individual. The arguments not only justify the profession but also try to lure more and more women into the flesh trade in the name of women’s liberation. These so-called associations of sex-workers are obviously organised by NGOs or individuals with imperative trends and seek to give the sex trade a further boost in the name of voluntary choice.
The stark reality is that the overwhelming majority of the prostitutes are there not by choice but due to destitution, deprivation, displacement ostracisation and deception; that many have been victims of sexual assault either at home or work place or in the street;that quite a few of them have been bought from starving parents by unscrupulous pimps even before they reach their puberty, administered steroids like Benetradin to make malnourished children artificially plumpy just as they fatten cattle and chicken to yield more meat; that some of them are made into ‘servants of god’ (devadasi) against the law and the will of the young girls and packed off to brothels to serve as slaves to sex-starved, sadistic clients; that given an alternative option for decent livelihood there would be hardly any one left in the profession. The question for free choice does not arise. Here it is to be noted that the emphasis is being given to free choice because they want to make a distinction between becoming a prostitute willingly and trafficking. The main campaign against trafficking is being led by the needs of the imperialist western countries where there is a shortage of white prostitutes. In the US for example too, over 70 % of the prostitutes are non-white.
In fact this argument is being promoted to make it easy to legalise the import of prostitutes to the imperialist countries and other centres of tourism.
Sangram (Sangli-Maharashtra), a voluntary organisation working among prostitutes, is even more aggressive in championing the cause of the profession.
"In the work place, she is more than equal to the male client and very often controls the conditions of the transaction. Women ‘keep’ many malaks and refuse to be treated as the exclusive property of the man. Here, women in prostitution are shown to "liberated" and as working independently on her own terms. It is shown as an alternative for women to free themselves from patriarchal stranglehold.
Citing the powerlessness of women to even retain their names after marriage, Sangram glorifies the ‘Freedom’ that is supposed to be inherent in prostitution.
"In class based and male dominated society, women are forced to occupy a secondary status that is totally male-centred, even the power to name herself is denied to her as, in several parts of the country, she is even given a new first name of her marriage, forcing her to discard her old identity and adopt a new one.
"Women in prostitution are in different position. Even if a woman in prostitution opts to stay with one man and conduct her ‘dhandha’ (profession) she does not change her name. She continues to occupy her own residence and in fact, it is the man who comes to stay with her. In this case, the tables are reversed: it is done on her terms. "Women in prostitution pose tremendous challenge to the family structure, system and its values. They actually challenge patriarchal ‘values’ that govern sexuality
The perverted logic of these apologists for sex trade sees the prostitute as a free and independent agent who controls her body and sexuality and challenges the family and patriarchal values. Contrary to their argument the institution of prostitution is as much a creation of patriarchy as the present-day family and co-exists with it. It is based on the freedom socially available to men but denied to women.
As Engels succinctly put it, it is "the absolute domination of the male over the female sex as the fundamental law of society". She is a victim of patriarchal oppression within the profession. Once a woman enters the trade, there is no way out. She is completely at the mercy of the sex-starved customer, the pimp and the police. Physical assaults and rapes are a daily occurrence. More than half of the prostituted women in the Third World countries had contracted HIV/AIDs. A 1985 Canadian report on the sex industry reported that the women in prostitution in that country suffer mortality rate 40 times the national average. It could be even worse in countries like India. All this proves that the argument that once prostitution is legalized it can be more effectively regulated making it safe for all those involved, that the spread of HIV can be slowed, that sex workers can have access to health and so on, are sheer fraud. The fact is that all forms of sexual commodification, whether legalised or not, lead to an increase in the level of abusive and exploitative activity.
The interest of the State in permitting legalisation is not the prostitute and her rights but to check the spread of sexually transmitted deceases. It involves heavy regulation of prostitution through a whole host of zoning and licensing laws. Zoning segregates the prostitutes into a separate locality and their civil liberties are restricted outside the specified zone. Licensing means issue of licenses, registration and the disbursement of health cards to the women. Legalisation makes it mandatory for the women to undergo medical check-ups regularly or face imprisonment.
Legalising prostitution is legalising violence:To describe prostitution as sex work and a prostitute as a sex worker means to give legitimacy to sexual exploitation of helpless women and children. It means ignoring the basic factors, which push women and children into prostitution such as poverty, violence and inequalities. It tries to make the profession look dignified and as a ‘job like any other job’.
It is the organised commercial sex industry that is the staunchest advocate for legalisation of prostitution on the plea that ‘sex work’ is viable work – a job like any other job. Creating the nation that sexual exploitation and abuse are ‘work’ createsa shield to the industry from the critics and will multiply their profits by boosting the sex trade through legalisation.
By considering women in prostitution as workers, pimps as businessmen, and the buyers as customers and thereby giving the entire sex industry recognition as an economic sector, the governments are planning to abdicate all responsibilities for providing decent employment to women. They are thus pushing more and more women into sex trade by creating the notion that sex work is like any other work.
Legalisation of prostitution is not a solution because legalisation implies men’s self evident right to be customers. Accepting services offered through a normal job is neither violent nor abusive. Legalising it as a normal occupation would be an acceptance of the division of labour, which men have created. A division, where women’s real occupational choices are far narrower than men’s. Legalisation will not remove the harmful effects suffered by the women. Women will still be forced to protect themselves against a massive invasion of strange men, as well as the physical violence.
Legalisation means position of regulation by the State to ensure the continuation and perpetuation of prostitution. It implies that they have to pay taxes, i.e., the prostitute needs to serve more customers to get the money needed. Legalisation means that more men will become customers, and more women are needed as prostitutes, and more women, especially women in poverty, will be forced into prostitution. Legalising prostitution will only increase the chances of exploitation. The experiences of the countries where prostitution was legalised also show how this had given big boost to the trade and had increased sexual abuse. For instance, in Australia and in some states in the US where legalisation was implemented, it was found that there was an alarming increase in the number of illegal brothels too along with an increase in the legal trade.
Commercial sexual exploitation devalues the lives of all women and girls by promoting misogynistic beliefs and attitudes among the males. It teaches the males that female bodies are sexual merchandise to be traded, used and discarded, and consequently, it aggravates gender inequality in all areas of society. It leads to a spurt in acts of sexual violence and harassment against women in the work place and in the domestic life. It violates human rights of all women and children whose bodies are reduced to sexual commodities to be bought and sold in the market.
The so-called safe sex that is said to emanate from legalisation and guaranteeing the rights of the prostitutes is a myth. It ignores the inherent power dynamics of sexual exploitation and that the sexually exploited women or child has no other option than to acquiese to the customer’s demands since she is not in a position to demand the usage of condoms by the customer. Any resistance means more violence.
Trying to make a distinction between prostitutions by choice or consent and forced prostitution or trafficking which all the champions of porstitutes’ cause have been trying to do, is an exercise in futility since in practice it is extremely difficult to prove cases of forced prostitution. The traffickers and pimps can easily conceal evidence of coercion and manufacture evidence of consent from the prostitutes themselves.There are two important international human rights conventions that address the question of prostitutes and trafficking in women: the convention on the Traffic in persons and the exploitation of the prostitution and of others, and the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1949. But these conventions, despite the stringent clauses against pimps, procurers and traffickers, have no enforcement mechanisms and have not been ratified by many countries. And as we have seen, it is almost impossible to get evidence from the sexually abused women and children given the power of the sex industry managers.
And now, burying these conventions, the ILO has called for the economic recognition of prostitutes as legitimate work in its controversial report of 1998.
We must reject all arguments for legalisation of prostitution and the notion that engaging in sex trade and selling town’s body for the sexual gratification of others in exchange for money is work.
Legalisation of the sex trade is vigorously advocated by the imperialists, by imperialist sponsored NGOs and individuals and by the Third World governments, only in order to preserve the institutions of prostitution and thereby serve the imperialist interests in commodification of women.
Prostitution is violence against women. It is an insult to the self-respect of women, violation of their basic human rights. It is criminal to call violence and sexual abuse against women as work. It is criminal to call the sale of one’s body for the sexual gratification of others as work. It is criminal and callous on the part of governments to abdicate responsibility of providing decent employment to women and children and pushing them into the sex trade in the name of legalisation of prostitution.
Our demands should be to abolish prostitution and trafficking in women and children, provide gainful employment to all those engaged in the sex trade and punish those responsible for encouraging the sex trade and indulging in any form of discrimination against women.
We must mobilise the women who are engaged in Prostitution against the State demanding employment while fighting against all forms of oppression and harassment by pimps, traffickers and the police.
We must educate the women caught in the vicious web of Prostitution that it is only by dismantling this exploitative system based on class and gender inequalities and the worst form of patriarchal control that they can be free, independent and in a position to determine their destiny.
- Prostitution is Sexual Violence, Women in the Chinese Revolution
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The Importance of Intersectionality: A Glimpse into Patriarchal Institutions
Woman protesting in Yangon, Myanmar in February 2021 (Source: AP Photo)
by Diana Ho
Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Violence
Feminism should inherently be intersectional. We can’t separate ourselves from the integral parts of our identity: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, among many more. But we also need to consider nationality, social and economic status, religion, and political affiliation. After my time at the CSW, I’ve learned that intersectionality is more important than ever.
Prisons are the epitome of an institution that oppresses, rather than restores. We see that the US leads in incarceration globally, even in women’s incarceration. It’s growing at a rate twice as much as men’s, and it might be worth noting that 60% of women in state prisons have a child under eighteen (Sentencing Project). The event I attended, “Upholding the Human Rights of Women Prisoners and Offenders” taught me that despite the US being the global leader in women’s incarceration, only nine out of fifty states have a prison nursery program. And even then, there is a limit of 2 years with strict criteria.
In Turkey, wrongfully accused civilians were brought into prisons after the attempt of a government coup in 2016. In the same event, I listened to a woman named Betül Alpay -- where she described how women were forced to undergo strip-searches -- practices that had been illegal before the coup. Muslim women were forcibly stripped of their clothes, including their hijabs. Inside the prisons, it was common for women prisoners to be interrogated and beaten. Conditions were harsh: women with young babies struggled to breastfeed in a cold prison cell. It was also illegal to imprison both women and their children under Turkish law, but it still occurred.
The patriarchy enables the violation of women and their basic rights. We see it being exemplified in South Asian countries like Pakistan, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Myanmar. In Myanmar, the struggle against the authoritarian government is forefronted by women protestors. I attended the event, “Women Human Rights Defenders in Asia: Fighting for Freedom and Democracy,” and learned that it was common for women protestors to be sexually assaulted by multiple officers at the same time. The Rohingya conflict has exposed the military’s acts of burning, assaulting, and raping protestors, often targeting women.
It’s extremely disheartening to hear how women are continued to be violated to this day. However, feminists have sustained their efforts in proposing solutions to these real-life conflicts. For countries like Myanmar, the event speakers called for the sanction of the country’s military, diplomacy between the state and protestors, and the cessation of contracts between the military and industrial companies. For prisons, the concept of abolition has emerged: the abolition of prison sentences, conversion to restorative justice, and a focus on reintegration into society. Ideas that seem far-fetched for some, are a reality many have to struggle through.
Though attending the aforementioned events shed light on conflicts I was uninformed on, the intent of it all was nothing new to me. Institutions are still deeply embedded with patriarchal practices, evidently seen in prisons, militaries, police, and even governments. The women who fall at the hands of the patriarchy are targeted due to parts of their identity they cannot change. We’ve seen that with Muslim women in Turkey and with Rohingya people in Myanmar. We see that with incarcerated mothers in the US. Being a woman does not come with being a woman alone.
What I’ve come to understand is that being a feminist can’t be watered down as a social, individual issue. It’s a collective, institutional one. So when we advocate for women’s rights and misogyny-affected people, we’re fighting for the liberation of everyone from the patriarchy.
References
Thank you to the hosts of the events: “Upholding the Human Rights of Women Prisoners and Offenders” and “Women Human Rights Defenders in Asia: Fighting for Freedom and Democracy.”
Milko, Victoria. “Explainer: How Are the Myanmar Protests Being Organized?” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 9 Feb. 2021, apnews.com/article/technology-aung-san-suu-kyi-myanmar-yangon-asia-pacific-026ad5eb9ad6920f0d0d5446e17e27c2.
Sentencing Project, U.S. The Sentencing Project. United States, 2002. Web Archive. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0000403/>.
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DEATH PENALTY: THE IRREVOCABLE DAMNATION
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.” As said by J.R.R. Tolkien in his book The Fellowship of the Ring. The controversy of Death penalty has been an ongoing issue because of opposing perspectives and beliefs from various cultures worldwide., Over 60% of the world's population live in countries where the death penalty is retained, such as China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, as well as in Japan and Taiwan. (Amnesty International, 2017) Capital punishment has been a governing law in the Philippines until 1987 where the abolition was made under Article III, section 19 of the Philippine Constitution. Death penalty should be implemented and legal worldwide despite different cultures and beliefs.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary (2020), Death Penalty is defined as a terminal punishment given by a court of law for very serious crimes. In this paper, we will discuss the view on Capital punishment in the United states of America and Middle East, boundaries in Capital punishment, Injustice, False Trials and the Value of human life.
The view of Death penalty in USA and Pakistan
In Usa, 25 states still have the death penalty, with the law in force in areas all over the country. Of the 25 states still with the law, 18 haven't executed anyone in the past five years and 12 haven't in the last 10 (Crump, 2020) In Pakistan, a moratorium on executions was imposed in 2008. No executions occurred from 2009 to 2011, with 1 in 2012 and 0 in 2013. Pakistan carried out 7 executions in 2014, 326 in 2015, 87 in 2016, 65 in 2017, and 14 in 2018 (Amnesty International, 2017)
Boundaries in Capital Punishment
An inquiry made by the opposition in which if Death penalty is legal, what crimes will be involved for sentencing Death penalty? Capital punishment can be imposed for treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer in certain cases. The following methods of execution were; beheading, electrocution, hanging, lethal injection and shooting. (Crime Museum LLC, 2018)
Injustice, False Trials and Value of Human Life
Criminal Injustice has been present in our history because of the power that a state or judiciary has and the innevitable mistakes that a humans can commit. A variety of individuals are claimed to have been innocent victims of the death penalty. Criminal injustice may occur but will decrease as times go by because of the 21st century forensic technology. An argument says that legalizing capital punishment will devalue life as it creates a system wherein life can be controlled by human beings yet the opposition was proven to be right because having terminal retribution sanctifies life, minimizing capital and heinous crimes such as rape, treason, and murder. Sentencing these heinous acts into Reclusion Perpetua (20 yrs - 40yrs) will not only devalue the victim’s life but also the family of the victim (Prager University, 2018)
To summarize the arguments presented, death penalty precedes in over 60% of the population but are only sentenced for minimal cases (most heinous crimes). The method of execution is humanely lethal injection. Injustice and unfair trials decreased from time to time because of the developing forensic technology. Capital punishment values human life as it decreases heinous crimes commit to innocents. Death penalty should be implemented and legal worldwide despite different cultures and beliefs as it creates a safer structure for the people by providing an irrevocable damnation.
Works Cited
Merriam-webster dictionary. (2020, January 24). The Death Penalty. Retrieved from merriam-webster.com: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20death%20penalty
Amnesty International. (2017). Death Penalty. Retrieved from amnesty.org: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty/
Crime Museum LLC. (2018). Crimes punishable by death. Retrieved from Crime Museum: https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/execution/crimes-punishable-by-death/
Crump, J. (2020, March 6). Death Penalty in US. Retrieved from Independent UK: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/death-penalty-us-states-which-lethal-injection-electric-chair-nathaniel-woods-a9383026.html
Prager University. (2018). Why death penalty should be legal. San Fernando.
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Tradition, alteration and mutilation – things we do and things being done
Tradition, alteration and mutilation – things we do and things being done
Essay
Tallinn 2016
Introduction
Writing about genital alterations is not an easy task. First of all one has to read through myriad of materials which are not the easiest to digest. Essays and articles on the matter will visualize practices and anatomical operations with genitals, on our “private parts” and it can be quite difficult on the mind. I come from a society which views any kind of genital alteration as something bizarre and odd. It is there, but in the background, on the periphery, practiced by minorities (religious and cultural/ethnic groups), members of subcultures, or performed due to medical reasons. In the same time it occurs among human societies so often that it seems like it is abnormal that Estonia doesn't have it. But this is when we think of it only as an initiation ritual (such as male circumcision of Jews). There is a lot more going on with our genitals, things like body modifications, piercing, sex change operations etc, and this is mostly done by ourselves or professionals, depending on the societies expectations and readiness. The second difficult aspect is that the issue of genital alterations is loaded with morals, ethics and questions “What is allowed? What is acceptable?” Several materials on genital alterations are dealing mainly with the ethical issues, with human rights and especially with children's rights issues. Genital alterations is a very complex and multifaceted issue which makes it almost impossible to to find a correct answer for the ethical issues, and this is not my aim with this essay, I am more interested in explaining how complex this issue is and how contradictory views we have on it.
From words to actions
The first problem and also a good starting point for analysis is the usage of terminology. When I first started to read into the matter, I immediately encountered the complexity of the issue on the base of gender. The most usual and also most acceptable form of genital alteration in Western world seems to be male circumcision. This has caused several other forms of genital alterations to be called also circumcision, even though it is a specific medical procedure describing the removal of foreskin from male genitalia. Pedersen uses the term clitoridectomy in her article about the politicization of female genital alteration in Kenya during 1920's and onward (Pedersen, 2007). She speaks strongly against using circumcision to describe alterations on female genitals as it makes false assumptions to the analogy between these two procedures (ibid, 342). Even though clitoridectomy indicates to the removal of the clitoris (both clitoral glans or hood), which is just one of the parts of external female genitalia, it is being used by Pedersen to describe also the removal of labia minora and majora. Although the usage of clitoridectomy is not sufficient it feels much more professional and unbiased to use a medical terminology.
Pedersen is specifically using the term clitoridectomy and goes even so far as to say that she compares female circumcision to the amputation of penis (Pedersen, 2007, 342). For her this is the case due to the fact that the women's sexual pleasure was not taken into account during the whole discussion of clitoridectomy abolition in Kenya, and her view is that removal of the clitoris and labia minora/majora is the same as the removal of the penis as it will remove any possibility for sexual pleasure. Bell is mentioning the same tendency among her students: “For the majority of students in the class, the only procedure that they considered at all equivalent to female circumcision was castration, or more than that, full frontal castration - a penectomy.” (Bell, 2005, 127) and so is the case with Darby and Svoboda: “There we have the conventional U.S. view, which is echoed by the tenor of the commonly used terms: circumcision is no worse than ear piercing, whereas any form of FGM is the equivalent of penis amputation.” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 302)
Bell (Bell, 2005) sometimes uses the term female cutting, which is also used by most professionals in dealing with issues in Africa. She is regularly using the term female circumcision and after reading her article on the genital alterations, it doesn't seem to me that she is doing it to compare the two to each other or to compare female genitalia to male, but rather it falls out of discussion as she seems to focus on the difficulties in comparing male/female sexuality and our cultural views on it.
The majority of authors use the term female genital mutilation (FGM), sometimes adding cutting (FGM/C, used for instance by UNICEF (UNICEF, 2013)). The problem with genital alterations were recognized already in the 1930's but the issue became more actual from the 1970's until the 1990's, when activist started to address the wider public and it was picked up by media (Bell, 2005, 128). WHO developed precise anatomical typology for these practices:
“Type 1: Excision of the prepuce with or without excision of part or all of the clitoris
Type 2: Excision of the clitoris together with partial or total excision of the labia minora
Type 3: Excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation)
Type 4: Unclassified (includes a wide variety of mutilations not falling into Types 1 through 3)” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 305; also UNICEF, 2013, 7).
Darby and Svoboda use in their article the term genital alteration (Darby, Svoboda, 2007). We have terms like circumcision (both male and female), genital mutilation (also both), cutting (female), medical terms (clitoridectomy and penectomy). Whilst I do prefer medical terminology when speaking about specific procedures, for example if it is Muslim or Jewish boy then he is being in my opinion circumcised, and if girls clitoris is removed then it is clitoridectomy. But in general terms I'm going to use also genital alteration (GA) because: circumcision doesn't cover the specter of different acts performed on genitalia; using the term circumcision might diminish the seriousness of alterations performed on girls and women and it might also diminish the work of women's rights organizations on banning “traditional” rituals of female genital cuttings in several African countries; on the other hand not all procedures are felt by males and females involved in these procedures as mutilations; and several procedures are wanted and sometimes even done by the persons themselves. As Darby and Svoboda puts it: “...otherwise the terms female genital alteration [FGA] and male genital alteration [MGA] as a way to avoid evoking the emotional response that our culture invests in the practices.” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 302)
Regarding GA on males, one of the most common practices is circumcision. It is a common practice among Jews and Muslims, traditional cultures in Africa, Asia and Oceania, and it is also common among all newborn males in the USA, regardless of their parents religion. The only “but” is that it is in many cases quite different in the way the procedure is performed, when it is performed and to what “extent” it is performed. Bell writes about it:
“For example, in parts of East Africa not all of the foreskin is removed, while in other regions the foreskin is left largely intact but cut into strips /--/. Such ritual circumcisions also take place in Aboriginal Australia, the Philippines, Eastern Indonesia, and Melanesia, with wide variation in procedures. Similar variation exists in the religious circumcisions conducted among Islamic and Jewish populations. Even the clinical circumcisions familiar to many of my students vary widely, as judgments regarding the amount of skin to be removed from the penis are left to the skill and aesthetic preferences of the individual doctor. Indeed, while the majority of circumcisions are performed on newborns, a minority undergo the operation after infancy, and some men choose to be recircumcised in later years due to dissatisfaction with the original result (see Altschul 1990).” (Bell, 2005, 126)
For Jews the command for circumcision is quite simple, a covenant between Abraham and God is done (Gn 17:11) and it must be resigned between every newborn Jew on the 8th day of their life (Gn 17:12). For Muslims the case is not so clearcut and is varying in great length, usually being performed on the 7th day or up to prepuberty at the age of 12. That depends on the quality of medical procedures (with well developed medical networks it is usually done right after birth and in the hospital), traditions (from 5 year olds in Central Asia up to 12 in Indonesia and Malaysia). So in many cases circumcision among Muslims is performed when males will remember it and are aware of the procedure performed on them.
And we haven't even touched the issues of subincision or superincision:
“Moreover, other forms of male genital cutting such as superincision and subincision are also practiced. Superincision, where a dorsal slit is made in the foreskin, is performed in several Pacific island societies (see Firth 1963; Kempf 2002). Subincision, a far more invasive procedure, involves slitting open the whole or part of the penile urethra along the ventral or under surface of the penis. The initial cut is generally about an inch long, but this may be enlarged so that the incision extends from the glans to the root subsequently of the scrotum, in this way the whole of the under part of the penile urethra is laid open. [Montagu 1974:312]” (Bell, 2005, 126)
So there is a huge variety of alterations being performed on men. Referencing to Dr. Sami Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh, a Swiss-Palestinian doctor, Darby and Svoboda offer a possibility to categorize male genital alterations into similar types as FGM:
“Type 1: This type consists of cutting away in part or in totality the skin of the penis that extends beyond the glans. This skin is called foreskin or prepuce.
Type 2: This type is practiced mainly by Jews. The circumciser takes a firm grip of the foreskin with his left hand. Having determined the amount to be removed, he clamps a shield on it to protect the glans from injury. The knife is then taken in the right hand and the foreskin is amputated with one sweep along the shield. This part of the operation is called the milah. It reveals the mucous membrane (inner lining of the foreskin), the edge of which is then grasped firmly between the thumbnail and index finger of each hand, and is torn down the center as far as the corona. This second part of the operation is called periah. It is traditionally performed by the circumciser with his sharpened fingernails.
Type 3: This type involves completely peeling the skin of the penis and sometimes the skin of the scrotum and pubis. It existed (and probably continues to exist) among some tribes of South Arabia. Jacques Lantier describes a similar practice in black Africa, in the Namshi tribe.
Type 4: This type consists in a slitting open of the urinary tube from the scrotum to the glans, creating in this way an opening that looks like the female vagina. Called subincision, this type of MGA is still performed by the Australian aborigines. [2001:9]” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 306jj)
They conclude that as type 3 and 4 are practiced by a few excluded tribes and type 1 is also not the most popular procedure, then type 2 should be analyzed most throughly. At this point they bring in also one anatomical part of the penis, what other authors have not considered whilst talking about male genital alterations:
“The severity of the operation is also affected by whether it removes the frenulum, the sensitive "bridle" on the underside of the penis, adjoining the cleft in the glans. This is now known as the frenular delta and is understood to support one of the body's densest concentration of fine-touch nerve receptors, whose specific function is to detect and transmit pleasurable touch (Cold and Taylor 1999; McGrath 2001; Taylor et al. 1996).” (ibid, 307)
On the following page they break it down to 5 types, which correspond to the amount of foreskin being removed and whether the frenulum is also removed or not. They also break FGM down to 7 types of procedures: “...a nick to the clitoris; separation of the clitoral hood or prepuce, without amputation of tissue ; removal of the clitoral hood; excision of the labia minora ; excision of the labia majora ; excision of part or all of the clitoris; stitching up the vaginal orifice.” (ibid, 308) MGA is in the case of type 2 a rather singular operation, being performed on one part of the genitalia and its' severity depends on how much of that part is removed, the severity of FGA on the other hand depends on how many procedures are being performed (ibid, 309).
The problem with all GAs is that we tend to categorize them under two edges: female genital mutilation type 3 and male circumcision type 2:
“I also pointed out that just as there is a common inclination to consider all female operations under the rubric of "mutilation," there is a parallel tendency to collapse the widely variable forms of male genital cutting into a single operation involving the removal of the prepuce of the penis...” (Bell, 2005, 125)
This is done without even considering the huge variety of different forms and practices nor taking into account simple statistics. Yes, type 2 is the most regular genital alteration being performed on men, but FGA type 3 is not, it is around 15 percent of the FGA procedures (Bell, 2005, 130).
Preservationists and prointact
“Indeed, what was striking was how willing students were to relegate such practices to the realm of "culture," and how unwilling they were to place female surgeries in the same realm.” (Bell, 2005, 126)
During the same time when FGA became the “hot topic”, the Western world saw also the rise of the anti-circumcision movement. Even though it is usually seen as a “misguided group of “extremists”” (Bell, 2005, 129), they do make a valid point in gender equality: how is something not an issue for men and an issue for women; how is one ritual called mutilation (for example FGA in Kenya is called Irua) and the other one circumcision (not penile mutilation)? Erik Silverman devoted several pages in his article “Anthropology and Circumcision” to describe these movements, their aims and also some of the practices they are doing (Silverman, 2004, 434-436). At some points it seems rather anecdotal, the way he is describing these movements and their activities, but in the same time this issue is taken very seriously by members of these movements: they have group discussions and confessions on how MGA has changed their life, problems with sexuality, “feelings of parental betrayal, violation, victimization, powerlessness, distrust, shame, abuse, deformity, and alienation. Circumcised men who oppose MC have often likened the procedure to rape and maternal abandonment. Consequently, it is often said that circumcised men are more likely to abuse and rape women. Others have asserted that circumcision made them gay.” (Silverman, 2004, 435) I personally have serious doubts in putting the “blame” in being gay on circumcision. Also for being a rapist and misogynist. I do agree that there are consequences for a MGA, especially when it has been performed in unsanitary conditions and/or violent/abusive way, such as described by “...female victim of forced circumcision during a "holy war" by Islamic extremists in Indonesia /.../ what was done to the men was worse than what the women suffered: "I know the men suffered more than us women. The circumcision hurt them more than it did to us because their scars could not heal fast. Several of the men I knew got serious infections after suffering from severe bleeding" (Murdoch 2001).” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 310) But this is not the case with USA based preservationist movements, where it is usually performed on newborns in hospitals.
In medical hygiene lies also one very big difference between MGA and FGA. Whilst we talk about FGM, then there is mainly discussion about how it causes medical problems (especially Type 3 but also others) and sexual problems, there is not much talk about how to eradicate these problems from the actual procedure or from it's outcomes. At the same time MGA in none Western countries is being monitored and improved, made more sanitary etc. (Bell, 2005, 130) Problems do occur even in Western countries with MC performed in hospitals and under strict sanitary conditions, and also later during puberty (Darby and Svoboda, 2007, 306) but this is not seen as a problem by most human and child rights activists. There is also a big contrast between views on consent, FGA is usually performed on children who cant give their consent and this is one of the points why it is being condemned (Bell, 2005, 130). This is not seen as a problem with MGA even though it is usually performed either in a neonatal state or before puberty.
Sex
In the current Western discourse on sexuality, sex is not seen just as a reproductive act but is deeply connected with pleasure. Darby and Svoboda bring out also differences in Western discourse about sexual activity and MGA impact on mens' sexuality: “Articles in U.S. medical journals or mass media that find or report that MGA makes little or no difference to male sexual activity often present this as a positive reason why MGA of infants should be performed” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 310). Procircumcision websites promote circumcision with claims like “circumcised men last longer” and “uncircumcised penis may be more sensitive, this same sensitivity can lead to premature ejaculation” (Bell, 2005, 137). There is nothing very concrete to rely on besides every persons own story (as is the case with FGA). But there is something important what Bell brings out: current sexual discourse is still depicting men as sexual animals, “men's sexual apparatus and needs are simple and straightforward” (ibid, 136). She continues: “In this discursive framework, genital surgery is far less likely to impair a man's sexuality than a woman's because of his highly developed, instinctive, and powerful sexual drive. A woman's sexual instincts, being fundamentally more delicate, will be crippled by any form of genital surgery” (ibid).
Bell talks much about the beginning of secular circumcision in US and Britain, how it is connected in the beginning with different ideas of hygiene, how it is connected with the cure for the “terrible disease” of masturbation (Bell, 2005, 131). Clitoridectomy was also promoted from the Victorian area until 1960's “as a cure for excessive masturbation” (ibid, 132). Bell points out that according to Laqueur clitoris was thought to be an essential part in the reproductive process until the 18th century (ibid). From the 18th until much of the 20th century clitoris was dismissed as useful and that “the female orgasm serves no reproductive purpose and was therefore unnecessary to the perpetuation of life” (ibid, 133). In the beginning of the 20th century the importance of the clitoris in sexuality was even more diminished by Freud as for him “...mature female sexuality resided in the vagina, and immature female sexuality resided in the clitoris” (ibid) and “...by the late 1940s it was common practice to omit the clitoris from anatomy textbooks altogether” (ibid, 134). With the 1970s and feminism came also the reorientation of sexuality from vagina to clitoris, which in one sense has been very helpful for women's sexual liberation but on the other hand restrains parts of sexuality. In one hand The Hite Report claims that “...almost all women achieve orgasm through clitoral, as opposed to vaginal, stimulation.” (ibid) and on the other hand: “In Koedt's framework, there is no room for females who do not fit this clitoral model. She accuses women who claim the capacity for vaginal orgasms of ignorance and false consciousness. According to Koedt, these women are confused, because they either fail to locate the real center of their orgasm (the clitoris) or they desire to fit their experience into the male-defined idea of sexual normalcy.” (ibid)
FGA is a problem and in many cases it does affect women's health and cause complications. The fact that several African countries, where it is an active ritual and part of social life and culture, have decided to ban it, and that this is done by local women's rights activists, speaks for itself. The question here is that on what grounds has it been done. Removal of the clitoris has been equated with the removal of the penis on the grounds of sexuality (Bell, 2005, 134) not on the grounds of reproductivity. In the same time there are studies which indicate that GA does not affect the women's sexual life as it doesn't men's. Bell references to Fuambai Ahmadu, Rogaia Abusharaf and Ellen Gruenbaum, that women who have had GA do have orgasms (ibid, 138). Same references are made by Darby and Svoboda:
“A recent study by Okonofua and colleagues (2002) in Nigeria examined 1836 women who had been subjected to either FGA type 1 (71 percent) or type 2 (24 percent). They found no significant differences between cut and uncut women in the frequency of reports of sexual intercourse in the preceding week or month, the frequency of reports of early arousal during intercourse, and the proportions reporting experience of orgasm during intercourse. There was also no difference between cut and uncut women in their reported ages of menarche, first intercourse, or first marriage in the multivariate models controlling for the effects of socioeconomic factors.” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 310)
Looking into the most severe form of MGA, subincision, there is not much going on against it, no movements against it or any that try to ban it. There are even claims made by authors that it is good for practitioners' sexual life: “Bettelheim (1962:100) also speculates that subincision "probably alters the sensations during coitus."” (Bell, 2005, 126) and “It seems that subincision produces increased sensitivity for both the male and female during intercourse. Especially the women seem to get more pleasure out of it. This function was noted earlier as a possibility for the Samburu of Kenya.” (Lobdell, 1975, 22).
The whole discourse of sexuality and GA is a complex knot of different views, reports and claims, in several parts they are contradictory to each other.
Why are we talking about Africa?
Even though GA seems to be happening in every human society, we seem to be focused only on Africa and on FGA as something that needs to be eradicated. As I pointed out earlier, GA happens quite often in Western culture and on infants (especially in USA), and that GA happens mostly around the world on male infants. It is true that FGA is a problem in Africa, it does cause health problems, but at the same time it feels somewhat strange that WHO and UNICEF seem to not deal with it in Middle-East and Southeast Asia. For instance the study on FGA in Indonesia, showed that 86-100 percent of the questioned girls were “circumcised” (Budiharsana, Amaliah, Budi Utomo and Erwinia, 2003, 24). And whenever I look it up in the Internet, I get an African map issued by UNICEF. And in the same time there is not much talk about MGA and it being a “mutilation”. Darby and Svoboda see it as historical development:
“Although the Jews were seen as proto-Christians, and (both in the United States and Britain) increasingly admired as exemplars of sanitary wisdom as the 19th century advanced (Glick 2005:ch. 6), genital alteration of girls was perceived as an outlandish rite, performed by obscure barbarians whose example did not warrant emulation.” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 311)
Silverman discusses the issue as well and comes to a conclusion that there is a specific way Western world likes to see it:
“...this view of FC portrays Africans, especially African women, as passive victims of their own ignorance and of patriarchy, wholly wounded in body and spirit, devoid of any possible joy, erotic or otherwise. In effect, this view of FC offers the West justification for intervention and, more subtly, assertions of cultural superiority. Anthropologists increasingly contest the view of African women as mutilated and imprisoned by a physiological mark of their own making .” (Silverman, 2004, 429)
I'm not trying to imply that there is some kind of grand conspiracy regarding this issue, but it seems that there is a problematic stance that the Western world has taken. This can be seen also from Susan Pedersen writing about the politicization of FGA in Kenya: white men in the Western world are making decisions for black women (Pedersen, 2007, 336). One of the questions regarding GA alterations in Africa is that why are we looking at the issue only from the females' side if GA is practiced by both sexes. Bell references on several researchers on that matter and writes that it is completely alien and artificial to deal with these issues separately from each other, as Africans “...consider these operations to be fundamentally related in both their functions and effects. However, little attempt has been made to explore precisely why international opinion remains largely hostile to female genital cutting and indifferent to the male operations.” (Bell, 2005, 128) Silverman brings out also the controversy between Western and African view on FGA, which is in his opinion connected with colonial domination (Silverman, 434).
Why are we not talking about Western cultures?
I have questions on several aspects of genital alterations, on gender equality, on children's rights, on human rights etc. But before looking “abroad” for their “mistakes”, I would need to look for the problems in our cultural sphere. As I said in the beginning, my cultural background is rather alien to genital alterations as there is no presence of traditions regarding it nor a medical prophylactic presence of it. In the same time it is there in other forms like cosmetic practices or wider understanding how and for what purposes genitalia is used. The western world has practiced besides circumcision also clitoridectomy (or excision of the clitoral hood) until 1950's and 60's as a “cure” for masturbation (Bell, 2005, 132; and Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 312). Of course this can't be used as an excuse for practicing FGM and it is completely reasonable to ban it in Western countries. It will affect only people who have migrated there from African or Asian countries and it will protect girls from unsanitary and abusive procedure, which is definitely not corresponding to the host country's legal, medical and human rights culture. If it would be done under medical surveillance in hospital, it would definitely be safer but still traumatic for the child. If it would be done in neonatal state, it wouldn't be so mentally traumatic but there is still the question why is it necessary and if the person would feel as she has been maimed later in her adulthood. I was trying to find an answer if ritual FGA can be done to an adult in Western countries but I didn't get a clear answer. It seems that most countries, who have laws against FGM, are banning every kind of practice on the base of abuse and violence against women. Darby and Svoboda reference on Christine Mason who “...has explored the paradox whereby an adult female (in Australia) cannot elect mutilating forms of cosmetic genital surgery for herself yet has the legal right to alter the penis of her son.” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 302) Mason is against both male and female infant GA but in the same time there should be legislation to “..allow freedom of minority practices when a person is old enough to give informed consent” (ibid).
Interestingly there is FGA in Australia which is available to Australians. It is not called mutilation nor female genital cutting, it doesn't have a strange sounding traditional name, it is called labiaplasty and it is in some cases even funded by a persons health insurance (Van Badham, 2015; and Labiaplastymelbourne.com.au). The same GA can be done also in Estonia and has been done for several years (Delfi.ee, 2013) and with some quick research I found two places, where I could enlarge my penis surgically and my wife could rejuvenate her vagina (Christinaclinic.ee and Freyaestetica.com). With money everything is possible. Van Badham writes in her article that the main reason why women do labiaplasty is because they are not satisfied with how their vagina looks, and this has to do with todays worlds perceptions (for example what kind of image is given to us by mainstream pornography) on female genitalia. So instead of some barbaric initiation ritual Western people are driven by an obsession of how it looks or how society might want it to look.
The same goes for male GA such as penis enlargement, with the slight exception that this can be done, to reach ideals set by the pornographic industry, and for the satisfaction of a sexual partner. Coming back to the gender issues this seems rather controversial. Taking into account that many procircumcision sites talk about how it is better for men's sexual partners, it seems that MGA can be done also for the same reasons as FGA:
“Indeed, what is interesting here is how irrelevant the issue of reduced sensation is for both the men who have this operation and their sexual partners. This poses a striking contrast to the dominant discourses surrounding female genital cutting, where the idea of a woman undergoing genital surgery to enhance her partner's sexual pleasure (while concomitantly reducing her own level of sensation) strikes most observers as "barbaric" and misogynistic.” (Bell, 2005, 138)
Conlusion
“As Hellsten observes, "all forms of genital alteration" (2004:249-250) are derived from ideas of the place of human sexuality in society, are intended to alter sexual function in some way, and are performed in the belief that the procedure - no matter how physically injurious - will in some way improve the subject's life.” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 304)
As I said in the beginning of the essay, genital alterations are a very complex and multifaceted issue. I do agree with Bell when she says that “Ultimately, the message is clear: genital mutilation is gendered.” (Bell, 2005, 131). It is gendered when we talk about children's rights, when we talk about sexuality and how it affects our sexuality. It is gendered when we talk about it in the Western world and what is expected by our society from females and males. In the end it is our genitals and they are the base of our gender. But there is also connections to post-colonial issues, minority rights in Western world, cultural diversity and cultural appropriation, economical discrimination and so on.
My question is that where do we move with all the knowledge we have gained through researches and studies? Darby and Svoboda write that: “The way forward, in our opinion, is not to abandon the concept of universal human rights, as argued by Baker, but to attempt to apply them consistently, without discrimination on the basis of gender.” (Darby, Svoboda, 2007, 315) I'm doubting that it will ever happen and my reason is rather blunt: as long as it is part of Jewish traditions, it can never be banned, unless there is a change in Western opinion on antisemitism. I know that there are Quranist Muslims (a really small minority in the Muslim community), who are against circumcision because it alters God's creation, I'm not aware that there is the same kind of tendencies among Jewish community.
“The female rite, in particular, as a result of transnational movements and refugees, is now clashing with Western law from California to Paris.” (Silverman, 2004, 420) FGA will be an issue in the Western world now more than ever. It is currently under discussion also in Estonia to legally ban FGM and with more migrants from Africa, Asia and Middle East, it will cause more discussions and debates inside our own cultural sphere. Even though FGM is being actively banned in Africa, it will still be present for decades to come. I'm also predicting that there will be a revival of it under “traditionalist” agenda. And that there will be more cases when women turn to cosmetic surgery and private practices with requesting some type of FGA which is not viewed as appropriate as labiaplasty is.
References Cited
Bell, Kirsten. 2005. Genital Cutting and Western Discourses on Sexuality, in Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Jun., 2005), pp. 125-148. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3655483
Budiharsana, Meiwita; Amaliah, Lila; Budi Utomo and Erwinia. 2003. Female Circumcision in Indonesia : Extent, Implications and Possible Interventions to Uphold Women’s Health Rights, Jakarta: Population Council Jakarta with support from the Ministry for Women’s Empowerment under USAID funding, September 2003. Electronic: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACU138.pdf
Christinasclinic.ee = http://www.christinasclinic.ee/et/esteetiline-kirurgia/intiimpiirkond/peenise-pikendamine , last viewed 9.01.2016
Darby, Robert, Svoboda, J. Steven. 2007. A Rose by Any Other Name? Rethinking the Similarities and Differences between Male and Female Genital Cutting , in Medical Anthropology Quarterly, New Series, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Sep., 2007), pp. 301-323 Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4499734
Delfi.ee. 2013, February 28. Uus ilutrend eestlannade seas — väikeste häbememokkade lõikus (New Beauty Trend Among Female Estonians – Surgery For Small Labia). Retrieved from: http://naistekas.delfi.ee/kirevmaailm/uudised/uus-ilutrend-eestlannade-seas-vaikeste-habememokkade-loikus?id=65746148
Freyaestetica.com = http://www.freyaestetica.com/index.php/en/services/non-invasive-labioplasty-prot-g-intima , last viewed on 9.01.2016
Labiaplastymelbourne.com.au = http://www.labiaplastymelbourne.com.au/how-much-does-labiaplasty-cost/ , last viewed on 9.01.2016
Lobdell, John E. 1975. Considerations On Ritual Subincision Practice, in The Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 11, No. 1 (1975, February), pp. 16-24. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.tlu.ee/stable/3811640
Pedersen, Susan. 2007. National Bodies, Unspeakable Acts: The Sexual Politics of Colonial Policy
Making, in Margaret Lock & Judith Fraquhar (editors). Beyond the Body Proper: Reading the Anthropology of Material Life. Durham, Duke University, pp. 330 – 346.
Silverman, Eric K. 2004. Anthropology and Circumcision , in Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 33 (2004), pp. 419-445 . Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25064860
UNICEF. 2013. Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Statistical Overview and Exploration of the Dynamics of Change, New York: United Nations Children's Fund, July 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf
Van Badham. 2015, August 26. Female genital mutilation is alive in Australia. It's just called labiaplasty. The Guardian. Retrieved from:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/26/female-genital-mutilation-is-alive-in-australia-its-just-called-labiaplasty
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Get your facts straight, DFA tells European Parliament
Get your facts straight, DFA tells European Parliament
MANILA – The European Parliament should listen to more respectable sources instead of obtaining information from militant front organizations masquerading as legitimate civil society organizations and disgruntled members of the political opposition who do not represent the majority of the Philippine electorate.
In a strongly-worded statement on Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) condemned what it called the misguided attempt of the European Parliament to interfere in the electoral process through a recent resolution that raised anew allegations of human rights violations and warned of possible trade sanctions.
The DFA called the resolution “unfair, largely baseless, and presumptuous”, prompted by European supporters of libelous journalists and bitter critics of the Duterte administration “because they miserably lost the previous election”.
“Far from what is presented in the resolution, the Philippines is a vibrant democracy that respects and protects the freedoms of every citizen; and upholds all their rights, preeminently the rights to life, liberty, and, above all, safety and protection from the lawless and violent,” the statement read.
The DFA said the allegations are being addressed by the landmark United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) for Human Rights, framed precisely to address the issues but still respectful of the legal and accountable mechanisms that are already set in place in the country.
“Substantive, credible and forward-looking, the UNJP seeks to strengthen the Philippines’ compliance with international human rights obligations, fortify the human rights dimension in law enforcement and investigative work, and enhance the capacity of national institutions and actors to promote and protect human rights while keeping the public safe: the paramount obligation of a state and the justification for the expense of maintaining one,” the statement read.
Following an inclusive and transparent process of consultations, the UNJP was launched in July 2021 in the presence of among others, Chargé d’Affaires Rafael de Bustamante Tello of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines.
The Department of Justice likewise has the Administrative Order 35 Task Force, the government's inter-agency committee which investigates violation of human rights and humanitarian law and holds accountable humanitarian law violations by terror groups long known to recruit minors and use prohibited weapons, such as anti-personnel mines.
“We therefore strongly advise EU Parliament vice president, Heidi Hautala, to prove her information, specifically with the EU Delegation to the Philippines, before she demands anything from the Philippines. Her disrespectful language disregards these ongoing efforts of the Philippines and the United Nations, and the mechanisms and processes that inform their joint efforts to advance human rights,” the DFA stated.
The resolution adopted Thursday called for the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and its implementing rules and regulations.
The ATA has been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court, except for a few provisions.
The Philippines was also warned it will lose perks and market access under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which gives developing countries a special incentive but must implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labor rights, environment, and good governance. In return, the European Union (EU) will cut its import duties to zero on more than two thirds of the tariff lines of their exports.
Aside from the Philippines, the other GSP+ beneficiary countries are Bolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The DFA acknowledged though that the views of the European Parliament do not reflect those of the EU as a whole or of its individual member states.
“Our engagement with the European Commission on the GSP+ process is a more accurate indication of the actual situation involving good governance, rule of law, and human rights in the Philippines. We look forward to welcoming the next EU GSP+ monitoring mission on February 28 to March 4, 2022,” the DFA said.
The DFA said European Parliamentarians must realize that in once again calling on the Philippines to adhere to democratic principles that Filipinos have widely practiced, they themselves have violated these principles and intruded in the internal affairs of a country that only seeks to maintain harmonious relations with the EU and all its member states.
The European Parliament issued similar resoltuions in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020.
“Not least when they refuse to pay heed to the democratic will of the vast majority of the Filipino people who clearly support the present duly-elected government and its policies. For the Parliament to pass a resolution of this manner is a clear attempt to influence the outcome of our coming elections in May instead of accepting the sovereign will of the Filipino people as manifested in the previous elections," the DFA said. (PNA)
#FlippinFlipNews
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"Should death penalty be re-imposed in the Philippines?"
The Philippines' international legal obligations would be violated if the death penalty were reinstated. The reasons for the death penalty's reinstatement are ill-founded and purely political. Death penalty supporters argue that it is an essential tool for maintaining law and order, deters crime, and is less expensive than life imprisonment. They argue that retribution, or "getting even," honors the victim, provides comfort to grieving families, and ensures that perpetrators of heinous crimes are never given another chance to cause tragedy. On the other hand, opponents of capital punishment argue that it has no deterrent effect on crime. It gives governments the incorrect authority to take human life, and that it perpetuates social injustices by disproportionately targeting people of color (racist) and those who cannot afford good lawyers (classist). They argue that life in prison is a more severe and cost-effective punishment than death. The following are also some of the death penalty's drawbacks: The death penalty has no reversible consequences; the final decisions may result in people paying for crimes they did not commit; there is no reliable proof that the death penalty deters crime more efficiently than a prison sentence; there is no "humane" way to kill; and, ultimately, it makes an individual's death a public spectacle. Suppose the Philippines succeeds in resurrecting the death penalty. In that case, it will not only regress in terms of human rights principles and commitments, but it will also fall behind its neighbors in terms of progress toward the ultimate abolition of the death penalty. The justice committee is likely to approve death penalty bills due to the Duterte government's vast majority in Congress and ongoing attempts to promote its anti-drug drive. More than thousands of people have been killed by the Philippine National Police and thousands more by unidentified gunmen as a result of Duterte's "war on drugs." There is absolutely no transparency for these police shootings, even those involving children. More blood will be shed in the name of Duterte's "drug war" if the death penalty is enforced. It would push the Philippines further into a rights-violating quagmire. The death penalty is never a viable option for reducing crime because it is inhumane and unethical.
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by: Cesar Dela Cruz Karaniwan Jr./John
7th of December 2020 "Love Your Enemies? - The Conclusion" Last Part 7/7
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
James 4.11
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🌈💖💪 HalleluYAH! 💪💖🌈
Shalom! And the LORD Almighty of glory, peace, power and righteousness, saith:
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5.44
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HalleluYAH! 💖
The LORD our Lord [YAHSHUA/JESUS] on earth spoke and gave a sermon at the mount to all of Israel as far as the coasts of Sidon and of Tyre, the regions of Lebanon (the tribe of Asher then,) commanding the people of Israel ("his chosen people") to "love their enemies;" another time he also commanded the disciples "to love their neighbors as themselves:"
Therefore it must be that their enemies are their same neighbors, and not those outside Israel, which of their past God's servants (Moses, Joshua, the judges, and the kings of Israel, etc.) and the people of Israel smote of their abominable idolatries. Amen.
* These were parts 1 to 3
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"Part 4" was about the "Gospel of Circumcision and Uncircumcision." This was the significant differences between Israel, God's chosen, from those outside, but those outside (the Gentiles) which were grafted with Israel's commonwealth, (through Christ Jesus' own precious blood atonement); sojourning Christians only may have the comparison, and not possibly for those without of faith or of spirituality. Amen. For there is no religion established on earth which the Almighty God above the Father (the Creator of the heavens and of the earth,) may acknowledge, but by the name of Jesus Christ only, ever since the reformation. Amen.
* By the way, the reformation is the transferring of blood atonement: from the abolition of animal blood to more perfect sinless blood of the Lamb of God. Amen.
"The 5th Part ("Will You Take The Shot - The Truth?") contains the links of all 1 to 4: https://www.facebook.com/wildolivespubli…
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"Part 6" was seemingly "the answer" (the answer to the question of Part 5,) to the question, "Will you take the shot of the truth?" Whether beloved brother Jonathan of the beloved JESUS Miracle Crusade International Ministry (JMCIM of beloved evangelist/ prophet pastor Wilde E. Almeda,) could "take the truth or not," everyone of you, beloved, has to go to this extra and click this link and see for yourself: https://www.facebook.com/wildolivespubli…
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HalleluYAH! 💖
God the Lord himself on earth then, as a living sacrifice man (Lamb of God), came and preached to his own - that is Israel (but for his own which is "spiritual Israel") to show the way of righteousness; this righteousness clearly included "Loving your enemies, even your neighbors;" the Lord then, of his owned righteous jealousy, blinded every disobedient and rebellious Jew (Jews which hated the truth, like in the time of Moses against envious rebels Korah, On etc.) then, rich or poor, small and great, known and unknown, that eventually "his invitation" may come for all the rest of man on earth (for all nations/all gentiles,) to have everlasting life with him at the end, Amen.
HalleluYAH! 💖
The Lord only Saviour [YAHSHUA/ JESUS] never commanded Israel to love "just anybody or any man/person:" God commanded to "love one another" - Jew to Jew, thus Christian to Christian love became, so both have peace by him who called, Amen. Apostle Paul in the Spirit said and wrote clearly well concerning "Israel in the churches" the difference between those "inside and outside" of which was similar (if not same,) with our Lord at the mount then, saying,
Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
1 Corinthians 6.7
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HalleluYAH! 💖
Oh beloved! didn't you perceive what the mighty anointed apostle's word in the Spirit (in JESUS/ YAHSHUA) when he ask and said,
"Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?"
HalleluYAH! 💖
"Take! thy brothers wrong, beloved; Take thy brothers robbery of your rights! beloved: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF, Amen." And, Amen.
HalleluYAH! 💖
Now, as for those grafted Christians outside the walls of Israel (the adopted/saved Christian Gentiles,) of course living with unbelievers, like me who got punched twice recently this year by a mad Muslim without just cause, I need not anymore to reiterate what the Spirit saith through the apostles but as mush as it is possible with all children of God outside the land of Israel, live and make peace with all men. Amen.
For fellow Christians, Jew and or Gentile, if they have transgressed against you, FORGIVE AND FORGET the sins, of thy brethren, which is the LAW OF OUR DEAR CHRIST: God our Father in heaven always watches us all from above;
For fellow human beings, the unbelievers without, if they have transgressed against you, THE LAW OF THE LAND, though may be unjust, shall bring you answers (whether you obtain true justice or not): Remember that we ought to submit to the authorities, Amen.
You, beloved fellow Christian, Jew and or Gentile, are NOT commanded by our Prince of Peace, "TO KISS DOGS AND PIGS:" Ye, beloved, ought not to love your enemies or your neighbors who are without hope (without God). Amen.
HalleluYAH! 💖 This has been "Loving Your Enemies?"
HalleluYAH! 💖
The Conclusion: "Love all Israel as thyself; Peace & order for all as thy neighbour: This is loving your enemies." Amen; HalleluYAH! 💖
-------
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15.24
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HalleluYAH! 💖
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Jude 1.25
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MATTHEW 5.5; 26.63a; 27.12, 14; ROMANS 12; 1 CORINTHIANS 6.1-11; 13 etc.
Peace/Shalom 🌈💖💪😇💪💖🌈
Images made into one:
https://www.genesisym.com/love-your-enem…
https://www.colourbox.com/.../knight-hel…...
https://radicallychristian.com/luke-2236…
https://mymarshill.org/lesson-53-the-gre….../
https://hopeofisrael.net/news/israels-bi…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6JnRTMX…
https://www.wsj.com/articles/philippines…
https://tinyzonetv.to/.../watch-american…...
https://screencrush.com/the-vampire-chro…
https://www.everplans.com/articles/what-…
https://www.slideshare.net/stevethomason…
#mysteryofhistorysblog
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White House & GOP’s cannabis battle with reporter (Newsletter: June 22, 2020)
MT legal marijuana signatures submitted; GA decrim bill filed; PA legislation would protect cannabis patients from DUIs
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President Trump’s alleged promise to a senator that he will back federal marijuana reform is at the center of a heated dispute between a reporter, administration aides and Republican operatives after the White House chief of staff said in an interview that there are no plans to advance cannabis bills in Congress before the November election.
Montana marijuana activists submitted what they say are more than enough signatures to qualify legalization measures for the November ballot.
Georgia Senate Democratic leaders included provisions to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession in a new policing reform bill.
A Pennsylvania senator filed a bill to protect legal medical cannabis patients from being charged with driving under the influence unless they are actually impaired while behind the wheel.
/ FEDERAL
The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter warning Project 1600 Inc. to stop claiming its CBD products could prevent or cure coronavirus.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that doctors screen patients for “unhealthy drug use,” including the consumption of marijuana—but not alcohol or tobacco.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL) spoke at an event called, “Let’s Clear the Smoke Summit: Prevention of Marijuana and E-Cigarettes Use Among Youth.”
Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) tweeted, “I’ve been an advocate for hemp farmers, including by leading the letter to add Virginia to the @USDA Hemp Crop Insurance Program.”
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) criticized attacks on the press amid the bloody Philippine “drug war.”
Missouri Republican congressional candidate Adela Wisdom, along with her husband who is running for state lieutenant governor, was arrested after allegedly burning marijuana plants on their property after a National Guard helicopter with a county deputy flew overhead.
Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff tweeted, “In the Senate I’ll fight for stronger civil rights laws and due process protections, an end to mandatory minimum sentencing, prison reform that raises conditions to humane standards, death penalty abolition, cannabis legalization, and to ban private prisons.”
/ STATES
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has received the first round of recommended marijuana pardons. Separately, the lieutenant governor tweeted, “No one should have their life harmed by a marijuana conviction. Until there’s a legalization + mass expungement, PA’s expedited pardons process now takes 6 months.”
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced the state’s first large-scale industrial hemp processing and CBD oil extraction facility.
The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations discussed racial disparities in marijuana enforcement in a letter to Gov. Janet Mills (D).
North Carolina Democratic agriculture commissioner candidate Jenna Wadsworth tweeted, “Marijuana is legal in at least 33 states plus DC. It’s ridiculous we’re sending people to prison in NC for something that’s legal in a preponderance of states, and then those same prisoners are at a higher risk for COVID contraction. Decriminalize it. Legalize it. Call it a day.”
Massachusetts regulators discussed several potential marijuana rules changes. They also launched an online application for pediatric medical cannabis patients.
Missouri regulators launched an investigation into a person or people who fraudulently claimed to be a doctor and made 600 invalid medical cannabis recommendations.
The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the rejection of a law school graduate’s application to the bar after determining he lied about being fired from a job due to a positive marijuana test.
Oklahoma regulators extended a recall for medical cannabis products processed by Moon Mix, LLC.
Iowa’s medical cannabis patient count has dropped by a third during the coronavirus pandemic as patients had difficulty renewing their registration cards.
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/ LOCAL
The Boston, Massachusetts Cannabis Board filed draft regulations.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Israel’s Ministerial Committee on Legislation advanced marijuana legalization bills.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study added to “cumulative evidence in support of plant-based medical cannabis as a safe and effective treatment option and potential opioid medication substitute or augmentation therapy for the management of symptoms and quality of life in chronic pain patients.”
A study concluded that “in implementing legalization of marijuana in California, local policies varied widely” and that “where marijuana was legalized, many lessons from tobacco control to reduce demand, limit harm, and prevent youth use were not adopted, potentially creating greater risk of harm.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
NJ CAN 2020, the effort to pass New Jersey’s marijuana legalization referendum, hired a campaign manager.
/ BUSINESS
MedMen Enterprises, Inc. lost its provisional medical cannabis business license in Virginia.
Tilray, Cronos, Aurora Cannabis and other marijuana companies are facing a class action lawsuit alleging that the potency of their products is “drastically different” than advertised.
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The executive director of the National Basketball Players Association spoke about her involvement with cannabis company Cresco Labs.
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