The New Math

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You know in your head and heart that most citizens of this state and nation are not as deluded and cold-hearted as the Right would have you believe. Recent research bears that out (see Pew report link below.)

Unfortunately, the SC Democratic Party has bought into the mythology of a conservative majority. Party leadership has for years felt that they had to move to the right to capture two percent of the Independent or Republican votes. Ditto with the pundits in the mainstream media.

Part of the puzzle of Republican dominance in SC is that a majority of citizens here don’t bother to vote (see www.scpronet.com). They figure they are going to get screwed by whoever wins, so they don’t even bother.

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Keeping the Faith

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Charleston activist Ron Kaz (left) tracks the body count.

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And the numbers keep growing.

Last January, Ron and Anna Shockley, longtime Network members, were arrested along with 15 others on the steps of the US Supreme Court. A brief video of the arrests is posted at Charleston Peace’s Web site.

Seminar to Challenge Nuclear Policy

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The public is invited to a seminar exploring the dangers of nuclear fuel reprocessing on Wednesday, July 18, at 3pm at USC. For more information, see details in flyer.

Come hear Bob Alvarez (Institute for Policy Studies) and Brent Blackwelder (Friends of the Earth), two of the country’s most respected environmental activists.

Taking a Bite Outta Hate Crime

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Network Director Brett Bursey was invited to be part of a panel discussion on hate crime legislation at AFFA’s program meeting last night at the Renaissance Hotel in Charleston. Also on the panel were the primary sponsors of South Carolina hate crime bills – Charleston Democrats Sen. Robert Ford and Rep. Seth Whipper – and Elke Kennedy, whose son died in May after being beaten, apparently for being gay. An 18-year-old is being held on murder charges in a Greenville jail.

Kennedy talked about her son and described him as a leader who, had he lived, would have worked to advance civil rights. She is now doing that work on his behalf, speaking out about hate crimes and pushing for just legal protection. See more at Sean’s Last Wish www.seanslastwish.com.

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Fear and Loathing in Slick Pages

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In the July issue of Jolie, a magazine insert The State newspaper markets to women, Editor Sarah Gilbert Fox writes in her letter to readers, “This month everyone will celebrate the 4th of July, gather at the beach, have BBQ’s, knock back margaritas, and, well, worry about their weight. Which makes me wonder how much independence do we really have? I’m beginning to think we don’t much like freedom, because when we have it we just end up subjugating ourselves to something else, such as the perfect-body image. So what if we’re a size 12, which used to be an average size. If we can’t fit into a size 4, we’re doomed.”

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“It’s all rather shocking,” she writes, “this need to obtain a skinnier self at the expense of a happier self. And it’s a shame to know that these women’s children are constantly exposed to this talk. These daughters hardly have a chance to live a life of self-acceptance.”

She vows to “make a difference” by getting women to stop judging their bodies so harshly or to shut up about it if they can’t.

“I’m a former 82-pound anorexic,” she confides, “and it’s taken me 35 years to get to where I am right now: less boney for sure, but happier, more relaxed, and with enough energy to realize how much I’m really worthy, large or small. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still neurotic and out of touch with most things, but at least body image is not one of them.”

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