(This piece is going to be particularly long, because I’m going to cover a variety of subjects in one article to make up for my epic failure of “BLOGSPLOSION”.)
A constantly replicating problem for me during debates I have with people regarding the American political process centers around the notion of rights and what they mean to us. There are many individuals who ironically refer to themselves as libertarians, who somehow believe that human rights are limited only to those things spelled out in the Constitution of the United States of America. Besides being blatantly wrong by the very words of the Constitution itself (Amendment IX), it fails to account for the fact that humanity exists beyond the borders of the United States. Read More…
November 16, 2009
Categories: International Affairs, Policy, Politics . Tags: health care, healthcare, human rights, Politics, technology . Author: casseopedia . Comments: Leave a Comment
I received an e-mail not too long ago:
” I would like to support your trip…and you…,but I need to know your beliefs. I am neither party either.”
This is my response:
“Put very simply, I believe that we as human beings all deserve the best healthcare we can get, and that if our government can so easily find money for tanks, bombs, bailouts and bridges to nowhere, then it can find the money to ensure that no one in this country dies because they lacked for funds. Read More…
October 11, 2009
Categories: Policy, Politics . Tags: health care, health care reform, health insurance, healthcare, insurance, Policy, Politics . Author: casseopedia . Comments: 2 Comments
Well, I don’t know how to say this, but something in me just kind of snapped. I’m sick and tired of feeling helpless, of not being able to get my voice out to the people who can make a difference. So, I’ve decided to take things directly to Washington. I’m gathering donations and selling what things I can to get up to D.C. as soon as possible to talk to as many people in congress as possible, and maybe even the President. Read More…
October 11, 2009
Categories: Abstract Affairs, C.I. News, Policy, Politics . Tags: health care, health care reform, health insurance, healthcare, insurance, Policy, Politics . Author: casseopedia . Comments: Leave a Comment
There is a story behind how I became the Sports Editor of The West Georgian, when I myself have very little experience as a participant in sports or similar activities. I figure it’s interesting and serves as a good springboard for talking about sports themselves.
This is my third year working for The West Georgian, the student newspaper for this university. I’ve been a staff writer and an Ombudsman (abuse sponge) and worked hard because I believe in the mission of our paper: To provide news to the students and to provide a venue in which students can get experience delivering the news. Read More…
September 15, 2009
Categories: Abstract Affairs, C.I. News, Psychology . Tags: human potential, media, newspaper, Psychology, sports, writing . Author: casseopedia . Comments: 2 Comments
“Not exactly what you’d call a going concern, eh, Lieutenant?”
Dances With Wolves
Wow. I…uhh.. hate to admit this, but I almost forgot about this site! Shocking, I know. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in schoolwork, newspaper stuff, club stuff, and on top of all of that, I got pneumonia! So, now, I’m recovered and back to 100%. Read More…
September 10, 2009
Categories: C.I. News . Tags: blogging, cass, dances with wolves, fort sedgewick, new beginning . Author: casseopedia . Comments: 2 Comments
Recently, a friend of mine seemed to think that I’m some kind of flowery peacenik hippie liberal who hates guns and seemed surprised that I wanted to buy one. This seems to be a common mistake, I think; there’s a strong correlation between people who favor policies like a robust social safety net, Universal Health Care, rehabilitative corrections and those who favor gun control. Problem is, it’s not a direct causal link. My anarchist attitude towards life requires individual self-defense to be a high priority, and as a result, I must say that I’m a hardcore gun nut.
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August 18, 2009
Categories: Crime, Policy, Politics . Tags: Crime, freedom, gun control, guns . Author: casseopedia . Comments: Leave a Comment
I’ve not made any updates lately since I’m currently dealing with moving, getting bills covered, preparing for the next semester and trying to relax a bit after a stressful summer semester. I did 15 hours in the summer, which is pretty crazy as far as I see it, and walked away with a 3.20 GPA for the whole thing. So, I think I did pretty good. Especially considering I did that while writing for here.
So, while I apologize for the lack of content lately, please understand why I’ve not been updating. I’ve not forgotten my loyal readers.
August 6, 2009
Categories: C.I. News . Tags: blogging, cass, page info . Author: casseopedia . Comments: 2 Comments
It got posed to me earlier today by a friend about the issue of refusing to read the works of an author whose personal opinion you offends you deeply. Basically it goes like this: Orson Scott Card, the famous (some would say infamous) author of the bestselling “Ender’s Game”, has made many statements which are fairly homophobic. He’s referred to gay marriage as marking “the end of democracy in America”, and supports laws banning homosexual behavior to make an example of people who engage in it, among other things. A friend of my friend asked her to try reading some of Card’s works, pointing out that his fictional works have nothing to do with his political statements, but my friend refuses to give him a chance, because his public statements have been deeply hurtful to her.
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July 27, 2009
Categories: Literature and Writing, Politics . Tags: gay rights, glbt, homosexuality, literature, Politics, writing . Author: casseopedia . Comments: 4 Comments
I re-read the piece I wrote the other day on the abortion issue and how it’s becoming a big thing in the debate over the ‘public option’/'ObamaCare’, and while I was not necessarily disappointed in it, I don’t think I rounded it out properly. So, instead of making a huge edit and then trying to drag people back to the re-finished and remastered product, I’m just going to add this addendum– there may be more in the future, as this is a complex issue that can’t just be addressed in a single post (no matter how long).
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July 27, 2009
Categories: Policy, Politics . Tags: abortion, feminism, health, health care, health policy, Policy . Author: casseopedia . Comments: 2 Comments
You know, I really didn’t want to have to write this piece. I really hoped I could just sidestep it and not cover it. It’s a topic that is covered ad nauseum; it’s a pointless debate to have, to be honest, because it’s so polarizing and so dependent on the initial premises that each individual person accepts that you can’t really reason someone out of it– in order to change their opinion, you have to change some fundamental perceptions. These are perceptions which aren’t acquired through reasoning processes (on either side), but are themselves a matter of opinion, and you simply cannot reason someone out of something they were not reasoned into. So, I was just going to avoid it entirely– it wasn’t going to be worth the headache. Then, yesterday, a friend who I respect greatly made a comment about being opposed to the “Public Option” insurance covering abortions, and then today, this gets dumped on my internet doorstep: Abortion issue becomes part of health reform debate.
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July 23, 2009
Categories: Policy, Politics . Tags: abortion, health, health care, health policy, insurance, Policy, reform . Author: casseopedia . Comments: Leave a Comment
Some people believe that I am an advocate for a universal health care program of a type similar to single-payer or socialized models, but that is not entirely accurate. My personal ideals (as I laid out earlier today in another post) lead me to look for ways that are much further outside the box. I don’t see the problem of the uninsured and untreated in the United States to be necessarily just a question of how to get health coverage to those who are not getting it (though this is important, but rather how to make health care practice less “special” and separate from our everyday lives.
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July 14, 2009
Categories: Policy . Tags: decentralization, health care, healthcare, medicine, Policy, Politics . Author: casseopedia . Comments: Leave a Comment
This piece is written in response to a recent incident which was conveyed to me by my friend, Bree. Bree is a smart, talented, and beautiful trans woman who I have the great pleasure of calling my friend. She’s got issues with anxiety, but she really is cool and fun to talk to, and I care about her very much. However, as part of the process of transitioning, like all trans women, Bree has to get help from a therapist. Which to be honest is not a bad thing, unless the therapist begins acting as a “gatekeeper”; that is, acting as a hindrance or barrier on her path to transition, rather than as a helping hand or advocate for her needs.
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July 13, 2009
Categories: Psychology . Tags: gatekeepers, Psychology, therapy, transexuality, transsexuality . Author: casseopedia . Comments: Leave a Comment
A facebook friend wrote something today which caught my eye, about loving people. I thought to myself about love, and what it means to me. It’s a beautiful thing, really, and I try to say that with full awareness of how clichéd it can sound. Love is something that I think some people have a tendency to misunderstand, mostly because of the kind of society we live in with hypersexualization and objectification, and the odd way we treat the topic in general.
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July 13, 2009
Categories: Abstract Affairs . Tags: acceptance, family, friends, love, society . Author: casseopedia . Comments: 2 Comments
So, for those who care about the novel I’m working on, I’ve managed to decide on a title; “Valkyrie in Progress”. Now, naming a book is no small feat and I’m pretty pleased with how this one’s come out. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d have one this soon, but inspiration struck me while walking back to my dorm from class late last week. I tossed it around in my head a while and then finally settled on it. The thing is, I figured I couldn’t really name the thing until I’d actually finished writing it, like I’ve had to do with my short stories.
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July 11, 2009
Categories: Literature and Writing, Upcoming Novel . Tags: literature, novels, upcoming novel, writing, writing method . Author: casseopedia . Comments: Leave a Comment
