Wise Women Won't Wait Any More

Wise Women Won't Wait Any More

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

USA trails behind 73 other nations in women in legislatures

By Faith Chatham - January 13, 2019
The USA, after making more gains in representation by women than in the women than in the history of this nation, still trails behind 73 other nations in the world in the percent of women serving in Legislatures and Parliaments.
81% of the world's Parliaments /Legislatures were led by men in 2018. More than half of the countries of the world apply a gender minimum/quota for their legislative bodies.
In the USA the 116th Congress has 24% female in the house and 25% in the Senate.
Rawanda has 61%; Mexico has 48%; Cuba and Bolivia have 32%; France has 40%; Great Britain has 32%; Germany has 31%; USA has 24%
Research shows that on average a woman elected to the Legislature is more qualified (education and related experience) than the average male legislator because women seeking higher office are held to different standards than men. In the USA, our current Congress has fewer veterans than previously, but more of recently elected veterans who were elected are women.
There is a stark partisan difference in the roles of women in government. Historically, Democrats are more supportive of women and minorities serving in elected office.

Democratic women candidates are currently turning out higher numbers of votes in many key states and nationally than any of their male or female predecessors.It is difficult to change the perception that it requires a man to win the office.

Historically, women in Texas have rarely served in higher office. In the history of the state and during the years Texas was a Republic, only two women have served as Governor.
The first Black American elected to the Texas Senate (following Reconstruction) was Barbara Jordan. She was truly a trailblazer.
State Senator Jordan continued and won a seat in the US Congress:

At that time, there were ten Black Americans serving in the US Congress. The Hon. Congresswoman from NY, Shirley Chisholm ran for President. She cited the perception that only a white man could serve as President, or as head of University or in business as the reason she ran. She said:
"If I stood on my head, a lot of people wouldn't believe that I am serious. If you are serious, you do not sit back like a reluctant dragon and expect that somebody is going to give you the nomination. You get out and get to the American people, in the highways the by ways here look at me in terms of what I can do the prescribed roles that this nation has given to women and the prescribed roles that have been given to Blacks.This country needs the talents, the intellect, and the capabilities of human beings. There are brilliant women in this country and there are brilliant men. There are stupid women and there are stupid men. There is no psychological test yet which shows that one sex has the superiority of great cranial matter over the other sex.... I am no ordinary woman running out here for president. Before I even went to the United States Congress I knew I would have to be two, three or four times as good than many of the gentlemen in the Congress because of who I am. I am aware of double and triple standards so I make sure I fit the standards before I get out here...I am sick and tired of people not look at me in terms of my humanity and my capabilities.
,,, I don't have any money. One of the gentlemen out here said 'if Shirley Chisholm had any money, we'd have to scurry for cover. You know they w
Either we want change or we like the idea of taking about change. To bring about changed in this nation So many young people told me: Shirley you have a national voice You cannot make a difference in this nation you have to get out of the system and Give me a chance to try it this time. Come with me on the Chisholm Trail. Because if we want
If you have a hang up because I am black and you're a racist I can't change that. If you have a hang up, you're sexist because I'm a woman. I can't help that. My bones are so fixed. I can't go to Denmark and get an operation.

Where is this nation going to get ...
God help them if they are outdoors and the wind blows that speech away. They can't even talk. Unless you have loads of money you can't even They can move from one issue to another issues and have ten different positions in the same state. No wonder people do not trust the leaders of our nation because they do nothing but talk with forked tongues.
...He who pays the piper calls the tune. That is why people are distrusting our politicians because by the time they get to the White House, they have to take care of the i other interest first before they take care of the interests of the American people.
 And they don't hear us. It means that they really don't have to listen to you because you have not made politics important enough in your lives to begin start doing something about it on the local level, on the state level and pulling out some of those Congressmen who are constantly giving he authorizations and making the appropriations..
You have abdicated your citizenship rights and your responsibilities by saying you are fed up I don't want to be
you cannot make a difference.
By abdicating it you are getting what you deserve
You have the power. Don't go out there and just give your voted to someone because he is just a good Democrat or he is handsome or he talks nicely or something. Go and look at the record for the last 8 or 10 years and see if they have the commitment to the people. You get caught up. You get caught up in how the people supporting certain candidates come into your community and open up the storefront. You get caught up. You go along.
Every man, woman, individual who can vote has the right to cast their vote for the right to cast their vote for the individual who can guide this ship of state in the direction that it surely should be guided.
If I were not black, and if I were not a woman, if I were a white male I would get much more attention in terms of what I am doing at this moment in this nation at this hour.
 To look at the position of this country in terms of espousal of egalatrian principals,
millions of dollars taxpayer money is going abroad or economic of financial assistance to prompt up the administrations of military dictorships who are who are oppressing and repressing their own citizens
What happens to these egalatarian principles when our dollar goes abroad
I would cut off every cent of your money, not my money, your money which is going to prompt up these dictatorships in these countries where their leaders are oppressing and repressing their own people.

Texas Legislature is addressing sexual assault and human trafficking


 By Faith Chatham - March 31, 2018

Of all the bills I have read this year, the bill I most want to see passed 
is SB SB 2384 by Sen Kirk Watson and Donna Howard's companion 
HB 1590.
This legislation strengthens the framework of Office of Sexual Assault Survivors Assistance (under the Governor's Office of Criminal Justice). It stipulates that the Governor appoint a Director and the Director be allowed to hire staff.
Changes in the language of this bill clarifies the duties and responsibilities of the office in addressing the mission of preventing sexual assault, prosecuting and providing services to survivors through communication and coordination with all agencies dealing with sexual assault or survivors. This bill links law enforcement, social work, medical examiners, training, SAFE sites, prosecution and survivors resources together. It is intended to minimize some of the silos and dark holes which frustrate law enforcement, social workers, prosecutors, and survivors.

There are over 200 bills this session in both houses addressing sexual assault, rape, trafficking and harassment. This bill provides clarification of an agency which should be functioning as a clearing house for information and resources which could reduce the number of victims by improving services to survivors and prosecutors.

These bills are all part of a mosaic. I see them each as one of the tiles making up the whole with  Senate Bill 2384 which improves the Office of Sexual Assault Survivors Services as the framework and foundation for the entire mission of reducing the number of victims and serving those who are survivors.

Instead of the Attorney General getting to select any "individual with knowledge of sexual assault" to establish the protocols for collecting and processing sexual assault evidence kits, it stipulates that the Attorney General consult with the Office of Sexual Assault Survivors Services.
This office is charged with collecting compiling and reporting data on sexual assault and survivors resources by council of government districts.

There are other important bills which address part of the mission such as:
HB 152 (Minjarez) which addresses the collection storage and analysis of rape kit evidence and
HB 467 (Miller) Retention of records of sexual assault by hospital and
HB 3106 (Goldman) requires law enforcement to enter sexual assault data into the Texas Data Exchange System
HB 2339 (Meza) Relating to the entry into the Texas Crime Information Center of information concerning the release on bond of persons charged with committing a violent offense

Rep. Neave's HB 401 Creation of Texas Sexual Assault Evidentiary Council is a good idea. It could be part of the Office of Sexual Assault Survivors Services.

Several bills address correct data.
HB 2678 (Zwiener) Compilation and reports of statistics involving sexual assault victims who receive a forensic medical examination before reporting the assault to law enforcement.
HB 3106 (Goldman) requires law enforcement to enter sexual assault data into the Texas Data Exchange System.

In the Senate the major data collection/reporting bill is SB 587 (Watson) Relating to the collection and reporting of information relating to the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault offenses.
ll of these initiatives rely on funding. Senator Jane Nelsons SB 1 and the House HB 1 both provide increased funding for increases funding for Rape Crisis Centers, and $50 M to double Crime Lab to test rape kits, and more funding for forensic nurse examiners.

To read the text of these bills or to see where in the pipeline the bill is currently go to: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/BillNumber.aspx


Note: This article only skims through the bills. There are other important bills which define sexual assault, decriminalize homosexual behavior, or address human trafficking or rape on college campuses or molestation of public school children. Passage of some of the bills will improve training in childhood trauma and sexual assault for teachers, school personnel and law enforcement. Other bills improve training for law enforcement and nurse examiners. Much of this work was begun in prior legislative session and continued during the months while the Legislature was not in session. Collectively, it is evident that members of the Texas House and Senate on both sides of the aisle are evaluating the problems and the process and seeking solutions to improve the process. They are mission oriented in seeking to reduce the number of victims (survivors) through services which improve law enforcement/prosecution of perpetrators and services which assist the survivors.