Nothing gets my blood pumping like a good congressional hearing.
Ok, maybe that’s a bit of a generalization. But in the case of the CEDAW hearings, it rings true. Because, you see, I’m a woman, and I have rights.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women – or the pithier acronym, CEDAW – is the international human rights treaty that specifically addresses the rights of women. As a western woman, this seems like a no-brainer. Surely the United States, what with being the leader of the free world an all, was the first to sign on?
Oh wait, no, the US was not in fact #1. Well, former US President Jimmy Carter signed the thing, but it’s been sitting in committee ever since. That’s right, for decades the United States has not ratified CEDAW.
It has been ratified by 186 countries. Which countries are not members? Iran, Nauru, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, Tonga, Niue, Vatican City and yes, The United States.
In fact, the upcoming Senate hearings on CEDAW will mark the first time in eight years that the US government has even talked about the global treaty.
Nice, real nice.
The “scandalous” stories about rich people hiring undocumented workers have been floating around like crazy lately. First there was 
His Twitter bio reads: “Anti-animal rights, pro animal welfare. Support animal use in ag, exhibition, sporting, and med research.” The thousands of tweets he’s posted — many while on the job — include “eat more polar bears” and “success over animal rights is the best revenge.” And then there are others that compare the inability to shoot owned animals to the inability to destroy inanimate objects, and criticism of the felony charge for a woman who taped a dog to her refrigerator.
What a month for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Nearly pummeled to death by court rulings, embarrassing surveys, and a general population who would like to see it put to rest. If it weren’t for DADT’s BFF Sen. John McCain, who slung the battered policy over his shoulder and carried it through the Senate this week, the thing was surely on its last legs. Leave it to good old Margaret Witt to come by and knock the wind out of DADT, with a resounding court victory.
