Weekly Wrap Ups

I recently discovered the Weekly Review up that is produced by the Tennessee Republican caucus. Every week they produce a newsletter type thing that outlines all of the recent bills being introduced and the status of already existing bills. It not only tells you about what is happening in the Tennessee legislature, but it also tells you a little bit about the different people who are representing our state. After reading through many of these posts, I can see some of the personalities of the legislators. You can also tell a lot about their upbringing, back ground and the area they represent. A senator who introduces a bill about agricultural issues is likely to be from a rural farming community. I thought these wrap ups were an interesting way to see what is happening in the legislature. However it does condense big issues into a form where they lose much of their substance and integrity.

http://www.tnsenate.com/

Counting my Blessings

This book has made me incredibly thankful for the many gifts I have in my life. I seem to catch myself complaining a lot about the amount of work I do, but I have nothing I can complain about. I have a family who loves me and supports me, financially and emotionally, I have been give access to a phenomenal education, and I have never had to worry about from where my next meal is coming. These sentiments were never more present than when I read chapter 12 "Haji Ali's Lessons."

This chapter allowed me the opportunity to reflect on a lot of my selfish tendencies. This society is very caught up in the here and now. What can I do right now, to help me and how quickly can I do it. I admire the attitude that Mortenson describes in Haji Ali when he hands over half of the male goat population of the town. Ali says, "Haji Mehdi has food today. Now our children have education forever." I began to wonder how different our society would be if everyone thought about other people before their own wealth and comfort. How much more would we be able to accomplish. Then as you continue reading, you see the motivation Haji Ali has in trying to get this school off the ground. "I can't read anything. This is is the greatest sadness in my life. I'll do anything so the children of my village never have to know this feeling. I'll pay any price so they have the education they deserve."

This book was great. I really love that I could connect with people through short little anecdotes. I love that it was personal. In this country we have a hard time relating to other cultures. We are such a self-centered place that it is hard to focus our attention on someone else for a few minutes. This book made these people part of my family. I hurt for them and hoped for them. I rejoiced at their triumphs and mourned their losses. I know that any book, especially a book that is ultimately a call to action, needs to have this personal touch. It needs to be a book that connects people and builds bridges. Mortenson writes, "Who knew that something as simple as a bridge could empower women?" Who knew that a simple book could challenge the perception of illiteracy and poverty and help empower people around the world to embrace peace?

Letter to my Momma

Momma,

I am so excited to get to spend this next week with you. I have missed you so much!

However, while we are home it can't be all manicures and facials :). I am going to have to get some work done. I am working on an ethnographic study, a report that focuses on the underlying culture of a idea or place. I have chosen to look at the Tennessee State Legislature, especially at the role that women play in politics (It's shocking that I picked something in the political arena, huh?). I am really going to need this break to get caught up on the things that I haven't had time to do in the past couple of weeks. You know that I have been running at about a thousand miles an hour. Because of that, this project has been pushed to the back seat. I have done an interview with Vaughn. I have a couple of other interview leads, but I really need to hammer out some details, especially meeting times. I have emailed a lot of women in Tennessee, but I also want to email a woman in another state, maybe Colorado (they have the highest percentage of women in the legislature), to get an outsider perspective as well. I am sure Bonnie would be happy to help with my computer work. When I get back from break, I will need to go and spend some time just observing a meeting or two. I am hoping that I can kill two birds with one stone and possibly just observe after one of my interviews. I am a little nervous that people won't give me the information I need. I am also hoping that can get a lot of differing perspectives so that my project will have some legitimacy.

I can't wait to see you in less than 24 hours!

I love you,

Abby

Interview Paragraph Part 2

When we think about the role that women play in the legislature, it is almost always based in the world of emotion and feminism/anti-feminism rhetoric. Rarely do we think about the academic ramifications of women in the legislature. I was given this privilege when I spoke to Dr. Vladamir Lenin*, a professor of political science. He said that while women bring a unique perspective to the table, there are things that are more important than gender. He states, “I personally think that women do play a special role in the legislature, however we should not elevate gender about partisanship. Democrat women and republican women will behave differently because of their political ideologies.” While gender is maybe not the most important factor to consider when selecting a candidate, he also acknowledges the distinctive ways in which separate themselves: policy output, leadership style and symbolic role model effect. Women will have different policy agendas, different ideas about leadership and the ability to encourage others to run merely by their presence in legislative roles.

Dr. Lenin adds that research may suggests regional culture tells a lot about the legislative demographic. “A lot of southern states are at, or near, the bottom of the rankings for women in the legislature. There may be some cultural aspects that discourage women from running or there may be fewer women in the political pipeline who are prepared to run.” However, there is no state that has a majority of women. The state with the highest percentage is Colorado, and their legislature is 40% female.

*names have been changed to protect the identities of the interviewees.

Running List of Vocabulary

Lieutenant Governor- State Senator. Is a ranking official in the state senate who serves as the “second in command” to the governor. Much like the Vice President’s role in the Senate.

House- The House of Representatives. Used to refer to the collective group of representatives.