Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
A Good Read
Writing in Hoy today, Friday 18 March 2016, journalist Millizen Uribe shares her opinion on the local Roman Catholic Church's latest position on sexuality. The Catholic Church has taken a strong stance against US ambassador James Brewster, a gay rights activist.
In the past, the church has also campaigned to influence government positions against abortion, forcing Congress to eliminate the option from the Constitution and legislation. Only the late Jesuit priest father Jose Luis Aleman was a dissident, calling abortion a public health issue in which the Church should not intervene.
Writing in Hoy, Uribe points out that the Church has also used its influence positively, as it did when it withdrew its support from the Trujillo regime, despite the privileges granted to the Roman Catholic Church by the dictator.
She continues by describing, however, how damaging the influence of the church can be, especially when it used its influence to destabilize the democratically elected government of Professor Juan Bosch.
Bringing matters to the present she comments that there is great inequality in income distribution and in guaranteeing rights in the DR. She says that life here is affected by poverty, corruption, violence, unemployment, health crises, judicial crises, etc. "But few of those topics call the attention of the Church as much as the sexuality of the population, in which case the Church uses its power overwhelmingly," she writes.
She reminds readers: "When the decriminalization of abortion in the Constitution was discussed, the Church called on its faithful to not vote for legislators who would vote in favor."
"And now it has come forth against the homosexuality of the ambassador of the United States James Wally Brewster," she comments, and then asks:
"How many times have they protested when corrupt politicians have visited schools?"
"How many signatures did the protectors of traditional Dominican values collect for the country to submit to justice or expel the violator of rights of minors, nuncio Jozef Wesolowski?"
"Why did the Church not use its influence, with equal interest and insistence, to instruct the faithful to punish corrupt government officials, businesspeople and politicians in the polls, instead of its hierarchy socializing with them and legitimizing them in baptisms and weddings?"
"Why does the homosexuality of the ambassador bother them but not the US interventionist policies in economic and political matters?"
She concludes: "An individual's sexuality is personal and intimate. The Church does not have to intervene and the state only needs to guarantee rights."
http://hoy.com.do/homosexualidad-inmoralidad-y-corrupcion/autor/m-uribe/
In the past, the church has also campaigned to influence government positions against abortion, forcing Congress to eliminate the option from the Constitution and legislation. Only the late Jesuit priest father Jose Luis Aleman was a dissident, calling abortion a public health issue in which the Church should not intervene.
Writing in Hoy, Uribe points out that the Church has also used its influence positively, as it did when it withdrew its support from the Trujillo regime, despite the privileges granted to the Roman Catholic Church by the dictator.
She continues by describing, however, how damaging the influence of the church can be, especially when it used its influence to destabilize the democratically elected government of Professor Juan Bosch.
Bringing matters to the present she comments that there is great inequality in income distribution and in guaranteeing rights in the DR. She says that life here is affected by poverty, corruption, violence, unemployment, health crises, judicial crises, etc. "But few of those topics call the attention of the Church as much as the sexuality of the population, in which case the Church uses its power overwhelmingly," she writes.
She reminds readers: "When the decriminalization of abortion in the Constitution was discussed, the Church called on its faithful to not vote for legislators who would vote in favor."
"And now it has come forth against the homosexuality of the ambassador of the United States James Wally Brewster," she comments, and then asks:
"How many times have they protested when corrupt politicians have visited schools?"
"How many signatures did the protectors of traditional Dominican values collect for the country to submit to justice or expel the violator of rights of minors, nuncio Jozef Wesolowski?"
"Why did the Church not use its influence, with equal interest and insistence, to instruct the faithful to punish corrupt government officials, businesspeople and politicians in the polls, instead of its hierarchy socializing with them and legitimizing them in baptisms and weddings?"
"Why does the homosexuality of the ambassador bother them but not the US interventionist policies in economic and political matters?"
She concludes: "An individual's sexuality is personal and intimate. The Church does not have to intervene and the state only needs to guarantee rights."
http://hoy.com.do/homosexualidad-inmoralidad-y-corrupcion/autor/m-uribe/
Friday, March 18, 2016
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Men's Fashion
April brings Mens Fashion Week to Santo Domingo. I have heard if you are visiting during this time it is a must!
Friday, March 11, 2016
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
Against LGBT Political Progress?
dr1.com reports:
Central Electoral Board (JCE) president Roberto Rosario says that the reported funding for campaigns of gay or lesbian candidates is against the law. Rosario cited Article 47 of Electoral Law 275-97, which establishes that direct or indirect contributions from foreign governments are illegal.
He made the comment in response to an article published in El Caribe as part of the newspaper's coverage of the Fourth Gay and Lesbian Summit of the Americas (NGLCC-LGBT) held 2-3 March 2016 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Santo Domingo.
El Caribe reported that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided US$1 million to strengthen the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cause in the Dominican Republic, including activities by political candidates who support the LGBT movement.
As reported in El Caribe, during the Summit, USAID representative Alexandra Panehal said that as well as supporting the new chamber of commerce the USAID was funding LGBT candidates who are running for office in the 2016 general election.
As quoted in El Nacional, Panehal said: "You know that we are in an election campaign and there are some, as you all know, citizens, including members of the LGBT community, and also the strengthening of Dominican organizations that represent the interests of the LGBT community in the Dominican Republic." El Caribe reporters interpreted this as support for gay politicians in the Dominican Republic, making it their headline story on Thursday, 3 March 2016 ("US will finance candidates that support gays").
Rosario said that he would submit a preventive measure next week to prevent the USAID from providing any sort of funding to gay politicians. He said the decision falls within the JCE's policy to guarantee equal opportunities for candidates. He said that as measures have been taken to prevent public funds from being used, they are even less likely to permit foreign governments to fund candidates. He said that US funding would put the candidate at an unfair advantage.
http://elnacional.com.do/jce-impedira-eeuu-financie-candidatos/
https://issuu.com/elcaribe/docs/periodico20160303?e=1423128/3825453
Central Electoral Board (JCE) president Roberto Rosario says that the reported funding for campaigns of gay or lesbian candidates is against the law. Rosario cited Article 47 of Electoral Law 275-97, which establishes that direct or indirect contributions from foreign governments are illegal.
He made the comment in response to an article published in El Caribe as part of the newspaper's coverage of the Fourth Gay and Lesbian Summit of the Americas (NGLCC-LGBT) held 2-3 March 2016 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Santo Domingo.
El Caribe reported that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided US$1 million to strengthen the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cause in the Dominican Republic, including activities by political candidates who support the LGBT movement.
As reported in El Caribe, during the Summit, USAID representative Alexandra Panehal said that as well as supporting the new chamber of commerce the USAID was funding LGBT candidates who are running for office in the 2016 general election.
As quoted in El Nacional, Panehal said: "You know that we are in an election campaign and there are some, as you all know, citizens, including members of the LGBT community, and also the strengthening of Dominican organizations that represent the interests of the LGBT community in the Dominican Republic." El Caribe reporters interpreted this as support for gay politicians in the Dominican Republic, making it their headline story on Thursday, 3 March 2016 ("US will finance candidates that support gays").
Rosario said that he would submit a preventive measure next week to prevent the USAID from providing any sort of funding to gay politicians. He said the decision falls within the JCE's policy to guarantee equal opportunities for candidates. He said that as measures have been taken to prevent public funds from being used, they are even less likely to permit foreign governments to fund candidates. He said that US funding would put the candidate at an unfair advantage.
http://elnacional.com.do/jce-impedira-eeuu-financie-candidatos/
https://issuu.com/elcaribe/docs/periodico20160303?e=1423128/3825453
Friday, March 04, 2016
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Colonial City Good News
| Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia was in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo last week for the opening of Jalao, on the former site of the city's Hard Rock cafe. In addition to being a Dominican food restaurant, Jalao will also be an entertainment center and showroom for Dominican culture. The restaurant will be featuring live music from the stage that the Hard Rock Cafe used for their guest performers. |
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