To be sure, there are times when the people are glad to have someone else run everything. They are happy to just go on their merry way, live their lives and not focus too much on the way the country is being ruled. This is part of the ebb and flow of a dictator’s existence. The quiet of the people helps the dictator establish himself in power.

It is the disquiet of the people where things start to change.

The people begin to recognise little things that are wrong or that favour the ruler instead of the people. They start to see the benevolent leader turn into a malevolent ruler. It is a process that has happened over and over in history – and the end result is always the same…the people revolt.

There is something instinctive inside a human that tells them when a leader has crossed the line. I have enjoyed seeing the photos coming out of places like Tunisia, Egypt and now Jordan (The Syrians are calling for protests to begin as well). The photos out of Egypt show a strong showing of women involved in the protests to out President Hosni Mubarak.

The crowds in Egypt chanted, “We’re not going anywhere, Mubarak. You are!” I saw a photo place on a stroller in front of a baby that said, “Enough.” It is these images that inspire me so. It is so very encouraging when people decide that enough is enough and get rid of bad leadership. And there seems to be a domino effect occurring in the Mid-East.

Here is a Washington Post report from yesterday, “Syrians are organizing campaigns on Facebook and Twitter that call for a ‘day of rage’ in Damascus this week, taking inspiration from Egypt and Tunisia in using social networking sites to rally their followers for sweeping political reforms.

Like Egypt and Tunisia, Syria suffers from corruption, poverty and unemployment. All three nations have seen subsidy cuts on staples like bread and oil. Syria’s authoritarian president has resisted calls for political freedoms and jailed critics of his regime.”

In Jordan, King Abdullah II fired his government yesterday (Tuesday) in the wake of street protests and asked an ex-prime minister to form a new Cabinet, ordering him to launch immediate political reforms.

The dismissal follows several large protests across Jordan – inspired by similar demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt – calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai, who is blamed for a rise in fuel and food prices and slowed political reforms.

Really, it is but simple things that people want and need. Food that is priced within an affordable range, inexpensive fuel to get them to work, an economy that provides jobs for all and a political system that favours the people over those who govern the nation. When these very simple issues are ignored – a revolution is in the future.

The protests in Tunisia were successful and saw the end of that dictatorship. The Mubarak regime teeters on the brink. Jordan’s rulers are already changing and Syria is the next on the list. It just makes me want to dance with joy!

To top off this lovely cake with some delicious icing, it is the young people of these nations who are at the forefront of the revolutions. They are using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about the protests and to let the world know what is going on during the protests – even as their government tries to cut them off from the rest of the world.

These young people are far more tech savvy than their government though, and they are letting the world know that they are ready to fight for a government that will listen to the will of the people. Just when us old fogies thought today’s kids were lazy and apathetic, they up and transform the world in a matter of a month. Shame on us old fogies.

We have obviously underestimated the young people. They have done what those of our generation have not. I am so inspired and feel so much hope that good has overcome evil. It feels like a new day has dawned and that day has no place for dictators. I say good riddance!

All of this newfound optimism makes me wonder…where will the next revolution be?

A few years ago, I read something about race that has long stuck with me. It was a passage from “When God Was A Woman” by Merlin Stone. The book is not about race, of course, but this one sentence caught me and I’ve always remembered it. Speaking of the aggressive northern Aryan invaders, who felt themselves superior to the more civil and developed Near East inhabitants, the author said, “But historical, mythological and archaeological evidence suggest that it was these northern people who brought with them the concepts of light as good and dark as evil (very possibly the symbolism of their racial attitudes toward the darker people of the southern areas) and of a supreme male deity.”

When I read that passage, I stopped reading and chewed over the notion that perhaps it was at that point in history when racism started and continued spreading to the extent that in much of the world, a person’s skin colour became a determining factor in how much respect and freedom that person should be afforded.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, this racist ideology pervaded and money hungry individuals ripped whole groups of people away from their homes in other lands and made them live in conditions that even animals were not forced to endure. People with dark skin lost their culture, freedom and dignity to men who insisted they were superior because their skin was lighter.

Those men were wrong. Color of skin is nothing more than one of many physical attributes found in humans. I recently watched a documentary, “Race – The Power of an Illusion,” (it can be found on YouTube) that explained that humans are the most similar of all species. For example, according to this film, look-alike penguins have twice the amount of genetic difference – one from another – than humans. Fruit flies have ten times more genetic differences from one fruit fly to the next. In fact, any two fruit flies may be as different genetically from each other as a human is from a chimpanzee.

Even more important to the “race” conversation, the documentary went on to say there is as much, or more, genetic difference within any racial group as there is between people of different racial groups. The film showed DNA tests done on a group of college students who were certain their genetic make-up would be most similar to others in the group of the same race, and they were wrong every time. The students had more genetic similarities with students from other races than with students of their own race.

So what is the difference between members of different races?
Nothing. In fact, a DNA test may well show any member of one race to have more genetically in common with any member of another race than within their own race, and vice versa.

So if we are so similar, what does cause one human to look so different from another? According to the Statement on Biological Aspects of Race by The American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA), “Biological differences between human beings reflect both hereditary factors and the influence of natural and social environments. In most cases, these differences are due to the interaction of both.”

The third point in the AAPA’s Statement maintains, “There is great genetic diversity within all human populations. Pure races, in the sense of genetically homogenous populations, do not exist in the human species today, nor is there any evidence that they have ever existed in the past.” In other words, we have always shared the same genes.

The Statement continues in the sixth point, “The human features which have universal biological value for the survival of the species are not known to occur more frequently in one population than in any other. Therefore it is meaningless from the biological point of view to attribute a general inferiority or superiority to this or to that race.”

The last point in the Statement concludes, “The genetic capacity for intellectual development is one of the biological traits of our species essential for its survival. This genetic capacity is known to differ among individuals. The peoples of the world today appear to possess equal biological potential for assimilating any human culture. Racist political doctrines find no foundation in scientific knowledge concerning modern or past human populations.”

Therefore, any biological rationalization you have ever heard to justify racist behavior has been pure nonsense. It has no scientific foundation.

I have said all of this to make one point, it is time we stop focusing on our differences and focus on what we have in common. Which, as I have shown, is very much. The only difference left to cause trepidation in one group of humans concerning another is cultural. However, although this world is made up of many diverse cultures, we can also brings all of these cultures together as one cohesive culture – humanity.

I am not suggesting that any group should allow its ancestral traditions to die away. Those traditions are part of the beauty of humanity. However, adhering to those cultural traditions does not have to stop progress as a national people.

I could never thank my mother enough for raising me to reject racial fear and to embrace cultural differences. I wish everyone reading this that same immunity against meaningless racist fear. In fact, I wish this for the whole world.

Subsequently, I received a response from Leon Jameson Suseran, an individual whom I respect. Leon took issue with my column and felt my rage against the rapist priests must be due to a vendetta I have against the Catholic Church. He felt I was judging an entire organization based on the actions of a few.

Leon told me, “Do not judge people, Stella, you do not know what struggles priests go through.” With respect, such reasoning would translate that society at large should also restrain from judging rapists who are not Catholic priests because we do not know what struggles they have faced in life. That is just preposterous, Leon.

Regardless of what causes a priest to rape a child, a predator is a predator – dangerous – and should thus be removed from society and locked away where they cannot prey on anyone else. This is true in civilized society and it should be true regarding priests who rape as well.

It was magnanimous of Pope Benedict XVI to ask the forgiveness of the rape victims on behalf of the Church, but the victims rightly desire more than an acknowledgment of this wrong, they want justice. A more righteous gesture from the Pope, and one that should be instinctive, would be to turn the criminal priests all over to the authorities so the victims can be assured of justice.

Leon called my column on this issue a “hate essay.” He said my column “was full of anger, resentment and hatred for the Church.” On this one point we agree, that I hate rapists. However, my column was not targeted at the Catholic Church at large; it was only about the rapists in the Catholic Church. And yes, I do so hate those rapists. I know religion teaches us not to hate, but I believe there are certain things we should hate – even despise – and rape is one of those things.

Yes, I do know that, as Leon pointed out, “other churches within Christendom have numerous unreported cases of sex abuse scandals every single day.” I did not speak on these other atrocities for two reasons. One, it is the Catholic Church that has long been in the spotlight with its numerous scandals throughout the world and has yet to hand its priests over to be tried by courts of law.

The second reason is that the leaders of these “other churches” would be held accountable to the laws of the land if found culpable, not protected by their churches. To protect their children, most parishioners would gladly hand over a rapist pastor and give law enforcement every bit of evidence it needs to prosecute the criminal leader.

Leon, loyalty to the Church to the point of defending it in this very indefensible situation is like those who, attempting to remain loyal to a political party, defend governments who prey on its citizens. It is just illogical and masochistic. Seriously Leon, doesn’t protecting these priests from the authorities seem a bit like a political party who covers up its shady dealings so the world will think good of them?

Blind loyalty may seem a noble notion; at least that is what some spiritual and political leaders would have us believe. But such unrestrained devotion never – I repeat, never – ends well for the follower. Just ask those children whom the priests raped. If you want to have faith in God, fine. But be careful of how much faith you have in humans.

Leon, you may not be happy about my outrage over this predicament with the pedophile priests and the leaders who protect them, but I am not alone in my indignation – it is worldwide and it is a righteous anger that will only be quelled when the rapist priests are in jail. Those priests should serve God from behind bars so the rest of society is safe. I hope, and even pray, they are all caught and brought to justice.

Leon said, “I generally have enjoyed reading Ramsaroop’s columns over the years, but this time she has gone overboard.” It seems this is one issue on which we will not agree, so let’s agree to disagree on this point because I am sure there are others on which we will agree.

He also told me, “Don’t judge the entire organization based on the actions of a few, Stella.” Thank you for your wise words and I will be careful to follow them. I do not judge you by the actions of your leaders and still respect you even though we disagree on this point.

I fully intend to continue judging this situation. To justify my judgmental stance, here are some scriptures for Leon to contemplate:

Leviticus 19:15, “In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.”

1 Corinthians 5:12-13, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you.’”

1 Corinthians 6:2-3, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?”

And finally Jesus admonished his followers in John 7:24 to “judge righteous judgment.”

The truly ironic part is that this base depravity comes from those who are supposed to champion moral living. Children are innocent, helpless and trusting. How on earth can a “man of morals” crush that innocence just to feed an ache for sex? I know the answer to my own question, no man of morals could.

Regardless of what the Catholic Church says, the priests who rape and sodomize children are not representatives of God on earth. I am not a religious person anymore, but from my decades of religious background I know the church believes in God and Satan and I would say these priests represent the latter far better than the former.

On a Thursday morning two weeks ago, Belgian police raided two Church offices and the home of a former archbishop just as a conference was beginning with local bishops to discuss, among other things, what should be done with old files that proved Belgian priests had raped children.

I have followed this ongoing story that has spanned worldwide for two reasons. The first reason is that it boggles my mind that these supposed men of God could betray their consciences, congregants and God with such pure wickedness.

The second reason I have followed this saga so closely is because I want to see justice for those victims. The fact that most of these child rapists have walked away without so much as a slap on the wrist from a nun is simply unacceptable to me. Just because they wear pretty robes and make an oath to their God should not mean they are exempt from the laws of the land.

Pope Benedict XVI, who had recently vowed to do everything possible to prevent such abuse from occurring again, was quite peeved about the Belgian raid. He called the search, “surprising and regretful” and insisted on the church’s right to conduct internal investigations. As if those “investigations” have amounted to anything more than a bunch of hot air.

It is because these men feel they can commit such atrocities to, in the words of their Bible, “these little ones” and go unpunished that makes this whole situation completely untenable.

What would be a suitable punishment? Here is what Jesus said in Mark 9:42, “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” A bit drastic for my taste, but that is straight from the mouth of their God.

Here is the situation in a nutshell, there are priests all over the world who are raping young children and getting away with it. When the world finally says enough is enough, these “men of God” have the gall to say it is “surprising and regretful.” What is truly surprising and regretful is that these rapists are not behind bars.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quotation was from a letter from John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton (first Baron Acton) to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887. Lord Acton then stated, “Great men are almost always bad men.” How appropriate.

This statement is true across the board. The only way to put a halt to the corruption is to take the power away.

Which is exactly what happened in Belgium. The Church no longer has the power to hide the rapists in Belgium – or in the US, where the Supreme Court ruled that the Vatican enjoys no immunity in cases of alleged molestation by priests. The ruling means that, in theory, even Pope Benedict could be taken to court.

Who knows how long this priestly pedophilia has been practiced in the Church. Decades? Centuries? It makes me sick just to think about it. It is about time these rapists are held accountable for their actions. They may seek forgiveness from their God and their victims, but when priests break the law, they should be punished in accordance to that law.

There is no God-given right for priests to rape children. It is my opinion that the moment that a pedophile priest touches a child in an inappropriate way, he is no longer a representative of God and should be punished just like any other person in society.

Or we could do as the Bible suggested and tie a millstone around his neck and toss him into the sea…that works for me, too.

The United Women Front (UWF) party intends to give special attention to issues affecting women like dowries (because the bride is such a burden on her husband even though she will clean, cook and bear children for him for the rest of her life) and abortion of female foetuses (kill the girl because a boy is far more valuable).

It is about time the women stood up for themselves. For example, there is bill in India’s Parliament requiring at least 33 percent of federal and state legislatures be reserved for women. This bill, called the Women’s Reservation Bill, has been pending in Parliament for over a decade!

According to newindpress.com, UWF President, Suman Krishan, said:

“Despite having the second highest population in the world, of which women constitute 50 percent, the average representation of women in Parliament is a dismal low of just 8.8 per cent.”

The world average is 17 percent, which is still pretty pathetic.

Krishan, who is also the wife of former Vice President Krishan Kant, continued:

“Women in the country are discriminated against and are insecure. And through this front we want to ensure that the issues of priority concerning half the country’s population come to the forefront in India’s national agenda.”

The UWF says it thinks women are more “honest, more capable and more hardworking.” Well, you certainly won’t get a fight from me on that account. What a wonderfully proactive way for women to finally (after thousands of years of oppression) take things into their own hands instead of waiting for men to decide to care about the best interests of women.

This new development in India this week inspired me to consider all of the wonderful possibilities of an all-woman political party in other countries. My mind simply cannot help but consider how a joint female effort could completely revamp entire nations.

There is not a week that goes by that women all over the world are not begging for someone to do something about the violence against them. There are continual cries for help for impoverished women and single mothers. Yet it seems these cries for help many times fall on the deaf ears of the male-dominated administrations. Sexual abuse against children is another issue that would no doubt be on the forefront of an all-woman political party.

It seems to me that an all-woman political party these countries would help solve many of the social ills since many of those ills stem from the mal-treatment of women and the total disregard concerning the issues that most effect women.

Do not get me wrong; I emphatically do not want an all-woman dominated world. If history has proven anything, it is that humans need to have the benefit of both genders in leadership. However, at this point in time perhaps an all-woman political party would help to remedy the dreadful lack of female representation in many governments.

Let’s be honest for a brief moment. Men alone are just not doing a good job running the world. The world is in shambles and the future does not look very bright. On the recent MTV Video Music Awards in September, Sally Fields made a statement that got censored before airing on television.

She said, “If mothers ruled the world, there would be no goddamn wars in the first place.” This type of mentality is desperately needed at all levels of governmental leadership to curb the male appetite for aggression and domination that emerges from time to time.

One of the very few times anyone will see truly aggressive behavior from a woman is when she is protecting her children, which is why a woman would rather use diplomatic efforts to settle an issue than to resort to armed conflict.

For centuries upon centuries it has been said that women have no place in government because their makeup is different from that of men. It is precisely for this reason that women should be in government. The feminine brings balance to masculine and vice versa.

Male leadership alone does not encompass all that is needed in governing humankind. Female leadership, with all of those wonderful feminine qualities, provide certain attributes and wisdom in which men have typically been found wanting.

There is no doubt that men and women are different on various levels. However, those differences do not make one gender better than the other. Rather, the differences provide humankind with even more unique possibilities by which to solve our problems.

Really, girls, how much longer will you sit around and wait for the men to care about the issues that effect women? India’s women waited for over a decade for a bill that still has not passed just to have 33 percent representation in Parliament (not 50 percent, as it should be).

However, I have to admit that I was impressed by money this week when I read that the richest person in China is a woman. Yang Huiyan, the 26-year-old daughter of a self-made real estate tycoon, is worth a US$16 billion fortune.

In a nation where it is still desirable to have a boy instead of a girl so the family can depend on the male to care for the parents later in life (China has a one child policy for population control), this is a remarkable accomplishment for a woman to achieve the position of a billion dollar heiress.

Perhaps I am so impressed because we just do not read much about rich Asian women and I suppose my ignorant assumption has always been that we do not hear about them because there are none. Then bam, the richest person in China is a woman. Way to go, girl!

The British author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, is another woman who has recently made her mark on the world as one of the richest people in England. Rowling was a poor single mother who used her fantastically creative mind make her filthy rich.

Oprah Winfrey has been on the rich list for a few years now. Winfrey made her money on television and although she was not initially overly aesthetically pleasing, she used her “womanly” attributes to express a caring and nurturing persona that won over millions of women around the world.

Women are the ones who made Oprah rich. A majority of those who watch her show and buy her magazines are female. Women trust her to be open and honest about her struggles in life – as well as her triumphs. Women can identify with her. Oprah has now moved into a philanthropic phase with her money.

I remember when I first heard about Oprah’s wealth. I was surprised because women just did not make that kind of money. However, things have changed and when I heard about Rowling’s wealth I was not the least bit surprised, just highly pleased. There are rich women galore nowadays.

So why should I care about a rich heiress in China? Because this is history in the making. It was not too long ago when women did not get inheritances. The sons got the family money. Even if a woman received an inheritance from her father, she was not allowed to oversee the money. Her husband was the one to make all the legal decisions about the woman’s inheritance.

In fact, this demeaning custom is still practiced in far too many cultures today. However, I have hope that if China, a nation where female foetuses are killed every day simply for not being male, has the capacity to allow the richest person in that nation to be a woman, there is certainly hope for the rest of the world as well.

It is only a matter of time now before women begin to top the list of the world’s richest people. This year, Forbes Magazine named the richest person in the world to be a man from Mexico who made his money in the telecom business. He is worth US$59 billion.

I was mildly impressed with this man’s story simply because he is from Mexico and because someone had finally taken Bill Gates spot at the top of the list. However, I was far more impressed with China’s richest person.

I have no desire to make tons of money. If I did, I certainly would not be a columnist. No one ever goes into journalism to be rich because this career does not pay the big bucks it takes to become a tycoon. However, I do have one great desire that never seems to fade – to one day see gender equality as a norm worldwide.

When a Chinese woman becomes the richest person in her nation, I know my dream of gender equality is getting closer to coming true.

Wikipedia is an online source of information that has made a sound impact on modern culture. Anyone in the world can contribute or edit entries on any subject; thereby creating the healthiest encyclopedia that has ever existed.

Now these remarkably inventive Wiki people have gone one step further and created a new site specifically designed for those who have valuable information to share about their governments and corporations. The site is called Wikileaks (www.wikileaks.org). Oh baby, is this going to be so much fun.

Here is what Wikileaks has to say about its brilliant idea:

“Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their own governments and corporations.

We aim for maximum political impact. Our interface is identical to Wikipedia and usable by all types of people. We have received over 1.2 million documents so far from dissident communities and anonymous sources.”

The value of such a site is beyond measure to the many nations with governments that refuses to be forthcoming concerning its actions or to pass legislation to allow for the openness of information to the people. Just imagine the implications of a site like this.

This site provides an avenue for the anonymous, untraceable leaking of documents without censor, which means that anyone who has been sitting on information about their government and just waiting for a chance to let the world know about it without paying a stiff price for being a dissident can come forward now without fear of reprisal.

I can hear the angels in heaven singing, “hallelujah!” Governments worldwide will be held accountable to the people for their actions – like it or not. Wikileaks claims to have received over 1.2 million documents so far. If ever there has been a mechanism for keeping our governments honest, this far surpasses all else.

That is not to say that the FOI bills should not be passed and enacted, as it is only proper for the people of any free country to have full knowledge of their government’s actions. There is no reason the people of any nation should rely on leaks to attain the information they rightfully deserve from their representatives.

Still, as we have seen, some governments do not wish to be so forthcoming with information. This is where a site like Wikileaks will prove invaluable to the openness of information.

Here is how the makers of Wikileaks see the site:

“Wikileaks looks like Wikipedia. Anybody can post to it, anybody can edit it. No technical knowledge is required. Whistleblowers can post documents anonymously and untraceably. Users can publicly discuss documents and analyze their credibility and veracity. Users can discuss the latest material, read and write explanatory articles on leaks along with background material and context. The political relevance of documents and their veracity will be revealed by a cast of thousands.”

The dissemination and analysis of documents posted on Wikileaks will be the dream of every journalist from nations without FOI acts who have been lowered to the position of information peddler for their government. It will also be the nightmare of every corrupt public servant.

I can see it now – the price tags of those mansions owned by government officials will become public knowledge, backroom deals will be brought to light and even information from the bygone days will be revealed. I simply love it when justice wins and corruption is exposed.

Wikileaks encourages those who have been bought or intimidated into silence to let the entire world know the truth. Whistleblowers have stood up for justice even when doing so risked retribution – or at times death. This new site shoves the injustice bully back and protects the whistleblower.

As mentioned on this site, there are many governments who rely on concealing reality from their people and sufficient leaking will bring these administrations down. While there will no doubt be several governments scrambling around to cover their corruption and to enact campaigns about how whistle blowing is unpatriotic, I expect this site will see the dawn of a whole new political world.

Moreover, Wikileaks also supports corporate whistle blowers. The site says:

“A corrupt or unethical corporation is a menace to all inside and outside it.”

It seems Wikileaks is still tweaking itself to sustain the vast number of entries it is receiving and will continue to receive. However, the site expects to be up and running fully within the next few months.

Slippery politicians, be warned. Your days are numbered.

How ironic that the developed countries pour money into programs to help developing countries stave off sexually transmitted diseases (STD) while their own people seemed to have missed the public service announcement on practicing safe sex.

The result, according to the Foreign Policy article, is 340 million new cases of STDs each year – not including HIV. Obviously there is a factor beyond education that needs to be addressed on this issue. The apparent question at hand is why would someone who has been educated on the importance of safe sex knowingly engage in risky behavior.

Other than sheer masochism, one cannot help but test the theory that money gives certain people a false sense of security when it comes to sex. Perhaps those who engage in risky behavior feel as though modern medicine can cure any ailment (a false assumption) or can at the very least control the outbreak of STDs (also not true).

Modern medicine cannot prevent the spread of STDs either. There is no amount of medication on the market that does the job of one condom at preventing the spread of STDs and HIV. I have read news articles concerning the cost of condoms for some in the poorer nations and how difficult it is for poverty stricken persons to practice safe sex.

Yet we are talking about people who can afford to buy a condom and still practice risky sexual behavior. Numerous reasons abound – some prefer the sexual experience without the imposition of a condom, some get caught in an unexpected moment without a condom and others just throw caution to the wind and act on impulse instead of common sense.

However, the ever-increasing number of STDs proves that simply pretending as if there were no risk factors involved with every act of unprotected sex is unrealistic. Surprisingly, the Foreign Policy article did not include age brackets for comparison and for that omission the report flawed in my opinion.

However, I wish to touch on this subject because there is a tendency to assign risky behavior solely to the inexperience of youth. There are two factors to which we must give our attention in this regard. The first factor is that while we may want to blame teens for soaring STD rates, the pace at which the youth of today mature seems to be dramatically slowing.

It is almost as if the 20s is the new teenager, which means the risky behavior that often includes drugs, alcohol and unprotected sex lasts much longer than just a few short teenage years. Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan, all of whom are in their 20s, are examples of a prolonged teen experience complete with risky behavior.

The second factor to which we must give consideration is that risky behavior does not seem to halt even after the 20s either. There are actually quite a few adults who engage in high-risk sexual activity. Regardless of the expectations that by the time a person reaches the 30s or 40s (or even the 50s and 60s) we can expect adults to practice safe sex – there are still some who do not.

There is simply no excuse for any adult to trade his or her health for a sexual encounter – no matter how good the sex. Just picture a businessman who spends his days working diligently to secure his financial future and at night behaves like a teenager by choosing to engage in risky activities.

Or picture a healthy woman of 40 who works out daily to maintain a strong body but meets a guy and has unprotected sex. These examples are far more common than they should be. How is it possible for adults who strive so hard to shape a promising future to behave in such an irresponsible manner? Again, this is the question at hand.

Perhaps it is an incorrect assessment of the capabilities of modern medicine that causes people to behave so foolishly, or maybe it is a false sense of security concerning ones own health or a desire to cast caution to the wind and live in the moment regardless of the consequences.

Whatever the reason, it is clear that developing countries are the ones setting the standard for safe sex now. I know what I would do if I were President – I’d have condom stations throughout the country to pass out free condoms to all. Hey, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Far be it from me to encourage anti-West sentiment. Now anti-Bush sentiment – that is a whole other story. I’ve been against this president’s so-called foreign policy initiatives since it was clear that he intended to attack Iraq no matter what. Moreover, his charade of wanting to spread democracy causes me great ire.

I love chocolate cake. However, if it is shoved in my face because someone is trying to force it on me, even chocolate cake will taste horrible. I feel the same about democracy. Introducing democracy in a nation is a decision that should be brought about by the people because they want it. A nation that has democracy forced on it will despise this idea that is by and large very good.

Bush has done whatever he pleases during his terms in office and America has paid for his insolence in so many ways – including, but not limited to the loss of freedoms, the lives of thousands of servicemen, the compromise of America’s national security and by making the US a laughing stock around the world.

It is amazing what one poor administration can do to change such a strong nation in such a short amount of time. If democracy has one Achilles’ heel, it would be the fact that poor leaders can find their way into office and use their power to wreak havoc on the nation – and in America’s case, the world. However, I would never argue the veracity of this choice. It is one of the many aspects about the West that I enjoy and would encourage.

However, I also feel the past few years have seen Western democratic principles compromised because of the same leaders elected to protect the people’s inherent freedoms. Likewise, Western corporate leaders have introduced a whole new level of corruption to society. Therefore, at this point in history I think it would be wise for any developing nation to be careful of the Western traits it chooses to emulate.

Here’s a short list of recent Western behavior that a developing nation should guard against. Firstly, no country should ever attack another country in a “pre-emptive strike” in modern days. It is my position that humans have evolved beyond the need for such primitive actions.

Just imagine if I went to my neighbor and slapped her just because I thought there might be a possibility that she would slap me at some point in the future. Nonsense. Humans are a far more advanced species than to behave in such a manner.

This type of behavior is childish and would be found on the playground with a bully trying to gain more power through intimidation techniques. Rational thinking adults do not strike before being struck and most certainly a modern society should be above this type of conduct.

Another Western trait I abhor is global ignorance. So many Westerners spend their lives totally oblivious to the plight of the rest of the world. Like the Classical Romans, their gluttony consumes them and they give nary a thought to the millions of starving children around the world, the AIDS overrun regions of Africa or the women who die every day because of the patriarchal sexism so ingrained in our cultures.

However, it is the Western corporate attitude of “step on others before they step on you” that completely repulses me. In short, I like the free-market, but despise American greed.

I would fight tooth and nail to defend my freedoms, but I loathe elected officials who squander those freedoms for malevolent agendas. I give an affirming nod to the predominantly effective judicial systems, but I know there are loopholes and therefore do not trust the system fully.

It seems we are at a point in history in which there are many negative Western traits that are on display for the entire world to see. However, I have to wonder if the average Americans really cares.

I suppose I have the ability to put myself in the shoes of an Iraqi woman and can feel her pain. I know that if another country destroyed my country the way Iraq has been decimated, my feelings would be strongly negative toward the destroyers. As an American woman, I find it contemptible that I am connected to the atrocious behavior of the Bush Administration by association of citizenry.

Be that as it may, I do hope any politician who decides to run on a “pro-West” platform in a developing nation has the good sense to draw a line of distinction between the ugly Western traits I have listed (and others) and the Western principles that could be good for the nation.

Even more importantly, I hope the voters in developing countries understand that not all Western traits are good traits and can discern between the good and bad traits when choosing “pro-West” leaders. Obviously, the American people were not able to make this distinction.

I have watched carefully over the past few years as it dawned on the American people that the leader they elected was leading the country to ruin. Moreover, this phenomenon of conservative Americans turning to the Democratic Party for guidance is not occurring in a trickling state, but as a waterfall.

Although this trend has been going on for a few years now, it was last week when I talked to my brother that I realized just how serious this could be for the Republican Party. If someone wanted to know how to define a conservative American, my brother would be the perfect example.

He is a God-fearing man from America’s heartland whose principles line up with that of the Republican Party. Just a few short years ago my brother would rather have eaten dirt than to say Hillary Clinton should be in the White House. Although my brother is very smart, I never gave him credit for being able to see the impact U.S. policy has beyond the shores of America.

While talking on the phone the other day, he made a startling statement to me that caused me to rethink my brother as a person. My brother – the strict conservative Republican – intends to vote for Hillary Clinton in 2008 if she gets the nomination.

For someone like my brother to decide to vote for a Democrat (and Hillary at that!) in the next national election means that a new day has truly dawned in the U.S. This means that even the staunchest of Republicans are realizing that a great wrong has been done and it is up to the voters to make it right again.

It is one thing for a woman or a loyal Democrat to say that one intends to vote for Hillary Clinton. It is a whole other story for a highly conservative white man from Middle America (like my brother) to declare that he believes Hillary Clinton is the only one who can save our country from the disaster Bush and his administration has created.

I have seen many people make this switch from the Republican Party to be a Democrat. I have seen those in the military make the switch in droves. Even the July 9 issue of Fortune Magazine declared on its front page, “Business Loves Hillary.” In smaller letters below the headline and in parentheses it then said, “Who Knew?”

Indeed, who would have ever thought big business would support a Democrat as a candidate since the Dems are typically known for championing the plight of the poor and middle class. The rich have always despised the Democrat candidates. What a switch!

I made the switch as well, but mine was made early on when it was apparent that Bush intended to start an unprovoked war regardless of what the American people wanted. I was one of those voters looking around in disbelief that such a leader could get voted back into office to cause more harm after the last elections.

Hillary Clinton is just one of the many viable Democratic presidential candidates. There are a handful of potentials to choose from – each just as qualified as the next. My astute brother pointed out to me that it was not worth the time to even browse the poor selection of Republican candidates.

I still cannot seem to fathom that my conservative brother is voting as a Democrat. It would appear that Bush is the best thing that has happened to Democrats in a very long time. During the congressional elections last November, the American people gave the Democrats control of Congress and as a result, this week the poorest of the nation have seen the first rise in minimum wage in ten very long years.

Hillary Clinton’s response to the fact that big business supports her candidacy was that CEOs and other business leaders “know I’m trying to figure out how we can have shared prosperity.” Let me get this straight, Clinton is suggesting shared prosperity and big business is still supporting her?

I am completely convinced that because of Bush, there is nothing the Democratic leaders can do wrong at this point. Morgan Stanely CEO, John Mack, is a long-time Republican who has been won over by Clinton as well. Morgan Stanely is a U.S. multi-billion dollar investment company that has over 55,000 employees.

When conservative Americans, like my brother, and big business CEOs, like John Mack, voice their obvious support for a Democratic presidential candidate, it is clear that the very foundation of American politics is changing.

Although I loathe the way this change has come about – with the lives of so many by way of Bush’s unjustified war in Iraq – it is encouraging to know that people are willing to change even their core belief systems if they recognize a leader intends to use their loyalty for evil purposes.

I am very comforted that my own brother, someone whom I always viewed as immovable when it came to politics and religion, is actually far more open-minded than I could have ever dreamed. I do not even want to think of what this world would be like if people like my brother continued to believe the government’s lies.

It gives me hope to know that so many are willing to change their entire political orientation to do what is right for the nation and for the world.