INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Good afternoon from a very pretty day in Adelaide - sun is shining and the sky is blue and the temperature is deliciously moderate - a beautiful autumnal day.

On this International Women's Day I am thankful to those women who have gone before me and claimed many victories on behalf of all women.

This is the flag of the Women's Movement and the colours have significant meaning:

Green - Give. White - Women the Violet - Vote

"Give Women the Vote"

I have actively encouraged my children to register to vote and to claim their birthright on voting days and they do this willingly and happily.   They are daughters of a Woman of the Second Wave.  

We have come such a long way in most areas of our lives - we have women in Politics, Business, Diplomacy, Academia, Education and yet we still have much further to go.

The above six women have left their mark over recent years.

Julie Bishop - Currently Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs

Anna Bligh - First Female Premier of Queensland

Dame Quentin Bryce - First female Governor General of Australia

Dr. Catherine Hamlin - surgeon 

Julia Gillard - First Female Prime Minister of Australia

Tanya Plibersek - Federal Member for Sydney

We are very lucky to have these women active in our world.

This beautiful young woman is Malala Yousafzai who is blazing a trail for the education of girls throughout the world and in particular in her beloved Swat Valley of Pakistan and following in the footsteps of Benazir Bhutto who was assasinated.   Malala wore a shawl belonging to Benazir when she addressed the United Nations.

Be proud to be a woman and be thankful for those who have gone before, be proud of those who struggle and encourage those who are yet to come on for the cause of women.

There are so many issues where there is work to be done - equal pay,child care, education, domestic violence issues and I am thankful too to the men of this world who support and encourage the striving of women.

Am I a Feminist ? - Hell Yeah  !!

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a heart thankful and encouraged for the cause of women generally - there is still much to be done - don't give up the cause and be sure to pass the baton to your daughters.

Love and hugs,

IT' IS TIME

Good afternoon and welcome to the middle of the week and the middle of the day for me - today has been a grey grey day but not particularly cold, we had wind and rain this morning but that has eased and cleared.

I have had a quiet day after a busy day yesterday and today has found me working at my desk and listening to radio - not a good thing to do when there is so much going on in Australia and so much being said about equality.  I have found myself talking back to the radio and at times raising my voice.

Currently before our Federal Parliament (the lower House) there was a vote on a Bill proposing legalizing Gay marriage and that vote was lost in the negative.   The Liberal Country party were not even allowed a "conscience vote" but had to vote with the party. 

There were not many surprises and there were many impassioned speeches addressed to the Bill for both sides of this argument.

This Bill and those in individual States, both here and in the United States are  causing much discussion and making people think - but it is more than Gay Marriage it is about rights and equality and my opinion is that "It is time" to educate our young and to take a good look at ourselves and consider that all are equal irrespective of gender, ethnic background, colour or culture or sexual preference.  

It is about being a parent of a young adult who often lives in the same home and yet is denied so many civic rights.    Time we woke up to ourselves and gave ALL PEOPLE the respect that is their right and which they deserve.

I am personally appalled over the comments made under the cloak of "Parliamentary Privilege" and hang my head in shame that I should ever be grouped with those sort of comments.   You don't speak for me !!

Let's take a good look at ourselves and how discriminatory we are as a nation, group, town, community, family or individual and let's make the changes and actively campaign for equality for ALL people.

If you or someone you love has been hurt by this sort of discrimination please accept my apologies and and my hope and prayers that discrimination will end very soon.

My mantra and philosophy on life is that I accept and love people for WHO they are and those other things are of no importance or concern to me.

My hope and prayer is that you will find acceptance for the lovely person you are and that life will be sweet for you ~ it's time we stood up for what we believe. 

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a heart that is troubled and sad because of vileness of comments made in our Federal Parliament over the last few days  ~ YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME. 

Love and hugs,

Linda