"Should half a population get a guarantee of at least some representation in the body politic? The proposed Iraq constitution says as much, reserving one-quarter of its parliament for female candidates.
The law will be re-evaluated by the next government, based on the participation of women and continue "only if they show interest and ability."
Wow. That's something we Americans need in our charter -- especially if you go beyond gender. Imagine what we could do with our Legislature and Congress if we could get rid of those who show neither interest nor ability.
Then again a two-year plan to reserve 25 percent of legislative seats in the United States would nearly double the number of women in the U.S. Senate, now at 13 percent, or the U.S. House, now at 14 percent."
Get the Story:
Mark Trahant: Not everyone represented in America
(The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 8/28)
More Mark Trahant:
Mark Trahant: You write the news, you pick it
(8/15)
Mark Trahant: Tribal
stories don't matter to science (8/8)
Mark Trahant: Congress focuses on real issues
(8/1)
Mark Trahant: Judicial debate
conceals big issue (7/25)
Mark Trahant:
Wasting time at work can be productive (7/18)
Mark Trahant: Appoint Indian to U.S. Supreme Court
(7/11)
Mark Trahant: Readers offer junk
mail solutions (06/20)
Mark Trahant:
Junk mail invades home, office (6/13)
Mark Trahant: Social Security needs new compact
(6/6)
Mark Trahant: Readers upset over
military cartoon (5/30)
Mark Trahant:
Healing the world with totem poles (5/23)
Mark Trahant: We're all as young as we feel
(5/16)
Mark Trahant: Social Security
debate masks failures (5/9)
Mark
Trahant: Public sees bias in the news media (5/2)
Mark Trahant: Few salmon left for tribal ceremonies
(4/25)
Mark Trahant: Tax system unfair
and complicated (4/18)
Mark Trahant: Our
nation must pay its own tax bill (4/11)
Mark Trahant: Latest numbers on economy scare me
(4/4)
Mark Trahant: C-SPAN just as
important today (3/28)
Mark Trahant:
Does democracy mean supporting Bush? (3/21)
Mark Trahant: Academic freedom for Churchill
too? (03/07)
Mark Trahant: Journalism
more interactive than before (2/28)
Mark
Trahant: Social Security debate all about 'me' (2/21)
Mark Trahant: Social Security push ignores big
issue (2/14)
Mark Trahant: Human beings
only react during crisis (2/7)
Mark
Trahant: Election tales usually one-sided (1/31)
Trahant: Public school system not good enough
(01/24)
Mark Trahant: Three cheers for the
First Amendment (01/10)
Mark Trahant:
Did my vote count? Did yours? (12/20)
Mark Trahant: Bush plan leaves no room for salmon
(12/13)
Mark Trahant: Two friendly faces
on the news (11/29)
Mark Trahant:
Mainstream media doesn't matter (11/22)
Mark Trahant: Do political endorsements matter?
(11/8)
Mark Trahant: So what happens
after the election? (11/1)
Mark Trahant:
Vote early and avoid campaign sleaze (10/25)
Mark Trahant: Congress should abide by laws too
(10/18)
Mark Trahant: Election changing
as we speak (10/11)
Mark Trahant: NMAI
must change the story (09/27)
Mark
Trahant: Media's view of elections should change (09/20)
Mark Trahant: What happened to Pakistan? bin
Laden? (09/13)
Mark Trahant: Payroll tax
not fair to all Americans (8/23)
Mark
Trahant: Bush's answer was slightly better (8/9)
Audio: Bush explains meaning of tribal sovereignty
(8/6)
Mark Trahant: The one that didn't
get away (08/02)
Mark Trahant: Living in
a world of easy credit (7/26)
Mark
Trahant: Congress still stealing Indian land (07/12)
Mark Trahant: Raising the next peace generation
(7/6)
Mark Trahant: How far does
'terrorist' definition go? (6/28)
Mark
Trahant: The big five-oh a good time to reflect (6/21)
Mark Trahant: Ordinary Reagan was extraordinary
(06/14)
Mark Trahant: Indian girls team had
game back in 1900s (06/07)
Mark Trahant:
Voice mail filled with views on Iraqi war (05/17)
Mark Trahant: A familiar story of cultural
change (03/22)
Mark Trahant: One
Indian in Senate is wrong number (03/08)
Mark Trahant: Division marked another major war
too (2/23)
Mark Trahant: We're still
fighting the Cold War (01/26)
Trahant: Selling democracy to Indian
Country (11/17)
Trahant: Can't trust
Uncle Sam with Indian money (11/10)
Mark Trahant: Bush needs to note success and
failure (10/20)
Mark Trahant:
Technology and the news world (09/29)
Mark Trahant: Preparing for the unthinkable
(09/22)
Trahant: When tribes succeed,
someone changes rules (09/01)
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