Monday, February 5, 2024

Widespread sterilization operation led by the U.S. during the 1950s and 60s in Puerto Rico.

This documentary was referenced in this interview with Jose Vega by Garland Dixon.

La Operación is a 1982 documentary that shows the widespread sterilization operation led by the U.S. during the 1950s and 60s in Puerto Rico. Ana María García directed the film which highlights how the U.S. pushed for increased female sterilization in Puerto Rico. She mixes in the documentary a blend of interviews with women from different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds but the interviews are not the only focus of her work; she also incorporates scenes showing a sterilization procedure in addition to other historical and contextual parts. 
Puerto Rican women and their families were promised success and stability after they underwent “la operación,” or sterilization. These efforts undercut the agency of women over their own bodies as they may have been drawn to the procedure and its false promises out of economic necessity/social pressure. The operation was marketed as a solution to poverty and many women thought that once their tubes were tied, they could be “untied.” This was not the case and they ended up losing their reproductive rights to give birth to more children. The film portrays these women as victims of this lack of knowledge and forced sterilization. 
La Operación [. . .] does a remarkable job of linking colonial policies and their impacts on the lives of Puerto Rican women, a perspective that is often left out of discussions about the U.S.-led sterilization. [Description from Journeys at Dartmouth essay.]
This background on this period of Puerto Rican history is good.  

You have to ask yourself, "What did people do for health and immunity before the ubiquitous vaccines? What did pets do?

"These aren't the Soviets. These aren't the communists. These are the heroes who overthrew them. Why are we picking a fight with them?"

Sunday, February 4, 2024

No SIM? No Problem!


Look for a Calyx hotspot.

The SIM is your cell network ID. The phone has its own ID and that can also be tracked. The SIM is just for account and billing purposes. The phone with its unique ID is tracked by the NSA in addition to the SIM or account ID.

How To STOP Tracking Links!