Congresswoman Speier: If you look at it closely, we have so many human rights violations right here in the country. When I look at your program, you are right on it….

Food stamps: isn’t it a right in this country not to go hungry? There is an effort to cut food stamps by $40 billion. Let’s talk about what like to be on food stamps 76 percent on food stamps are elderly, living in a family, a child or disabled. How can we say denying them food stamps is not a human rights violation. Eighty-three percent on food stamps are living below the poverty level. Challenge you to live 3-4 days on $4.50 a day.

Homeless: Isn’t  it a human rights violation not to afford a roof over your head. Eighty-four percent of homeless are female head of households. Twenty-nine percent of homeless are working poor.No child in this country should go to school with an empty stomach and living in a homeless shelter.

Human trafficking: More than 100,000 children under the age of 18 are the victims of sex trafficking. (She tells the story of a 16-year-old who became a sex slave after innocently accepting a ride from a someone who knew her name. Talked about a collaborative effort to combat sex trafficking.)

Sexual assault in the military: For a long time these cases were ignored. Of the thousands of complaints, 500 were court martialed and less than 200 convicted.  More men raped in military than women. Better than at college campuses. She is also taking on the issue at college campuses. One in 5 college co-eds will be sexually assaulted in her career at college. Six percent of men raped on college campuses. Parallels between college and military are very similar. She is proposing several changes to make colleges more accountable.

Transgendered issues: My niece, now nephew, struggled with sexual identity. Fifty percent of transgendered commit suicide.

Never doubt for a  moment that a small group of people can change the world.