Activism in Action on The Kovacs Perspective Tonight!

I'm so excited about tonight's show! We've got two people coming on that I know on a more personal level, so I'm thrilled to be able to showcase the amazing work that they're doing. Tonight's episode of The Kovacs Perspective is going to focus on Activism in Action. +Steve Kovacs will be interviewing two activists tonight from different fields. The show will be starting at 9 PM eastern, and you can catch it here on UStream. If there are any technical issues with UStream, you can also see the show on the YouTube feed here. Remember, that's 9 PM eastern, tonight!

Our first guest is going to be Beth Randall, who runs Critter Camp, an exotic pet sanctuary. She's been running this facility for years, and has saved the lives of countless animals. The animals that they bring in are not the kinds of animals that can be cared for in regular shelters and humane society facilities, and they're the only facility in the United States that does this. It's a unique program, and quite obviously they're vitally important. Their facility is very unique, too, so you're going to want to hear about what they're doing with it to make it self-sustaining!

So many people decide they would like to have one of those cute, unusual, and exotic pets that they've seen in a movie or something, or maybe they've just read about them. They bring them home, having no idea how to care for them, or what difficulties they may face in doing so, so they give them up. It's not unlike the habit some people have of buying Christmas gift pets for their children that they end up giving up to a shelter later when the animals are grown or chewing their favourite shoes. Well, when it's not a cat or a dog, generally the pets are considered exotic, and quite often they require trained and knowledgeable care. This is where Beth Randall and Critter Camp come in, she's going to be on to tell us all about what they do at their facility, their plans for the future, what you can do to help, and a little bit about the animals that they have there, too. They've got some adorable videos to show you on their YouTube channel, so check them out here!

Our second guest runs a highly successful Facebook page called Equality for Women. What's unusual is that our guest is male. His name is +Charles Clymer, and he's been running the page for some time now. As a man in the world of feminism, he's run into his share of naysayers and difficulties, but he's persevering because he believes the fight for equality is important enough to do so. Not everyone agrees that a man should be running a feminist page, but the fact is he's doing a lot of good by doing so, and I have to say that equality needs all the help it can get at this point. What with all the MRA (men's rights activists) groups out there that appear to be spreading hate messages, it's definitely helpful to have men on the side of equality.

The sad truth is, many men will listen to the voice of another man, before they will listen to women, and whether or not women believe men should be speaking for them, there is a benefit to having them do so. Part of my thinking on this is that peer-pressure can make all the difference in how we see things in our culture. If it's not cool with your peers to be doing things, you're less likely to do them. If you know everyone will disapprove of cat-calling on the street, you're a lot less likely to do so, particularly in front of those friends. If nothing else, in that one instance, those particular women that would have been targeted are safe from that little bit of street harassment. It's a start, and it gets people thinking about what they're doing. On a personal level I know there are things I've done myself that I realized later were wrong. Once I realized it, I changed what I was doing. Until people know they're doing something that's hurtful, they won't stop, and a decent human being will always stop. Not everyone is decent, of course, but most people really are. Most simply do things because they don't know any better and never thought to question it.

Be prepared for some inflammatory topics tonight when Steve talks to Charles, because Military rape is going to be one of them, along with the latest news from yesterday about dropping certain proposed measures. I have friends who are former military, and I know they're vehemently opposed to the sexual assaults and the culture of silence that are currently going on, so they're going to want to watch. The West Point rugby team scandal, for which Charles was recently interviewed as a former West Point cadet, will be another topic of discussion. There will be others. Quite frankly, there's a lot of ground to cover in half an hour, so be ready for a fast-paced show tonight.

Like I said, this is going to be a great show, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Be sure to tune in at 9 PM eastern. We aim to inspire and inform, and tonight that's exactly what we're going to do.