Reasons Why

Tags

choices, feminism, lifestyle, Women's issues

This appeared on Facebook and I put it up on my wall with the caption: “Is this what parenthood does to a person! If so, I’m glad I escaped!”

While there weren’t many replies, one caught my interest and got me to thinking about what might lie behind the statement.

While it may have been meant innocently enough, the comment was “no this is not your normal situation and you did miss a lot.”

I took that, however meant, as a defensive lob, one meant to suggest that parenting is a great thing and I was much the poorer for having “missed” it.

Of course, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

I chalked it up as another of those, subtle or not so subtle put-downs by those with children of those of us without. The other one that I remembered vividly was a discussion about corporal punishment by parents (or caregivers) and the suggestion that I was unfit to comment, “since as I recall, you didn’t have children did you?”

I think I know where the defensiveness and consequent “I’m really better than you because you don’t have children” comes from

Dial back the time machine to the late 60’s when I graduated from high school. The sexes were still pretty much set in stone. I knew that a number of my classmates would probably be married within a year or so, but I was off to college. It was the beginning of that “sweet spot” in time–the convergence of the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, the hippie movement, and the feminist movement. The Vietnam anti-war movement began in the mid-sixties and continued and escalated during the late 60’s and early 70’s. We marched on campuses, got tear-gassed, shut down campuses. Some campuses were more volatile than others, yet we all found ourselves involved in “teach-ins”  (where I first learned of the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes). 

Women were a big part of the movement but often relegated to second-class status behind the men. This mimicked that of the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks did not suddenly pop up one day on a bus in Montgomery Alabama, but had long been a worker in the field. She was of course kept much in the background in terms of leadership as were other African-American women of the day.

The Hippie movement, also a product of the 60’s was most renowned  for Haight-Asbury and Woodstock, but it signaled the advent of free-love, birth-control, and a defining break with the past and all it’s traditional values. The Hippies were also vehemently anti-war. The Beatles, most notably John Lennon became a major force for peace with “Imagine”.

Women in this movement two were pushed to the rear, often treated as secretaries and much needed lovers for the important work being done by the men in the “awakening”.  Angela Davis and others fought back.

Women looked to each other during this period and Betty Freidan, Germaine Greer, Gloria Steinem,  Kate Millet, Shirley Chisholm, and Bella Abzug were the emerging role models for women like myself who were just starting to look higher than the secretarial typewriter for our future. We read with relish The Feminine Mystique, and Sexual Politics. Later, immersed in the Church, I would cling to In Memory of Her and She Who Is, as the patriarchal stereotypes of the bible began to be dismantled by women of faith but also biblical expertise. Women like  Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Elizabeth Johnson became household names.

I was in that first wave of women admitted in law school in large numbers. We leaned on each other, we learned, and we excelled. Because we were steeped in the injustices of the past, we were angry, defensive, and could spot a “sexist pig” at twenty paces. Offering to hold a door for us was likely to be met with a angry look, and a statement like, “I am more than capable of opening my own door, thank you.”

Plenty of men retreated before us “ball-busting bitches” and sought more traditional women to welcome them home at night and bear their children.

That is the world out of which I emerged into my late 20’s, a time when most women start to realize that if parenthood is on their agenda, one best get busy.

As a look back at the cadre of young women I worked along side of I can recall what we talked about and how we felt quite vividly. We were in our late twenties, still working more often with men than with other women. Most judges were still male, most prosecutors, most defense attorneys, most cops. We were not insignificant, but we were far from a majority. Mostly we were treated with fairness, although there was a lot of what today would be unacceptable sexual harassment. To us it was business as usual. We slipped the grasp of unwanted advances (mostly from judges who somehow thought that being a judge’s mistress must be our dream????), and commanded salaries the likes of which our hardworking fathers (mothers of course didn’t even come close) had never attained in their working lifetimes.

Among those of us who were single, (most of us) the issue of children inevitably comes up. And of course it came up more regularly for single women than married, since we were single mostly by choice. Men were wonderful, but unnecessary as a financial crutch so mostly we were looking to take our time. I don’t count myself as being usual in having had good half dozen serious affairs, and my share of brief flings. There was no reason not to.

As best I can tell, we split about 50-50 on the child thing. About half arranged by any number of methods to get pregnant and have a child with no intent to have the father play any significant role in the raising of the child. The other half, myself included, opted out.

I can say that during my now more than sixty-four years, I spent roughly eight months considering the idea seriously, but I have to say it probably had more to do with the man I was seeing at the time than on the biological clock ticking. I cannot say what was the key reason I chose not to have children, only that it was a combination of over-population around the globe, the desire not to have my own free-wheeling lifestyle disrupted, a serious question whether I would be a “good” parent–having no real role model, and some lack of “mothering” instincts, that I felt should be stronger than they were.

Looking back, I recognize that children bring a certain joy, apparently some sense of accomplishment (though again why escapes me pretty much), and I think some security? about the future that is perceived rather than necessarily experienced. It seems to feed some egos, though not all from what I have seen. I think children are marvelous creatures, and I think being good at parenting is a very hard thing, a thing most people take for granted and therefore don’t do a very good job at. I’m glad I didn’t do it, but I am in awe of some people I know who have.

I definitely think it ought to be way harder to qualify to be a parent. It’s amazing to me that so many people turn out as well as they do given their crummy experience with parents. I wonder how amazing this world might be if so many people didn’t have to spend so much time overcoming their poor upbringing.

At one time, we in the feminist movement disliked our sisters who chose the traditional roles. We thought they made it hard for those of us who wanted to be treated equally in jobs, advancement and pay. I think that time has long past. We, or at least I, recognize that the ultimate freedom is to chose the life you wish, and it is certainly an honorable and important choice to choose parenting.

The opposite is also true. To not choose parenting can be smart, noble, and a recognition that it is a special profession, one not suited to everyone, and not simple the thing “most everyone can do”. It is not an accomplishment, but a sacred responsibility one should take on with eyes wide open.

I think it all points to the fact, that while all of us may have had the same “historical” background, we responded to it differently. It imprinted on us quite dis similarly and we apparently made different judgements about it. That is what makes us human I suspect and why we thrive overall. If Aristotle was right that there is a set of absolute moral precepts, we will, it seems, go on arguing forever about just what they are.

Now I Know What’s Wrong With Me

Tags

feminism, Fox Noise, Humor, women's rights

Thank the Lord and pass the peas for Fox News.

Yes you heard me righty-tighty there listening audience.

I mean I coulda spent seconds if not eons trying to figure out what in the hell was wrong with little ol’ me, when all I had to do was ask one of the “expert” ladies on that fair and balanced bastion of true journalism.

Of what was I wronged up about? Why my whole persona as a female person. You see, I am irritating and unappealing to men. Now if your first thought is, whoa, even unpretty ladies snag a man pretty easily since there are plenty (look around) of butt-ugly males traipsing around the parking lots of most any shopping area, some of them nearly dragging their knuckles if you look closely enough.

You see, as I, representing the female persuasion have had the gall to get an education and seek employment at *gasp* equal wages, I have become threatening to poor males who define themselves by the cut of their professional skills vis-a-vis all the other peacocks in the building. Job titles and how many zeros are on the check count as male self-esteem you see, and when WOMEN compete against them, the poor dears just fall apart and have no basis to judge their value as human beings.

So they use us wimmen for sex and say NO WAY when it comes to marriage. Cuz who needs to buy the cow when you get the moo juice for free as they say. Yep, you see it makes men all gooey and caring inside when they have a sweet lil’ thing to take care of (read boss around and dominate), bless their testosterone laden hearts.

In a nutshell, we ain’t women any more, just penis-less men, eunuchs if you will. Ah, now I can finally sleep at night knowing it’s all my fault when men act badly. It’s because I drive them too it. Heck, ask any woman beater, and he will surely agree–she drove him to it. If she would just be quiet, keep the house clean, his shirts ironed in that special way he likes, await him with red lingerie every evening, keep her figure after three kids, agree with everything he wants to buy, everywhere he wants to go, and well just everything, he wouldn’t get so mad he had to hit something. It was just her jaw got in the way of his fist when he was “needing to unwind” from all that ass kissing at work he has to do in order to get points with the boss and therefore get that promotion, which of course he does for the “little woman” in the first place, and there she goes having an actual opinion about something that is different from his, and, well you can see why it’s ALL HER FAULT.

Some smart lady by the name of Suzanne Venker explained it all here. I mean she’s written three books on subjects sorta like this after all, and everyone knows if you write books you must be smart, like David Barton is a freakin’ genius about American history since he has written a whole LOT of books on the subject, and all those televangelicals are always writing books about what God wants me to do about everything, and they are hardly ever wrong, except when your hearing is impaired like Pat Robertson who said God told him that Romney would win, but he was wrong, because he’s getting old and his misunderstood what God said cause his hearing aid wasn’t turned up high enough, and well you can’t fault him for THAT.

See Suzanna said I’m angry and defensive and I think men are the enemy cause that bitch Gloria Steinem taught me that crap, and I have kicked men off their pedestals which everyone knows is a very bad thing to do, since it’s really helpful to a healthy relationship to adore and objectify humans as super human and not  human at all, but more like gods. And worst of all, men are to blame no matter what the issue and so men just feel sad and aren’t going to marry women any more.

I mean what man cares about making something of himself for HIMSELF for goodness sake. They only do it for women, and when women piss them off instead of appreciating how hard they work to be cocksure about everything, well, they say, enough is enough. Ya see, this is all genetic. It’s in the genes baby. A man’s DNA demands that he be the breadwinner and the woman be the “little woman” in her June Cleaver dress and pearls with those two-inch pumps clicking along that vinyl kitchen floor as she smiles her way through the oven cleaning and scrubbing those toilets.

Civilization is at stake here people–I mean women. Listen up girls, life as we know it demands we give up our brains and pick up those dusters! Evolution is at stake which is funny as hell when you think about it because the women that listen most carefully to Suzanne’s blatherings are those who are very damn sure that there is no such thing as evolutionary theory worth a good god damn anyway. Genesis says it all.

So, well, I’m re-evaluating my life I can sure tell ya.

Thanks Suzanne, you are my new BFF and I am going out to get all your books, that is if my hubby approves.

Related articles

• The War On Man (koolnews.wordpress.com)
• No, Ms. Venker…Men Just Love Sex (pheonixreview.wordpress.com)
• Fox News Op-Ed: Men Are Less Interested In Marriage Because ‘Women Aren’t Women Anymore’ (thinkprogress.org)
• The War on Men (foxnews.com)
• Did God Troll Pat Robertson? (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• Pat Robertson’s Magic is All Broken! (scotteriology.wordpress.com)
• Pat Robertson Admits His Election Prediction Revealed From God Was Wrong (crooksandliars.com)

Annual Grifters Conference Held in Shangri-La

Tags

feminism, GOP, Grifters, Humor, liberalism, science, teabaggers

Grifters from around the world are gathering in Shangri-La for their annual conference.

This years attendees seem to be particularly numerous especially from the “dictatorship” category, as many now deposed autocrats are looking for a refresher course in “how to dupe all the people all the time.”

We scurried in and grabbed a program of seminars that are hot this conference:

• Dissembling: The Art of the Dodge
• Slight of Hand: as in Where are the Jobs?
• Perfecting the Non-Answer and Redirecting the Discussion to Banalities
• How to Spot the Lazy Mark
• Methodology in Fear Tactics and Creation of the Other to Blame
• Developing and Massaging the Greedy Publisher: Lies Sell!
• Staying on Message: The Art of Lying

Prominent speakers at this conference are listed as:

• Sarah Palin “How I Turned My Lack of Knowledge into Big Bucks”
• Newt Gingrich: “Creating Nice Sounding Organizations that Pay YOUR Bills!”
• David Barton: “You Too Can Re-Create Your Country’s History with These Easy Steps” CD’s and books available!
• Muammar Qadaffi: “Secreting Billions for That Future Retirement”.
• Brian Fischer: “Finding the Target: Who to Hate?”
• Panel Discussion by perennial favorites: Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh–“How to be Svengali At the Workplace or Any Where You Want Control”

Yes folks, and a time will be had by all.

♦

I suppose it was inevitable. That little report from CERN that perhaps a certain type of neutrino might, (possible) go faster than the speed of light, long believed to be as fast as anything could go, has brought out the usual crazies.

Climate change deniers ponder, if Einstein might be wrong about relativity, then perhaps plug in your favorite scientists might be wrong about plug in your favorite “wrong” science.

This has led to the Twitter hash tweet: #WSJscience, where in, the WSJ stands for Wall Street Journal and the idiot Robert Bryce. Apparently all manner of funny tweets have been produced, so head over to Twitter and look it up and enjoy the fun.

Samples include:

“If serious scientists think that Einstein might be wrong about relativity, then we might have to rethink whether the sun revolves around the earth.”

Enjoy.

Which all suggested to me that it might be fun to visit the antithesis of rational thought, Conservapedia and see some of these items of misinformation.

• The scientific evidence points to a young age of the earth and the universe. The biblical creation organization Creation Ministries International published an article entitled 101 evidences for a young age of the earth and the universe, that provides much of the scientific evidence in support of a young Earth. (prominently cited as proofs are St. Irenaeus and Arthur C. Clark, the science FICTION writer.)
• Creationist research is having a global effect that is worrying the atheists and secularists of this world. They have had it all their own way for over a century but things are slowly changing. For almost twenty-five years now, Journal of Creation has been publishing cutting-edge creationist research that has been fueling the war against evolution, creating little fires all around the world, including Great Britain. (This from Creation Ministries Int’n, and references to “Evolutionists Stumped Confused and Dumbfounded by 15 questions!” a YouTube entry)

• Creation science shows that dinosaurs lived in harmony with other animals, (probably including in the Garden of Eden) eating only plants^[4]; that pairs of each dinosaur kind were taken onto Noah’s Ark during the Great Flood and were preserved from drowning^[5]; that many of the fossilized dinosaur bones originated during the mass killing of the Flood^[6]; and that possibly some descendants of those dinosaurs taken aboard the Ark are still around today. (Yep, you just turn left at Albuquerque, and head to Middle Earth. Watch for Hobbits crossing!)

• Modern feminists:
  • never wanted gender equality; they want power for the female left^[4]
  • in movies, falsely portray the men as inherently evil, dumb or incompetent, and the women as inherently good, smart or competent (note that this conflicts with gender equality)
  • pretend that there are no meaningful differences between men and women when that advances liberal causes (e.g., women and men equally in military combat, to weaken the U.S. military), but reject equality when that results in more money to women (e.g., VAWA funding of women’s groups)
  • oppose chivalry and even feign insult at harmless displays of it (see battle between the sexes)
  • view traditional marriage as unacceptably patriarchal
  • belittle and mock other women who desire to have children or raise a family^[5][6]
  • shirk traditional gender activities, like baking^[7]
  • support affirmative action for women
  • prefer that women wear pants rather than dresses, presumably because men do^[8][9]
  • seek women in combat in the military just like men, and coed submarines
  • refuse to take her husband’s last name when marrying^[10]
  • believe marriage implies female servitude when it is in fact a mutual bond
  • distort historical focus onto female figures, often overshadowing important events (Eg: Henry VIII’s wives take precedence in common knowledge to his actual reign.)
  • often condemn the God-Given order of gender roles, as laid out in the Holy Bible
  • object to being addressed as “ma’am,” or feminine nicknames such as “sweetheart” or “honey”;^[11] object to other female-only names, such as “temptress”
  • take offense at grammatical rules of the English language, like using the pronoun “he” when referring to a hypothetical/anonymous person, or phrases like ‘fireman’ and ‘stewardess.’
  • support of the homosexual agenda (why I’m sending in my KitchenAid mixer this very moment. The stuff about men being inherently dumb is mostly true, but I will change my name back to my maiden name. What WAS I thinking. Dusting off my Feminist membership card even as we speak.)
• Liberal creep is liberal biasthat gradually creeps or distorts an entry, definition, explanation, description, or historical account.Former Utah state Sen. Bill Wright may have been the first to coin this term in spring 2008 when he “warned of liberal creep — the ‘education of indoctrination‘ — in which the media peddle “socialism and programs. We have been so dumbed-down, so indoctrinated with all this information we’re in a haze; we can’t see through it. We must find out for ourselves.”^[1]Examples of liberal creep include:

• Ronald Reagan left the White House with the best approval ratings of any president, up to that time, at the end of his term, yet the media and history books have since relentlessly tried to downplay and distort his political achievements.
• Reverse to the above example, Bill Clinton ^[2] left office after a failed impeachment attempt on perjury charges, yet liberal creep ensures that this is downplayed and distorted.
• Many early scientists such as Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei were heavily influenced by Christianity and would never have made their important discoveries without their faith in the Lord Almighty, yet that faith has since been downplayed in liberal atheistic public school textbooks and Wikipedia.^{[3] [4]}
• The ferocity and savageness of the Native Americans towards American settlers has gradually been downplayed, while the relocation of the Cherokee has been gradually inflated to the point that some liberal textbooks treat it as an atrocity comparable to the Holocaust. Similarly, there has been an increase in denial of the many technological and spiritual improvements the settlers brought to previous inhabitants. (gosh I feel all creepy now. The antithesis of Liberal Creep: Conservative Hate)

New Conservative Terms:

• Drive-by media: liberal MSM assault on Conservative and GOP values and principles, deceitful attacks
• fleebaggers: deceitful Democrats who deny their sworn duties for political gain.
• Hoax and Chains: Keynesian economics (as opposed to trickle down)
• manufactured outrage: fake Democratic anger used to pursue an agenda
• schlockumentary: documentaries based on half-truths and lies
• refudiate: combination of refute and repudiate as “coined” by Sarah in 2010

Oh gosh, one could go on, but my sides are splitting. Is it any wonder the right-wing TeaNutz® are ignorant? Enjoy your Saturday.

 

Thank God for the Alcock-Paczynski test!

Tags

airport security, astronomy, dark matter, environmentalism, feminism, GOP, Mike Huckabee, money laundering, religious right, Sarah Palin, science, terrorism, Tom Delay

At last, perhaps I can get a good night’s sleep again! I haven’t had one since that dark (pun) day in 1998, when I learned the awful truth: the universe seemed to be expanding at a faster and faster rate! My once cozy pulsing home was threatening to shred itself and leave me forlorn in an ever darkening sky as old friends rapidly flew off into a cold inky black.

Well, no more worries. It appears not to be happening. That demon “dark matter” is a truth we must accept, but it appears that the Alcock-Paczynski test may well prove that our universe is “flat” or what we used to call steady state or static. Just enough gravity, just enough dark matter to keep it in a comfortable rocking to and fro.

I know we just finished Thanksgiving, but this is a whole-nother-level of thanksgiving. I will never not see my beloved Orion, my dippers, my Pleiades. Oh sweet God, I knew you would come through. Let’s have a party!

***

Speaking of Thanksgiving, hope your’s was a good one. Mine turned out most excellently. The meal was sublime, and we feasted until we could force in no more. We liked it so much, we are gonna do it all over again today! And Saturday, and Sunday. You see the method to my madness?

***

I confess! I really do, or did, and am going to continue. I was simply delighted when I learned that “the Hammer” got hammered and may be heading for the slammer! Tom DeLay was convicted in that old state of Texas (good for something!) for money laundering.  I don’t think they execute for that, money is God in Texas along with football you recall. But here’s lookin’ for some good old time for the man who thought he ruled the world when he was in Congress. Oh let the sentence be fair: LONG. (H/T to Crooks and Liars for the link)

***

I have to give it to WordPress. The new linkage system is up and running, and they have added a few new features that don’t concern readers, but are certainly nice. One of which I think is not so new, but I just found out how to do it, and it sure speeds up my game. I can now reply to comments through e-mail which is soooo much faster than publishing replies again and again and waiting for it to refresh. Hurrah!

***

Again from Crooks and Liars we get a link to Whiskey Fire and a post on our Sarah. It’s not what you might expect, but it’s an interesting take. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Are Dems the ones who have missed the chance to have a salacious babe mouthing their talking points? I would hate to think so. Yet the point is made, much of Sarah’s following has zero to do with policy or politics, it’s pure sexy appeal and the “it” factor.

AlterNet also has a nice piece on Sarah about her brand of “feminism” which amounts to nothing more than narcissism-namely hers. If it affects her, then it matters, if it doesn’t, than as the article says, “women suck it up and be strong”. Which explains why women don’t cotton to the Moosilla Maven so much.

***

Speaking of snake-oil sales persons, I’ve decided that the “know what we are doing” crowd consists of Palin, Beck, O’Reilly, Coulter and probably most of the house and senate wacko-heads. Those that are seriously stupid include Hannity, Bachmann, O’Donnell. The aforementioned know they are bilking the US for as much as they can for as long as they can. The give not a rip about anyone. Bank accounts matter. Your list?

***

Ahab at Republic of Gilead has a great post of a lecture he attended on Christian escatologies and environmental issues. It is really an eye-opener if you are puzzled why some sects of Christianity continue to literally ignore the damage we are doing. These don’t deny it’s happening so much as they don’t care and believe that we should not waste our time to help the planet heal. It’s an amazingly good read.

***

And 180° it is. I’m going back to my original position on the airport patdowns. After watching Fox and jerks like Huckabee all malign the administration for this “outrage” I can but conclude that this is nothing much more than “any way at all to make Obama look bad.” Huck has demanded that Obama submit his family for this search if it’s all that good.

I guess Mikey was just trying to protect his son who got caught carrying a GUN in his luggage at Little Rock National Airport. What his son needs a concealed weapon for, (being a son of a preacher man) is beyond me, but we see where Mike is coming from.

While I conclude that there may be legitimate reasons why these searches aren’t as useful as they might be assumed, I’ll stick with support as long as the idiots at Foxy are trying to take down a President via this means. And something like 70+% of the public is behind the TSA on this. It was higher, but the rightwing (those bastions of security) has done its thing again.

Enough for now. Time to hit those leftovers again and watch a little more football.

Related Articles

• Dark energy on firmer footing (nature.com)
• Dark Energy Theory Gets a Boost From New Galactic Measurements | 80beats (blogs.discovermagazine.com)

Flushing Out the Despicables

Tags

Democrats, economy, feminism, Grassley, Health care, Individual Rights, Medal of Honor, Paycheck Fairness act, Salvatore Giunta, Sarah Palin, tax cuts, War

I ponder from time to time doing a post on only those stories that mystify, discombobulate, and otherwise question my own sanity and that of the species Homo Sapien Sapien. One story that would be in the running is the following.

As most of you know, I’m not a flag waver. I’m fairly suspicious of terms like patriotism, military, and things of that genre. I don’t find rattling sabres to be conducive to a peaceful and permanent resolution to much of anything.

Therefore, I didn’t say anything about Sgt. Salvatore Giunta. He is the Iowan who just was awarded the Medal of Honor. His family lives less than 20 miles from where I do. I have some right to crow I guess. But, as I said, I don’t go in much for that.

That doesn’t mean I disdain what he did, or dispute his honor. I am sure he did what I wouldn’t have had the guts to do, and I support all our troops in the sense that I wish them all home safe and sound.

However, some things are just beyond the pale. Bryan Fischer, that hater from American Family Association, bastion of hate, has seen fit to find fault with Sgt Giunta’s actions and presumably those that determined he merited this medal.  Mr. Fischer claims that it is part of the “feminization” of the Medal.

Now, I’m sure that puzzles you, as it did me, and prompted me to go and see what this fool was talking about. It seems that we no longer honor those who kill others, but now we are giving honor to those who save lives. Can you believe that? That is girlie I guess. Except that Mr. Fischer has no understanding of the facts, since in pursuit of trying to save a fellow soldier, Sgt. Giunta did inflict casualties on the enemy. Shut up Fischer and crawl back into the cave you live in. (Please note that the comment section was almost universal in its condemnation of Mr. Fischer.)

***

It’s simple. We have had the Bush Tax cuts for eight years. Where are the jobs? Mike Pense says what we have is “not working”. Yet he pushes to make what is “not working” permanent. Is he unable to see his own illogic? Am I missing something? Why can’t any respectable Democrat in front of a microphone ever utter that?

***

Need I say more than there is a new post at Margaret and Helen?

***

Tom Cat has reported that House Dems have sent a letter to Repooplicans telling them that if they are opposed to health care run by the government, they ought to walk the walk and not accept the government health care they are receiving. Finally, somebody has gotten off their Miss Manners tuffet and managed to fight back a little bit.

***

Oh, Palinism time! Or more aptly titled, “DID SHE SAY THAT?” The lamestream media is now the “cornerstone of our Democracy?”  No shit?

“We know that Obama wasn’t vetted through the campaign, and now, you know, some things are coming home to roost, if you will, which is inexperience, his associations, and that ultimately harms our republic when a candidate isn’t—isn’t vetted by the media, that cornerstone of our democracy.”

Oh, at the link you can sign up for FB “Palinisms”. Sounds fun.

***

I understand that when the new Congress is sworn in, the Senate has a vote on rules. If the Dems don’t vote to stop the 60 rule I am gonna cry. Once again a minority has managed to stop a majority. Today the  Republican Senate filibuster against the Paycheck Fairness Act worked. Women in America will not be able learn that men are receiving more for the same work, nor will they have the tools to complain and win against cheating employers. Thanks GOP and thank you especially you old fool Grassley.

Related Articles

• Bryan Fischer pretends to know something about heroism (dailykos.com)

Okay, I’ve Made it This Far

Tags

1st Amendment, Constitution, feminism, Humor, John Boehner, right-wing crazies, SCOTUS, Snyder v Phelps, women, Women's issues

I’ve come to believe that there are things that humans shouldn’t do. And if they do, well, what happens to them is pretty much their own fault, and I figure the gene pool is thus protected from self-destructive influences.

In other words, I don’t mourn idiots. The photo at right illustrates my point perfectly. This intellectually challenged individual is wrong on two counts. He (or she, but really most women are too smart for this) is climbing vertically which means falling will almost certainly cause serious injury or death.

That’s bad enough, but this, if I only had a brain! excuse for humanity, is climbing on ice, which is cold and can cause injury and death, seriously!

Mountains should be climbed if at all only when they have proven to contain precious metals or live-saving medicinal plants, and on no account should they have inclines of more than 20°. Otherwise one gets winded, and being winded leads to be tired, and being tired leads to making mistakes, and making mistakes leads to serious injury and death.

Am I making this clear? Suffice it to say that I watch Extreme Sports and cheer for the sport.

In case you aren’t happy enough yet, then go over to Vodka and Ground Beef and see about her fun quickie date at the Border’s Bookstore. I’m sure some of you could relate. Though not me. I’m not that kinda girl. I was, but if you tell anyone I’ll deny it. Just between us two, you understand.

And if that’s not enough, well, The Borowitz Report, has some significant info about the shakeup at the White House. Not to give it away, but it involves the White House, Afghanistan, and the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, with a little effort, you can see the relationship surely.

And if that is not enough, well, I suggest you contact your therapist, because you are wayyyy to depressed.

***

John (I bathe in Cheetos) Boehner, is all poised to become the new Speaker. In fact it’s pretty clear from listening to him that it’s all he can do to keep his Depends® changed regularly, he gets so excited.

Bob Herbert has a very good report on all things Boehner. He frankly defines the word sleaze. Beholden forever to special interests, he just wallows in the good life supplied to him by all those lovely tobacco interests, et al.

***

Frankly this is an interesting question. Why are so many of the uber crazies on the extreme right women? AlterNet picks up a post at Bitch Magazine which helps to give an answer. Worse, these women are attempting to redefine feminism. The connection may be the religious right, where many of these women got their training. In any case, this article is well-worth it and links to another carried at Slate.

***

And now for a personal opinion. Yes, all the other stuff is pure fact! I do not lie!

The SCOTUS took up the volatile case known as the first amendment funeral case, otherwise known as Snyder v Phelps. This is the type of case that tries the souls of liberals, because every fiber of my being suggests that Mr. Phelps and his sick family (the only real “members” of his “church”) should have their mouths duct taped. There behavior and rhetoric is reprehensible, period.

However, if the 1st Amendment means anything, it means that we allow speech to occur which we find obnoxious, even blasphemous, even cruel and inhuman. That’s the nature of the beast. To do otherwise allows for the other side to have purchase to a doctrine that would allow them to silence simple opposition.

There are only two real bases for disallowing speech–speech that endangers life and limb, and speech which promotes immediate violence. Those are pretty thin parameters and indeed they need be. The typical scenarios are shouting “fire” in a crowded theatre, and inciting others to riot in a crowd, somewhere.

I think that Mr. Phelps and his motley crew of ugly might well satisfy the later. The Contrarian supplied the important ingredient here–namely that a funeral creates a place that cannot be “moved.” In other words, those attending must attend at the location of funerals–cemeteries. Thus one cannot “avoid” the hate-spewers.

The haters are inciteful–they carry signs applauding the death of  the subject of the funeral. They are inviting as it were reactions of the most explosive kind. The Contrarian pointed out that many of these military funerals now are attended by bikers whose sole purpose is to protect families from the tiny regiment of vile sign carriers.

Bikers, it seems to me, are rather well-known for their fight first mentality, and if the situation becomes unruly, then I would suggest, real violence can and is likely to ensue.

I’d like the SCOTUS to declare Phelps and company to cease and desist. But, I’d also like the Justices to declare that this case pretty much is limited to its very special facts and falls wholly within the parameters of one of two existing bases for limiting free speech.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Related Articles

• Supreme Court Weighs Free Speech Limits in Military Funeral Case (politics.usnews.com)
• Justices Hear Arguments in Funeral-Protest Case (nytimes.com)

New Feminist Christianity

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Book Reviews, Christianity, church, feminism, feminist liberation theology, Women's issues

In the area of theology, the two that most interest me have always been liberation theology and feminist theology. I was so excited when New Feminist Christianity: Many Voices, Many Views, appeared on my new book list.

I am deeply indebted to SkyLight Paths  Publishing, and Jennifer Rataj specifically, for sending me a copy for review.

This is an anthology, compiled by Mary E. Hunt and Diann L. Neu, of women’s voices in many fields of Christian activity. Theology, biblical studies, liturgy, ministry, ethics, you name it, women are there, making their mark from a distinctly faith-based perspective.

Many of the names I am well familiar with. Women like Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Rosemary Radford Ruether are stellar names in the feminist  Christian world. Others may not be so well-known to the casual reader. And that becomes exciting, since we can learn that women are busy in so many areas we would not have thought.

Each woman was asked to write an essay that generally spoke of their area of interest, what has gone before, what is and what the future appears to be and where it should be heading. If there is one word that describes all, it would be vibrant–the world of women’s issues in Christianity is all that and more.

Of course as one might expect, much of the work these women do is not publicized and that is why it can be quite surprising to find out that feminists are building upon the rich terrain of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, redefining, expanding, and moving forth into the second and now third generation of action and thought in this ever burgeoning field.

It is hard to review an anthology. There is so much to cover, and so much that needs be said. A new language is learned along the way. We learn words like kyriarchy, coined by Schüssler-Fiorenza to encompass all the oppressive social structures faced in traditional Roman Catholic and most Protestant faith traditions. It is an interweaving of sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, colonialism, ageism, and ableism, as well as perhaps more.

We learn that Christian feminists do not simply want to break into what have until now being male bastions of authority and rule, but rather they want to restructure these areas to reflect a community of leadership, authority and gift.

We learn in these pages that women defy category, and insist that there is no “Latina, nor African-American, nor Asian, nor gay” way of looking at things. Trying to place people  into boxes and speak of them and for them in this manner is not helpful but is nothing more than another ism on the spectrum of oppression of all peoples.

Women look in these essays to bringing women’s voice to theological reflection. Much has been done in this area by pioneers of course, and more and more seminaries reflect these new ways of looking, but of course, still more needs be done.

The same can be said of biblical studies where so many have labored so long to tease out the stories of women in the bible, seeking their contributions to preaching and teaching and all the other gifts of the Spirit. Women seek to emulate these oft-times, bare echoes, and through liturgy, give again, true voice to our full heritage as Christians.

For what is announced here in this book, is nothing less than that we are all, male, female, and all the mosaic of human expression in between, enhanced, enriched, and uplifted by recognizing all our gifts in the Spirit.

Women, through dance, theatre, music, and song, through poetry and prose, seek to reclaim and express themselves as true images of God.

This book in a word, is simply delightful. There are hard warnings here in places, and tough analysis, yet the overriding expression is one of hope and excitement. A new generation arises to discover new meanings and new paths to strike forth upon. As is suggested at the end, this will almost certainly turn global and inevitably involved women of non-Christian choice. Buddhists and Hindus, Indigenous women, Sikhs, and Jews will join with their diverse Christian sisters. And we will learn that again, diversity is the norm.

Women bring new ways and new eyes. I can best, I think, show the breadth of the material encompassed herein by a few excerpts. One should also note that the footnotes direct you to endless material for further reading, as does an extensive “further reading” list itself. Whatever your interest, I can assure you, you will find it addressed within these pages. A must read for all women who yearn for a voice in Church.

All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off our necks and permit us to stand upright on the ground which God has designed for us to occupy. (Sarah Grimke’ 1838) quoted by Rosemary Radford Ruether

It [the basileia of G*d] envisions an alternative world free of hunger, poverty, and domination. This “envisioned” world is already anticipated in the inclusive table-community, in the healing and liberating practices, as well as in the domination-free kinship community of the discipleship of equals that found many followers among the poor, the despised, the ill and possessed, the outcasts and sinners. (E. S. F.)

After decades of trying to find one legal, universally applicable definition of what a man is and what a woman is, the International Olympic Committee has given up on sex/gender analysis. (Virginia Ramey Mollenkott)

Bless Sophia, dream the vision, share the wisdom, dwelling deep within. (Jeanette Stokes)

Well, we might come in a-fightin’ ’cause there’s lots that needs a-rightin’,

we’ve learned a lot from livin’ never taught to us in schools.

If they say come in like a man, well they might not understand:

When we enter into the game, we’re gonna change the god-damned rules! (Marjorie Procter-Smith)

But what is obvious to those with eyes to see is that the entire ministerial and ecclesial structure of Roman Catholicism is exclusively male, rigidly hierarchical, suffused with secrecy and deception, and rewarding duplicity. . . .This is the context in which Catholic women will develop and exercise our ministry in the decades and generations to come. (Mary E. Hunt)

To all those who struggle as “other,” this book gives hope. To all those who are part of the problem, learn of the future. Buy it, read it, and rejoice!