...and disappointment sets in

When it comes to politicians, I should learn to never get my hopes up. See previous post about the promise of a feminist president and his amazing words about helping to create a healthy America (and world) for women...but it turns out, they are just words and he is still a politician first and a feminist...oh, say tenth or eleventh.

Family planning is not a dirty word! Family planning is something that people of privilege (read: politicians) take completely for granted, but could mean the difference between literally life and death for some. Or the difference between a young woman continuing college instead of embarking into motherhood in her early 20s. It could mean the difference between a high school girl getting a safe abortion instead of giving birth to an unwanted baby at home, alone. It could mean the difference between a family of four ending up on the street because they don't have health care and can't afford their medical bills. Or teens learning the truth about their bodies and their choices for contraception.

It means all these things and so much more, but a chunk of change called, "The Medicaid Family Planning State Option" was cut from the economic stimulus package by Obama's request. The Republicans were calling the money for women's health care and family planning "pork." Nice. And so he caved. And the Democrats caved. So it was cut from the bill and not one Republican voted for it anyway. Great commentary by Ruth Rosen over at Religion Dispatches:

So, poor women who want reproductive health care and contraception are both “pork” and a “distraction.” Is this the change we have dreamed about?

This is What a Feminist (President) Looks Like

Can I even say how happy this made me? Before the election, my friend Amie asked me what I wanted or expected out of a Democratic Presidential candidate in terms of women's healthcare and reproductive rights. I said all I wanted was them to acknowledge that these are issues to be addressed. That was it. Never in a million years did I think that I would hear that my health, my access to contrception and abortion, my daughter's right to make choices about her own body were important to the President. But here it is, loud and clear.

"On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.

While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.

On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere."

--President Barack Obama

Making the world better in about an hour

I watched these two speeches yesterday and it took about an hour and I feel like a better person for having listened to their smart, smart words.

First, Dave Eggers who started the first of the 826s, which is the organization that I work for. They finally put his TED speech up on the TED blog. Unfortunately, they cut out the part about 4 of the other 826 locations (which Seattle is one) but the idea and the tone and the inspiration are there.



Second, Barack Obama, who dares to make me feel hopeful about this country. This is the first time in my life I felt like a politician was speaking to me like a real human being. Not condescending, not making it fit for sound bytes, not catering to the whims of the media for better spin. The first time in my life. I will vote for him even though the Republicans will steal the election again anyway.

Required Reading

Today in the NY Times there is an op-ed by seven soldiers stationed in Iraq. It should be required reading for every senator and congressperson.

The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework...

We are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day...

Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise...

What hits me the hardest in this piece is that these military "grunts" (their word, not mine) speak more eloquently, truthfully, and factually and realistically than anyone I have heard yet.

They close the letter with a line that I think is most important of their message:

We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.

Translation: All you assholes saying that telling the TRUTH about where we are in this quagmire is bad for troop morale are full of shit and you offend us with your condescension.

The question is, will anyone listen?

Sicko

Cross posted from my movie blog:

Jon and I left this movie feeling really angry. As per his usual, Moore tries to make it funny, and entertaining, but we are in a dire situation in this country and it is already so out of hand that it will never be fixed.

Several people in the film are asked if we have any chance of catching up to the rest of the "westernized" world and providing free health care to all -- to take care of our citizens -- to have free house calls and free nannies for newborns and mandatory paid maternity leave -- but they all agree it is not possible. If we are sick and poor or out of work due to illness and beaten down then we won't worry that the government is wire-tapping, torturing and lying to us. That is how the US government wants us.

Even Barack, folks.

He too wants us scared and quiet.

Corporations own our health care system (which isn't a system at all!) and their employees get bonuses for denying coverage to sick people. Citizens of other countries can't believe that we would turn away people who cannot pay. Are we heartless? Cruel?

Yes and yes.

When you question the president, Tinkerbell dies

Bill Maher wrote the following funny editorial. I hate it when he's right because he's such a prick, but I almost always agree with him.

New shit has come to light...

From Peek -- Horrific and sad....and completely related to my post from this morning. The fact that a principal of a high school in New York thinks that the word vagina is offensive is of the exact same stuff as the fact that men in Iraq in the army think it's not important to protect or defend women from rape. Get it?

Shin, Armpit, Little Toe, Vagina, Forehead...

Let's get one thing fucking straight: My girly body parts are not dirty, shameful or inappropriate for children. I'm not talking about pictures of vaginas (which aren't necessarily any of the above), any sort of sexual context or making anyone discuss vaginas against their will. I am talking about the WORD vagina, which names a part of the human body.

I am not surprised by this story at all. Sadly, I'm not even disappointed because I would absolutely expect nothing less. Three high school students in NY are possibly facing suspension for saying the word "vagina" in the context of a reading of "The Vagina Monologues." Their principal is a man. Big surprise. His name is Dick. I am not kidding.

The three students are on the Today Show this morning with Eve Ensler. Meredith handled herself with the usual airheaded idiocy. "But children were going to be present." I love that the president of the school board (also on the show) said that he has no problem with the word vagina and has heard it more in the last few days than ever before.

The point here is not if they get suspended or not, although, it would be an injustice. The point here is that there was even a question that the word in the context of an empowering phrase in a monologue that includes the word vagina may be offensive to hear. Ridiculous.

I think this point is well explained in the words, of Maude Lebowski. Let's consult the text:

MAUDE
My art has been commended as being
strongly vaginal. Which bothers
some men. The word itself makes
some men uncomfortable. Vagina.




DUDE
Oh yeah?


MAUDE
Yes, they don't like hearing it and
find it difficult to say. Whereas
without batting an eye a man will
refer to his "dick" or his "rod" or
his "Johnson".

As an aside, my godson Elijah, who was about five at the time and who says his r's with a little difficulty, overheard me quoting the above passage. He responded matter-of-factly: "I don't have any twouble saying vagina, but I do have a little twouble with my r's."

Amen, Elijah. You're the product of feminist parents. Should all children be so lucky. Obviously Principal Dick's parents weren't.

Joel Stein and me -- no yellow magnets for our cars

Joel's article for the LA Times has created some waves...

My aunt sent me the article and this is my response to her.

Thanks for including me on the "short list" for the Joel Stein article. I agree with his sentiment wholeheartedly. Especially the part about bringing them home and taking care of them. It's not something that you usually see in any mainstream media source. Not being familiar with his writing, I don't know his usual tone, but I figure that he wrote it in the tone he did to be purposely incendiary. Get people talking, make a wave...it seems to have worked. I read several progressive news websites and they all mentioned it. The biggest trouble with that approach is that you won't bring anyone to the middle to agree on anything...your supporters will say, fuck yeah! and your detractors will say, fuck you! and the conversation is over.

I have long said that I don't "Support the Troops". Not only because I do not believe in military answers to our troubles but also in that they chose a job that in my perfect world, no one would sign up for. I have a thought that with a draft, we would have a much more equal pool of Americans (not so many poor minorities) signed up, and thus reduce support for any conflict unless absolutely necessary...