Femisogiwhat?

As I've mentioned before, my brain has an interesting self defense mechanism: it simply refuses to process anything too stupid. My brain reads "I don't have a religion, I have a relationship" as "I blahblahblahblahblah Jesus!"

This can make interacting in real life a little dicey, since I am frequently called upon to react to something I didn't really perceive at all. Usually, I just nod and say something noncommittal. Sure, I totally agree with you that we can achieve the goal of freeing Middle Eastern women by ripping their burqas off them one by one. That makes total sense. Whatever you say.

So you'll have to forgive me for being completely unable to finish Fuzzy Logic's* made up word femisogisomething, because I just can't. I think it means that feminists hate women. Or something. I . . . yeah, sure, whatever you say.

As the right strives to reclaim feminism from the faux feminists on the left, we would do well to learn from their manifold mistakes. As Lori Ziganto reminds us, women "already are equal to men." Feminists on the right understand that our rights, and our equality, do not come from man or from the government. Leftist feminists or, to use Lori's apt term, femisogynists have long held and hard hammered the belief that women are somehow less than men, that we need to stress our similarities while hiding our differences, preferably under shapeless tops, baggy trousers, butch haircuts, and strident rhetoric. They've formulated their concept of "equality" and subsequently tried to force it on society, most significantly on women, cramming all women, especially those who do not fit their idea of what makes a powerful woman, into a one-size-fits-all pigeonhole.

Yes, women have always been inherently equal to men in exactly the same way blacks are inherently equal to whites, but that's not the issue. The issue is whether or not women are treated the same, are given the same opportunities, receive the same protections. If you think that women and men are treated the same and given the same opportunities in this country, in this day and age, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Reality.

So, where do rights come from? God? Have you read the Bible? No, that's right, only atheists read the Bible. Silly me.

Also, um, "shapeless tops, baggy trousers, butch haircuts, and strident rhetoric". I wish I could show you what I am wearing right now. No portion of my outfit is shapeless, baggy or trousers, nor is my haircut . . . butch? Oh, lezbos. They all have buzzcuts. Or something. My pushup bra would just like to say that you're a moran. As would my winged-out eyeliner, my shaved legs and my delightfully purple toenails**.

See, even if your logic is fuzzy, you should know what a Strawman is. You just set one on fire, now come on down and join the actual argument.

The leftist tendency to infringe on the rights and freedoms of American women in favor of embracing and adopting the restrictive practices of other cultures is an ominous one (as in the case of female genital mutilation being permissible in "revised" form as "nicking"). We have won the right to our own bodies and to reject these barbaric, misogynist practices, and that is not a right that I intend to cede. When you see everything through the prism of gender and multiculturalism, you will naturally get a skewed picture, even an incorrect one (we see this also in the leftist insistence on seeing everything through the prism of race).

I saw a lot written about "nicking". It was all written by feminists who were quite opposed to it. We aren't ceding anything. As for seeing everything through the prism of gender and multiculturalism, um, fail. Scroll up a little in your own post and you'll see yourself decrying baggy and trousers and butch, but you don't see gender? Really? As for Teh Evil Multiculturalism: newsflash- other cultures aren't just like ours! I know, it's totally amazing. And it really pisses off women from other cultures when you barge in and say, "Take off the burqa and then it will be cocoa and schnapps for everyone! Yay!"

Just as we in the Western world defend our right as women to be stay-at-home moms (embracing that bane of faux feminists: the image of a woman in the home) or to embrace our beauty and sexuality by not "masculinizing" our appearance (as is all but demanded by femisogynists), shouldn't we also defend Muslim women's right to be who they are . . . even if that includes wearing garb that we deem insulting to women, misogynistic, and oppressive? Shouldn't we avoid dictating women's choices, avoid cramming women into a pigeonhole, albeit a different one than the faux feminists favor? Encouragement to assimilate will do what no law or court order can: enable women to see and embrace the fact that they already are equal to men.

Women choosing to stay at home are not the bane of feminists. Women "in the home" are only the bane of feminists if they have no choice whether or not to stay in the home. Does the fire marshall know about all the strawmen you're setting ablaze? Again, my pencil skirt would like to have a word with your about masculanizing my appearance, feminsowhatever that I am.

Encouragement to assimilate will do what no law or court order can: enable women to see and embrace the fact that they already are equal to men. This follows a screed about a Muslim victim of sexual assault being required to remove her niqab while in court. How this relates to femisostfu, I have no idea. I guess "fuzzy logic" means "whatever I write will eventually descend into a brown people bashing session". Also, how will assimilating into a patriarchal society that still can't quite decide whether women can be trusted with their own bodies or not teach anyone that women are equal to men?

Logic: Ur doin it rong.

*My brain is also reading "Fuzzy Logic" as "Get Fuzzy", which I really enjoy. So I'm actually feeling pretty positive about the whole thing.

**The exact color of grape Nerds!

pic link

Imagine That

bible, religion, justice, poverty, religious, right,

I'm not sure why I'm supposed to be shocked by this:

Only 13 percent of Americans surveyed by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Bible Society was able to correctly credit the Bible as the source of Proverbs 31:8-9, the Contemporary English Version of which states: “You must defend those who are helpless and have no hope. Be fair and give justice to the poor and homeless.”

I do not think this is an example of the sort of ignorance that keeps people from correctly identifying their own country on a map. I think this is a direct result of decades of the Religious Right villifying welfare, food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, immigrants (legal and otherwise), blacks, gays, and anyone else not them.

Right now, 45,000,000 of their fellow countrymen lack health insurance and are suffering for it. And the Religious Right lies about death panels and rationing. Bring up the poor and you'll be treated to a tirade about welfare queens. They froth at the mouth when gay rights come up and have equated law-abiding gays with pedophiles in TV ad after TV ad.

All this and they expect us to associate fairness and justice with the same Bible they're beating us over the heads with? Good luck with that.

Debunking the Debunking

environmentalism, global warming, climate change, the story of stuff, right, indoctrination, communism, socialism,
If you're like me, and have no real concern for the state of your heart or brain cells, you spend a lot time on conservative sites/blogs. Which means you've seen a lot of hysterical demagoguery concerning The Story of Stuff.

Basically, The Story of Stuff is a 20 minute video on the effects of human consumption, told in a child-friendly format. Of course, the right views this as "indoctrination" into communism by the left. Because we're all communists and we hate stuff. In fact, I don't even have stuff at my house. I don't even have a house. Good little communist that I am, I live in a field and eat off the land. Which makes it a little hard to explain this blog, but as a communist, I don't actually have to explain things.

What I can't figure out is, what parent wouldn't like to hear a little less "Mommy/Daddy/Whatever- buy me that! And that! And that, too!" As [redacted] pointed out, understanding that there is no cellphone fairy who magically provides batteries that never drain or die, and no magic involved in cell towers, and what all exactly is behind all of our "stuff" is apparently INDOCTRINATION now.

If the little boy's reaction in the New York Times' article is typical, The Story of Stuff is an excellent video.

And many children who watch it take it to heart: riding in the car one day with his parents in Tacoma, Wash., Rafael de la Torre Batker, 9, was worried about whether it would be bad for the planet if he got a new set of Legos.

“When driving by a big-box store, you could see he was struggling with it,” his father, David Batker, said. But then Rafael said, “It’s O.K. if I have Legos because I’m going to keep them for a very long time,” Mr. Batker recalled.

Exactly, Rafael. That isn't just environmental good sense, that's economic good sense, too. Instead of 100 cheap plastic toys (imported from China, no less), get one great toy you'll play with for years.

Now why is the right opposed to that kind of thinking?

Derailing for Dummies

dna, derailing, dummies, minority, privileged, homophobia, homosexual, gay, feminism, funny, religious, right,
Not sure how to maintain your Privileged Person(tm) status against all those Marginalized Persons(tm)? Read Derailing for Dummies, your guide to conversational dominance! (DNA, I'm looking at you!)

Not a Christian Nation

christian, nation, christianity, religious, right, tripoli, treaty, us
The Religious Right is in love with the idea that the US is a "christian nation". Read any sufficiently fundamentalist blog/message board/"news" site, and you'll see that phrase more than once. In fact, you'll also see a great deal about "returning" the US to the "christian principals the country was founded upon".

The arguments are many, but mostly revolve around two ideas: (1) the Founding Fathers were Christians, and (2) many of the Ten Commandments are found in the US Criminal Code.

I could argue the above 2 points until somebody's cow comes home, but I don't need to. I have the US Treaty With Tripoli. Written in 1796, read aloud in its entirety to the Senate in 1797, and personally approved by John Adams, Article 11 clearly states:

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion

So there you have it. We are not, nor were we ever, a "christian nation".

Accidental Wisdom

right, religious, religion, palin, christian, abstinence, sex, teen, mother
Every now and then you see someone achieve wisdom, perhaps without even knowing it. Such is the case in the following rant from the Rapture Ready message boards.

Original post:

Cellophane: Teen abstinance unrealistic say's Bristol Palin
I'm surprised this hasn't been here yet!

Quote:
So says Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, who told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Monday night that the abstinence her mom preaches is "not realistic at all."

Bristol Palin, who gave birth in late December, described the rigors of being a teen mom, and while she wouldn't go into detail why it isn't realistic for guys and gals her age not to have sex, she did say it isn't smart to get knocked up.

"Everyone should wait 10 years," Palin said. "I hope people learn from my story. It's so much easier if you're married, have a house and career. It's not a situation you want to strive for."

She denied that her mother's anti-abortion views were the reason she went ahead with the pregnancy."It was my choice to have the baby," she said. "It doesn't matter what my mom's views are on it. It was my decision."

I'm not surprised that wasn't on the RR message boards before. Sarah Palin is their hero: fundamentalist, pro life, wife, mother to 5 children, dumb as a rock.

This post has so far generated 3 pages of replies, but it's this exchange started by Felixthecat that I find interesting.

Felixthecat: Well we do't have Palin family values in this household. If Sarah and her husband can't raise their own family properly, I sure don't want her as my President which is also a postion of leadership ... .I like Paul ... and his requirements for positions of leadership ... home life had to be lived as an example and that included the kiddies ... .

This is exactly what liberal critics of the religious right have been saying all along. Don't preach about everybody else when your own actions are exactly the same as those you preach about. (Felixthecat is not a troll. He/She has been posting regularly, in accordance with all the rest, for as long as I've been following the RR message boards.)

HeIsEnough (a SUPER Moderator!): That's really only in reference to leadership in the body of Christ, which is a higher calling than even the President of the United States, imo. So you only need to practice what you preach if you are a minister? Presidents shouldn't be expected to live up to their own morals? I bet that's exactly the tune SuperMod would sing if Obama were caught en flagrante.

Howdy: So easy to judge

felixthecat then achieves wisdom, perhaps accidentally: Oh, so Christians aren't to strive for what are His values? Since when is this true?

So a politician who openly claims to be a politician doesn't have to live what they believe? Where in the Bible are politicians excluded from this? I missed that.When any person takes on a public office they are being judged. We are to make judgement calls. THAT is in my Bible.

How they live and what their values and beliefs are are reflected in their lifestyle choices. How they raise their family shows their values and beliefs in action and how well they manage others.

To be brutally blunt I am so tired of Christianty used as a club to silence people like me when hypocrisy is pointed out. I am so tired of leaders of either stripe claiming to be "Christians" and leading lives that are very unChristian.

This kind of unChristian living hurts Christianity. It makes Christianity laughable. It fuels disbelief and cynicism.

Next you'll hear ... "no one is perfect". Of course that's true but many do a significantly better job than others and are more credible as authority figures and better suited for leadership in a church or politics.

Teen pregnancy is a MAJOR problem. Not all teens get pregnant. And here you have a duaghter proclaiming that it is impossible to have self control when it comes to sex. Now what does this say about "family values"? Or even "family values" from a Christian standpoint? Has abstaining just become a campaign slogan to recruit social conservatives? Is it I say one thing and my family lives another and that's fine?I'm a wierdo.

If someone claims to be a Christian, I want Christian family values promoted and lived by the person claiming to be a Christian. I YEARN for someone, male or female that can LIVE Christian values in the political arena. I'd like to see a Christian run, win and show how Christian family values DO WORK and see it in their family. THAT would be the example I'd like in a leader - secular or "religious".I know the media says otherwise ... but it is really true that Christian PARENTS can make a huge difference in the life of their kids. Parents teach them right from wrong. It is PARENTS that have the most impact. When they aren't around much ... trouble brews.

Getting back to the Bible, Paul also talks about the obligation to the family if a person serves Him directly. Often "saving souls" and "missionary work" is used as an excuse to NEGLECT their own family. I see lots of that going on ... . For what? Fame? Self game? It's not worth it.

wow. I'm used to that sort of stunning indictment- from the left, from atheists, not from fundamentalist christians. felixthecat is absolutely right. Abstinence, prolife, family values, etc are just campaign slogans used to secure votes. I've never seen anyone on the right actually notice before.

note: I am not blaming Sarah Palin for her daughter's behavior, nor am I judging Bristol Palin's decisions. However, the blatant hypocrisy of the right setting themselves up as the ultimate arbiters of "family values" is just plain wrong.

Mike Pence: Proving that the Right Just Doesn't Get It

Mike Pence, R-Indiana, was elected the chairman of the House Republican Conference, apparently for his amazing plan to lead the Republiscum out of the wilderness. After reading his op-ed for the Washington Times, I have come to the conclusion that unless Obama starts sacrificing kittens on the White House lawn, he has nothing to worry about come 2012.

On Election Day we won, you lost! that never gets old., only 22 percent of Americans described themselves as liberal i wonder how "liberal" was defined, given what else happened on election day, even while electing the most liberal, one-party government in American history. it was good when we elected the most conservative, one-party government in 2000, but bad when we elected a liberal government in 2008. why? we certainly couldn't do worse than Bushco. We remain essentially a center-right nation. This meme is gathering traction in republican circles, but it clearly isn't true. If we were a center-right nation, why did we elect the "most liberal, one-party government in American history"? Cognitive dissonance, anyone?

So, what happened? do tell. I believe Republicans walked away from the principles that minted our governing majority in 1980 and 1994 torture? deregulation? empire building?. There is a way out of the wilderness yes! he totally said wilderness. i wrote the first paragraph before i even saw this! i am made of win!. But it will require humility BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA good luck with that, vision and good luck with that, positive alternatives hee hee! and a willingness to fight yeah, republiscums always got plenty of that for what makes America (check out the Washington Times' random link)great. Could we please stop calling this country "America"? Have you never seen a globe? "America" could be North America-Canada, US, Mexico, etc.-, Central America- hello, Nicuragua!- or South America-Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, etc. It quite pisses off other citizens of the Americas that we have hijacked that word. It's the US, we are USians. (pronounced you-ess-ee-ins)

First, Republicans must admit that we lost our way DUH!. After 1994, we were a majority committed to a balanced federal budget, entitlement reform entitlement, by the way, is feeding children and giving sick people medicine. we could call that a lot of things, but "entitlement" makes it sound bad, like "welfare queen" and advancing the principles of a limited federal government which basically amounts to tax breaks for huge corporations and no food for children. But recently Republicans voted to expand the federal government's role in education damn those literate poor people!, created the largest new entitlement in 40 years damn those hungry people wanting to eat! and pursued spending policies that created record deficits, national debt and the largest corporate bailout in American history ok, the bailouts are getting silly. While Democrats continued and expanded these spending excesses over the past two years along with republicans. he makes it sound like the repuliscum were innocent bystanders after 2006, voters were obviously not done punishing Republicans for our departure from principles over the past eight or the Iraq War, or the economic meltdown. I think Mr. Pence is a little confused about what we punished the republiscum for. Big-government Republicanism is a failed political experiment Again, Mr. Pence clearly doesn't understand what the average USian is pissed off about. When Republicans admit this , we will take an important first step toward renewing our credibility with our natural governing majority. Taking a page from AA, I see.

Second, Republicans must propose new solutions to today's challenges based upon timeless principles. Timeless? How long has representative democracy been around? How about the US? Weren't we founding in, I dunno, 17something? Republicans will succeed when we present the American people a positive, conservative vision in vivid contrast to the big-government liberalism of the new, one-party government. You could start by recognizing that we are clearly NOT a center-right country. That would be helpful. Republicans must return to defending our nation from what, Iraqis halfway across the world? Catch me some bin Laden and I might take you seriously. Ask McCain how, he knows., our treasury our treasury is under attack? and our values Pence's values and my values clearly have nothing in common. He cares most about what consenting adults do in their bedrooms, I care about starving people and getting health care to everyone. I'm pretty sure what Mr. Pence has are not values so much as obessessions, and possibly closets. with everything we've got.

We must be the party of open and honest government Dick Cheney had the Naval Observatory (where the VP lives) blurred on Google Images. I don't think the republiscum have any idea what open and honest means, let alone a desire to enact these ideas., reaffirming our commitment to public integrity doesn't "re" in front of a word imply doing something again? and demanding the highest ethical standards BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA in the service of the American people. We must again again with the agains for things that never happened once! embrace the notion that Republicans seek the majority not simply to govern but to change government for the better. We are the true agents of change. Democrats just want to have wild hooker and drug parties. With rock stars. And actors. Page 24, line 16 of the Liberal Agenda.

We must develop new strategies for strengthening our armed forces stop needlessly wasting them in wars we shouldn't be involved in? and homeland security pay attention to the intelligence you get, and stop making up the intelligence you want?, and be willing to oppose any effort to use our military for nation-building IRAQ WAR or progressive social experimentation letting gay people just admit they're gay. it's so very wrong.. We must again be the party of economic growth. "again" means more than once, or repeating what happened before. Is Mr. Pence aware of this? The American people Chileans or Mexicans? know we cannot borrow, spend and bail our way back to a growing economy. Shutting off the tap won't work, either. See: President Hoover and the Great Depression. Republicans must offer alternatives for restoring growth through tax relief the difference between a 36% tax rate and a 39% tax rate? not much., expanded trade, spending discipline whips and ball gags! and no more government bailouts.

We must detail our alternatives to Democratic plans to raise taxes and expand the federal government the alternative to that would be not to raise taxes and not to expand the federal government. hey, I can lead the GOP! of course, so could my dog. in education, health care and entitlements health care for everyone is Teh Evil! let the poor people suffer and die, then we won't have to give them those dirty entitlements like food and heat. fucking bastards always freezing to death. You can burn money for warmth, you know! . Ideas like a balanced budget amendment the worst possible move right now, school-choice vouchers

we're taking a little break here. school choice vouchers as education reform drives me bonkers! here's why. I live in the only Pennsylvania Blue-Ribbon School district in my city. The elementary school by my house is one of the best in the state. Other schools in the area range between barely acceptable and appallingly bad. Suppose, rather than fixing the other schools, the local School Board just gave every parent school choice vouchers. what do you suppose would happen? Every single child would automatically be enrolled in the one good school in the city. The children wouldn't just be sitting on the floor due to lack of desks, they would have to be strapped to the walls and ceiling.

School choice vouchers seem like a good idea, but they are not a solution to the problem with education in this country. It's just another damn right wing slogan that sounds good and fixes nothing.

, health savings accounts if you don't have the money in the first place, like me, you can't save it toward health care spending. if we switched from health insurance to HSAs at work, I would die. Not an exaggeration. I would no longer be able to afford my medication, would have a porphyric attack, and die. and welfare reform at this point, the only left to do to welfare is to kick everyone off of it- right in the middle of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. Nice.should take center stage in the Republican agenda. And we must have a vision for defending the cherished values of life and marriage bigotry! whenever they come under attack from the courts, the new administration or congressional liberals. We hate marriage and life!

Notice how none of these ideas are new? Not a one. He's just recycling old Republiscum propaganda from 1984 and 1996. That's it. They didn't work then and they won't work now. I don't mean in terms of getting Republicans elected, I mean in terms of solving any of the problems facing the US. Think about it, the Republicans controlled the government from 2000-2006. Abortion is still legal. So, what exactly is it Republicans are doing for "life" again?

Third, Republicans need to take our vision and agenda to every American regardless of race, creed or past political affiliations. Giving up the racist elements of the GOP would be a good idea. Our party was forged in a war over the principle of equality of opportunity and we need to return to its vigorous defense. The Democrats offer a vision of hope based on increased dependency and welfare-state politics. Sick people won't have to die! Republicans must go to every community even those brown-skinned ones and offer a better hope my hope is better than your hope! built on equality of opportunity, personal responsibility and the desire of every citizen to live the American dream unfettered by high taxes and government red tape. that was the written equivalent of whiplash. Equality of opportunity and responsibility. That's gonna be a hard sell.

Finally, Republicans must be the loyal opposition. We will support the president and his party in Congress whenever principle permits us to do so never!. And we will respectfully oppose we won't call him the "n" word the administration and the liberal Democratic majority every time consistency to principle demands yeah, we're filibustering the lunch order. But we cannot make the next two years merely a battle between Democrats and Republicans at some point, we'll have to sleep. We must make the next two years a debate about what makes America great and whether we are still a land of opportunity for everyone willing to dream big and work hard or whether we have accepted a slow decline into European-style paternalism. it's your damn fault you're not rich. We must make the next two years an honest debate over the government's role in our lives and how we can best preserve the freedom and material blessings of this nation for ourselves and our children's children. you'll have lots, because we're cutting of the birth control!

If Democrats are true to their campaign promises, Republicans will have the opportunity to take a stand on behalf of the American people - to give Americans more access to American oil because what we need is more oil dependency, to preserve secret-ballot elections in the workplace no, really, we like unions!, to defeat Fairness Doctrine censorship on the airwaves of talk radio not actually an issue and to defeat any effort to overturn reasonable restrictions on abortion at the state level. In these battles, Republicans can be on the side of everyday Americans like our maids, fighting to preserve their freedoms, their prosperity and their values.

Republicans have an opportunity to redefine our party with humility, vision, policy alternatives and a willingness to fight for the priorities and values of everyday Americans. good luck with that