Damn.
I made phone calls. I faxed Senators (that was cool, I never faxed before). And I’m proud to say that my New York Senators, and the Senators from my former home state of New Jersey, all voted against cloture. But the inability of the Democrats to even come close to showing solidarity is tragic. I’d be pissed off if I wasn’t so snuffly.
Per Alas (a Blog) I find this article on lack of thinking among partisan men.
It seems if you’re partisan (either Democrat or Republican) then, when faced with a contradiction between your candidate’s words and deeds, you don’t engage the reasoning part of your brain.
Not that I’m surprised.
From Pandagon I learn that Target is doing the right thing, and has fired a pharmacist for refusing to fill a Plan B prescription, and even refusing to refer customers to another pharmacist.
Since I had previously written to complain to Target, I now have written to thank them:
Dear Target:
In choosing to fire a pharmacist for refusing to do her job, Target has done the right thing. I applaud your decision and am happy to shop in my local Target.
Kind regards,
Deborah Lipp
It’s not easy to find contact information, by the way, but through long and arduous menu clicking, I eventually found an email form.
A combination of two stories at AmericaBlog paint a picture of U.S. life inching rapidly towards totalitarianism:
First, a link to a NY Times article about changes in attitudes about using the Internet.
The government has been more aggressive recently in its efforts to obtain data on Internet activity, invoking the fight against terrorism and the prosecution of online crime. A surveillance program in which the National Security Agency intercepted certain international phone calls and e-mail in the United States without court-approved warrants prompted an outcry among civil libertarians. And under the antiterrorism USA Patriot Act, the Justice Department has demanded records on library patrons’ Internet use.
Those actions have put some Internet users on edge, as they confront the complications and contradictions of online life.
…
“It’s scary to think that it may just be a matter of time before Googling will invite an F.B.I. agent to tap your phone or interrogate you,” Ms. Farrell said.
You almost have to ask: If people are nervous about their private reading in their private homes, in what way are we free?
Second, the juxtaposition of two headlines paints a dark picture of priorities in the legal system:
War Protester Sentenced to 6 Months for Damaging Upstate Recruiting Station
vs.
No Prison Time for Soldier Held in Iraqi’s Death
I missed Blog About Choice day yesterday, what with the time limit on using the Internet at the library (yes, the computer is STILL broken grrrrr). Wild Hunt, however, has this totally great collection of quotes about Paganism and Choice that’s worth reading.
Animals groom. It’s instinctive. The Gang of Two lick each other’s heads. Apes pick bugs out of the hair of their closest ape-friends. Personally, I like to pop zits, but I probably shouldn’t broadcast that.
My point is it’s natural, nay, instinctive, to groom. Also it’s fun. Also it feels really good. But grooming has got a bad rap in some circles, because women are expected to do more of it than men, and therefore it is considered a sign of patriarchal oppression. I’m not sure I buy that.
Oh, yes, when a woman must have a level of excellence in her appearance that far exceeds what is expected of a man, and when a lack of that excellence impairs her ability to get ahead, then that is indeed, the patriarchy. I should be able top get the same job as an overweight man. But I just don’t think it’s inherently oppressive to shave my legs.
It’s more likely that the patriarchy makes men afraid to groom, lest they appear feminine, and that’s a big component of why it’s women that groom more. Because women are the “pretty” gender in our species, and because the patriarchy (and its companion, homophobia) forces men to constantly guard their masculinity against the forces of darkness, a large portion of het males think it’s butch to be slobby and smelly.
This explains the popularity of a show like Queer Eye. For all the stereotyping of gays, its ultimate message is that all men can be well-groomed, can smell good, look good, and cook a decent meal, and that it doesn’t make you gay. At the end of each episode, we meet a newly spiffed-up straight guy, still very straight indeed, and yet pretty as a frickin’ picture. The barrier broken down is the homophobia within the straight man; not his fear of the Fab Five, but his fear of himself.
And really, if straight men can accept that grooming won’t make them queer, then I should be able to shave my legs and do my face without accusations of insufficient feminism, dontcha think?
When I’m angry I post a lot. When I’m scared I post less. Right now the Constitution I treasure is like a rug being slipped out from under us, and I’m scared.
Meanwhile, here’s Tom with a fab condensation of the Medicare Part D (Drug Plan) fiasco.
Join the fun. Don’t give up the court.
Last night I watched Roman Holiday. It’s wonderful, it’s glorious, oh my Audrey, blah blah blah.
I have been reading a lot of feminist blogs lately, so issues of gender roles and patriarchal assumptions are much on my mind. I started looking at Roman Holiday through that lens.
» Read more..
Confuse Rick Santorum with Tom Delay? Okay, I know one is a by-product of certain sex acts and one is…not. But every time I read the gorram news I read about one or the other as committing unspeakable acts of evil and greed all over the American people and I dunno, I get mixed up.
