...they don't like women. At least, the women who aren't on their clubby little approval list.
I bowed out of the feminist movement early. I thought the movement was about choice for women: opening up job opportunities for females should they choose (through personal want or dire need) to enter the workplace. But for those who wanted to enjoy the traditional role of mother or wife, her choice would be honored as well.
I discovered that was not the case, much to my dismay. Feminists derided women who still chose to work in traditional positions. I was and am one of those women who enjoy serving in the traditional role. When I was teaching elementary school I also chose to stay at home in the summers and be a wife. If I had had children, I would have stayed home to rear them. Those choices are not kosher to the militant 'break the glass ceiling' kind of feminists who think that any sentence with the word 'serve' in it means the person who uttered it is a moron.
For women like Sarah Palin, who hold traditional values (I mean biblically traditional, not secularly traditional: valuing life, staying married, rearing family personally, and loving Jesus) I am pleased to see that they are also successful in the public forum. Palin believes "that women can balance family life with ambitious careers," something I thought the feminist movement was supportive of. Of her pregnancy while being Governor, Palin had said, "To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time," she said, "I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave." But feminists like Steinem disavow any support for women like Palin and that is why ultimately I became disenchanted with the feminist movement.
It is too bad that the feminist movement has secret strings attached. If you sign on, you must seek a high-powered career, not one that involves staying at home. If you sign on, you must be a Democrat, not a Republican. Gloria Steinem, poster-woman for the feminist movement, said this week of Palin:
"She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality. She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women's wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves "abstinence-only" programs ..." So when did these positions get relegated to the second class status in Ms. Steinem's club? Who says a majority believe them? Why are Palin's positions somehow not acceptable, but Steinem's are? Finally, why do Palin's positions deserve derision from the very movement that offered women a place to promote them in the public spheres?
Steinem goes on to say "we" women owe much to "Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White House." Reader, understand that Chisholm was listed and lauded by the feminists because she was a Democrat. Steinem and other feminists who deride Palin forget the accomplishments of women like Margaret Chase Smith:
"Former Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Maine's First Lady, is perhaps best known for her contribution to the well being of the United States and its people with her consistent stand for the condemnation of bigotry and injustice wherever she found it. Her stand against "McCarthyism" in the early 1950's marked her outstanding courage and devotion to conscience and justice."
"Margaret Chase Smith is the only woman elected to serve in both houses of Congress. She was first elected to the House of Representatives from the Second District of Maine in 1940. In 1948, Mrs. Smith was elected to the United States Senate by an overwhelming margin. She received the greatest total vote majority in Maine history."
"In 1954, when Senator Smith was re-elected to a second term in the Senate, she received the most votes of all candidates for all offices. In the primary that year, she set a new record for the total number of votes received in a contested primary, a great illustration to all women that gender is not an obstacle if one is willing to work hard and be honest. In 1966, the Senator repeated her record."
"Senator Smith put her name at the forefront of women's achievements that have significantly improved the lives of women when, at the Republican Convention in 1964, her name was placed in nomination for the President of the United States. This is the first time a woman had been so nominated by a major political party."
Gee. And nary a mention by Ms. Steinem. But not surprising: Chase was a Republican.
To be a feminist you have to believe only certain things, behave a certain way, subscribe to certain mores. And here I thought all that went out with the Victorian era.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Scenes at Comer
Dusk of a summer evening at Comer GA
Ship to nowhere
Flowers blooming in September, nice.
Yard art
Evening light is pretty
Shadow leaves
Neighborhood cat at gnarled tree root
Birdhouse at edge of yard
Ship to nowhere
Flowers blooming in September, nice.
Yard art
Evening light is pretty
Shadow leaves
Neighborhood cat at gnarled tree root
Birdhouse at edge of yard
Friday, September 05, 2008
Thrift shop score!
The Gholston Stand Variety opened up and on the tilted front porch they always have baby booster seats and carriages. I thought that the inside would be similar. It's not!They arranged things well inside, with like items together. It was neatly done and lots of interesting things to look at. I found a small toaster oven for $5. I wanted small because my kitchen is small. A sweet pair of crystal salt N pepper shakers for 50 cents. Two boxes of antique greeting cards for 50 cents each.
And a Lagostina Teapot for FIVE DOLLARS!
Do you know Lagostina? Lagostina is high-end Italian cookware featuring an aluminum core sandwiched between 18/10 stainless steel. Known for Italian design flair, including rounded shapes and double-loop handles, which are connected to the pots with welding rather than rivets. High end, high cost. A teapot would be about $100-150!! What a good find.
See, this is why I love thrift shopping. Tomorrow my friend and I are going yard sale-ing again. I am on the trail of a small shelving unit. And a small clear vase. That's it. Really.Anyway, I have a deadline. I have to be back for The Closer at 10. I missed it Monday night and they repeat it on the weekend. How could I have missed my favorite show?? So glad I can see it tomorrow. Ahhh, good plans for a good day.
Pretty huh?
Oprah Palin Obama update
OPRAH'S STATEMENT: "The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue. [see below] There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At the beginning of this Presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over."From Oprah's slideshow captioning past shows:
Oprah has one more question for Senator Obama. "If you ever would decide to run within the next five years…would you announce on this show?" she asks. "I don't think I could say no to you," Senator Obama says. "Oprah, you're my girl."
I dont mind if she has Palin on or doesn't have Palin on. Oprah should at least be honest about her bias though. And consistent in her stances.
That's what happens when TV people mix politics and work: Oprah's dilemma
Oprah, champion of women everywhere...like Diablo Cody who appeared on the Oprah show in January 2008. Just 6 months before Diablo sat down to write "Juno" Diablo was working as a stripper in Minnesota. Oprah was impressed by Cody's witty dialogue and by the film feeling "so fresh"... Sooo, a stripper writing about teen sexual activity and pregnancy is invited to the show without hesitation, but not the working mom of five whose daughter is actually living out most of the Juno script, and even one better by keeping the baby, marrying, and raising it herself.
Oprah, supporter of the little person, the schlepping stiff, the working mom, like this "Suburban Mother Supporting Her Children By Stripping" who appeared on the show in February 2008:
"Marian married at 29 and had 3 children, but divorced at 38 and began raising her children alone. At 43, Marian from Atlanta is now divorced. She looks like a typical suburban mom during the day, but plays the character "Charlie" at an upscale gentleman's club stripping at night. Marian dances 3 nights a week at the club and is able to have time to herself and plenty of time at home with her kids." Marian is invited to the show to tell about having time to spend with her children because she strips at night, but not 44 year old Sarah from Wasilla who married her high school sweetheart and stayed married to him and raised five children and as far as we know never bared her body for money but did join the PTA to make her kids' education better. EGAD! Not HER!
Or Carson Kressley, host of the new Lifetime Network show How to Look Good Naked, on the show also in February 2008, a man who works with women to help them love their bodies. After 4 years of helping straight guys find style on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Carson is ready to take on his "perception revolution."
But heaven forbid that Oprah's invitation could legitimize the 'perception' that Sarah Palin is a normal mom and wife who rose through the political ranks to what could now be the highest office women have ever held in this country. Let me think about this one, Oprah sayz:
BIG DILEMMA: OPRAH BALKS AT HOSTING SARAH PALIN; STAFF DIVIDED
Fri Sep 05 2008 08:55:46 ET
Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America -- but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket!
Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
"Half of her staff really wants Sarah Palin on," an insider explains. "Oprah's website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama."
One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!
It is not clear if Oprah has softened her position after watching Palin's historic convention speech.
Last year, Winfrey blocked an appearance by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, timed to a promotional tour of his autobiography.
Oprah and executive producer Sheri Salata, who has contributed thousands of dollars to Obama's campaign, refused requests for comment.
Developing..
Oprah, supporter of the little person, the schlepping stiff, the working mom, like this "Suburban Mother Supporting Her Children By Stripping" who appeared on the show in February 2008:
"Marian married at 29 and had 3 children, but divorced at 38 and began raising her children alone. At 43, Marian from Atlanta is now divorced. She looks like a typical suburban mom during the day, but plays the character "Charlie" at an upscale gentleman's club stripping at night. Marian dances 3 nights a week at the club and is able to have time to herself and plenty of time at home with her kids." Marian is invited to the show to tell about having time to spend with her children because she strips at night, but not 44 year old Sarah from Wasilla who married her high school sweetheart and stayed married to him and raised five children and as far as we know never bared her body for money but did join the PTA to make her kids' education better. EGAD! Not HER!
Or Carson Kressley, host of the new Lifetime Network show How to Look Good Naked, on the show also in February 2008, a man who works with women to help them love their bodies. After 4 years of helping straight guys find style on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Carson is ready to take on his "perception revolution."
But heaven forbid that Oprah's invitation could legitimize the 'perception' that Sarah Palin is a normal mom and wife who rose through the political ranks to what could now be the highest office women have ever held in this country. Let me think about this one, Oprah sayz:
BIG DILEMMA: OPRAH BALKS AT HOSTING SARAH PALIN; STAFF DIVIDED
Fri Sep 05 2008 08:55:46 ET
Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America -- but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket!
Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
"Half of her staff really wants Sarah Palin on," an insider explains. "Oprah's website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama."
One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!
It is not clear if Oprah has softened her position after watching Palin's historic convention speech.
Last year, Winfrey blocked an appearance by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, timed to a promotional tour of his autobiography.
Oprah and executive producer Sheri Salata, who has contributed thousands of dollars to Obama's campaign, refused requests for comment.
Developing..
"Historical Marine Ecology"
A recent issue of Smithsonian Magazine has an article about historical marine ecology. It is a fascinating new way to look at the ocean's bounty from a historical perspective. Ecologists and marine biologists look at photographs, newspaper accounts, ships' logs, cannery records etc to estimate the quantity of fish that used to live in the sea. Especially compelling were the triptych of photographs that showed proud catches off Key West in 1958 when prize Goliath grouper were as big as the man that caught them, the second photo showing white margate from 1983 as big as a breadbox, and then 2007 with snappers resembling minnows. The Goliath grouper is now endangered and there are only a very few lucky fishermen who land a margate any more.
Historical research fascinates me and I'd love nothing better than to spend hours in dusty stacks in some obscure library somewhere. With the advent of the internet I'd thought that style of research was diminishing, at least for researchers who want to study the recent past and not ancient documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Above photo from here
But comparing photos and records to the present day reality is a great way to establish benchmarks of where we've been...and where we're headed.
Below photo from here
Historical research fascinates me and I'd love nothing better than to spend hours in dusty stacks in some obscure library somewhere. With the advent of the internet I'd thought that style of research was diminishing, at least for researchers who want to study the recent past and not ancient documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Above photo from here
But comparing photos and records to the present day reality is a great way to establish benchmarks of where we've been...and where we're headed.
Below photo from here
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Palin for President
I loved her! I watched the entire speech and roared in delight. I loved when she said that when she became Governor she immediately dispensed with some of the accouterments "that were over the top," she said. "I didn't need the luxury jet." Pause. "I put it on eBay."
Woo-hoo, Go Sarah! And this rejoinder to her perceived lack of experience, which is actually more than Obama's:
"And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
She can do everything from field dress a moose to bust up the Good Ole Boy network, and do it in heels. My kind of woman. If she runs in 2012, she has my vote.
The UK Sun posted the following this morning. I concur completely.
Palin strikes back at critics
A WEEK ago nobody had ever heard of her. Today she is the most talked-about woman in the world. And with good reason.
Sarah Palin's sensational performance at the Republican Party Convention may turn out to be the tipping point of this rollercoaster American election. Obama fans hoping she would fluff her big night were in for a nasty shock.
This speech has turned the election upside down. It was simply stunning. Democrats and their Lefty media backers had been sneering that she was a small town nobody, a hick from the Alaskan sticks put into a job way beyond an inexperienced woman.
Believe me, you will not be hearing that again.
Palin turned out to be an electrifying mix of intelligence, passion, energy, optimism and plain speaking. Full of self-assurance and aggression, she popped Barack's balloon big-time.
From the moment she walked on stage in this cavernous bear pit, bandbox smart in cream jacket, trim black skirt and black heels, she proved that John McCain knew exactly what he was doing when he picked her as running mate.
Hair piled into a slight beehive – more Sarah White House than Amy Winehouse – she blinked and smiled behind her geeky spectacles as the vast crowd went ballistic.
For an unpopular party divided over Iraq and struggling to compete with Obama's Messianic glamour, the choice of Palin looks absolutely inspired. Main Street America will have loved her performance.
And it was seen by 30million voters – the greatest number ever to watch a candidate for the much-derided VP post. She is popular with voters for the very reason America's snooty political establishment despises her: She isn't one of the Washington gang.
She's a moose-hunting mum of five with a sledge-load of problems behind her own front door that workaday Americans can relate to. A child with special needs. A daughter of 17 pregnant. A constant juggle between family and career.
As she said, her family has had its ups and downs like any other. Last night her first task was to introduce herself and her family to an American public incredulous that the unknown Alaska governor could within weeks be a heartbeat away from being their commander in chief.
Compared to the journeyman career politicians dominating both parties here she seemed fresh, natural, one of us and not one of them. She spoke to America as one mum to another. She cracked good jokes.
What's the difference between a hockey mum and a pit bull?, she asked. Answer: One wears lipstick.
What will have scared the enemy camp most is the devastating series of prime-time punches she landed on the jutting Obama jaw. Showing steel beneath her magnolia jacket, she slaughtered his lack of experience, his vanity, his emptiness beneath the windy waffle.
It was the most powerful demolition of the Democrat hero I have heard in two weeks on the US election trail. The St Paul audience adored her.
When she duffed up the Lefty media commentators for their sexist sneers, the vast crowd roared approval and pointed in anger at the titans of the American press aloof in their special enclosure.
And quite right too: who ever asked whether Obama could still be a good dad if he became president? The irony, as Palin pointed out, is that liberal media sniping has only succeeded in uniting Republicans behind her.
The wagons have been drawn up and the Republicans are ready for battle. The McCain-Palin ticket now looks in exciting shape.
A war hero and a heroic mum. Experience and optimism. A man and a woman.
And when McCain joined the Palin gang – babies and boyfriends and all – on stage after her speech there was a sense of cheeky fun absent from last week's solemn Obama coronation.
How the Democrats must be regretting Hillary isn't running with Obama. Barack's sidekick Joe Biden looks a dull old dog compared with the ball of fire that is Palin.
But most fascinating of all, consider this: If Obama loses, Hillary Clinton will run in 2012. Opposing her is sure to be Sarah Palin. That would guarantee America its first woman president.
And my fistful of dollars, having seen both in action here, would be on Palin.
Woo-hoo, Go Sarah! And this rejoinder to her perceived lack of experience, which is actually more than Obama's:
"And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."
She can do everything from field dress a moose to bust up the Good Ole Boy network, and do it in heels. My kind of woman. If she runs in 2012, she has my vote.
The UK Sun posted the following this morning. I concur completely.
Palin strikes back at critics
A WEEK ago nobody had ever heard of her. Today she is the most talked-about woman in the world. And with good reason.
Sarah Palin's sensational performance at the Republican Party Convention may turn out to be the tipping point of this rollercoaster American election. Obama fans hoping she would fluff her big night were in for a nasty shock.
This speech has turned the election upside down. It was simply stunning. Democrats and their Lefty media backers had been sneering that she was a small town nobody, a hick from the Alaskan sticks put into a job way beyond an inexperienced woman.
Believe me, you will not be hearing that again.
Palin turned out to be an electrifying mix of intelligence, passion, energy, optimism and plain speaking. Full of self-assurance and aggression, she popped Barack's balloon big-time.
From the moment she walked on stage in this cavernous bear pit, bandbox smart in cream jacket, trim black skirt and black heels, she proved that John McCain knew exactly what he was doing when he picked her as running mate.
Hair piled into a slight beehive – more Sarah White House than Amy Winehouse – she blinked and smiled behind her geeky spectacles as the vast crowd went ballistic.
For an unpopular party divided over Iraq and struggling to compete with Obama's Messianic glamour, the choice of Palin looks absolutely inspired. Main Street America will have loved her performance.
And it was seen by 30million voters – the greatest number ever to watch a candidate for the much-derided VP post. She is popular with voters for the very reason America's snooty political establishment despises her: She isn't one of the Washington gang.
She's a moose-hunting mum of five with a sledge-load of problems behind her own front door that workaday Americans can relate to. A child with special needs. A daughter of 17 pregnant. A constant juggle between family and career.
As she said, her family has had its ups and downs like any other. Last night her first task was to introduce herself and her family to an American public incredulous that the unknown Alaska governor could within weeks be a heartbeat away from being their commander in chief.
Compared to the journeyman career politicians dominating both parties here she seemed fresh, natural, one of us and not one of them. She spoke to America as one mum to another. She cracked good jokes.
What's the difference between a hockey mum and a pit bull?, she asked. Answer: One wears lipstick.
What will have scared the enemy camp most is the devastating series of prime-time punches she landed on the jutting Obama jaw. Showing steel beneath her magnolia jacket, she slaughtered his lack of experience, his vanity, his emptiness beneath the windy waffle.
It was the most powerful demolition of the Democrat hero I have heard in two weeks on the US election trail. The St Paul audience adored her.
When she duffed up the Lefty media commentators for their sexist sneers, the vast crowd roared approval and pointed in anger at the titans of the American press aloof in their special enclosure.
And quite right too: who ever asked whether Obama could still be a good dad if he became president? The irony, as Palin pointed out, is that liberal media sniping has only succeeded in uniting Republicans behind her.
The wagons have been drawn up and the Republicans are ready for battle. The McCain-Palin ticket now looks in exciting shape.
A war hero and a heroic mum. Experience and optimism. A man and a woman.
And when McCain joined the Palin gang – babies and boyfriends and all – on stage after her speech there was a sense of cheeky fun absent from last week's solemn Obama coronation.
How the Democrats must be regretting Hillary isn't running with Obama. Barack's sidekick Joe Biden looks a dull old dog compared with the ball of fire that is Palin.
But most fascinating of all, consider this: If Obama loses, Hillary Clinton will run in 2012. Opposing her is sure to be Sarah Palin. That would guarantee America its first woman president.
And my fistful of dollars, having seen both in action here, would be on Palin.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Gustav...
Please pray for the people on the Gulf Coast...that the storm surge doesn't wipe out their cities. I heard Mobile was evacuated too.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Yard sales today
I went to a bunch of yard sales with a true professional. Three point turns when spotting a yard sale sign, picking through piles, unearthing deals, triumphantly holding up the perfect find, haggling...Old Eagle Eyes never missed a beat. She even knew all the good pee places along the way.
I did find a George Foreman grill, and several shirts, and some plates. A good day.
A china teapot framed against some camo.
Please throw the ball. Please please please please please please please oh please throw the ball she's coming closer is she going to throw the ball I bet she will throw the ball
A Jack Russell at one of the yard sales. He was having a god day because the customers couldn't resist him and each one threw the ball.
I did find a George Foreman grill, and several shirts, and some plates. A good day.
A china teapot framed against some camo.
Please throw the ball. Please please please please please please please oh please throw the ball she's coming closer is she going to throw the ball I bet she will throw the ball
A Jack Russell at one of the yard sales. He was having a god day because the customers couldn't resist him and each one threw the ball.
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