June 27, 2008

I have been a big fan of Target Women done by Sarah Haskins who has developed quite the following with her hilarious and spot on humor about products and media targeted at women.

So far, Sarah Haskins has brought us the ridiculousness how all women are angry because of Hillary Clinton losing the presidential candidacy and how McCain and Obama want us for our votes and target us on basic cable and think “Well all women watch Army Wives, Ellen, The View and insert other television shows that are popular among women here and so if we put out PSA’s during those shows, they will have to vote for me!” We’ve also learned about the hilarious and stereotypical nature of WE, The Women’s Channel and how we, as women, all flock to shows about weddings and we’ve also seen several commercials about yogurt and how all women love yogurt and there’s never a bad time to have some, even if you’re at a wedding reception, which I believe was the first Target Women feature.

And now, ladies, we have the horrible fact of aging! Oh no, wrinkles! Not being looked at as sexy anymore because oh no, you’ve aged and now everything is ruined!

June 19, 2008

McCain has been very firm about his pro-life standing. By throwing in his “pro-life” stance into the mix and from what we have learned through the past few months about this stance, we know that McCain does not believe women should be entitled to the right to choose and to have control over their own bodies. What some might now know, however, is that McCain is also against a woman’s right to obtain birth control, (although it is about time he actually made a decision about where he stands on birth control–although someone else probably told him where he should stand on the issue) which 99% of women in the United States will be on at one point or another throughout their lives; to add, McCain is also against the right to emergency contraception.

So what would a John McCain women’s clinic be like?

Yeah, something like that.

Sadly, McCain’s pro-life record couldn’t be worse. He voted to permit federally funded Title X family planning clinics (like Planned Parenthood) to decline to counsel women on abortion services. He has repeatedly voted to deny low-income women access to abortion care except in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment. He voted in favor of four anti-choice US Supreme Court nominees, putting a woman’s right to choose under direct attack. He supports and voted in favor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and has also voted in support of “almost every important pro-life law proposed in the last decade.” He had also released a statement on the Federal Abortion Ban on April 18, 2007, saying:

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary. The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children. It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures. As we move forward, it is critically important that our party continues to stand on the side of life.”

Taking a look at just these few issues regarding women’s rights and issues that John McCain has voted on, it’s obvious to say that the video above isn’t an exaggeration at all. The truly unfortunate fact of the matter is that according to a recent Planned Parenthood Action Fund poll [PDF] half of female voters in 16 battleground states don’t know enough about McCain’s views on reproductive health. This is due to the fact that the mass media will not cover McCain’s horrendous anti-choice record because they will not admit that there is currently a presidential candidate so anti-woman. What’s even more appalling is that 1 in 4 pro-choice McCain supporters would be less likely to vote for McCain after knowing he opposes Roe v. Wade and backs abstinence-only education.

This is the time to truly educate yourself on the candidates and the issues they stand firm on. McCain is a true misogynist who will do what is in his power to take the rights women have fought hard for since the early 70’s away and moreover, he will stand firm on his belief that teenagers should only have access to abstinence-only education.

June 12, 2008

The current GI Bill as it stands today is the same GI Bill that was in effect during World War II. When considering the cost of living and how much more money is needed by every American just to keep a roof over their heads and eat has significantly risen since the time of World War II. The current GI Bill is also said to pay for the college education of an American soldier in addition to providing necessities; in reality, as of right now, American soldiers who are returning from several tours overseas are receiving a sum of $650 per month. This amount of money may have been sufficient for WWII veterans, however, as the cost of living has risen, more money is needed for veterans of the current war to receive what they were promised at their time of enlisting.

As it stands today, the GI Bill does not cover an American veteran’s entire education, which is upsetting specifically because so many Americans enlist in the military for the simple fact that they are promised a college education. For years, the American government has relied solely on people of lower income families and have lied to a frightening number of people about the benefits that they would receive if they enlisted. The benefits that soldiers receive now after active duty overseas is much like a college scholarship if anything else, and because of the bill is so inadequate, many soldiers are in debt because the GI Bill has not kept up with the rising cost of living in America.

There is a new GI Bill now by Senator John Weeb that covers the cost of college tuition to the price of a state college and will give the troops the peace of mind that finally they will be given what they are promised. The only problem with this new GI Bill is that it’s not getting passed due to the lack of support, including lack of support from Senator John McCain.

While McCain loves to boast that he is an American veteran and loves to give the illusion that he of all people, as an American veteran supports the troops, he should be one of the first people to endorse the new GI Bill, which doesn’t blatantly lie to the American people and leave veterans in debt or uneducated due to the cost of living and the rising cost of education. However, John McCain not only does not support the new GI Bill, he downright refuses to co-sponsor it and in turn, does not support the troops.

This is unacceptable. As a veteran himself and a candidate in the current presidential election, refusing to co-sponsor a bill that will help the soldiers with whom he loves to identify himself with, is disgusting. There is no way that any American can support John McCain while supporting America and American troops because John McCain himself does not.

June 1, 2008

The Feminism at its Finest blog carnival is a day late, so we’re just going to pretend that it’s still May; just for today! Of course, thanks to everyone who submitted their posts and to submit your posts for the June edition, which will be up on June 30, just go here.

I would also like to clarify that in order to submit your blog posts, you do not need your own domain, a Blogspot, Wordpress or whatever else is out there; even if you just wrote something on your MySpace blog and it is feminism-related, please feel free to submit it as well; not enough people give the MySpace bloggers a chance to really take part in the blogosphere happenings, so here it is. And now, on with the carnival…

A. Lee presents American Conceptual Artist & Feminist Barbara Kruger Probes Your Views posted at eArtFair, saying:

“Barbara Kruger juxtaposes mass media photographs with biting slogans. Her art both questions and condemns mass media’s ways of control self-identity, desire, and public opinion. A key aspect of her work centers around the question of what it means to be feminine.”

Amanda Moore presents 106 Organizations That Are Changing the World - Are you helping? posted at VagabondetteVA.

Garry presents Whirled News - President, Candidates Address Gasoline, Climate Crisis posted at Chicks With Guns.

Ian Welsh presents Ok, Enough With the Stupidity About Clinton’s “Kennedy Statement” posted at The Agonist, saying:

“The level of near hysteria, of complete unwillingness to read Hillary Clinton’s words in any context with any good will that is sweeping large portions of the political blogosphere, reflects a deeper pathology.”

Lauren Martin presents Liberty Lowdown: Magic 8-ball, primaries, and you posted at Blog for Choice, the newly improved pro-choice blog from NARAL Pro-Choice America!

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Next, They’ll Claim Obama Inherited Clinton’s Reverend posted at Mad Kane’s Political Madness.

nandita presents Domestic Violence in the Press a Century Ago posted at law Matters.

Nine Deuce presents The First Amendment is only sort of cool. posted at Rage Against the Man-chine.

O. Daille Nation-Ashley presents David vs Female Lawyer (Goliath?) posted at Power Of Attorney: Not Happy Hour At The Bar.

Renee presents I Wish I Was In Dixie posted at Womanist Musings, saying:

“This post is about internalized racism and how it cause some to act in ways that are detrimental to POC. It stands as a legacy of slavery.”

Renee also presents MacFarlanes Babes posted at Womanist Musings, saying:

“I posted on the Family Guy spin off because I believe that people mindless consume pop culture without realizing how damaging the images are that they are consuming. When we internalize without thought we are accepting negative portrayals of others as normal.”

Shaheen Lakhan presents Domestic Violence and Executive Dysfunction posted at GNIF Brain Blogger, saying:

“Executive function has big implications for the design of domestic violence programs. It is important to know the subtypes of batterers because different subtypes have different needs for treatment, and different levels of intervention that are necessary to ensure safety.”

Shaheen Lakhan also presents Democracy vs. Domestic Violence posted at Brain Blogger, saying:

” People are looking at how we are affected by the groups we belong to that are treated unequally and subjected to various kinds of stress and discrimination — a field called intersectionality.

Tali presents 10 Strangest Pinup Artist Quirks | Artists, Cartoons, posted at The Pinup Blog, saying:

“Visual artists can’t hide behind their work, at some point, some one will notice, a fetish, a habit a quirk. Missing belly buttons, fake breasts, detached heads- This is a list of the 10 most fucked up pinups in classic cheesecake history.”

Tracee Sioux presents Empowering Girls - Hillary Clinton posted at Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me, saying:

“Don’t Quit. It’s a good message for all women and girls.”

Tracee Sioux also presents Hillary’s “Feminine Ideal” Sin posted at Blog Fabulous, saying:

“What was Hillary’s big crime in the face of women? She didn’t self-deprecate.”

Tracee Sioux also presents Real Breasts Gallery posted at Blog Fabulous, saying:

“We’re so inundated with images of “perfect” breasts in the media and marketing that most people’s idea of what real women look like has been distorted. Women stand in front of a mirror and compare themselves to the unreal and declare “I just wish mine were normal.” For a better perspective enter the Real Breasts Gallery.”

And that’s all for this month. Remember to submit your posts for next month’s carnival by going here

May 27, 2008

Power to the people. Give peace a chance.

Mike Gravel is a politician who has always known where he stands when it comes to the issues affecting America. He is a politician who has always spoken out and stood up for his beliefs and the hopes of millions of Americans. He is also a politician who because of the political expectations he has had for this country, he never had the chance that he undoubtedly deserved to be a viable presidential candidate.

It is with a deeply sad heart to report that Gravel has recently dropped out of the presidential race as a Libertarian candidate, which occurred after the Libertarian convention.

Although Gravel’s career in active politics is now over, he will continue to put out three books over the summer. These books include The Kingmakers, an analysis and polemic on corporate media and how it distorts our political dialogue, including Mike’s own campaign, A Political Odyssey, an examination of Mike’s career in politics, his personal life, his fight against the Military-Industrial-Complex and the rise of US imperial power, and The Voice of A Maverick, a compilation of Mike’s speeches and writings from his presidential campaign; so definitely be sure to check out those books.

Mike Gravel would have been a refreshing presidential candidate. He is a politician who wants more for this country and a person who has been silenced throughout his campaign because he does speak for the people, no matter how harsh it may come out. Gravel’s message is simple–Power to the people. Give peace a chance. It’s up to us to share it.