OK, Let's Do This

My starred file is chock full of outrage. The stupidity and cruelty and downright evil that's happening in this election cycle is a cardio doc's dream. It's made me so mad and sad and outraged and overdone that I've let it pile up. I keep thinking, "I'll do a post on this. And this. And one on this!" And then I'd be writing a very political blog with only one note, "GET OUT OF MY VAGINA YOU CREEPY OLD MAN!" So, you know, let's just do it. It's 10 Things Tuesday. Might be 10, might be 10, 000. Let's see how many I can get in before I leap through the internet and slap someone around with a wet, moldy noodle.

1. Oh thank goodness, the first one isn't just awful. Delightful Lindsay is highlighting awesome women for Women's History month and this bit about Marion Ravenwood is basically why I didn't hate Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Wish the other Indy movies had women half so cool.

2. I don't know if you've been following the hubbub with FIFA about the wearing of the hijab for women's soccer players. I honestly didn't know what to feel about it except so crushed for the women athletes who might be denied even one more thing, a chance to participate in the Olympics. It seems the powers that be have lifted the ban. Should be interesting in London this summer.

3. So far this is all Lindsay all the time. She gives me hope for future generations. I happen to be linking to her but I've seen this bit about Why I Am A Male Feminist in a few places. It makes me happy that somebody came to his senses but I picture some of the ass monkeys who have argued with me in the past and I simply can't see any of them getting this connection. Let's hope I'm wrong, though.

4. Feministing (and possibly other places) have been doing a series of "Men Who Trust Women." That's what it comes down to y'all. If you're trying to restrict all this personal shit with your supposedly smaller and less intrusive government it means you don't trust women. You don't trust a whole class of people which is, you know, the definition of bigoted. Very. Fucking quit it. If you don't want to listen to me then listen to Frank Lautenberg, "On our side of the aisle, we believe that women are capable of making their own healthcare decisions."

5. Federal judge sends a racist, sexist, anti-Obama email but claims he didn't mean anything by it. Federal judge. Someone whose judgement is supposed to be impeccable. Fucking despair. And if you're going to counter that I made jokes about President Bush I would like to say this, "I'm not a federal judge. Taxes don't pay for me to make smart choices."

6. So Virginia has passed a mandatory pre-abortion ultrasound bill. They have also decreed that they will not pay for the procedure. If you don't see how hateful, wrong, and mistrusting (see above) this is then I can't help you. I want to help you right into a padded room with plenty of supervision and mandatory invasive procedures but I can't.

7. Found it! Here's the link to and explanation of the Tumblr of Men Who Trust Women. Thanks guys!

8. My friend, Aaryn, posted one simple quote and some info about Spike Lee's grandmother. (Full disclosure, I have not watched the video but I suspect that it is awesome.) That's going to be my rallying cry because, for real, all this squashing down of women and people of different ethnicities and those who are LGBTQ and poor, it's killing children's dreams and that is fucking unacceptable.

9. Quick graphic about spousal homicide and how it is treated. Sobering.

10. As usual I haven't watched this video but I have read the transcript. A 13-year-old girl gets it right about how slut-shaming is bullshit. She also gives me hope.

11. You heard that the federal government had some hearings about how birth control is covered in health care, right? You also heard that there were no women called to testify. About birth control. Which women, by and large, take....for a lot of reasons not limited to the control of reproductive functions. No women. Testified. About women's health. How do you fucking support government workers who arrange this? How do you support them and still tell me that you love/trust/know any actual women? You say whatever you like, I can't make myself believe you.

12. Speaking of birth control, here's a nicely informative graphic about the costs of birth control. If you're wondering why we keep talking about cost it's because controlling someone's finances is a time honored way of controlling the person. In mining towns often the only place to buy your necessities was at a store owned by the mining company. Therefore the company controlled not only what you were paid but what you then had to pay for your food, clothing, tools, school books, etc. In that way they could control your ability to save money for things they didn't deem necessary like, for instance, moving out of a mining town and getting a less dangerous job.

13. This is one of those pieces I really thought I'd write a whole post about. In truth, though, it stands on its own. Restricting legal abortions will not end abortion it will only end more lives. This first person account of an illegal abortion gone wrong is harrowing but if you are "pro-life" then I will not listen to your arguments until you have read it completely. You need all the facts. Many thanks to Blogher for posting this. (Note: The lack of training for mainstream doctors in abortion and the allowance for students to opt out of this part of their job means that it is increasingly dangerous for women to have abortion and abortion-related procedures [many of which are necessary during the course of "regular" pregnancies] even by licensed physicians.)

14. The White House blog did a series on what the $40 savings in the payroll tax cut legislation would mean for actual working people. Here's just one of the entries but I suggest you read them all.

15. Here's some info on why the toe-in-the-water of employers opting out of contraception payment is about the possibility of them refusing coverage on many other things. Sometimes a cigar isn't just a cigar so please look a little deeper.

16. FOX folks think that women in the military should expect to be raped. Well, of course they should. Are you still watching FOX? Are you not watching it as twisted fiction? WHY?!

17. Last but not least I feel it's time to direct you again to a post I wrote in 2008. One day I read something and it taught me why all the issues in this post are priorities for me when I go to the polls and why I feel so strongly that if you have a vagina or love people who do then you need make them priorities as well. I can't change your mind for you but I can keep hammering away until my arms fall off. That's my plan.