At Least Ten

Before I get to the 10, here's a link to the full bloggy explanation of the project in yesterday's post.

1. Feministing published info on legislators who oppose the Violence Against Women Act. If I have to tell you why this makes them unfit to legislate I'm making you a footnote to the list. Sorry but it has to be done. If you live in a state where these folks have been elected please do contact their offices and express your disagreement.

2. If you ever loved the TV version of Friday Night Lights these tweets from Aziz Ansari during the Superbowl will bring a smile to your face.

3. Recently an activist named Aaron Swartz committed suicide. I didn't really know who he was. This is a wonderful explanation and tribute by author Cory Doctorow. I think you'll be glad to understand who Swartz was and what he was doing with his life. (Aside: I am nearly finished read Homeland by Doctorow and it is fabulous. I'm glad I read this piece before I got to the afterward by Swartz.)

4. I'm not totally sure that you have to read this link unless you're completely unaware of a controversy that includes a pastor, a waitress, and a chain restaurant. If you know that much the only reason I'm posting this is because I've been reading all about it for entertainment and because I am interested in how social media is changing our world but now I only check out the links because I want to hear from the nasty pastor. Here's a woman who runs her own church after having been called to God while a single, homeless mother and she was instrumental in getting a low wage earning woman fired through an act she even characterized as ungodly. So, where's the apology and the repentance pastor? Where's all this Christian charity I hear so much about? You give God 10%, what's he going to give a woman who called out a prideful Christian and lost her job for it? Just wondering.

5. The description of this dog implies that people find certain animals unadoptable because they are "unsightly." That's pretty fucked up, don't you think?

6. Huge standing slow clap for Oregon. It's the only state that doesn't have anti-choice laws on the books. I want Oregon to come around to every state and help us be more like them in this respect. Let's make that happen, shall we? (Dear VT, given that you seem to have a law that you're leaving cluttering the books because it's overridden by federal law, you could have a pretty easy time matching Oregon's awesomeness.) (Dear OK, you probably want to get to work right away, you have the most laws to whittle away.)

7. I watched just a few highlights of Hillary Clinton's appearance at the hearing on the deaths in Benghazi. I did see her get a little teary but nothing huge. Apparently she's being accused of using tears to gain sympathy. Many thanks to Shakesville for pointing out how fucking laughable that is, just ask any woman who has ever welled up in a work situation. Never gets you ahead. Fucking never.

8. You're just not going to convince me that more folks with guns is going to make our world safer. If you want to try then you're first going to have to suppress every, single, itchy trigger finger, mistaken identity story like this. So many other solutions were available to the shooter but, because he had a gun, that's what he used first. (Clarity: I'm anti-assault weapon and pro-mandatory registration and conflicted with regard to how background checks should be used.)

9. Here's a "cute" comic strip about what some people think feminists look like. It didn't make me laugh but it did make me happy.

10. This story happens to be pro-choice but I think that it can be inspiring even if you're anti-choice. A woman encountered an organized group of people who shared an opposing view point and she was brave enough to stand up in front of them, entirely spontaneously, and inform them of the reasoning behind her stance. She had to defend herself slightly but she did it anyway. It wasn't neat or scripted and there's no guarantee it changed any minds but I am endlessly impressed that she made the effort. Thank you Michelle Kinsey Bruns!