October 23, 2008

Get active: No on 8!

Straights for No on 8! bring you this opportunity to fight the momentum in favor of proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that will pass into law the California Marriage Protection Act.  Counter to what it’s name implies, the California Marriage Protection Act will define marriage as a legal sanction only available to heterosexual couples. Refer to the California Official Voter Information Guide here.

Click here to visit the No on 8! site. Click here to read the Obama’s statement on 8 and why they are encouraging voters to vote against it on November 4.

To volunteer in the fight against Prop. 8:

A message from Bryan Safi and Amy Rhodes, Straights Against 8!

Prop 8 is now in very real danger of passing, which will ban gay marriage by changing the constitution to specifically discriminate against gay men and women. Gross.
You don’t have to be a homo to care, just a homosapein.
We need your help to spread the word and make sure this bullshit does not pass!

Bryan Safi and I are going to be volunteering at the following times/locations and we would love to have you there – BRING A CELL PHONE AND A CHARGER. Basically, you’ll be calling people to remind them to vote NO on Prop 8 – it’s easy and fun – and a lot more fun the more people that come. You can let one of us know you’re coming, or just show up! You do need to be there at the start time to go through a quick training session.

Sunday, October 26th
1 to 4 pm
The Gay and Lesbian Center at The Village
1125 N. McCadden Place
Los Angeles, CA 90038
PH: 323-860-7302
(street parking available)

Tuesday, October 28
6:30 to 9:30 pm
1268 N. Fairfax Avenue (at Fountain)
It’s a house – there is street parking and they will provide parking passes for you

Tuesday, November 4th – Election Day
ALL DAY – LOCATIONS TBD
We will be at voting polls when people enter reminding them to vote No on 8
If you want info on that, please email Bryan and he’ll put you in contact with the correct person – bryansafi@gmail.com


October 22, 2008

Eleanor Smeal to John McCain

Eleanor Smeal, president of The Feminist Majority Foundation, posted an open letter to John McCain on the Huffington Post today.

Dear Senator McCain,

This week you have lashed out against the “Feminist Left.” I understand your frustration. You see that women are not flocking to the McCain/Palin ticket and you don’t understand why. Allow me to illuminate you.

The truth is, Senator McCain, your candidacy is the worst for women in recent history. You thought that women would vote for you once you put a woman on your ticket. But women aren’t fooled by this tactic. Women, Senator McCain, vote on issues important to us, not on whether or not the candidate wears a skirt.

The problem, Senator McCain, is your voting record, platform, and policies. You have consistently voted wrong on issues that directly impact American women’s bank accounts, personal liberties and health.

• You voted 19 times against increasing the minimum wage (the majority of minimum wage earners are women) – before you finally voted for it because it included business tax cuts. You voted to gut the Family and Medical Leave act – and you oppose expanding its coverage.

• You oppose the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would restore women’s ability to fight wage discrimination in the courts – telling women our problem was that we needed to get more education and training.

• You voted NO on the Violence Against Women Act and NO on funding for the Office of Violence Against Women.

• You voted NO on starting the Army’s Breast Cancer Research Program which has funded hundreds of millions in breast cancer research. You voted NO on reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and supported Bush’s veto.

• You oppose a woman’s right to choose, and your running mate Sarah Palin opposes legal abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

• You voted to terminate federal funds for family planning and you have ducked questions on contraceptive insurance discrimination.

• You have stated that you admire the voting records of Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and John Roberts, and have stated that you would like to put Justices like them – Justices who want to overturn Roe v. Wade – on the Supreme Court.

We have compared the votes and platforms of Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin on women’s issues and the record is clear. No matter how you look at it – Obama/Biden score close to 100% and McCain/Palin approach a zero on women’s rights and issues.

If credit should be given for consistency, you deserve such credit when it comes to voting against women’s interests. Twenty-six years of voting against women’s rights and issues and you think women, when given a clear choice, won’t notice?

Palin's designer wardrobe

Filed under: Gender,Media,Politics — Tags: , , , , , , , — Melanie @ 7:46 am

Amidst claims, that she’s just like all the other working class folks, it has been revealed that over $150,00 has been spent on the Palins’ wardrobe.

“It shows that Palin ain’t like the rest of us,” Tom Matzzie, a Democratic strategist told the Huffington Post, when asked how the party would or could use the issue. “It can help deflate her cultural populism with the Republican base. The plumber’s wife doesn’t go to Nieman’s or Saks.”

Check out the full story here and here.

See how GOP donors respond here.

October 21, 2008

Thanks, FMF. No on 4, California!

Feminists for Obama/Biden

October 20, 2008

Abortion, abortion, abortion…

In the spirit of the upcoming elections, stay informed at: The Culture Wars: Abortion Edition. Laura continues to bring together the important variables.

For the latest tidbits click here and here.

This is the new ad from the “yes for life” campaign in South Dakota. It’s a minute and 40 seconds of a whole slew of (white) doctors sharing their support for measure 11 and imploring the viewer to “stop abortion from being used as a form of birth control”…funny, I thought the bill was a ban on all abortions statewide. Oh I get it, they think ALL abortions are being used as birth control. I guess, in their estimation, no responsible person ever gets pregnant when they don’t want to. I must admit I’m personally offended by this assumption.

My favorite part is the use of a cardiologist, an allergist, and a otolaryngologist (fancy name for an ear nose and throat doctor) to speak out for measure 11. How are these people relevant at all? They happen to be doctors, but their expertise is completely irrelevant. How is a pediatrician relevant for the matter? Abortion is about women’s health, which is not in a pediatrician’s job description.

It just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser as we slide deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole.

Last day to register to vote!

Filed under: Media,Politics — Tags: , , , , , — Melanie @ 10:38 am

Today is the last day to register to vote in the state of California.  Click here for further information.

With prison spending up and education spending down, go to the California Faculty Association’s link to see where the CFA stands on the ballot measures.

October 19, 2008

You're right on this one, McCain.

She doesn’t adhere to the ideology and goals of liberal feminism or to the sense of community momentum and solidarity that feminism offers by providing choice and support for all women.

Thanks to the women at Feministing for today’s post containing the following clip:

Colin Powell endorses Obama…

…and his reasons are righteous. I appreciated the fact that someone finally spoke to the Obama-Mulsim thing and pointed out that, no, Obama is not a Muslim but followed that up with, hey, many Muslims are Americans. It’s time to cut the shit and stop dividing ourselves on this small-town/city, white/everyone else, Christian/everyone else diatribe that the McCain/Palin ticket has been promoting. I also appreciated the fact that he pointed out that it is important to have a president in office that is articulate and intelligent. What a concept, huh?

“I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities — and you have to take that into account — as well as his substance — he has both style and substance,” Powell said. “He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president.”

“Those kinds of images going out on al Jazeera are killing us around the world,” he said. “And we have got to say to the world, it doesn’t make any difference who you are or what you are, if you’re an American you’re an American. And this business of, for example a congresswoman from Minnesota going around saying let’s examine all congressmen to see who is pro America or not pro America, we have got to stop this kind of non-sense and pull ourselves together and remember that our great strength is in our unity and diversity. That really was driving me.”

Read full story here.

Thanks for the laughs, Palin. And, we ARE laughing. Daily.

Filed under: Body Image,Gender,Media,Politics,Violence — Tags: , , , , , , — Melanie @ 9:55 am

Salon writers comment on last night’s performance.  Read full article here.

Jeanne Carstensen: Poor Palin –  she looked like she had just seen a moose, but didn’t have a rifle. Part of me wanted her to field-dress Alec Baldwin — but nada. Instead, she tottered off on Baldwin’s arm for a “tour” of the “SNL” set after he trashed her to her face — well, supposedly, to “Tina’s” face. Come on, Sarah, show some of that Alaska backbone, or at least a little fire and brimstone. Something. She fell flat in a way I didn’t expect. I mean, the entire Castro is going to be doing Sarah Palin drag for Halloween this year, yet when given the opportunity to make fun of herself to a national audience, Ms. Pay for Your Own Rape Kit seemed bland and muffled. The obvious parallel here is when the other female rock star candidate of this election cycle showed up on “SNL” in a skit with her “SNL” doppelgänger — Amy Poehler. All I can say is, Sarah Palin, you’re no Hillary Clinton.

Judy Berman: I didn’t expect much from Palin, so I’m not terribly surprised that her actual participation in the show was minimal. While both Barack Obama and John McCain, at the Al Smith benefit Thursday night, showed they could deliver a zinger or two, “SNL” wisely decided it couldn’t even trust Palin to make a joke. Her biggest contribution was laughing along, good-naturedly, as the show’s cast poked fun at her. The skits were funny, but they would have been just as entertaining, with a few minor adjustments, without Palin. Tina Fey carried the opening piece, as usual, and I’d like to nominate Amy Poehler for a special Emmy — “best satirical rap performed in front of and about a V.P. candidate while in the third trimester.”

Vincent Rossmeier: What was the point of her appearance? Somehow, Tina Fey managed to seem more like Sarah Palin than Sarah Palin did. But this hardly should have been a surprise. Basically, on “SNL,” Palin performed the same role she does on the campaign: Nod, pose and stay silent when asked. My only other question is: Where was Bristol?

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