Saturday, September 20, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Another take on Palin...
Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feminist and activist best known for 'The Vagina Monologues', wrote the following about Sarah Palin:
Drill, Drill, Drill
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Wha tever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, 'It was a task from God.'
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States . She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been
known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S. , but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America20is a free open tolerant society, or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected, then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, 'Drill Drill Drill.' I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
Eve Ensler
September 5, 2008
Drill, Drill, Drill
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Wha tever it is, I need the polar bears.
I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, 'It was a task from God.'
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.
She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States . She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.
Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been
known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S. , but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America20is a free open tolerant society, or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected, then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, 'Drill Drill Drill.' I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?
Eve Ensler
September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
We May Speak the Same Language, But the Words are Vastly Different
Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq."
Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'"
Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.
Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade."
Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP.
Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest.
Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. (Which is not even something that she could convey to own child).
As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor."
She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."
Just a few things that I thought we should all take a moment a read, considering so many seem to think that she is the best candidate for the job and this country.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Therapy
Today I have my consultation with the therapist... Wish me luck, I am sure that on top of my anxiety there will be a couple of issues addressed, or maybe she will just size me up and tell me that everyone has issues and this is just mine. So in effect telling me that I am "normal". This should be interesting.
I will let you all know how it goes.
I will let you all know how it goes.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Vegan Again...
I think that I am going to do the Vegan Cleanse again... It was so much fun the first time that I feel like going through it all over again. Sense the sarcasm? I just think that I would like to clean this body out again, and that cleanse was a nice way to do it. So starting tomorrow I am cutting out the bread, the meat and the cheese and the dairy. Though I know that soda and caffiene are on the bill as well, I am going to be keeping that on since I am surely going to kill people if I cannot have at least caffiene while going through this again. Oh and I guess that I will be cutting out the alcohol and sugar as well... Oh yeah I am definitely keeping the caffiene.
Wish me luck for the second time.
Wish me luck for the second time.
Indecision 2008
In recent months I have been back and forth on whom I would be voting for in the 2008Election... And when I say back and forth I mean whether or not I would be voting for Barack Obama or a yet to be named Independent. I admit that I was one of the early ones to jump on the Barack train but when he came to Orange County and visited one of the churches and spoke about marriage being between a man and a woman, I was put in a position to be tested on just how far I was willing to go to see change made in America. I have and always will be in support of an individuals rights to choose just how they want to live their life, that is what has and always will make America great. But when I heard a black man, whom I would have thought would understand the ramifications of not having certain rights, speak about the right to be married being that of a man and a woman, I was heart broken. Here was this man screaming about change and bringing back respect to being an American, telling religous people that they could rest assured he was in support of maintaining the sanctity of marriage.
As I am approaching my wedding day I am becoming ever more appreciative of the right that I was born with, simply because I was born heterosexual. I have and always will be in support of gay rights, not because it is something that I as a heterosexual will ever understand first hand but rather because I as a heterosexual would never want to be told what I could or could not do.
That being said I also understand the ramifications of the decision that lay before us as Americans and the responsibility that we have to make sure that change is made in any way, shape or form. I feel now as many Republicans felt after eigth years of Clintons, that if we do not stop the route that we are on now... How will we ever be able to recognize that the path that we are on is a dangerous one, where the citizens voices are not heard and the government continues to be blind to all that is going on around them. This is that defining moment and we have to be the ones that take charge. So I as someone that needs to be responsible for the path that I am on and the one that this nation is on, have decided to give my vote to Barack Obama.
As I am approaching my wedding day I am becoming ever more appreciative of the right that I was born with, simply because I was born heterosexual. I have and always will be in support of gay rights, not because it is something that I as a heterosexual will ever understand first hand but rather because I as a heterosexual would never want to be told what I could or could not do.
That being said I also understand the ramifications of the decision that lay before us as Americans and the responsibility that we have to make sure that change is made in any way, shape or form. I feel now as many Republicans felt after eigth years of Clintons, that if we do not stop the route that we are on now... How will we ever be able to recognize that the path that we are on is a dangerous one, where the citizens voices are not heard and the government continues to be blind to all that is going on around them. This is that defining moment and we have to be the ones that take charge. So I as someone that needs to be responsible for the path that I am on and the one that this nation is on, have decided to give my vote to Barack Obama.
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