Working (not so) harder to prove herself: or letting the boys fight your battles

I watched a portion of an interview the other day where Palin , one of the two member panel, was talking about how, if a woman is an elected official and in the public eye, therefore under scrutiny, and if this position is particularly unique, like the first woman candidate with a real honest-to-god-shot at the presidency, said woman should not be able to cry 'foul' when vigorously questioned, shouldn't expect to be treated with kid-gloves or any differently than any other politician in that position. Male or female - period. She went on to say that it pained her to hear women politicians ask for special treatment. Instead, she believed it was the responsibility of said woman to work harder - said woman should prove herself and work twice as hard. Hillary, I'm sure learned a lot from these useful 'tips.'

Guess who isn't playing by her same rules? Guess it all changed when she and the party realized that it was going to take more than lipstick, a hunting rifle and a husband who is like akin to a one man band (pilot, union member, fisherman) and rehearsed quips for the debates. Now it's all about Protectin' Palin.

In case no one has noticed, she uses her husband, Todd, like her E-ticket (remember the ticket books at Disneyland -- the best rides required the E tickets) "Todd loves his Piper," and "He's a proud union member," and "He's a four-time snow-mobile champion," He's a fisherman," and 'loves his hockey,' and "He's still my guy." Maybe he should be in the running instead of Sarah? Track (who names their son Track?) being waved like a banner for 'enlisting to serve his country and fight in Iraq and confront 9/11 terrorists. No he's not. He's going to Iraq. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Still she waves Track like a flag. And her son Trig. Sweet enough child. Now she's a friend to the many families, mine included, who have had to wrestle the bureaucracies and systems just to meet the basic needs of their special needs children. What she doesn't tell everybody is that she cut funding to special needs before she gave birth to her own son with special needs. All of a sudden, she gets it! She is now a friend to all those families who existed before she cut the funding. Hey, give me a high five, new buddy!

But she says little about her girls. Other than Bristol, the daughters are not waved - girls are just girls. What do they contribute but headache and heartache - cute and sweet enought, but the boys, the boys. If this was a family in any other time in history, she'd be encouraging the girls to just stay home, why bother with anything else? "Ya know, you're just gonna get married and pregnant anyway. Some guy with money will come along, you're pretty girls, and take care of ya." It's subtle, but recognizable. I recognize that woman -- that mom who puts sons first 'the boys.' It's subtle, but it's there.

So, the kid-gloves are on. Her team of Good Ol' Boys is protecting her by limiting the nature and questions that can be asked in the debates, her exposure to media because they want her to extol the presidential candidate, McCain, not stand out. They claim she is not being treated respectfully - hmmm.....isn't that par for the course? But then, I'm not so shocked. Not when the second in command in this party, has the either stupidly or audacity to claim that the vice president is not part of the executive cabinet and therefor the rules of preservation of records from his office do not apply to him. Rule benders, cheats and opportunists.

All this makes me think of a case I had to brief for a school assignment - a case of the Japanese Auto Manufactures: to get around U.S. rules, their cars were, on paper, what it needed to be to be at any given moment, it was a car, then it wasn't, then it was, then it wasn't. All in the name of profit and getting around the rules. Who cares, right? It mattered. It mattered because everyone else trying to get their automobiles, or any product for that matter, into the U.S. have strict laws they have to abide by, and our government has to enforce these rules to protect our economy and the health and safety of U.S. consumers. Lately I've been thinking about that case; our own representatives have been hard at work looking for ways to screw us, while keeping their hands clean, for ways to take the benefits of office - all to gain the benefit - without the responsibilities, cost or consequences. It feels more like a game of He loves me, he loves me not. Whatever happened to For the people?

I guess the only folks who know her already, from their days in Alaska, will get to see their governor making a name for herself outside of their home state. The rest of us won't get to see the real Palin, or any form of Palin - if her boys have their way. American's are just supposed pick up that pencil an vote yes, because she's one of the boys, knows how to skin a moose, knows hockey and has sent a son to Iraq. I am so looking forward to the debates. The GOP can only protect her so long.

If she were honest with herself and an person of character, interested in the right thing, she'd tell all those boys 'Back off' - she'd be that 'woman' she sketched in that interview, face the music and expect no special treatment and put herself out there in the public eye for everyone to make an educated decision about her. she'd do exactly what she accused Hillary Clinton of not doing - she was very interested in that standard when she could hide in some obscurity, at some 'tea time' sort of interview. She'd stop already with letting the big boys protect. What self respecting high ranking official, male or female, hides behind the pants or skirts of someone else, waiting to be protected or shielded? (I know what you're thinking, but that's my point - many do, and aren't they the ones who have something to hide, who you hold in low regard - people of suspect character?)

I'm disappointed, but not shocked, that Palin isn't playing by her own rules. She would expect that other women play by them, but not her. The funny thing is that I agreed with what she was saying at the time of the interview. If you are going to be a politician especially, in any position of responsibility, expect to get drilled. You are dealing with many more lives than just your own - questions are going to be tough and they ought to be. But, sadly, I'm not shocked because this is the woman who voted against the Violence Against Women Act, who would just as soon turn over Roe v. Wade and the right to birth control for women - and a woman's right to choose. I say this is a woman with some serious issues against her own gender.

She's a lipstick wearing pit-bull who's all bark and no bite, a barracuda more akin to a manatee (no offense to manatees).

I wonder if she thought, (nah, the GOP doesn't seem to do much of that lately) about the how a barracuda is defined before she allowed the song to be played as background for her (from wikipedia:

They are voracious predators and hunt using a classic example of lie-in-wait or ambush. They rely on surprise and short bursts of speed to overrun their prey, sacrificing maneuverability.

The larger barracudas are more or less solitary in their habits. Barracudas do not stick around to care for their young. Large barracudas, when gorged, may attempt to herd a shoal of prey fish in shallow water, where they guard over them until they are ready for another meal. Large barracudas have been known to eat young barracudas.

What a difference an administration makes....

Twenty four little hours ago, it looked grim. But the government is stepping up to the plate and hitting it out of the ball park for wall street.

I'm reading the headlines this morning and this one stopped me cold

"America's economy is facing unprecedented challenges. We're responding with unprecedented measures," Bush declared, standing in the White House Rose Garden with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Christopher Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"This is a pivotal moment for America's economy," Bush said. He said that a financial contagion that began with low-quality home mortgages had "spread throughout our financial system."

Indeed. This is a pivotal moment indeed - and we need to do our part to ensure this doesn't happen again.

I'm sitting at my computer reading this and I remember that when Clinton's term was up, I was driving down the 10 freeway, feeling free, listening to NPR on my way out for a weekend drive, or maybe for a middle of the week getaway, I don't remember now, but I remember the news report about the surplus Clinton had succeeded in creating. As he was leaving office, we were left with an incredible surplus and it felt good.

One administration later, I'm at my computer, working from home (thank god because I don't know how I would afford the fuel to and from work everyday, much less road trips 'just because' anywhere anymore). I'm going cabin crazy because I don't get out much anymore -- can't afford it. And our economy is tanking, our markets are in crisis, I can't afford fuel - I cringed yesterday at Ralph's supermarket when my bill was totaled -- oh, well, there goes any ideas of an outing this weekend.

This administration has mismanaged the country like no other administration has ever done. Hubris. And who pays the price in this case? We do. The Government is having to step in and bail everything out...I'm not opposed to this. The alternatives were too calamitous to even imagine. But here are the republicans agreeing that the government is right in this case to step in. When all along they think there should be less governmental involvement, socializing the debt, privatizing the benefits.

This is what happens. I don't know much about the markets, in fact, I know nothing, about the financial world and world markets, not really. But even I could see where this was heading. If you listen to the news, or read the news and you're a responsible person, you couldn't help but see where this was heading. Why couldn't they? This is what happens when there is no oversight.

All these big boys playing with big toys, making up their own rules, bullying the smaller boys and girls, wiping out anything 'mom and pops' in their greedy little games - adoring administration encouraging this irresponsible conduct -all for the sake of 'creating more jobs,' more wealth in the pockets of every American - not just wall street. Ask any unemployed person if that has actually happened - if they are in a better position since the benefits of the markets have been soaring for wall street

Now that the shit hits the fan, yeah, now it's okay for government to step in - its no risk, it's a good thing for us if we're gonna save anything from totally tanking:

"This has led to an erosion of confidence that has frozen many financial transactions including loans to consumers and to businesses seeking to expand and create jobs," Bush said.

"As a result we must act now to protect our nation's economic health from serious risk. There will be ample opportunity to debate the origins of this problem. Now is the time to solve it."

Yes, indeed. An erosion of confidence, and erosion of family an erosion of dreams of future for an entire generation.

I'm sorry for all the hard work Clinton did, despite being under the gun with investigations and obstacle at every turn by republicans out to make him an ineffective president, tirelessly trying to stain his presidency (with some help by Mr. Clinton himself!) - in spite of all this, he left the American people in a good economic place. A record surplus that had never been seen before.

And what does he come out looking like? A sandwich - stuffed between to bumbling Bush administrations.

yes, please, give us less government involvement and oversight so you all can screw us over again, until all you big boys get outta hand and the government needs to bail you out - again. No thank you very much, Mr. president.

But I do hope that the public heeds his words "This has led to an erosion of confidence..." and "There will be ample opportunity to debate the origins of this problem. Now is the time to solve it."

Yes, let's debate later, and fix the problem now. Everybody, put a big red circle around November 4th - we need a responsible, populous administration, not one for the privileged, for the few - that runs and leaves us holding the bag.

A Woman Knows...

You hear that a lot.

Women, for eons, have been trusting their gut, following their senses for their own survival, for their children's and family. Now we seem to have forgotten what's in our best interest. We seem to have lost our ability to be trusted with making the most fundamental decisions - decisions that concern our bodies.

At least, that's what the right conservatives would have you believe.

I know I said I wouldn't use my website for making political comments - but I lied. A woman's right to make decisions over her own body is something I cannot be silent about.

This republican presidential ticket can do more harm to woman. At a point in our history, we find ourselves once again in a precarious political position. I am ashamed to know that a woman can, bring down the proverbial hammer and nail on a womans right to choose, Roe v. Wade - on hard fought progress - Palin, the pentacostal feminist proud to call herself a Pit-Bull with lipstick, Barracuda -the first Republican woman nominee for vice president. That a woman can take women as a whole back to the hell before choice, before contraception - because she speaks for all women, since she is a woman afterall. The conservative members of our society would have women trapped, without a say as to what happens to us, reducing us to nothing more than vessels, incubators. They say they're for a culture of life - whose life?

We should think long and hard to what was won by the many women who came before us. The many women who lost their lives in an attempt to have some control over their bodies - women exercising defense of their bodies.

I would urge women to read Audre Lorde's Zami: a new spelling of my name. There's so much in literature addressing the history of female choice and reproduction. Women today are very disconnected from our struggles - of our mother's and grandmothers. If you come from money, or anything resembling lack of struggle, you can't know what it is to not have a voice over your body - even in 2008. If you are thinking of supporting the republican conservative ticket, I implore anyone who reads this, to think long and hard, read on the issue of women's reproductive rights, oppression and the many forms it take, the effects of poverty on women, before casting a vote.

Rapes, incest, depression, poverty, oppression, mental illness, male privilege - when these things are eradicated, maybe only then can there be anything that resembles dialogue where a woman's right to choose is concerned. Until then, everyone needs to leave choice alone - leave it between a woman and her god, her conscience. No one but a woman knows what is best for her own self.

This woman, Palin, one heart-beat away from being president should this party win, doesn't believe in abortion even in cases of rape or incest, would consider it maybe in cases where a mother's life is in danger. It's so good of her. Pandering to mothers of children with special needs 'you'll have a friend in the White House.' Hypocrites. Ask families with children with special needs how friendly this administrations policies have been to them. Parent's having to choose whether to keep the label of disability on their children - for the sake of keeping coverage and benefits. How dare they put parent's up to a decision like that. How dare they present an autistic child's one point improvement in diagnostic tests - one point. One point is not going to give an autistic child the ability to have gainful employment, the life skills necessary to make it on entirely on their own - how dare they. One point. That's what the rules say. one point improvement and benefits have to be cut. With friends like that...

Years I've dedicated to helping women in abusive relationships - in situations, in this day and age, in the United States of America, where they had no control over their lives - under the threat of harm, even death. Women raising children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, - and probably the most destructive and often invisible destryoyer of life - rage and self hatred. Where's the help? where are the father's? Gone. Had they had a choice, they cry when they tell me, they would not have had their children. But they were raped by their husband's, by their partners, forbidden birth control, forbidden to see doctors in many instances to receive care for fear the abuse would be discovered. This is the life of many women. Throw in poverty. It's a hell of a recipe. And this woman is going to be, potentially, in power - with an ability to tell all women prevention and health safety is not an option? Culture of life? Whose life?

This position that the conservative republican party takes, isn't a far stretch from that. Try sitting for twenty plus years listening to, helping, talking with women whose lives were affected by lack of choice. Then tell me you still feel the same. And not women with access to resources. To woman who are more like you, like me.

Even if non of the challenges and obstacles existed in a woman's life - if she merely didn't want to have children and took steps to prevent or terminate, because she chooses to, that is between herself and her god. It is no one elses business.

Ms. Palin said that she would consider termination if the mother's life were in danger, otherwise, she is pro-life. She will always choose life. I wonder what her daughter would say if asked what she wanted. Truly. If pro-life is so important, her daughter's life should matter more to her, the quality of her daughter's life and she should have allowed her to use contraception - because even in Alaska, teen pregnancy is a problema and clearly abstinence doesn't work - not even for a pentacostal, god fearing former pastor's daughter.

Not a man. Not a political party - not even the first woman vice presidential candidate, democrate or republican, not anyone elses beliefs has a right to interfere. This is something between each woman, her body, her conscience, her belief. Her god.