In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Late-Breaking

(Thanks, Liza)

Dude’s got a spine after all.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it’s intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake. I’ve talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone’s faith, and I take them at their word.

Oh, and he’s on board with this being a fake fight, too:

We’re beginning a great debate about the future of our country, and we can’t let it be hijacked. It will take discipline, focus, and courage to build the America we believe in.

Two Million Strong

Liza is compiling all the posts about the Melissa/Amanda drama, and points out in an email that these blogs collectively reach more than two million people a day. Just a thought for the Edwards campaign — that’s a whole lot of voters from their base to alienate.

The Backlash Against the Edwards Bloggers

witch
If I had known there was going to be a witch hunt, I would have ridden in on my good broomstick.

UPDATE: Because I’m a moron, I forgot the most important part of the post: Contact the Edwards campaign and voice your support of Amanda and Melissa. Do it now.


As Zuzu says,
the conservative attacks on Amanda and Melissa have gone way too far. It is amusing, though, to see people who support interning American citizens and people who are loud-mouthed anti-Semitic bigots complaining about Amanda’s supposed hostility towards Constitutional rights and religion.

One thing is clear: The people who have problems with Amanda and Melissa’s employment are not moderates. They are among the most hateful, foaming-at-the-mouth, low-IQ, bottom-feeding maggots in this country. They are people who openly support hate groups. These are not people who are going to vote for any Democrat, or who Democratic candidates should be taking seriously.

So let’s clarify a few things. First, the Duke case. Half-witted conservative bloggers ’round the sphere have been accusing Amanda of violating the civil/Constitutional rights of the Duke lacrosse players who were accused of rape. They point to this paragraph of Amanda’s as evidence of her supposed harassment of these fine young men:

In the meantime, I’ve been sort of casually listening to CNN blaring throughout the waiting area and good f*** god is that channel pure evil. For awhile, I had to listen to how the poor dear lacrosse players at Duke are being persecuted just because they held someone down and f*** her against her will—not rape, of course, because the charges have been thrown out. Can’t a few white boys sexually assault a black woman anymore without people getting all wound up about it? So unfair.

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Hmph.

[Update: Witchy clarified in this post. The initial post was not directed at women who bring up work with women to support identification as feminists, and was not meant to denigrate volunteering. I shouldn’t have jumped the gun, and I’m sorry.]

Okay, so this is a tangent and possibly an unfair one, but Kim linked to this post from Witchy-woo in which she says some pretty uncharitable things about “charitable work:”

Charitable works on behalf of some women (the most obviously beaten down and abused in your community) does not a feminist make. Anyone can fucking do that.

Actually caring about women as a whole, as a group, as a global Class (yes, terribly unfashionable, I know); actually living as a feminist, being a feminist, is an inside thing. It’s an ‘in your soul’ thing. (And possibly not something too many blogging, white, American women know very much about or are much bothered about. Sorry, not demonstrating any ‘ism’ there – just that you mostly seem a tad blinkered to anyone elses society from what I’ve observed.)

Personally, the way it works for me; I relate every single thing I do/say/think to the women who I know are deemed ‘less than’ me and I take it from there – I take it from what I believe my perspective would be were I walking in their footsteps. Yes, it’s fucking scary – but I’m not the one who’s actually living it. I’m one of the ‘lucky’ ones.

Charitable works? Well, that’s nice and good for you. Charitable creds, and all those other brownie points and other meaningless societal awards you get given for not changing a fucking thing. Working to end the oppression of women? Nice doesn’t cut it, I’m afraid.

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This Is Really Getting Out Of Hand

Jesus, now noted Jew-hater William Donohue, head of the Catholic League, is getting in on the Amanda-bashing (and adding in some hate for Shakes while he’s at it):

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 — Two bloggers hired by John Edwards to reach out to liberals in the online world have landed his presidential campaign in hot water for doing what bloggers do — expressing their opinions in provocative and often crude language.

That’s very telling, that choice of terms. “In hot water.” Kind of makes it sound like Donohue’s got some kind of legitimate complaint here rather than just manufactured outrage, doesn’t it?

The Catholic League, a conservative religious group, is demanding that Mr. Edwards dismiss the two, Amanda Marcotte of the Pandagon blog site and Melissa McEwan, who writes on her blog, Shakespeare’s Sister, for expressing anti-Catholic opinions.

Mr. Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, is among the leading Democratic presidential candidates.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said in a statement on Tuesday, “John Edwards is a decent man who has had his campaign tarnished by two anti-Catholic vulgar trash-talking bigots.”

You know, you really have to admire the level of projection required to be Bill Donohue. Because the man who’s demanding the heads of Amanda and Shakes for being “anti-Catholic vulgar trash-talking bigots” had this to say about Jews:

Clearly, this article arose from the wingnutosphere, given the mention of Amanda’s Duke post. But here’s the most disturbing part, to me:

Mr. Edwards’s spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, said Tuesday night that the campaign was weighing the fate of the two bloggers.

Now, obviously, the campaign has undoubtedly been asked about this and had to make some kind of response. But this idea that they’re “weighing the fate” of two bloggers based only on the stink made by people like Donohue, who doesn’t think much of the Constitution —

— or Michelle “Our Lady of the Internment Camps” Malkin, whose manufactured outrage over Jamilgate might just get a man and his family KILLED —

— the very idea that the Edwards campaign would even consider hanging these two bloggers out to dry to appease people who won’t even be voting in the primary, much less for him, turns my stomach.

Because we have enough so-called leaders who bow to the demands of the very loud, very unhinged right wing noise machine. John Edwards, if you are at all serious about getting the votes of liberals, of women, of people who care passionately about the issues you talk about, then you can not cave to the likes of Bill Donohue.

Because there will be no end to the demands for capitulation. They won’t rest on their laurels after having taken out two relatively small fry. No, their demands will only increase, and there is no appeasing them.

And in the end, they’re not going to vote for you anyway. And the people who agree with them aren’t going to vote for you anyway.

The people you’ll lose, if you cave, are the people who hunger for someone who will stand the hell up to these kinds of loudmouthed, anti-Constitutional hacks who stand for nothing but their own selves.

I’m looking for a candidate who won’t throw allies under the bus to appease opponents.

Are you that candidate, John Edwards?

John Edwards campaign contact info. If you’re going to email, email today. Politely, please.

UPDATE: See also Liza Sabater/Culture Kitchen, Shakespeare’s Sister, MyDD, All Spin Zone, Glenn Greenwald,
Mahablog
, The Carpetbagger Report, The Heretik, and CorrenteWire.

From The Special Moderation Queue

The “unclear on the concept” edition:

Considering the fact that you’re feminists and most likely therefore lesbians wearing jean shorts, hiking boots and flannel shirts, who in their right mind would WANT to (your words) “fuck with” you?

Posted in Uncategorized

You gotta love a story that involves a love triangle, astronauts, adult diapers and pepper spray

No, seriously.

A NASA astronaut who drove hundreds of miles to confront a romantic rival, wearing diapers on the journey so that she would not have to stop to use the restroom, appeared in court today facing charges that included attempted kidnapping, and was ordered released on $15,500 bond. . . .

The Orlando police allege that Mrs. Nowak drove 950 miles from Houston to Orlando — wearing adult diapers — and disguised herself in a dark wig, glasses and trench coat to confront Ms. Shipman in the parking lot of Orlando International Airport, according to a police affidavit. Mrs. Nowak considered her a rival for the affections of a fellow astronaut, Bill Oefelein, according to the affidavit.

The Orlando police said that Mrs. Nowak followed Ms. Shipman to a parking lot at the airport, where Ms. Shipman entered her car. Mrs. Nowak approached the car window and tried to open the door. When Ms. Shipman would not open the door, Mrs. Nowak began to cry, the police said. Ms. Shipman cracked the window, and Mrs. Nowak sprayed pepper spray into the vehicle.

And my favorite:

She later told police, “that was stupid,” according to the affidavit.

Ya think?

Check out what she packed for the trip (other than adult diapers and pepper spray):

During a check of the parking lot, an officer followed Mrs. Nowak and watched her throw away a bag containing the wig and a BB gun. They also found a steel mallet, a 4-inch folding knife, rubber tubing, rubber gloves, $600 in cash, love letters — all in bags and in her car, the police said.

Way back in the early 90s, when I worked at a newspaper in Connecticut, there was a trial going on just over the border in Massachusetts involving a murder that had come out of a love triangle in which a chimney sweep and a coconut bra figured prominently. But I think astronauts, pepper spray and adult diapers beat that for sheer weirdness.