Somewhere, A Woman is Walking Around Screaming, "WHERE'S MY BABY?!?!"

Who says Republicans aren't classy? During Saturday's healthcare debate, Representative John Shadegg (R-AZ) exploited a child for political purposes by putting words in the mouths of a 7-month-old baby and her mother. Poor kid. Just move that mic away from the nasty man.

Take Action Monday on Wednesday

I've been a real sucky blogger for at least the last week or so. My schedule has changed and I need to get used to the new routine. I have at least one thing I want to post about body image during the weekend, so you can at least look forward to that.

Urge your Representatives to reject any anti-choice amendments to health care reform.

Support legislation that provides nutritious meals for America's children.

Demand stronger car emissions standards from the EPA.

Tell Republicans to stop lying about health care reform.

Support a public health insurance option.

Tell the CDC that circumcision is not the answer to preventing STDs.

Target Women: Beauty Contraptions

The latest funny Target Women from Sarah Haskins takes on all of those crazy beauty contraptions. But she forgot this one!

Take Action Monday

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I was sick allll week. Fortunately, I'm getting better, so I should be posting a bit more.

Tell your Representative and Senators that being a woman is not a pre-existing condition.

Support fair salaries and unionization at WalMart.

Tell President Obama to make Sudan a priority on his next trip to China.

Urge CNN to dump Dobbs. And tell Glenn Beck what you think of him too.

Tell Senate Majority Leader Reid to support a public health insurance option.

Protect wolves from slaughter.

Urge the Sri Lankan government to release detainees.

The Stupid. It Burns

Bill Maher can add this startling statistic to his list of reasons why Americans are stupid.

The latest Pew poll on global warming shows a large drop in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising, from 71% down to only 57% in the last 18 months. And global warming due to human activity? The overall numbers have declined from 47% to 36%. To put this in perspective, a Gallup poll found that 37% of Americans believe that houses can be haunted. This contrast is particularly dramatic among conservatives: Only 18% of republicans believe that there is evidence of global warming caused by human activity, while 28% of conservatives believe in haunted houses.

The stupid. It burns.

Take Action Monday

End water pollution from mountaintop removal mining.

Urge your Senators to cut abstinence-only education funding from healthcare reform.

Tell President Obama it's time to act on climate change, and to help save the whales.

Protest lobbyists for Sudanese president Bashir.

Oppose the Vitter-Bennett Senate Amendment 2644.

Tell Walmart to stop its suppliers Giumarra's unlawful behavior.

Urge President Obama to investigate the link between pesticides and Parkinson's.

WTF: Miscegenation Edition

A pastor in Louisiana intentionally doesn't marry interracial couples, but there's one very important thing you need to know.

I'm not a racist . . . I have piles and piles of Black friends.

Gee, that's reassuring, I guess. What's this guy's deal? Does he think it's 1953? No, he uses the classic Helen Lovejoy "won't someone please think of the children" defense.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage. I think those children suffer . . ."

True that. Just look at these unfortunate interracial misfits who were never accepted and amounted to nothing.

How cruel it would be to bring interracial children into the world when all they have to look forward to is becoming one of the most successful recording artists of all time, the highest paid athlete in professional sports, an Academy award winning actress, or President of the United States.

Take Action Monday

Or buy them a discount mattress.

Urge your Senators to include immunosuppressive drug coverage in the health care bill.

Help protect the Florida Panther.

Tell the UN to appoint a special representative to hold countries involved in gender-based violence accountable. Tell the European and African Unions to do the same.

Support the Foreign Assistance Revitalization & Accountability Act of 2009.

Help the U.S. strengthen its toxic chemicals standards.

Stop the Ken Lewis (Bank of America) bailout.

Thank the workers who eliminate pollution.

Funny Videos (No Homo)

Bryan Safi"s latest -- no homo -- on the no homo use (or maybe no homo overuse) of "no homo." It's like the new "you know what I'm sayin'?"



Secretary of State Hillary Clinton uses her diplomacy skills to resolve the Mayor Cory Booker/Conan O'Brien conflict.



Roman Polanski on To Catch a Predator. Not really, but at least we don't have to use our imaginations anymore.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Gay After Tomorrow
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Jon Stewart thinks President Obama should finally repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Maybe he will this weekend at the pride march in Washington, D.C.

Hey Hey It's Racism!

On Hey Hey It's Saturday, which seems to be like an Australian version of The Gong Show, a group calling themselves The Jackson Jive performed a horrendous dance and singing routine -- in blackface. Mind you, the performance would have been horrendous without the blackface, but at least it wouldn't have been totally racist. Harry Connick, Jr. was one of the judges. He gave them a zero and later said that he wouldn't have done the show had known these jackasses would be on (in a more polite way, of course). As the Aussies might say, good on ya, Harry!

Because in Reality, You Have Nothing to Offer

Take Action Monday

Before I link to the petitions, I have to plug the new poetry book By Way Of from Toadlily Press. My BFF Diana Alvarez wrote a chapter for it, and she's a very talented poet. She's definitely the best, and I say that completely objectively.

Tell President Obama and Congress that we need a smart exit strategy from Afghanistan.

Keep fighting for a public health insurance option.

Nominate or vote for your favorite change maker.

Support the REAL Act.

Urge your Senators to support early breast cancer detection.

Demand strong clean car standards.

Stand up for farm workers.

Urge Sierra Leone's government to make maternal health a priority.

Colbert Urges Us to Send Our Medical Bills to Max Baucus

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Send Your Medical Bills to Max Baucus
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

Stephen Colbert gave his viewers a great idea to show our outrage over the public option failing to pass.

Send Max Baucus your healthcare bill. All of them. Believe me, believe me, folks, he's good for it. In the last five years, Baucus has gotten $3.2 million from the healthcare industry. So, Nation, if you've been denied coverage by a health insurance company, just send your unpaid medical bills to: Max Baucus' Huge Pile of Money, Washington, D.C. Not sure if you qualify? Just call his office and ask to speak to the eligibility agent. I believe his name is . . . Max.

His D.C. real address is:

511 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510.

Maybe he'll read your bills. I doubt they'll be 1,000 pages.

Take Action Monday

Since Tom Felton started following me on Twitter a few days ago, I have about 15 new followers. I'd like to think the recent influx of followers is because of the feminism, but I won't kid myself.

Urge President Obama to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Child. The United States and Somalia are the only two countries who haven't signed it.

Tell Congress to close the Part D "doughnut hole" that limits prescription drug coverage for seniors.

Help restore fair wages and government oversight for guest farm workers.

Send pictures of your little ones to Senator Kyl, and let him know that maternity care is important for all.

Protect our drinking water supply from pollution.

Thank Speaker Pelosi for standing up for a public health insurance option.

Support the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009.

Urge your Senators to pass legislation to protect our national parks.

Ask your Senators to co-sponsor the JUSTICE Act.

Support the Roadless Area Conservation Rule

Thank Michelle Obama for standing up for women and children in her recent health care reform speech.

Latest from Bryan Safi & Sarah Haskins

Bryan Safi outlines the many ways of coming out, brought to you by every television show ever.



Sarah Haskins explains why back to school is, like, totes awesome.

Anti-Feminist Dating Service: Senator Jon Kyl

This is Jon Kyl. He's a Republican Senator from the great state of Arizona, so you know he has a stable well-paying government job. Very hot. And he's a real man's man. When debating health care reform, he makes sure no one thinks he's a lady:

I don't need maternity care.

See, he's not like those pussy guys who need maternity care. He's a real man. A real honest man:

So requiring that on my insurance policy is something that I don't need and will make the policy more expensive.

*swoon* What a bad boy! If you want to find out if he's as selfish a lover as he is a human being, give him a call. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you.

B-b-but What About the Billionaires???

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

If you've been on the same planet as I've been on the past few days (i.e., Planet Why Did I Choose to go to Grad School AGAIN?!), you haven't seen this new video from Will Ferrell and friends imploring us to think about the health insurance companies for once. 'Tis funny.

Take Action Monday on Tuesday

Busy birthday weekend, busy day yesterday with school and work -- no time to update!

Fight to end hunger in America.

End healthcare discrimination based on pre-existing medical conditions.

Tell your Senators that now is the time for healthcare reform, but not the Baucus bill.

Help repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

Protect America's mountains.

Thank UN peacekeepers.

Support the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2009.

Protect reproductive rights in healthcare reform.

So Not Funny, Russell Brand!

The big story about MTV's Video Music Awards Sunday night was the Kanye West/Taylor Swift affair. The event that isn't getting much play is Russel Brand's rape joke that he made against Megan Fox:

“She has admitted she is a little bit cuckoo upstairs and I have trained in psychiatry. So Megan, if you do have a little dizzy spell love, I could probably drop you a little pill. You can go and have a lie down in my dressing room. You might get some crazy dreams about being visited by a scarecrow, a perfumed weirdo leaning over you. But let me tell you, that’s a common side-effect. Megan, take your medicine.”

Rape isn't funny, and joking about it is even less funny. And if that's not bad enough, he made a joke about the rumors regarding Lady Gaga's sex. I couldn't find a direct quote of what he said first, but here's my rough summary of it. He said that the rumors about Lady Gaga's sex were sexist; people thought that because of her comfort with her strong sexual expression, she must really be a guy. Good on you, Russell Brand, for calling it how it is. Oh, wait, this is still Russell Brand we're talking about, so he had to say something disgusting.

“And if I pull her leotard to one side and find something a little extra there, I will just make it stiff and hang my hat on it.”

Ugh. Either put the rumors to bed, or don't discuss them at all. Don't send mixed messages about them. What does he expect the audience to think now? Even though Brand correctly stated that the rumors were sexist, he reignited them by saying they might be true. That damages Lady Gaga and the entire intersex population (and the thought to be intersex population).

Joking about rape and delicate sexuality issues -- so not funny, Russell Brand.

Take Action Monday

I have to do this assignment for one of my teaching courses where I have to visit a school for a few hours, observe a class, and get some general information about the school and surrounding community. Every school I call requires that I give up my first-born child in order to do this assignment, since they don't want just anyone entering their school. When I told them I don't have any children and don't plan to, they told me a pint of my blood would be a sufficient offering. So I'll be visiting the blood bank soon. Anyway . . . .

Protect the Arctic from oil and gas development.

Encourage the 62 companies who have pulled their ads from Glenn Beck's program to stand their ground.

Support the Clean Water Protection Act.

Tell your Senators to pass healthcare reform now.

Tell your Representatives not to meet with anti-immigrant hate groups while planning immigration reform.

Support a balanced approach to achieving Middle East peace.

Urge your Representative and Senators to prioritize reproductive healthcare access in healthcare reform.

More from the Anonymous Misogynist

It's been more than a year since I left my old blog and started this one. For some reason, people still comment on the old blog from time to time. Some of the comments come from assholes who always post under "Anonymous," so I'm calling this sorry excuse for a person the Anonymous Misogynist. They're probably different people, but they all come from the same breed of women-hating dirtbags. And I recently got two comments in moderation two days in a row, so this time, I think the comments did come from the same Anonymous Misogynist. They're just too stupid to realize that comments go through moderation and aren't even posted anymore (not even the nice ones), because I don't update that blog anymore in any way. One comment was from a post dated March 10, 2008 where I wrote about a gym at Harvard that has women-only hours to accommodate Muslim women and any other women that feel uncomfortable exercising in front of men. I commented on the backlash the Muslim women were receiving from political pundits and the university community. Anonymous Misogynist said,

You're just a man hating sexist and all of your arguments boil down to that.

Yes, I am a man (shock horror) and no, I don't letch at women nor do I feel I have the privilege to do so and I don't want it either. (I bet now your next conclusion is that I'm gay - wrong again).

In the UK there are entirely female only gyms and I'm forbidden to enter because of my gender. There is no other reason.

There is no way you can argue that that is not sexist. Its ridiculous that you're even trying.

Rich of the person who's commenting anonymously to a post from a year and a half ago to call me ridiculous, and rich of the person who's telling me what I believe to simultaneously deride me for supposedly making assumptions about his gender and sexuality, which I never did, and before even reading the comment. And this is after I said, "A Harvard student suggested that another gym on campus have male-only hours at the same time as the female-only hours, and that's a policy I support," and "Usually, I don't support separating the men from the women," and after a slew of other civil comments I made without insult to two people, at least one who I know is male (because he's a friend of the woman I used to blog with). But apparently, according to the paranoid and privileged "Anonymous Misogynist" ** that's all code for "I hate men!" [froths at mouth]

The next forever-to-be-unmoderated comment from Anonymous Misogynist was about a genderqueer boy named Larry King, who was murdered for flirting with another boy after that boy made fun of his gender identity. I wrote that post on March 28, 2008, and the trial starts late next month. Here's what Anonymous Misogynist said:

that faggot deserves it! and you are a piece of shit feminist.

I guess Larry King was a bigger faggot than I am a piece of shit feminist, considering Anonymous Misogynist didn't end that last statement with an exclamation point. What a fuckface, right?

I don't know if Anonymous Misogynist takes Sundays off, but I'm definitely looking forward to its next comment.

*Reminds me of a recent episode of The Simpsons that was just on, in which Marge opens a gym for women. Homer asks, "Why would women want to go to a gym if there were no men there watching them and judging them?" After seeing the long line of women waiting to enter the gym at its grand opening, Homer exclaims, "We're gonna be rich!"

**I'm totally thinking of drawing a cartoon character of that.

The Funny & the Fucked Up

The Funny:


The latest from Bryan Safi shows us that teh gay, despite what the religious wrong seems to think, actually makes everything all better.



A Tonight Show sketch about Sweden's tax-payer supported feminist porn film.

The Fucked Up:

Another "family values" Republican resigns after bragging about his affair -- while his mic was on. He said, "She wears little eye-patch underwear. So, the other day she came here with her underwear, Thursday. And
 so, we had made love Wednesday--a lot! And so she'll, she's all, 'I am going 
up and down the stairs, and you're dripping out of me!' So messy!" You kiss your mistress with that mouth? Ewwwwwwww.

Take Action Monday

Happy Labor/Labour (Canada) Day!

Urge your Senators to pass a clean energy bill.

Support freeing sex trafficking victim from a life sentence without parole.

Help end discriminatory health insurance practices.

Support a public health insurance option.

Tell Secretary of State Clinton to help restore democracy and accountability for human rights abuses in Honduras.

Support humanitarian aid in Sudan.

So Not Funny, Representative Jenkins!

Representative Lynn "Great White Hope" Jenkins (R-Kansas) laughed at a single mother at a town hall meeting about healthcare a few weeks ago. Here's how the conversation went:

Constituent: I’m a 27 year-old single mother. I work full-time. I do not have health insurance. My employer does not provide health insurance to me and I cannot afford it privately. So my question is, why shouldn’t my government guarantee all of its citizens health care?

Rep. Jenkins: Thank you. I’m sorry, maybe you missed my opening remarks, but absolutely. That’s why we have Medicaid in the current system and that’s why under the alternative proposal we have an option for low-to-modest-income people to be able to afford health care and then we’ve got the SCHIP program for children. So I think we’ve got all of the bases covered.

No, we don't. If this constituent and her child were eligible for Medicaid and SCHIP, they'd be on it. How patronizing of Representative Jenkins to dismiss this woman's concerns for her and her family's healthcare access. This is a reality for millions of Americans. Audience members informed Representative Jenkins that not everyone is covered under these programs, and the conversation continued.

Representative Jenkins: OK, if you’re not then you’re the perfect example for why we've got to have reform and why we've got to do it now but we have to do it right and if we can do an alternative proposal, as I’m suggesting, give you the money to go buy it in a reformed marketplace where it is affordable, that’s my preference rather than to saddle the nation with yet another government program when they can’t afford the government run programs we have.

Constituent: I want an option that I can pay for. I work. I pay my bills. I’m not a burden on the state. I pay my taxes. So why can’t I get an affordable option. Why are you against that?

Representative Jenkins: A government run program (laugh) is going to subsidize not only yours but (laughs) everyone's in this room. So I’m not sure what we’re talking about here.

But Representative Jenkins knows exactly what this constituent is talking about. As a member of Congress, she already gets healthcare that is subsidized by the American people! That's what we're all talking about, you idiot. Later, Representative Jenkins calls getting a government handout of thousands of dollars a year to buy health insurance in the private market "being a grown up." Did she not listen to this constituent at all? She isn't a "burden on the state," and she doesn't want to be. She wants to be a self-sufficient grown up and have affordable and reliable health insurance for her and her family. Put on your listening ears, stop laughing at hard-working women, and stop claiming ignorance, Representative Jenkins. It's so not funny!

You Can Go Girl . . . .

Or you can sit on the damn seat!

Correction

I just want the same healthcare Congress gets, minus Michelle Bachmann.

WTF: Little Pole Dancer Edition

Some toy company just came out with a little robot girl that pole dances. It goes up and down, round and round, and flashes. The lights on the stage flash, not the little robot girl. Maybe she'll show her ta-tas next year. I think she looks like Delta Burke from Designing Women.

Take Action Monday

Saturday was the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Support the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act.

Tell President Obama to sign an international treaty to reverse global warming.

Urge President Obama to include eradicating malaria, health protection, microfinance, and education to any foreign aid bill.

Sign this online card for Sen. Ted Kennedy's family.

Help ratify CEDAW.

Funny Stuff

I wish I had more funny stuff to post, since we could all use a little laughter.

The Soup shows us a sneak peek of the "fat reality show" line-up.



Sarah Haskins discovers Brooke Shields is good at selling stupid shit. Well, she endorses a lot of stupid shit.

Thank You, Senator Ted Kennedy

Senator Ted Kennedy died of brain cancer yesterday at the age of 77. Because everything I do as a young woman of color is due in part to Ted Kennedy's fierce leadership in his 47 years as Senator, I can only thank him for all he has done for the United States. The man with every kind of privilege in the world worked for the oppressed every day of his life, and his legacy shall live on in every person he has inspired. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And to keep everything light and funny here, here's the "I'm an Amendment to Be" video from The Simpsons. This was the first time I heard of Ted Kennedy. No one will say that you're gay no more, Ted.




via videosift.com

Sorry about the volume thing. You have to raise it to 11.

Take Action Monday

Prohibit mining in the Grand Canyon, and development in the Rocky Mountains.

Help pass the trans inclusive Employee Non-Discrimination Act.

Urge the Sri Lankan government to free displaced civilians.

Thank Dr. Carhart for providing late-term abortion services for women in need.

Tell Ruby Ridge's owners that threatening workers who want to organize with gun violence is wrong.

Save the Bluefin Tuna from wasteful fishing practices.

Support the Protect US Citizens and Residents from Unlawful Detention Act and the Strong STANDARDS Act.

Help free political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi.

That's Gay: Lady Kisses

Bryan Safi's latest That's Gay explores the "lez pretending" in prime time sitcoms and dramas.

So Not Funny, Conan O'Brien

The image above comes from an episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien that aired last week. I was very offended by it, but didn't get a chance to write about it. Luckily, Renee at Womanist Musings did and found the offensive picture.

Basically, Conan O'Brien has this running gag called "Conan's Tabloid Moment" where he decides to stage a scandalous scene, take a picture of it, and sell it to the tabloids. At first, he pretends he's at a strip club. Then, he decides that the situation would be worse if he's drunk. What could possibly make that scene any worse? If the strippers were "trannies" of course! Because viewing cis women as sex objects isn't sickening, but if they're trans women . . . . And the way the cis women strippers become trans is by slapping a Keith Hernandez mustache on their faces. It's not that simple, Conan, and it's so not funny.

Conan has played around with gender on his show. A running joke of his is the fact that he looks a lot like Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton. A few years back, Conan enjoyed fame in Finland, and he attributed it to his resemblance to their president, Tarja Halonen. With both jokes, Conan made sure the joke was on him. He wasn't saying that Swinton and President Halonen looked like men, but that his red hair, pale complexion, and thin physique made him look like those women. He seems to be quite comfortable with his appearance, at least enough to talk about it and make fun of himself. But not everyone is as comfortable with the body they were born into. Trans people aren't afforded the privilege to feel comfortable in their own skin and be accepted as they are. That oppression shouldn't be exploited for cheap laughs.

Barney Frank, I Love You

And this is why.

Update: You can thank Representative Frank for standing up against extremism by signing this petition!

What's That You're Against?

Part of me wishes I had the idea to make a sign with a hilarious spelling mistake and pretend to protest healthcare reform with it.




via Pandagon

Take Action Monday

Tell Rite Aid CEO Mary Sammons to stop stalling union negotiations.

Urge President Obama to protect us from nuclear weapons.

Make ending gender-based violence a priority in U.S. foreign policy.

Tell your Representatives that you want healthcare reform this year.

Choose the new slogan for Save Darfur.

End human trafficking in the U.S.

The Irony is Completely Lost on Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin* said this in one of her Facebook notes the other day,

The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

after saying this,

"So how about, in honor of the American solider, you quit making things up?"

and this

Face it. You're one of us now! One of us! One of us! One of us! (and it goes on).



*This might make me sound like a total asshole, but I don't really care. I'm REALLY glad that I don't have to put "Governor" in front of her name anymore. It actually bothered me to show such an evil person that kind of respect. Whereas others would put "Ms." or "Mrs," I always felt like it was more respectful to use their title, no matter how repugnant I believe their policies to be.

Take Action Monday

Congratulate Justice Sotomayor for her confirmation.

Send your feedback to the EPA regarding biofuels.

Get antibiotics out of our meat.

Stop opponents of health care reform distorting the truth.

Urge CNN to set the record straight on the Employee Free Choice Act.

Help stop toxic wastewater dumping in our streams.

Ensure that children are covered in healthcare reform.

Charles & Red Answer Important Questions

via Feministing

Transgender life coaches Charles and Red give hilarious answers to the cis people who've failed Trans 101

And while I'm at it, here's the latest That's Gay by Bryan Safi.



Please don't ask me what gay people have to do with feminism. Please.

Take Action Monday

Tell Congress to draft a healthcare plan that works for people with chronic diseases.

Call on advertisers to stop sponsoring Glenn Beck's racist television and radio shows.

Show Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano that you want real immigration reform.

Tell your Congressperson to support a public healthcare option.

Urge your Senators to confirm Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.

Thank Secretary of State Clinton for her dedication to women's rights.

Tell CNN that you want Lou Dobbs off the air. I know I do.

Demand accountability for the crimes committed at Guantanamo Bay.

Urge Senators Baucus, Bingaman, Conrad, Enzi, Grassley, and Snowe to give back money donated to them by health insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

A Rest from All That "Obama is a Racist" B.S. Going Around

Not that he's saying President Obama is the ANTICHRIST or anything, but here's a five-minute video explaining why this is indisputable fact!

via Mario Piperni

The Funny & the Fucked Up

The Funny:



The latest from Sarah Haskins. I hate those doofy husband commercials too. Playing dumb is total male privilege!



William Shatner reads former Governor Palin's resignation speech. Poetry!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - He Who Smelt It, Dealt It
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Tasers

Stephen Colbert compares racism to farts, with hilarious results.

The Fucked Up:

Governor Schwarzenegger cuts ALL funding from domestic violence shelters in California. Contact the governor and tell him what you think.

Take Action Monday

It's still Monday for another 40 minutes.

Urge Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee to ask Special Envoy Gration for tough measures in the upcoming plan for peace.

Ask the United Nations to end violence in schools.

Call on CNN to address Lou Dobbs' paranoia.

Tell Texas not to exclude Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall from its history textbooks.

Urge Congress to include reproductive healthcare in healthcare reform.

Help protect Alaska's national parks.

Sign the petition to abolish nuclear weapons.

Demand justice in the murder of human rights activist Natalia Estemirova.

Stop California from exposing pesticides to pregnant farm workers.

Urge the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Top 6 Ways to Deflect Accusations of Racism

Part of the reason why I haven't been updating is because I'm pretty addicted to this Facebook game called Typing Maniac. You have to type words that fall from the top of the screen before they reach the bottom. It's much more fun than I'm making it sound. There are a bunch of words, some from different languages, some with double meanings. Facebook users can discuss the game on the message board, and someone posted a topic called "Racist words." He says,

Why on earth is the word CHINK on it???? What kind of BS is this?

"Chink" has more than one meaning, and a few people informed the OP of this. Still, there's no denying that the word is triggering, since it is also a racist term used to refer to Chinese people. And then comes the deluge of "it's not racist because I say so" replies. These comments come in many forms.

First, there's the "You're racist because you notice racism" response:

What kind of racist initially thinks of that as a racist word when it has existed as a benign word for much longer?

Uh, the kind of racist who's been called a chink before? What a bitch, and I mean that in the most benign way possible.

Then there's the "playing dumb" response:

chinks?

1 : a small cleft, slit, or fissure 2 : a weak spot that may leave one vulnerable 3 : a narrow beam of light shining through a chink

I don't see it as a racist word and I'm chinese

Except you know it can be used as a racist term against Chinese people. Why else mention at the end that you're Chinese? Which segues nicely into the next response, the "I'm not offended, so it's not offensive" response:

I'm not offended by it at all.

Where's the "Have a Cookie" application when you need it? I love this one, because it basically tells others how they should feel, like they're the normal standard and everyone else deviates from it. I bet if I kicked this kid in the balls, he'd scream in pain. And I'd tell him, "If it hurts as much as you say it does, wouldn't it hurt me too?"

Then there's the "words mean nothing" response . . . :

I think if someone is offended by words, he can stay at home, close his pc his tv and his ears. Black people get offended when you say the word negroes but they say it all the time, homosexual people are offended if you say fug but they always say it. Life is like a south park joke for them.

. . . Made by someone who hates the fact that he can't use racial slurs because he's an oppressed White man. Now where did I put that tiny violin . . . . Oh, well. Let's get on with it. Probably my favorite response to a racist accusation is the "Speaking of racism, let's not speak about that" response:

lets just start posting all the weird words you get here~

Here's a word for you: FAIL.

And finally, there's the "You're a victim of racism, so there's something wrong with you emotionally" response:

Secure people don't make a fuss about words. I'm sick of hearing about it all from INSECURE people who've been taught insecurity in their childhood. GROW UP!

Yes, why can't we all be secure in our Whiteness like you? Oh, that's right. Because we're not all White. It's all part of our pathology.

Let's Get a Couple Things Straight

This is funny stuff.

This is so not funny stuff.

Now what would you file this under?

via Pandagon

Take Action Monday

Protect women's reproductive healthcare from anti-choice attacks.

Tell Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano to stop supporting racist Sheriff Arpaio.

Apply for a job at Senator Grassley's office so that you can have the same great healthcare he has.

Support the Global Food Security Act.

Urge Republicans to denounce Rush Limbaugh.

Tell Congress to support single-payer healthcare.

Stephen Colbert Explains the Myth of Neutrality

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Neutral Man's Burden
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

This segment of The Word on The Colbert Report from last night is probably the best thing that's ever aired on the show, possibly ever in the history of television.

Important Question

Could that baby be any more uncomfortable?

Take Action Monday

Fair Trade Certified's blog held a fair trade haiku contest over the weekend, and my haiku was one of the winners! Mine is the eleventh one in comments, if you want to read it.

Tell Attorney General Holder to prosecute the architects of torture.

Not that he'll ever do it, but tell John McCain to apologize for shining the national spotlight on Sarah Palin.

Demand that Senator Hatch stop telling lies about Planned Parenthood.

Urge Iran's leader to not seek the death penalty for political prisoners.

Tell your Senators that genetically modified organisms are not the answer to world hunger.

Latisse: For Women with Eyelash FAIL

When is having "inadequate or not enough eyelashes" a medical condition that should be treated with prescription drugs? When it's labeled hypotrichosis, a condition in which hair does not grow at all in places where it's supposed to. Eyelashes function as little brooms for our eyeballs that sweep away dust and dead skin cells. They also grant wishes*. That's why people with hypotrichosis need Latisse, a prescription liquid that people with this terrible affliction dab on their eyelids to make eyelashes grow where there were no eyelashes before.

Cue Brooke Shields. I bet you didn't even know that Brooke Shields never had eyelashes until about 16 weeks before the above commercial was filmed. That's because she uses Latisse, and also because she's always had eyelashes.

Now, there are diseases that cause people to not grow, (hypotrichosis), lose (alopecia), and pull out (trichotillomania) their hair, including their eyelashes. Hair loss is also a side effect of chemotherapy. This product could probably help people in those situations. But Latisse is not marketed that way. It's advertised as a cosmetic drug for women who are, apparently, supposed to feel insecure about their eyelashes. The company uses the term "hypotrichosis" and defines it so narrowly to only pertain to eyelashes that aren't long and thick enough (whatever that means), making eyelashes that don't conform to our society's beauty standards a disease. On top of all the other parts of our bodies we're supposed to hate (i.e., all of it), now we have to make a doctor's appointment to check the adequacy of our eyelashes. What the hell?



* Seriously, the company is donating $1 million to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Something Ain't Right with the Young Republicans

The Young Republicans recently elected 38-year-old Audra Shay as their president. Young Republicans across the country implored her to get out of the race after she engaged in some racist conversation on Facebook and other social networking websites. After one of her Facebook friends called Obama and African Americans in general "mad coons," Shay replied, "You tell em . . . ! lol" This is totally outrageous.

I mean, since when is 38 young?

*sigh* Follow Me on Twitter

I did it. I got a Twitter account. You can follow me by clicking on "follow me on Twitter" in the little box over there. And I'm calling them Fweets in my feed, because I like alliteration.

Happy Bloggiversary!

It's my blog's birthday today! Yay! But I didn't get her anything! Eep! Anyway, can you believe it was 215 posts ago that I started this blog? I was hoping to get more posts in the second half of the year than the first half, but I missed by 15 posts or so. Oh well. I look forward to blogging for my second year. Thanks everybody for visiting!

Take Action Monday

Declare your independence from the insurance industry (if they didn't already declare their independence from you).

End abstinence-only education funding.

Help remove HIV/AIDS from the Health and Human Services list of travel restrictions.

Support the Clean Water Protection Act.

Protect reproductive healthcare in healthcare reform.

Urge your Senators to support the Afghan Women Empowerment Act.

Tell President Obama to end indefinite detention without charge or trial.

W . . . T . . . F: Governor Sarah Palin Resigns

I have no idea what she said, but she said it for nearly seven minutes. Governor Sanford sounded more coherent crying through his press conference.

Funny Stuff

I haven't posted any Funny Stuff in a while. Let's just say that the last month was so not funny. But it's a new month, and here are some funny videos for your enjoyment.



Betty Bowers on traditional marriage.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Burka Ban
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

Damn, Kristen Schaal. Where has your hilarious ass been?



The latest from Sarah Haskins.



File this under WTF. The inspiration of Barack Obama's presidential victory with all the kitsch of a Chia Pet.



File this under WTF too. Rush Limbaugh claims there's some sort of significance to the fact that Michael Jackson died during Barack Obama's presidency. And it sounds like his producers are giving him the "Please stop talking! You sound like a weirdo!" hand gesture. But Rush doesn't listen and continues to repeat his insane theory. If there ever was a time for the man to shut the fuck up . . . .

Important Question, Whatever You Are!

Retro Comedy posted the 15 Creepiest Vintage Ads of All Time, and this gem of an ad for postage meters came in 4th (Really? Only 4th?). It asks the important question, "Is it always illegal to kill a woman?" Apparently, it isn't if your bitchy holier-than-thou secretary refuses to use a postage meter as fine as this one.

Speaking of which, what the hell is a postage meter? I mean besides the perfect murder weapon?

Every Day is Opposite Day in the GOP

As we should all know by now, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford has been cheating on his wife. This is the same Mark Sanford who called for President Clinton's resignation after lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky (as did John Ensign, another philandering Republican leader). And this isn't the first time Republican leaders have engaged in behavior that they publicly denounce. There was Rep. Mark Foley, who created the Internet SAFETY Act before sending lewd instant messages to underage congressional pages, and homobigot Sen. Larry Craig,who turned out to at least like guys at least a little.

Then there's Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern (R), who is CRAZY. She gained Internet super-stardom after someone posted an anti-gay (and anti-Islam) rant of hers on YouTube last year. Now, she has this creepy "proclamation for morality." And by "morality," I mean "creating a state-sponsored religion."

WHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion,
pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and
many other forms of debauchery; and

WHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of the United States of America is forsaking
the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was built; and

WHEREAS, grieved that the Office of the president of these United States has refused
to uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and

WHEREAS, deeply disturbed that the Office of the president of these United States
disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we the undersigned elected officials
of the people of Oklahoma, religious leaders and citizens of the State of Oklahoma, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world, solemnly declare that the HOPE of the great State of Oklahoma and of these United States, rests upon the Principles of Religion and Morality as put forth in the HOLY BIBLE . . . .

Now this would scare me, if it wasn't Opposite Day every day in the GOP. Sooner or later, some scandal will come out about her. But what will it be?

That's what the new Funny Poll will hopefully predict.

Take Action Monday

Guarantee every child gets healthcare services.

Help free Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

Support the Water for the World Act.

Help pass comprehensive immigration reform this year.

Stand up for Florida farm workers.

Demand paid sick days.

Show your support for a public healthcare option.

End cruelty to animals used in military testing.

Do My Job for Me, Pat Buchanan!

via Think Progress

The above photo was taken at a conference hosted by brownphobic Pat Buchanan. If you can't tell from that fabulous banner, the conference was to promote English-only initiatives. But how do you pronounce that? "con-fer-en-ay-say?" I don't know what language that is, but it ain't English.

Take Action Monday

Tell Tom Daschle that you support a public healthcare option.

Demand that members of the House and Senate immigration subcommittees renounce anti-immigrant extremist groups.

Ask Congress to provide healthy food to the nation's hungry children.

Support the Iranian protestors.

Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the State Secrets Protection Act.

Tell your Representative to vote for the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

Demand that President Obama announce his plan for peace in Sudan.

Tell President Obama and Attorney General Holder to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act.

Call out Jim Cramer and Erin Burnett on their inaccurate reporting of the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Gayest Video of the Week