Take Action Monday

Say no to Title X funding for crisis pregnancy centers.

Tell your Representatives to help fight hunger in America.

Urge Barack Obama to focus on eliminating childhood death in poor countries.

Ask Reebok to keep its NHL gear manufacturing plants in North America (where the NHL plays).

Just say no to Rick Warren.

Rick Warren Wants to Fuck You

Rick Warren talked about his dirty inclinations to Ann Curry of ABC this week. He confessed,

I'm naturally inclined to have sex with every beautiful woman I see!

And after listening to that, my natural inclination is to *BARF*

Take Action Monday

Tell the Mormon church to prove they're not anti-gay.

Demand that Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal launch an investigation of white vigilante violence after Katrina.

Stop Bush's last minute attacks on the environment.

Tell clothing store Zara to support unions.

Urge the Obama administration to overturn harmful anti-choice HHS rule.

Help raise awareness of childhood cancers.

Share your priorities with new Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

Ask Obama to create an Office on Women.

Anti-Feminist Dating Service: Matthew Chancey

This guy must be doing something right if he has inspired a new segment at [A] Funny Feminist. Introducing Anti-Feminist Dating Service, where you can review the manliest men on Earth. In fact, this manly man above just earned himself the Old Spice Man of the Year Award. Swoon! Here he is -- Matthew Chancey.

Matthew Chancey, 32, is a total man's man. He's no metrosexual pansy boy. Blue socks with brown shoes? What a nightmare in coordination! One man's fashion faux pas is a manly man's proof of hardcore manliness. His hobbies include swing dancing, keeping chickens, and rifle wielding. And now that he's Old Spice's Man of the Year, he's got money, honey, and a supply of Old Spice products to boot. Oh la la! Tres chic! And if that doesn't make you want to rip your panties off, he's also a Christian Reconstructionist, a political movement that is anti-suffrage and believes in women's submission to their husbands. He is married, though, to the ultimate woman, the creator of Ladies Against Feminism and all things modern. But I'm sure a manly man like Matthew Chancey would totally go for some submissive young tail on the side. Who's up for some unprotected sex through a hole in the sheet? So on your next hot date, don't just take a chance -- take a Matthew Chancey!

The Funny & the Fucked Up

The Funny:

Protect Marriage, Protect Children, Prohibit Divorce - watch more funny videos

Californians try to put an anti-divorce measure on the ballot using the same reasoning of the pro-Prop 8 crowd.

The Fucked Up:

Anti-woman, anti-LGBT pastor Rick Warren to give invocation at Obama's inauguration.

Bush signs HHS rule that defines abortion as anything that keeps a woman who fucks from giving birth and allows just about anyone to deny basic reproductive healthcare.

Remember the Time GGOT Came to Marist College?

I'm so psyched that the Guerrilla Girls on Tour recently commented on my blog. *thumbs up* I thought this would be a good time to talk about when I got GGOT to perform "Feminists Are Funny" at my college. The story isn't as funny as it is horrifying. It was quite an ordeal, so they might remember it too. Here it goes.

I was basically appointed president of the Gender Equality Club during the last semester of my junior year at Marist College, since nobody else wanted the job (Marist isn't very feministy.). At the suggestion of a friend, my first order of business was to get GGOT to perform "Feminists Are Funny" at the beginning of the next fall semester. My VP (hey, Diana!) and I didn't think this was going to be a big deal. But we were way wrong. Getting GGOT to perform at Marist was going to cost $1500, which we didn't have. I think we were only able to get $500 for performances and the rest we had to get a co-sponsorship for. We thought the Student Programming Council would be cool and fund part of the project, since they basically have the college's money at their disposal. GGOT sent me a video and a press packet of all their promotional stuff and positive reviews, and I gave that to the Student Programming Council. They didn't like what they saw and denied to fund the rest of the project. Basically, we were screwed.  One of the GGOT, Aphra, suggested that we ask for the money from other departments. So Diana and I worked our butts off for a couple of months begging the different Liberal Arts departments to give us what little funding they had to help us out. Luckily, we got the rest of the funding from almost every Liberal Arts department. By the time we got the rest of the money,  it was September, so we only had a couple of weeks to promote the shit out of this thing. The week before the performance was a women's conference featuring Adrienne Rich (I totally vented to her about the whole GGOT planning fiasco, and she was very sympathetic. That was a rough week when it came to planning huge club events, come to think of it, but that's for another time), so Diana and I set up a table outside of the auditorium and told the other people who attended the conference about the show. The head of the Student Programming Council (Sarah something, I think. I'm glad I forgot) came up to us, picked up the flier we were handing out and said, "Where's Student Programming Council on this flier?" Turned out, the Student Programming Council decided to fund the performance in full, but they neglected to tell me about it. When I informed her that Liberal Arts gave us the rest of the money, she said it was all good and that the departments will just reimburse the Student Programming Council. So Student Programming Council wasn't funding the performance at all, and they basically robbed the poor Liberal Arts department for all they had. But they still wanted Gender Equality to give them props. *angry fist* Diana and I told GGOT all of this, and they were pissed. They almost bad-mouthed the Student Programming Council in the play, but I don't remember exactly why they changed their mind. They knew that the Student Programming Council didn't really want the show to go on, since Aphra and I e-mailed each other back and forth for a long time talking about it during the planning phase. But I don't think they knew that Student Programming Council was going to take all of Liberal Arts' money until after the performance. And the head of the Student Programming Council was pretending that she enjoyed GGOT during rehearsal. Something like that.

Anyway, the performance went on. A hundred people attended. With the help of our club advisor and some PR dude at Marist, an ad was released in the local paper (and this group of little old ladies we met after the show said they saw the ad in the paper and were so excited to come see the show. Aw!). A lot of Communications students were required to attend, as one of the Comm professors talks about GGOT in her classes. The performance was great, and I made an ass of myself on stage. It was a real fun time. The school paper wrote some nice things about the performance (I think I lost the article though). A few days later, I got a nice letter from GGOT:

Dear Emily, 

On behalf of Fanny Brice, Eva La Gallienne and myself, I would like to thank you again for all of the hard work you did getting Guerrilla Girls on Tour to Marist. You are indeed an incredible feminist and activist and your efforts on our behalf are recognized and appreciated. We enjoyed your audience and performing for your colleagues in the Gender Equality Club. 

Please keep in touch. You'd make a terrific member of the GGOT's so please let us know when you graduate!

Best,

Aphra Behn

Oops. I graduated in May 2006. And I haven't really kept in touch at all either. But that doesn't mean their performance hasn't really influenced me. I mean, what's the name of the blog? [A] Funny Feminist. And what am I? A funny feminist. Because feminists are funny. And who knows? Maybe in a couple years, I'll join GGOT as Amy Winehouse.

And if you're wondering, yes, Diana and I got to see Aphra, Fanny, and Eva without their masks. They were very nice not to kill us, weren't they?

Iraqi Journalist Does What We'd All Like to Do

An Iraqi journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi, threw two shoes at President Bush during a press conference yesterday. How long before the right-wingers whine, "Where's Media Matters on this one? Whaaaa!!!!" Bush was about as bothered by it as I was, saying

That's what people do in a free society, draw attention to themselves.

And,

Bush: There have been no attacks since I have been president, since 9/11. One of the major theaters against al Qaeda turns out to have been Iraq. This is where al Qaeda said they were going to take their stand. This is where al Qaeda was hoping to take ...

Raddatz: But not until after the U.S. invaded.

Bush: Yeah, that’s right. So what? The point is that al Qaeda said they’re going to take a stand.

Take Action Monday

Take the hate out of the immigration debate.

Tell MoveOn.org what their top goal for 2009 should be.

Protect girls from Female Genital Cutting.

No pardons for war criminals.

Read Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy, and show your support for the article.

Ain't the Taint I'm Talking About

This might be proof that my mind is totally in the gutter. But I was listening to Ron Kuby today while I was driving around for work, and, of course, he was talking about the Blagojovich scandal. Kuby was playing a bunch of sound clips from recent news reports, and he plays an exchange between MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell and Chuck Todd. Needless to say, I laughed my ass off:

NORAH O'DONNELL: Can Obama avoid being tainted by all of this?
CHUCK TODD: It depends on your definition of taint.

If your definition of "taint" is "to sully or tarnish," then you might be on to something. But if you're talking about that special area between the sack and the crack . . . .

Take Action Monday: Holiday Edition

On Air America Radio, they often advertise something called Redefine Christmas. It's an organization, I guess, trying to get people to give and receive donations to their favorite charities instead of exchanging material gifts. But can't we help other people and give stuff to our friends and families? I mean, some of us still need things. So make sure to shop fair trade this holiday season, and ask your friends and family to do the same. I have a few links posted in the left margin, or you can search for fair trade shops online. You'll be giving something cool to your buds and helping people in America and other countries by helping them earn a living wage. That's double the good karma.

Fear Teh Gayz

The American Family Association, the organization for "people who are tired of cursing the darkness and who are ready to light a bonfire", is selling a video for the whole homophobic family called They're Coming to Your Town. It's all about the "dangers" of "homosexual-controlled" cities. Here's the trailer:



Oh, wait. That was the trailer for Milk. It's so hard to tell them apart. Here's the real trailer.

The Funny & The Fucked Up

The Funny:

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Prop 8: The Musical shows the benefits of gay marriage. It stars some very funny people, like Margaret Cho, Jack Black, Andy Richter, John C. Reilly, and NPH.

Belledame222 at Fetch Me My Axe posted some funny would-be Men's Rights Activist blog titles.

The Fucked Up:

Amanda Palmer's record label won't promote her new single or video because she is "fat." Palmer, of Dresden Dolls fame, tried to leave her record label, but they won't let her. She gives the full story here.

Some dude from New Zealand blames women's lib and abortion for violence against women. This answers the age-old question "What do Orcs do when they're not guarding Mordor?" They whine to the public.

So Not Funny, The Daily Show!

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Black Friday Deaths

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The other day on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart made light of the three deaths that occurred on Black Friday. And while Jon Stewart says that the three deaths occurred because "they" (that is, the three people who died) were trying to save money on holiday gifts, one death was of a Wal-Mart employee who was trampled by shoppers, and the other two died in a shooting outside of a Toys "R" Us that might not have had anything to do with shopping. Because I don't expect accuracy to be a priority on The Daily Show, I'm more pissed about how flippant Jon Stewart was. They might as well not have talked about it at all. Turning the deaths of three people into a joke? So not funny.

Take Action Monday

Ugh, I don't wanna go to work . . . .

Sign the Repower America petition.

Say no to new nuclear weapons.

Tell president-elect Obama to make healthcare a top economic priority.

Support Obama in his efforts to close Guantanamo. 

Tell Congress to reform our healthcare system now.

Someone Remind Me Where Foster Children Come From

So Florida ruled that banning gays and lesbians from adopting kids is unconstitutional. Yay! But reading some of what Florida's attorney general had to say about the ruling makes me wonder where some people think foster kids come from. I mean, you can't have a foster kid without having a kid first, and you can't have a kid without a woman and a man having sex. Right? With that said . . . .

"The attorney general's office had argued that gay men and lesbians are disproportionately more likely to suffer from mental illness or a substance abuse problem than straight people, rendering them less fit to parent -- especially children in foster care who already are under tremendous stress."

So straight people don't make foster children? Then where do foster kids come from? I think I might need to have "the talk" with my mother all over again.

Your Period: Sort of Like the Sinking of the Titanic, But Worse!

Check out this video from Tampax that dumps all over Mother Nature and the menstrual cycle. I'm not saying that periods are fun, but they are necessary, and I don't see any reason to tell women to hate them or be ashamed of them or equate them to natural disasters. That's just a little extreme, don't you think? I mean, I don't see anyone treat diarrhea this way, which is just as much a part of nature as one's periods and like a hundred times less predictable.

Take Action Monday

Here comes post number 100!

Support Barack Obama in his decision to close Guantanamo.

Protect America's farm workers.

Tell Barack Obama to mention fighting global poverty in his inaugural address. Tell him to make healthcare a priority too.

Encourage your Congresspeople to sign a letter to Barack Obama telling him to support a strong international affairs budget.

Help sexually assaulted women in the military find justice.

Tell your Senators to keep women in mind when trying to heal the financial crisis.

Support veterans with severe combat-related injuries.

Sign the Love and Equality petition.

Tell the UN Security Council to fully deploy peacekeepers in Darfur.

Keep the U.S. a save haven for refugees.

The Funny & The Fucked Up

The Funny

Sarah Haskins' latest video is all about cars. Those sexy, fuckable cars.

Fundamentally Flawed takes on the anti-gay bigots with sharp wit.

One of my Feministing Community blog posts made it to the main page. And it inspired like five flame wars.

The Fucked Up

A Catholic priest in South Carolina tells his parishioners not to receive communion if they voted for Obama. What has to happen before churches like this lose their tax exempt status? I'm sure Catholic churches paying taxes in a "pro-abortion" country is no more unholy than that same money going towards paying for kid-toucher insurance.



Mike Huckabee thinks LGBTs have to suffer more before they can get civil rights. Until then, being gay is totally bearable. And because Huckabee has such impeccable timing, he said all of that the day before International Transgender Day of Remembrance.

A Little Bit of Both

Focus on the Family is laying off 20% of its workforce. Think of it as a sign from God to get out of the gay-bashing business.

John Claude Van Damme attempted to hit on a Newsweek reporter with his . . . je ne sais quoi. Seriously, JC. Je ne sais quoi the Hell you are doing. "I really opened myself up in 'JCVD.' I peeled back the skin of the fruit, cut the pulp and then took that very hard seed. In this film I cut that hard seed, and inside that seed was a kind of liquid cream substance of the man I am, or the woman you are." Hard seed cream, ne sont pas des mots qui vont tres bien ensemble.

I Ask Myself an Important Question

How can this be one of the most reported stories in the 2008 election season . . .



yet people still believe this



???

Which is Which?

This is gonna sound crazy, but I just have come out with it. Sometimes, I can't tell the difference between right-wing radio hosts and al-Qaeda. I wouldn't admit it if I thought I was alone in this. But for those who still need some convincing, check out these two statements, and you'll see what I mean.

"[To Barack Obama] You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America."

"[I]magine being 10 years old in Jakarta, Indonesia, being raised as a Muslim, and your mother . . . hates you so much that she sends you to Honolulu to live with her mom and dad, so she can stay in Jakarta, Indonesia, and being raised -- being married to Barry Soetoro . . . And so [Barack Obama] was raised in that environment by a communist mother who hooks up with a guy named Barry Soetoro, who is a radical Muslim, and they quickly fly to Jakarta, Indonesia, which is where Barry Obama was raised as a little boy . . . . And that's all fine, he had nothing to do with it . . . . But it's who he is. He was raised as a Muslim at the two - at the two schools he attended. One was Christian -- raised as a Muslim -- the other one was secular. Why doesn't he admit the truth?"

Now, which statement was made by right-wing radio hate-monger Bill Cunningham, and which one was made by al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri? Click the names of these two dudes, and you'll find the answer. Or you could not do that and enjoy the mystery, you nutty daredevil you.