The W.O.M.B.

Almost missed this one

2009-07-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

A federal appeals court has vacated an injunction that had allowed pharmacists to refuse to dispense emergency contraceptives. The Ninth Circuit held that pharmacists are obliged to dispense the Plan B pill, even if they are personally opposed to the "morning after" contraceptive on religious grounds. From the LA Times:

The right to freely exercise one's religion "does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a valid and neutral law of general applicability," the 9th Circuit panel wrote.

"Any refusal to dispense -- regardless of whether it is motivated by religion, morals, conscience, ethics, discriminatory prejudices, or personal distaste for a patient -- violates the rules," the panel said.

And no, this was not a particularly liberal panel of the Ninth Circuit - two of the three judges were appointed George W. Bush. Complete decision here.

All your uterii are belong to us, part 460

2009-06-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, and about that brain-dead, deformed fetus in your womb? The one whose delivery could kill you or prevent you from having children in the future? Tough luck, sister.

The latest Kansas antichoice witch hunt?

2009-03-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

Shut down:

In a trial watched closely by those on both sides of the abortion debate, Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas physician accused of performing 19 illegal late-term abortions, was found innocent today. The six-person jury, three men and three women, deliberated for less than an hour.

All your uteri are belong to us, part 459

2009-03-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Another in a series of posts highlighting that as a woman your bodily integrity is subject to state control:

Choice is far more than the freedom to end a pregnancy.

Now this is just strange

2009-03-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Milwaukee journal is reporting that a "crisis pregnancy clinic" (read: fake - usually taxpayer supported - clinic designed to talk women out of ending a pregnancy) in rural Wisconsin has claimed that they know of ten young women using common veterinary drugs to end their pregnancies. No other women's health care providers have heard of such actions, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction are treating the reports as rumors, and no cases have been officially confirmed by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. A Dept.of health spokesperson said, "There's no proof that this occurring."

These can be dangerous drugs and can result in "excessive hemorrhaging, infection if pregnancy tissues didn't fully clear the body, clotting issues, and complications for asthmatics, as one side effect includes constricted bronchial tubes."

This small, anti-choice fake clinic is hoking up what appears to be a non-existent problem that could potentially plant a dangerous idea in the minds of young, unintentionally pregnant young women. If the CareNet Pregnancy Center of Green County wants to discourage abortions, why are they calling attention to unsafe methods using dangerous drugs?

I would like to think that they're not just doing this so that their concern becomes some twisted self-fulfilling prophecy that causes desperate young women to take dangerous drugs just so that the CareNet Pregnancy Center of Green County can say "See? We told you so. Abortions kills!"

I'd like to think that, but I'm not entirely certain I'd be correct.

Unbought, Unbossed on International Women's Day

2009-03-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

On this day, International Women’s Day, I’d like to honor a woman from our past who has inspired thousands of women, whose story is relevant today and should be told every day in different ways (not just one day of the year). Women’s leadership is still missing from the halls of power in many nations. From Saudi Arabia, where Pelosi commented that ‘it was a nice view’ from the speaker's chair of the all-male advisory council to America where there are currently 92 women serving in the Senate and the House of Representatives. This is a 1% increase from the 110th Congress, which some have lauded as ‘groundbreaking’ because it is the largest margin of women serving in Congress.

I wonder if Shirley Chisholm would see it as groundbreaking? As the first African American woman elected to Congress in 1968 she brought an important voice to Congress for the first time. Later she ran for President during the 72’ election where her campaign slogan was “Chisholm 72’ – Unbought and Unbossed”. While she was on the ‘Chisholm Trail’ and serving in Congress for 14 years she gave voice to millions of people left out of the political process. She asserted at the beginning of her presidential bid that she was wasn’t just a voice for the women’s movement, or the civil rights movement but a voice for people everywhere. You can find her full speech here.

Of course it would be excellent to have Congress filled with leaders like Chisholm, and we need to keep working to elect leaders who represent everyone, not just the special interests. It’s also important to take a few moments to recognize those who have come before us and helped pave the way for women and minorities everywhere.

It's got to be Palin!

2009-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Why is Sarah Palin winning in the "who'd be best to run a daycare" contest being run by US News.

Obviously it's because liberals eat babies.

(Misogyny hat tip to Fecke)

All your prostate glands are belong to us

2009-02-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

You know, I was going to try to rewrite this article substituting "transrectal ultrasound" and "treatment for prostate cancer" for "ultrasound" and "abortion." But it just didn't work, and I think it's because there really is no way that any man's personal health care decisions ever become the concern of a bunch of busybody legislators who really don't think he's capable of making up his own mind on such things. Maybe if we started intrusive personal questioning, forced "right to know" education, public oversight, and mandatory counseling about the reasons each and every dude looks to fill his Viagra prescription, we'd stop this stuff.

Blogging for choice

2009-01-22T12:16:00.000-08:00

The whole piece is here, but here's an excerpt:

It's once again the anniversary of Roe V. Wade, and I am blogging for choice. It has been a ritual for me, one that I only missed last year as the mother of a 5 week old baby. My child is growing up quickly, but I'm afraid I can't say as much for the anti-choice movement.

Go read!

All your uterii are belong to us, January 23 edition

2009-01-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

And if you don't cede authority to us, we'll run you down in our pickup trucks:

On the 36th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, a man smashed his pickup truck into the entrance of the Planned Parenthood office in St. Paul this morning.

Although staff members have gotten used to protests, particularly on the anniversary of the ruling, "we certainly don't expect this sort of thing," said Sarah Stoesz, the president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. "It's never happened before and we don't expect it to happen again"

The man, who has refused to identify himself, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, said police spokesman Peter Panos.

The funny thing is that the people he most endangered are likely the ever-present throngs of abortion foes who march outside the place endlessly, screaming at patients who are just seeking pap smears and contraception.

All your Uterii belong to us, part 457

2009-01-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

Why does it matter that your clinic can no longer fire those employees who claim to have "moral problems" with the kind of reproductive health care you want? Here's why:

ALBUQUERQUE (CN) - A clinic nurse first removed her intrauterine birth-control device without permission, says the patient in a federal action, then told her that "having the IUD come out was a good thing," because "I personally do not like IUDs. I feel they are a type of abortion. I don't know how you feel about abortion, but I am against them."

The patient sued Presbyterian Health Services Rio Rancho Family Health Center and nurse practitioner Sylvia Olona in Federal Court. The plaintiff says she went to Rio Rancho to have the strings on her IUD shortened.

The complaint states: "As soon as Defendant Olona began speaking to (the plaintiff), she questioned her about her choice of contraception.

"As Defendant Olona began the procedure, (the plaintiff) felt Olona pull on the strings of the IUD. (The plaintiff) felt a distinct pulling on the strings followed by a sharp pain in her uterus similar to a very strong menstrual cramp.

She's a nurse working in a clinic that's supposed to provide medical care. Rather than simply ask not to be part of those procedures she takes issue with, she decides to take matters into her own hands and yank out medical devices she personally doesn't like without permission of the patient. And now she's protected from any "discrimination" because of her views.

Jesus wants you to shut up and take it

2009-01-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Another gem from the man Barak Obama has chosen to give the invocation at his inaugural: According to Warren, it is better for women to remain in an abusive relationship than seek the relief of divorce. Yes, the man who has compared gay relationships to incest and pedophilia, opposes a woman's right to choose whether to continue a pregnancy, embraces useless abstinence only sex education, and opposes the use of condoms in fighting AIDS in Africa thinks that counseling and a return to the marriage is how to deal with domestic violence.

Yes, ladies, Jesus wants you to "temporarily separate while you participate in counseling to repair your marriage" to a man who beats you.

Blog sitting

2009-01-08T07:44:00.001-08:00

If you need me, I'll be here

I need more pretty with my tater tots

2009-01-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Lovely

A waitress was barred from working at the Hooters restaurant in Davenport after a violent physical attack left her bruised and unable to meet company standards for maintaining a "glamorous appearance."

The waitress alleges she was fired after taking time off to recover from the assault. Hooters officials say the waitress abandoned her job, but also say that the woman's bruised body made her temporarily ineligible to work as a "Hooters Girl."...

Come back when you're cuter, sweetheart...

Who needs enemies when you can fight yourselves?

2009-01-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

Party unity at the state house:

With the support of fellow Democrats, Margaret Anderson Kelliher of Minneapolis was re-elected House speaker. The only Democrat not to vote for her was Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba of Long Prairie, who said she did not cast a vote because Kelliher supports abortion rights.

Wanted -- One Hard Working Female

2008-12-30T14:34:00.001-08:00

Must have sex more than once a month, regardless of desire...

What if your husband woke up one day and announced that he was not in the mood to go to work? If this happened a few times a year, any wife would have sympathy for her hardworking husband. But what if this happened as often as many wives announce that they are not in the mood to have sex? Most women would gradually stop respecting and therefore eventually stop loving such a man.

What woman would love a man who was so governed by feelings and moods that he allowed them to determine whether he would do something as important as go to work? Why do we assume that it is terribly irresponsible for a man to refuse to go to work because he is not in the mood, but a woman can -- indeed, ought to -- refuse sex because she is not in the mood? Why?

Am wondering if a strike might provide us with a higher salary, perhaps?

Time to embrace your bunions

2008-12-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

At least according to the image consultants hired by one big law firm:

It’s not often that we can hit on law firm attire — partly because, well, there’s not too much to say. Perhaps that’s the very reason Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is trying to “smarten up” its lawyers. The company, according to the Daily Mail, has hired image consultants to draw up some sartorial guidelines.

Here’s a few points of their advice, according to the Daily Mail:

* Women at the firm have been advised to wear high heels with skirts rather than trousers to “embrace their femininity.”

* * * *
Any other reason women were advised to wear high heels? Lucinda Slater, a lawyer-turned-image-consultant and founder of Best Foot Forward, told the Daily Mail: “It helps them stand better and gives them height.”

No word yet on whether men need to "stand better and gain height."

Ever wonder what they mean?

2008-10-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

When those who oppose same-sex marriage keep blathering on about "traditional marriage" and how destroyed it will be if everyone is invited into the club, I always wonder what they mean. Traditional marriage circa 1400? Coverture? Baron and Feme? Dowry? Life before married women were allowed to own property? The outlaw of birth control?

As is so often the case, Digby sets us straight (no pun intended). These people, who have started a website called The Happiest Wives, give us a glimpse of what they mean when they push "traditional marriage." Some highlights:

The top predictors of women’s marital happiness, in order of importance:

A breadwinning husband. American wives, even wives who hold more feminist views about working women and the division of household tasks, are typically happier when their husband earns 68% or more of the household income.
Staying at home. Wives who stay at home tend to be happier in their marriages than wives who work outside the home.
Shared religious attendance. Wives who attend church or some other worship service with their husbands tend to be happier than wives who do not share religious attendance with their husbands.
Traditional gender attitudes. Wives who hold more traditional gender attitudes—e.g., who believe that wives should focus more on nurturing/homemaking and husbands should focus more on breadwinning—are happier than wives who hold more feminist attitudes.

Ok, so that's not all of them, just the four out of seven that Mr. MNO and I seem to have fallen a bit flat on. But hey, what do we know? We've just been married only to each other for twenty-five years, raised a couple of fine daughters, are productive members of society, and remain raging liberals. Lord only knows how we would have fared if gay people could have partaken of the institution all these years. We might not have made it.

I'm sick to death of stories like this one

2008-07-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today, Congress took a courageous, unprecedented, scientifically-based, and heroic step toward banning toxins like phthalates and lead in children's toys -- but not until after the holiday shopping season.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said U.S. President George Bush opposes the ban.

Obama targets women's issues with Clinton at hand

2008-07-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - Going after the women's vote, Democrat Barack Obama chastised Republican John McCain on Thursday over his opposition to an equal-pay Senate bill, his support for conservative-leaning Supreme Court justices and his abortion-rights objections.

"I will never back down in defending a woman's right to choose," the likely Democratic nominee said, drawing a sharp contrast with his GOP rival.

When Hillary's not nearby, though.... We see this:

"I have repeatedly said that I think it's entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don't think that "mental distress" qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions."

Translation: "Girls, you're not smart enough to exercise control over your own bodies. Just wait until we get ahold of your gallbladder." Because out there somewhere, there's a fundamentalist Christian gallbladder-loving religious sect we feel we must pander to.

Tough shit on your bodily integrity. We realize that periodically you think it's all for you to decide, but not when we determine your reasons don't pass muster. Oh, and just remember not to complain when we monitor your internet browsing to figure out if you surf at Planned Parenthood. Because someday we just might decide abortionists are terrorists and we need to protect you. From your own evil thoughts about what you get to do with your own body.

And remember, it would be far far worse with McCain, so what you gonna do, cunt?

And, in the irony files

2008-07-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

umm...didn't you guys try to cut those services?

Many women who got abortions last year say the worsening economy was one of the reasons for their decision.

A new state report says there were just over 13,800 abortions performed in Minnesota in 2007. Of the women who listed a reason for their abortions, 40 percent cited economic concerns.
...
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life executive director Scott Fischbach recommends funding for alternatives to help support families, such as programs that provide women with housing, education and adoption planning.

My bad, I guess you gave more money to adoption, you just cut housing and education...

Things that shouldn't shock anyone

2008-07-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

from the "go figure" files --

Women who receive abortions are asked about their use of birth control. Among teenagers ages 15 to 19 who received abortions, the number who said they had never used birth control increased from 116 to 150. Though the numbers are small, they reflect similar trends in larger surveys.

"Especially with teenagers, we know that almost all induced abortions are the result of an unintended pregnancy. An important piece is contraceptives," said Wendy Hellerstedt, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health who studies trends in reproductive medicine.

But at least it's inexpensive!

2008-06-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Via Feministing, the McCain Women's Clinic...

I'm as annoyed with Clinton as many folk...

2008-05-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

But this whole Clinton/Kentucky Derby crap is pissing me off...

And you told yourself they'd stop at abortion

2008-05-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

But of course they won't. Now we have this nonsense from a group of people determined to return to forced pregnancy, The Pill Kills:

June 7 marks the 43rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Griswold v. Connecticut. This was the first of many decisions that led to the culture of death we live in today.

On that day in 1965, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Griswold v. Connecticut case, it set a legal precedent for claiming that the Constitution grants women the right to privacy in matters of sexual practice. This meant that Connecticut and the rest of the United States could not stop a married woman from obtaining birth control pills. However, as Judge Andrew Napolitano has pointed out, the constitutional right to privacy has nothing to do with birth control.

I'm probably one of the youngest people who remember what it's like to walk in on Mom with a tear-stained face and a forced smile as she announced that I was to have yet another younger sibling. It's not something one forgets.

Anyhow, for an explanation as to why neither the pill nor the morning after pill kill anything, I recommend one of everyone's favorite scientists, PZ Myers.

All your uteri are belong to us, Friday edition

2008-05-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

The legislators of Oklahoma are at it again, this time passing a law (by overturning a veto by the governor) that requires that every woman seeking to exercise her constitutionally protected right to end her pregnancy must undergo an ultrasound. Not just any ultrasound, but the one that gives the best image of the fetus:

Under the guise of obtaining informed patient consent, this new law requires doctors to withhold pregnancy termination until an ultrasound is performed. The law states that either an abdominal or vaginal ultrasound, whichever gives the best image of the fetus, must be done. Neither the patient nor the doctor can decide which type of ultrasound to use, and the patient cannot opt out of the ultrasound and still have the procedure. In effect, then, the legislature has mandated that a woman have an instrument placed in her vagina for no medical benefit. The law makes no exception for victims of rape and incest.

Now, because vaginal ultrasounds produce better pictures than abdominal ultrasounds in the early stages of pregnancy, this law would often require women to have additional medical instruments put inside them against their wishes. This is what the procedure entails:

So, yeah, the Oklahoma legislature demands that you be raped by their designated machine before you get to control your own reproductive functions.

Things I don't understand

2008-04-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

Why does this get people up at arms...

but this is A-OK?

Norm Coleman did the right thing

2008-04-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here.

Update: Too bad John McCain didn't:

"I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what's being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems," the expected GOP presidential nominee told reporters. "This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system."

Let's be clear here. The proposed legislation simply restores an interpretation of the application of the statute of limitations period (already set at a disgustingly short six months)for equal pay claims that courts have been using since the Supreme Court's Bazemore v. Friday decision in 1986. The defeated law simply goes back to what had been settled precedent before the Ledbetter decision.

Not my sport, but this is cool.

2008-04-21T08:29:00.001-07:00

"I've been asked so many times when and if I can win my first race," ... "And, finally, no more of those questions" -Danica Patrick

They made her carry ten extra pounds, and she still won.

Ugh. Just Ugh.

2008-04-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

There are some things that all people, both pro-life and pro-choice can agree is wrong.

This is one of them.

Updated: Not real, I guess? Not often I learn something from anti-strib.

All your Uteri are belong to us, Tuesday edition

2008-04-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a news story about a young man who didn't like the fact that his 17 year old girlfriend was pregnant, so he spiked her Gatorade with ProstaMate, a liquid farmers use to bring cows into heat or to abort a calf. And to add a further insult to the notion that her womb is all that matters about her, the headline on the story? "Authorities probe assault on unborn child." You see, slipping poison into a young woman's drink is not an assault on her, it's an assault on her unborn child.

And then from the mouth-breathing knuckle draggers over at Anti-Strib, we learn that when fifty year old horndogs no one in their right minds would marry want to get it on with thirteen year olds and set up some whacko religion to try to justify it, it's not a crime nor is it a sin nor is it wrong in any true sense of the word, even when the authorities have known about it for years. Instead, forcing marriage and rape on young girls is just one of those "instances where freedom becomes murky," or so declares Anti-Stribber Jeff. A chance, if you will, to contemplate not the abuse of children at the hands of rapists trying to justify it with religion, but rather to ask that age old question of "What rights to [sic] children have to *not* be exposed to something like this?" Listen, you dolts, children have every right in the world not to be raped.

And, of course, Leslee Unruh is at it again in South Dakota.

I'm getting my MRS degree!

2008-04-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I don't know how to say that in Russian: to say that in Russian...

Despite the weather, it's positively steamy inside the Moscow basement where Varra holds various courses for women, including "How to Marry in Three Months" and "Oral Sex for Experts." Her seduction school is one of many new businesses designed to help women get ahead in Russia's post-communist marriage market. The economy has boomed, creating a superrich ruling oligarchy and a huge class of cash-loaded entrepreneurs. And, in what is no doubt partly a backlash against the Soviet era — when women toiled in state industries alongside men — many young women today would prefer to marry a millionaire than work to become one themselves.

Maybe we can get some good, old-fashioned foot-binding in there, too...

Chicklits

2008-04-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

A dump of chick-centric links:

Honey, even on HD, women don't perspire, they glisten...

Give me your tired, your poor -- cause they're mostly women...

Of course, this may be why we're so tired...

Thank goodness it's good for us. Except when it's not.

What was that you were saying about looking at everything in context, dear?

2008-04-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I've run into from time to time when trying to point out (with my usual level of tact and diplomacy, of course) the nasty treatment of Hillary Clinton by the press are conversations that go something like this:

MNO: Whatever you think about Clinton, isn't it unfair for Chris Matthews to call her a "she-devil"?

Other person: Well, maybe, but do you really want a she-devil as president? Well, do you? Huh?

So as we all think about whether Randi Rhodes was off-base in repeatedly calling Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro "Fucking Whores"* at an officially sanctioned Obabma fundraiser, it doesn't help when the response from the left blogosphere are posts with titles like "Maybe Randi Rhodes wasn't too far off the mark."

*Note: Most of the videos of the expletive-laced performance have been removed from the internets; This one was the only one I could find, and who knows how long it will be available. One source says that the Obama campaign is having them pulled, claiming some sort of "copyright" angle, but I don't know if that's true. But it was held at an Obama event, and those are Obama supporters screaming in approval at Rhodes' remarks.

Yeah, well my husband bought me icecream...

2008-04-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

Still, there were many a day where I wish he would have just carried the baby himself...

Speaking of a world with no sexism

2008-04-04T04:09:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the guys at Anti-Strib on their new blog layout and other site improvements.

You know who I love?

2008-03-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Twisty.

Whenever the world gets you down, whenever you think it's a done deal that your daughters have to grow old in a world of designer vaginas, Axe commercials, stupid young women insisting that "I'm not a feminist, but..." and assholes calling you "little lady" despite numerous advanced degrees, there is Twisty.

She's a national treasure.

Thanks...I just threw it together...

2008-03-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Party food on the go:

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1/4 onion, diced
1tbsp butter
1pk frozen spinach
1pk cream cheese (I used light)
1/2 pk shredded mozzarella
I/2 canned artichoke hearts, diced
dash pumpkin pie spice
dash sea salt

Defrost spinach and drain.

Melt butter in pan, throw on diced onions, cook til transparent
add spinach, stir with spatula
add softened cream cheese, dash of pumpkin pie spice (couldn't find nutmeg) and salt, mixing on low heat. Add mozzarella and stir til melted. Add diced artichoke hearts, continue stirring on low heat until all ingredients are mixed. Dump in tupperware and store in fridge.

For eating, bring end of bag of pita bread. Cut up bread so it looks like you made this on purpose vs just finding any old ingredients lying around so you could throw something together quickly for the party. Make gift look intentional, rather than that thing you did while you were interviewing reporters...

I've got your freaking productivity right here...

2008-03-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Study: Childless women are the most 'productive'

According to Mark Cohen, who is kind enough to point out what a crock the study is if you look at the methodology, other analysts are noting that hours don't equal productivity:

"[A]s we all know, hours billed don't necessarily correlate to efficiency; indeed, longer hours may signal less productivity, not more," Elefant writes. "I'd be curious to see, for example, whether women lawyers manage to complete tasks more quickly precisely because they have less time. If that's the case (and I suspect it is), perhaps having children makes them more productive, not less."

Anyone who has ever stayed at home with an infant, especially if they are working at the same time, knows that there is no woman more productive than a mommy. We can carry on a conference call while changing a diaper, research an article while pre-heating the oven and tossing in a load of laundry, and burp the baby while answering an email. There's NOTHING more productive than a mom, who not only will do two jobs at the same time, but will do them both better than that jerk over there who's probably writing web diatribes and billing them to the clients.

And yes, I know this post is a little "not so fresh," but I was too busy being productive to write about it for a while...

(BTW - Bob Collins has the answer, "Dan Slater, who writes the Wall Street Journal law blog, wonders whether women with kids are just used to getting more done with less time." Now I have to go feed the baby.)

And right about now, Daddy's well into an eight year bender of booze, guns, religious whackjobs and wife-beating

2008-03-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Offered without comment:

Look, when you analyze parties, you need to think of them this way: The Democratic Party is the mommy party, and the Republican Party is the daddy party. Now, you and I both love both our mothers and fathers, right? But they play different roles in many families. The mother is loving and caring and takes us back in and provides the safety net. The father is the disciplinarian -- tough love. He makes us face up to hard realities, at least in many families. Well, the mommy party is the Democratic Party. The daddy party is the Republican Party. And I think if you look at the economy, you look at the housing, the mortgage crisis, a whole wide range of things, you'll find that the parties fulfill these images.

When you've got worries, all the noise and hurry...

2008-03-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

I know that Rew set this place up as a place for all manner of WOMB-y goodness on a political scale. But let's face it, girls, sometimes the big wide world of politics and world strife and religious fanatics and family values hypocrites and greedy people starving government so much you can't even file a pleading in court on a Wednesday afternoon just make you want to scream. Or at least find a place of refuge.

May I suggest food blogs.

Nothing like learning how to make homemade English muffins, finding that perfect cheesecake recipe, learning why the hollandaise curdles, what to do with a boring weeknight dinner, and what wine goes with those goat chops Mr. MNO picked up at the food coop.

My favorites:
Becks & Posh
Orangette
Chocolate & Zucchini
Movable Feast

What are your favorites, WOMBsters?

W.O.M.B.'s gotcher name right here..

2008-03-25T06:38:00.001-07:00

This sounds like a job for the W.O.M.B.!

A Senate candidate has legally changed his name to Pro-Life and will appear on the ballot that way this year, state election officials say.

As Marvin Pro-Life Richardson, the organic strawberry farmer from Letha, 30 miles northwest of Boise, was denied the use of his middle name when he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006 because the state's policy bars the use of slogans on the ballot.

Now, though, officials in the Idaho secretary of state's office say they have no choice because Pro-Life is his full and only name. He says he will run for the highest state office on the ballot every two years for the rest of his life, advocating murder charges for doctors who perform abortions and for women who obtain the procedure.

Congratulations, Mr. Pro-life, you epitomize why we created the W.O.M.B.! I assume that "I Have My Head Up My Ass and Think I Know What's The Best Choice For Every Person In This World" was already taken?

Oh, yeah, by this guy....

Soup Kitchen Economics: Making Soup!

2008-03-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

My savings account is nearly worthless interest-wise. My checkbook is nearly empty thanks to tax season, copious birthdays, and the end of Princess Vi's hospital bills (I hope!). I haven't stuck money in my IRA in a year, Princess Vi's 529 is getting filled nicely but is also eating an extra $15 a month in finance charges, and we are seriously considering remodeling the house so we don't have to sell it and get something bigger in the next 5 years.

On top of that, we've decided to start an experiment in May where we try just living on one salary, and putting the other away, just to see if it would be possible to ever have a stay at home parent.

On that note, tonight I am making soup for dinner. Recipe follows:

This and That Soup

One large can low sodium chicken broth
two onions
four carrots
three stalks celery
two cans white beans
1/2 cup orange lentils
1/4 cup yellow lentils

Chop, boil, season to taste (white pepper, savory, sea salt, bouquet garni. Simmer for 3 hours+. If too much broth boils away, add additional 8 cups water and 4 chicken bullion cubes, but cut back on your salt. Serve with bread if you have it.

Sure, you could put real meat in it, but lentils have good bulk and protein, and you need to shave some pennies somewhere in order to by the Princess more formula.

Why the chicks don't dig Franken

2008-03-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

In this week's "The Schulz Report", David Schultz notes the plummet that Franken took among women voters in Minnesota. While I do believe that the numbers are a bit off -- seriously, a poll taken the day of the Spitzer scandal and the second day of the Ferarro flap, and people wonder why women might have felt a little soured at the Democratic party when they called? -- there is a more serious issue that needs to be examined.

Why don't women like Al? I blame Ciresi and Nelson-Pallmeyer.

Because of the contested DFL endorsement, so far this race has been about nothing but the war in Iraq. Who was against it more, who was against it longer, who spoke the loudest and the soonest. Those are the arguments that have been making the paper, getting the soundbites on TV, taking the limelight at the public and televised debates. Where as Coleman has been traveling around the state talking about healthcare, doing photo-ops with the elderly, and most recently having Education Secretary Spellings out to stump for him.

Suburban women, the most significant change for both Coleman and Franken, care about more than just the war. They want healthcare for their families, want to talk about education for their children, and worry about the economy. And when the news talks about Franken they discuss it in the context of the endorsement battle, which means a focus on the war, the single issue that seems to paint a significant difference between the candidates.

So how can Franken woo back the women?

1) Diversify -- Franken needs to grab better control of the news cycle. This is a nearly impossible task at this time, as he needs to spend every weekend dashing about from convention to convention in order to secure the endorsement. Coleman has the opportunity now while Congress is on break to do a media blitz throughout the state, especially in conjunction with the official launch of his campaign planned for next week. But Franken can steal the cycle if he plays it correctly. His PR folks need to ensure that he has a rebuttal in every paper that covers Coleman's announcement. The rebuttal needs to be about the stark differences in their healthcare, labor and economic plans.

And Franken needs more events outside of fundraisers and stumps at the conventions. Photo ops are used for a reason -- lazy media has a ready-made story. He needs to be out and talking non-stop. And it needs to happen in the 2nd ring suburbs.

2) Franken needs to elevate more women. More women need to be brought out as the public face of his campaign, beyond his female Communications Director and his wife. More women need to be publicly added to his campaign staff throughout the state, and as each one is, a press release should be sent out. Puffy pieces about women volunteers, women delegates, 24 hours in the life of a phonebanker or litdropper -- these feel good stories are the things that make people in your campaign seem real, and make your candidate human and personable as well.

3) Roll out the endorsements. The AFL-CIO and ASFCME are great. But Ciresi had Betty McCollum -- when can you get her to come to you now that Ciresi is out of the race? As Schultz said, 63% of women in Minnesota voted for Senator Klobuchar, when can you get her on your side? Do more with Pappas, with Otto, with the suburban women leaders that already support you like Greiling and Slawik.

4) More commercials, please. I never thought I would be advocating in favor of more political advertising, but it needs to be done. More commercials like the one with your former teacher, but serious. Show women that you can be likable, reasonable, candid and determined. Show us that you really can fight for the things we want done.

For goodness sake, Norm Coleman's wearing makeup on our behalf -- it's time you put a little more effort in as well.

Hiding in the closet

2008-03-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

I confess. I admit it. I faked it.

No, it wasn't at the hotel, where the walls were too thin to have anyone over for anything serious. Instead, it started off innocently with a glass of wine and went on from there.

I found myself out with Hillary Clinton supporters, and I tried to pretend I was one of them.

I found myself nodding when they talked about how unfair it was that she was being held up as the bad guy for dragging this primary further and further into the mud. I agreed when they said that she was just trying to win every delegate when she was accused of trying to flip folks. I even smiled along when they presented a Michigan and Florida revote as just a chance to make sure every voter gets a chance to have his or her say.

And once it was over, I felt a little ashamed of myself. And I swore it was the last time. I said next time I wouldn't fake it, I wouldn't smile and nod and say "Oh yeah, that's fine -- that's good, oh yes!" But then I went to the bar, picked up another woman, and it started all over again.

I hope it was good for them...

The W.O.M.B.

2008-03-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Women's Organization of Minnesota Bloggers meets once every month or so to drink, dish and plot to take over the world. You are here because you have an unnatural interest in our W.O.M.B. We already know that about you, but love you in spite of it.