Female political bloggers

No sex for teens, no food for fat kids

OHliz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:29:37 EST

If abstinence-only education is the cure for teen pregnancy and STDs -- a dinosaur of an idea many Ohio legislators seem to cling to -- then surely fasting is the antidote to the childhood obesity problem.

The latest manifestation of this kind of science-avoidance, platitude-laden ProlifeSpeak happened Nov. 18 at the Statehouse where the first-ever proponent testimony for the Ohio Prevention First Act (HB 293) took place.

Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio reports:

During the Ohio Prevention First Act hearing, Coalition for Family Health convener Judi Wolf presented testimony on the need for comprehensive sex education. Her testimony was followed by the claim from Representative Lynn Wachtmann (R-Napoleon) that pro-prevention advocates are encouraging young people to be anything but abstinent and will contribute to the increase in sexually transmitted diseases. He accused advocates of comprehensive sex education of having an agenda that puts young people at a greater level of risk.

Ms. Wolf replied that medically-accurate, age-appropriate sex education will give young people the understanding of how to prevent contracting STDs. She informed the committee that students do not receive adequate education from abstinence-only programs.

Rep. Wachtmann's reply, "You're wrong!"

Really, Representative Wachtmann?

Ironically, two days before the hearing, the Centers for Disease Control released their study of STD rates in America. Their finding: STD rates increased significantly in 2008. This increase occurred at a time when the federal government gave millions of dollars to states, including Ohio, to provide abstinence-only programming.

Dr. John Douglas, head of the CDC's Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention, said to avoid STDs, teens can delay the beginning of sexual activity, people can limit the number of sexual partners and use condoms. "Condoms have risk-reduction value for every sexually transmitted condition," Douglas said.

Either the Centers for Disease Control has an agenda set on harming teens or maybe it's Representative Wachtmann who is wrong. ***

Withholding information from young people is not healthy. (And as an advocate of concealed-carry weapons, Rep. Wachtmann should be respectful of the rights of individual citizens.) However, if the representative from Napoleon really believes you can keep teens from having sex by telling them not to, then he should be advocating fasting and the cancellation of school lunch programs for obese children throughout Ohio.

What kind of casino?

OHliz — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:26:03 EST

My opposition to Columbus' casino-in-progress isn't vehement or any way morality-based, it's just a Not in My Neighborhood kind of thing.

Yes, it bothers me that Franklin and surrounding counties voted against Issue 3 to allow casino gaming in Ohio, but a casino will be foisted on us anyway. And it bothers me that we allowed out-of-state corporations to rewrite the Ohio constitution. Plus, these outsiders apparently can circumvent local zoning laws, much to the dismay of Arena District and Grandview Yard neighbors. In addition, the FOP really sold-out its soul on Issue 3 endorsements. And, oh yeah, we can now look forward to lawsuits from Native American tribes who want to build casinos here.

These things trouble me, but I guess we have to get used to it and move ahead. Alas, the casino nut has been cracked in Buckeyeland. But what kind of casino?

It will be windowless, I bet. Lots of free parking, so more high-rise parking garages need to be built. A lavish buffet -- most likely a pretty good deal if you can eat before 3 p.m. Throbbing background music. Like most Midwest casinos, there will be a cheesy faux-Vegas feel to it.

At least it won't be a fake riverboat casino that are common in this part of the country. What is the deal with Midwesterners gambling while floating?

I don't want a casino in my neighborhood, but if the developers insist, I won't be boycotting it. I just hope they'll have a roulette table.

Hell Is Real on the way to Cincy

OHliz — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:50:35 EST

United Coalition for Reason's "Don't Believe in God? You Are Not Alone" billboard campaign -- an exceptionally uplifting message in my opinion -- seemed to go over well here in Columbus. In Cincinnati, not so much. Because of threats to property owners, the Over-The-Rhine billboard had to be relocated.

So sad to see the jihadists get their way.

Not surprising that the home of the Creation Museum, Citizens for Community Values, Ken Blackwell and countless other ideologues would be so intolerant. I guess they just don't like free-thinking competition down yonder.

Being a free-speech advocate, I've got no problem with the plethora of religious signs and symbols I see every day. (Although I thought the exhortation to "Pray" on the back of a COTA bus as I breathed its exhaust fumes was a little weird. And the altered pro-life billboard in Sugar Grove off Rt. 33 that now says "Abortion Stops a Beating...." is really not funny at all.)

Go ahead, put your "Hell Is Real" and Ten Commandments billboards along I-71. This is Sarah Palin's "real" America, after all....But you might as well erect a big sign that says "High-Tech Companies, Keep Out!"

In particular, the Ten Commandments public displays puzzle me. That commandment about coveting -- you know, the entire basis of our economy. As a kid I learned that I should not "covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his ass...." Well, rest assured, I do not covet my neighbor's wife. But I'm not making any promises about his ass.

Nastygram for Time Warner Cable

OHliz — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:00:49 EST

Dear Time Warner corporate,

Congratulations on being named one of the 2009 Diversity Inc Top 50 Companies for Diversity (R)! You must be very proud!

Regarding your recent programming change in the Columbus area which brought scads of on-demand titles into my living room where formerly free network HD channels were, I am confident that you will address my complaint.

While I respect your First Amendment corporate right to sell Wife Swap & Screw, Slut Take It Hard, Dripping Wet Tramps and 69 Screamin Blondes for $11.99 each, well, as you might imagine, these movies aren't my cup of tea.

This kind of skewed programming doesn't seem to fit with your CEO Glenn Britt's vision of T-W as a company "that values diversity, with an open environment that allows us to blend the experiences, cultures, influences, languages, and perspectives of our employees and our customers."

Are we hetero women -- not a small minority, I might add -- supposed to be satisfied with 2 Big 2 Be True from the measly pickings of the Playgirl category? I mean, "MILF Party" is an entire genre of movies...so where's the pro-women adult movies?

Oh, I also want to congratulate T-W on being ranked #5 on the Top 10 Companies for Latinos. The stars of 100% Latin Sluts, All Latin Lust, All Sexed Up Latina and Argentinean Booty must be so proud!

Sincerely,

Your Customer

Support Reproductive Choice while shopping on line.

Emily — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:35:01 EST

Here is a good idea for Christmas shopping:
You can support women's reproductive choice in Ohio by using the link below:

http://www.iGive.com/welcome/warmwelcome.cfm?c=11976&m=153626

igive.com stores (everything from books to clothes to toys) donate a percentage of the purchase price to a charity. If you use the link above, and shop within 5 or 6 weeks, Women Have Options will receive an extra $5.00 !

So you can get your Christmas shopping done and support Women Have Options at the same time !

For more information about Women Have Options, look at our website www.womenhaveoptions.org. We have been supporting reproductive choice since 1992. We need your help to continue to help women in these difficult economic times.

Although I have no idea what to do with the following links, perhaps you will, as Women Have Options is now on Facebook and Twitter:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WHOohio
Facebook Cause Page: http://tinyurl.com/y8dlhxo
Facebook Group Page: http://tinyurl.com/yla3mn4

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS !

Ohio women moving backward

OHliz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:10:20 EST

I was browsing the Half Price Books local interest section yesterday and found The Worlds of Ohio Women, copyright 1977, for $4. An essay by Mary Jo Ginty of Cleveland Women Together caught my attention:

"The development and widespread distribution of highly effective methods of contraception and the emergence of an overwhelming national concensus in favor of birth planning options among Americans in all social, economic, and ethnic groups, is a major achievement. The legalization of the right to terminate unwanted pregnancies, simpler less traumatic methods of sterilization, and a federal program to equalize access to these services, have all created the opportunity to now move forward with decisiveness to reduce to a minimum the incidents of unintended pregnancies and births."

Well, you've come a long way from asserting yourself in cigarette ads, baby. But as far as making strides in reproductive health, Ohio women are dismal failures.

Ms. Ginty's optimistic plan to "move forward with decisiveness" to reduce unintended pregnancies has been dismissed repeatedly by our legislators. The Ohio Prevention First Act, introduced three times and stalemated in the General Assembly, seeks to accomplish that very goal.

Here we are 32 years later. Our Ohio and congressional leaders continue to pander to pro-life extremists for their own political gain. I wonder how many of them have ever visited an abortion clinic or could objectively examine the facts.

In the current health care debate, it's clear that our reproductive rights are being used as an easily-sacrificed bargaining chip. Women are not just failing to make progress, our rights are being squelched.

Religion wins, women lose

OHliz — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:20:58 EST

They have no women members -- a serious empathy vacuum. They do not pay taxes like corporations do. They have no medical expertise. They have extremist views on contraceptive use.

So why are we allowing this group to hijack democratic health care reform?

Because when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops talks, Congress listens -- to the detriment of women's reproductive rights.

Apparently separation of church and state principles don't apply when you're talking about women.

Along with Planned Parenthood, I'm disappointed with the House's cave-in to pro-life extremists who seek to chip away at abortion rights established 36 years ago.

Over a century ago, proto-feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton recognized how religion keeps women down:

"When women understand that governments and religions are human inventions; that bibles, prayer-books, catechisms and encyclical letters are emanations from the brains of men, they will no longer be oppressed by the injunctions that come to them with the divine authority of 'Thus sayeth the Lord.'"

As I see it, everyone can live by his or her convictions on this contentious issue. It's easy -- If you're against abortion, don't have one.

Hands Off My Uterus, Bishops!

OHliz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:53:43 EST

If you own a uterus or love someone who does, here's why you should care about separation of church and state: Catholic bishops are doing all they can to force anti-choice amendments into the health care reform bill -- and they're instructing their congregations to help them.

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, writes: "A few days ago, it felt as if we were holding strong in achieving health care reform that would finally ensure comprehensive coverage for everyone. As the legislation began moving closer to a vote, I knew that our job holding on to our reproductive health victories would be hard ... and then I received a copy of a memo that the Catholic bishops sent to their congregations.

"As I write this, the bishops have asked all the Catholics in the country to contact their legislators, asking them to alter current health care legislation to include anti-choice amendments. The bishops have inserted letters into church bulletins and asked priests to include their call to action in their sermons — and even in their prayers — during Sunday services.

"It's clear that every group opposed to a woman's right to choose is pulling out all the stops this week to bring all the progress we've made on health care reform to a grinding halt. The results could be devastating to everyone who desperately needs health care, including the women, men, and teens that Planned Parenthood serves....

"One thing I know for sure — the bishops don't speak for all Catholics. From one Catholic Planned Parenthood supporter:

What bothers me most is this: Millions of people are uninsured and hundreds of thousands die every year as a result. And, to see my church sacrifice health care reform for the sake of this one issue is just going too far. They don't represent me, and they don't represent my beliefs. I'm speaking out, and I'm asking my Catholic friends and family to do the same.

Planned Parenthood urges us to stand up for women's health and tell our senators and representatives to reject this dangerous effort from Catholic bishops.

It's bad enough that Catholic hospitals deny clients basic contraceptives. Now these control freaks want to upend all women's health care.

This is outrageous, grossly undemocratic interference with deeply personal choices.

With two-thirds of the Supreme Court espousing Catholic bias and a burgeoning Catholic immigrant population, women's fundamental health care rights are being diminished and disregarded.

Personally, I think a group of celibate religious men is clueless as to the family planning needs of American women and has nothing worthwhile to offer in the current health care debate. Catholic views on birth control are radical and far from the American mainstream.

On a broader level, this is why separation of church and state matters -- why it is a big deal when a public school teacher insists on keeping a bible on his desk or a menorah is dispayed at Christmastime in a public square. Except in this case, it REALLY matters.

If we let religious leaders hijack health care access and deny reproductive rights to individuals, we are no better than oppressive Middle East theocratic nations.

Fight back for health care democracy!

The unfortunate link between Native Americans and vice

OHliz — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:11:04 EDT

Driving through the Finger Lakes region and along the windswept Erie shore last week, spouse and I saw many "No Sovereign Nation" signs in New York.

So what's that all about? Evidently the right-wingy-sounding Upstate Citizens for Equality Inc. is upset that the Cuyuga Nation is making land claims, selling booze and tax-free cigarettes, and is pushing to build a casino.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that this uptight-about-Indians brigade has a point. Claiming special rights or exemption from certain laws in order to settle 200-year-old land claim disputes is undemocratic.

Amish here in Ohio live in tribe-like insular communities. They are subject to the same laws we are. (That includes EPA standards. I recall an Ohio case where an Amish man was fined for substandard outhouses.)

No offense to the individuals who make up the highly diverse Native American population, but I predict that once we crack the casino legality nut in Ohio, we can expect to be hearing from Native American groups and not in a good way.

Until now, Native Americans have had little incentive to make tribal claims here in Ohio. If Issue 3 passes, they do.

So, we'll see what happens next Tuesday. Racial politics, anyone?

'That's so Letterman' PSA request

OHliz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:50:24 EDT

Now that Wanda Sykes has broken the PC language barrier with When you say it's gay, do you mean what you say? Knock it off. public service announcements, it seems to me we have some catching up to do.

I mean, if it's OK to propagandize young people with this kind of political message, we really should have a When you call her a ho, do you really mean she's a prostitute? PSA too.

How about a Domestic Violence Destroys Neighborhoods campaign? Our a PSA or two about better fathering?

While some PSAs have proven effective in behavior modification (don't waste electricity or smoke, kids!), others are lame (This is your brain on drugs) and downright mock-worthy (Nancy Reagan: Just say no to drugs...Manic Depressives, Just be happy!)

I think the Don't-say-gay-to-mean-anything-negative campaign is over the top, seeing as how it's aimed at young people and discourages free speech. Trying to ban words is a bit like burning books.

Judging from my late-night TV viewing, CBS Cares about Nelson Mandela's man-goodness, learning disabilities of good-looking black guy, prostate and colon cancer, and the difficulties of putting an artist's easel up your ass (funny only the first time). These PSAs have been running, like, for a year in the 3-5 a.m. slot. (Evidently employees of the David Letterman Show are exempt from CBS caring, however.)

I believe many fellow insomniacs would agree that CBS needs to fill their programming gaps with a new crop of PSAs. May I suggest something about the dangers of sexual harassment in the workplace? Maybe a Don't Be Like Dave campaign.

Your Church is not my State

OHliz — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:30:07 EDT

Many people think separation of church and state issues are petty. It brings to mind uprooted nativity scenes in town squares, nutty Zoroastrians, Bible-toting public school teachers and seemingly harmless public prayer sessions.

So what's wrong with a blithely Judeo-Christian government?

Plenty.

If you happen to be a person who has never worried about getting pregnant, separation of church and state issues may never concern you. However, if you are a woman seeking emergency contraception from a holier-than-thou pharmacist you might feel differently.

In the highly charged politics of reproductive rights, religion usually trumps individual rights.

As Sandhya Bathija points out in Whose Conscious Counts? in the Americans United for Separation of Church and State newsletter, this kind of religious favoritism can logically be applied to these situtations:

a police officer could refuse to protect a medical clinic because it conflicts with his religious beliefs;

a nurse at a public hospital would be free to lecture an AIDS patient and his partner that God “doesn’t like the homosexual lifestyle” and they must pray for salvation;

a city bus driver could decline to drive a bus that displays an atheist advertisement because it offends her as an evangelical Christian;

an on-staff counselor can refuse to counsel unmarried or gay and lesbian employees on relationship issues.

Interesting article Prayer policy divides Shelby by Mary Beth Lane in the Dispatch today. Is it just me, or is anyone else disturbed by this?

"The Columbus City Council rotates opening prayers between two Catholic priests, Monsignor John Cody and the Rev. Michael Watson. Their prayers are nondenominational, generally asking for council members to be given wisdom and guidance, spokesman John Ivanic said.

"On occasion, he added, Watson ends a prayer by asking for help for the Buckeyes, the Bengals and the Browns."

Obvious question aside -- Whose side is God on when the Bengals play the Browns? -- these super-paternalistic, anti-choice leaders are making a mockery of the prayer itself.

I don't think this undemocratic expression of religion through government entities is right. It's not petty, and we shouldn't be afraid to criticize our leadership about it.

Columbus After People

OHliz — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:22:15 EDT

Columbus Day is nothing to celebrate, especially if you're Native American. It marks the beginning of Christopher Columbus' "discovery" (read: exploitation) of the "New World." (Technically, he landed first in The Bahamas, not North America, on October 12, 1492, 500 years after European Leif Ericson led the Norse here.)

There was nothing new about the New World -- people had been living here without heavy metal weaponry for thousands of years. For European theologians, this was a problem. It really messed with their biblical view. There were not supposed to be people here.

Their solution was to enslave the native people in the name of a Catholic God. As Columbus wrote, the natives "ought to make good and skilled servants."

Disease brought by white settlers nearly eliminated the native people. While you can't pin this tragedy on Chris, it is true that he was one of North America's most prolific slave traders...a sad symbol of oppression and genocide for indigenous people.

Italian-born and Spanish-financed, Columbus was a risk taker -- you gotta give him that.

I don't feel particularly shamed by my hometown namesake. (Truth or Consequences, NM, YOU should feel ashamed.) I'm just saying we need to be culturally sensitive about the Columbus hero myth-legacy.

In New York, Columbus Day is a big Italian festival and everyone in the city gets the day off because of parade traffic. Here, Columbus Day is more of a marketing opportunity -- Experience Columbus [whee!] with a Santa Maria red-tag sale.

As a piece of public art, I really like the giant Chris Columbus downtown. The statue is a gift from the people of Genoa, Italy, which is darn nice of them.

Maybe I've been watching The History Channel too much, but I've been thinking. Five hundred years after the people of Columbus are dead and gone and Ohio Stadium crumbles, big bronze Chris will still be here.

Suits, Beards and Mad Men to Watch Out For

OHliz — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:15:24 EDT

Dave Harding posted this recently: "During the debate of health care amendments involving required coverage today, GOP Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ) made an unbelievable statement: 'I don't need maternity care. And, so requiring that to be on my insurance policy is something that I don't need and will make the policy more expensive.'"

Unbelievable is right. How painful that a congressman should have so little empathy for half of his constituency.

Personally, I'm a very empowered female -- so much so, I just might explode. But it seems to me that the extreme oppression of some groups of women internationally and the more subtle expressions of sexism in this country are no good for anyone. Especially babies.

In Africa, rape has become weaponized. In the Middle East where the Taliban rules, women are routinely beaten for fraternizing with men. Our smarmy, super-rich ally The House of Saud regards women as pieces of property.

Most troubling because of its international influence is the Vatican. According to The Vatican's Women by Paul Hofmann, the pope rarely has any contact with women, except for his nun-housekeepers. What kind of world view is that?

I don't know about you, but the idea of a celibate priest lecturing me on married life gives me the creeps. This church leadership doesn't excommunicate child molesters or even murderers, but it does excommunicate those who ordain women priests. Geez...how can I take anyone seriously who has such a low opinion of me?

Anyhoo, getting back to our democracy. Just to review, we never did pass the Equal Rights Amendment, women still get paid 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, a woman is sexually assaulted every 2 1/2 minutes in this country, there is extreme discrimination when it comes to maternity health care, sexist legal language, etc., etc.

As a woman I wouldn't want to live anywhere besides the USA. But the male-only leadership of certain powerful and often secret fraternal organizations is not advancing American humanity. Most frightening is the "key man theory" and other holier-than-thou beliefs of the politically influential Family. (I can't even explain how far the destructive tentacles of these guys reach. Please read the book by Jeff Sharlet.)

From Augusta National Golf Club to Catholic Church influence, democracy suffers when one group's ability to pursue happiness trumps another group's.

I believe men are better off with partners and coworkers, not subordinates. (Just ask David Lettermen.)

Are the Casinos Buying Endorsments? Is That Legal?

Daily Outrage — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:45:20 EDT

Remember that old book, How to Win Friends and Influence People?

It seems like the Issue 3 people are “buying friends.’’ Last week in the Columbus Dispatch, the local tourism folks said Penn National (the thieves bankrolling this scam) offered them money for an endorsement.

Here is part of the article:

A letter this week from casino developer Penn National to Experience Columbus outlined the commitments the company would make. Senior Vice President Eric Schippers said he hoped those promises "would encourage your members to consider an endorsement" of the issue.

One group whose members already endorsed Issue 3 is the Fraternal Order of Police. How shameful -- especially when I learned that the FOP members get training money if this turkey passes.

The Toledo newspaper slapped around the FOP and here is part of what they said:

There is little doubt that crime increases in places that allow casino gambling. In New Jersey, the number of crimes within 30 miles of Atlantic City increased 100 percent after casinos opened. Here, that would mean more police will be needed, not just in Toledo but also in Delta, Cygnet, Oak Harbor, and other peaceful outlying communities as well.

The increased crime virtually assured by casinos makes recent endorsements of Issue 3 by police, including the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association, particularly troubling. Gambling, it seems, equals job security for the people pledged to “protect and serve.” Who knew that slogan emblazoned on patrol cars actually meant protecting their own jobs in a self-serving manner?

But my all time favorite was when the Plain Dealer told us that the former state GOP chairman had a fundraiser for the city's Democrat mayor. Guess what? The mayor endorsed the casino plan!

I am not a lawyer. All you lawyers out there: Is is even legal to buy these endosments?

WADC Booth at Market Day

Lucie Pollard — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:51:36 EDT

Please stop by Booth 371 tomorrow (Saturday, September 19) from 9 - 4:30,

We will have candidates, volunteer sign-ups, voter registration, issue information and more.

This is Worthington's biggest event -- High St. is closed to traffic from 161 to South Street. We will have our normal wonderful farmers' market, plus arts, crafts, food and community groups like WADC!

Don't be misled by abortion rhetoric

OHliz — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:53:53 EDT

So much kooky stuff has been said about abortion by self-righteous humans who have never given birth -- it makes me angry. So backhanded is the rhetoric and so complex the health care debate, it's hard to get a handle on it. But I'll try.

First off, the following statements are false according to President Obama and Planned Parenthood, and utter BS according to me:

A public plan would be "forcing American citizens to directly subsidize abortion-on-demand with their tax dollars."
- Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) in a National Review Op-Ed

"They won’t pay for my surgery, but we’re forced to pay for abortions."
- Family Research Council TV advertisement

"Make no mistake about it - abortion will be funded by the government through the new healthcare plan."
- Ohio Right to Life in an email to supporters

-Sigh- Beware of leading phrases like "abortion on demand." Do you know anyone who has demanded an abortion? No? I don't think I've ever known anyone who has even wanted an abortion, much less demanded one. I mean, get real. There are circumstances (including rape, maternal illness and genetic disease) where a woman and her family might decided that abortion is the right decision, but to characterize this as "abortion on demand" is highly uncompassionate.

What about naturally occurring abortions (i.e., miscarriages)? Is this health care excluded from the national insurance program proposals? How can the government tell the difference between induced abortions and those naturally occurring? Who will take responsibility for DIY abortions? A slippery slope, for sure.

How can you morally justify denying any kind of government support for millions of live births on the pretext of not-one-penny-for-public funding for abortions? Give me an f-in break, man.

The current scare-tactic health care debate regarding abortion could not be any more removed from the actual concerns of a frightened, pregnant 16-year-old. You old white guys need to get some empathy.

9/11, Saudi Arabia and Women's Rights

OHliz — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:31:39 EDT

We have eight years distance from the worst American tragedy of our lifetimes. We memorialize the September 11th attacks, but it never seems quite adequate.

I wrote about my pre-9/11 impressions of New York as a newbie PO blogger two years ago. I regret that I failed to mention that nearly 3,000 American civilians were cruelly murdered that day. I apologize.

Moving on from personal reflections, I have a theory. My thesis is that the September 11th attacks are directly related to Saudi Arabia's gender apartheid.

It only takes wiki-research to establish these facts:

1. Fifteen of nineteen 9/11 hijackers plus Osama bin Laden were Saudi citizens.

2. The paternal kingdom of Saudi Arabia -- coddled by the Bush administration and corporate interests -- has a deplorable human rights record when it comes to women.

"It is [Saudi] women who are degraded systematically from birth to early death, utterly and totally and without exception deprived of freedom. It is women who are sold into marriage or concubinage, often before puberty; killed if their hymens are not intact on the wedding night; kept confined, ignorant, pregnant, poor, without choice or recourse. It is women who are raped and beaten with full sanction of the law. It is women who cannot own property or work for a living or determine in any way the circumstances of their own lives. It is women who are subject to a despotism that knows no restraint. Women locked out and locked in," according to Andrea Dworkin.

Could there be a link between a theocratic government which regards women as property and incubators and its citizenship's propensity for terrorism? I think so.

Christopher Hitchens hints at my thesis in his book God Is Not Great when he writes about repression and ignorance among young Saudi males "who are often kept apart from all female company, taught in effect to despise their mothers and sisters."

Our complicity in this oily misogynist terrorist network is reprehensible. Bush never wagged a finger at Saudi King Abdullah for the September 11th attacks. Instead, Dubya held his hand and kissed him.

Corporate America is no better. "One of the (still) untold stories, however, is the cooperation of U.S. and other Western companies in enforcing sexual apartheid in Saudi Arabia. McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and other U.S. firms, for instance, maintain strictly segregated eating zones in their restaurants. The men's sections are typically lavish, comfortable and up to Western standards, whereas the women's or families' sections are often run-down, neglected and, in the case of Starbucks, have no seats. Worse, these firms will bar entrance to Western women who show up without their husbands," writes Colbert King.

Mainstream media, including Newsweek, have compromised their journalistic integrity by accepting big Saudi money to publish "Special Sections" and other propaganda.

The repressive Saudi regime was the perfect breeding ground for anti-American terrorists eight years ago, and it still is. As long as women are virtual slaves there, they'll keep on breeding.

Discuss -- please.

Change the channel on employer-based healthcare

OHliz — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:52:27 EDT

I used to be married to a deejay, or I should say, a radio personality. Radio guys get hired and fired a lot. Stations change format or program directors and everyone's out the door in one swoop.

RP and I moved a lot. Not a good lifestyle when you have kids. Long story -- we are no longer married.

I only bring this up to illustrate a point about the U.S. healthcare system. Ever try to work out an insurance problem with your spouse's ex-employer? Needless to say, it's tough to get satisfaction.

One large broadcasting company I encountered had a special hotline for ex-wives of ex-deejays to vent. (I suppose the NBA has a similar arrangement.)

Anyway, as you probably know from your own red-tape entanglements, it's almost impossible to get equitable health care in an employer-based system.

Your employer doesn't pay for your car insurance. Why should they pay for your health coverage?

The current system is especially unfair to children.

It seems unlikely that we will see universal healthcare in this nation in my lifetime. Too bad.

In lieu of a total format change, the so-called public option seems to be at least a start toward broader, more equitable healthcare reform.

Out-of-control insurance companies need more competition and consumers need more options, so we can all move away from an employer-based system.

2.6 Billion People Don't Have a Toilet and It's Not Funny

OHliz — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:02:34 EDT

"Four in ten people have no access to any latrine, toilet, bucket or box. Nothing. Instead, they defecate by train tracks and in forests. They do it in plastic bags and fling them through the air in narrow slum alleyways. If they are women, they get up at 4 a.m. to be able to do their business under cover of darkness for reasons of modesty, risking rape and snakebites.

"Four in ten people live in situations where they are surrounded by human excrement because it is in the bushes outside the village or in their city yards, left by children outside the backdoor. It is tramped back in on their feet, carried on fingers onto clothes, food, and drinking water.

"The disease toll of this is stunning.... Poor sanitation, bad hygiene, and unsafe water -- usually unsafe because it has fecal particles in it -- cause one in ten of the world's illnesses. Children suffer most. Diarrhea -- nearly 90 percent of which is caused by fecally contaminated food or water -- kills a child every fifteen seconds. The number of children who have died from diarrhea in the last decade exceeds the total number of people killed by armed conflict since WWII."

-- The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters by Rose George.

What Tuition Freeze?

OHliz — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 09:46:29 EDT

Just got our eBill from the eBursar at OU and it makes me want to e-yowl!

Supposedly we've had a tuition freeze going on at Ohio state-supported colleges for the last three years. The funny thing is, according to our bill, we are not paying a penny for tuition. No, we're paying thousands per year on one enormous college....well, you can guess -- it rhymes with Gee.

When the ivory towerers say "tuition freeze" do they mean the Instructional Fee? How about the General Fee? Is there a freeze on the Undergrad Technology Fee? Student Legal Service Fee? Library Printing Fees? (At OSU, I believe there's a Student Organization and Athletic Fee.)

I'm so glad our student no longer is required to live in the captive-audience atmosphere of college dorms. Has there been a cap on dormitory and meal plan costs? I don't think so. What about other student living expenses? Rent-controls on student housing? No?

There is a relatively good bargain in our eBill -- Student Health Insurance and the Wellbeing Plan. We can waive the health insurance because we're already paying about $1k/yr. for a student policy. However, the premium costs have nearly doubled in the few years he's had the policy. There's definitely no freeze on health care and insurance costs.

We will be paying our non-tuition eBill with an eCheck instead of a credit card, so as to avoid the 2.9% service charge. Sheesh.