The Palinist Manifesto

You probably (or hopefully) don't know this about me but I am just a corn-fed girl from rural Nebraska; my familial roots are in the bible belt. As of late, from these roots grows a conflict. All of my family members are hard-core Evangelical/Republicans and I try desperately, for our mutual advantage, to find a common ground upon which we can communally build a better foundation for America.

And I think I may have found it on redstate.com in The Palinist Manifesto

From the 9 years I spent in the church, perched on my father's knee while he played the organ for the choir, I learned that every person is exactly same-- we all want to be free! We just have partisan differences of opinion on how to get there. Perhaps Sarah Palin can dispel those differences?

In the interest of baring a different side of my multi-faceted buttresses, I want to share a brilliant article from a promising young girl, I suspect to be not much different from myself. She makes some awesome points that honestly give me hope. Palin could be the beacon that guides us through the impending GOP reformation (pardon the pun) and into a brand new feminism.

By charging rape victims, Palin is challenging the infantilzation of the female victim as helpless and vulnerable. Palin refuses to enable women as they retreat into the state of victimization to which society confines them. By treating a woman as a responsible individual capable of making rational decisions and financial transaction, Palin empowers potentially disempowered female victims with a sense of ownership and agency. This policy also offers a radical economic revisioning, an antithesis of the the male-as-bread-winner model.

I can see how that could be construed as controversial but I do see merit in the total liberalization of social services because If everyone just understood that they were on their own, they would be much more responsible about where they walk, whom they go into dark alleys with and what they wear in those alleys.

The article goes on to make other great points about the lack of feminist perspective in the way the media have portrayed her:

these supposed "extravagances" can be reread as expressions of 4th wave feminism in which women actively exploit their own beauty and sexuality. Instead of feeling forced or reduced to sexual beings, women can instead empower themselves by transforming tools (beauty and sexuality) of oppression and dismissal into tools of empowerment and advantage.

Hey, if ya got it, flaunt it, right? If you are qualified enough to be president, then its irrelevant if you pile on the makeup like a trollop, you cant judge a book by its cover.

Panel Testifies to Negative Effects of 48

Yesterday afternoon at Congregation Emanuel, the campaign against Amendment 48 staged an event where 5 citizens testified about why they are against the amendment, how it goes too far, and how amendment 48 had it previously been law, would have wreaked havoc in their lives. The testimonies were real, heart wrenching and enlightening.

Included in the panel were two pastors from the metro area, Pastor Greg Garland from Broomfield and Pastor Cindy Cearley from Montview Presbyterian. The other three women were Amanda, a sexual assault survivor, Lauren who relies on the pill for family planning and Diane who has a large family and is a breast cancer survivor. The following is a brief look into the lives of these everyday people and how a law, which states a fertilized egg is a person, would have adversely affected them.

While jogging, Amanda was attacked, brutally beaten and raped. She had no idea what was happening to her or why. Struggling to make it stop, she rolled herself over a cliff to run to safety. Injured, she got to the hospital where she was offered Emergency Contraception. This type of contraception prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall and becoming a pregnancy. Under amendment 48, emergency contraception would be illegal and women like Amanda would have to carry the pregnancy to term. Under the rule of a law like Amendment 48, she would be stripped of her ability to choose and the pursuit of happiness. This law would further exacerbate the pain and alienation experienced by women who are brutally attacked every hour of everyday. Amendment 48 completely lacks compassion and is totally negligent of the reality of at least 25% of Colorado women. 1 in 4 women in Colorado are victims of sexual assault.

Lauren graduated from college and is pursuing a job that suits her talents. She is married to a man she loves. She knows in hard economic times that having a child would make it more difficult for her to do what she needs to do in order to go where she wants to go. She desires children in the future, but not until things are more stable. Lauren is very smart and very determined. She has knows what is in her best interest and she wants to succeed. Lauren is like many women who use the pill for family planning. Under Amendment 48, the pill would be illegal because it can prevent a fertilized egg from becoming a pregnancy. This amendment would give the "egg inalienable rights to implant" thereby making it illegal for women to use the pill.

A few years ago, Diane was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a mother and wife, she was worried about her family and who would take care of them. Diane was fortunate to receive radiation therapy that saved her life. If upon diagnosis Diane would have been recently pregnant, under 48 she would have been denied life-saving treatment and her family would be without their mother for the rest of their lives. Diane stated that she needs to be able to trust her doctor to be looking out for her health and best interest. Amendment 48 would confuse that relationship.

Pastor Cindy Cearley of Montview Presbyterian in Denver had been trying to start a family with her husband for years. The doctors could not tell her why she was not getting pregnant. It was a complicated situation with no easy answers. After years of questions and no answers, she finally was able to have an in vitro pregnancy take hold. The wisdom she has to share is that, “The few words of this amendment are deceptively simple but in reality, reproductive issues are anything but simple.”

The last speaker was another pastor. Greg Garland from Broomfield touched on what the founders of The Constitution thought was the primary, most fundamental, paramount right: the first amendment and the separation of church and state. To legislate that a fertilized egg is a person with inalienable rights, is a faith based belief you can come to only on your own terms. Pastor Garland mentioned how this amendment would contradict long held axioms of many faiths traditional in the United States. He reminds us that not all religions advocate life begins at fertilization. This amendment violates the first amendment of the United States of America.

Each of these stories is deeply personal and requires great strength and courage to tell. I am hard pressed to think of a more unrealistic and cruel amendment. I am voting no on 48 and I would love to see your comments.

This afternoon Barack Obama spoke to The Gazette. The last question on the tape is in regards to Amendment 48 which would amend to the Colorado Constitution the definition of a person to include a fertilized egg. Barack touches on the complexities of the simple words in the amendment “shall include the definition of a fertilized egg”:

You can listen to it here and here.

Obama: This has been an ongoing battle, I very much respect people whose religious faith tells them that human life begins at the moment of conception and I think that the important thing for the people of Colorado to just consider is as a practical matter what are the consequences of the kind of amendment that you’re talking about. What does it do for example to in vitro fertilization; couples who are trying to conceive, if the egg is fertilized, and you’ve got a set of embryos one of which takes, but many of which aren’t implanted, what’s required in terms of embryos that are currently discarded? I mean there are a whole host of questions. I think that would have to be asked but you know my general position is is that when it comes to questions of abortion, that those are deeply moral questions and that we should do everything we can to discourage the unwanted pregnancies that can lead to an abortion, and that we should encourage adoption but what I don’t want to do is criminalize women or their doctors. And if the amendment is intended to reach beyond that to issues like in vitro fertilization or stem cell research, then frankly I can’t support an approach that would prohibit stem cell research where appropriate ethical guidelines have been put in place or would prohibit in vitro fertilization where appropriate ethical guidelines have been put in place, I respect those who may disagree with me on that but that’s my position.

Everyone knows and hopefully loves someone who would be adversely affected by such an amendment. Like Barack says, these are deeply moral issues. Included in that moral consideration, I am sure you have seen someone struggle with disease that could have been cured by the products of stem cell research, or perhaps you know someone who should start a family but has had complications that could be lessened by in vitro fertilization. These are only a few of the myriad reasons why this amendment goes too far.

Please donate to the campaign.

A Brief History of Swine

Its not news that when people are afraid, they are vulnerable to deception. Collectively its much, much worse. When all the news channels are barking about a flailing economy barreling down a bottomless hole, its important that we do our best to keep our wits about us by paying attention.

I came across a brief history of the recent powerful advocates of what is opportunistically called a “free-market”. Included are some connective bits between McCainonomics, Reaganomics, Bushtardonomics and Friedmanitisesersty.