Kick a Muslim when they're down

Another email forwarded to me today by my mom.

Title: Muslim heritage???????????????????????????

Barack OBAMA, during his Cairo speech, said: "I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of America 's history."

AN AMERICAN CITIZEN'S RESPONSE:

Dear Mr. Obama:

Were those Muslims who were in America when the Pilgrims first landed? Funny, I thought they were Native American Indians.

Were those Muslims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day? Sorry again, those were Pilgrims and Native American Indians.

Can you show me one Muslim signature on the United States Constitution?

Declaration Of Independence ?

Bill of Rights?

Didn't think so.

Did Muslims fight for this country's freedom from England? No!

Did Muslims fight during the Civil War to free the Slaves in America ? No, they did not.

In fact, Muslims to this day are still the largest traffickers in human slavery. Your own half brother, a devout Muslim, still advocates slavery himself, even though Muslims of Arabic descent refer to black Muslims as "pug nosed slaves." Says a lot of what the Muslim world really thinks of your family's "rich Islamic heritage," doesn't it Mr. Obama?

Where were Muslims during the Civil Rights era of this country? Not present.

There are no pictures or media accounts of Muslims walking side by side with Martin Luther King, Jr. or helping to advance the cause of Civil Rights.

Where were Muslims during this country's Woman's Suffrage Era? Again, not present.

In fact, devout Muslims demand that women are subservient to men in the Islamic culture. So much so, that often they are beaten for not wearing the 'hajib' or for talking to a man who is not a direct family member or their husband.

The Muslims are all for women's rights? Don't think so.

Where were Muslims during World War II? They were aligned with Adolf Hitler. The Muslim Grand Mufti himself met with Adolf Hitler, reviewed the troops and accepted support from the Nazi's in killing Jews.

Finally, Mr. Obama, where were Muslims on Sept. 11th, 2001?

If they weren't flying planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania , killing nearly 3,000 people on our own soil, they were rejoicing in the Middle East .

No one can dispute the pictures shown from all parts of the Muslim world celebrating on CNN, FNC(Fox News), MSNBC and other cable news networks that day.

Strangely, the very "moderate" Muslims whose asses you bent over backwards to kiss in Cairo , Egypt on June 4th were stone cold silent, post 9-11.

To many Americans, their silence has meant approval for the acts of that day.

And THAT, Mr. Obama, is the "rich heritage" Muslims have here in America ...

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention the Barbary Pirates. They were Muslim.

And now we can add November 5, 2009 - the slaughter of American soldiers at Fort Hood by a Muslim major who is a doctor of psychiatry who was supposed to be counseling soldiers returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That, Mr. Obama is the "Muslim heritage" in America!

EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD READ THIS !!

Be sure to circulate this one across the country.
Muslim Heritage, my "butt".



My response (on her behalf):

Dear ones,

As you know, I am of Lithuanian descent. You might not know, though, that Lithanians did not begin to come to this country until a famine hit our mother country in the late 1800s. Seeking a way to keep their families alive, the first wave of Lithuanians boarded a ship and crossed the ocean. My father and mother's parents came with a later wave of immigration in the early 1900s. No. They were not here when the first ships landed in America from Europe, and they were not the Native Americans, who these Europeans killed off of this land to call it their own. They were not in attendance at the first Thanksgiving. But they are most certainly part of this country's history.

My grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, brothers, children, nieces and nephews have grown up and worked in this country, some becoming strong advocates for human rights and civil liberties. Many called (and continue to call) for women's rights and civil rights and human rights to Americans criminalized for their poverty, their disabilities, their sexuality, and - as in this case - their religion. But, no. None of them marched with Martin Luther King, or had their names listed among the core suffragettes who won women the right to vote. Who in your family did this? There must have been _someone_ in your family who did these things, or you wouldn't be forwarding emails pointing spiteful fingers at people saying they have no part in this country's history without doing these things.

By your logic, my family has no part in America's history. Please know that this is incredibly insulting, and simply incorrect. You did not need to be here at the dawn of the nation to be part of this country's history. You did not have to be one of the people who made it into high political office or onto the history ledgers. Lithuanians - my people - are most certainly part of American history. Similarly, Islam/Muslims were not here on the Mayflower. But, there is no questions that they, too, are part of American history. Anyone who argues otherwise is narrow-minded and wrong.

What's also wrong is the idea that Islam/Muslims were not involved in advancing rights in this country. It is outrageous for this email to make this claim. Muslims have been deeply involved in this part of our history. For example, and without a doubt, history holds that Nation of Islam members (this means "Muslims") were critically involved in Martin Luther King's closest circles, and that they were key people in the civil rights movement. It takes only a google search to see that there ARE pictures of Muslims walking side-by-side with King. There are MANY pictures.

But this email full of lies chooses to not just ignore this, but to pretend that Muslims were never involved in these important efforts to justify its claim that Muslims are not a part of US history. Garbage!

Many people of English (the ethnicity of Pilgrims) and of Dutch, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and German (the ethnicity of later colonists) descent had little to nothing to do with advancing civil rights. Many, in fact, actually actively resisted civil rights and King's marches for equality. But, for some reason, the email overlooks this fact, and does not challenge these people's history in the US. But it does challenge Muslim's rights to be called real Americans. So offensive.

The email says that no Muslim's name appears on important American documents. Well, you know what? Show me a woman's name on the Declaration of Independence. On the Constitution? The Bill of Rights? Show me a Lithuanian whose name is there. Or an Italian. What? None there? Well, then women, Lithuanians, and Italians must not have been a part of the history of this country!

No. This logic is not correct. It is mean-spirited and simply wrong.

We are better than this email. At core, this email is filled with hate and lies meant to fuel our racism and ignorance, and to divide us from our neighbors through baseless hate. Yes, media circulated images of some people in the Middle East celebrating following the attacks. But there is no way this could or should be understood to be a sentiment representative of Muslims as a whole. Post 9/11 studies, such as this one by the highly-respected Pew Research Center, repeatedly show that American Muslims are NOT radicals, but that they, instead, are moderate people who are "decidedly American in their outlook, values and attitudes." I know a large number of Muslims, and they are not at all what this very offensive email describes. They are hard-working, highly patriotic people who are trying to make it in this country. They are good Americans. We, however, are not when we believe misinformation like this, and stereotype them as terrorists.

The message does not say it, but it is clearly saying that Christians are the only people with a history in this country. As a Christian, I am highly embarrassed by this arrogant perspective said by someone representing Christianity. Throughout its history, this country welcomed people from around the world, and benefited economically, socially, and culturally from their presence. As Christians, we have no right to say we are the only ones who lay claim to America. That is simply wrong. And it is extremely unkind and un-Christian in spirit.

Also, it is very important to know that Muslims were not at all silent after September 11. The email passes on a fabrication well-circulated on conservative talk shows saying that they were. This lie has been refuted over and over again. The overwhelming majority of US Muslims have been overt and vocal in condemning the acts of September 11. This is also very well documented, such as here where a number of statements from US Muslims and Muslim organizations condemning terrorist attacks immediately after September 11 have been compiled and archived. But Muslim American's opposition to terrorism has been ignored by emails like this one to fuel anti-Muslim sentiment and racism in our country. Despite their history as outspoken opponents to September 11 and terrorism, American Muslims suffer from an widespread stigmatization in US society because of stupid lying emails like this one that is being forwarded on to spread fear and mistruths. This is cruel and unfair. I am frankly very surprised any of my friends would be willing to engage this kind of ignorant and unfounded thinking, and surprised that people calling themselves Christians would stoop to this level of misrepresentation. Very surprised and saddened.

Also, yes. One Muslim leader (not "all Muslims" as the email reads) aligned with Hitler in WWII. However, far more than one Muslim leader, such as in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt and other places (including in the British army), fought actively against Hitler. This email is lying when it states that "Muslims" were "with Hitler" during WWII. It is lying. Since it brought it up, though, it is interesting to think about who the primary allies of Hitler were in WWII. Who were they? Well, besides Japan, there was Mussolini of Italy - the epicenter of Christian Catholicism -, and very Christian Spain's Franco. If we're going to go down the path of trying to revise history to implicate Muslims for Hitler's genocides, the facts just do not hold up. This was clearly a Christian movement. Oh, and Hitler and Hitler's Nazi Germany were both also very devout Christians. But we don't see emails like this saying this is part of our "Christian heritage," do we?

Timothy McVeigh, an anti-American Christian, bombed one of our federal buildings, killing many Americans, but we don't say all Christians are anti-American potential terrorists because of it. Anders Behring Brejvik, the person behind Norway's bombing of the capitol in Oslo and mass killings, is a Christian, a hater of multi-culturalism and socialism, and an admirer and follower of the US Tea Party. But we don't say all Christian Tea Partiers are anti-government potential terrorists and killers. Then there's the Crusades, and Manifest Destiny, and the wiping out of the Native Americans, and Hitler, and so many more inhuman acts done by Christians, often in the name of the religion. But we don't say these violences are part of the "Christian heritage," do we? No! Still, this email is boiling "the Muslim heritage" down to a) September 11, and b) a bunch of lies to say that violence done by individual members makes the entire heritage one of violence. So not true! Why are we saying this about Muslims? Why??? It is not true.

It is NOT TRUE that Muslim Americans condoned the attacks of September 11.

It is NOT TRUE that Muslim Americans have not been part of efforts that make this country great.

It is NOT TRUE that "Muslim heritage" is rooted in violence.

It is NOT TRUE that Muslims have had no part in American history.

It is NOT TRUE that Muslims are not a part of American history.


This email is simply filled with lies.

Emails like this are aimed at fueling our racism and our fear and our hatred of each other. This is being done to divide us, to turn the American people against each other to keep us weak. A divided people are easily manipulated and controlled - with emails like this, for example. It is important for all of us to question these emails, and to not believe these lies that make us denigrate our own country's history and grow to hate one another.

That's what I want, and, I think, what Jesus or any world religion leader would want from us too.

Hey gang! Let's play Kick Our Neighbors When They're Down!

My mom sent me a Wisconsin- and union-bashing forwarded email this morning. It was sent to her by a friend who is a public teacher in Chicago. She asked me to help her reply.

Here's how it went.

--- On Wed, 9/21/11, x wrote:

Wisconsin Revisited

Remember the violent demonstrations over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker doing away with the collective bargaining for teachers unions? The results are in. Some school districts went from a $400,000 deficit to a $1,500,000 surplus as a result. Why?

It seems that the insurance company that provided all the so-called "benefits" to the teachers was an insurance company owned and operated by the teacher's union! Since it was guaranteed to get the insurance business from the teachers and the State had to pay for it, not the teachers, it was increasing the annual costs every single year to become the most expensive insurance company in the state. At the same time, the insurance company was donating millions and millions of dollars to their favorite democrat politicians, who, when they got elected, guaranteed to keep funding the union's outrageous costs. In other words, the insurance company was a "pass through" for Wisconsin taxpayer money directly to the democrat politicians!

Nice racket, and this is the racket that is going on in every single State that allows collective bargaining. No wonder the States are taking it away.

Now that the State of Wisconsin is free to put the insurance contract out for bid, lo and behold: it has saved so much money that it has turned deficits into surplus amounts! As a result, none of the teachers had to be laid off, everyone got a raise, etc., etc; and the taxpayers of Wisconsin don't have to pay more taxes to fund the union's political ambitions.

If you weren't aware of the reasons why Governor Walker was fighting to take away collective bargaining, this gives you an idea of the problem!

Here is the article:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/07/wisconsin-schools-buck-union-cut-health-costs

--

My reply:

Give me a break.

First off, the protests against Walker in Wisconsin were NEVER violent. This is just more of the same slandering of a peaceful people's movement standing up against oppression in the only way they can. This sort to rhetoric was used by Walker's office against unions, with frequent cartoonish and entirely unfounded mentions of Wisconsin "union thugs." As to the person who forwarded the email - feel free to share an example of violence within the Wisconsin protest. Just one example? Anyone? Right - there are none.

While the actions taken against the public workers of Wisconsin - the cutting of their rights to bargain collectively and to have pensions in an effort to make more profits for the already-rich in the state - are aptly framed as violent toward workers, there was never, ever violence from the protests or from the workers involved in them. The protests were not violent. This is a blatant lie and a cheap blow that clearly shows this anonymous and un-substantiated email's intent - to misrepresent what was and is going on in Wisconsin, and to skew people's ideas of the urgent yet peaceful effort to stop the erosion of American's rights. This comment, alone, is outrageous.

Beyond this, though, WEA Trust - the health care company - is a "trust" under federal labor law and is not "owned" by the union. It is a purchasing group - a health insurance pool - overseen by school districts, not unions. In response to February charges by Walker just like those in this email calling WEA Trust the "union-run health insurance plan" and saying that unions benefit from kickbacks, they write:

* WEA Trust is an independent, not-for-profit insurance company that is regulated and overseen by the State of Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. WEA Trust is paid by school districts for services just like electric, gas, construction, or repair companies that work with Wisconsin public schools. Not only would it be unethical for the WEA Trust to transfer any funds to union leadership for political purposes, it would be illegal.

And contrary to what the email says here,:

"Now that the State of Wisconsin is free to put the insurance contract out for bid, lo and behold: it has saved so much money that it has turned deficits into surplus amounts!"

just as it was before Walker outlawed collective bargaining, the state continues insuring some Wisconsin teachers through WEA Trust, and some through other insurance companies.

And of course the cutting of collective bargaining led to more money for the state. No one ever said it wouldn't. When collective bargaining was cut, teachers and other public workers had to pay out of their pocket to cover health insurance costs their employer (the state) was no longer willing to help with. This has led to more money being saved by the state as they stick it to the workers. It also has resulted in huge numbers of veteran teachers leaving the profession at the start of this year.

And, no.

"As a result, none of the teachers had to be laid off, everyone got a raise, etc., etc;"

No. Teacher pay remains stagnant in Wisconsin, but it is actually much lower considering the significant new contributions teachers need to give to their benefits and pensions. "Everyone" most certainly did not "get a raise," as this insane email states. That is, of course, unless you are talking about those in Walker's inner circles.

But, so what? You want to get rid of unions? Well then, you must not care much for your kids. Up until last winter when Walker devastated Wisconsin educational system, there were only five states that outlawed collective bargaining for teachers - South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia. Four out of these five states have repeated ranked in the bottom quintile on student ACT/SAT test scores. Only one - Virginia - isn't bottom of the barrel, but it is not anywhere near the top, either. Is this the education we want that for our children? For our grandchildren? For America?

Furthermore, you must not care much for yourself or your spouse or your neighbors. Unions brought us the weekend, the 8-hour work day, and so much more which is considered "fair treatment in the workplace." Emails like this one have a long history of being scribed by corporate-funded (or "astroturf") efforts which appear to be "of the people," but are not, and which lie and make up information to malign efforts challenging their power. Sounds convincing, but just look up ANY of the information they are presenting. It is clearly filled with erroneous statements without any backing and outright lies.

Perhaps the most troubling thing from all of this, though, is that studies show that even a small amount of doubt will keep people from questioning the status quo and from supporting a stance. That's what this email is about - lessening people's support of, what is now, other people's rights, but something that will soon impact us all as people trying to get by in America. The fact that it is being forwarded is really mind-blowing. Why working people would blindly trust the outrageous lies made on an email like this, and side with the profit-driven entities trying to take (and succeeding in taking) away Americans' rights over their hard-working neighbors is beyond me. It's heartbreaking, really.

This email has been passed around for a few months now, and is posted on conservative blogs, often citing that "we could sure use a Ronald Regan right now". That tells a lot too. Regan cut the rights of poor and working Americans more than any other president in recent history. He took away public resources and allowed friends and colleagues to privatize them and profit, weakening social supports and consolidating state power in corporations like never before,. He instituted countless tax loopholes for his rich cronies, and forced a significant widening between the rich and the poor in American. Whoever wrote this is not interested in "we, the people." They are clearly interested in profits, not in people.

Dottie and the 'Rail Urbana Senior Center Tour!

Some highlights from our Urbana Arts Grant/Urbana Business Association-sponsored 2011 sing-along tour of Urbana senior centers!

Constants

Despite the band, Blake always sings:
Beau-teh-ful

Sisters

Sisters are hard.

I have had women interested in knowing more about how I understand things. I have made long and deep friends with people who had similar interests as I do regarding critical culture, feminism, and, I guess "life." I have had people look up to me over the years for the work I have done and the perspective I have. I have formed indelible bonds with strangers around shared commitments for doing what was felt to be needed to advance the state of females in this community. I have been part of efforts examining and challenging norms, common sense, scientific fact, progress, gender bifurcation, hopelessness, media, gross stereotypes, language, the American Dream, progress, development, gender, despair. But, in all of these things, my younger sisters were never involved.

In fact, they were often antitheses.

Peppers

Bhut jholokia

Aimee - concentrated dynamite. A tight fireball of blue flame.

Spencer - The center is even hotter. Whatever the juices are inside it, they take it in. Instant. Intense. Hot! Like tracers of heat.

Aimee - Yes! Biting into a piece of the center is sending a wave of burning from the side of my mouth around to the back, and to the other side. I ate it at least five minutes ago but my inner lip is still steady with stabbing pain.

Spence - It's pretty warm, don't you think? Definitely wouldn't want to touch my tinglies after this one.

Right-o!

Summer thoughts

-I study adolescence, not adolescents.
-Gratitude works.
-I obviously have been suffering from a long-time lack of anise.
-Derailleur Ale from Colorado is good.

July

As blackberry season gives way to peach and corn season, the goodness of summertime strengthens from a delightful trickle to a gushing, bank-jumping river.

Wonderful peach and corn season, with your insistent heat and sunshine that pulls green from our ever-grey neighborhood, the same green that has taken over our yard in shades ranging from the sage of fragile fava bean runners to the deep grasshopper of tomatillo and ghost pepper plants. We had our first salad of greens from the garden two days ago, and our first purple bean today. The third week of Farmers Market peaches will be bought tomorrow and we will continue eating two or three or even four a day between us, especially if the barbeque has been fired up, which it is most nights.

On Jolie's birthday, I am surrounded by beautiful things that make me thankful. Summer, you are good and I like you. Miss you, Jo.

New York

New York winners:

Thompkin Square Park
Unlimited MTA pass
Scottish salmon @ Russ & Daughters
F train
Passerbys
Russo's artichokes

Tis the season

ahem...

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Hallmark holidays,
Are not healthy for you.

To like someone's great,
So is lust from afar,
But to build up one day,
Is just really bizarre.

Best save passionate looks,
And heart palpitations,
For times that demand,
Fewer mass obligations.

'Cause firey loins,
And hormonal raging,
Need no artifice,
Or consumptive grand staging.

So, FTD, fail!
We will pine, we will ache,
On the days that we choose,
Not the days that you make.

And spend as we please,
This most faux-festive day,
Without posture or cheese,
In our own heart-felt way.

Be yours.

Happy days.

Fallen locals

RIP Pages for All Ages and Sweet Indulgences

Beerzsh by the bay (or sea or lake)

Spencer and I are gonna drink some beers, and write what we think about em. Here goes:

1. Kona Brewing Co.
Fire Rock

"This is a good beer" Spencer says. "It's a decent beer. It's bright, medium hops, with a pretty clean finish. A little watered down, but it'd be a good pale iced down in the summer."

Aimee: "Yeah, a good beer. Not for everyday, cause it's pretty full and distinct. Heavier than our table beers, but a friendly weight. Lots of flavor with a roundness punctuated by a later hoppy bite in the back of the mouth. It would be great on a hot day chilada, "by the sea, or the lake," as Air Supply would say. A nice one. Let's drink it when it's warmer!"


2. Full Sail
Pale Ale
employee-owned

Smells sweet, but not sweet tasting.
Spencer: "This is a different beer. It doesn't fall in line with any brew I'm familiar with. It has a certain sharpness, but I wouldn't call it hoppy. It's a little bit of lots of things"

A "It's pale in color, but almost tastes stouty to me from the way it lingers and finishes. It's really clean, though."

S "It's a really undistinguishable beer. Reminds me of some of those Weisses."

Band: Aman Amoth song: The Fate of Norns
Poor norns.

A "I can see it being a good fit with something substantial or meaty, cause it's not got too much taste to it. I mean, it's refreshing, and tastes like beer, but doesn't have any pronounced flavors going on."

S "This beer is kind of like Krisiun's vocals. I wouldn't pay a lot of money for it. It's not exceptional. It's a decent beer."

A "Think it would be good a change up for winter. It's got an icy edge along with an overall warmth. And nice that the brewery is employee owned"

S "Yeah. That's cool. He can play (of guitarist). And his vocals are pretty good. Thumbs up to Dilinger Escape Plan. 39 parts to every song.

Kona Brewery
Longboard Lager

Misfits We Bite

A Clean as clean. A crisp summer sweetie, but its not sweet.

S Tastes like a lager with a little more bite. I think it's pretty similar to the last one. Who is this? Yeah, UK Subs!

A This is a real after-surfing beer (except if it's spendy). Light and sunny. Goes down easy.

S Anything's pretty much a good after-surfing beer.

Stiff Little Fingers.

Of these three, which would order first if all were offered:
S - Fire Rock
A - Depends on the season. Fire Rock will probably be my overall top-notcher.

Of all of these, which would you drink in the summer:
S - Fire Rock all around. But the other two are about equals. They're all good.
A - Longboard Lager

Which superhero would you be if you could be any superhero?
S Wow. I don't know about that one. I mean, I like several superheros.
A Well, I'd be VITAMIN D GIRL, and be able to have sun shine anytime I wanted it on anyone for any reason.
S Nice. I'm Captain Good Times.
A Yes, you are.

Red Rocket Ale
Bear Republic
Healdsberg, CA

Unfiltered
S It's got a decent full flavor. Hoppy finish, with a sweet hoppy bouquet.

A It's dark, and tastes dark -- darker than its color. But it smells light. Unlike a lot of the others from earlier, it has a long finish, and leaves a lot of hop linger. It's nice.

A I dunno, but I think its sweet smell makes it seem pretty light when going down, though the taste hanging around makes it feel heavier. It's a light heavy beer. Or a heavy lightish beer. Maybe its a medium beer.

S There you go.

A Would you agree.

S It's a medium.

A A medium. But not a light medium. A medium medium. Maybe even a heavy medium.

Ketch Joannes
Save yourself the money, and get the rock cod tacos. Skip the scallops if you want scallopy-tasting scallops. These tasted bland and flat. The crab sandwich has great bread (grilled with lots of butter - the key to the "seafood roll"), but a lot of mayo which took away from the taste of the crab. The fried artichokes were ok. Rock cod tacos were A#1!

Bison IPA
Organic

Sweet smell. Wow. Real hoppy and full and smooth.

S "God. That's good. And it's 6.8% alcohol"

S "This is a very drinkable beer one of my favorites since I had Rio Blanco, a micro brew from Texas."

A "Yum. Go, Bison."

Things that get in my craw #1

September is here, and I am particularly irksome. I find myself easily irked. Irkish, even. Might be the late-summer heat firing up my genteel sensibilities, some displaced annoyance over the stupid political national conventions, or just general bristling in response to the return to the school year. I dunno. All I know is that either I am running into more things that are getting my ideological goat, or I am responding more to things. It's probably both.

Anyway, did you see that movie, Juno? I did a couple months back. Some ok stuff in there to be sure. And seeing a young, confident, mouthy female protagonist was cool. But beyond this (and its annoyingly heavy layer of too cool for school-ness), I found myself ticked off to high hades at this flick. Just pissed in many different directions. Irk-ed. Have scribbled a bit of rant on it since then, and pretty much put it away.

So, last week, the university's Women's Programs office announced that they would be showing it for a welcome back students shebang. Oh, great. I emailed to ask if there would be a discussion after the movie. The director responded saying they weren't planning it, and can do only so much with kids who typically like to watch and split, but maybe? Yeah. So, I morphed the rants into a few thoughts, and dropped them off to her during the movie. Here they are:

What happens when a young, single, working class American female gets pregnant?

Well, according to the movie Juno, after a slightly uncomfortable conversation, she will get full support of her family throughout her nine months, no guilt trips or unwanted adult “protection,” maintain her typical connections to closest friends, have easy access to information and good future options to consider, a van to drive whenever she wants, no financial worries, clear confidence and self-direction in her decisions, and latitude from parents to call the shots on the important choices in her life and her pregnancy.

She will encounter friendly, highly unintimidating protesters and cold and crassly unprofessional staff at the family planning clinic she visits, form closer bonds with family members over her ultrasound, find an adoption parent who she is able to observe and grow to trust her child’s care to in the Penny Saver, not bother the father with any inconvenient calls for support or assistance that might take him away from his normal tasks, and give her new baby over to a closed adoption without much self-questioning or residual emotion.

When the pregnancy is over, she will return to her bike-riding life as she left it pre-pregnancy – complete with self-absorbed kid adventuring and puppy love with the boyfriend who had been absent for the past nine months.

And in worrying about her state early on, she will feel assured enough to walk into the local convenience mart to buy herself pregnancy tests.

According to Juno, dealing with a pregnancy will be relatively easy and straight-forward, provided you are adequately feisty, savvy, and self-aware, and, thus, able to pull yourself up by your own neoliberal bootstraps.

Of course, Juno is a movie. Creative license is allowed. Still, Juno presents itself as a comedy-drama, not a fairytale. So being, it is important to ask if what we take in here is even in the ballpark of accurate. Is this a fair portrayal of how pregnancy in America works for most not-financially-well-off teens? How is “choice” framed in this movie? How is access? Do economics matter? What do we take with us from this movie? Cui bono, "homeskillet"?

--

That was what I wrote. It came from a few places, I think. I'll touch on just a few.

First off, I was raised in a not-financially-well-off, very religiously conservative family. My parents told me where babies came from when I was very little, but outside of that, were not into giving info on the sex. They were, however, quite willing to impress on me that they (and Focus on the Family) did not condone sex outside of marriage. When I had to get a permission slip signed in 6th grade to attend a sex ed class years back, I remember waiting until the last minute to ask my parents because I knew they would not particularly like it. They didn't, but signed, saying "now, you know how we feel about this." I nodded, and prepared myself to hear again how, as Catholics, sex is forbidden outside of marriage, and how, as Catholics, having sex outside of marriage is a sin. It came.

Still, to their credit, they did let me go to the class. But, even so, years later, my late high school boyfriend was well aware of the fact that if I got pregnant, I would run off and kill myself. I made clear that it was just what had to happen. I was a determined and heady teen -- I totally would have done it. On top of this, while I love my family, I'm thinking I'm not the only young female out there who had relationships with ps that promised to be less than supportive if I came up preggers in hs. Lou Dobson has no "parenting tips" on this one.

Secondly, I still don't feel comfortable buying a home pregnancy test at the much more anonymous grocery or even big box stores without being sneaky, even if I use the self-checkout stands. And I am, like, full blown woman old! And the whole "sexually active" thang was awesome, but, in the age of abstinence only education, how many young women are able to be that self-assured of their sexuality and their options?

And finally, I have volunteered for years at Planned Parenthood and have never, ever seen anyone vaguely like that kindly protester out front, or anyone anything like that alienating receptionist inside the building. Quite the opposite, every front PP staff member I met have been exceedingly warm and empathetic, while the vast majority of protesters I encountered at Planned Parenthood were confrontational, aggressive, and insulting. They take pictures of women entering clinics, and yell things at them like "your baby will go to hell."

Yeah. Other things too, But that's enough.

Grr. I can't believe I wrote on a movie. Been wanting to get this off my chest for some time now, though.

As a kinda side, Palin's "Triggate" bring attention back to white teen mommas. That poor daughter, to be outed and paraded to a national audience. Yet another big score for abstinence-only education! Oh, wait -- you still believe it works? Well, actually, recent studies add to the findings clearly showing that those who go through a-o not only have the same rates of sexual activity as their peers, but that they are LESS likely to use contraception then other non a-o youth, opening them up to more STDs and pregnancies. Because of this, all youth are suffering from the lack of information we are giving kids about their own sexuality. However, it seems girls are getting the shortest and sharpest shrift. Here's some info. Here's some more.

Wonder how the chorus at the RNC would be now if Obama said he had a pregnant teen daughter?

Also, arresting journalists at the RNC on Labor Day -- Amy Goodman and producers included? Really? What the hell!

/pissy irkish rant

Martin Luther King Day in Urbana

it's beautiful today, Martin Luther King day, my last day of holiday.

i am back in Urbana now. i sprained my ankle fierce last weekend. it required crutches for a while, and still looks like a rhinocerous' foot.

because of it, i have been prompted to slow down, spend time in my old new space, and settle in some. though i have emailed folks to drop by to say hi while home-bound for the week, ive had no unexpected visitors. after a couple days of good enthusiastic sociality, people have stopped calling to get together, too. i remember this: a small town with lots of possibilities and little time. as monet showed, sometimes, seeing things too closely leads to a lessened appreciation of the beautiful bigger picture the pieces are a part of.

unpacking my house, i ran across a notebook from years ago. lots of notes on meetings, notes on plans, and general writings. on the first page is a quote i put there that i long ago forgot. glad to find it again. thought id share it here. happy MLK Day!

"Don't worry. Yours is no unique condition,
your type of search and conflict and construction,
don't worry if you have no answers ready
to the lasting question.
Hold out, meditate, listen.
Explore, explore. Travel the world over.
Count happiness as connatural to the mind.
More than truth is, and yet
no happiness to exist without it.
Walk with a cold, true pride.
Utterly ahead
wild attentive eyes,
head flicked by the rain -- wet
green needles of the pine,
eyelashes that shine
with tears and with thunders.
Love people..."

-Yvegney Vevtushenko

nice, huh?

huh

xo