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I spy a crazy woman (and it’s not Sarah Palin)

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Take a look at this photo and describe Sarah Palin and her family, in your mind:

And then compare to this:

Palin has a toned-down version of the porn actress look favoured by this decade’s woman, the overtreated hair, puffy lips and permanently alarmed expression. Bristol has what is known in Britain as the look of the teen mum, the “pramface.” Husband Todd looks like a roughneck; Track, heading off to Iraq, appears terrified.

Really? Only question remaining is why Mallick didn’t light into the seven-year-old. Heck, why stop there–must be something insulting she can make up about the baby.

In historical studies, as in journalism actually, they teach you not to trust one eyewitness. This must be why.

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Tanya adds: I must admit, Track did look a little stunned. However, something tells me it may have had more to do with the crowd of thousands cheering for him.

She’s appallingly competent

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…my sentiments on Sarah Palin exactly, courtesy of Barbara Kay:

The convention center exploded with joy, no doubt composed of 90% relief that – the Olympian comparison is apt – this talented but untested American gymnast had nailed a perfect 10 on the bars, the vault and the beam. She was calm and she radiated assurance. Her pointed barbs at Obama’s weaknesses were legitimate, and slyly, amiably expressed. Aggression without stridency.

What does this say about our priorities?

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Barbara Kay in the Post is returning to one of her favourite themes: the inequity to men built into the mechanisms that award and enforce child custody. Keep in mind that this is a conservative-ish pundit writing in a conservative-ish newspaper. Lamenting the unfairness confronted by men has come to be the libertarian-right’s answer to mainstream feminism – superficially speaking truth to power, but really just going over the same talking points and not convincing anybody who didn’t already agree with you.

You know what would be really brave? Writing an editorial telling people that if they want what’s best for their kids, they’ll find a way to stay together and make it work. Yes, fathers are often treated poorly by the courts; yes, children need good relationships with both of their parents; yes, there are incentives that reward false accusations of abuse; yes, some women abuse the system. But better and fairer divorce is a pretty pathetic solution to this pervasive mess. Look, I’m all in favour of doctors developing better ways to treat bullet wounds. But a civilized society puts the emphasis on preventing people from getting shot in the first place, not just providing excellent care once they’re already wounded.

Women as guinea pigs

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I’ve talked to countless women who believe abortion has no risks whatsoever. And yes, the charge is very real that somehow when I come up with valid, peer-reviewed studies showing otherwise it’s a pro-life conspiracy. Preterm birth the result of a prior abortion is very real. Read about it here.

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Andrea adds: I addressed this issue before here. And I will repeat: Information is not a scare tactic. It is information, pure and simple, that women are not getting. I wonder if those working in clinics even know. They should of course, and I hold them fully and completely accountable for lying to women through their silence. Save for really seeking this information out, it is almost impossible to get. And once one finds it, the accusations of it being false or used to “trick” women into not getting an abortion begin.  

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Tanya adds emphasis: The above article states:

The Nuremberg Code was adopted in 1964. The code insists on animal studies before exposing human beings to any procedure. All surgical procedures in Canada have been tested on animals. Except one. There are no published animal studies on vacuum aspiration abortion.

I feel like this is something we should be yelling from rooftops. How can the issue of informed consent even be addressed when all the information has yet to be collected? Vacuum aspiration abortion is literally and indisputably inhumane according to Canadian standards of medicine. It’s anti-woman!

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Patricia says: It’s interesting to note which community provides a disproportionately high number of these “guinea pigs”, at least in the US. Kay writes: “Black American women, although only 12% of the American population, undergo 35.2% of all abortions.” Again, shouldn’t feminists be screaming from the rooftops (to quote Tanya) about this misuse (abuse) of a vulnerable population?

20 years of silence

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This has been a major beef of mine: silence on abortion. Have a read of Barbara Kay in today’s Post. Only I’m not sure pro-life zealots deserve the blame….

…In today’s second instalment, Barbara Kay argues that most Canadians believe abortion should be restricted in some cases –but have been silenced by pro-life zealots.

In my experience, the blame lies with pro-choice zealots. Then again, I grew up in very pro-choice social circles. Perhaps if you grew up ensconced in the pro-life side of things you might feel your freedom of speech was curtailed in a different way. What’s your experience? And if we need to lay blame for the silence–where should it go?

My opinion? No need to lay blame, just break the silence.

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