Mama Shakes and I had lunch today and then, because we are grumpy misanthropes who needed a laugh, we watched Best in Show, which Mama Shakes had never seen, but always wanted to see. "Busy Bee" is one of the best sequences in the movie, when Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock's insane yuppie world completely melts down because they can't find their dog's toy (about which the dog doesn't seem to care in the slightest).
My favorite scene in the whole film comes in the last 15 seconds of that clip, when Hiro Kanagawa says, "This is least like a bee of the ones we have here." Perfection.
Mayors have the toughest job, I think, in America. It's easy for me to go to Washington and, frankly, be somewhat divorced from the day-to-day challenges people have.
John McCain: Divorced from the realities of average Americans.
There's just too much at stake to sit this one out. Go to the ACLU's Action Alert now and tell the Bush Administration it can't mess with women's health, not this time, not now.
The deadline is September 25th and volume counts, so act quickly and ask your friends to join in this effort.
For years, federal law has carefully balanced protections for individual religious liberty and patients' access to reproductive health care. The proposed rule, however, appears to take patients' needs completely out of this equation. It goes so far as to permit individual health care providers—and even entire institutions—to refuse to provide patients basic information and counseling. If the rule is allowed to go into effect, patients may never be able to access the refused health care—or even know about their right or option to do so.
Don't let this happen. Remember, the more people the federal government hears from the better. So click through to our alert and get busy.
To learn more about these regulations you can read my initial post on the ACLU Daily Kos Diary. And if you're one of those people who can simply never get enough of lawyers talking about the law, here's a podcast of me talking about the regs with Dino Corvino of Below the Waist.
Defying all rational explanation, and spitting in the face of common sense, there is in the pantheon of cinema a woeful lack of films about evil ventriloquist dummies.
Things are not looking good at all for this area, with forecasters going so far as to say that anyone who stays on the island during Ike's wrath would face "certain death."
I sincerely hope that everyone in Galveston and the Houston area is able to get out of there safely. I encourage any Shakers in the area who are able to access the net to use this as an open thread to let us know how you're doing and how we can help.
UPDATE: This is Liss, butting into SC's post to share an email from Shaker Anita, which I'm posting with her permission:
Hurricane Ike is predicted to hit just south of Galveston about midnight tonight with maximum sustained winds of 100 knots, and travel on to Houston (winds 80 knots), on to Tyler, where it is expected to curve northeastward as a tropical storm (wind 55 knots) and enter Arkansas near Russellville, becoming a tropical depression (winds 30 knots) passing south of St. Louis, reaching Indianapolis late night on Sunday.
They've evacuated the beach communities around Galveston, and hospitals in Houston. A tsunami-like storm surge is expected on the Texas gulf coast.
If your area tends to black out in a storm: Check your inventory of batteries, cook up your gumbo, ice down the beer and invite some friends to a Hurricane Party. Down here we have such parties so as not to lose what's in the freezer when the power goes—sadly, it looks like middle America might need to join in this time.
And, please, fire up those good wishes and powerful candles for Texas, this time.
Female Voiceover: He was the world's biggest celebrity, but his star is fading. So they lashed out at Sarah Palin: Dismissed her as "good looking." That backfired, so they said she was doing "what she was told." Then, desperately, called Sarah Palin a liar. How disrespectful.
And how Governor Sarah Palin proves them wrong every day.
McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
The title of this ad is "Disrespectul," but I really think they should have just gone all-out and called it "Uppity."
Mind you, I don't disagree that Biden having called attention to Palin's looks was inappropriate. But Obama didn't say it. "They" didn't say it. Biden did. So you want to call Biden disrespectful—fine.
As to the rest of it, the source material is bollocks. Typically, when an article is cited as a source in a campaign ad, you give the name of the article, as well as the source and date. Here, it's just:
"what she was told" — Politico, 9/4/08
There are hundreds of new items on the Politico every day. So right off the bat, one suspects they're pulling quotes out of context—which is why they are making it difficult to locate the context. The source for "call[ing] Sarah Palin a liar"—btw, a manipulation of their onscreen source quote, which is, merely, "lying"—is "Obama Response Ad from YouTube, 9/8/08," without the actual name of the video, the easiest way to find something on YouTube.
So, who said she was doing what she was told (which, as an aside, is not inherently sexist)—Biden or Obama? Or some campaign spokesperson or surrogate? Who said she was lying? Were they even saying she was lying? Shrug.
[Update: In comments, Shaker Shere notes that FactCheck.org has already torn his ad a new asshole. It's essentially a complete contrivance, as I suspected; nothing more than stitched-together lies designed with the specific purpose of casting Obama as uppity.]
What we know for certain is that Biden said something disrespectful about Sarah Palin (and only that because it was itself a news story). But this is the money shot, as the voiceover condescends, as if scolding an ill-behaved kindergartner, "How disrespectful."
That, Shakers, is a dog whistle of mythic proportions. Buried in that image is a shout-out to the lizard brains and dark hearts of every white racist who has called a black man "boy," talked to our about black people knowing "their place," clucked their tongues at a person of color doing something they don't think a person of color should be doing (like running for president), or used any one of a number of euphemisms, including "disrespectful," to convey that a person of color was getting just a little too big for her or his britches, generally for having the temerity to assert their equality.
How disrespectful.
And lest you think that I'm somehow suggesting it's not possible to talk about a black man being disrespectful without inevitably invoking a dog whistle, let me direct you to CE's guest post, where she manages to do precisely that.
(Holding Obama accountable for his own words, rather than his running mate's, is a good start.)
The fact that it's eminently possible to talk about people without raising the specter of racist tropes merely underscores that this was no accident.
For those keeping score at home, the McCain campaign has, in its official adverts, obliquely called Obama uppity, a wild animal, a pedophile, and a sexist (on dubious grounds) this week alone.
There's been a lot of talk about lipstick and pigs lately, after Senator Obama made what was – at least – a poorly considered remark at a campaign event in Lebanon, Virginia. In the comments about it here, Shaker votermom mentioned a line that struck me, and a few other people, as far more troubling than the "lipstick" remark. Here's what he had to say about Sarah Palin:
Look, she's new, she hasn't been on the scene, she's got five kids. And my hat goes off to anybody who's looking after five. I've got two and they tire Michelle and me out.
Really.
If, say, Palin's husband Todd were the GOP's VP nominee, does anyone imagine that the first sentence Obama said about him would be, "Look, he's new, he hasn't been on the scene, he's got five kids?"
The sentence sounds ridiculous with male pronouns, because without the sexism of the last phrase, the dismissiveness of the rest of the line doesn't really make sense. If we substitute Todd Palin for Sarah, it's easy to see that the candidate's children are utterly irrelevant to the questions that matter, like whether the candidate is prepared for the job, whether the candidate has the appropriate qualifications, or whether the candidate's policies would be an utter disaster for the country.
This has been a prominent, and troubling, feature of the discourse ever since McCain announced Palin as his VP pick: When people speak about Palin's political biography, they talk mostly – or at least first – about her kids. Some argue that such is the case because Palin herself has made them an important part of her political biography. That is, I think, only half-correct, because it's ignorant of the bigger picture: Sarah Palin defines herself to the public as a mother because she has to.
It isn't really about ingratiating herself with the right-wing base, though that's part of it; Palin wouldn't be able to escape defining herself in large part as a mother even if she were the most progressive politician in the country.
That's because we still define women by their childbearing status, and we look at children as a reflection on their mothers. It doesn't occur to us to define men by the number of children they have, or how their children behave, or how close the parental relationship is. When we speak of male politicians, we talk primarily about their political careers, not their kids or their relationships with them. (Did we see much talk about Rudy Giuliani's relationship with his kids, or discussion of its reflection on his character?) We still believe, as a society, that raising children is not men's work, that it isn't the father's job to take care of his children the way it's Sarah Palin's job to "look after five."
When my sister and I were growing up, our parents attended everything. One or the other of them drove us to music lessons, dance rehearsals, auditions, exams, classes. They went to recitals and performances and competitions, accompanied my class on field trips, volunteered to run concession stands, and showed up to cheer us on at everything we did. They were and are wonderful, engaged, attentive parents. But no one ever said that I had great parents. They said I had a great dad.
They were right – I do have a great dad – but I also have a great mom, who was utterly ignored. My mother's involvement in my life was taken for granted. My father's was considered special and deserving of applause because he was doing what society believed to be my mom's job.
We expect mothers to be responsible for their kids, to shortchange their careers for them, to struggle over that elusive "work-life balance" and never quite stop feeling guilty about it or satisfied by the effort. We expect women to define themselves as mothers and to bear the brunt of child-raising, to take care of the kids when their fathers are out on the campaign trail, to keep them out of trouble; when children are somehow deemed lacking, we blame their mother, not their father.
After the pregnancy of seventeen-year-old Bristol, the Palin's eldest daughter, was announced, the Internet and the airwaves – and the frustrating arguments I had with liberals in the meat world – were awash in talk that was, among many things, almost obsessed with finding ways to blame Sarah Palin. Bristol's pregnancy was a reflection of her failed policies, or it meant that she wasn't spending enough time with her kids, or it showed that she wasn't a good mother, or it displayed her "hypocrisy" in not controlling her daughter. In the entire sorry mess, I never saw a single word about Todd Palin, and how his daughter's pregnancy must be a testament to his terrible parenting skills, his unseemly career ambitions, or his vile beliefs. Sarah Palin is the mother: She's the one who is responsible. She's the one who is to blame.
Obama's statement simultaneously erased Sarah Palin's political biography and career accomplishments (she may not have been "on the scene," but having held office since 1992, she's certainly not "new"), defined her solely as a mother, and implied that it's her job – and hers alone – to be "looking after five" children, two of whom are, for most intents and purposes, grown up. Furthermore, it suggested that it's not merely her job to be doing so, but her place. That sentiment has been everywhere lately – she should be taking care of those kids, not running for Vice President! – and whether or not Obama meant to tap into our collective lizard brain that thinks women ought to be at home lovingly raising perfect children who will grow up to reflect well on their fathers, instead of pursuing career opportunities that matter to them, that is what he did.
Demeaning women by diminishing their professional accomplishments, defining them by their reproductive lives, and relegating them to their homes is not change we can believe in. It's not any kind of change at all, in fact. Senator Obama ought to know better, but at the very least, he ought to knock it off.
While Keith Moon has been, and still is, one of my major drumming style influences, it was Neil that got me comfortable with playing in odd time signatures. I've always been such a huge fan of Neil and his playing. Seeing one of his drum solo segments live is like attending a lecture being given by The Professor.
And so, I wish a happy birthday to one of my favorite drumming idols, a master of intellect and precision.
Iain and I just got done watching the entire Palin interview on Nightline, from which Petulant provided excerpts below, and it was an absolute trainwreck. To be honest, I didn't think she was going to do that badly; I was positively shocked at how dreadful it actually was.
The section in which she is, quite obviously, completely blank on what the Bush Doctrine is was just brutal to watch. Here, via TPM, is just that section, by itself (the transcript is at the end of Pet's post):
When Nightline aired that section this evening, the camera was a tight shot on her face when she says, pitifully, "In what respect, Charlie?" after he asks her if she agrees with the Bush Doctrine, and her expression was just frantic. Total deer in the headlights.
This is not a person who's remotely prepared to lead this country.
I can't believe that serious Republican people are not just as scared and horrified watching that video as I am. I can't believe that partisanship truly trumps all sense and rationality. She has no idea what the fuck she's doing.
And quite frankly, Republicans, ignoring it just because she's on your team is not just politics as usual; it's dangerous and it's irresponsible.
John McCain has asked you to put your trust in a person who is manifestly unfit for the presidency. Doesn't that bother you? Doesn't it piss you off? Doesn't it scare you?
What one thing have you always wanted to try, but haven't had the chance yet?
Note the "try." The idea is something that involves some risk or experimentation or extertion or skill acquisition or possibility of failure, as opposed to just something you'd like to do someday.
So, "climb Mt. Kilimanjaro" or "eat fugu" or "bungee jump off the Kawarau Bridge" more than "go on safari" or "buy a flat in Tokyo" or "see Hobbiton."
"They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."—Sarah Palin, in her softball interview with Charlie Gibson, responding to the question: "What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?"
I shit you not.
She was asked what insight into Russian actions Alaska's proximity gives her. And she said "You can actually see Russia from Alaska."
Please, dear Cheesus, don't let this person anywhere near Teh Button.
UPDATE: Btw, she also thinks going to war with Russia may be necessary. H/T to Shaker Oddjob, who sent that little tidbit under the subject line: "HOLY FUCKING SHIT."
Even though he'd probably prefer if I said I hated him, like a proper misanthrope.
And, btw, I really get just the most ridiculous thrill every time I find out that someone who shaped my childhood is queer. Same as when I find out someone is a big old feminist or progressive. It's amazing how often I seemed to be drawn most passionately, even as a wee thing, to that created by My People.
[Thanks to the handful of Shakers who've sent this to me.]
131 days before leaving office, President George Bush finally decides to go get hisself edumacated about National Defense.
U.S. President George W. Bush is seen before speaking about U.S. military troop strengths in Iraq while at the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington September 9, 2008. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)
Here's what Dennis Baxley, a former state legislator from Ocala and the executive director of the Christian Coalition of Florida, one of the most prominent groups on the religious right, said during an interview with the Miami Herald about Obama's outreach to the Christian community:
"He's pretty scary to us,'' he said. "I think his Muslim roots and training -- while they try to minimize it -- it's there."
…"That concerns me particularly in the period of history we are living in, when there's an active movement by radical Muslims to occupy us,'' Baxley said of Obama's background. "That whole way of life is all about submission. It concerns me that someone rooted in those beginnings, how it might have affected their outlook. That's what scary for me."
There's plenty more where that came from, if you're looking to read something that will make you feel like you're being repeatedly hit in the head with a tack hammer.
The one thing on which I will agree with him is how Islam is scary because of that whole submission thing. I mean, remember when Muhammad said "Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me" and "As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me" and "Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee" and "Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God" and "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves" and "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility" and "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" and "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands"…?
Oh, wait—my bad. That's all from the King James Bible. Oops.
Still. We'd better watch out for anyone who practices any religion that encourages lots of submission, right, Mr. Baxley?
Don't answer that—let me guess. It's only bad when Muslims are encouraged to submit to Allah or the state or whothefuckever, because, let's see, they're brown and scary and there's a radical element by which we must judge all Islam's adherents, just to be on the safe side, am I close?
Q: Well, you say you're sure that she has the experience, but again, I'm just asking for an example. What experience does she have in the field of national security?
McCAIN: Energy. She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America. … And we all know that energy is a critical and vital national security issue.
(The video above is an edited version of ThinkProgress' original that has been trimmed for length.)
This is a general message to all citizens: Note that from this point forward, Osama bin Laden has no relevance to the 9/11 discussion. He has neverintended to attack our Way of Life™. He has never released any forms of communication to gloat of his victory. His capture, dead or alive, has never been sought.
Q But Osama bin Laden is the one that -- you keep talking about his lieutenants, and, yes, they are very important, but Osama bin Laden was the mastermind of 9/11 --
MS. PERINO: No, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind of 9/11, and he's sitting in jail right now.
All citizens are ordered to report to the nearest indoctrination facility for knowledge reinforcement on this matter.
Welcome to Shakesville, a progressive feminist blog about politics, culture, social justice, cute things, and all that is in between. Please note that the commenting policy and the Feminism 101 section, conveniently linked at the top of the page, are required reading before commenting.
Maurice Sendak
