American Woman Under Siege
You might not know it, but there’s a quiet war going on this election season. It’s being waged in state law and through Tea Party candidates and Republicans. It’s a war against American women.
True to form, these conservatives are dressing this assault in Orwellian perfection, littering the landscape with female candidates and claiming this to be the “Year of the Conservative Woman”. If you are selfish, obtuse, and narcissistic enough to think that God chose you to be elected so you don’t need to bother learning anything that pertains to your job (like the law), then yes, this could be your year. If you are putting a pretty red ribbon on that package, dressing her up like a porn star librarian — cheesy, cliché glasses to boot and plopping a bouffant wig on her head which you call feminism, this may indeed be your year.
If you care about women’s rights, this is not your year.
This is the year when Tea Party candidates are running on women having no rights over their own bodies. They call this liberty. This is the year when Republicans have many candidates running who have been accused or found guilty of domestic violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault. This is apparently tolerated in the Republican Party (as witnessed in Vitter’s office). They call this Family Values. This is the year Republicans are running ethics violators who don’t understand the constitution who repeatedly vote against all women’s rights. They call this the Sanctity of the Family.
This is the year when Republican candidates are creating such a stunning culture of lawless, self-indulgent, petulant, childish social-Darwinism that their supporters take pride in physically attacking any perceived difference of opinion at a candidate’s rally. This is also the year when they are playing dress up war games and having thugs arrest journalists who are doing their constitutionally protected duty for the American people.
This is the year when the misogynistic playground they call running for office opened siege on American women. This is the year when a volunteer coordinator for Rand Paul stomped on a woman’s head.
And it isn’t just that moment- but everything that happened after it, that matters. Because afterward, we heard about how she was a “Move-On” activist, we heard she was wearing a blonde wig, we heard that she wanted to give some fake award to the candidate, and we heard that she told an interviewer the police weren’t involved, but the interviewer saw police talking to her after the incident.
And this is where we jump the cultural shark.
It doesn’t matter what she was wearing. It doesn’t matter whose opinions or values she shared. She is not the issue. The issue is that two men clearly found pleasure in holding this woman down and stomping on her. She posed no threat to them or the candidate, who was not anywhere near her at the time.
They felt justified in this because they didn’t agree with her politically. In their world, you only have rights if you agree with them. They call this freedom.
By their own standards, every time one of them spits at a congressman or shows up carrying, they should be kicked and abused by a gang of men who outweigh them and physically over power them by at least 50%.
In their world, you only count if you are going along with the patriarchal rules. And in their world, their own rights have been so violated (their loss of power) that they are going insane. They will do anything to get it back. And that’s why you see their tactics escalating to violence from intimidation. It’s all about control. They want the reins of power back, and they intend to make women suffer for all of this change that’s been disrupting their happy little privileged lives.
Two grown men violently attacked a small, petite woman. It was captured on camera. And the media can’t stop talking about her wig and her award. Where’s the societal outrage over the violence being perpetrated against a helpless, smaller person who had her back turned when she was wrestled to the ground, held down and kicked by Rand Paul’s campaign coordinator and accomplice? It’s almost as if this is par for the course now. It’s almost as if because she is a liberal activist, this is acceptable.
Another aspect of this problem is that the Right has framed the debate over feminism to such an extent that American culture thinks that to be equal in rights and status, you must embody the masculine value of power. This is assumed; a woman who is equal is a bad ass who carries a gun or wields some other evident aspect of power, not a soft housewife who bakes cookies for her children. Both women should be equal if we were really doing feminism, as in, equally respecting feminine values and females. And this is the inherent flaw in American feminism, because it denies nature and in doing so, let’s men off the hook for their behavior and choices.
Women are usually out sized and out powered in an attack by a male. So are children. These smaller people are protected by our cultural values (of which this country is sorely lacking) and if those fail, our laws.
So it matters who our lawmakers are. If you live in Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, Alaska, Alabama, or Arizona your rights are in imminent danger. If you live in any other state, you may think you are safe from the tyranny of Republicans’ Family Values, but you should be aware that this is how paradigms are shifted and federal laws challenged.
Wake up, American women. This is the moment to join your sisters in solidarity, regardless of which side of the aisle you take. These Tea Party candidates and many Republicans (male or female, the values are the same) represent a danger to the very safety of women.
Stand up for women’s rights this year. Your vote matters.
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Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
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According to Rule # 16 of “The Good Housewive’s Guide” published in “Housekeeping Magazine” in 1955:
16. A good wife always knows her place.
Substitute wife with woman. Problem solved.
America has degraded in morality and righteousness since 1955. We need to move things back to the way they were. When women were subservient to men, they were happy and men didn’t have any nagging problems to deal with. Look what “women in the workplace, in politics” have wrought since the 1950’s.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting women back where they belong and sending all immigrants back home.
America was founded to be a white, male, Christian nation. And we should take action to return it to its original, divine roots.
I don’t think God believes that America was founded to be white male and christian.
She thinks it was founded BY white men(christian could and should be argued).
She has told me to fight for my rights, that all were created equal in her eyes.
And if all the immigrants went back home, this would be an Indian nation.
I can’t believe how arrogant these people are! Vote for teabagd and give up your rights
Well said – sarcasm extraordinaire!
I saw what that fool did to this woman, and there is no way to sugarcoat it. But his behavior is only a symptom of how threatened the Teanutters are by anyone and anything that represents the inevitable change from the world as they have known it. Another symptom is their fierce and undying hatred toward our president. Since his election, they have lost all perspective and common sense.
It also doesn’t matter whether they are men or women. Their stated policies and intentions are extremely inimical to the well-being of women. From stupid and insensitive remarks about rape- and incest-induced pregnancies being an occasion to make “lemonade” out of “lemons” to trying to outlaw abortion under all circumstances, to deeming sexually active single women and gays unfit to teach in schools, they are attempting to erode hard-won women’s rights by stealth. In some ways, this is more frightening than their open attacks on Muslims, blacks, gays, and immigrants (especially Hispanics), because they claim to place womanhood on a pedestal. Every day they have provided extremely compelling reasons why they should either not be voted into power or re-elected.
Actually it is pretty scary – the idiots being whipped up to commit assault on someone because they disagree. These are the mean girls, and the middle school and elementary school bullies. The insecure, the ignorant, the ugly, who always wanted to get their revenge against the REAL bullies who kicked sand in their face when they were 10.
Also – men who are SECURE with their OWN image – who like themselves and are comfortable with their masculinity, don’t go around beating people up – especially women.
Profitt’s mom must be SO proud.
What exactly is so inimical about outlawing abortion on all levels, including rape or incest? Abortion is taking a life; it is forbidden by God because the almighty holy one is about life and compassion. Psalm 109:8 and 109:9, for example.
If you’re a woman pregnant from rape, just keep the child. Children are gifts from the Lord. Can’t you see that the pregnancy via rape was God’s gift to you?
Seriously, go to church and learn something. You need more education.
Inimical. What a liberal elitist word, by the way. Whenever you use a word that needs to be looked up in the dictionary by ordinary, everyday Murcans, you are showing off how educated you are. That is unAmerican.
You elitist communist, you!!
Actually Hart according to papal law if a child is killed before that child is baptized it is because the grace of God do to the fact of orginal sin that the child merited death.
God says the same thing to me. And while these white men may have founded the joint, they don’t own it.
Yes, I’ve also been called an uppity black woman by someone I know is a Tea Partier. Coming from him, I consider it a compliment, just as callling me an elitist communist cracks me up. I guess I’m not what you call a Murcan, am I?
Thank you, Sarah! This so needed to be said. It’s been eating away at me for days now, as I read story after story about conservative abuses of women. The Rand Paul incident ought to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and I hope it is.
Awesome, awesome post! Perfect pic for “Stompgate”! Another incident happened where a lib went to a meeting that suddenly turned “private” a la JoeMiller style and the guy was stomped by 3 lardass cops! It was a Eric Cantor event “Bring the family” the poster said. Ah huh…but only if you are not a Lib or woman Lib! http://goo.gl/6VIB
Vote Dem or live in naziLand!
When you’ve got Phyllis Schlafly endorsing the tea party, it’s obvious the movement is the same old conservatism repackaged as tea.
I don’t worship that abusive jerk you call a god, son.
If you seriously think that rape is a good thing if it gets the woman pregnant, then all I can say is that I hope that you perish in a conflagration as soon as possible.
What? It’s OK for your Christofascists to wish death on us heathens, I figured it was OK for us to do it back to you.
It was a real turning moment. Shame is a societal tool that is supposed to keep people from acting on their baser impulses, but I’ve noticed a decided lack of shame in the Tea Party – which makes sense, given their sense of entitlement.
Palin even has her hair.
So liberals are all evil to be stamped out like dogs. Thanks Fox News. And the dullards keep trolling for anyone smaller than them so they can attack like zombies. Repulsive behavior. And he wants an apology! LOL. Him and OJ, still waiting.
I can’t wait until conservative women give your radical left wing feminazis a metaphorical steel-capped kick in the vagina.
Wow, those tea party folk sure do have a LOT of spare time on their hands!
http://www.anonymize.it.tc
This is the biggest bunch of drivel I have ever read.
Well there are a lot of people who agree with you and will be voting against the republicans/tea party people. The dead especially favors democrats and I expect a very high turn out from them this year.
Although the stomping issue is obviously unacceptable. I would like to know the sources for:
” This is the year when Republicans have many candidates running who have been accused or found guilty of domestic violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault. This is apparently tolerated in the Republican Party (as witnessed in Vitter’s office). They call this Family Values.”
What candidates are these?
Not unless one of you big brave conservative men get there first though, eh?
Seriously… if you weren’t such a vicious little prick your response would be funny: did you really mean to prove the article’s point quite so convincingly?
And the American Taliban wonder why any educated woman won’t vote for them.
This is why I wholeheartedly believe that all women should be trained to use and encouraged to carry guns…
Why I can’t vote for Rand Paul…
I have 2 daughters and 4 granddaughters. Their rights to equal opportunity and equal pay are protected by the Civil Rights Act . One of Paul’s core beliefs is that Government should not tell business who they have to serve or hire. I can’t depend on Paul to defend the law that grants my girls the equal opportunity they deserve so I can’t vote for him to become a US Senator.
As a member of the Fundamentalist movement (I no longer am)The Pastor did a sermon on “The Jezebel Syndrome”Woman who worked,Woman who had control of or anything to do with finances,Woman who weren’t subservient to their husbands ETC.ETC. Frankly I was always proud of my Wife’s accomplishments and that sermon was the beginning(I think) of my questions on what I was involved in.There were many more factors that drove me out but the overall agenda is very scary and I’m still seeing things I was blind to at the time.
Just imagine if she had shown up at the rally with an assault rifle. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-08-17/politics/obama.protest.rifle_1_protesters-weapons-assault-rifle?_s=PM:POLITICS
Of course if she had, the emasculated, hate-filled sheep might have drawn their constitutionally protected weapons and shot her on the spot.
The US is failing in most measures of success compared to the rest of the developed world (birth/death stats, mental health stats, chemical abuse stats, debt, corruption, etc.) I say let the corporate teabagger puppets have all the control and hurry and drive this country to such a desperate situation that it finally collectively gets some sense and changes. I’ll watch from across the pond, thanks.
BUNK
This article is complete non-sense. Its actually the opposite. The feminist movement is destroying the family values that this country was created on. The feminists say its all about equal rights and equality but there is a bigger agenda being pushed behind the scenes: destroying the family unit. This agenda is accomplished by making divorce easy to obtain (no-fault clause), encouraging women to get divorced (by giving them priority in divorce court/family court) and discouraging men to get married in the first place. As a result, marriage is in terminal decline and the birth rate is dropping through the floor, well below replacement level of 2.1.
Could those “family values” be the very ones that cause so many Republicans to be figuratively caught with their pants down in spite of their public facade of righteousness? And why don’t their “family values” include support of such things as health care reform, comprehensive sex education, or legislation designed to keep jobs from being outsourced from this country that would certainly be helpful in sustaining actual families? I have to laugh when I hear or read statements that feminism is destroying family values or family units.
The purpose of feminism is to personally empower women, and there are plenty of marriages that exemplify what feminism used for a family’s good is about. As one poster said, a man who is secure in himself is not threatened by that. But obviously, the male Teanutters are and the female ones like Angle and O’Donnell are their enablers.
I read the post above yours, by TomandLou. That husband obviously understands that his wife’s empowerment actually enhances their marriage.
He was able to fully appreciate his wife’s qualities when he left the Fundamentalist movement. No one in his or her right mind wants to go back to the way it was in, say, 1955. And that is where people like Rand Paul,
James DeMint, Sharron Angle, Sarah Palin, and Christine O’Donnell want to take us.
Oh, leave the poor guy alone. He’s clearly trying to compensate for something. Probably drives a hummer with giant tires too… Besides, no need for the “conservative” women to (attempt to) kick anyone. Christine O’Donnell can just put a hex on anyone she doesn’t like.
The US was not founded on “family values”. It was founded on Enlightenment principles. Think Liberty is an American value? It is, indivisible from the Equality stuff you fight so hard against (every fucking time).
Read that back to yourself. What part of that makes sense to you? Why would anyone want to destroy the family unit? Ohhhh….. I get it: you’re one of those guys who thinks that marriage should be between one man and one financially dependent, completely subservient, preferably pregnant woman. Gotcha.
I won’t even argue Ms. Jones’ points. For the sake of argument, let’s just say she’s right about everything (I don’t really believe that, but, I wanna talk about something else). Now, what about the war feminist have been waging against men for three decades. For example, due process and the right to face one’s accuser have been cornerstones of American courts forever. What are the only exceptions? Well, one exception is “rape shield laws”. If a woman makes up being raped by a real or fictitous person, her identity is kept secret. In no other area of criminal law does an accuser have this special circumstance. And, how about that word, “accuser”. That is the proper and ethical word to use for anyone making an accusation, prior to the case being tried and the jury making a determination. But, here again, the culture, including mainstream news, leads to “accusers” being called “victims” right off the bat. That poisons due process and the jury. How about restraining orders? Her word alone is enough for a guy being moved out of his own home. How about sexual harassment? They say “unwanted” sexual advances. Well, how the hell is a man supposed to know ahead of time if something is going to be “unwanted”. And, again, it doesn’t matter anyway. Most places fear the lawsuit and he is wrong simply on her say so. How about the draft? Why aren’t women forced to sign up for selective service? I could go on and on. The point is not that there is anything wrong with women in general. The point is that, sometimes, it seems to me that many women really have trouble emathizing with and being humane to adult males. They, again, my perception, tend to reach out to other women (and kids too) but adult males are largely treated like stray dogs.
Right on! Warn your sisters and your daughters not to date these Rush Fox sheeple.
And actually, women who want to be treated as equals, who are educated about their rights, tend to have more stable marriages, lower divorce rates. It’s the red states where you find “family values” and higher divorce, higher unwed pregnancy and higher porn consumption. Not relating any of the three, but it’s an interesting attempt by the far right to impose morality on themselves since they know they’re out of control. So the feminist movement destroying families is statistically a non-argument only made by Rush Limbaugh listeners. Notice how many divorces he’s had? LOL.
Ah, I see the Freepers have come out to play.
Since you claim to be “rational”, perhaps you can enlighten us as to how this post is “drivel”?
No?
Go back under your bridge, troll.
So you don’t know what “no” means?
So rape victims (like, for example, me) should be put on the stand, humiliated, and vilified as wanton whores who got what they deserved by defence attorneys and folks like your hero Bill O’Racebaiter (who once famously said that a young woman who was raped and murdered bore responsibility for what happened to her because of the way she was dressed and the fact that she was walking home alone and drunk)?
Got it.
Oh, I’m sure that he knows what “no” means. He just doesn’t feel that he has to listen.
Feminism is not the problem, but the misuse of it by some is. Unfortunately, there are people who can’t see past their noses to empathize with others. Therefore, they fail to understand that movements such as feminism and the Civil Rights movement are not about disrespecting other people’s rights even though they were initiated to address specific wrongs to groups of people. For example, I speak only for myself when I say that if someone can be proven to have deliberately lied about being raped, that should be a felony. Also, to address your point about sexual harassment, if the recipient of advances has said no and backed that up with her actions, that should be more than enough for even the dimmest bulb to understand. If nothing has been said or done to encourage advances, and the advances have been expressly discouraged, then further advances rise to the level of sexual harassment–especially if they are from someone in a position of authority over the woman (or man) like a supervisor. Someone who encourages advances for whatever reason, and then cries sexual advancement, does other women a disservice. As far as the awarding of custody is concerned, more and more courts either award joint custody or award sole custody to fathers. Of course, there are people who selfishly try to circumvent court rulings, and that should also be punishable.
As far as the military is concerned, both men and women serve voluntarily, so I’m not sure what your point is in bringing this up. All in all, your complaints of feminism being responsible for the ill treatment of some men is grossly overstated, and only an insecure man would feel threatened by an empowered woman who wants to love and be loved as an equal, not a subordinate.
What actually amazed me the most about the whole situation is how the perpetrator is claiming to be the victim. He even thinks his victim should apologize to HIM! He sees nothing wrong with his actions, and that’s where the problem lies. The incident reminds me of the way the ‘law enforcement officials’ handle large crowds outside summits like the G-8, with the exception that this guy is not a police officer.
As to some of the other comments, if you’re arguing family values, the single biggest problem eroding the family is the lack of high-paying, quality jobs in America. When both parents have to work, sometimes multiple jobs, just to make ends meet, who is raising the children and passing on the family values? You should be arguing for regulations urging or forcing American companies to hire American workers. Instead, you are all for the free system that allowed them to ship jobs to anywhere but America!
At Conservative Heart, your ‘holy book’ says a lot of things. Christians tend to pick and choose the ones that suit them best. This nation is NOT a Christian nation, and not all American citizens believe in your Bible. Why do you continuously think that your way is the way all people should be forced to live?
ActaNonVerba, a workplace is for work, not for strutting your stuff. If a man is attracted to a woman he works with, it is not harassment to stop her on the way out after work, express his interest, and ask her out. It is inappropriate to make crude jokes, sexual innuendos, or degrading remarks to ANYONE! Trouble is, most white guys think the law is singling them out, but that’s only because white guys do this kind of thing most often. Why does anyone think this behavior is appropriate at all, let alone in a professional environment? Hope this gives you some insight.
The right wing is all about pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps, and they feel that if you aren’t smart enough, or strong enough, too bad. Thing is, many of them were born into wealth and privilege. They never had to have ONE job to make ends meet. I believe this country would be a much better place if we stand together and give the less fortunate a helping hand when needed. This is the richest country in the world. People should not be starving in our home.
Sarah J this is a great article. Where is the outrage by the media and the country when an unarmed female gets tackled by one man and stomped on by another who thinks he deserves an apology. Can people stop for a moment and take a reality check on what’s really going on? The racism, bigotry, homophobia and sexism taking place by these extreme right conservative candidates and leaders is frightening. The public’s silence is more frightening. We can’t let these people take office. They only talk to Fox news unless some other reporter catches them at the right moment when they aren’t hiding or running away. Why would we want Sarah Palin, Vitter, Joe Miller, Rand Paul, or the Delaware GOP senatorial candidate (I’m not a witch) or the Colorado candidate or the homophobic NY candidate for governor? The powers that be are using women and the anger of the tea party movement to fuel the campaign to shut down the Obama administration. They are not operating for the good of this country. They would rather watch the country go down in smoke in order to take over in 2012. This is just the beginning. People please educate yourself on the facts. President Obama has been given the extraordinary task of turning a decade of greed and corruption around in less than 18 months. He is not a miracle worker. The GOP, the conservative talkshow leaders, and the main stream media has not presented a clear view. And the President himself has been too busy trying to put out the fires and get something accomplished to toot his own horn. He’s actually accomplished more legislation for the people than any other president in the same amount of time under such impossible circumstances. Give him at least a chance. Give the Dems at least a chance to work with him. The GOP has stated they will not and they will not compromise on anything which is no surprise. People our very democracy is at stake. Even the conservative majority supreme court is operating against the middle class. Please get out and vote Democratic. The GOP is already celebrating before the election. Let’s give them the shock of a lifetime. Bush went into office with no deficit. Obama did not create 13 trillion dollars of a deficit. The bailout was begun by Bush and left for Obama to finish. The two wars were left for Obama which one has been drawn to a close with an approximate date coming next year to begin the draw down on the 2nd one. The tax cuts for the rich never trickled down to the middle class and none of it was paid for. Of the TARP money, all but 25 billion has been repaid according to Harry Reid. This anger is misdirected. Let’s put a stop on this insanity on Tuesday. Obama needs two more years and a second term to bring life back for the middle class. We can’t allow our country to be bought and sold to the highest bidder. Let’s vote against these extreme tea party candidates and the secret sponsors behind them and let’s vote for our democracy that we have worked hard and died for over the decades to progress this great nation.
You mediocre male, you.
Lowest common denominator makes you happy, huh?
Damn straight I’m part of the elite. I clawed my way to my B.S. in college flipping burgs and slinging drinks.
I spent 20 years in the military to fight for the right to full citizenship.
I went back to school to learn how much I didn’t know, but also to become a little bit more understanding of others. I hold a Ph.D. I paid for it, I worked for it and I earned it. No one has ever given anything more than a pack of gum.
Damn straight, I’m showing off how much I managed to earn for myself.
I refuse to be ignorant and stupid to make you feel better.
You are a rube, a hick and a hayseed.
You don’t deserve the freedoms I fought to keep for you.
The ‘originalists ‘ don’t even accept that women are citizens, which is why they are against the idea of a woman deciding her life for herself.
you mean, like, be humans and citizens instead of male fantasies?
As one of the early female military officers, I would like to kick your face in and drag you through glass to give you an idea of what I went through. But that would be letting you off easy.
“He jests at scars who never felt a wound.” -Romeo and Juliet
Are you directing this at me or at the poster I responded to? I happen to respect the military, as I have family members who are and were veterans in various wars. He’s whining about how feminism hurts men, and I was trying to find out what his point was in bringing up the military.
RAND PAUL SUPORTER , LOOK AT THEIR OWN BASE , WHO OR WHAT KIND OF WOMEN WOULD VOTE FOR RAND PAUL.