Punishing Women for Having Sex

Amanda on Plan B

The reason people oppose Plan B is wrapped up in the words "morning after pill". The anger is that women continue to live her life the morning after, anger that a woman fucked is a woman who still owns her own body. The unreality of their beliefs about what the pill does demonstrates this--anti-choicers insist that the pill is an abortificent, even though there is exactly no evidence that it does anything to stop a fertilized egg from implanting. (That still wouldn't make it an abortificent, since a woman isn't pregnant until a fertilized egg implants.) Once reality in introduced--there is no reason for so-called pro-lifers to think this pill does anything but reduce the amount of human lives lost to the surgeon's scapel. And yet they still resist it. Because "saving babies" is a ruse.

...That the "pro-life" movement opposes a drug that would actually reduce abortion speaks volumes about their priorities--women who fuck deserve to be punished. Everything else is window dressing.

RollerCon

I love these girls

They drink. They curse. They cause bruises. In short, they're hell on wheels.

And this weekend, legions of rollergirls from across the nation are descending on Las Vegas for their first convention.

Besides scrimmages, debauchery and general mayhem, RollerCon '05 boasts a bevy of bands playing ear-splitting rock 'n' roll.

Las Vegas' favorite punk dive, the Double Down Saloon, will host 26 bands hailing from eight states for RollerCon's three-day minimusic festival.

press poodles

Froomkin

About 50 members of the White House press corps accepted President Bush's invitation last night to come over to his house in Crawford, eat his food, drink his booze, hang around the pool and schmooze with him -- while promising not to tell anyone what he said afterward.

It's something of a Bush tradition, a way of saying thank you to journalists for whom an extended stay in the Crawford area is anything but a vacation.

And in spite of all the recent press demands for senior administration officials to stay on the record more often, the press corps can't resist an offer of face time with the president, pretty much no matter what the conditions.

Nevertheless, I'm told that several reporters expressed squeamishness about last night's event, particularly as the press-pool vans drove by antiwar protester Cindy Sheehan's "Camp Casey" site. And later, a small handful watched askance as the rest fawned over Bush, following him around in packs every time he moved.

friday random ten

Stick It In - The Motards
From Her To Eternity - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Sound On Sound - The Big Boys
Reverberation - 13^th Floor Elevators
A Pistol For Paddy Garcia - The Pogues
Danny Says - The Ramones
Song For a Deck Hand's Daughter - James McMurtry
Heart of Darkness - Mission of Burma
Come in Alone - My Bloody Valentine
Gone Blind - Sue Foley

heavy reading

"Hunger's Brides," Paul Anderson's debut novel about Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz will be released on September 14^th. While waiting for this massive novel to hit the bookshelves, I'm going to whet my appetite with one of my favorite reads.

Thanks to Michael Schaub of Bookslut for the tip.

reading at the "ranch"

Mother Jones has a reading list for the preznit.

3. Dear Mister Rogers: Does It Ever Rain in Your Neighborhood? by Fred Rogers: An avuncular gem offering advice to child letter writers on essential subjects, including how to get along with unexpected neighbors and difficult new friends (sweater not included).

8. On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt: Suggestions from a philosopher that the President can pass on to White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. (After all, reading to help others is a giving way to go.)

Biscuit's Memorial

From Biscuit's Family:

Gladewater, Texas on Saturday August 27 at 7pm. All who wish to attend in support of his mother Nellie Turner and his family are welcome. An Austin celebration of Randy's life is being planned for September. Details will be published when finalized.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to all Randy's friends for their support.

The service will be held:
Saturday, August 27, at 7pm
Grace Baptist Church
212 E George Richey Rd (FM 2275)
Gladewater, Texas 75647

Arrangements are made through:
Croley Funeral Home
401 N Center Street
Gladewater, TX 75647
(903) 845-2155

Who Would Jesus Assassinate?

Media Matters:

Pat Robertson, host of Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club and founder of the Christian Coalition of America, called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

report from iran

The San Francisco Chronicle is running a five-part series on the trip that Sean Penn made to Iran this past June. Day One

I walked slowly over about a 2-square-mile area. The image of Ayatollah Khomeini, as stern as an Orwellian leader, is omnipresent on the sides of buildings, walls, billboards and bus stops, watching my every move. As I studied one of those building sides, the searing eyes of their beloved Ayatollah, I stepped off a curb and was nearly flattened by a transit bus. I leaped backward onto the sidewalk. And there they were, staring down upon me, Iranian men, in the front of the bus. But as I regained my bearings, the last third of the bus passed me and it was there, where everything went into slow motion. Sliding by me was the rear of the bus, occupied only by women in black chadors. The back of the bus. I thought of Rosa Parks.

four more years

Army Times

It’s no secret that the Pentagon is eyeing a possible cut in U.S. troop levels in Iraq next year. Less well known is that Army planners are preparing for quite a different scenario: that they will have to sustain, through multiple rotations, the current number of troops for another four years.

monday morning reads

A Veiw from a Broad and Steve Gilliard take on the chickenhawks

Amanda Marcotte - Camp Casey, PTA

Juan Cole has Ten Things Congress Could Demand from bush on Iraq.

Frank Rich on the Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan.