Margaret, I am aware that some people may call me a single issue voter. Not true. What is true is that the Republicans have become a single issue party.
What Akin actually said was, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.” And then in his apology he stated, “I made that statement in error. Rape is never legitimate. It is an evil act.”
There are just so many things wrong with that statement that I don’t even know where to begin. I do know, however, that my legitimate foot is going to meet a certain illegitimate ass if I ever run into this Akin fella.
Rape is never legitimate? So that means that rape is illegitimate? And I guess illegitimate rape is when the woman enjoys the attack so much that she gets pregnant? Even in his apology there is no awareness of the real issue. He gives absolutely no thought to the woman – just the man and the “child”? And where does Akin get his opinion on the reproductive system of a woman, or as he calls it “that whole thing”. Clearly he’s a few credits shy of being a gynecologist, but he does have a degree in management engineering. I guess on the weekends, he manages to hang out with doctors and discuss how that whole female reproductive system thing has been engineered to protect itself against rape. Honestly, Margaret, where do they find these asshats? Is it just me, or is there a different Republican each week with his head up my whole thing? What exactly are they looking for up there – a tax refund?
Of course today Republicans everywhere are backtracking from Akin’s whole thing faster than a cockroach when the light comes on. And speaking of a cockroach, Sarah Palin should be coming out of the shadows pretty soon to voice her support of Akin because even women in the Republican party don’t seem to have compassion for the rape victim. Somewhere in Arizona, John McCain is chewing on an aspirin, remembering when the wheels came off a certain Straight Talk Express.
Well Romney and Ryan can run away from Akin all they want, but the fact remains that the current platform held by the Republican Party calls for a constitutional amendment outlawing abortion with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. It also says the Republican Party supports a “human life amendment” to the Constitution. Akin was simply reading from the talking points.
As far as I can see, today’s Republican Party is about as useful to women as a jockstrap. So I suggest we all put on our big girl panties and head to the voting booth this November because my whole thing has legitimate concerns about electing Republicans. I mean it. Really.
Click Here to Support Margaret and Helen’s Website
I cannot believe we are having to fight over this again 40 years after Roe v. Wade. When I had my daughter 19 years ago, I was so happy I was bringing her into a world of advancement for women and all this bs was behind us. I am glad to say she’ll be joining me this time
in the voting booth making sure her rights stay firmly in place.
By: Catrina_woman (@sccvespa) on October 18, 2012
at 11:16 PM
You ladies are amazing!!!!!!!!! I love this blog!
By: Patricia on October 4, 2012
at 6:49 PM
So I recently got into a little Twitter tiff with the conservative owner of “Life News”, a horrific prolife website that uses the usual tactics of lies and misinformation, and let me tell you, I was appalled at how immature this was– Steven Ertelt– was. Instead of responding to the facts presented to him, he switched gears to “sexism” and name calling. It was insane. You can see the whole thing here: http://wp.me/p18P8Y-sh
By: Saira K. on September 7, 2012
at 9:23 AM
UAW the garden-info exchange applies to you too. There are many people I disagree with; I maintain friendships with them anyway!
By: JC on September 1, 2012
at 7:10 PM
Skyler, I couldn’t bring myself to watch any of the Grand Obstructionists Party Circus under the big tent in Tampa. Now all I can gather from what others have written is that ole Clint was just touting his latest movie. I can’t recall the exact name but it’s about “a curve ball” and he plays an old white geezer who’s losing it. You all thought he was messing up the 15 minutes of fame he was offered while he has the last laugh. Brilliant, eh? – Terry
By: Terry Waggle on September 1, 2012
at 3:10 PM
[...] My Vagina Has Legitimate Concerns About Electing Republicans — Margaret & Helen [...]
By: bookmarks, issue 24 | my name is not matt on August 31, 2012
at 2:07 PM
Probably right, Bo, about Ann Romney. I just remember how snooty she got with some reporter who was asking her why they didn’t release their tax returns. She gave their usual explanation, but me thinks she protested WAY too much and got WAY too angry about it. And I cannot seem to get the visual out of my mind.
By: Skyler on August 31, 2012
at 7:40 AM
Skyler — Eastwood actually did a spot-on impersonation of UAWtradesman at the convention last night! As far as Ann R. is concerned, I don’t think she is necessarily mean . . . the look is just an unfortunate result of either bad cosmetic surgery or over-botoxing. Peace.
By: bo on August 31, 2012
at 7:06 AM
Again — dear people on the porch — I say that this country should try to do elections like the Brits: six weeks and thats it! After viewing the GOP convention, stolen right out from under them at the last minute by Eastwood, it should be screamingly obvious that the procedure should be greatly tweaked. What they didn’t get was that the empty chair bit is used by every drama coach past and present. After last night, probably not in the future. What the bleep did Mitt’s handlers expect? Eastwood has a truckload of awards and with his background of umpty-ump films, he is more ingrained into the American psyche than Romney ever will be. And Eastwood knows this! Hence the chutzpah of throwing away the script in front of a nationally televised audience. But Romney and his handlers never had a clue that this sort of thing could happen! Tells yah sumthin, doesn’t it.
By: mageen in old virginny on August 31, 2012
at 6:24 AM
So what was Clint Eastwood smokin’ tonight? Or is it Alzheimer’s? Drunk? I guess I haven’t seen him in a long time. I used to like him. Would have expected him to be more respectful of the presidency than that. Acting as if Obama is in the imaginary chair spewing curse words was not cool. Romney’s speech writers really must have put in some long hours getting him to act like a real person who cares about women, children and the middle class. Ann R. still looks like she’s a mean, mad person to me. However, it’s been proven over and over again that taxes have to be raised in wartime or else the economy tumbles (like in the Bush years) and yet, this is exactly what Romney wants to do — go to war with Iran while cutting taxes. What’s HE smokin?
By: Skyler on August 30, 2012
at 11:06 PM
Hi, Maria91 – Nice to hear from you. Yeah; the guy (Ryan) can talk. And the guy lies. (Oh; guess those can be described as “misstatements”.)
Do you ever wonder why people do these things? Scares me. Really. And I mean it. (As M&H might say.)
I’m battling between total depression and total energizing… Hope I have the strength to get behind the latter, and hope you do, too.
We just cannot give up on this.
Gato
By: gatodicima on August 30, 2012
at 9:47 PM
Hi, back, Easier – Here, too, I have to keep asking my geeky friends (thank goodness I have a few) what these various initial things mean. LMFAO took me a while.
This is a great site. M&H have the courage to put stuff out, and then let us all do our things. Happy to say that I had a WONDERFUL “Ladies Night” tonight, here in my small Community. Fourteen really interesting and thoughtful women, sitting around a couple of picnic tables, and talking about a lot of important things. I told everyone there about M&H, and urged them to join in the discussion. I think we’ll have some new additional voices coming soon.
At our best, we are thoughtful, intelligent, and compassionate. At our worst, we are petty, combative, and frightened.
Please remember to work local where you can. Discussion is great; registering voters is probably the most important thing.
Thanks, M&H… And thanks, Matthew. You’ve doing a great thing.
Gato
By: gatodicima on August 30, 2012
at 9:28 PM
Waving back at you Lori! Good to hear from you!
Gato, I am sorry to say I had to google BTW (by the way right?)
I got the hang of LOL not very long ago and learning new ones everyday. I am kind of a sorry sort when it comes to those things.
I just want to say many thanks to you and Cynthia especially, to have kept the conversation going on this site on a sane level.
By: Easier on August 30, 2012
at 8:32 PM
Just stumbled upon this op-ed on Fox News (no kidding) that tears Paul Ryan’s convention speech apart. No kidding — I nearly fell out of my chair in disbelief.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/
By: Maria91 on August 30, 2012
at 8:05 PM
I guess Obama didn’t wave work rules for welfare….
NEW YORK TIMES FACT CHECKERS: BED REST IS WORK!
http://www.humanevents.com/2012/08/29/new-york-times-fact-checkers-bed-rest-is-work/
By: uawtradesman on August 30, 2012
at 5:31 PM
speaking of adds…..
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/08/30/anti-obama-billboards-the-talk-of-hanson/
By: uawtradesman on August 30, 2012
at 5:08 PM
Loved your tweets last night Helen! They sure helped to endure the white noise coming from the TV! Waving hello to my buds ….. stay strong and fight hard!
By: lori on August 30, 2012
at 4:20 PM
Thank you!
Peace.
By: Cynthia on August 30, 2012
at 1:10 PM
Do you suffer from…
Sexually
Liberated
Uterine
Tendencies?
Try Legitimate Rape!
To see if LR is right for you, ask your
doctorcongressman.PEACE ~ Δ
By: Whirled Peas Δ on August 30, 2012
at 10:22 AM
Hi, Cynthia – I’d call that “sharing”, rather than “stealing”. And I may “share” that comment, myself…! It’s a good one.
As for the ads – Yes, all the big oil and energy companies (who make me nauseous touting their “greenness” and their reliance on “the power of human energy”), and every pharmaceutical you can think of, particularly for allergies (where the “side effects” are listed as “congestion, runny nose, difficulty breathing” and so on) and, of course, plenty of products for combatting the dreaded “erectile dysfunction”…
I can’t remember the last time I saw an ad for any form of birth control, however…
Gato
By: gatodicima on August 30, 2012
at 9:57 AM
Mother Jones has a quiz and will donate 10 cents to Planned Parent for every correct answer. (I think this link will get you there)
https://secure.ppaction.org/site/SPageNavigator/pp_ppaf_WaWQuiz0712_c4_w.html?s_src=WaWQuizLaunch_0812_c4_e1MJ
Gato – Darn you you caught me stealing! I stole it from a commenter who credited “ahh whatshisname”. Try google. But to add – since news depends upon advertizers and they can control on what is reported. Notice ads for BP Oil, Clean Coal, Drugs – things you don’t buy at the store. Why? Big money in ads keeps the news from reporting bad things about them.
Peace.
By: Cynthia on August 30, 2012
at 9:46 AM
Hi, Easier (Great handle, BTW) –
Yep, they are incredibly ugly – and the amazing thing is that the people who have them seem to love either love them for their weirdness, or not care at all. The other thing that struck me about France, in addition to its very good public transportation systems, is the fact that all the big national highways have three lanes, each dedicated to a particular “speed zone”. If you are driving an ancient truck overloaded with bales of hay, you drive in the right hand lane; if you’re in an “average” car, you drive in the middle lane; and, if you’ve got a slick Ferrari, BMW, or Lamborghini, you can pretty much go as fast as you like in the left-hand lane.
The amazing thing is that everybody seems quite content to drive in the appropriate lane, and nobody minds being passed on the highway. You NEVER see some lumbering pickup in the fast lane refusing to pull over for the head-light flashing Lamborghini on his tail. They seem to really understand that different people do things differently, for whatever reason, and those differences are accommodated, by public facilities, and seem to be accepted by almost everyone. (Of course, it’s safer, as well, because you don’t have the fast drivers cutting in and out of all three lanes…)
It’s that acceptance and provision-making that I found so impressive.
(And nobody needs to bother reminding me of all the things that are “wrong” with this or that European country; I’m well aware there’s plenty of pettiness and racism and graft and greed and all kinds of stuff, as well… Just like here.)
Gato
By: gatodicima on August 30, 2012
at 9:43 AM
I never realized that the GOTP was sooooooo….
…Pro-Choice!
PEACE ~ Δ
By: Whirled Peas Δ on August 30, 2012
at 9:21 AM
Hi, again, Cynthia – That is an awesome statement about the relative impact of a lie being based on its magnitude. What’s the source? (You have it in quotes, so I’m assuming it’s not originally from you – though if it is, I’m impressed yet again!)
Gato
By: gatodicima on August 30, 2012
at 9:03 AM
Hi, Cynthia – I agree with your understanding that most “news” programming is now just one component of a larger “media empire” and, like all components, is required to bring in revenue for its owners and shareholders. To do that, of course, they have to have advertisers to pay for it, and the larger their audience, the more money they can demand from their advertisers. And, to get people to watch, they are compelled to be as melodramatic as possible all the time. The more controversy or outrage, the “better”; we all get a big adrenalin rush watching people yell at and argue with, each other, no matter what they are actually saying. They can be talking about thousands of people being slaughtered in the Sudan, or a hamster seen running across Kim Kardashian’s front yard – both are presented with equal drama. And the “drama” is what grabs us – not the “news” itself. (I’m pretty sure I’m just agreeing with you, and not telling you anything you don’t already know! Just adding my voice…)
The second thing I find troublesome is that “opinion” is no longer separated from “fact”. In classic news programming, people (then called “commentators”, not “pundits”) often presented their opinions about something that was happening, but it was very clear that it was an “opinion” ABOUT some piece of news, not “news” in and of itself. Blurring this distinction allows the programs to be even more melodramatic, more of the time. All the broadcast media seem to do this – although I certainly find of them more blatant and excessive than others – and the web tries to do it as much as possible, too. My browser home page is always cluttered up with things bouncing around and flashing and so on… All of which must be gotten rid of before I can actually find anything.)
So this means that an hour long “news” program usually consists of five to ten minutes – maybe – of actual “news”… Surrounded by fifty minutes of arguing, yelling, and carrying on… And people will think that someone’s “opinion” is actually “true”, just because someone said it – and then they pass it on as truth, and somebody else believes it, and so on and so on…
I am not exempting myself from having done this! Like everyone, there are some people whose opinions I like and trust, and some I don’t. But when someone presents his or her opinion – or someone else’s – as a “fact”, I object.
I frequently get (melodramatic) emails from my brother-in-law that start out with something like, “READ THIS IF YOU CARE AT ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY!!!!!!!” And then what is attached, presented with all kinds of references and footnotes, turns out to be a word-for-word repetition of some pundit’s opinion about something that is totally untrue and was resurrected from some radio talk show originally aired in 2004…
Good for you for not watching TV! I’m impressed.
Gato
By: gatodicima on August 30, 2012
at 8:57 AM
Ryan claims if he and Mitt are elected they would usher in an ethic of responsibility.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/paul-ryan-address_n_1841819.html
1. Ryan claims&blames Obama promised that a GM plant would not close but did……Dec 2008 under GWB – but he never made the promise.
2. Ryan claims&blames Obama funneled $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for Obamacare. But fails to mention that his own budget plan relies on those very same savings.
3. Ryan claims&blames Obama for not supporting a deficit commission report without mentioning that he himself had voted against it, helping to kill it.
4. Ryan claims&blames Obama is responsible for Standard & Poor’s downgrade of U.S. government debt. But fails to mention the reason S&P did so.
5. The campaign claims&blames Obama removed work requirements from welfare.
“We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers.” I give them credit for this at least they are honest about it. And yes both sides do it. It just that one side is particularly good at it.
“The size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed, for the vast masses of a nation are in the depths of their hearts more easily deceived than they are consciously and intentionally bad. The primitive simplicity of their minds renders them a more easy prey to a big lie than a small one, for they themselves often tell little lies, but would be ashamed to tell big lies.”
Peace.
By: Cynthia on August 30, 2012
at 8:27 AM