MY POLITICAL HALL OF SHAME 2016 AND BEYOND

Today I added Martin O'Malley to the list of males who talk out of their penis.   I almost fell out of my chair when he actually said he could have beaten #45 in last year's presidential election.  Mr. O'Malley was recently interviewed on  MSNBC and  actually had  the audacity and temerity to say he could have won if he had been the candidate.  I don't think it is a stretch to say that very few Americans even know who Martin O'Malley is.  Some Democrats and a few political junkies might know him as a man who was once a governor of Maryland and one of three candidates that ran for the nomination on the Democratic ticket, but the average man or woman on the street would probably say, "who?"  But he thinks he could have beaten #45.

Martin O'Malley, you are now a member of my HALL OF SHAME.  Not to worry you are in "good" company:  Al Franken, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, David Axelrod, Phil Mudd and David Gregory. 

Question.  How many women have said they could have beaten #45?  Can't think of any?  The reason might just be that our society/country is a patriarchy.  These men along with many, many others are  sexist and misogynistic.  Originally, this Hall of Shame had only male members.  See  earlier post, The Political Male Animal for background, June 6, 2017.

While Martin O'Malley is merely irritating, the persons who have steam coming out of my ears are Donna Brazile and Elizabeth Warren and can be labeled TRAITORS TO THEIR SEX!  Now, don't get all huffy on me and suggest that I am exercising my sexist ideology.  These women know all too well the difficulties women face in almost every aspect of life.  If either one of these women brought anything credible and factual to the table other than their perceptions and generalizations, I would be much less condemning.  Donna Brazile has written a book that is already receiving severe criticism and she has had to walk back many of her assertions.  Notice I am not naming this piece of garbage because it does not deserve mention and should be boycotted.  

As for Elizabeth Warren, I have no idea why she would say that she agreed with Donna Brazile regarding the "rigging" of the DNC by  Hillary Clinton's campaign.  If she is "hitching her wagon" to Bernie Sanders' aging and falling star in order to help her political aspirations, I have some news for her.  Hillary Clinton supporters are very loyal with long memories.  Over 17,000 women signed a petition to replace Sanders as the opening night speaker at the Women's March Convention in October.  See my blog  post about the hijacking of the Women's March, October 19.  There are too many pro-Hillary pages on Facebook for me to mention, but there is one Pantsuit Nation that has millions of people that  joined in support of Hillary during the campaign and are still loyal to their champion, Hillary Clinton.  Due to the "outing" of Sanders' leaning supporters who became the organizers of the Women's March, a new group Onward Together  was formed in retaliation to the news of  Bernie Sanders speaking at the women's convention.  Onward Together is for loyal Hillary supporters.  I am a proud member of that group.  Perhaps, Senator Warren saw the light because now she is walking back her previous statements.  Too little, too late for me.
From CNN Politics: 

 "More Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than any other losing presidential candidate in US history.

The Democrat outpaced President-elect Donald Trump by almost 2.9 million votes, with 65,844,954 (48.2%) to his 62,979,879 (46.1%), according to revised and certified final election results from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Clinton's 2.1% margin ranks third among defeated candidates, according to statistics from US Elections Atlas. Andrew Jackson won by more than 10% in 1824 but was denied the presidency, which went to John Quincy Adams. In 1876, Samuel Tilden received 3% more votes than Rutherford B. Hayes, who eventually triumphed by one electoral vote."

I have sent emails to the DNC, Tom Perez and Elizabeth Warren.  Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat and should not be on any committees within the DNC.  The DNC did little to nothing for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.  It was her fundraising that saved the DNC.  Sanders gave nothing.  History was made with Secretary Clinton as the first female to be nominated as a candidate of a political party for the presidency.  She received almost three million more votes than the current resident of the White House.  She deserves RESPECT!  And yet she is still answering to a constant barrage of negativity and criticism.  Bernie Sanders lost by 3,708,294 votes in the UNRIGGED primaries.  Get over it!  If you are not a true Democrat, move on.  We have work to do.  We do not need our focus to be on poor losers.  Bernie Sanders was a "Johnny One Note," with nothing to show for his many years in the senate.  It is about identity politics.  People vote their values and not with their pocketbooks.  That is why #45 was elected...racism, sexism, misogyny, etc., etc., etc., got the leader of the Deplorables elected.

*Updated and revised 03/04/18

###            

           

THE WOMEN'S MARCH HIJACKED

No one likes or wants to admit they were wrong, but confession is good for the soul or so they say.  This makes me angry, sad and feeling very foolish as well as duped.  I did not vet the Women's March as well as I should have before I participated.  Knowing what I know today, it was a sham that was perpetuated by Bernie Sanders' extreme supporters.

I was devastated when Hillary Clinton lost the election in November 2016 and sick that a narcissistic bully and predator had been elected as our president.  Seeing that a women's march was being organized, I jumped on  the bandwagon as a support mechanism to get me through the grieving process.   I enlisted my sister and we both embraced the march.  Having never been to a protest, it was exciting and exhilarating to be part of something so mind bogglingly big.

   

Please read my post of May, 29, 2017, "What is a Feminist?" which explains how, when and why I

began to see the writing on the wall regarding the Women's March.  It was at that point that I removed myself from their Facebook page.

Still on their email list, I received the notice of the Women's Convention around the middle of August which was going to be held in Detroit October 27-29, 2017 in Detroit.  The thought of being with like-minded women was intriguing, but I am always tied up at that time of year with family.  Every so often I received updates on the convention like the one stating that Maxine Waters was going to be one of the speakers.

Bombshell announcement from the Women's March came on Thursday, October 12, 2017.  Bernie Sanders was going to be the opening night speaker.  I was dumbfounded.  Opening night speaker is a male for a women's convention  and one who has never really embraced feminists and has a terrible history of sexist remarks and treatment who also wrote essays on rape and women in the 70's and has repeatedly spoken against identity politics.  He grudgingly gave a smidgen of support to Hillary Clinton so why would he be speaking to a group that began because of the outcome of the 2016 presidential election:  Hillary's loss and 45's winning.  What a slap in the face of HRC's supporters!

Suddenly, I was seeing all kinds of information relating to Bernie Sanders history as well as who the people were that were in charge of the Women's March.  I knew that a grandmother in Hawaii had initiated the idea, but professional organizers came on board when they saw the massive amount of support for the march.

Yes, I attended the march, but was not close enough to hear the speakers and if anything was handed out, I did not get anything.  I just learned this past week that Hillary Clinton was not one of the women who were honored at the march.  Are you kidding me?  There would never have been a march without Hillary Clinton.  Did you hear me?  THERE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN A MARCH WITHOUT HILLARY CLINTON!   Below is part of the "official" Women's March agenda that lists the names of the women who were honored.  NO HILLARY CLINTON. 

Remember when Hillary declared at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China on September 8, 1995, "Human Rights are Women's Rights."  Guess what?  The Women's March tried to use this  quote without attributing it to Hillary Clinton until they were forced under pressure to back down.  I did not know this until the swell of the backlash from the announcement of Bernie Sanders as opening speaker.  Thanks to #MarchingOnward, a group that was organized immediately after the announcement of Sanders speaking at the convention and the many twitter replies I received, I have now been enlightened.

The enlightenment  continued when I found out who the co-chairs of the Women's March and convention  are.  Two of the co-chairs:  

• Linda Sarsour -- one of the 23 Sanders at-large delegates from New York.  Surrogate for Sanders in the "Sanders Cult" known as BernieBros, BernieBots and BernieCrats.  Known for a crude and cruel comment regarding the anti-Islamist feminist, Ayann Hirisi Ali, she is "not a real woman"  and confessing that she wishes she could take away Ms Ali's vagina--this about a woman who suffered genital mutilation as a girl in Somalia.  *Note Ms Sarsour is a hijab-wearing Palestinian-American.  Her spoiled brat attitude as well as the other members of the "Sanders Cult"  during the primary and convention was described in an article about the convention by Politico.  

• Tamika Malloy -- was sheltered by Fidel Castro in Cuba and posted after his death, "RIP Comandante!"  Your legacy lives on."  On November 20, she showed no respect for American police officers by posting "When you throw a brick in a pile of hogs, the one that hollers is the one you hit."  She is also a follower of Louis Farrakhan, notorious for his anti-Semitic comments.

The commonality of these two are that they are supporters of Bernie Sanders and they are extreme activists intent on overturning everything within the Democratic Party.  This group has an intense hatred of Hillary Clinton.  They refused to give her credit for all the work she has done for women's issues.

There is a constant ebb and flow on the list for the speakers at the convention, but one could argue that it is a "who's who" list of Sanders campaign, surrogates and supporters  and cohorts of his "Our Revolution."  The information I have used in this post comes from blogs, HuffPost, USA Today and Politico, but I urge you to do your own investigation.  The Women's March has a hidden agenda and there is quite a bit of smoke and mirrors.  Be wary, very wary.  Consider that one of the sponsors of the convention is Bernie Sanders' Our Revolution and Nina Turner, one of the speakers is the president of Our Revolution.

Bernie Sanders was never given a complete and thorough vetting by mainstream media.  He got a huge pass by almost all sources.  Below is a link and a guide to the vetting of Bernie from Huffington Post.  What he and his supporters want to do is pretty much what Steve Bannon and Breitbart want...revolution.

Knowing what I know now, I'm not sure I would have participated in the Women's March.  I think so, but...  The fact is the march would not have happened if Hillary had won the election.  No matter what the far left and the BernieBots say, it was more about Hillary's loss and Trump's win and what it meant for all women.

We are living in an era of "up is down and down is up."  It is scary and very frightening.




 

  

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-trouble-with-bernie-your-handy-vetting-guide_us_59cba33fe4b028e6bb0a6707

     

LILAC GIRLS

I did a book report on The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler by William L. Shirer when I was in junior high school.  The report was returned to me by my English teacher, Mrs. Lombard with a slash through the title and the words, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich  inserted as the "correct" title.  Yes, William L. Shirer  did write the more popular The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but he also wrote "The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler in 1961.  Being extremely shy, I was loath to correct my teacher and to this day, I am still annoyed for not standing up for myself.  I still question whether she thought I really didn't read the book; I accidentally wrote the wrong title; she didn't care to check with the local library because obviously I, as the student had to be wrong.  History was one of my better subjects and I was fascinated with WWII, reading many books and watching all the many movies from that era.  

It seemed unfathomable that a country would become so enthralled with a madman like Adolf Hitler  that they would completely lose their moral compass; turn on their neighbors; watch as their friends and neighbors were forced out of their homes and led away by the Nazis; close their ears to the whispers of the injustices and cruelty that were leveled on their  fellow countrymen just seemed incomprehensible to me.  I have read many books detailing the atrocities that occurred during the war by the Nazis, but the story of the Ravensbruck "Rabbits" was not one I was familiar.  The book, Lilac Girls is a  historical novel that tells the story of three women, two are portraits of two real-life women; Caroline Ferriday and Herta Oberheuser.  The third, Kasia is a compilation of  two actual Ravensbruck  concentration survivors. 

Caroline Ferriday

Caroline was a New York socialite; a former Broadway actress; a staunch supporter of the French Resistance; philanthropist and "Godmother" to the Polish women who had been used in medical experiments by the Nazis at the Ravensbruck concentration camp.  This is a woman who used her position in society to help the displaced and needy during the war as well as to give some justice to the Polish women known as "lapins" or "rabbits."  She was able to bring the "rabbits" to  America for much needed medical treatment after the war.  Little had been known about these women who had been used in gruesome medical experiments by the Nazis.  Caroline worked to obtain financial compensation for the women from the West German government.  

###

Herta Oberheuser

Herta Oberheuser was the only Nazi woman doctor who performed the atrocious and gruesome operations on the "Rabbits" at Ravensbruck, a concentration camp for women near Berlin.  The author tries to humanize her, but is very difficult to understand how anyone, let alone a woman who chooses the vocation of doctor could be so inhumane.  After the war, Herta is the only woman tried at Nuremberg.  She was given a 20 year term, but only served five years.   

###

Kasia Kuzmerick is the third woman who is profiled in the book and is based on two of the actual "Rabbits."  Kasia became involved with the Polish underground resistance as a teenager when Hitler's army invaded Poland in September 1939.  After a courier assignment goes awry, she and  most of her family are sent to Ravensbruck.  The feeling of guilt knowing she was the one who brought this on her family is a tremendous burden and causes great mental anguish.

The lives of the three women intersect when Kasia meets Herta at Ravensbruck and becomes one of the Rabbits after she undergoes the egregious and gruesome sulfa experiments.  After the war, Caroline leads the crusade to bring the surviving "Rabbits" to the United States for much needed medical treatment.  And it is Caroline who upon learning that Herta, after serving only five years of her 20 year sentence has a medical practice in Germany, leads the charge to have Herta's medical license revoked.  

The book is quite a page turner and is full of well researched information and history.  It was difficult to put the book down, but there were times when it was just too disturbing to continue  reading.  I had to take a break.  I was not completely satisfied with the limited sketches of the women that the author provided, but it was after all a historical novel.  Real people were inserted into a fictional story and she may have wanted to be more accurate than assumptive.

After I read the book, I searched for book reviews and found the New York Times' May 27, 2016 review by Michael Callahan.  He was relentless in his condescension and criticism of the book.  The most negative aspect from his  perspective was with her characters saying Caroline came off as a "dilettante," Kasia, once a sort of "Joan of Arc" ends up as a "shrill, selfish brat."  How is it that a man can actually understand what is to be a woman?  Kasia spent years of physical and mental torture in a concentration camp so if she came out of it bitter, despondent and angry, would it be any wonder.  As for Caroline, I think one can be a great humanitarian, but still have character flaws.  The author gave her substance and complexity.  Apparently that was lost on Mr. Callahan.  I do agree with him on the portrait of Herta.  In the book she is shocked when she first arrives at Ravensbruck, not having any idea what the real purpose of the camp is.  In no time, she becomes  heartless and cruel, but we don't see the transformation occur.   How does a doctor become a monster?  

How does a man like Adolf Hitler rise to power?  Seeing Trump's supporters who refuse to see him for what he is, is  frightening and I am starting to understand.  We have narcissistic madman as our president and he is dividing us into tribes of hate...  Remember this from  the 2016 presidential campaign:    "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose any voters."  

   

        Ravensbruck "Rabbits"

Survivors

1958 

###

Notes:  

1. The author of The Lilac Girls has a blog with much more information on the "Rabbits,"  Caroline Ferriday and  Herta Oberheuser.  www.marthahallkelly.com
2. Without the help of a positive review from NYT, the book became a best seller.
3. Mrs. Lombard was a terrible teacher.  Wow, that felt good.    

        

BANDSTAND -- The New American Musical

 Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

242 West 45th Street

When this baby boomer's 70th  birthday was coming up, there was only one place I wanted to celebrate.  The city that still makes my heart beat just a little faster and makes me feel truly alive, New York City.  I have over 50 years of New York memories that include the  many Broadway shows I have been so very fortunate to see.  One of these days I will have to go through my file of a mind and come up with post about them and my love affair with New York.
           

Today, however, I want to tell you about this exciting new musical, BANDSTAND -- The New American Musical.  With only a three day weekend and considering the prices of tickets to Broadway shows, my retiree budget allowed for only one show.  It is always difficult to choose one show over the many excellent productions in New York.  I really wanted to see something new and fresh.  Living in a small town, I get to see so (too) many rehashes of Broadway shows in the local community theatres.*  The last thing I wanted to do was see an old standard/classic being done by a pop star/celebrity.  At my age, I have to be more and more discriminating.  Too many shows too little time... I had read all the pre-opening hype about BANDSTAND and as usual read it with a grain of salt.

As a post-war baby, I am drawn to stories and songs from WWII so the setting and the music of BANDSTAND was magnetically pulling me.  And oh, yes, the director and choreographer was the two-time Tony winner, Andy Blankenbuehler.  Andy Blankenbuehler won a Tony for the choreography for a little show called HAMILTON.  I can be a bit of a gambler when it comes to picking a show.  I did after all, see Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down The Wind in tryouts at the National Theatre in Washington, DC.  Let's not go there, shall we.  Even with my past history, I plunked down my money for orchestra seats* to see BANDSTAND, for a performance two weeks after it's official opening.

If I had been playing a slot machine, seeing this show, would have given me three cherries all in a row for a jackpot.  The leads are talented and quite competent:  Laura Osnes (Tony nominations for Cinderella and Bonnie and Clyde) as Julia Trojans, and yes there are jokes about her last name in the show; Corey Cott (Newsies and GIGI as well TV credits which include the BBC's My Mother and Other Strangers) as Danny Novitski.  Turns out PBS picked up My Mother and Other Strangers which aired later this summer and I was able to catch Corey as an American flyer during WWII in Ireland.  Always fun to see someone you only recently saw sweating makeup and spitting out words from a front row seat in a New York theatre.  Seriously, I'm not being sarcastic!   

After returning from the war, Danny wants to start a band to compete in a national radio contest in New York City.  He brings together a talented group of the "walking wounded" which includes a young man who drinks to forget the war; another who could be OCDC; a young man who survived a jeep turning over on him, but lost his short term memory.  They are all suffering from what is now called PTSD.  Julia is the widow of one of Danny's friends and as luck (and scripts) would have it, she can sing.  It is 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio and the country is filled with patriotism and love for the returning heroes of the war.

On a scale of one to ten, the energy and enthusiasm of the entire cast and ensemble is a twelve!  With Andy Blankenbuehler at the helm, the dancing is amazing.  Who doesn't love jitterbug, swing and the Lindy?!  The boys in the band actually play their  instruments.  The show is a tapestry of emotions going in many directions trying to decide where to land.  For me as an older patron, I loved the performance by Beth Leavel as Julia's mother, Mrs. June Adams.  Ms Leavel* won a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and L.A. Drama Critics awards for her performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone.  When she sings "Everything Happens," I instantly connected with her character.  Before she begins the song, she looks at her daughter and says,  (paraphrasing)"The only honest thing your father ever said was, shit happens."  I let out a good, rich, old lady laugh on that one.  The words in the song deliver a punch to my psyche because I will never believe that some things happen for a reason.  The saying  "Everything happens for a reason" has always been for me trite and cliched.  This show delivers a thoughtful and very entertaining show.    
                

"Everything Happens" is a song from Bandstand the musical performed by Beth Leavel (Mrs. June Adams).

JULIA (spoken):
It was his fault! Ma, he's here and Michael isn't and it's his fault!
I want to believe everything happens for a reason-

JUNE ADAMS (sung):
No, no, no
Everything happens, just that
Everything happens
An event, or a death
A catastrophe

Any reason as to why
Is a reason you supply
It just happens
Everything happens

It's not fate, no great plan
It's not destiny
Putting faith in that cliche
Gives your own free will away
When things happen
And they will happen

You can waste your whole damn life
Assigning bits of philosophic meaning
To the failures and misfortunes intervening
And I'll tell you what you'll get
Just a lifetime of regret

No, no, no
There is no reason for why
Everything happens
It's the changing of a season
It's a fact
And it's a constant

And the only sane response
Is to adjust
Not to wish it hadn't happened
When it must

Now the church will tell you one thing
And your friends, perhaps another
If I were you I'd listen
To your slightly dotty mother
Who lost out on her own fair share
Of good times and of laughter
Listen
What matters when things happen
 Is what happens after

• Directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler
• Music by Richard Oberacker
• Lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker

Bottom line, this show is a winner...three cherries in a row!  Jackpot!

*Side notes:

1. My remark about community theatre is not a bash, but merely an opinion.  I mean how many times can you see CATS, Hello Dolly, Grease, The Sound of Music or Steel Magnolias?  The sad fact is that community theatres have to have these shows in their season in order to succeed and be financially solvent.  
2. When I purchased our tickets for Bandstand, I thought we would be sitting on the aisle, center, second row.  Turns out they needed the first row for part of the orchestra pit so we ended up with front row seats.  Front row seats are good and bad.  We did quite a bit of looking up and you get to see the actors sweat and the spittle fly.  
3. After I saw the show, I was so taken with Beth Leavel that I googled her and read her bio on Wikipedia.  I read that in 2013, Beth was cast as Bea in the musical Something Rotten and began the workshop for it. Later on in the year she was dropped because she was "too old" and  was replaced.  Too old.  So Sad.  She was 57 years old! That had to hurt.

P.S.
The next day we went to the Rainbow Room for brunch.  As we were leaving, we asked the hostess if she would take our picture.  Twenty years ago we had celebrated my birthday there and thought it would be fun to replicate the photo that had been taken in 1997.  I mentioned that we had seen Bandstand the night before.  Both hostesses were excited to hear our critique.  They were thinking of auditioning as dancers for the show.  They also pointed out very discreetly a woman at the table next to where we had been sitting.  She was Bandstand's company manager, celebrating Mother's Day.  That's NYC for you...always entertaining.               

###

From a "Nothing" Burger to a Mighty Mo

If you are not familiar with the Washington, DC area during the 1960's, you probably never heard of the The Mighty Mo, a double burger with a slice of pickle and a secret sauce.  It was the big hit of the Hot Shoppes restaurants and it was Delicious, with a capital D!

I haven't thought about those delicious burgers in years, but today my thoughts went from a "nothing" burger to the big ole Mighty Mo.  A burger that was a few years ahead of the Big Mac with a sauce that reminded me of Russian dressing but was called a "Secret Sauce."

To be honest, I had never heard of a "nothing" burger until recently when 45's surrogates and supporters used that term regarding the Russians and the Trump campaign.  Yesterday, July 11, 2017 that all changed with DTJr.'s  release of the emails about his meeting with a Russian government lawyer who wanted to give him dirt on Hillary.  Suddenly, Democrats were walking around with a gleeful twinkle in their eye.  It was a good day to be a Democrat.  Of course, 45's base are screaming NYET, NYET, NYET! 

For me, I won't start dancing until the man is impeached.  Until that time, I will dream of that day when everyone who ever said it was a "nothing" burger when dismissing 45 and the Russian connection will be stuffing their faces with Big Macs and Whoppers.  Better yet, make it a big platter of CROW, heavy on the Russian dressing!

###

     
               

 

The Political Male Animal Update

Day after day, I see the hate on cable news, internet and Facebook.  Every time Hillary Clinton opens her mouth, she is criticized.  And boom, it gets worse with my own party's leaders making stupid sexist remarks.  Some would argue that they aren't sexist, they are just making what they believe are valid comments and people need to stop making everything about sexism and misogyny.  

• How many female presidents have we had? (just making a point with sarcasm)
• How many candidates for the presidency have had to contend with Russian interference?
• What is the precedent for a female from a major political party running for president?
• Are the comments regarding the 2016 presidential campaign similar to other campaigns i.e. Al Gore, John McCain, John Kerry, Mitt Romney, etc., etc.?
•  Did all of these candidates who lost, publicly take responsibility for their losses and if they did not, did you rant and yell about them needing to personally take responsibility?

To some of those who have made me want to throw a shoe at the TV or computer, I have written a response:      

Dear Senator Franken:
As a former (?) comedian,  I am sure you thought it was amusing to say in a June 2, 2017 interview:  " I love Hillary.  I think she was very prepared to be president of the United States...but we do have to move on..."  This reminds me of the racist who says, "I am not a racist, but..."  Maybe you should have started your remarks with "I am not a sexist but..."

If I cannot get over the election.  How the hell do you think the candidate, Hillary Clinton can?  Please advise me if there is any precedent for a presidential election like the one Secretary Clinton had to endure?

I am sure we can all  agree that there is much work to do.  Especially in light of what the current administration is  doing to our country and the constitution.  But we also need to know how we got to this place and what we need to do so that this never happens again.  I am referring, of course, to the Russian interference in our election.  Is 45 really the legitimate president?  Was their collusion (currently referred to as conspiracy with a foreign government) with Russia?  These are valid concerns and Americans need answers.  If Hillary Clinton wants to stay on this topic, she can talk and talk and talk and talk and talk all she wants.  How dare anyone tell her to "move on." 

You Senator Franken, are still in the political arena.*  You are the one who needs to help find the answers and at the same time, take on all the other issues we are facing:  health care, income tax reform, voter restrictions, infrastructure, the loss of EPA protections, privatizing of our national parks, etc., etc.   Hillary Clinton "moving on" should be the least of your worries.

When I hear a man telling the first female candidate of a major party to "move on" from one of the most horrendous campaign losses,  I hear a man speaking from his penis.

###

Dear Joe Biden:

You are well known for often putting your foot in your mouth.  Some people have even found it endearing.  I personally never thought of you as one of the brightest politicians, but as a  Democrat, I thought you were essentially harmless.  But lately, you crossed the line with me.   Senator Franken thinks Hillary should move on, but you want to rehash the election with your bluster and pomposity. You endorsed Hillary before the election and spoke on her behalf at campaign rallies, but now that she lost, you want to add to the indignities that she has suffered by making disparaging remarks about her and her campaign.  Loyalty is certainly not your best suit.

"I never thought she was a great candidate,"
To add salt to the wound, he continued, "I thought I was a great candidate." (Los Angeles Time, May 19, 2017)

Time for a reality check, "Foot In The Mouth Biden."  45 was famous for giving his opponents nicknames.  Ted Cruz was Lying Ted; Jeb Bush was Low Energy Jeb; Hillary was Corrupt Hillary, etc.   You get the picture.  Wonder what he would have tagged you?

Remember how 17 people ran for the Republican nomination and 45 wiped up the floor with them.  No one stood a chance against him because he lies, yells and  intimidates and he had Russia on his side.  With your history of saying stupid things at the wrong time, you wouldn't have stood a chance.

I keep reminding my husband that just because you think something doesn't mean you should say it.  Personally I think you are delusional.   I'm not sure there are many people who could have been successful based on the kind of campaign 45 ran. When I hear a man say, "I never thought she was a great candidate,"  I hear a man who is speaking from his penis.

P.S.

Please don't send me emails asking for donations to your PAC.   

 ###

Dear Bernie Sanders:

I don't think I will ever forget the optic of you at the Democratic National Convention last summer, slouched in your seat with a petulant and petty look on your face.  I'm surprised your friend, Susan Sarandon wasn't sitting next to you.  I hate to say this but I haven't seen a great deal of difference between the Bernie Dudebros and 45's moronic supporters. 

 "Senator Bernie Sanders has said it is “likely” he would have beaten Donald Trump in the 2016 election..." 

 

 Really? Ya think so, Commie Sanders or maybe it should be Comrade Sanders?  45 would have made mincemeat out of you and your socialistic agenda.  And don't forget you needed  to win the nomination and you couldn't even do that.  Bernie Dudebros, the primaries were not rigged (see how you sound like 45's supporters).  May I remind you that your campaign did a little hacking as well.

"Once the DNC became aware that the Sanders campaign had inappropriately and systematically accessed Clinton campaign data, and in doing so violated the agreement that all the presidential campaigns have signed with the DNC, as the agreement provides..."
Source:  CNN.com, Mon December 21, 2015

It was about that time that I received my one and only email to donate to the Sanders campaign.  I immediately sent an unsubscribe to the Sanders campaign.

Was the DNC partial to Hillary Clinton?  Of course, the majority probably were.  She has been a Democrat for well over 30 years?  How long have you, Comrade Sanders been a Democrat?  For about five minutes, long enough to agree to the DNC's rules regarding the Democrats primaries.  As soon as the presidential election was over, you went back to being an Independent.  Your tight-lipped endorsement of Hillary and half hearted campaigning for her did little to influence your Bernie Dudebros to support her.  You seem to be as delusional as Mr. Biden, but then you both share a common problem... The real question is, were the primaries rigged?  NO!  Beating that dead horse only makes Bernie supporters look like Trumpers! 

When I hear a sore loser who could not even garner enough votes to become the Democrat's candidate say that it is "likely" he would have beaten Donald Trump, I hear a man speaking from his penis.

###

To David Axelrod, Phil Mudd, David Gregory and all the other CNN male pundits: 

Just a little advice.  Look up the word grace and try to act with it.   Your extreme rantings to Hillary 

Clinton to take personal responsibility for her loss were disingenuous  and proves only that you also are speaking from your penis.  

If you don't think sexism and misogyny played a role in Hillary Clinton's loss, think again.  Even in her own party, she had to deal with it.  It was bad enough that both female and male pundits were rubbing salt into the wound, but David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obama's presidential campaigns, shame on you.


Yes, Hillary Clinton was a flawed candidate just like every other candidate before her, Democrat or Republican.  I have never known a perfect person or candidate.  She has publicly admitted that she made mistakes.  What exactly do you want her to do?  Should she be publicly flogged; lie prostrate in front of you; wear a scarlet letter of shame; have her pilloried?  Will that make you happy and satisfied?

Okay, I feel a little better. Well, not really.   I still need to take women to task for their sexism and misogyny, but I will leave that to another day.

*Resigned his office after accusations of inappropriate sexual misconduct.  

###  

    

What Is A Feminist?

 A few days ago I read an article that had been posted on the Women's March Facebook page.  It had been shared by the administrator(s) of that page from www.Bustle.com, "8 Issues To Support If You Call Yourself A  Feminist,"  by Noor Al-Sibai.

From that article:
"One of the biggest wake-up calls in the 2016 elections took place around the issue of class — while Bernie Sanders deftly spoke to the working classes, Hillary Clinton failed to do so, and that failure to appeal to members of the lower American classes likely contributed to her loss."

I have lost count of the many opinion pieces that have been written about why Hillary Clinton lost the election.  Several of which believe that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren's critique of the Clinton campaign regarding Hillary's "not speaking to the working class" is  wrong.  So we have yet another opinion from a self-described feminist who in three sentences tells us that Bernie is good and Hillary is bad when speaking to the working class and that is likely to have contributed to her loss.  Maybe she should have attributed Bernie's petulant and grudging support after he lost the nomination to her loss.  I think that and his inability to get his supporters on board played a much bigger role.   Don't forget the GOP buffoon candidate spoke loud and long to the working class.  And they sadly bought it hook, line and sinker.     

I am a Hillary supporter and I am loyal to the point of obsession.  I absolutely disagree with the author and believe that that one paragraph should not have been in the article.  The article itself is  written in a style that sounds exclusive, not inclusive.  She speaks of class as in the working class, but yet she speaks down to women in a college professor manner.  I think that comes with being very young and arrogant.

If being a feminist means being a Bernie supporter, well then count me out.  If you don't think voting for an accomplished, intelligent 30 year public servant who happens to be a woman is progressive, maybe you need to rethink what a feminist is.  I decided to look at various websites to see what the definition of a feminist is.
          

"Feminism is a range of political movements, idealogies , and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish educational and professional opportunities for women that are equal to such opportunities for men."    Source: Wikipedia

" Men and women need to work together toward the same cause — a society in which every member has the opportunity to flourish. Meanwhile, let’s not get stuck on the word feminism — or at least recognize that its paradigm-shifting radiance dims when pitting one woman’s fulfillment against another’s."    Source : Huffington Post   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-laurino/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a_b_9269592.html

"The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘a feminist’ simply as ‘An advocate or supporter of the rights and equality of women’. Yet the term ‘feminist’ has always been contentious. This is partly because it connotes militancy and an ‘anti-men’ stance, but also because it has come to be associated with elite groups of women."

I know who I am.  I am a woman who for over five decades has  believed in women's rights; equal pay for equal work; equality of the sexes; LGTBQ rights; a level playing field; my body, my choice and a woman's right to dignity.   I don't like the idea of someone pigeon holing me.  Stop putting labels on people; stop defining women by their choices and stop calling people names because you don't agree with them.   In the past year, I have been called libtard, neoliberal, feminazi, snowflake, racist (for calling out a female CNN Trump supporter.  Must have been a Russian troll who did not know the difference between sexism and racism), etc.   I am truly disappointed that a group I thought would be inclusive and welcoming to women chose to make a negative political statement regarding the first female candidate for president from a major  party.   Is this the beginning of turning the  March for Women movement  into a Bernie Sanders support group?  Is this group going to advocate  feminism as an elitist movement which will disenfranchise a great many women and keep more women  in the conservative arena?   

When I marched on January 21, 2017, I marched with women, men and children who were there for many different causes; women's rights; climate change; gay rights; immigration; ban the wall; pro- choice; religious rights, public education, Trump's winning  and Hillary's loss, etc.  We came from all over the country from many different walks of life and age groups.  It was a wonderful feeling to be with like-minded people.  I joined that March because I was devastated by Hillary's loss.

After reading the above referenced post from the Women's March Facebook page, I was mildly irritated, enough so that I had a sleepless night.  It is extremely unfortunate if this group is going to change directions.  The March was a huge success, but the movement will become polarizing if it becomes overly political and speaks more to an elitist group of feminists rather than women of all ages and classes.

At my age, I appreciate people who don't feel the need to be condescending when they give their opinion.   And always keep in mind, if you are not speaking in facts, it is just your opinion.

If you bash Hillary, I will always defend her.  She is my  hero.  I don't know how she has the strength to keep standing and fighting after all the abuse she has taken during the campaign and after, but she is still out there and she is still being criticized.  Hmmm, did Al Gore go through this after he lost?

I have never been one to be easily categorized.   Maybe I'm not a feminist. 

RESIST, INSIST, PERSIST, ENLIST

            

    

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘a feminist’ simply as ‘An advocate or supporter of the rights and equality of women’. Yet the term ‘feminist’ has always been contentious. This is partly because it connotes militancy and an ‘anti-men’ stance, but also because it has come to be associated with elite groups of women. - See more at: https://www.bl.uk/sisterhood/articles/what-is-a-feminist#sthash.4aEjlBuw.dpuf

Letter to a Founding Board Member

Dear Founding Board Member:

I knew from my very first board meeting that everyone walked on egg shells around you.  And when you spoke it was not necessarily with authority, but with an unkind smug attitude.  I think the word I'm looking for is strident.  You could be making the most inane statement, but somehow it would sound challenging and strident.   It was only after joining the board that I received comments from members of the community that you were one hell of a bitch.  Even other board members conceded that you were impossible to work with, but I just kept going like the Energizer bunny.  For six years, I kept "gunny sacking" all your pettiness; Silas Marner pecuniary, hatefulness and stonewalling of any new, modern ideas.  Keep in mind that it wasn't just you that was the problem.  You had your accomplices:  the passive-aggressive board members who talked incessantly about you behind your back, but left it to me to confront you;  the ones with personal agendas; the "do nothing", but I like being on the board types; your personal lackeys (whom I not so lovingly refer to as your "henchmen") who are the most disruptive and negative members that you supported because of their genuflecting to you the almighty Founder. 

After six long, long years, I could not bear sitting through another meeting with the most dysfunctional group of characters I have ever  known that were not in a tragedy performed on stage.  So I left the building without looking back. 

Two years later, the grapevine has it that you and your "henchmen" are on the attack again.  It is well known that getting and keeping board members is still an on-going struggle; pleading for volunteers to serve as officers.  And yet you still enjoy making life as miserable as possible for any new board member who has the misfortune to be cajoled into joining the  board.  Why? Why are you making it so difficult?  Why aren't you mentoring the new and helping them; praising, supporting and thanking?  Oh, yes you do thank and praise your "henchmen."  And you will never admit that they, with their willful, negative and gossipy comments at the meetings are doing more harm than good...as long as they look at you with adoring eyes.  I wish you could see yourself as others see you, a mean spirited bully.

Recently I came across an article by Joan Garry that I found very compelling; it spoke to me bringing back memories of my time serving on that a non-profit board with you.  Apparently there is a "Founders Syndrome."

Quotes from 'Founder Syndrome' Can Take Down A Nonprofit..." by Joan Garry:

 Advice for Founders:

• "But your job is not just to create.  It's to build an organization to last, with or without you.  Seeing the organization thrive after you step away is your single biggest achievement.  It's your legacy."     
• "Build your bench strength.  Showcase talent.  Bring in new board members."

Advice for Boards and Executive Director:

• Remember the ultimate responsibility for the organization's health and sustainability belongs to you.  Do not let this be trumped by any personal loyalty or fear that the organization may not survive her departure.
• Remember that founders have egos.  Usually sizable ones.  
• The founder must be respected and honored (even if she is driving you out of your mind.
• Do not put up with a board that allows the founder to undermine you.  Draw clear lines in the sand with your board chair and begin to actively recruit new people who are not part of the founder's posse."  

Founder to new board members or officers -- 

• "That's not how we do things."
• "This is how we do things here." 

Those phrases if you did not say them at every meeting, they were implied.   It was all about keeping the status quo; curtailing any new, creative or innovative programs.  It wasn't just you that hindered progress.  You had your "henchmen" (founder's posse) always agreeing wholeheartedly with you; the passive-aggressive refraining from comment or support until after the meeting (who cares at that point); the members with personal agendas who are vying for control and who offer only stifling, arguing and blocking.

My favorite quote from the article:  "Imagine you were Barry (the new executive director).  How long would you last?  To preserve your own mental health...I'd give you 10 months or less."

I guess I am slow learner or just plain stubborn.  I lasted six years.

After I left, I kept going over and over in my head, what could I have done differently?  I still don't have any answers other than I trusted many people that I shouldn't have and tried too hard.  I stood up to you and for that I am proud.  I turned around a failing and flawed organization, but I could not battle the atmosphere of schadenfreude.  For the life of me, I could not then nor now,  understand board members who found joy in others failures especially if it hurt the organization.  I cannot help but think you and others were actually envious of those with talent, drive and enthusiasm.  It is more than a little sad and pathetic. 

The organization thrives, not because of you, but in spite of you.

Your expiration date has been over for quite awhile.  It is time to let go, move on, say goodbye and good luck with your blessings for the future.  Hopefully, your posse will leave with you. 

***************************************************************************

The chance of the person who needs to read this is slim to none, but it has been cathartic for me and maybe someone will learn from reading this how to survive a founder and her posse.  Good luck!    






 

 

             

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!

Whenever we are headed to a full moon, I suffer from insomnia.  As I tossed and turned last night, instead of counting sheep, I started thinking of all the Russians that I could name off the top of my head.   Let's see, there is Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Yeltsin, Gorbachev, Baryshnikov,  Nureyev, Yul Brynner, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Catherine the Great, Emperor of Russia and Anastasia.  Then my thoughts turned to the movies about Russia and the Soviet Union:  The Brothers Karamazov, Doctor Zhivago and thanks to TCM, Ninotchka with Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas as well as another Greta Garbo film, Anna Karenina.  There may be other names, books and films somewhere in the recesses of my brain, but I think I have listed enough to illustrate my point.  Of the few Russian leaders, authors, dancers, actors, etc. I can name, there is one category in which I can say with absolute certainly I do not have any names:  Russian ambassadors.  That was the case until last week   when suddenly the name Kislyak was bandied about in the media.  For 69 years I have never known the name of any Russian ambassador until the 45th president of the United States was elected.

Without a shot fired, or bombs dropped or airplanes flown by terrorists into American buildings, the Russians attacked and landed.  Make no mistake, the Russian cyber attack  was as much of an attack on our country as the terrorist attack of  9/11/2001.  No lives were lost, but we took a direct hit on our democracy.  One which may have more consequences than we could ever imagine.  It does not take a giant leap of mental gymnastics to determine the Russian influence on our presidential election.

Following the bouncing ball down the yellow brick road:

• Did the Russian hacking of the DNC, John Podesta's personal emails  and subsequent release of that information by Wikileaks influence the presidential election? 
• Did then candidate Trump encourage Russia to continue their interference into the presidential campaign ( I love Wikileaks)?
• Did the Republican nominee, Trump ask the committee at the RNC convention to officially alter its stance on the Ukraine?
• Who is  Carter Page and what is his connection to Russia?   
• Did Michael Flynn collude and/or  encourage the Russians to interfere in our democratic process  as well as make promises regarding the dropping of sanctions prior to Trump's inauguration? Note that Flynn is now listed as a foreign agent for Turkey and has been working for them since August 2016 receiving over $500,000 in payment from their government.
• Was Michael Flynn properly vetted by the new administration prior to being offered the role of security adviser?
• The three Trump advisers who met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the Republican National Convention are Jeff Sessions, Carter Page, and J.D. Gordon. 
• Paul Manafort ???
• Why is Trump  pro-Putin?  
• Why is Trump not speaking out about the hacking and infiltration of the CIA's intelligence procedures?  It is common knowledge that Wikileaks is an arm of the Russian government.  Is he not speaking because of Wikileaks connection to Russian?
• What is Trump hiding in his income taxes?
• What does Trump owe Putin besides his thanks for handing him the presidency? 
• Do we have a road map of all the possible conflicts of interest Trump has with his businesses and Russia?
• Is Trump capable of telling the truth?
• Where does Trump begin and Steve Bannon end? 

THE BIG QUESTION:  WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

Apparently, most of the Republicans, conservatives and right-wingers feel that the "end justifies the means."   Have we really taken our government and  the American way of life so much for granted that we are willing to put our heads in the sand? 

      

By the way, how's that "sitting out" the election because you don't like either candidate working out for you?  For those who cast their vote for a third party candidate, feeling proud about that, are you? As for any Republican, especially those who call themselves Christians or evangelicals, but still voted for Trump, I have no words.
   

I do have some advice.  Learn Russian  (said with a bit of sarcasm, a nod and a wink a la Elizabeth Warren).  I grew up during the Cold War.  I remember that once a week, my hometown practiced their civil defense alarm system.  I think it was every Wednesday at noon.  The alarm was to be used to alert the residents in case of an attack..  I also remember the civil defense drills we had in school, the old  "duck and cover."   Our high school even had a teacher who taught Russian.  How many schools today still teach Russian? 

  

What exactly did the  Russians want to achieve by interfering with our presidential election and helping Trump become the president?  Aside from Putin's hatred of Hillary Clinton, I think the answer is obvious.  They wanted to diminish our country in the eyes of the world, to make our democracy look ludicrous.  The truth may hurt, but Trump has made us the laughingstock of the world.  Keeping score?  Russia won.

  

Steve Bannon at CPAC:

“The third, broadly, line of work is deconstruction of the administrative state. ... If you look at these cabinet appointees, they were selected for a reason and that is the deconstruction. The way the progressive left runs, is if they can’t get it passed, they’re just going to put in some sort of regulation in an agency. That’s all going to be deconstructed and I think that that’s why this regulatory thing is so important.”

    

     

Barefoot and Pregnant

The far right of the conservative movement is working very hard to turn back the clock.  Those good ole boys want to keep their women barefoot and pregnant, with their foot firmly planted on the necks of all women.   White men are feeling the pain, their confidence eroded and their manhood in question.  Can you believe a black man actually became president of these here United States?  Thank God, the Russians put a stop to putting that bitch in the White House.  For too long, white men whether privileged or not have been getting by, by the skin of their teeth.  Let's be clear,  women and people of color have had to perform at a much higher level than a white man.  Women have been trying to prove their worth for centuries.   Because of this imbalance, white men became sloppy, self-indulgent  and relied on their feeling of entitlement to get by.   But then they found a hero who could make it all better, change the landscape, take rights away from women, scapegoat all the minorities and throw us back into the fifties.

Don't get me wrong.  There are plenty of women who voted for  the "tweeter in chief" for reasons that I simply cannot comprehend.  Some women have said they want to go back to a simpler time where father knew best and life was full of happiness, bigotry, sexism, prejudice, segregation and misogyny; where jokes about ethnic groups were made and people laughed without fear that it was politically incorrect albeit immensely offensive; where only the newest group of immigrants were labeled, slandered and told to "go back to where you came from."  If you grew up in the fifties and sixties, you heard all the derogatory   names that the  Italians, Jews, Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Irish, Polish, etc. were called.  It was a time where a Catholic ran for the presidency and all the protestant churches were having prayer meetings to pray that this Catholic would not win because if he did, he would be running the country at the behest of the Pope.   What a wonderful world that was where this Catholic, John F. Kennedy did become president, only to be assassinated by a man, Lee Harvey Oswald who was enamored with the Soviet Union/Russia.  Men were men and women were women and God help anyone who didn't fall into their respective gender patterns.  Women's prospects were so limited that it seems redundant to even mention them here.  Equal pay for equal work was not even on the horizon so obviously a  woman's right to make her own health decisions seemed even more remote.      

After years of fighting for a more progressive government and a supreme court decision on Roe v. Wade,  that made abortion legal, let's fast forward to the  2016 presidential election.  Men and women evangelicals were willing to put aside their Christian common sense and vote for a man who had few if any redeeming values or virtues; was completely unqualified but who said with a "wink wink" that he was pro-life.   As Michael Moore said, "if you don't believe in abortion, don't have one."  And if you feel that strongly about abortion, why not volunteer to mentor women through their pregnancy as a  pro-life  advocate or foster an abused or  unwanted child; donate money or time to programs for at-risk children.

It was July 1959 when I saw the movie, Blue Denim starring Carol Lynley and Brandon deWilde.  Back in those days,  I practically lived in the only movie theater in my hometown.  

            
The movie dealt with  issues of teenage pregnancy and at the time, illegal abortion.  About a year before I saw this movie, the daughter of a local minister had told me the "facts of life" while walking to school...  No adult ever discussed sex education with me and in those days, it was not part of any school curriculum.  What I learned about sex was from other kids, books or movies.  Before my friend gave me the real details, I had determined based on the movies of the times that  kissing and then lying down with a boy would almost certainly lead to pregnancy.   

If you lived in a small town which I did, everyone knew if a "girl got in trouble."  Some girls disappeared for six months or so visiting relatives;  a few dropped out of school and found themselves married at 16 or 17.  No one talked about abortion as an option.  Abortions were being done, but it was what we called a "back alley" procedure done by disreputable "doctors"/people.  Some girls tried to abort by their own hand in desperation that was fueled by the fear of social stigma.   It was widely known that wire hangers were used for this purpose.  It makes me shudder to think of the many teen girls who were irreparably harmed or killed by either a "back alley" or a wire hanger abortion.  I am reminded of another movie/song from 1961, A Town Without Pity.  Small towns were indeed, towns without pity back in the fifties and sixties.  I think I will pass on those good ole days.   

Think about this:

• Recently I read that a state was considering a bill that would allow rapists to stop their victim from aborting a baby that had been conceived through the rape.  

• Does a husband still have to give permission if a woman wants a tubal ligation?

• In January Trump signed an executive order blocking foreign aid or federal funding for international nongovernmental organizations that provide or "promote" abortions. The so-called Mexico City policy, established by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1984, blocks federal funding for international family planning charities that provide abortions or actively promote the procedure.

• Planned Parenthood* -- Abortions accounted for 3 percent of the nearly 10.6 million total services provided by Planned Parenthood clinics in 2013, according to its annual report.

Some services it provided in addition to abortions were:

• 4.5 million tests and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
• 3.6 million contraception related services
• 935,573 cancer screenings including breast exams and Pap tests

*Figures are from FactCheck.org

Do we really want to go back in time?  Do we really want our daughters, granddaughters, and nieces to live in a barefoot and pregnant world; where decisions regarding their bodies, education and future must be made only with permission from a male dominated society.  We have come too far to allow this backward administration to sideline and destroy the work of  the women rights movement.

RESIST!

     

   

THE PINK RESISTANCE

Seeing and hearing all the negative posts about the Women's March on Washington, I feel compelled to put my two-cents into the discussion. I made the decision to go to the march almost immediately after I heard about it. I wasn't going to see or hear any celebrities. I was going to be on the right side of history; to show my solidarity with women and the issues that directly affect our life; I walked for the future of all women and for the memory of the women who came before me that fought for my right to vote; I walked in memory of my grandmother who was told that since she was not the breadwinner she would not receive equal pay for equal work (remember the scene with Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant when she questioned why she wasn't making the same amount of money that the men were getting -- well that is pretty much exactly what went down with my Gram and the owner of the company she worked for); I walked to protest the election of a man completely unqualified for the position of president; to show my disdain for anyone who would reject a competent, accomplished and intelligent woman simply because she was a woman. A woman who was vilified and crucified like no male politician in history. I walked to show what democracy is and that I was one of those who helped Hillary win the popular vote. I walked because we deserve a leader not a tweeter.

In talking to some of the women I met at the march, I found that we had two things in common. We were devastated by the results of the election, feeling depressed and afraid. We also felt that our country had become the laughingstock of the world.

 

There were almost 500,000 people at the march ranging in age from babies to people in their 90's. Contrary to what I have seen posted on facebook as well as what I have heard from Fox news and fake website reports, there was no violence and ZERO arrests. I tried to give the benefit of the doubt...maybe they were confusing what happened after the inaugural when 200 people were arrested. That protest was violent and property was destroyed, but it was in no way part of the Women's March which took place the next day.

As far as the righteous indignation being spewed at some of the profane signs, I didn't see anything that wouldn't be considered just "locker room" talk. My younger sister is disgusted by the "cat" hats. Really, you are disgusted by the hats, but you voted for a man who feels it is okay to grab women by their genitals? Her response: "That was just locker room talk." Sorry sweetie, you can't have it both ways. Do I hear double standard? Do I condone some of the language? I raised three boys. Nothing shocks me and lately, in the last two years, my expletives have tripled... I believe our supreme leader has even been known to tell us what to do with ourselves.... We do have the constitution on our side -- free speech and if parents were concerned, I'm sure they explained what is acceptable in their families and what is not. As far as wearing vaginas or being dressed as a vagina, do you really think the kids even knew what they were?  I saw a couple of signs, but it wasn't until that night while my sister  was in charge of the remote and turned to Fox that I saw any vagina costumes or hats. You see the spin at Fox is always going to be negative when it comes to Democrats, Liberals or Progressives. The commentary from Fox was all about their spin...disgusting and profane. Are you kidding me? Do you even know who you elected as the leader of this country?

Next on my list. The celebrities. I signed on for the march for the reasons I listed above and when I did decide to go, there were no celebrities or speakers involved at all. As it turned out the only person I could even hear in that throng was Michael Moore. Again it was not until we were watching TV that night that I heard any of the other speeches. Please do not judge everyone who attended the march by some poorly thought out speeches and comments by a few celebrities. They were exercising their right to freedom of speech. I get it and Fox jumped on it like a pig in slop.

Apparently Dr. Laura and a few other "notables," Fox TV, etc. said the march was a pro-choice march. Noooooo, it was a women's rights march along with protesting Trump's hideous agenda. Sexual assault (pink "cat" hats were everywhere) was number 1; women's rights; climate change; electoral college; Russia and Putin's intervention in the election; FBI and James Comey; Black Lives Matter; immigration; women's right to equal pay for equal work; cabinet nominees especially those protesting Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education; Trump's mocking of the disabled, etc., etc.

I know Kayleigh from CNN wants everyone to believe she was mistreated when she went to the march, but seriously, who would even  know her. I think she takes herself much too seriously. Is she giving us alternative facts?

Bottom line, I take great pride in the fact that I participated in the Women's March in DC. I stood up for what I believe. People can spin it any way they want. I know the truth. WE CANNOT REMAIN SILENT. WE MUST RESIST THE ASSAULT ON OUR DEMOCRACY.

This past week someone who is a facebook friend of my grandson called me a feminazi. He told me that women in this country had it great (paraphrasing) and we already had equal rights...that I should be concerned about male rape and male castration; I should go to Saudi Arabia where women really don't have equal rights. And he said that just because I have a vagina does not make me better than anyone else. My response: "You're right. Having a vagina does not make me better than anyone else, but obviously it makes me smarter than the average Trump voter."

I've been called many names this past year, but the one I like the best is cultural elitist. Never in a million years would I have thought I was a cultural elitist, but if it is the opposite of someone who voted for Trump, hey, I'll take it. Oh and by the way, we can thank public education for me being a cultural elitist.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form