This female pastor takes Elizabeth Edwards to school for her phony doormat book job. I love it. Grow a pair, political wives, cancer or no. If you don't stand up for yourself then you are perpetuating the mistress rights myth of men in power.

Quoted: We want you to step out of your coached role as "helpmeet" and "long suffering" wife. We want you to be the first political partner in American history to write the first political truth about the political powerless of political wifery.

I'm very excited to see what Hillary is going to do for women around the world as Sec. of State.

Quoted: Our foreign policy must reflect our deep commitment to help millions of oppressed people around the world. And of particular concern to me is the plight of women and girls, who comprise the majority of the world's unhealthy, unschooled, unfed, and unpaid. If half the world's population remains vulnerable to economic, political, legal and social marginalization, our hope of advancing democracy and prosperity is in serious jeopardy. The United States must be an unequivocal and unwavering voice in support of women's rights in every country on every continent.

Wow. I would have definitely opted for life in a beguinage had I been born during their operation. I always figured that early feminists who had to endure centuries of patriarchal oppression were basically doomed to hate their lives. These communes gave feminists of the day a place to thrive unfettered by the rigidity of what marriage meant at the time or nunneries. Leave it to the progressive Dutch.

Quoted: But centuries ago, this hamlet in Leuven — a university town, 20 miles east of Brussels — was a beguinage, a sort of commune for unmarried, religiously-inclined women known as beguines (pronounced Bay-Gueens). Beguines were women in the Low Countries who, beginning in the 12th century, chose to live neither under the care of a man nor the vows of the church. Theirs was, in essence, a feminist movement and its remarkable architectural legacy is still evident in cities across the Netherlands and Belgium.

This sums up some of my feelings pretty well. And, just as an aside, isn't it a little bit strange that we haven't heard anyone refer to Palin as 'angry' yet? Whenever women are in the spotlight getting seriously fired up about anything they are always referred to as angry. Not so with Palin precisely for the reasons this blog states -- she negates any power she does have in order to seem unintimidating and kowtows to a boys-club-approved brand of "feminism" that isn't feminism at all.

Quoted: Why does this particular pitbull in lipstick infuriate — and scare us — so viscerally? Why does her very existence make us feel — and act — so ugly? New York Times columnist Judith Warner calls Palin's nomination a "thoroughgoing humiliation for America’s women," because "Palin’s not intimidating, and makes it clear that she’s subordinate to a great man." Palin, who obviously is incredibly ambitious, masks that ambition behind her PTA placard and "folksy" talk. ... What's infuriating, and perhaps rage-inducing, about Palin, is that she has always embodied that perfectly pleasing female archetype, playing by the boys' game with her big guns and moose-murdering, and that she keeps being rewarded for it.

Wow. Hands down the best article yet on the Palin-as-puppet/anti-feminist angle. Perfectly fair and well articulated. Leave it to Steinem.

Quoted: Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."

It's Women's History Month! Take my Famous Feminists Quiz.
I managed to commission 3 feminist friendly articles on Encarta for March, including this one. Just doing what I can in my little corner of the world. Just remember ladies, we're not there yet, so don't be complacent!

The first feminist friendly video game! What a well written article too. I might actually like playing this game.

Quoted: In some prison cultures, inmates are given numbers and their names are taken from them. One purpose of this practice is to strip away a sense of importance and humanity from the inmates. To the Lucy Stone League, the challenge is to persuade the country (U.S.) that the tradition of women giving up their names is equally damning.