When Women Oppress Women

The Chinese practice (torture) of binding the feet of women was finally banned in China in 1912. This cruel process of making tiny "lotus feet" out of normal feet was ostensibly to make women beautiful and marriageable. It began when a girl was 2 or 3 years old. It took years of unspeakable pain - and a lifetime of upkeep - to fold the toes under the foot and crush the arch. Walking, let alone running, was all-but-impossible and women were not allowed much freedom from the home. Husbands, literally, did not let women out of their sight. But, it was not men who actually performed the task. Mothers bound the feet of their precious daughters. Oppressed women repeated the cycle of oppression for thousands of years. 

There are 42 legislators who have signed on to House Bill 465-Clarify & Modify Certain Abortion Laws - http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015/Bills/House/PDF/H465v1.pdf. But the four Primary Sponsors are women. Women who pretend that medical safety is the reason behind ever more barriers to the constitutional right of access to abortion services. Women legislators who wish to lengthen the waiting period, describe ultrasounds and "...just make sure that women have all the information they need to make an informed decision." 

How dare they presume that women have not thought this decision through with their families, spiritual leaders and physicians? How dare they impose their narrowly-defined religious views on the entire population? What medical procedures do men make for which they are required to ask permission of politicians, wait 72 hours, be bullied at the clinic door, risk their lives and be shamed for their decisions?

A few years ago, as I sat in the House Health Committee, I heard Rep. Justin Burr (R-Stanly) declare, with all the arrogance and lack of information of his twenty-something self that, "EVERYONE knows that 90 percent of women get abortions for convenience." 

The notion that women make any health decision on a flight of fancy is insulting. It was insulting over 40 years ago when I joined the women's movement to fight for equality. It is insulting now. But, what is terribly hurtful is to watch women be complicit in the oppression of women. 

Why RFRA Violates My Strongly Held Religious Beliefs

Published on Reform Judaism (http://www.reformjudaism.org)

What is Reform Judaism's perspective on abortion?

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Answer By: 

Rabbi Jonathan Biatch

     Reform Judaism understands the original position of the Talmud wherein is described the notion that an abortion should be performed only for the sake of the life of the mother, and even as late as the moment before the head of a baby emerges from the birth canal. However, Reform goes beyond this narrowly defined period and gives sanction to its members (and all others for that matter) to elect to terminate a pregnancy when confronting other circumstances: as a result of rape or incest; when through genetic testing, it is determined that the child to be born will have a disease that will cause death or severe disability, and the parents believe that the impending birth will be an impossible situation for them; and other circumstances.
     The Reform perspective on abortion can be described as follows: Abortion is an extremely difficult choice faced by a woman. In all circumstances, it should be her decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy, backed up by those whom she trusts (physician, therapist, partner, etc.). This decision should not be taken lightly (abortion should never be used for birth control purposes) and can have life-long ramifications. However, any decision should be left up to the woman within whose body the fetus is growing.
     Reform Judaism might also say that "pregnancy prevention" is an important value, as well as sexuality education in an appropriate setting and with appropriate materials. It would be infinitely better to prevent teen and other pregnancy through contraception than to face births by teenage parents or others who could not take care of a child.

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Source URL (retrieved on 04/05/2015 - 2:28pm): http://www.reformjudaism.org/what-reform-perspective-abortion

Coincidence?

It was a strange coincidence, but when the N&O changed servers last week, my letter-to-the-editor disappeared. It's back with a new URL.

Paula A. Wolf: Dollar takes low road in ripping Nichol

03/03/2015 1:01 PM 

 03/05/2015 5:40 PM

I was deeply troubled by Rep. Nelson Dollar’s March 3 letter “Nothing to show.” It was shockingly rude and inappropriate.

The base level of this public exposition is an affront to the institution in which he has risen to power. Dollar’s venomous attack on Professor Gene Nichol was nothing more than a verbal tantrum from a much lesser man.

PAULA A. WOLF

RALEIGH

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article12303062.html#storylink=cpy

I was deeply troubled by Rep. Nelson Dollar’s March 3 letter “Nothing to show.” It was shockingly rude and inappropriate. 

The base level of this public exposition is an affront to the institution in which he has risen to power. Dollar’s venomous attack on Professor Gene Nichol was nothing more than a verbal tantrum from a much lesser man. 

PAULA A. WOLF 

RALEIGH

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article12303062.html#storylink=cpy

more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article12303062.html#storylink=cpy

Stop Punishing Rich People

Ned Barnett of the News & Observer wrote a column on February 28 entitled, "The World According to Rucho" in which he describes Sen. Bob Rucho as the "state's super Republican." Mr. Barnett seems to suggest that the Senator's view of the current political and economic climate may differ from that of many North Carolinians. The good Senator has an individualistic filter through which he sees such issues as unemployment, abortion, taxes and redistricting, just to name a few. Don't look for a communitarian or a "we're all in this together" perspective from the gentleman from Matthews.

During his first trip to the NC State Senate (1997-2004) before he lost his seat in 2004, Sen. Rucho took to the Senate Floor to rail about NC's high taxes. This was a common speech for him, but the reaction he received on one particular day stays in my memory. It is difficult to know which of Sen. Rucho's attributes rankled the Democratic leadership more, the pronounced Boston dialect or the high-pitched anger.

His long rant about North Carolina's high tax rate was followed by the familiar, albeit inaccurate, refrain that North Carolina had the highest taxes of any state in the southeast. He continued by asking what he thought was a rhetorical question, "Why would anybody come here?!"

Former Sen. Tony Rand, the powerful and witty Rules Chair and Democratic Majority Leader sprung to his feet and said, "Mr. President, would the gentleman yield for a question?"

"Yes," said Sen. Rucho.

With his booming voice and molasses slow drawl for effect, Sen. Rand asked, "Senator Rucho...why are you here?!"

Delivered with perfect comic timing, Sen. Rand's question temporarily diffused the situation. But I believe that those comments and years of parliamentary power plays to shut down debate had some influence on the vengeful actions and abuses of power that we have witnessed since the Republicans took the majority.

One thing is for sure. The Republican majority has stopped punishing rich people.

NC GOP Destroying University

Professor Gene Nichol's beautifully written statement needs to be heard by all. The NC GOP is destroying our beloved University of North Carolina. Blatantly. Unapologetically. Ignorantly. Arrogantly.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/02/27/4587459/gene-nichols-statement-on-closing.html

GOP Eliminates Criticism

thepaulaticsblog - 2/18/15

Today, the UNC Board Committee on Stopping Criticism of the GOP Legislature and Governor recommended that the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity be eliminated. Not a surprise, but an outrage nonetheless. After meeting for months, “The panel’s chairman, Jim Holmes, called the review a thorough and legitimate exercise that resulted in less than 1 percent of centers being recommended for closure.”

Professor Gene Nichol, Director of the Center sees it differently and left no doubt as to the goal of the Committee when he said in response, “The Board of Governors’ tedious, expensive and supremely dishonest review process yields the result it sought all along – closing the Poverty Center. This charade, and the censorship it triggers, demeans the board, the university, academic freedom and the Constitution.”

Last week, John Hood, president of the John W. Pope Foundation, told a Charlotte paper his thoughts on the reasons for the threat, "There's a bright line between expressing opinions of your expertise and engaging in advocacy. Nichol goes far beyond the causes and solutions of poverty to personally criticize elected officials in ways that aren't academic."

Would John Hood, a visible face and prolific mouthpiece of the massive Art Pope radical, extreme, conservative nonprofit empire for over two decades, have us believe that he does not engage in advocacy? That is certainly what I call this handy brochure that was delivered to every legislator in 2011 by the then Hood-led John Locke Foundation: THE FIRST 100 DAYS: Eleven Action Items for the 2011 Legislative Session.

Make no mistake; the GOP is dead set on tearing down the first public institution of higher education in the country, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This is not just some political inside baseball that most of us can ignore. Academic freedom is being destroyed. Academic quality is being compromised. I speak especially to Tar Heel alumni when I say that Art Pope and his money aim to run our precious UNC. Unfortunately, he is well on his way to running it into the ground.

We Don't Need No Clean Hands

Dear Sen. Tillis,

Your comments regarding government regulations vis-a-vis voluntary hand washing in restaurants illustrates to me that your robotic ideological views lack any wisdom whatsoever. What you lack in curiosity and intelligence, however, is more than made up by the outsized arrogance. 

Watch this video: http://www.dailykos.com

Social Rules and Thank-You Notes

"Social rituals are a necessary evil. In the public arena, send thank-you notes and make the necessary conciliatory noises."

The above resignation appeared as my horoscope today. Ironically, I just finished writing a few dozen thank-you notes to friends and professional colleagues. This ritual is far from evil. Indeed, it is my pleasure. When I receive a personal note in the U.S. mail among the endless catalogs, coupons and bills, It brings a smile to my face. 

As a radical feminist who kept my birth name after my 1977 marriage, attended the very first National Women's Studies Association convention, volunteered at rape crisis centers, and saw to it that the U.S. Treasury include "Ms" as an identifier for women purchasing U.S. Savings Bonds, it feels odd to say it. But, I am a stickler for manners and norms that some may label old-fashioned. 

If asked, my former interns and students would enumerate "Wolf's Rules" for working at the Legislature and beyond. Here a just a few.

-Dress for the part. In a professional setting, when one is trying to be heard and taken seriously, women should not wear open-toed shoes, short skirts or long necklines. Men should wear a coat and tie and socks in all seasons.

-Learn to communicate. Writing skill, including knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation, is sine qua non for success in any field. Speaking and the ability to think on one's feet will take you far. Practice. 

-Relationships are everything. Congratulate, encourage, sympathize, recognize and acknowledge actions, both large and small. 

-Listen and learn. The General Assembly did not start with you. Listen to stories about the players, political history and legislation. Seek out a mentor with experience. 

Memo to the GOP State House : Where are the Women?

The State House demographic data are now posted on the NC General Assembly website - www.ncleg.net. Here are some fun facts:

--There are 26 women serving out of 170 House Members. Twelve of these are Republicans. 

--Of the 38 Standing Committees, there are thirteen (13) Senate Standing Committees either chaired or co-chaired by a woman. 

--There are two (2) women in the Republican leadership. 

The Great State of Tom Apodaca

Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Hendersonville) serves on 12 of the 23 Senate Standing Committees. 

     --He is the sole Chair of 2: Rules and Ways & Means. 

     --He is a Co-Chair of 3: Appropriations on Education/Higher Education, Insurance & Pensions and Retirement. 

     --He is a regular Member of 7: Appropriations on Base Budget, Appropriations on Justice & Public Safety, Commerce, Education/Higher Education, Finance, Judiciary I and Redistricting. 

The daily calendar is under his purview as is the general flow of bills. As Rules Chair, Sen. Apodaca decides in which committee bills will be heard, and if they will be heard. It is also up to him whether a bill is debated on the Floor and what day. 

His Committee assignments and his leadership responsibilities cover most of the issues expected to be hot this Session.

When you see Sen. Apodaca's name in the media the word "powerful" will likely be used as a modifier to "Rules Chair" every time. Indeed, he is. 

Memo to the GOP State Senate: Where are the Women?

The State Senate demographic data are now posted on the NC General Assembly website - www.ncleg.net. Here are some fun facts:

--There are 11 women serving out of 50 Senators. Five of the 11 are Republicans. 

--Of the 23 Standing Committees, there are zero (0) Senate Standing Committees chaired by a woman. 

--Of the 23 Standing Committees, there are two (2) Senate Standing Committees co-chaired by women. 

--There are zero (0) women in the Republican leadership. 

I Heard A Rumor

I have been around the NC General Assembly long enough to know that it thrives on rumors. Many of them are phony trial balloons and many turn out to be accurate predictions of the future. This week, there is a rumor that Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam (R-Wake) will be appointed to a judgeship by Governor Pat McCrory. While it might be a relief to get such narrow and closed-minded ideology out of the Legislature, his departure would not solve the problem completely.

As I've observed for 20 years, Rep. Stam seems to spend an inordinate amount of his time and intelligence on proposals that are hateful, discriminatory and potentially unconstitutional. This is a man with an agenda who has used his considerable power to see it achieved. North Carolinians are paying an enormous price in legal fees - through our taxes - to defend his vanity and that of the NC GOP. 

His fingerprints are on legislation to deny healthcare to women, provide medically inaccurate sex education to our students, exclude the very people from protection against bullying who need it most, blatant partisan political retaliation directed at the teachers' professional association, allow the state to sanction one political viewpoint over another, allow public funds to be used to pay for private and parochial school tuition and create statutory barriers to the ballot box. 

The idea that he would move from the legislative branch to be an activist judge is intolerable.

Say YES to Wake County School Bond

Years ago, I served on the board of a religious institution. At the annual meeting, we presented a budget to the membership that included an increase in the amount of the preschool line item. An older member vehemently objected stating that the preschool should be self-sufficient. I button-holed the President during this rant and told him that if I ever forgot that the very reason for our existence was to educate a new generation, he had my permission to tell me it was time to leave town.

If all of our children are not well educated and loved, none of us will thrive. America is both a country of rugged individualists and a caring community. To the sad, selfish, short-sighted people leading a campaign to vote no on the Wake County School Bond, I say, start packing.

Tell the President not to Cave-corrected link

Please take a few minutes out of your day to email President Obama. Tell him not to give in to the bullying and lying by the Republican Party about the Affordable Health Care Act. These people are willing to shut down the government because of their irrational hatred of Barack Obama. Our soldiers won't be paid! Hardships on the poor and senior citizens has already been institutionalized. 

http://whitehouse.gov/contact/

Don't be fooled. This is no longer only about Tea Party Extremists. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, has just led his House Republicans to vote to delay Obamacare by one year. 

http://m.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-republicans-to-propose-one-year-delay-in-obamacare/2013/09/28/1e884de6-2859-11e3-9256-41f018d21b49_story.html

It takes a special kind of selfishness to want to deny Americans access to health insurance coverage. Especially when those same Americans are paying for the health care of these very hypocrites. 

Human beings in the United States of America should not have to choose between buying food or taking their children to the doctor. And getting cancer should not mean bankruptcy. 

Republicans want government to fail. They want President Obama to fail. They want their wealthy campaign contributors and cronies to keep getting lucrative government contracts and jobs while the poor and middle class languish. 

No more lies! Tell the President to stay the course. 

We Don't Need No Education

I just bought my first - and last - ticket for the NC "Education" Lottery. Not because it was a stupid waste of $1.00. Not even because the woman at the drug store told me that she sells $800 worth of tickets to folks on a regular basis. But, because on the ticket, under the number "4", the word is spelled "f-o-r". 

It has never been about education. All the warnings of supplantation of the education budget have come true. Me? I'm a stickler for proper spelling. 

Drink More Perrier

http://m.charlotteobserver.com/charlotte/db_260238/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=1TNphUzG - 

Charlotte-area legislators, dean will study N.C. teacher pay-Charlotte Observer, 9/12/13

It may be apocryphal, but I've always loved this business school case study for its simplicity. After sitting through a seemingly endless strategic planning meeting to come up with a new mission for the company, the CEO of Perrier allegedly shot to his feet screaming, "Sell More Perrier!"

The brain trust at the NCGA that wrote the state budget this year--you know the one, it was devastating to teachers and public education - have created a committee to advise them on teacher pay. Does anyone else want to shout, "Pay Teachers a Living Wage!!"?

There is just a little more advice I would offer, without the benefit of a Committee Room, microphone or gavel. 

1.  Do not fire teachers. 

2.  Do not fire teacher assistants. 

3.  Do not dismantle the NC Teaching Fellows Program. 

4.  Do not raise the limit on class size. 

5.  Do not remove the small bump in pay for teachers who earn advanced degrees. 

6.  Do not require teachers to pay for their own substitutes. 

7.  Do not stop paying for teachers to earn National Board Certification.  

8.  Do not provide taxpayer money to private and religious schools for children whose parents can afford the tuition on their own. 

9.  Do not lift the cap on the number of charter schools and then remove any accountability by their leaders. 

10.  Do not keep saying that this budget gave more to public schools than ever before, because the facts say otherwise. 

Oh wait. The NC GOP majority has done everything listed above. You do not need a committee. You need to restore the budget cuts. Or just admit that your idea of education public policy is to destroy public education completely. 

"...a state of mind that takes positive glee in inflicting further suffering on the already miserable." - the Republican Party

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July 14, 2013

Hunger Games, U.S.A.

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Something terrible has happened to the soul of the Republican Party. We’ve gone beyond bad economic doctrine. We’ve even gone beyond selfishness and special interests. At this point we’re talking about a state of mind that takes positive glee in inflicting further suffering on the already miserable.

The occasion for these observations is, as you may have guessed, the monstrous farm bill the House passed last week.

For decades, farm bills have had two major pieces. One piece offers subsidies to farmers; the other offers nutritional aid to Americans in distress, mainly in the form of food stamps (these days officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP).

Long ago, when subsidies helped many poor farmers, you could defend the whole package as a form of support for those in need. Over the years, however, the two pieces diverged. Farm subsidies became a fraud-ridden program that mainly benefits corporations and wealthy individuals. Meanwhile food stamps became a crucial part of the social safety net.

So House Republicans voted to maintain farm subsidies — at a higher level than either the Senate or the White House proposed — while completely eliminating food stamps from the bill.

To fully appreciate what just went down, listen to the rhetoric conservatives often use to justify eliminating safety-net programs. It goes something like this: “You’re personally free to help the poor. But the government has no right to take people’s money” — frequently, at this point, they add the words “at the point of a gun” — “and force them to give it to the poor.”

It is, however, apparently perfectly O.K. to take people’s money at the point of a gun and force them to give it to agribusinesses and the wealthy.

Now, some enemies of food stamps don’t quote libertarian philosophy; they quote the Bible instead. Representative Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, for example, cited the New Testament: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” Sure enough, it turns out that Mr. Fincher has personally received millions in farm subsidies.

Given this awesome double standard — I don’t think the word “hypocrisy” does it justice — it seems almost anti-climactic to talk about facts and figures. But I guess we must.

So: Food stamp usage has indeed soared in recent years, with the percentage of the population receiving stamps rising from 8.7 in 2007 to 15.2 in the most recent data. There is, however, no mystery here. SNAP is supposed to help families in distress, and lately a lot of families have been in distress.

In fact, SNAP usage tends to track broad measures of unemployment, like U6, which includes the underemployed and workers who have temporarily given up active job search. AndU6 more than doubled in the crisis, from about 8 percent before the Great Recession to 17 percent in early 2010. It’s true that broad unemployment has since declined slightly, while food stamp numbers have continued to rise — but there’s normally some lag in the relationship, and it’s probably also true that some families have been forced to take food stamps by sharp cuts in unemployment benefits.

What about the theory, common on the right, that it’s the other way around — that we have so much unemployment thanks to government programs that, in effect, pay people not to work? (Soup kitchens caused the Great Depression!) The basic answer is, you have to be kidding. Do you really believe that Americans are living lives of leisure on $134 a month, the average SNAP benefit?

Still, let’s pretend to take this seriously. If employment is down because government aid is inducing people to stay home, reducing the labor force, then the law of supply and demand should apply: withdrawing all those workers should be causing labor shortages and rising wages, especially among the low-paid workers most likely to receive aid. In reality, of course, wages are stagnant or declining — and that’s especially true for the groups that benefit most from food stamps.

So what’s going on here? Is it just racism? No doubt the old racist canards — like Ronald Reagan’s image of the “strapping young buck” using food stamps to buy a T-bone steak — still have some traction. But these days almost half of food stamp recipients are non-Hispanic whites; in Tennessee, home of the Bible-quoting Mr. Fincher, the number is 63 percent. So it’s not all about race.

What is it about, then? Somehow, one of our nation’s two great parties has become infected by an almost pathological meanspiritedness, a contempt for what CNBC’s Rick Santelli, in the famous rant that launched the Tea Party, called “losers.” If you’re an American, and you’re down on your luck, these people don’t want to help; they want to give you an extra kick. I don’t fully understand it, but it’s a terrible thing to behold.

MORE IN OPINION (3 OF 22 ARTICLES)

Editorial: The Future of Same-Sex Marriage

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Breaking: McCrory breaks promise

It should come as no surprise that Gov. Pat McCrory announced he will sign the abortion bill into law. His campaign promise not to allow further restrictions on abortion was a lie. His threatened veto of the Senate bill was a lie because he had made a deal with Skip Stam before it was written. 

Same stuff. Different day. 

Obamacare Not Debatable.

In typical fashion, the Republicans believe that the Affordable Care Act is still up for debate. Speaker of the House John Boehner continues to refer to it as a bill even though it became law 3 years ago. With every one of the 37 votes the Speaker has taken to repeal Obamacare, he looks ever more the stubborn ideologue. Progressives need to draw this discussion to a close, once and for all. And, Mr. President, you ought to take the lead. Stop the debate. Speak loudly and clearly and get angry. 

We are in the implementation phase. Of course, implementation is more difficult because the NC Republican majority in the Legislature and the Republican Governor have steadfastly - and selfishly - refused federal funds to expand Medicaid and to create health care exchanges that will offer cheaper alternatives to our people. The law has already helped parents of college students to keep them on their policy. Denying insurance because of a pre-existing conditions will be a thing of the past. 

Democrats need to proudly exclaim that they brought health insurance to millions of Americans. All Americans. Even the nasty and uninformed who surely need coverage like the rest of us. Health care is not a privilege, it is a right. 

It's Our Time to Stand! - video of July 1st Moral Monday

July 1st, 2013 - On the day that 70,000 jobless North Carolinians are stripped of their unemployment benefits, 80 are arrested while thousands gather at the NC General Assembly to say, "Enough is enough!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uEQgGeuoi8&feature=share