Lingual Tremors

Better Than Nothing? Think "Sexual Rosary..."

Holy sexual rosary!  Okay, here's cultural complexity at its best.   What do you do if you can't take birth control pills, have religious objections to medical birth control, or don't have access to advanced birth control like pills or shots, or even condoms?  UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is supporting a program in West Africa that distributes "Cycle Beads," a visual way to keep track of fertile days in the menstrual cycle.

The deluxe beads come in aqua, mauve and copper.  The regular ones are brown and white.  You count the beads to keep track of your cycle.  Of course you recognize this as the rhythm method (and feminists everywhere scream danger! danger!).  However, it's been updated by researchers at Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health.  (I will remind you that Georgetown is a Catholic, Jesuit institution, so their institute for reproductive health focuses on research that supports Catholic doctrine).

The article from UNFPA describes the program in Senegal and points to some of the advantages and disadvantages in using cycle beads (for example, a husband's willingness to cooperate).

Now, here's the thing:  on the one hand, I'd argue for full access to a range of birth control and family planning choices.   On the other hand, when contraception choices are limited, perhaps cycle beads are better than nothing.  In fact, I think they are better than nothing.  UNFPA is clearly invested in family planning and helping women to make choices about a healthy family size and about their own lives and energy as mothers.  So, even if a woman becomes pregnant while using the cycle beads, she is already more aware of the concept of family planning, which could then lead to social and political reform for greater choices.

However, the idea of cycle beads is also controversial and a stop gap measure, rather than a true move towards sexual equality.  And, of course, it doesn't sufficiently address the rampant HIV infection rates in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Senegal, where the article is focused, is a Muslim country with a low rate of HIV infection.  Senegal is a very interesting study in a social, cultural, political, and religious response to HIV and AIDS.  Muslim and Christian leaders have been incredibly proactive in spreading accurate information about HIV/AIDS prevention.  The government has worked hard to raise awareness, to monitor official prostitutes, and to provide medication and treatment to those who have HIV.  Youth peer educators walk the streets handing out information and condoms.  It's really quite a picture of progress.  However, that's not necessarily a full picture.  In 2006, in Dakar, rates of HIV infection among sex workers were at almost 21% and in Ziguinchor at almost 30%.  One needs only to look at the history of the spread of HIV infection to know that HIV will travel from the sex workers to the husbands to the wives... 

And, since the cycle beads depend on a husband's cooperation anyway, then perhaps condoms would be the best choice, especially given the fact that the government supports the use of them and they are accessible.
 

Whither Goes Roe...New York Need Not Follow

Our good friends, the ivied nonet of justice, in their April 2007 decision to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, paved the way for an assault on reproductive health.  Under the Bush administration, we have seen unprecedented, in a post Roe world, bans and restrictions on abortion. 

New York's Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act, introduced by Governor Spitzer, would guarantee New York's pro-choice stance, regardless of federal restrictions.

Why do we need such legislation?  NARAL New York's fact sheet explains:

"In 1970, New York introduced one of the first laws in the United States decriminalizing abortion. New York modified its penal code and made it legal for doctors to perform abortions.

The law was visionary then, but today it is outdated and confusing. Current law does not contain the foundations upon which Roe was decided, including the fundamental right of women to make private medical decisions, nor does it take into account how abortion care is now provided. Much has changed since the 1970’s, and New York needs an up-to-date law that protects a woman’s fundamental right to abortion. 

The Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection will codify New York’s longstanding support of reproductive freedom, while ensuring that New York State is prepared if the right to choose is threatened by a weakening of Roe or further federal encroachments."

This legislation is critical to ensure continued access to reproductive medicine for New York's women.  This legislation will also ensure that New York would remain a safe haven for women. 

How can you help?
1.  Inform yourself about the act and the protections it would provide.
2.  Talk about it with your friends, family, colleagues.
3.  Volunteer to help NARAL
4.  Give money to NARAL New York
For more information on actions you can take, click here.

Here's a new video about the importance of the act:

Hidden AIDS Crisis: Rural America and HIV

I was a little taken aback by this one.  Just when you think we've come a long way comes this latest AIDSphobic incident.  I first saw this at Pandagon.  Here's the original news item at NBC 15:

A couple who checked into a recreational vehicle park with their 2-year-old foster son were told the boy couldn't use the showers, pool or other common areas because he has the HIV virus.

The couple said that in the future, they will not discuss their foster son's condition to avoid this kind of prejudice.  The owner of the RV park was concerned that the child might spread the disease by using the common areas or the pool.  In rural Alabama, it seems, there's still a lot of work to be done in HIV/AIDS education. 

"Most people know you can swim in the same pool or use the same bathroom without the danger of contracting the virus. Definitely, we still need education efforts out there, especially in rural areas," said David Little, executive director of Mobile-based South Alabama CARES, an AIDS education and outreach organization that serves 12 counties in south Alabama.

There are more than 8,252 AIDS cases in Alabama (those are AIDS cases, not HIV cases based on the 2005 CDC surveillance report).  Clearly HIV/AIDS is an issue in Alabama, but education efforts need to go a lot further.  We hear a lot about HIV/AIDS in urban areas;  the subways and billboards often carry educational messages about HIV/AIDS.  In rural areas, however, where car culture dominates, I'm not sure where people would get this education.  There may be some PSAs on the television or radio, but they don't dominate in the same way visual rhetoric speaks to urban culture.  Coupled with increasingly conservative abstinence-only sexual education programs and science curriculum dominated by creationist rhetoric, it seems like rural areas, particularly in the South, have some amazing challenges ahead because medically accurate information is hard to sell. 

Kathy Hiers, CEO of AIDS Alabama says:

"Unfortunately the South has the top ten cities for STDs in the country, it's been that way for as long as I can remember. And by the same token the South is absolutely exploding with HIV disease. We are seeing the disease move along socio-economic lines into poor communities, rural communities, women and certainly minorities and young people.

Hiers is the CEO of AIDS Alabama. AIDS workers have known for years the virus was moving to rural areas. To try to stem the tide of infection Alabama launched a rural outreach program called the Alabama Rural AIDS Project. Hiers says launching the project was no easy thing.

Read the entire 2006 article on AIDS in Alabama.  It has some very interesting thoughts about HIV/AIDS and rural America.

Action Alert: Violence Against Women in Iraq

Go to Anglofille and read her posts about the public stoning of 17 year old Du’a Khalil Aswad in Iraqi Kurdistan on May 5th.  Some of you may have seen the ABC news story, and the horrific killing is getting attention because one of the men involved used his cell phone to film the event.  Anglofille has several good posts, including a good round up of the links (follow the links, because they do a good job of balancing Western and Middle Eastern views and are avoiding).  She also connected readers to the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq,  headed up by Yanar Mohammed, which is trying to bring attention to these issues. 

I'll add just a few more responses that have surfaced:  Common Dreams and Amnesty International Australia also has a good response to the killing and to the government's response. 

Action Steps:

Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq

MADRE, an organization working for the rights of women and families globally

See especially their report, cited by Common Dreams:  "Promising Democracy, Imposing Theocracy:  Gender-Based Violence and the US War on Iraq"

Amnesty's 2005 report on Women in Iraq

Excess

Okay, so we enter the season of Lent, which as an adult, has become my favorite liturgical season.  I really love the idea of intense meditation and focusing inward spiritually.  For the last several years, I have taken on "excess" as my theme.  One year, I did daily meditation walks to focus on my anger.  It's a wonderful practice that I've incorporated into my everyday routine. 

Last year, I gave up shopping entirely.  I couldn't buy anything except:  necessary groceries (from a pre-approved shopping list to ensure no splurge purchases), medicine, and Metro Cards.  It was a fantastic exercise in self-discipline.  And, I highly recommend this to everyone as an exercise in thinking about your relationship to material goods.

This year, I've taken on eating.  I'm interested in thinking about my relationship to food (troubled as it is!) and my relationship to social justice.  How do I think about eating less for pure pleasure and desire and more like I approach other issues in life?  Is there a correlation between my commitment to social justice and eating?  So, we'll see how this experiment goes.

Edwards: Peace at the Okay Corral

So, as of 11:36 a.m. this morning, it seems Amanda and Melissa aren't fired.  Here's from the Edwards' campaign:

The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not how I talk to people, and it's not how I expect the people who work for me to talk to people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake. I've talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith, and I take them at their word. We're beginning a great debate about the future of our country, and we can't let it be hijacked. It will take discipline, focus, and courage to build the America we believe in.

But ya know, if John-boy wants to play in the blogosphere he's going to have to be faster than that.  It took him way tooooo loooooong to release a statement on a story that's already google worthy in the blogosphere.  Plus, he pissed off a whole lot of the "leftosphere."  Oh, yeah, and there's still that question about whether bloggers as paid political campaign bloggers works.  Does this mean no more Virgin Mary popping Plan B from the likes of Amanda in the blogosphere?  Because the loss of that voice would just be a damned shame.

More on this later...

Christmas Eve Musings

Well, it's almost 2 a.m. here on the East Coast, and the Tremors are finally retiring after finishing a long day of church services and Christmas preparations.  Today, some of us went to 3 different services;  some of us went to 4!  One of the things I love about being home is the way we all slide into our familial rhythm.  Today, dad needed our help with services.  So, across 3 different services I served as:  a liturgist, a greeter, and usher, and a communion steward.  It's been a long, but wonderful day.

As I was driving to church this morning, I had on 9 Lessons and Carols, broadcast live from England.  This is one of my favorite holiday traditions--listening to Christmas Eve fall across the Atlantic, filling me with anticipation for our own celebrations the next day.  My other favorite tradition is the reading of the Christmas cards.  The Tremors save all of the cards until P.T. and I come home.   Then, we read them--all--aloud at dinner.  It's a wonderful time to catch up on news about old friends and to see what an amazing impact mom and dad have had on their new community as people stop to wish them well.  One of the many interesting things about our Christmas cards is the cards that ministers send to one another.  They range from widely inappropriate humor to my favorite, the ones that "reveal" the person.  As a case in point, we got a card from a minister of my dad's persuasion.  On his liturgically appropriate card, he scrawled:  "Thank God for the elections.  We needed that change!"  This is the kind of house I grew up in--politically astute, and focused on social justice.  Good, but not surprising, to see that repeated amongst our friends near and far!

Okay, off to bed...  merry, merry!

Holier Than You: Chick Style

One of the Quixotic Tremors' college roommates was among the first women to be ordained in the Episcopal church.  Although I was very, very young (a toddler, at most), I vividly remember her ordination in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.  I was imprisoned on the balcony so that I could toddle to my heart's content without distracting the service.  (At that young age, I was often known to break out down the center aisle of any church looking for my father!)  More than anything, however, I remember peering between the balustrades of the balcony down on that magnificent gothic view and watching that small group of women rise from the altar as something new and glorious.  I understood that I was seeing a transformation before my eyes.

How could I grow up to believe that women weren't equal to men when one of my very earliest memories is of a woman being ordained to do the same job that my father does?

Kudos to Katharine Jefferts Schori tonight.  I heard part of the installation service on NPR this morning.  The election of a woman to bishopry over the Anglican Church has been a long time in coming (my entire lifetime, in fact) and brought back so many memories of that early ordination service.  Bishop Schori wasn't my mother's college roommate, but I feel like I have watched her struggle from afar for many years, because women in ministry have faced the same gothic ceiling (you think the glass ceiling is hard to break?) throughout Christiandom.  I know that the Episcopal church is in crisis, but I expect good things from Bishop Schori.  I have confidence in her leadership and her ability to build consensus for a new millennium and to provide a holy and reasoned leadership that, among other things, will include the lgbtq community in the wider Episcopal Church.  Tonight, I felt again like I could grow up to be anything and that one's vocation can, truly, change the world. 

Grace and peace to you, sister!

Update on Amish School Shooting

It goes without saying that Amish families are not incredibly wealthy (and traditionally, they do not have medical insurance) & the medical costs for the children in hospitals in Philadelphia and Hershey will be astronomical.  Consider making a donation to assist the community:

Nickel Mines Children's Fund
c/o Coatesville Savings Bank
1028 Georgetown Road
Paradise, PA 17503

For more information on the shootings, check out this update from Harrisburg, PA's CBS news.

Elegy/Kaddish/Day of Atonement

Today is Yom Kippur, which means in my neighborhood, I have watched my Jewish neighbors walk up and down the street all day.  Yom Kippur, while a day of atonement, also serves as a family day in my neighborhood.  Large families come together for the day.  And in New York, most schools and colleges are off for the day. 

Lingual Y and I spent part of the day discussing why we think a day of atonement is a good and interesting idea in religion;  it "stops" regular time and allows you to really put the year in perspective.  It also allows you to make amends, both big and small.  (Of course it would be nice if those amends could be daily habits as well).

After spending an idyllic day of writing, walking & talking, imagine my surprise when I turned on NPR to find out that an Amish school was the site of a killing spree today.  Nestled in the heart of Lancaster, PA (and quite close to the Tremor homestead), the school and the Amish community it serves is now at the heart of a public media spectacle it would rather eschew.

I'm sure, in the coming hours and days, details will emerge about the killer and his pain and demons that pushed him toward such a violent and desperate act.  But for me, I can only imagine the horrible pain in that community tonight.  The pain of lost daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces, and friends.  The pain of a violation so horrible.  The despair at having their cloistered world violently torn open.  The pain of not being able to understand why.  The pain of having their grief further exploited by a media all too ready to show stock photos of the "simple life."

Growing up as a minster's daughter, I understand the cocoon of the church and how living in a religious community shields you from the outside world.  I understand wanting to make different choices than the ones presented to you by consumer-capitalism.  Driving through Amish country on a fairly regular basis, I marvel at the intersection of our society and theirs.  While my family is by no means Amish, I sometimes think about the intentional community the Amish have set up and the ways they have kept the outer world at bay.  (Of course, this can also have its drawbacks, as local medical practitioners trying to aid the community will tell you).

I am so very sad that their peace has been violated, that they have so much pain.  And I mourn for the lives of those 3 little girls.

Melancholy Meltdown

Postscript to "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"

When I have returned from previous mission trips, I always feel elated, buoyed by the possibilities of change.  It always seemed to me that our trips made a very real difference in people's lives.  Today, however, I seem utterly weighed down by melancholy.  It's not that we didn't do good work in helping people to restore their homes.  But this:
is going to happen again and again.  It's not a matter of "if" another hurricane.  It's a matter of "when."  And it feels very much like the government just doesn't care.  They expect, almost demand, that someone else pick up the pieces.  So people are just haphazardly picking up the pieces the best they can--what kind of a beneficent model of democratic governing is that? 

Today, as I ran errands, I saw people in line at Citibank and Starbuck's and the Gap.  I just wasn't in the mood to participate in our New York City understanding of "cultural capital."  After 9/11, one of the things Guiliani told us all to do to help was to keep shopping so that the economy didn't nose dive. 

Today, I just wanted everyone to pick up and go to Louisiana and think about someone else for a change.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

If you haven't read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude, it's a good time to read his masterpiece of Latin American magical realism.  I've been thinking about the town of Macondo where it rains for years & year as the weather and the plot line intersect.  For me, fiction is often a good way to make sense of the events around me.  For the last three days, all of the news outlets have been bombarding the air waves, our television screens, and our computer screens with images and stories of last year's Hurricane Katrina disaster. 

So as the news simultaneously brings us word of Hurricanes Ernesto and John bearing down, where can I even start in talking about the ravages of a year of loss and devastation?   I am just back from Louisiana where I spent my summer vacation, along with the Divine Tremor, on a mission trip to rehab homes affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  We spent a grueling week in hot temperatures (and no ac!), gutting a home for a single mother with 2 toddlers.  We tarped the roof, removed mold, treated the wood for future damage, and prepared for new dry wall to go up.  In another home, we gutted and installed a new kitchen for another family.  Both families have been living in FEMA trailers since December (and FEMA trailers, for those who haven't seen them, are ridiculously tiny). 

On the one hand, it was immensely humbling to be with these families and to help them in their road to recovery.  As with previous trips I've been on, I learned a lot and found myself refocused on what's important in life.  It just feels good to disconnect from the world for a while.  We worked in a small town without any box stores or fast food chains.  The closest "shopping" district was over 1/2 hour away.

On the other hand, watching people suffer through this kind of devastation with almost no help infuriates me.  For the 2 families we helped, we met dozens and dozens more who still aren't in their homes.  One woman told me that she didn't know anyone who was back in his/her home.  Without insurance money or FEMA money, people have been putting their lives back together one piece at a time.  Out of one check they have enough to buy the razor blades to scrape up the flooring in their homes.  Out of another series of checks they have the money for the dry wall.  And from still another check, money for mold removal.  This doesn't begin to address the $12,000-$20,000 they need to raise their homes 10 feet off the ground.  Where's the help?  Where's the recovery assistance? 

And so the "Katrina retrospectives" this week have been getting on my nerves.  They are trying to spin the "recovery" too much;  Katrina and Rita aren't over--they're a constant part of people's lives.  They can't walk away from Katrina or shut off the television and go off to a movie or out to dinner.  From Biloxi to Gulfport to New Orleans to the bayous, there are thousands and thousands of people who are living as refugees of one of the most preventable disasters in American history.  New Orleans didn't need to happen;  more work could be done with building new levees in endangered areas;  more work could be done in helping people hurricane proof their homes.  Instead, too many of those who were affected by last year's storms have been left to the mercy of volunteer groups, private donations, and the whim of a federal government's disorganized recovery plan.

A year ago, many of us in the blogosphere spent time writing about how we couldn't believe the images we saw on our television screens.  Over and over again, we wrote about our disbelief that a disaster and a governmental paralysis of this magnitude could strike the United States.  Once again, just a few short years after 9/11, the United States again proved unable to meet the significant challenges   

At a town meeting in New Orleans today, President Bush said:

"We're addressing what went wrong," he told residents at a high school gymnasium in an uplifting speech that spoke to the heroic efforts of rescuers and the death and despair left behind when the floodwaters receded.

"Unfortunately, the hurricane also brought terrible scenes we never thought we'd see in America," Bush said. "Citizens drowned in their attics. Desperate mothers crying out on national TV for food and water. A breakdown of law and order and a government, at all levels, that fell short of its responsibilities. (via cnn.com)

Telling us what we saw isn't enough.  I'd like to see the government roll up its sleeves.  After Katrina hit New Orleans, Michael Moore took his entire staff (and paid them!) to the south to do recovery work.  What would happen if every member of Congress took his/her staff and went to the affected areas and spent 2 weeks working?  Imagine that kind of commitment instead of speeches analyzing what went wrong.

As we were working, we heard a lot of understandable grumbling about FEMA.  Here's a sampling of what people on the ground are saying:

Heard out and about in town:

• FEMA evacuation plan: Run, (expletive), run
• Femaitis
• FEMA fever
• FEMA frustration
• FEMA:  Federal Employees Missing (in) Action

Heard on the local radio:

"Today marks the anniversary of the explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.  FEMA has processed 60% of the applications."

At the end of 100 Years of Solitude, Macondo slides into oblivion, almost drowning under the weight of the waters that have deluged it.  Some of Macondo's demise centers on the inability of the community to support one another.  I had an amazing time working on homes and meeting the families and working side-by-side with them.  However, I wonder about where we're headed as a society when we can allow so many people to have so little, and to allow them such little avenue for hope, when so many others have so much. 

Action Steps:

• Consider vacationing with Habitat for Humanity or another group in the near future to help gut and rehab homes.
• Keep making donations--even when you're "donor weary"
• Help to keep people living in non-hurricane areas informed about the situation in the south
• Find other creative ways to support recovery efforts
• Continue to call for a more organized disaster relief plan from the Federal Government
• Spread the word...

Abstinence Avenger: Your Nighttime Bed Buddy!

Via Mind the Gap (hat tip!), I invite you to visit these *wonderful* posters for abstinence education.  I couldn't agree more with Winter that "Abstinence Avenger" is my favorite.

A few thoughts on this.  First, today, I had a disagreement with a random (and IGNORANT!) woman who objected to a new New York state campaign called Get the Facts New York.  This group is working to get medically accurate, age appropriate sex education into New York schools.  Kids are having sex.  So, let's give them the information they need to make healthy choices and to keep safe.  A Planned Parenthood Fact Sheet on Abstinence-only education reports:

Abstinence-only sexuality education doesn't work.  There is little evidence that teens who participate in abstinence-only programs abstain from intercourse longer than others. When they do become sexually active, though, they often fail to use condoms or other contraceptives. Meanwhile, students in comprehensive sexuality education classes do not engage in sexual activity more often or earlier, but do use contraception and practice safer sex more consistently when they become sexually active (AGI, 2003; Jemmott, et al., 1998; Kirby, 1999; Kirby, 2000; NARAL, 1998).

The U.S. has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the developed world, and American adolescents are contracting HIV faster than almost any other
demographic group. The teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. is at least twice that in Canada, England, France, and Sweden, and 10 times that in the Netherlands. Experts cite restrictions on teens' access to comprehensive sexuality education, contraception, and condoms in the U.S., along with the widespread American attitude that a healthy adolescence should exclude sex. By contrast, the "European approach to teenage sexual activity, expressed in the form of widespread provision of confidential and accessible contraceptive services to adolescents, is . . . a central factor in explaining the more rapid declines in teenage childbearing in northern and western European countries" (Singh & Darroch, 2000).

My opponent, of course, thinks that abstinence only is the way to go.  I might buy her a copy of the abstinence avenger poster.  Hee hee.

Next, google this:  "sexual dysfunction marriage" and see what you get.  I got 1,440,000 hits on my search.  Not only are we not equipping teens for a healthy sex life now, we're underpreparing them for healthy future sexual relationships.  Abstinence-only education doesn't help teens become healthy sexual adults;  instead, it retards their natural sexual development by shaming them about their sexual desires and urges, pathologizing sex.  (It does, however, make a profit for sex therapists everywhere!). 

Women's Health: Lies and Drawing the Line

There is nothing more frightening than illness.  I think that many of us live on the edge of worry about interacting with the medical system during an extended illness.  But this comes from the individual's confrontation of mortality.  More recently, I think, women have begun to fear the medical system because of its inconsistent ability to provide reliable and truthful information.  The era of liberated women's health care was brief--and today, we find ourselves ensconced deeply in Foucault's idea of the hospital as an institution of power.  The medical establishment is an extension of the state.

Bitch, Ph.D. pointed me to Brian Alexander's "The New Lies About Women's Health."  As a self-avowed feminist, I wouldn't normally be caught dead reading Glamour.  But Alexander's article is a fantastic discussion of the current crisis in women's health care as the Bush administration (although, as my friend frequently reminds me, it's important to remember that the "abstinence only" educational programs began with Clinton) seeks to narrow definitions and treatments available to women.  You should read Alexander's entire article, but here are some chilling excerpts:

• ...this decidedly mainstream doctor and administrator says, "I no longer trust FDA decisions or materials generated [by the government]. Ten years ago, I would not have had to scrutinize government information. Now I don't feel comfortable giving it to my patients."
• "People believe that religiously based social conservatives have direct lines to the powers that be within the U.S. government, the administration, Congress, and are influencing public-health policy, practice and research in ways that are unprecedented and very dangerous," says Judith Auerbach, Ph.D., a former NIH official who is now a vice president at the nonprofit American Foundation for AIDS Research.
• ...several states, including Louisiana, Wisconsin, Virginia and North Carolina, have online abstinence programs that link to a site called abstinencedu.com, which warns that HIV might be able to penetrate a latex condom (patently false), that "condoms offer no protection against HPV infection" (not true) and that "there is no scientific evidence that condoms reduce the risk of becoming infected with the other 23 major STDs" (also false).
• Outside of the halls of science, who are the real victims of this political maneuvering? "The American public, particularly American women," says Trussell. "Who's hurt when you can't get EC over the counter? When there is a suggestion that abortion causes breast cancer—something that is entirely made up? When it's suggested that condoms are not effective against STDs, when in reality they are effective against HIV and even HPV? Women."

So, what's a girl to do?  What's frightening about this report is that we're not just talking about abortion alone.  This is more troubling because it touches on all aspects of women's health care.

First, interview your doctor.  Have a little heart to heart.  Bring in the Glamour article.  Bring in an article on condoms and their reliability.  Test the waters.  If you don't like the answers you get, find a new physician.  If you have trouble locating a feminist or woman-friendly physician, contact groups like Planned Parenthood, NOW and the Feminist Majority Foundation for recommendations. 

Be wary of any information that seems contradictory to you.  Do your own research--the informed patient is a powerful patient.  Do not accept information or treatment that you do not agree with.  Always get a second opinion!

Also, fight back.  If you have an encounter with a doctor or health care worker that is unacceptable, report him or her to your state Department of Health, the local Department of Health (if you have one), your state Attorney General, the American Medical Association.  If you are in an area with a Planned Parenthood, contact them for information about how to make a complaint.  Create a paper trail and let others in your area know how they can create a paper trail too.  (See Tennessee Guerrilla Women for their state-related women's choice project). 

Also, consider having your health care needs met by a local Planned Parenthood.  Mad Melancholic Feminista has a great piece on her choice to return to her local Planned Parenthood to support their mission.

Good Information At:
Feminist Women's Health Center
Links (from FWHC)
Our Bodies Ourselves

Protest, Protest, Protest: Arrest Me Now Because H.R. 4437 SUCKS

John Wesley Harding's "Protest, Protest, Protest" from Adam's Apple seems apropos this morning:

Back in the radical sixties,
it was hippies and tambourines
it was mud and nudity,
it was gigs in fields of green,
it was a changing society
and that was cool.
But these are different times.
Miracles happen by the hour.
Science can make a flower.
And the people 've got the power.
So cheer up and don't be dour my angry friend
'cause all you want to do is protest, protest, protest...

And another epigraph before I get started:

No human being -- whether citizen or non-citizen -- should be placed outside the protections of the law. No one who performs needed work should be denied fair wages and decent conditions. A society that exploits immigrants for their labor while declaring them illegal is caught in a tangle of contradictions.
~George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary

From this:

To this:

Yesterday's protests for justice for immigrants to the United States dotted the U.S. map in likely--and surprising--places:  New York, Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Columbus, Chicago, Cleveland, D.C., Atlanta, Monterey, Dallas, Milwaukee, Sacramento... and the list goes on. 

I didn't make the rally in New York City, but the current protests have my full support.  Coming home from a meeting last night, I found my subway car full of protesters on their way home from the rally.  Headed back into Queens, the most diverse county in the United States, the protesters had that tired energy after a day of protesting.  They felt like they had been heard.  I can only hope that they were.

The New York City Rally featured Clinton and Schumer, among others and closed down many streets south of Canal Street.  Across the country, people marched in solidarity against the draconian statutes of HR 4437.  It seems that immigration reform, like women's rights, now fall into the category of "Arrest Me Now, Big Brother.  Arrest Me Now" because we're in the midst of a huge culture war and I don't see either side backing down.  Civil disobedience?  You betcha. 

So, this morning, I'd like to talk about who gets to decide who's American and who gets rights.  It's a large and lengthy topic, so I'll just focus in on two aspects of the charming legislation our Congress is considering enacting (which has already passed the house) under the guise of "protecting" Americans.

Utopia 2

Well... I am pulling BEG's comments on my previous utopia/Domino's to the front page, so everyone can see them:

Yeah, I don't like the sound of that either. On the other hand, it strikes me that in a way this is carrying on of a long tradition in america: I'm thinking of all the religious communities founded such as for the quakers, moravians, etc. And in all honesty, while I'd boycott Dominos and be happy to stay away from that place, if it is a privately owned community, how *does* it differ from, say Bethleham, PA?
cf: http://www.explorepahistory.com/story.php?storyId=5&chapter=2&page=2
In what ways have we changed in the intervening years, if we have, that this is no longer possible? IF people are free to come or to stay there, is there actually a problem?

I dunno. The key element for me here is whether this project is private or public. But really, I don't have any good answers. I find it outrageous, as you do, but in a historical context, I have to wonder...

I think that's a really interesting question.  For a while, my parents lived a stone's throw from Hershey, PA and I became obsessed with Milton Hershey and his legacy.  On the one hand, we have a significant "patriarchal"/paternal construction of government.  On the other hand, Hershey was extremely generous to his workers and created a mini utopia there.

Even today, Hershey is a beautiful little town which has benefited from the Hershey legacy.  The schools, library, hospital, public pool, and public facilities are richly endowed to fulfill every possible need.  It's a wonderful place.

One little known fact about Hershey is that in addition to creating a town, he left most of his personal wealth to a trust set up for the express purpose of educating orphans.  The Milton Hershey school is still alive & well today, supporting many children who come from broken homes or disadvantaged backgrounds.  When I learned about the extent of Hershey's generosity, I swore off Mars products (including M & Ms) forever.

It also reminds me of Endicott/Johnson City/Binghamton, New York which have the legacies of E.J. Shoes and IBM.

The Brick Church: You've Got to Be Kidding Me

Hat tip to Capitalism Bad, Tree Pretty who writes:

I'd always thought Jesus was cool and spent all his time talking about camels, needles and loving your neighbour (I once had an argument with someone who thought Jesus was a Marxist-Leninst with Maoist leanings, I said that even if this was true, this would make Marx, Lenin and Mao Christians rather than the other way round). But Jesus has his share of weird.

Yeah, well, how weird is this?  I'm probably behind the proverbial 8 ball here, but The Brick Church is a hilarious, lego-inspired  retelling of certain stories in the Bible.  This is a project of The "Reverend" Brendan Powell Smith, "the world's tallest midget."

Check out all of the The Brick Testament, but especially Samson and the prostitute.  Especially don't miss THIS!  And, John the Baptist (Head on a Platter).  And, the Seventh Plague.

Live State of the Union Blogging 8

Daddy Bush says for your own good:

• you'll define democracy the way he defines democracy, and you'll like it,
• you'll submit to wire taps,
• you'll be surveilled and you'll like it,
• we'll deny funds to world organizations like UNAIDS, but call our work "progress",
• you can't have Social Security,
• "it's the economy, stupid"--spend more or China will overtake us,
• you can't have Medicare or Medicaide,
• you'll have to decide between "good" immigrants and "bad" immigrants,
• you're losing health care--but you get to pay more for the lousy coverage you will get,
• you are getting more nuclear power plants (because that's not a terrorist target),
• you can't have an abortion,
• you'll embrace any and all wars in the name of terrorism,
• you'll reject any science that isn't religiously based (no cloning, no stem cells),
• you'll submit to the Patriot Act,
• you'll be quiet and not second guess his leadership,
• you will be governed by Alito and Roberts,
• you will be part of a narrowly defined religious hegemony,
• you will be "rich," but who knows how since you have to pay for lots of things you never had to before (and women, you'll be pregnant)

And to conclude:  "In recent years America has become a more hopeful nation." Yes, George, hopeful that your presidency will end soon.

Notable Quotables:

Terrorism:  16
Freedom:  15
History:  10

More Notables:  democracy, future, economy, hope, peace, honor, isolationism

Technorati Tags:  State of the Union

Weighing in on the Book of Daniel

Forgive me, for I have sinned.  I missed the premiere of the controversial Book of Daniel because I was out having a drink with my lesbian sister and my boyfriend (with whom I have lived for 9 years and we have sex and we're not married) last Friday night.  For the record, that's
1.  alcohol
2.  homosexuality
3.  sex before marriage (and a whole lot of left-leaning politics that I won't get into here...) 

Did I mention that my dad is a minister? (And that actually none of those are in the 10 commandments...)

On any given day, I can be a little petulant when I am being controlled.  Call it the gift of perversity.  Egalia over at Tennessee Guerrilla Women followed the antics of The American Family Association and Two Rivers Baptist Church in having the new NBC dramedy, The Book of Daniel banned from WSMV in Nashville.

And so, in solidarity, I watched the show this Friday night because Egalia wrote:

I didn’t see the show. Thanks to the vigilance of hyper sensitive Christians like Pastor Sutton and his politically active Mega Church, I won’t get the opportunity to make my own judgement. Since I am not a believer, I am absolutely certain that I would never ever hold the same views as Pastor Sutton. If, as I’ve heard, the series questions and pokes at old time religion, I might enjoy it, because I am, frankly, sick and tired of having Christianity rammed down my throat.

But that is the point, isn’t it? Disbelievers, pagans, subscribers to the theory of evolution, all of us are meant to be silenced.

I probably wouldn't have ever watched the show (because I don't have TiVo and who is really home on a Friday night?).  However, I felt I needed to watch the show since it had also been banned in: 
KBTV in Beaumont, Texas
WGBC in Meridian, Miss
KARK in Little Rock
WTWO in Terre Haute, Ind
KNSW in Wichita, Kan.
KSNG in Garden City, Kan.
KSNC in Great Bend, Kan.
KSNK in Oberlin, Kan.

Remind me not to move to Kansas.  But more importantly, what's all of the hoopla?

Rampant Consumer Christmas, Part Deux

Sometimes at this time of year, I am overwhelmed by my to do lists and I succumb to the ease of shopping in a "one stop" shopping kind of place.  I try hard to avoid this, by making sure that each year I support fair trade shops and make many of my gifts.  So, in the continuing spirit of cutting down on rampant consumer Christmas, here are 2 of my favorite gift suggestions from this year (among the gifts I didn't make):

1.  "Women In Dialogue":  make a donation ($10.00 suggested donation) to the Women in Dialogue project which:

brings together people from both sides of the Rwandan conflict to work together on farming projects such as growing tomatoes and raising goats.  The program has helped people to heal their emotional wounds and live together in community.

This project is sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).  More information at:  ephrata.tenthousandvillages.com

2.  Or, Lingual Y's present this year (which he already opened):

FAIR TRADE & SWEAT SHOP FREE SNEAKERS!!!  These sneakers are totally fair trade and they look great!  Check out the whole Global Exchange Site here for great free trade items!

UMC: A Day of Tragedy, A Day of Grief

The Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church made two controversial and conservative rulings yesterday.  First, Beth Stroud, the Germantown UMC pastor who outed herself in a sermon last year, was officially defrocked.  While many people who follow church law expected this decision, far more shocking was the decision that:

Rev. Edward Johnson of the South Hill, Virginia, United Methodist Church was within his rights for refusing to admit a homosexual man to church membership and should not have been suspended for doing so.

The ruling said Johnson followed church law that gives the pastor-in-charge the right to decide who can be received into membership. It said he should be reinstated and given back pay to July 1, when he had been removed by his bishop.

Both of these rulings send a dangerous message about the not so "open doors" of the United Methodist Church.  The Reconciling Ministries Network writes:

All Saints Eve 2005 is a sad day. Comfort will not come easy. As we prepare to name the losses to the church on all Saints Day, the Judicial Council has lengthened the list considerably. In decisions released today, a majority of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church removed the credentials of Rev. Irene Beth Stroud and allowed the reinstatement of a clergyman that refused to accept a gay person as a member declaring his action permissible.  

We call upon all United Methodists to respond in prayers offering care to those in denial, shock, grief, dismay, or anger. We encourage you to gather together.

The decisions of the Judicial Council create a tragic moment in the history of our United Methodist Church. The outcomes were surprising in their severity and in their disregard for United Methodism. The harshness toward clergy continues a pattern; the harshness toward lay members is shocking. Be careful. Often such discriminatory rulings unleash long-harbored hatred.

It's a sad day, a tragic day, a day of grief and loss when doors were slammed shut and people were cast out.  However, as angry and saddened as I am, my foot is still in the door jamb.  That door isn't shut all the way & it will NOT be as long as we keep working to keep that door open.  In solidarity & mourning--

Read More:
Reuters on the rulings
Reconciling Ministries Network
The Judicial Council's Ruling on Rev. Stroud
The Judical Council's Ruling on Rev. Johnson

John Kerry: Working Hard AFTER the Election

Governmental decisions based on SCIENCE?  The Democratic Daily Blog reported today that John Kerry wants to reclaim science in an advanced posting of Kerry's forthcoming speech to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, “Restoring American Leadership In Science; Time to Take Back Anti-Science Washington”:

With this example in mind, I certainly don’t want to suggest that even the greatest scientists or innovators make choices for the rest of us. But I do think their role is to help define the reasonable choices available to us as a society.

To fulfill that role, they need the support to dotheir work and the freedom to seek truth wherever that pursuit leads them. And in all my years of public service, I have never seen the integrity of science and scientists so fundamentally and actively undermined at the highest levels of government. Everything possible is being done to undercut respect for the truths research can reveal for us – and worse yet – respect for the very idea that truth can be found by the scientific method, rather than imposed by ideology.

Pack Your Lunch and Your Bible?

Courtesy of Echidne of the Snakes and the New York Times comes today's "Are You Kidding Me?" post.  Now the lucky kids of Odessa, Texas can pack their lunches and their Bibles in preparation for a great school day:

When the school board in Odessa, the West Texas oil town, voted unanimously in April to add an elective Bible study course to the 2006 high school curriculum, some parents dropped to their knees in prayerful thanks that God would be returned to the classroom, while others assailed it as an effort to instill religious training in the public schools.

Where's the Higher Education Act when you need it?  (Just kidding...)

Harry Potter Therapy

Need counseling now that you've finished Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince?  Pastor Paul Raushenbush of Riverside Church in New York City offers this advice.

Ecstatic Labyrinth

Happy Solstice!  Yesterday, I welcomed summer in at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.  I climbed the calf-achingly high Taylor Street in the semi-dark and waited for the sun to rise over Nob Hill.  The small park in front of the cathedral was populated with people doing Tai Chi in the cool morning hours.  The air smelled of honeysuckle.  The trolley's hum provided a constant small buzz in the background.  It was a beautiful morning and I was ready to enjoy it.

At 7 a.m. sharp, I rushed into the Cathedral to walk the labyrinth before the church's 7:30 a.m. service.  In the past 3 weeks, serendipitously, I've walked 3 labyrinths:  one at Bryn Mawr, the outdoor labyrinth at Grace and then the indoor labyrinth at Grace.  The latter experience was one of the most ecstatic experiences I've ever had in my life. 

I was virtually alone in the cathedral, except for a janitor and a priest, both of whom were consumed by his duties.  I walked around the ancient baptismal font and the spray of sunflowers at its base.  And then, I saw the labyrinth, much larger than I had expected, situated at the beginning of the nave.  It took up a good part of the floor, stretching out along the marble.  Directly in front of it was the main aisle of the cathedral, unfurling toward the altar.

Overhead, an art installation, Tongues of Fire, floated from the vaults, filling the airy space with red, orange, and white streamers, caught in undulation. 

As I walked the labyrinth, I had a profound sense of peace.  As I turned outward, toward the four corners, I saw the mural of the fire at the original Grace Church in 1906, the AIDS Memorial chapel, the rose window, and the Tongues of Flame pointing toward the altar.  And when I turned inward, I was focused on the center and always thinking about how the church finds ways to support those around it.  I felt supported as I walked with a profound sense of peace, that the church, in my life and practice, was as solid as the building around me.  I know that many people have felt distanced from the "Church" as an institution.  And I understand that distance.  For me, however, I have always known the church as a powerful political, social, cultural, and religious power in my life and society.  I have watched the church step in when no one else would;  my experiences in the church haven't necessarily been typical, but it's what I know and how I often create ways to understand my world.  And so, as I walked in the midst of Grace Cathedral, I felt at home, something that doesn't happen to me very often.  When I arrived in the center, unlike the other times I've walked labyrinths when I was relaxed with a sense of peace, here, I felt a profound sense of energy, as if the space around me were pulsing, as if the tongues of fire were coming from my heart, from my mouth.

I don't think every labyrinth walk is profound.  Much of the labyrinth revolves around what you take into it.  Sometimes, however, I think the unexpected happens.  I felt the unexpected take me in.  I felt blessed.  I was thoroughly "in the moment" and when I exited the labyrinth, I laughed.   

Outside, on my way back to the hotel for a breakfast meeting, I felt unready to deal with the noise of the city.  The same sounds that an hour before had been delightful were now distracting, so I put on my headphones to walk back down the hill to Rusted Root.  As "Send Me On My Way" came on, I felt that same rush of electricity come back.  I laughed and ran all the way down the hill, from California to Geary Street.  As the blocks flew by, I felt like a kid running down a grassy hill.  I almost flew down that hill.

And then I turned left onto my hotel's street, and into the rest of my day.  Happy, happy solstice!!!

Further Reading:

Nancy Chinn

Grace Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral

How to Build a Theocracy: Forget Congress--Go for the Courts!

While the line between church and state has been increasingly eroded under the Bush administration, the case of Alabama Judge Roy Moore catapulted the increasing conservatism of our courts to the forefront of headline news.   For those of you who read my 20 April 2005 posting on Tennessee Judge Barry Tatum, you already know that I believe the growth of punitive, colonizing legal judgments that are anti-women, anti-gay, & anti-immigrant is insidious. 

Since the very public fight over the display of the ten commandments in the courthouse, this theme has largely disappeared from the headlines.  However, the entrenchment of conservatives within every public institution in this country is a testament to the careful planning and preparation of the right.  This is what we need to pay attention to, not the CNN flavor of the week. 

The legacy of the Regan years, in some way, is the culture of contemporary American.  The Clinton years--riddled as they were with the problems of liberal compromise--were a brief facade while conservatives continued to build a powerful--and institutionalized--future. 

On 6 May 2005,