Women with Opinions

The Glass Ceiling is Still Intact in NY State

This made front page news in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle this morning:  Cornell University's Institute for Women and Work just issued a study which looked at  publicly traded companies based in New York to determine how many were headed by women, either as directors of boards or executive officers.  The findings were dismal.  In the 100 largest companies in NY State, less than 15 percent of those positions were held by women.

We hear a lot these days about how we have entered a post-feminism era, meaning that all the battles have been won, so feminists should shut up already.   The Cornell University study suggests we still may have some work to do.

This just in

Surprise!  The U.S. Supreme Court advanced the cause of abortion rights this week when they rejected an appeal from a Maricopa County,Arizona sheriff to review a lower court decision that he had lost.  The sheriff had a policy of prohibiting jail officials from transporting prisoners to get an abortion unless they had a court order.

Brigitte Amiri, an ACLU lawyer with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project said in a press release:  "It is not up to prison officials to decide whether a woman prisoner should carry a pregnancy to term or not."

I concur.

What Does a Feminist Looks Like?

Great YouTube video from The Feminist Majority

Now They've Gone and Done It

Just when you think the anti-abortion crazies have sunk as low as they possibly can in their overzealous  attempts  to  try and  strip women of their right to safe, legal abortion, they surprise us, concocting  yet another sleazy tactic.

This one involves  "Horton Hears a Who!"    Hollywood has made a film version of the Dr. Seuss classic and anti-abortion protesters have been showing up  at theaters to deliver their message.  The anti-abortion fringe has latched onto and made their rallying cry this refrain from the book:  " a person's a person, no matter how small."

When the movie premiered in Hollywood recently, protesters sneaked into the theater, then commenced shouting and parading around with tape over their mouths.

The Horton book, in case you've forgotten, has nothing at all to do with abortion.  It's about little people who inhabit their own unique society.   Dr. Seuss' widow, a Planned Parenthood supporter, is  apparently fit to be tied  over this misappropriation of her  husband's work and, according to Dr. Seuss biographer Philip Nel, the good doctor himself once threatened to sue an anti-abortion group over a similar matter.

Spitzer Resigns but We Can't Impeach Bush?

An email from Democrats.com:

Today Gov. Eliot Spitzer apologized again to the people of New York for his personal failings and resigned, just 16 months after winning an historic landslide election with 70% of the vote. But Spitzer's resignation was not entirely voluntary, because Republican leaders were busy drafting Articles of Impeachment.

What was Spitzer's impeachable offense? The "lowest" crime in the book.

As we know, the Founding Fathers wanted Impeachment to be used for "High Crimes" like treason, bribery, war crimes, and subverting the Constitution itself. Eliot Spitzer committed no "High Crimes" - but George Bush and Dick Cheney most certainly have, and they continue to do so with absolute impunity.

It's time for Congress to impeach them for it.
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88?ad=d8

16 months ago, we posted a petition listing 10 High Crimes which justified their impeachment:
(1) Starting a "war of aggression" (2) torture (3) arbitrary detention (4) war crimes (5) warrantless wiretapping (6) signing statements (7) election fraud (8) outing a covert CIA operative (9) the "unitary executive" (10) gross negligence for Katrina and global warming.

Spitzer Resigns

My friends and I are having quite an email discussion over the news of Gov. Spitzer's paying for high price prostitutes and his eventual (today even) resignation. I thought Deb Oppenheimer's thoughts on the subject were interesting and she gave me permission to post them here:

I have somewhat refrained from making comments on this subject but I will try to offer some insights and please do not take this as excusing Spitzer.

When people in power (take that to mean male and we will not get into why that is here) are under extreme stress, they react in different ways but almost all of them are dangerous or self-destructive. 

The Alice Kryzan File

I've been reading up on Alice Kryzan.  She's the gal who wants to run on the Democratic ticket  in November against  Tom Reynolds to represent the 26th Congressional District.  Jon Powers and Jack Davis also want that privilege   Here's  what I found out about Alice:

Ms. Kryzan:

*  is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School.

*   was the first female partner at Phillips Lytle, once the Buffalo area's largest law firm. 

Other Important 2008 Races

Let's not mince words, shall we?  Tom Reynolds is a freaking disaster.  I live in the 26th Congressional District of NY, and Rep. Reynolds is supposed to represent my interests in Congress.  He doesn't--no way, no how. 

Reynolds is a Bush team player, meaning he does unconscionable things like voting against  health care for poor children, not once, but four times.  Reynolds is, of course, anti-choice and votes for almost any bill that seeks to restrict women’s rights and against any bill to expand those rights. 

Clinton's Back in the Game:Thank You Ohio & Texas

This One's for Ann