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"LIFE GETS TEDIOUS, DON'T IT?"
It all just keeps getting crazier. How did we ever get so lucky? One might even call it an embarrassment of riches. Who would have ever thought we might get the chance to vote for The Donald, Trump for president of the United States, or Cybill, the Woman, Shepherd, or Warren, Dick Tracy, Beatty?
Of course this may not happen if Jesse, the Jerk, Ventura or Pat, the Puke, Buchanan or even Ross, the Joke, Perot decide to contest for the fabled position. True to the form they established years ago, some pundits are blaming this influx of improbable candidates on Clinton.
Now that's funny. According to the rules, aside from criminals, any natural born citizen can run if they are old enough. Thing here is that the pundits know all this but facts don't make what they consider to be an interesting story to communicate to the American voter -- facts just aren't "sexy" enough.
Remember their dire predictions that we were about to go into the most severe depression in history with the Democrats in charge? They sure must like to tell jokes cause it turned out to be a most prosperous decade -- so far -- and only a few days over two months to go.
How
about the howl that went up when it was learned that contributors to Clinton's
election got to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom at the White House?
If you don't remember, take our word for it. There was a great
hue and cry arising from Foggy Bottom as the Conservatives screamed for
campaign finance laws to prevent such sacrilege in the future.
And despite all the whining, THEIR OWN CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY HAS TURNED DOWN ALL OF THE BILLS SUBMITTED TO REGULATE CAMPAIGN FINANCE. How's that for talking out of both sides of the mouth at the same time?
Leaving no doubt about how pissed they really are, the Congressional Majority also dumped the nuclear testing agreement -- presenting us with a superb example of biting off one's nose to spite one's face.
Now there are threats from the Majority Party to use the budget bill to bring down the government like they did before. Hatred begets more hatred.
We are told by the media that the reason for their wrath is that they are still smarting from their failure to impeach Clinton. There is even a move on in N.Y., intended to pulverize Hillary's Senate race and turn future neighbors against the Clintons, that stems purely from vengeance.
Did you happen to catch the cover story on the October 9th issue of TV Guide? It claims that women have made the big time in TV News. Not only that, the article went on to say that women were "setting the news agenda for America" by taking over "every aspect of news."
Turns out there are still twice as many male reporters as female, and behind the camera, women have a poor showing: 20% of local news directors are women, and there are NO women heading the Top 25 media or TV groups.
The TV Guide article went on to assert that we women are just interested in things like day care for our children and have little interest in the happenings in third world countries like Sri Lanka.
Because of our "preferences" and the increase in women reporting the news, the article infers that foreign problems take a back seat to domestic issues because women do not care about or understand international politics.
Dumbing down the news for women is hardly the way to prove gender equality in TV news, which is what the Guide article, purports to show.
"So much for women setting the news agenda for America by taking over "every aspect of news," concludes Jennifer Pozner, Women's Desk Director, FAIR.
Same old same old on the women's reproductive CHOICE front. A recent study found that ANTI-ABORTION STATES spend LESS on needy children. A California researcher concludes that those with the most restrictive laws are the tightest with aid programs. Now WHERE is their often stated, great concern for "the children?" They obviously have little support to give AFTER fetal life. (William Claiborne WASHINGTON POST 10/09/99)
Such a paradox. Those who demand parental rights insist that a parent must give permission for a minor female to have an abortion even though it may mean that one or both of her parents may viciously punish her.
Yet they reject parental rights when it applies to choice. A woman MUST have the human right to decide if she is ready to assume the responsibility of parenthood. A state or any government should never take that parental right from her.
Despite the ever-present tedium of political and religious self-serving rhetoric, there is some fresh and wonderful news in the Xenaverse. One of our favorite SELF-DEFINED WOMEN, Lucy Lawless, gave birth to a son, Julius Robert Bay Tabert, on October 16, 1999. Battle on, Xena!
1999-043
Copyright 1999 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: twanda@ConnRiver.net.
G e n d e r G a p p e r s T M
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