Let’s begin with Kamala Harris. How great is it to have a VP that is a minority and a woman? If Joe’s health fails, then we will have our first woman president at last, our second black president, and our first Asian president. Yes, she is all of those! I get tired of reading how she is not really black. If true of her, equally true of President Obama! Really, within reason, people can self identify any way they want. If you are black enough to have to put up with the crap associated with being treated as black in America, then you have every right to identify as black. Mitch McConnell did not suddenly make the Reptublicans (reptilian Republicans) the Party of No because President Obama was a Democrat. He hadn’t been as obstructive of Bill Clinton. Both Obama and Harris have not had their citizenship questioned because they are “not black enough”. Of course they are black!
Further rant: Kamala Harris is “too ambitious” to be VP? Suddenly such critics have conveniently forgotten that Joe Biden ran for president in 1988 and 2008, yet was considered well qualified to serve two terms as VP under Obama, and will now be our 46th president (I suggest we choose to be hopeful, but also work our rumps off for this so-needed outcome). I cannot find any concern in 2008 that Biden was “too ambitious” to serve as Obama’s VP. In fact, his experiences were considered likely to make him very “loyal” to his president. Hmm, what could be the difference...? Maybe Senator Harris hasn’t tried often enough to become president yet? I’m sure that’s it. Or maybe it’s because one of them is a woman….
So I won’t repeat all the critiques, you can find them here if you want to be further disgusted. Of course I am a pretty-far-leftie, so have some policy differences with both of our nominees. But even assuming my views are correct, they’re both WAY better than *Rump and Pants, for whom I have such loathing I will not even type their names correctly. Meanwhile, let’s please push back on racist and sexist horse crap whenever we run across it! (Twitter, of course, being expert at this.)
Most images show Kamala behind Joe. I prefer this one!
In Other News:
harassment
Nobody Is Entitled to Be an Elected Official
It’s not cancel culture to demand a would-be teen legislator demonstrate maturity.
Coleman found a nude photo of a girl online and threatened to publicize it unless she sent more nude photos. She refused, so he carried out his threat. Could this be considered childish and too far in the past? Welp, of course, he minimized the whole thing and issued a nopology. So no. But “Boys will be boys," right?
Passing around nude pootie pics is OK, nude people not so much
racism
Suffragists and activists are being accused of racism lately. Arguments:
Susan B. Anthony was no racist, historian says
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/...
"The charge that Susan B. Anthony did not want black women to vote is simply wrong," she said. "There's lots of evidence to show otherwise. But the idea was out there that day, and it's still out there. And the fact that this specific charge against Miss Anthony is false should not, I think, end the conversation, but rather start one, about race and voting rights for women."
Gordon spent much of the remainder of her talk outlining historical examples of conflicts between racial issues and the women's suffragist movement, and Anthony's stance during many of those examples.
https://www.hercampus.com/...
Susan B. Anthony was approached by Wendell Phillips and Theodore Tilton- who were members of the same organization for suffrage as Anthony- and advised to allow the American Equal Rights Association to focus almost solely on getting the African American man’s right to vote. Anthony was appalled- she had helped found AERA on the grounds that it would be a universal right to vote. It was in regards to this that Anthony responded by holding up her right arm and stating, “Look at this, all of you. And hear me swear that I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work for or demand the ballot only for the negro and not the woman".
The Remarkable Friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass
https://2020owovfest.org/...
abortion
Selective abortion in India could lead to 6.8 million fewer girls being born by 2030.
Human Rights Watch reports anti-abortion campaigners in Brazil published the name of a pregnant 10-year-old girl and the hospital where she was set to have an abortion, forcing her to enter the facility hidden in a car trunk.
Abby Johnson Spreads Falsehoods About Abortion At The RNC (bonus- she's also a flaming racist...)
More reproductive rights stories this week:
Trump administration wants limits reimposed on medication abortion
Texas renews court effort to ban abortion procedure
No woman should be forced to have babies — cuteness is irrelevant!
violence
Scott Peterson's death sentence overturned in murder of pregnant wife
Scott Peterson was found guilty of killing his wife and unborn son in 2004.
The California Supreme Court overturned the death penalty sentence for Scott Peterson, who was found guilty of murdering his pregnant wife in a highly publicized case.
Scott Peterson, 47, was convicted in 2004 of one count of first-degree murder for killing his wife, Laci Peterson -- who was nearly 8 months pregnant at the time -- and one count of second-degree murder for killing their unborn son.
https://abcnews.go.com/…
Joseph James DeAngelo, the former police officer known as the Golden State Killer, is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for raping more than 50 women and killing 13 people in the 1970s and 80s.
injustice
Asia's prisons are filling up with women. Many are victims of the war on drugs.
Today, jails in East and Southeast Asia hold the world's biggest proportions of female prisoners. In many nations, the majority are incarcerated for drug offenses: 82% of women in Thai prisons are jailed for this and in the Philippines that figure is 53%.
https://www.cnn.com/…
Say her name — Breonna Taylor: Rand Paul confronted by protesters over after Republican convention – video
A group of angry protesters has confronted senator Rand Paul near the White House in Washington DC. As Rand walked through the crowd with his wife, demonstrators chanted 'say her name', in reference to Breonna Taylor, a black woman from Kentucky who was shot dead by police in May.
https://www.theguardian.com/…
Actually, this was somewhat ironic, as protesters probably did not know: Sen. Rand Paul Introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act
https://www.paul.senate.gov/... (It does not do anything to her attackers, but would outlaw no-knock warrants, a very necessary step IMO!)
good(ish) news
New statue in New York City’s Central Park, “first… to depict real women”:
LONG overdue!
Uganda court rules government must prioritize maternal health in “huge shift”: Ruling is result of lawsuit filed over deaths in childbirth of two women due to staff negligence and lack of facilities.
After three of her dear friends were murdered in 2015, Nida Allam took to politics. As a newly elected Durham County commissioner, she is the first Muslim woman elected to any political post in the history of North Carolina. https://bittersoutherner.com/2020/nida-allam-durham-north-carolina-county-comissioner-muslim
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps to make rookie spaceflight aboard Boeing's Starliner
https://www.space.com/…
Real astronaut Jeanette Epps with Nichelle Nichols (of Star Trek fame) — h/t mettle fatigue
August 26, 2020 was Women’s Equality Day (and 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment of the US Constitution). Hope you had an equally happy day! How women are working toward making equality a reality:
Let’s honor the suffragists who helped secure the 19th Amendment by voting, and protecting the right to vote.
19th Amendment at 100: IU historians delve into diversity of women’s suffrage movement.
Do not take voting rights for granted!
evolution of a solution
First we had (August 26) #LetUsSpeak: Victoria blocks sexual assault victims from using real names
Australia
Tens of thousands of sexual assault survivors in Victoria have been stripped of their legal right to tell their stories using their real names.
The changes to the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act – which were quietly introduced in February – silence all sexual assault victims whose offenders have been found guilty, by banning them from ever speaking out under their real identities. The new ‘gag laws’ have been described as a “major victory” for convicted paedophiles and rapists, as their victims are now “muzzled” and prohibited from self-identifying in publications – including media and autobiographies – regardless of their consent….
Any sexual assault victim found guilty of breaking the new laws could face up to four months jail and fines in excess of $3000. Media outlets could also face potential prosecution and fines of over $8000.
https://www.news.com.au/…
Then we had (same day): Campaign by abuse survivors prompts urgent review by Victoria’s Attorney-General.
And now we have (August 28): Victoria to “urgently” fix law that stops sexual assault survivors speaking out: State attorney general Jill Hennessy promises the majority of victims will not need a court order to go public.
Hennessy said the previous law change was meant to maintain the privacy of sexual offence victims and was never meant to stop them from speaking out.
“The voices of victim-survivors are a powerful and important part of the justice system,” the attorney general said in a statement. “Their expertise will be invaluable as we make these urgent changes. I have immense respect for victim-survivors who have the courage to speak out about their experiences and advocate for positive change. We hear you and we will take action.”
The Victorian government is planning to consult with survivor groups on amendments to the legislation, which will be introduced into parliament before the end of the year.
Of course, would have been nice if they’d done this before passing the law. But better late than never.
Petitions
Pornhub, the world's largest and most popular porn site, has been repeatedly caught enabling, hosting, and profiting from videos of child rape, sex trafficking, and other forms of non-consensual content exploiting women and minors. We're calling for Pornhub to be shut down and its executives held accountable for these crimes.
The Traffickinghub campaign, founded by Laila Mickelwait and powered by the anti-trafficking organization Exodus Cry, is a non-religious, non-partisan effort supported by activists from 192 countries and a broad spectrum of over 300 organizations
https://traffickinghubpetition.com/…
Together, we do make a difference!
This column would not be possible without everyone’s purrticipation! Many thanks to Angmar, Tara, mettle fatigue, SandraLLAP, and ramara. If I didn’t have time to include all your links, please feel free to add in comments. The blog is now open!
