Good morning!

I love when I get to see the passion and courage of a woman, tell her story about her own life experiences, and through her journey she inspires and empowers other women and girls. Now, that’s my kind of girl. And that’s the heart of Susan Bremer O’Neill. 

“Self-Appeal – All relationships start with the relationship you have with yourself.”

~Susan Bremer O’Neill

I met Susan almost 2 years ago at a business course that we both attended along with many other incredible women entrepreneurs. Susan is a lovely woman, with a soft-spoken voice, a bright, beautiful smile, and a set of piercing blue eyes that lets you know she is tuned in and listening to your every word.  We kept in touch and through various networking events and one-to-one conversations I got to know Susan on a more personal level. And…I discovered that she had a story inside of her to tell.

And tell it she does, in her new memoir. I haven’t read it yet, but if the title intrigues you, read on…no doubt her story will too.

From Sex Appeal to Self Appeal: One Woman’s Journey to Recover Her Body, Her Sexuality, Her Self

*****

Pretty cool and captivating huh? Don’t take my word for it. Here’s what a few other women are saying about Susan’s book:

“I recommend every woman who is struggling with self worth to read this book It takes you on a personal journey of low self esteem to having what the author calls “self appeal.” It will change your life It changed mine.”

~Oleta Kay Ham, Author of Migrant Mother, the Untold Story

“What an amazing life story! Life lessons around every corner. I did not want to put it down!”
~Christine Baily

“Each woman’s sexual development and experiences are unique to her, but all women can identify with the feelings and the needs bared so skillfully here, no matter how different their own sexual experiences may have been. I was both moved and inspired by the book, and I only wish I had read it in my early twenties or late teens instead of in my early sixties. With soulful honesty and a tender vulnerability, she shares the story of a young girl turned woman searching for love, acceptance and meaning in both a successful career and a series of affairs, only to find real healing and her true self in some very unusual places and ways. Both suspenseful and satisfying, this book may well end up being required reading in many Sexuality 101 courses throughout the nation, as well it should, for its gritty reality coupled with sweetness and hard-won insights reveal necessary truths to males and females alike. It liberates, empowers and heals women in so many ways, but could also hold the key to helping men relate more successfully to women as well.” 
~Carol Pinckney, MJC English Instructor

“With superlative writing skill, this author opens my consciousness to a very different life than the one most women readers have lived. Her intelligence, courage and stalwart confidence in the life she cuts out for herself have lifted my awareness into a sense of feminine power I had not previously known.  Hers is a story well told and a life well-lived!”  
~Shirley Irving

A magnificent journey that has gone full circle, proving that inner strength, diligence and discipline win over and over.  There are so many wonderful life lessons – it doesn’t matter that her path was different from other women – what the author struggled with are what many of us struggle with at all ages, and we all can learn so much from this! Every woman (and men too!) should read this memoir. ~Karrin Dalton

 ♥ ♥ ♥

Readers: So…if you are inspired to dive in and read, I encourage you to pick up a copy through Amazon. And if you order today, and email Susan: susan@selfappeal.com, letting her know that you bought her book, you’ll get a special invitation for an exclusive virtual read and Q & A with Susan on April 4th! (And no, I am not getting a kickback for promoting Susan’s book. :) I’m just happy to do it because she is, after all, empowering women and girls through her own life experiences and lessons…and in my mind that’s good reason to give her blog time and my title of Wonderful Woman Of The World.

Thoughts? Comments? Blog me.

Peace & Love…you know what to do. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

…you might be raped.”

Today, Michigan’s “Rape Insurance” law goes into affect. Yep, you read that right. Michigan is requiring women to get extra insurance in planning ahead for the need for an abortion if they are raped.

Watch from The Rachel Maddow Show:

….or read from The Lansing State Journal:

Abortion rider law takes effect Thursday

No companies offering them on private plans

Anti-abortion activist and attorney Rebecca Kiessling, center, and others who say they were born as a result of rape, urged lawmakers to pass the citizen-initiated proposed law targeting insurance coverage of abortion in Michigan. The law takes effect Thursday / AP Photo/David Eggert

Michigan residents who buy health coverage in the private marketplace after Thursday will not have access to abortion coverage, even if a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

On that day, a new state law goes into effect that prohibits insurance companies from covering abortion services unless customers purchase separate add-ons — called riders — to their insurance plans ahead of time.

No insurance companies will be offering those riders to new customers in the private marketplace after Thursday, according to the state’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

Insurers had to tell the state in February if they planned to offer and sell the abortion riders. Seven companies indicated they plan to do so but only as part of employer-based plans, department spokesman Caleb Buhs said.

That means anyone who purchases insurance as an individual — either inside or outside the new federal health-care exchange — will not be able to obtain coverage for abortion services.

“People who buy coverage for themselves and their families will not find this coverage,” said Marianne Udow-Phillips of the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation. “It will not be available to them.”

It’s unclear how much the riders in the employer-sponsored plans will cost. Buhs said one company has listed the rider at 32 cents per month.

The Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act was passed in December by the Republican-controlled Legislature after an emotional and heated debate that garnered national attention.

Proponents say the law protects those who object to abortion from having any of their premiums used to cover the procedure for other customers in their group plans or within the health-care exchange.

“Do we anticipate this will lower abortion rates? No,” said Right to Life Michigan spokeswoman Genevieve Marnon. “But … it’s one thing for you to pay for your abortion and another thing for me to have to pay for it.”

Opponents say the bill threatens women’s health by limiting access to a procedure that is legal and constitutionally protected.

Democrats labeled it the “rape insurance bill” because it would, in effect, require women to buy abortion coverage in advance even if they never expect to need it — such as if a woman becomes pregnant from a rape.

Sen. Gretchen Whit­mer, D-East Lansing, said women who aren’t aware the riders are required or who don’t receive insurance through one of the seven companies will suffer financially and emotionally.

“ A woman in need of a medically necessary D&C procedure will not even have insurance as an option, meaning she would be required to pay for the procedure entirely on her own with a cost often totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars,” Whit­mer said.

“This isn’t talking about someone looking for an elective abortion. This is a woman with a wanted pregnancy who is forced to terminate it because of health concerns and may now may face financial ruin for doing nothing more than trying to start a family. If that’s not a direct attack on women and our health to say insurance can’t cover this type of critically important reproductive care, I don’t know what is.”

Although the law is intended to remove abortion from the list of procedures automatically covered by insurance, the majority of elective abortions in Michigan and nationwide are already paid out-of-pocket.

Only 3 percent of the 22,700 abortions in Michigan in 2012 were paid for with insurance, according to the most recent numbers from the Department of Community Health.

The total number of abortions in Michigan has also plummeted. The 22,700 abortions in 2012 reflects 52 percent drop since 1987.

Marnon said the numbers were not the point of the opt-out bill. It was the fact that someone could unknowingly be helping to pay for even one procedure they oppose on moral grounds.

*****

Readers: This is just outrageous. What is going on here? Really? Yes, this is really happening. Okkayy. Time to get back in the driver’s seat. I HOPE all of you are with me because this crazy bumpy ride has got to end.

Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Time to thrive…

An emotional Ellen Page, “Juno” star, comes out at HRC conference

LAS VEGAS — An emotional Ellen Page, the adorable, quirky actress who enchanted movie audiences in 2007 as the pregnant teenager Juno, came out as gay Friday night at a conference for educators and counselors who work with LGBTQ youth.

Readers: I love when women speak out and stand up for each other. Bravo to Ellen Page for courageously opening up and being an inspiration to so many young women.  Speaking of speaking out…where did you RISE yesterday on Valentine’s Day…V-day? I had a fantastic time in San Francisco hanging with some sisters, dancing, playing, smiling, loving and listening to so many inspirational stories for V-day.

And then…Valentine’s kicked in right after. :) I HOPE all of you got some lovin’ too.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2014

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

I’ll be in SF at City Hall. Last year was a blast! Girls and guys…Don’t miss out this year! Come join me today, on V-Day. Support your sisters by rising and dancing to put an end to violence and gender inequality for women and girls.

Last Year at One Billion Rising:

San Francisco Uses Valentine’s Day to Draw Attention to Sexual Abuse Against Women

This Valentine’s Day, San Francisco is hosting a seemingly a-typical Cupid event, yet one that’s probably more compelling than any Hallmark bouquet you might get.

 For the second year in a row, city leaders will welcome “One Billion Rising for Justice Day,” a global campaign spanning 207 countries that raises awareness of domestic and sexual abuse against women. One Billion Rising began in 2013 in response to the alarming statistic that one in three women throughout the world will experience sexual or domestic abuse in their lives. The campaign invites survivors of abuse and their allies to join in solidarity to fight against the oppression and humiliation inflicted upon victims.

On Feb. 14, from 4-6 pm, thousands are expected to gather at City Hall in San Francisco to dance in support of One Billion Rising. The evening will include musical performances by the Black Eyed Peas and Taiko Drummers from Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts. There will be appearances by many city leaders, including Mayor Ed Lee, District Attorney George Gascón,V-Day Executive Director Susan Celia Swan, Commission on the Status of Women President Nancy Kirschner-Rodriguez and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu.

Last week, Chiu proposed a resolution confirming the city’s adoption of “One Billion Rising for Justice day” this year. The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the resolution tomorrow at their regular board meeting.

Mariya Taher, the Community Liaison Manager at Women Organized to Make Abuse Nonexistent (WOMAN Inc.), an agency that helps victims of domestic abuse in San Francisco, says she thinks that the “One Billion Rising for Justice Day” is a necessary reminder that gender discrimination happens right here in San Francisco. “The well-known statistic that 1 in every 3 women will be a victim of gender violence is a horrible reality and this also means that the likelihood of you knowing someone who is a survivor of gender violence and/or sexual assault is very real,” says Taher.

In conjunction with the event, VDAY has organized a free legal clinic at UC Hastings to consult survivors of domestic and sexual assault. Throughout the day, volunteer attorneys will provide legal advice to survivors of abuse who are facing problems, including employment and immigration issues.

Taher says that the importance of recognizing and eliminating violence in the city is a community effort. She concedes that domestic abuse and sexual assault not only affect women, but are also on the rise in the LGBTQ community in San Francisco. Although the event draws attention to the prevalence of sexual assault, it is also a time to “celebrate the strength of survivors who have undergone these experiences.

“It is a global movement, and it’s time to dance in protest of the violence that occurs in our communities today,” says Taher.

A powerful video showing the abuse of women…and women rising.

*****

Readers: I’ve written so many times about the repubs trying to take away our rights of our bodies. Telling us what we can and cannot do. I can’t tell you how many more writes I have in my queue, about this. It’s time to end this madness. This means that we all need to participate in more than one way. It means blogging about it, and supporting women by attending events such as One Billion Rising, and writing congress. All of us (women and men) need to care enough to do something.

Men: The best thing you can do for your woman and for the wonderful women of this world for Valentine’s day…really any day…is put an end to the violence and abuse toward women and girls. What will you do in support?

It’s a bit quiet out there. How about flapping your lips?! It’s Friday…Its V-day…It’s Valentine’s Day. No excuse…Your lips should be flapping today for so many reasons!

Last but not least…thank you Eve Ensler for your strength, passion and dedication to helping women and girls RISE.

Happy Friday! Happy V-day! Happy Valentine’s Day! Blog me. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Here’s The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly About The Bipartisan Bill To Restore The Voting Rights Act

On Thursday, Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and John Conyers (D-MI) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) plan to introduce bipartisan legislation that will undo much of the damage done by the Roberts Court’s 5-4 decision to neuter a key prong of the Voting Rights Act. Since its enactment in 1965, the Voting Rights Act required states with a record of racial voter suppression to “preclear” any new voting laws with the Department of Justice or a federal court in D.C. The Supreme Court’s decision last June struck down the formula that determined which states are subject to this preclearance regime, effectively halting federal supervision of many states that were actively engaged in voter suppression.

Prior to the Roberts Court’s decision, nine states were subject in their entirety to the preclearance requirement, and parts of six others were also covered. Notably, much of the state of North Carolina, which recently enacted the most aggressive voter suppression law in the nation, was covered under the old formula.

The bipartisan fix to the Roberts Court’s decision creates a new formula that would initially lead to far fewer states being covered by preclearance. As the Nation’s Ari Berman explains, the new formula requires preclearance in states “with five violations of federal law to their voting changes over the past fifteen years,” and to localities “if they commit three or more violations or have one violation and ‘persistent, extremely low minority turnout’ over the past fifteen years.” The upshot of this new formula is that only four states, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas will immediately be subject to preclearance in their entirety. Notably, none of these four states are North Carolina, with its comprehensive voter suppression law.

The other piece of bad news is that the bipartisan bill creates a special carve-out for voter ID laws. Voter ID, which requires voters to show a photo ID before they can cast a ballot, are one of the most common voter suppression tactics in the country. Though their proponents claim that they are necessary to prevent voter fraud at the polls, such fraud is virtually non-existent. Indeed, a Wisconsin study found that just 0.00023 percent of votes are the product of in-person voter fraud, so a person is more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit fraud at the polls.

What voter ID does accomplish that it removes many low-income, student and minority voters from the electorate, all of which are groups that tend to favor Democrats over Republicans. Yet, despite their impact on racial minorities, the bipartisan voting bill will not count voter ID laws as a violation of federal voting rights that that can be used to subject a state to preclearance. Berman reports that this special carve out for these racially discriminatory laws was necessary to secure the support of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and some other Republicans.

It should be noted, however, that while voter ID laws cannot be used to bring a state under the preclearance requirement, the bipartisan bill will allow them to be blocked in states that are already subject to preclearance — either under the new formula or under another provision that will be discussed shortly. In this sense, the bipartisan bill appears to be a compromise between a radical proposal hinted at by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) — that voter ID be exempt from the Voting Rights Act entirely — and the pre-Roberts Court status quo. Nevertheless, there is a risk that the bipartisan voting bill will allow voter ID laws in some states to be grandfathered in if they are enacted during a period when the state is not subject to preclearance.

So that’s the bad news for supporters of voting rights. The biggest piece of good news is that the law does not just create a new formula that will immediately subject a handful of states to preclearance, it also strengthens the ability of courts to bring states and localities engaged in voter discrimination under the preclearance umbrella. Currently, the Justice Department is suing Texas andNorth Carolina under Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act, a provision which allows a state to be made subject to preclearance if a court finds “violations of the fourteenth or fifteenth amendment justifying equitable relief have occurred within the territory of such State or political subdivision.”

The problem with Section 3, however, is that it is widely understood to require the Justice Department to prove that Texas and North Carolina enacted voter suppression laws with the intent of disenfranchising voters because of their race. Proving intent is a challenge in any context — neither judges nor attorneys are mind readers — so DOJ faces a difficult road ahead under current law. The bipartisan bill will strengthen Section 3 so that “any violation of the VRA or federal voting rights law – whether intentional or not – can be grounds for a bail-in.” This is a really big deal. Big enough that it probably justifies paying the high price Cantor and others have demanded in order to revive the Voting Rights Act.

So on balance, this is a good bill for voting rights. It will improve the baseline significantly from the post-Roberts Court status quo, and will make it much, much easier to hold states like North Carolina accountable for voter suppression. Nevertheless, two caveats are in order.

The first is that anyone who remembers what happened after the Senate passed a bipartisan immigration bill knows that it is always dangerous to bet on progressive legislation surviving contact with the GOP-controlled House. Majority Leader Cantor’s apparent support for the bill is a good sign that it may pass, but it remains to be seen whether that support can be relied upon or whether he can deliver the votes necessary to pass the bill into law.

The second is that there is always some risk that the very conservative Roberts Court will object to this bill as well. The Court’s June decision gutting the Voting Rights Act includes some language suggesting that any preclearance formula is unconstitutional unless it is limited to states engaged in the kind of “‘pervasive,’ ‘flagrant,’ ‘widespread,’ and ‘rampant’ discrimination that faced Congress in 1965.”If the Roberts Court applies such a standard in future cases, not even North Carolina is likely to be susceptible to preclearance — though it remains to be seen whether the five conservative justices would actually go this far.

In other words, the biggest challenge facing voting rights advocates is that they must overcome two lawmaking bodies controlled by very conservative officials — the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court of the United States. Should they clear these hurdles, however, this bipartisan proposal would go a long way towards fixing the damage caused by the Roberts Court last June, and its amendments to Section 3 would actually make American voting rights law more robust in some ways than it was before Chief Justice Roberts got his hands on it.

*****

Readers: New topic for today. However I am sort of stuck on the topic from the last few days. Feel free to comment on whatever pulls at you. Or introduce something new. :)

So many interesting comments to Bee and women like Bee. All I can say is good stuff. Nothing really new to add except I want to address one commenter…

Morris: I appreciate you sharing your story as it inspired me to think deeper on it when I was discussing your comment to a male friend. It sounds to me like you got married young. So, your wife made a mistake and slept with you on the first date. You wanted her to and you got her to. Young girls do that all of the time – they don’t know any better. (So do mature women, but they should know better.) Between males telling girls that they aren’t worth much and tricking them into feeling that if they don’t give it up on the first date they’ll not see the man again, it is challenging for a young girl who doesn’t have a sense of herself, nor know herself, or her value, to say no and wait.

However, you still married her because you fell in love with her, and to this day still love her as much. And although you felt she was a great mother, wife and partner, you still hold onto this one thing, and have not gotten over it. With all of the wonderful things that you respect and love about your wife, it is too bad that you let the fact that she slept with you on the first date, and continually questioned her faithfulness, bother you for so long.

What I don’t understand is you felt that the marriage license was a “wedding pact” for you not to cheat on your wife, (And you didn’t. I congratulate you for upholding your end of the “pact.”) however, you didn’t trust that the piece of paper, the “wedding pact,” would also be upheld on your wife’s end.

The last time I checked it seems to be that men are more prone to cheat on their wives than women cheating on their husbands. So I find it interesting that because she made this one mistake, when she was young, which has bothered you ever since, yet you still loved her enough to marry her, that you could not afford her the same trust in her upholding her end of the “wedding pact.”

It reminds me of a commenter who felt that it was no big deal to cheat on his wife, yet, if she did the same and cheated on him, it would be something that he would never forgive.

In my opinion, it is unfortunate that you never got over it. Because women have a sense about these things, I can only imagine how your wife must’ve felt, knowing how uncomfortable your first sexual encounter made you feel throughout your entire marriage. And knowing that you never really trusted her to not fuck a man that she may have liked. Even if she never cheated on you, which I am guessing she didn’t, or would never cheat on you, she probably had to live with the fact that you never totally trusted her and thought that she would.

Your uncomfortableness was that she slept with you on her first date, didn’t value herself, and couldn’t be trusted. Her uncomfortableness may have been that you felt that because of her youth and sleeping with you on the first date, that you didn’t trust that she valued herself enough to be faithful to you. I really don’t know – I am just putting myself in her shoes and guessing.

She may have grown to really know herself, respect herself and know her value. But she may have felt that no matter what she did, no matter how great of a wife, mother or partner she was, you would not trust her totally, nor think she was as valuable as she had grown to know and be.

I really don’t know but that is my gut feeling. And I HOPE you don’t mind me expressing it.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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