Good morning!

Readers: Sorry for the late post. I published it at 9:40 AM, but just discovered it was in “pending”. Not sure how it got there. 

Carl: Just the definition of the words are so telling. I don’t understand why someone would be proud to call themselves a “conservative”, when the word itself is so unappealing, so closed minded.

Yes, Alycedale, I will assume they did. Let’s HOPE that their eyes have been opened and they have smartened up enough to dump the ignorant, could care less,  LSOS at the polls.

Herba: Although this book has been out for years, I have yet to read it. Thanks for the reminder.

Speaking of…your comment prompted me to post this interesting article, and to order Wolf’s new book  “Vagina”. Thanks again.

Not Seeing the C-Word (Or Even the V-Word)

I can report that the sky has not fallen. The end of days has not come.

The Apple iTunes Bookstore continues to function as normal, despite an about-turn which means that a reader seeking Naomi Wolf’s new book can now search for ‘Vagina’ and not, as was initially the case, be dazzled by a row of typographical stars from the ‘V****a’ firmament.

The odd flush of coyness which at first colored Apple’s cheeks was easily overcome. The corporate behemoth quickly responded to its customers’ demands and started treating them as adults. But we forget the retailer’s preliminary recalcitrance about the word ‘vagina’ at our peril. Apple emphasized, in its silly censorship, the urgent need for a book such as the one Wolf has written.

Further, the recent spate of Wolf-baiting by reviewers of her book also serves to emphasize the publication’s timeliness. Twitter, that cultural zeitgeist, is an especially fertile breeding-ground for virulent comments. Here, the uninformed and the unkind weigh in with their vitriol, turning not to the book itself, but to other reviews as the bearers of meaning.

The tone of these assessments of Vagina was set by the reviewer who openly tweeted: “I haven’t read it yet,” but who went ahead and wrote a review anyhow, headed: “We deserve better than this claptrap.” Another tweeter delighted in the fact that a different reviewer “tore Naomi Wolf a new one.” This language is shot through with poison and hatred — and, in a powerful irony, is just what Wolf addresses in her book. Uncritical and malicious dismissals of Wolf’s latest work simply confirm the validity of its arguments.

Those arguments highlight an uncomfortable truth for many of Wolf’s detractors. For until we have a language and a platform for talking honestly about women’s bodies and sexual drives, we’re doomed into a cycle of objectification and silence. It’s telling that so much of the criticism of Naomi Wolf has been ad hominem (or, more accurately, perhaps, ad feminam): attacking the author, and not the book.

Wolf’s book is so important precisely because she has brought to light the power and — dare I say, mystery — of female sexuality. We inhabit a culture where women’s genitals are routinely commodified, at best, and butchered at worst. Wolf has stuck her head above the parapet and has demanded a nuanced debate which has, alas, emerged in only a few quarters.

Even the most cursory glance at the etymologies behind the vocabulary used in talking about women’s bodies suggests that much still needs to be done. What does it mean to live in a culture where the most awful epithet is the only accurate term for describing a woman’s genitals? What does it mean to stop the c-word being the seen-word?

Some may argue that Wolf’s title is a misnomer. But what alternatives did she have? Germaine Greer rightly rejected the word “vagina” some years ago because of its etymological associations with a “swordsheath”; and, despite the best efforts of the writer Inga Muscio, few publishers are going to contemplate calling a book C***. The woman, and far less, man, on the street, probably isn’t sure what a “vulva” is; and if we turn to that odd word “pudenda,” we quickly find its Latinate associations with “shame.”

Feminists should celebrate a plurality of feminisms. We should welcome diverse voices to the debate. When those voices are “wrong,” we should build counter-arguments and articulate and negotiate our differences. All new ideas, all paradigm shifts and tipping points, are signaled by a left-field agitation such as the one Vagina supplies. They are also usually greeted with a skepticism born of fear and fueled by hate.

The tweeters and reviewers who denigrate Wolf and her book shun intellectual difficulty, instead flimsily establishing easier and frequently ad hominem critiques. They want Wolf to have written a different book. Well, she didn’t. And emptily decrying the one that she did write will not advance crucial debates about women’s bodies one jot.

******

Readers:  One can think about it…desire it…covet it…and they do. But please don’t say it. Vagina VAGINA VAGINA. Ahhh…that feels good. Rolls off the tongue nicely doesn’t it?

Hank: I’ll answer with a resounding “Yes”!

Gary: You’re either a tiny dick white boy, completely stupid, or my best guess, both. Speaking of responsibility and accountability, I think you’re missing something very important – we need responsible voters who can be held accountable for the choices they make. Do you understand?

Zen Lill: I HOPE you and yours are doing better.

I think I’m done for the day. Your turn. 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!

If you’ve been watching the news like I have, Akin seems to be getting his 15 minutes…and really more, whether he wants it or not. I found this article that tells the disgusting thoughts that go through the minds of some men.

Akin’s Spiritual Mentor: Women Occasionally Invite Rape, Victims Are ‘Hysterical’

By Zack Beauchamp on Aug 20, 2012 at 11:37 am

Reverend D. James Kennedy (Left) and Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO).

Rep. Todd Akin’s (R-MO) spiritual mentor Reverend D. James Kennedy harbored extreme and sometimes flatly misogynistic views about rape and abortion, according to a ThinkProgress review of Kennedy’s sermons on the topic. The Senate candidate, who set off a massive controversy by claimingthis weekend that victims of “legitimate rape” don’t get pregnant, has deep ties to Reverend Kennedy, having cited some of his sermons as key intellectual influences and having been namedin Kennedy’s book How Would Jesus Vote? as one of the Reverend’s “favorite statesman.”

Kennedy, who the Anti-Defamation League has termed a “Christian supremacist,” repeatedly railed against legalized abortion, calling it the “American Holocaust” and suggesting that it would lead inevitably to genocide in the United States. But Kennedy’s discussions of rape and abortion in particular betray extraordinarily disturbing views about rape victims:

1. Kennedy believed that rape victims who chose abortion are “hysterical.” In “Abortion: Myths and Realities,” Kennedy labels victims of rape who chose unsafe abortions when safer procedures are illegal “hysterical,” saying “We are told by some of the radical feminists that the women will become hysterical, that they will abort themselves with coat hanger.” Abortion rates are, in fact, higher in nations where the procedure is criminalized, and men describing women whose choices they disapprove of as “hysterical” has a storied sexist history.

2. Kennedy suggests rape victims can be responsible for being raped. In “Life: An Inalienable Right,” Kennedy expresses concern that rape victims who chose to get an abortion are occasionally responsible for their own rape, saying that “Even if they want to say the woman had some part in it—which in most cases they probably don’t—surely the baby did nothing wrong, so the only innocent party is killed and the rapist often goes free.” He doesn’t elaborate on how this might be true, but another Kennedy sermon says “the immodest woman is contributing to the lust of other people” by wearing revealing clothing.

3. Kennedy held that the Bible should set our laws about rape and abortion. Kennedy is very explicit on this point, saying “In the Bible, the child of rape was allowed to live and the rapist was put to death. Today, we find that the penalties against rape have become more and more lenient, whereas the child is now the subject of capital punishment. Justice has been totally destroyed and perverted in that the guilty are practically allowed to go free and the innocent are killed.” This fits with Kennedy’s general view that we should “rebuild America based on the Bible.”

4. Kennedy thought husbands should determine if their wives can have abortions. Though not specifically addressing rape, Kennedy approvingly cited a Roman prohibition on abortion motivated by the husbands should have control over women’s reproductive choice, saying “That newly created life is as much the husband’s as it is the wife’s. Historically, it is interesting to note that when the Roman Empire did away with laws that allowed abortion, it was done not because of the woman or the harm that abortions were doing to women (and indeed they do vastly more harm than most people are aware of), but because the husband was being defrauded of his progeny.” Interestingly, Akinhas worried that criminalizing marital rape provides women “a legal weapon to beat up on the husband.”

Given that Akin’s rhetoric and policy views bear clear marks of Kennedy’s influence, it’s perhaps no surprise that Akin co-sponsored (with Paul Ryan) a bill that could, by limiting federal funding of abortion to cases of “forcible rape,” make rape survivors give birth to their rapist’s child.

*****

Readers: What do you have to say about this? Blog me.

So many compelling comments from yesterday and the day before. I just perused them but I need to catch up and comment because there are some that I really want to address. Let’s see how much time I’ve got.

Holly: I love a girl who sees the glass half full. I HOPE the skies are shining blue on you today in Missouri.

KS: Bravo to your comment. Sounds perfectly logical to me.

XXX: Why should one only be blessed once? If you want a second shot at ecstasy, give me a call. I am tempted to say I will pencil you in but we both know that you are way bigger than a pencil. I would say more, but at the risk of losing my ladylike modesty, I will simply say, you give as good as you get.

Brittany: That is a good question. At this point I don’t even think it is common sense but just stupidity. I am assuming that you read Talibah’s comment from yesterday’s write.

I rarely skip around when commenting to readers that I want to address, but since you broached the subject I have to first say to Talibah: You are so right on. We do suffer much in the same way, and that is frightening to me. Especially because with everything that is happening in the republican party…with men (not all) that just can’t seem to leave our vagina’s alone and out of the political environment, our rights are in danger. We are not far from losing all that way have unless we act fervently.

This is not the time to sit back and be dispassionate.  Any woman not voting, and I know 1 or 2 women that don’t, (stupid) is a vote for the other side. It is frustrating, infuriating and stupid when women have a voice, a voting right, and don’t exercise their rights and use it for their own health, life, and betterment of all concerned.

As you stated, “American women GIVE their men over and over again the right to control their bodies and lives.”

We women have the power at the polls. If we don’t we will lose them, plain and simple because although there are men who support us, there are not enough. Hell, there aren’t enough women who support women.

With this kind of radical, no longer fringe, thinking,  republican women just have to come to their senses. But when I read comments from Charlotte and Frances, my conclusion is yes, white women (not all) are that stupid. But I still HOPE and continue to talk about it. One just can’t give up when it comes to these kinds of issues.

Mary, and all of the other women who are anti abortion: Think about it this way – what if the shoe was reversed? Say our planet was over populated and we were running out of resources. Or maybe men just decided that they wanted to control women in a very extreme way (sounds familiar huh?)

What if the law were that all women had to abort babies? No more babies allowed. And lots of women who were on board with this idea to “save the planet” or they were just following their men lock step.

How would you feel then? Forget getting all the mens’ support. And there would be no way to get all women to vote their needs over saving the planet, or sadly, to speak their own minds. So would you be fighting for pro-choice? Would you be telling everyone to just stay out of your vagina –  that you should be able to have a baby if you wanted one? No doubt you would.

Does the scenario sound pretty extreme? Well it is and that is how we pro-choice women feel the way it is today.

If you want to have a baby then you have that choice, but then allow me as well the choice to make the hard decision to have an abortion if that is what is best or needed in my life. That sounds fair and logical to me. But for some reason I know the extremists won’t want to give in to this logic.

The freedom to choose: We all deserve it. This is an area where women can support women, and sadly, the support is not strongly there.

I am done for the day. Your turn. Blog me.

Peace & Love and ladies…don’t be apathetic when it comes to your rights of your body, your health.

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!

I cannot express it enough: “STAY OUT OF MY VAGINA!”. No, no, no….I’m not talking to the lovers in my life :), I’m talking to those PTP LSOS republicans that can’t seem to mind their own business when it comes to womens’ VAGINAS.

And, please somebody tell me what is going on with some women in this country….because I am dumbfounded by the dumb women in this country who refuse to take control of their bodies, and the decisions made about their bodies, by handing the decision making over to a man.

Yes, I am talking to you women who do this – you know who you are.  If this election doesn’t inspire you to dump the repubs, your man, or anyone else who tries to control you, your body, I am afraid nothing will. And that, girls,  is a scary thing for all of us. But I refuse to give up HOPE that the dumb ones will come to their senses. Before election time please.

Here’s the latest on the PTP LSOS republicans trying to get into our pants, up our skirts, and whatever else they need to do to take control and change our vagina rights:

The Two Abortion Wars: A Highly Intrusive Federal Bill

Readers: What more can I say? Your turn. Blog me.

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 2008-2012

“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!

So, I am posting later than usual. I wanted to write something today but I have been having internet problems this morning, not to mention a visit from AT&T. All resolved, so I am just going post a write that I thought was good for a Sunday morning post.

Why Moms and Daughters Can Never Really Be Friends

Be honest: What mother-daughter pair among us hasn’t watched reruns of Gilmore Girls (or the more current tween smash Pretty Little Liars) and wished — at least a little bit — that we, too, could be just like Lorelai and Rory? Exchanging witty banter, enjoying each other’s company for days on end, chatting on the phone three times an hour? Or maybe you have that sort of relationship. These days — much more so than when I was growing up — many moms and daughters do. They act less like parent-children than old college roommates. A friend once told me she and her 20-something daughter went halfsies on a subscription to Teen Vogue. “I like the fashion,” she told me, though I think there was more to it.

Indeed, this generation of moms and daughters has more in common with one another than ever before. They share clothes, they share secrets. In some cases, giving rise to the notion of cougars and MILFs, they even share men. And now they’ve got their own reality show: VH1′s in-the-works Mama Drama will chronicle Dina Lohan-types who “share drinks, wardrobes, and social lives with their daughters, and occasionally need to be reminded that they’re the parent.” In a recent New York Magazine story, mother and daughter Julie and Samantha Bilinkas have matching t-shirts, catchphrases, and workout routines. At 50 and 19, respectively, they’re such good friends — and so physically similar — that they’re often mistaken for girlfriends, both in the friendly and the romantic sense. I don’t know which is worse.

Let’s put aside the more commonly-asked question these days — that is, should you be Facebook friends with your children — and get down to a much more basic quandary: Can you be real life friends with them? Can mothers and daughters ever be friends, truly? More — should they be?

I understand why it may seem perfectly harmless. The mother-daughter BFF trap is an easy one to fall into. (And yes — I do mean trap.) We have come to believe that treating children as adults has benefits. There’s the sense that befriending our children — and especially our daughters — will cause them to behave better, rebel less. After all, the reasoning goes, teens are less likely to spout off to their friends (if only slightly) than to their mothers; why not approach mothering more like friendship? If we treat our kids like “one of us,” will they respect us more? Will we have more control over them? Will they like us better?

At any age, but especially as girls grow into young women, mothers like to feel connected to their daughters and, in many cases, their daughters’ friends. At a time when there is so much societal pressure to stay young, this helps keep us feeling youthful. It also helps us feel appreciated long after our children stop “needing” us to survive. And it’s a form of validation: We’re cool enough that our children actually want to hang out with us! Maybe we even look closer to their age than to our own, thanks to Botox and all the other cosmetic enhancements now available at our fingertips. Which, of course, begs the question: If we’re so afraid to be mothers, why did we do it in the first place?

The fact is that the mother-daughter best friendship doesn’t leave much room for the traditional role of being a mom. Or, for that matter, being a daughter. For one thing, when the best friend role trumps the mother role, a competitive dynamic can emerge. Take Alexis and Mimi. Twenty-three-year-old Alexis has always been very close to her mom, though sometimes Mimi “is a little… intense,” says Alexis. “When I was a teenager I couldn’t buy anything without my mom’s approval — and it wasn’t about money,” she says. “She loves fashion, and just wants me to know her opinion.” This need for Mimi’s approval has been tough to shake — for both of them. Sometimes, when Alexis comes home to her parents’ house for the weekend, Mimi will question something her daughter is wearing, or her haircut, or her color eye shadow. “I guess she’s looking out for me, but now I’m nervous to pick things out for myself,” says Alexis. “Like I think, should I be wearing this to work? Sometimes I can’t tell. I don’t think things look that bad. But, I don’t know, maybe she’s seeing something I’m not.”

More likely, it’s that Mimi — consciously or not — is living vicariously through Alexis. Or maybe she likes the control and sense of purpose. Because if whatever Alexis does is never quite up to snuff until Mimi steps in, her role as mother will never be diminished. But the sad side effect for Alexis is that she’ll have a hard time believing that anything she does on her own is good enough.

Thirty-year-old Julie tells her mom, Kat, everything — mostly. Growing up, Julie would bring her friends home to get advice from Kat on “just about anything: boys, makeup, whatever,” says Julie. “She was the ‘cool mom.’” Since she got married, though, Julie’s moved towards more of a “need to know” model, especially when it comes to her husband. “I used to tell my mom everything about Billy, like when we first started dating,” she says. “But at one point, he was like, ‘You don’t tell your mom about our sex life, do you?’ He was furious, and mortified, and I saw his point. Obviously I wouldn’t have wanted him to talk about me with his dad!” Julie’s closeness with Kat had caused trouble in other ways. Whenever she and Billy argued, she’d turn to Kat for advice, like she always had — until she was unable to react without her mother’s input. “I’d have to call her up and be like, ‘This happened. Should I be mad?’ It was almost like there were three of us in the relationship.” That’s because there were.

As mothers, we want our daughters to grow up to be, at least in theory, independent. We want them to feel loved, and we want to feel love ourselves. But when we’re over involved, even if our girls actually like telling us all their deepest and darkest secrets, at some point, they’ll lose confidence in themselves. They’ll question their ability to make their own decisions. They’ll remain children, indefinitely — and not in a good way. Like in the case of Julie and Billy, being “married to Mom” can interfere in a daughter’s ability to form close relationships with anyone else but her mother, including her husband. Or she won’t learn how to parent her own kids. Why should she? Mom’s right there doing it for her. Like writer Lena Dunham, creator of HBO’s Girls, has said of her parents, “I feel like I’m constantly asking them to please stay out of my work life but also to please bring me soup.” She’s being funny, but that’s not a relationship. That’s a service agreement.

But perhaps most importantly, unlike a best friend, a mother and daughter relationship is permanent. This makes it naturally more intimate — and more intense. There’s a hierarchy that exists — or should — between moms and daughters that doesn’t exist between friends. You’re not equals and you’re not supposed to be.

This doesn’t mean that mothers and daughters shouldn’t enjoy each other’s company. They can even tell each other secrets, once in a while. Just remember to honor the boundaries. The mother-daughter relationship is special enough in its natural form. Breaking away won’t make your bond with each other weaker. In fact, it’ll make you both stronger.

*******

Readers: My mother and I are not BFF, and I am perfectly fine with that. I was never one to call my mother everyday and chat on the phone for hours on end…and quite frankly, I like it that way. I like the relationship my mother and I have…we each have our independance and we both enjoy our company together. She has her best friends and I have mine. Again, I like it that way.

What do you have to say?…Anything? 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!

I really have so much more that I want to say about yesterday’s topic and I am tempted to respond to the comments, but I think it is best if I refrain and just say this:

I know that the best thing for me when I want to be successful in something, is to find out all I can about that particular thing I am interested in. Men included. Here we have a man who is telling women how men think. It is coming straight from the dog’s mouth, and put into print for women to read. I don’t want to get into the details of the book because I haven’t read it yet, but I can’t help but just say one thing. Why would a man, knowing that men want to get lucky every night of the week, suggest you wait 90 days before you have sex, if it wasn’t something that he knew women would benefit from?  Why tell? Why inform women, when it obviously doesn’t benefit men who want to get lucky every night of the week, for women to know this? It’s really that simple.

Obviously some women don’t see the value in that nor the book. That is perfectly fine. If that is your thoughts, don’t read it. If it sounds interesting, read it. It seems like it won’t take much of your time if you do. And if the advice sounds good, and Harvey’s logic makes sense, try it. If not, throw the book away. It’s your choice. It’s really that simple.

Me? I plan on reading it. Now that I am single, and yes, my status is now “officially and legally single”, I think the book is especially worth reading. And I intend to read it. I praise this dog for writing this book. I am grateful that his lips are flapping because I am still blown away at some of the actions of men. So yes, anything I can learn from a man who informs me of what’s going on in the big heads of men, I want to know. It’s really that simple.

So enough said from me, onto today’s topic:

I wanted to post a write “Texas to Test Voting Rights Act in U.S. District Court” after Anonz’s comment over a week ago, but other things came up. If you’re interested in reading that particular write, click here first because I think it is a good article to read.

However, if you happen to have read it, here is the latest on the same subject:

Texas: State voter ID law does not discriminate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for the state of Texas argued Friday that a contentious voter ID law should go forward because it doesn’t limit minorities’ right to vote and, therefore, does not violate the federal Voting Rights Act.

Justice Department attorneys argued just the opposite, saying the law requiring voters to show valid, government-issued photo identification at the polls is exactly the type of statute that the act, passed in 1965, was designed to prevent.

Both sides gave closing arguments Friday after a weeklong trial about the Texas law, passed last year by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature. Texas currently only requires voters to show their voter registration cards, which do not have photos, or another acceptable alternative form of ID such as a driver’s license or utility bill.

Texas’ voter ID law is similar to laws passed by GOP-controlled legislatures in Georgia and Indiana.

The Justice Department blocked the Texas law in March, citing the Voting Rights Act. Texas sued the Justice Department, sending the case to federal court in Washington. A three-judge panel is set to decide the fate of the law.

It’s not clear when the judges will make a ruling. The presiding judge, Rosemary Collyer, said they would try to have a decision in “quick order.” The judges have said they would like to rule before November’s elections.

Attorney John Hughes, who argued for Texas, said the state had met its burden, showing through expert witnesses, social science studies and its own dissection of the Justice Department’s evidence that there was little cause to believe any eligible voter would be unable to vote because of the ID law.

“People who want to vote already have ID or an ability to get it,” Hughes said.

He said if the Justice Department’s argument that thousands would be disenfranchised by the Texas law were valid, the courtroom would have been full of witnesses testifying in support of that point.

Hughes also reiterated other arguments Texas had made throughout the week: that public opinion backs voter ID laws, that Texas lawmakers had the integrity of votes — not the suppression of minority voters on their mind — when they passed the law, and that other states that have passed ID laws have not seen a drop in turnout.

The three judges hearing the case seemed skeptical of Hughes’ arguments, interrupting him repeatedly with questions. Judge Robert Wilkins asked Hughes how Texas could require some rural voters to drive more than 100 miles to get a new voter ID card when under current law a person cannot be required to travel more than 100 miles for a subpoena.

Matthew Colangelo, in the Justice Department’s closing argument, said Texas’ law should be thrown out under the Voting Rights Act because of a number of factors, including the atmosphere in which the law was passed, statistical evidence about its effects and the fact that it creates new barriers to voting.

“It’s exactly the kind of law Congress had in mind when it passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965,” he said of the act, which was passed as a safeguard on minority voting rights.

Colangelo noted that the ID law in Texas was passed against a backdrop of “tremendous population growth” in the state’s Hispanic community. Texas added 4 million people to its population between 2000 and 2010, he said, and 90 percent of them were Hispanics.

“Texas has acted to take away Latino voting strength as it’s on the verge of growing” he said.

Colangelo cited testimony that Democrats in the Texas Legislature gave earlier in the week. They said normal rules were suspended to speed along the voter ID bill.

He also argued that the law simply made it more difficult for people to vote, calling it “a new barrier that will disenfranchise.”

The judges also interrupted Colangelo at times during his closing argument, pressing him to clarify his points. But they didn’t ask him as many questions as they did Hughes.

Closing arguments also came Friday from lawyers for several intervening groups who have joined the Justice Department in opposition to Texas’ law. One of the attorneys, Gerald Hebert, said the law would hurt the poor. He referred to it as “merely a pretext, a cloak for voter suppression.”

“It will harm the poor, the downtrodden, the destitute,” he said. “How mean-spirited, how callous can you be?”

******

Readers: I have blogged about the disenfranchisement of voters, especially OTW voters. This is not a time to be silent when it comes to our right to vote.

Now, this girl has got to go. Your turn. What are you thinking? 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"