Below is the cover of TIME magazine. It is a shocking photo of a young girl with a mutilated face, thanks to the Taliban and the help of her husband and in-laws. The story inside tells of Aisha’s attempt to flight and fight for her life, resulting in the cutting off of her nose and both her ears. There is no word to describe this atrocity. “Devastating” just doesn’t cover it.

When I try to get into the minds of the kind of men who commit this kind of devastation, and try to understand how they can be so unmoved, so unfeeling, I of course, can not. It is crazy to think that I could grasp one bit of understanding, when there is no reason for this atrocity to happen – There is no reasoning with men like this. They are something that I am not. Evil, pure evil.

Who could be so cruel to torture and maim a woman? Evil.

The Taliban pounded on the door just before midnight, demanding that Aisha, 18, be punished for running away from her husband’s house. Her in-laws treated her like a slave, Aisha pleaded. They beat her. If she hadn’t run away, she would have died. Her judge, a local Taliban commander, was unmoved. Aisha’s brother-in-law held her down while her husband pulled out a knife. First he sliced off her ears. Then he started on her nose.

This didn’t happen 10 years ago, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan. It happened last year. Now hidden in a secret women’s shelter in Kabul, Aisha listens obsessively to the news. Talk that the Afghan government is considering some kind of political accommodation with the Taliban frightens her. “They are the people that did this to me,” she says, touching her damaged face. “How can we reconcile with them?”

(See pictures of Afghan women and the return of the Taliban.)

In June, Afghan President Hamid Karzai established a peace council tasked with exploring negotiations with the Taliban. A month later, Tom Malinowski from Human Rights Watch met Karzai. During their conversation, Karzai mused on the cost of the conflict in human lives and wondered aloud if he had any right to talk about human rights when so many were dying. “He essentially asked me,” says Malinowski, “What is more important, protecting the right of a girl to go to school or saving her life?” How Karzai and his international allies answer that question will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Afghanistan’s women, but the country as a whole.

(Watch TIME’s video on photographing Aisha for the cover.)

As the war in Afghanistan enters its ninth year, the need for an exit strategy weighs on the minds of U.S. policymakers. Such an outcome, it is assumed, would involve reconciliation with the Taliban. But Afghan women fear that in the quest for a quick peace, their progress may be sidelined. “Women’s rights must not be the sacrifice by which peace is achieved,” says parliamentarian Fawzia Koofi.

(Comment on this story.)

Yet that may be where negotiations are heading. The Taliban will be advocating a version of an Afghan state in line with their own conservative views, particularly on the issue of women’s rights. Already there is a growing acceptance that some concessions to the Taliban are inevitable if there is to be genuine reconciliation. “You have to be realistic,” says a diplomat in Kabul. “We are not going to be sending troops and spending money forever. There will have to be a compromise, and sacrifices will have to be made.”

For Afghanistan’s women, an early withdrawal of international forces could be disastrous. An Afghan refugee who grew up in Canada, Mozhdah Jamalzadah recently returned home to launch an Oprah-style talk show in which she has been able to subtly introduce questions of women’s rights without provoking the ire of religious conservatives. On a recent episode, a male guest told a joke about a foreign human-rights team in Afghanistan. In the cities, the team noticed that women walked six paces behind their husbands. But in rural Helmand, where the Taliban is strongest, they saw a woman six steps ahead. The foreigners rushed to congratulate the husband on his enlightenment – only to be told that he stuck his wife in front because they were walking through a minefield. As the audience roared with laughter, Jamalzadah reflected that it may take about 10 to 15 years before Afghan women can truly walk alongside men. But once they do, she believes, all Afghans will benefit. “When we talk about women’s rights,” Jamalzadah says, “we are talking about things that are important to men as well – men who want to see Afghanistan move forward. If you sacrifice women to make peace, you are also sacrificing the men who support them and abandoning the country to the fundamentalists that caused all the problems in the first place.”

(See picture s Muslim women leading a soft revolution.)

TIME Magazine Cover Explains What Happens To Afghan Women If ‘We Leave Afghanistan,’ But That Tragedy Is Already Occurring

- Huff Po.

Time Magazine is out with a new cover story that attempts to explain “What Happens If We Leave Afghanistan.” The piece is accompanied by a powerful portrait of Aisha, an Afghan woman who had her nose and ears cut off by Taliban decree after attempting to escape abusive family members. The intense image sets the scene for the crux of the article’s argument — that the rights of Afghan women would be destroyed by a potential settlement between the U.S. and the Taliban.

As Time’s Aryn Baker writes, the U.S looks potentially poised to negotiate with the Taliban in what she calls the “quest for a quick peace.” Though this trade-off could provide some semblance of stability in Afghanistan, a condition would presumably set the table for an eventual drawdown of U.S. troops, Baker argues that it would come at a devastating price for the nation’s women.

Though such a conclusion does raise a number of concerns about the terms of an American withdrawal, it also seems to overlook a variety of tragic conditions that Afghan women currently face, even with the heavy U.S. military and diplomatic influence in the country.

Despite promising rhetoric for women’s rights in the 2004 version of Afghanistan’s Constitution and subsequent legislation, the country has largely resisted implementing any meaningful progress in the treatment of women. In fact, in 2009, amid international protest, Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a bill that was seen by many as the legalization of rape against women.

Though President George W. Bush repeatedly spoke loftily about the “freeing” of Afghan women following the invasion of the country in 2001, reports and numbers show that success stories more often stand as statistical outliers rather than narrative descriptions of a bettering situation for women.

If the treatment of Afghan women has not improved — and may have even deteriorated — since the American invasion, the question of what happens if we stay in Afghanistan may be just as important a question as what happens if we leave.

In the video below, Brave New Films argues that the idea of Afghan women being free after the toppling of the Taliban is a “false perception,” and that “war won’t liberate Afghan women.” People interviewed in the video maintain that the advancement of women’s rights has been “cosmetic,” and that the actual quality of life for women has not improved since the occupation. In some cases, they argue, the treatment of women has worsened due to an extremely fundamentalist judiciary and the radicalization of a population currently engaged in what risks becoming a state of perpetual war.

Readers: The term “shocking” has hardly a meaning anymore when the “shocking” photo or story has become an everyday experience in this world. And it has. Things can’t get any more “shocking” than they already are. Men can’t get any more evil than they already are.

As you know I write about subjects like this all of the time. What has changed? I HOPE that the world is getting to a better place, that we are making strides, but the evil keeps growing and at times surpassing all of the good that is happening. It feels as if we are sometimes in a race to save the women of the world, before the evil destroys them.

Comments? Rants? Words of HOPE? Blog me.

Herbert: Again, thanks for the update. It would be cool when you do get your x-rays to fill us in so those of us that didn’t get to see this once-in-a-lifetime line-up can enjoy it too, through you.

Debra: You’re welcome. I didn’t include all of the photos from the article as you obviously noticed. I decided to post only one of the men and one of the women. I noticed too that the only other photo was of the women resting. That perturbed me a bit. I am also sure that you do plenty that requires a much needed rest. It would’ve been nice if the story highlighted that part as well.

Joyse: Thanks for the compliment. I can never get enough on this blog because if it weren’t for the positive feedback and the positive outcome from whatever I post and whatever is said, it would be tough for me to continue doing this daily. I want to know that something is working, and my readership tells me that it is.

Carla: Please tell the Columbian drug dealer to stand in line. Somehow, I bet he doesn’t take kindly to waiting. And as far as a machismo experience bringing out the real me…Ha! Tell him this BABE, latin or not, has a voluptuous set of flapping lips, and a bod to match, that should he ever have the pleasure of experiencing the real me, would set him on fire beyond his wildest hottest dreams. Unfortunately right now, tell him to keep dreamin’ – cause that’s all he’s got. :)

So back to you…Good luck with the movie thing. I HOPE that it plays out the way you want it to. Oh and by the way Carla, if you’re selling, I’m buying :)

Hi Rita and Conchita!

Paul: Happy to hear that you were pleased with the outcome. No, I was not there. I would have loved to join all of you but the timing was not good.

Zen Lill: Ah..Yes a cameo role – that’s the ticket. I like that much better :) And although I am a voyeur at heart…love listening and watching others have live sex, no unfortunately I was not there filming. But invite me, and I just may take you up on it. :)

Ruth: I so agree with you.

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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Okay so to date, “four” women have been confirmed to the Supreme Court, but never before have “three” served at the same time. I’m pretty damn excited aren’t you? Women have a stronger voice now…we are now represented in a bigger way than we ever have before…and it’s not bought and paid for. Let’s see what the power of three can do. Bring it on.

Congratulations Kagan!

Elena Kagan CONFIRMED To Supreme Court

WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan Thursday as the Supreme Court’s 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history, granting a lifetime term to a lawyer and academic with a reputation for brilliance, a dry sense of humor and a liberal bent.

The vote was 63-37 for President Barack Obama’s nominee to succeed retired Justice John Paul Stevens.

Five Republicans joined all but one Democrat and the Senate’s two independents to support Kagan. In a rarely practiced ritual reserved for the most historic votes, senators sat at their desks and stood to cast their votes with “ayes” and “nays.”

Kagan watched on TV in the conference room at the solicitor general’s office, with her Justice Department colleagues looking on. She’s to be sworn in Saturday afternoon at the court by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Obama, traveling in Chicago, said Kagan will make an outstanding justice who understands that her rulings affect people, and called the addition of another woman to the court a sign of progress for the country. He invited Kagan to the White House Friday for a ceremony marking her confirmation.

The vote, Obama said, was “an affirmation of her character and her temperament; her open-mindedness and evenhandedness; her determination to hear all sides of every story and consider all possible arguments.”

Kagan isn’t expected to alter the ideological balance of the court, where Stevens was considered a leader of the liberal wing. But the two parties clashed over her nomination and the court itself. Republicans argued that Kagan was a politically motivated activist who would be unable to put aside her opinions and rule impartially. Democrats defended her as a highly qualified trailblazer for women who could bring a note of moderation and real-world experience to a polarized court they said was dominated by just the kind of activists the GOP denounced.

Kagan is the first Supreme Court nominee in nearly 40 years with no experience as a judge, and her swearing-in will mark the first time in history that three women will serve on the nine-member court together.

Her lack of judicial experience was the stated reason for one fence-sitting Republican, Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, to announce his opposition to Kagan’s confirmation Thursday, just hours before the vote.Though calling her “brilliant,” Brown – who had been seen as a potential GOP supporter – said she was missing the necessary background to serve as a justice.

“The best umpires, to use the popular analogy, must not only call balls and strikes, but also have spent enough time on the playing field to know the strike zone,” Brown said.

Democrats said they hoped Kagan would act as a counterweight to the conservative majority that’s dominated the Supreme Court in recent years.

“I believe she understands that judges and justices must realize how the law affects Americans each and every day. That understanding is fundamental,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee chairman. With her confirmation, he said, “the Supreme Court will better reflect the diversity that made our country great.”

Most Republicans portrayed Kagan as a partisan who will use her post to push the Democratic agenda from the bench.

Kagan “is truly a person of the political left – now they call themselves progressives – one who has a history of working to advance the values of the left wing of the Democratic Party, and whose philosophy of judging allows a judge to utilize the power of their office to advance their vision for what America should be,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.

Just one Democrat – centrist Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska – crossed party lines to oppose Kagan.

A handful of mostly moderate Republicans broke with their party to back her: Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, South Carolina’s Sen. Lindsey Graham, retiring Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, and Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar.

They argued that partisanship should play no role in debates over the Supreme Court and have called Obama’s nominee qualified.

Still, it was clear that unlike in past decades – when high court nominees enjoyed the support of large majorities on both sides – party politics was driving the debate and vote on Kagan, much as it did last year when the Senate considered Obama’s first pick, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and former President George W. Bush’s two nominees, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

GOP senators have criticized Kagan for her decision as dean to bar military recruiters from the Harvard Law School career services office because of the prohibition against openly gay soldiers. Republicans spent the last hours of debate accusing her of being hostile to gun rights, and they have also spent considerable time criticizing her stance in favor of abortion rights.

Kagan revealed little about what kind of justice she would be in weeks of private one-on-one meetings with senators and several days of testimony before the Judiciary panel, despite having famously penned a law review article blasting Supreme Court nominees for obfuscating before the Senate. She dodged questions about her personal beliefs on a host of hot-button issues and declined repeatedly to “grade” Supreme Court rulings.

But her public appearances and documents unearthed from her time serving as a Clinton administration lawyer and domestic policy aide painted a portrait of the kind of personality she’ll bring to the bench. She came across as a sharp intellect who enjoys the thrust and parry of legal debate, someone who’s willing to throw elbows to make her opinions heard but nonetheless eager to facilitate consensus. She also showed flashes of a playful, dry wit senators said would serve her well in sometimes tense court deliberations.

Kagan will be no stranger to the eight justices she is to join on the Supreme Court, having served as the government’s top lawyer arguing cases before them in a post often referred to as the “10th justice.” She’s already friendly with a number of them, not least Antonin Scalia, the conservative justice who is her ideological opposite.

Kagan’s nomination to a seat on the nation’s highest court drew relatively little notice this summer, with the public and elected officials preoccupied by bad economic news and the Gulf oil spill, and many lawmakers nervously eyeing the November midterm congressional elections.

But senators used the debate to press their dueling visions of the Supreme Court.

When sworn in, Kagan will join two other women on the court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sotomayor, who was Obama’s first nominee. Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the court, by President Ronald Reagan. She served from September 1981 to January 2006.

Not since 1972 has the Senate confirmed a Supreme Court nominee without experience as a judge. That year, both William Rehnquist and Lewis Powell Jr. joined the court.

*******

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”

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)

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During the elections I was pushing hard for Prop 2 to pass, all because of my deep passion for animals and their rights. And as much as I was against Prop 8, I didn’t focus any of my time pushing for a “no”, even though I was an avid supporter at heart of same-sex marriages, and spoke my mind when the subject was broached.

It was assumed that Prop 8 would never pass, not in California – not possible – we are such a liberal state…and the optimist in me believed it to be so. And you know what they say about assuming. I, as well as many others, were shocked at the passage of Prop 8.

But what I love…what I truly love about people is their commitment to matters of the heart. No one gave up….the passion for preventing the passage of this profound prop never perished in the hearts and minds of those affected, and those in support.

In fact, people persevered. Thanks to two lawyers, David Boies and Ted Olson, who pointed out and proved that Prop 8 is “unconstitutional”. Thats right. “Moral disapproval” doesn’t fly when it comes to our rights. Our rights: They aren’t up for vote. That’s the point, our rights are our rights – Period. The people’s perseverance and repudiation (Thanks Rachel for this perfect word) is about to pay off – Okay…maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, maybe I am an optimist, but I have HOPE.

Equality wins in Vaughn Walker’s Prop. 8 ruling

The judge pointed to the considerable evidence that the campaign relied heavily on “negative stereotypes” about gays and lesbians – and to parents’ fears that their children would be more likely to become homosexual if such marriages were allowed.

In recent history, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled time and again, that laws rooted in traditions of bigotry – from segregated schools to prohibitions on interracial marriage – are in basic conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

Also, as Walker noted in his ruling, a state’s obligation is to treat its citizens equally, not to mandate its “own moral code.” He cited the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court 6-3 ruling in Lawrence vs. Texas, which struck down that state’s sodomy law.

Eighteen thousand same-sex couples were married in California during the brief period it was legal, with no discernable damage to the state or the institution of marriage. Five other states and the District of Columbia now issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Societal attitudes are changing, but gays and lesbians should not have to ask to be patient to be treated equally under the law.

Judge Walker has forcefully, and convincingly, laid out the case to end this entrenched and unwarranted state discrimination against gay and lesbian couples.

It ain’t over till it’s over. There will be appeals, and no doubt this will make it to the Supreme Court. But hey, Boies and Olsen have that figured out too:

The Prop 8 case’s winning attorneys — David Boies and Ted Olson — are famous for being at opposite ends of the Bush v. Gore 2000 Supreme Court decision. Boies for Gore, Olson for Bush.

After Wednesday’s ruling, they were asked how they thought they could win at the Supreme Court, should the case get that far. Quipped Boies:

“He’s going to get the five justices who voted for him in Bush v. Gore and I’m going to get the four justices who voted for me,” Boies quipped.

Don’t ya just love it?

Celebrate this moment. But like I said, it ain’t over till it’s over. So please take a moment and support defying Prop 8, ensuring same-sex couples passage to full equality.  It is the least we can do for those that want to be able to marry the ones that they love; a privilege that we as heterosexuals never need to ever think about.

We can love freely. How beautiful is that? Be in support of everyone the ability to love freely. With all that is bad in our world, with all that is wrong….why deny love? I can’t think of even one tiny reason. I HOPE you can’t either.

Here’s an e-mail I received from Human Rights Campaign:

After the first-ever federal trial on whether it’s legal to ban same-sex couples from marrying, the district court ruled that Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution.

This court’s ruling will undoubtedly be appealed, so our struggle is far from over. But it was a tremendous step forward for equality and a critical win.

The two courageous couples who acted as plaintiffs in this suit opened up their lives to months of public scrutiny and helped bring about this victory, fighting alongside the legal team of Ted Olson, David Boies and the American Foundation for Equal Rights. They deserve our gratitude. Will you take a moment to thank them?

Send a quick note of thanks and support – and tell your friends to do the same.

Here is another way to get involved. Today, people in cities across the country will be gathering for peaceful “Day of Decision” rallies to take advantage of this moment and show the broad support for marriage equality among both LGBT and straight Americans. Find out if there’s a rally near you.

This case was a landmark. Over the course of the months-long trial, the plaintiffs introduced substantial testimony and evidence to finally show that Prop. 8 had discriminatory motivations – and that same-sex couples are entitled to equal rights. Because this is a district court decision and will most likely be appealed, it may not have an immediate effect on marriage bans in California or any other states. Nonetheless, it’s a significant moment. It’s a vindication of the grassroots work we’ve done across the country to give every loving couple the same rights – and a shot of momentum to continue that work.

The trial also showed that the other side remains as ferocious as ever. Not content with simply defending Prop. 8, they tried to persuade the judge to stop California state agencies from recognizing the marriages of the 18,000 same-sex couples who tied the knot in the months before Prop. 8 passed.

So without question, the forces of bigotry will appeal this ruling. After the Court of Appeals, this case could very well end up before the highest court in the land – just another reason we must fight to get fair-minded judges like Elena Kagan on the Supreme Court.

We know we will prevail in the end. Because we are on the right side of history and the law. Because public opinion is increasingly in our favor. Because even conservatives like Ted Olson – who argued for the George W. Bush side in Bush v. Gore – share a passion for this cause.

But it will take more sacrifice and more grueling hard work. It will take more people like you standing up for what you believe – and more heroes like the plaintiffs in this case refusing to accept second-class status.

Please send a quick note thanking these couples. Then spread the word.

Thanks for your continued support on this defining issue.

Readers: Please support the power of love and happiness and extend it to all. And of course blog me and spread the love…or whatever else you want to share.

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!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

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Last Wednesday U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton made headway by blocking some of the most controversial parts of Arizona’s Immigration Law. In Phoenix, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is not happy, and  Gov. Jan Brewer’s lawyers went to court to overturn the judge’s ruling so they can fight back against what the Republican calls an “invasion” of illegal immigrants. (No Surprise the Republicans would call it an “invasion”.)

Arpaio may be “Sheriff Joe” who fashions himself as a modern day John Wayne, but Bolton is doing her best halting much of Arizona’s high-profile effort to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Here’s the write:

Judge who ruled on Arizona law is well versed in immigration cases

The federal judge who blocked key aspects of Arizona’s new immigration law was so well regarded across the political spectrum that she was nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, who tapped her on the recommendation of Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), one of Congress’s most conservative senators.The federal judge who blocked key aspects of Arizona’s new immigration law was so well regarded across the political spectrum that she was nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, who tapped her on the recommendation of Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), one of Congress’s most conservative senators.

This week, however, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton became one of the nation’s most divisive figures, after halting much of Arizona’s high-profile effort to identify and deport illegal immigrants.

Hate mail and threats flowed into her court offices, according to news reports. Conservative bloggers decried her “activist” leanings and accused her of falling in with the American Civil Liberties Union, a prominent challenger of the law and a favorite target of the right. And Kyl, who during Bolton’s nomination hearings in 2000 lauded her expertise and fairness, did not conceal his disappointment.

“I really thought that she would uphold most of the law and allow Arizona to try to do its best to enforce the law to the extent that the federal government wasn’t doing so,” he said on the Fox News program “Happening Now.”

Bolton is no stranger to controversy or to cases that might elicit death threats. Since beginning her career as a judge in 1989, she has taken on Mexican smugglers, civil libertarians and members of the Arizona legislature. While a Superior Court justice in Maricopa County, she handled some of the most complex and delicate cases to come before the court, a colleague said. In her decade on the federal bench, she has overseen cases that touched on border issues.

No other case, however, has thrust her into the national spotlight like her decision Wednesday to block the most contentious parts of Arizona’s law, including provisions that would have required police officers to check the immigration status of people they arrest. People close to Bolton said she is a meticulous jurist who is not easily shaken by such attention.

“Put it this way: Susan has never been accused of being a coward,” said retired Superior Court Judge Ken Fields, who worked alongside Bolton for a decade. “She’s probably the perfect judge to have for this case. She analyzes the facts and makes a decision without bias one way or the other.”
Bolton, 58, a Philadelphia native, attended college and law school in Iowa. Shortly after receiving her law degree, she joined a firm in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe. She served on the state Superior Court for Maricopa County from 1989 until 2000, when she was appointed to the federal bench.

During her tenure, she has handled numerous cases related to illegal immigration. In 2001, she presided over the case of a smuggler sentenced to 16 years in prison for leading 14 illegal immigrants to their deaths in the desert. A year later, she dismissed a suit by legal U.S. residents against Border Patrol agents accused of racial profiling in a 1997 immigration raid.

In a 2000 decision that angered some politicians, she removed from the ballot a growth-control measure backed by the state legislature, ruling it unconstitutional. It had been proposed as an alternative to an environmentalist-backed measure.

Friends and colleagues say Bolton is hardworking, intelligent and exceptionally confident in the courtroom. Lawyers who have brought cases before her say she is well prepared and thorough, prone to asking her questions of witnesses as she gathers information to rule on a case.

John Randolph, who knows her from her days in private practice in Tempe in the 1970s and 1980s, said she had an “intellectual interest in the arguments” related to violence against women. In 1987, she co-authored with her husband, Frank G. Bolton, the book “Working With Violent Families: A Guide for Clinical and Legal Practitioners.”

Randolph described Bolton as intellectually curious and well versed on subjects ranging from art to world affairs, which they would often talk about at length with their spouses over the dinner table, but said she has never tipped her hand on her political views.

“She was very difficult to figure out politically,” he said. “I couldn’t figure it out then, and I can’t figure it out now.”

Readers: Kudos to Bolton! But it’s not over. Bolton’s got her work cut out for her. Don’t think this bill is going down without a fight. You already know my feelings about the bill. Here’s the latest when it comes to “Sheriff Joe”: Arpaio is not relenting after the court ruling.  Comments? Blog me.

Doug: You’re so serious. That was Mom’s birthday. My bad for not noting the time you mentioned.

Zen Lill: No caveat or disclaimer necessary with this girl – you have made yourself clear over the years in regards to “except for the good men”. I didn’t mean to offend you. I apologize if I did. I was merely clarifying, and adding additional meaning to your comments and stressing what I knew you meant to say and felt, not dissing you for not. I wish you had spoken to me about this last night. Speaking of…

…it was so lovely to see you last night! You looked fantastic! I can’t believe it has been so long…too long. We must not let so much time slip by without some private time. I really enjoyed being with you. Thank you for making my life easier and driving to the city to meet me. Next time we’ll spend more time and dance at the Starlight Room instead of just gazing at the view from it. Although it was beautiful wasn’t it? :) Happy that you got to see it though. I look forward to another visit with you soon.

Readers: As you can see, Zen Lill and I got to spend a few hours together last night in San Francisco. And she was fun and delightful  as usual. And yes she wore her hot pink pants looking pretty in pink. :) We’ve been texting each other this morning, chatting about the evening, and unfortunately we forgot to document our date – no pic. Bummer. I guess the evening was for our eyes only.

It’s friday and I’ve got a very busy day. Enjoy yours! 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)

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For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

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MSNBC knows how to say it. Or perhaps I should say, Maddow and Olbermann know how to say it. Yesterday’s post, is still on my mind. God I love good news, even if it is bad. I love when someone is so right on and honest…telling it straight up and like it should be told. Give us the facts, instead of FOX’s word salad with fact-free dressing.

Olbermann had his day yesterday. I just had to give equal time to Maddow. Why not. She definitely belongs in the category of “Wonderful Women Of The World”. Kudos to Rachel for once again, having the guts to tell it like it is, and backing it with real facts, not just some made up ones to suit one’s own believed truth. And by the way Shirley Sherrod belongs in the titled category too.

The subject? More of the same same. Racism on a roll? Well yes and no. The title below hints at the content. And if you didn’t watch Maddow the other night, it is another must-watch video that brings it all home.

Rachel Maddow: Fox News Stoking Racial Fears Among Whites (VIDEO)

Rachel Maddow tore into Fox News again Wednesday night, accusing the channel of stoking racial fears among whites.

Maddow used the channel’s role in hyping the Shirley Sherrod story as a springboard for a broader discussion of the history of using the media to pit whites against blacks in the United States. She connected Fox News’ recent pushing of the ACORN, Van Jones, Sherrod and New Black Panther Party stories to the old Southern Strategy, where conservatives played on white fears of increased black equality to gain political power.

Maddow described the messaging as:

“Be afraid, white people. There’s a threat to take you over. The black people are coming for you…and you better band together to not surrender, to fight back.

Maddow then played clips of conservative figures such as Rush Limbaugh – in this case, a clip of the radio host calling whites “the new oppressed minority” in the Obama era.

She concluded by saying that Fox News was operating almost as a political group by advancing the Van Jones, ACORN, New Black Panther Party and Shirley Sherrod stories.

“What is the same about these four ginned-up Fox News-initiated would-be scandals?” Maddow asked.

Maddow said that the stories aren’t about racism, or about targeting black people, but rather a political effort to target “white people, white voters or white would-be voters to feel afraid of black people, to feel afraid of African American people as if they are not fellow Americans but rather a threat to what white people have.

“The message is a political one, clear as a 1960 campaign-funded segregationist comic book: stand up, white people, stand up against the black threat,” she continued.

“This is a political strategy, advanced not by a news organization, but by political activists who use a cable channel as a political outlet. And they are pros at this. There’s no reason to expect them to stop doing stuff like this – unless it stops working someday.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Readers: What more is there to say when it has been said so well? But I know you want to give me your two – so give it up . Blog this BABE.

Hey, I hope that you caught MoveOn’s comment yesterday. I blogged about this awhile ago. Now it’s time to move on this – November elections are coming up quickly. Thanks.

PeACe OUt…HAppY SAturDaY!

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 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!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

John Curley Photography

" 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"