Category Archives: politics

Dolly & Gloria

advocacy, books, politics, reading, thinking out loud, ,

Gloria Steinem’s death came just a few days after that of Dolly Parton. They seemed to be two women who spun in very different orbits. However, their lives intertwined in a way that shows that feminism is more complex than the anti-woke crowd would have us believe.

Ms. Magazine republished Steinem’s 1987 tribute to Parton, the year the latter was named of the magazine’s Women of the Year. (Days later, the same magazine published a tribute to its founder.)

I encourage you to read both articles. For me, the most powerful statement is Steinem’s simple but powerful definition of feminism: “If feminism means each of us finding our unique power, and helping other women do the same, Dolly Parton certainly has done both.”

I think Steinem gets it right and it is simple. Everyone gets to discover and embody their unique power. Create a life that makes sense for them as individuals. Define themselves in ways that make them feel whole. That’s it: no one is forcing anyone to live as a trad wife or a childless cat woman. Have babies, don’t have babies; get married, don’t get married; work outside the home, don’t work outside the home. You get to choose.

If early feminists were evangelical in their quest to get women out of the home and into the world, it was because of the context of the times. Women were ruled by men in their personal, professional and financial lives. Opportunities to work outside the home were limited and often ended upon pregnancy. Even as late as 2008, I had a man tell me that, if he was able to provide continuing grant support for a project, he would probably only be able to keep on my male colleague since he had a family to support. I was married without children at the time so I suppose he thought I was working for fun even though I was actively consulting and finishing up a doctorate.

I was born on the cusp of the first and second waves of feminism. One of the best books I’ve read that shares the experiences of my mother’s generation is The Book Club for Troublesome Women. Here’s my review from LibraryThing:

“The Book Club for Troublesome Women showed up in my Hoopla recommendations. Four women in the new suburbs of Northern Virginia come together to read Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique even as the world and their lives are changing irrevocably in the early 1960s. Bostwick’s story was heart wrenching in many ways as we see women belittled by the world, and in many cases, their own husbands. But Bostwick also explores ideas about how the enforced roles of women required enforced roles for men who may not find bread winning to be their real desire. Of course, there are pretty petty men as well, and I found myself shouting “a*****e” a few times along the way.

She weaves history into the story as the women in Concordia, Virginia, were right on the doorstep of the March on Washington and lived through the assassination of Kennedy. We see them grappling with their changing roles, coming to understand the importance not just of friendship but also mentorship. And, I am a huge fan of Katherine Graham who shows up as herself and provides some support for one of the characters in the novel. It felt a little “Forrest Gumpy” but helped underline the turmoil of those years.”

We grieve the loss of these women. We watch in horror as their work is belittled and dismantled. So, we do what people have always done: we pick up the mantle and march on. Labor Day is a great day to write a letter to your legislator to let them know where you stand on the issues.

Get ’em out by Friday

human rights, music, politics

The news cycle moves to fast for me these days. But, I can’t let this one go: Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, announced last week that after thousands of simulations, the government determined that Americans could eat a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, a corn tortilla and one other thing as a meal that is inexpensive ($3) and meets the new food pyramid guidelines that were recently released.

I will leave it to others to critique this suggested “meal.” All I could think about is a song from the progressive rock band Genesis that seemed dystopian when it came out in 1972. “Get ‘Em Out By Friday” tells the story of corporate greed and government corruption working against human beings in tragic and drastic ways with greedy landlords leading the way. Set in the present, it ends in 2012 with this vision:

This is an announcement from Genetic Control
It is my sad duty to inform you of a four foot restriction on
Humanoid height

I hear the directors of Genetic Control have been buying all the Properties that have recently been sold, taking risks oh so bold
It’s said now that people will be shorter in height
They can fit twice as many in the same building site
They say it’s alright.

The song features multiple voices as part of the story. Since everyone is quoting George Orwell these days, I thought I would add Genesis to the mix. Dystopian vision or potential reality?

RIP

music, politics, thinking out loud, , ,

Renee Nicole Good was murdered by an agent of the federal government and a fellow human being as she drove in a car with her dog, her wife standing by, having just dropped her child off at school. In the last image we have of her, she seems almost perky as she engages with the agent who will kill her just seconds later.

There were lots of options here for the officer from letting her drive home to recording her license plate to shooting a tire. It takes a lot of raw anger to point a gun in the face of another human being and pull the trigger, only to follow up with a horrible expletive as she lays dying. I heard an adminstration official say that we couldn’t know what was in his mind. I don’t think it’s hard to tell at all what is in his head and his heart.

It takes even more anger and arrogance to immediately blame the dead woman and warn that these kinds of extrajudicial killings might be expected going forward. But, here we are.

Just comply, and you will be fine. Tell that to the many people, mostly black men, who have died because they complied. I think any woman would have hesitated to get out of her car even with friendly folks nearby. She was surrounded by aggressive, heavily armed, masked men. Not a recipe for safety and why many women would choose the bear.

I am tired and angry, feeling helpless and hopeless.

While it is less important in the larger scheme of things, we also lost an icon of the 60s, Bobby Weir. The Grateful Dead has been part of my life and many others for their unique blend of folk, country, rock and psychedelic music.

I wrote about the Dead before, describing their other unique practice of allowing taping of their live shows. Weir discussed it as part of a longer interview with Dan Rather:

The New York Times and Rolling Stone posted their favorite Weir songs. I think I will go with “Cassidy,” his ode to a crew member’s baby named Cassidy and the beat icon, Neal Cassady.

“Fare thee well now
Let your life proceed by its own designs
Nothing to tell now
Let the words be yours, I’m done with mine.”

Digging In, Literally & Figuratively

Artificial Intelligence, design, gardening, politics, thinking out loud, ,

I am a gardener, primarily flowers but also some vegetables. I have somewhat extensive gardens that, in April, demand a lot of attention as they emerge from their winter slumber. I spend several days cleaning up, renewing my war on wire grass and duckweed. I unwrap the hydrangeas from their burlap coats and examine them to see if this year they might bloom. There are perennials to be divided and relocated, lily and gladiola bulbs to be planted, and lots of seeds from zinnias to hyacinth bean vine to wildflower mixes to be spread far and wide.

Spring Garden

This year, I scaled back the vegetables to onions, garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, sweet peppers and jalapenos. My herbs are scattered amongst the flowers, often in pots, and include parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (sorry for the ear worm!) along with oregano, basil, chives, and chamomile. I had great success with ginger last year. The rhizomes came from a Giant in Northern Virginia where I often stop for a break. I bought them at the same store last year and ended up with 4 pounds or so of ginger. Hoping to have the same luck this year, but I know there is really nothing about gardening that can be considered a sure thing. I am optimistic, however, as they had solid knobs indicating they hadn’t been treated to stop growth.

So, that is both the literal digging in as well as my excuse for not following up after my semi-optimistic meeting. I have been outside. Or visiting my elderly parents in Pennsylvania. Or walking the new dog. Or finishing up the spring semester when I taught three classes. April was busy.

But, this morning, I dug in figuratively. I have been spending quality time with ChatGPT and have found it helpful in doing research. I specifically want to create flyers that I can post in my local post offices as that is where we all get our information. I focused on Medicaid as my county has one of the higher rates in Virginia, at 23.2%. I was able to tweak the message for my audience and then used a Canva template to create the final product. I have a couple copies printed and will get them posted. If you would like access to my template, message me privately and I will send it along. I am now working on focused on the more affluent population, largely retirees, across the James River in Williamsburg and James City County. Stay tuned.

Feeling A Little Less Helpless

advocacy, politics, thinking out loud, ,

I met with the Jameson Babb, Chief of Staff for Senator Lashrecse Aird, my Virginia state Senator. I reached out to ask what, besides making phone calls or sending postcards, I might do to feel a little less helpless. I also had a couple ideas I wanted to share with him to see if they would be worth the time and energy.

It was one of the best meetings I have had for a long time. I had an informal agenda, and we covered most of my topics plus a lot more ground in 30 minutes. I left with immediate ideas for where to begin, including starting a women’s group ala The Liberal Women of Chesterfield, who were the powerhouse behind getting Abigail Spanberger, current candidate for Virginia governor, elected in the first place. Their mission statement is fiercely progressive:

LWCC strives to be a safe haven for liberal women and their allies to support, educate, and encourage one another to be actively involved in our government; and, furthermore, seeks to advance advocacy issues and
campaigns that align with our progressive values of inclusivity and equal rights for all people.

As I read it, I was reminded of an episode from Season 3 of The West Wing, when President Bartlett is running for his second term. Bruno Gianelli, the high paid consultant played powerfully by Ron Silver, designs ads that skirt campaign finance laws (this was 2001 so before Citizens United basically gutted them completely). Sam Seaborn pushes back because he thinks they should have a higher standard, the “we go high” philosophy of more contemporary times, and Bruno makes an impassioned speech about not apologizing for being liberal and progressive and believing that government can do good things for its people to improve their lives:

If you are interested in some of the other ideas that came out of my meeting and possibly connecting with other women, get in touch.

Meanwhile, I feel a little less helpless and a little more empowered. If you have a “friendly” state representative, I encourage you to reach out to them.