Kate Harding of Shapely Prose wrote a piece for Salon on the Polanski arrest that I can't recommend enough.

Reminder: Roman Polanski raped a child

Roman Polanski raped a child. Let's just start right there, because that's the detail that tends to get neglected when we start discussing whether it was fair for the bail-jumping director to be arrested at age 76, after 32 years in "exile" (which in this case means owning multiple homes in Europe, continuing to work as a director, marrying and fathering two children, even winning an Oscar, but never -- poor baby -- being able to return to the U.S.). Let's keep in mind that Roman Polanski gave a 13-year-old girl a Quaalude and champagne, then raped her, before we start discussing whether the victim looked older than her 13 years, or that she now says she'd rather not see him prosecuted because she can't stand the media attention. Before we discuss how awesome his movies are or what the now-deceased judge did wrong at his trial, let's take a moment to recall that according to the victim's grand jury testimony, Roman Polanski instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she said no and asked him to stop; performed cunnilingus on her as she said no and asked him to stop; put his penis in her vagina as she said no and asked him to stop; asked if he could penetrate her anally, to which she replied, "No," then went ahead and did it anyway, until he had an orgasm.

[...]

...I have to agree with Fecke that my favorite Polanski apologist is the Washington Post's Anne Applebaum, who finds it "bizarre" that anyone is still pursuing this case. And who also, by the by, failed to disclose the tiny, inconsequential detail that her husband, Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, is actively pressuring U.S. authorities to drop the case.

There is evidence of judicial misconduct in the original trial. There is evidence that Polanski did not know her real age. Polanski, who panicked and fled the U.S. during that trial, has been pursued by this case for 30 years, during which time he has never returned to America, has never returned to the United Kingdom., has avoided many other countries, and has never been convicted of anything else. He did commit a crime, but he has paid for the crime in many, many ways: In notoriety, in lawyers' fees, in professional stigma. He could not return to Los Angeles to receive his recent Oscar. He cannot visit Hollywood to direct or cast a film.

There is also evidence that Polanski raped a child. There is evidence that the victim did not consent, regardless of her age. There is evidence -- albeit purely anecdotal, in this case -- that only the most debased crapweasel thinks "I didn't know she was 13!" is a reasonable excuse for raping a child, much less continuing to rape her after she's said no repeatedly. There is evidence that the California justice system does not hold that "notoriety, lawyers' fees and professional stigma" are an appropriate sentence for child rape.

But hey, he wasn't allowed to pick up his Oscar in person! For the love of all that's holy, hasn't the man suffered enough?

Those are my favorite bits, but definitely read the whole thing. It's amazing how much crap and apologism has grown up around Polanski, and yet how easy it is to cut through it just by repeating the essential facts of the case--Roman Polanski plead guilty to raping a child. Let's not forget that.

Roman Polanski arrested in Switzerland.

I don't care if it was 32 years ago. I don't care if you're considered a great artist. You shouldn't get to rape a 13-year-old girl, flee the country before the sentencing hearing, and get away with it.

Hello, lurker! Since you seem to have some very weird ideas about me, I thought I'd take this opportunity to set you straight (as it were). I like slash. I think gay guys are hot. I think the idea of gay guys having sex is hot. I like to read slashfic. I don't in any way attempt to hide this.

Furthermore, and most importantly, I am a feminist. I don't live my life hoping desperately to attract the attention of douchebag straight guys who are threatened by my interest in slash. Maybe if I changed myself enough I could turn on such straight guys, but why would I want to? I am what I am, as the song says. I'm not going to change, and the good guys, the guys I might actually be interested in, wouldn't want me to change.

So Dr. Tiller's clinic isn't going to stay open after all. I don't blame the family for closing the clinic, not after all they've been through. I just wish the anti-abortion fuckwit brigade wasn't winning like this. Scott Roeder is calling the AP from his jail cell and *gloating*. Motherfuckers.

It didn't work. Women's Healthcare Services will be closed this week to mourn Dr. George Tiller, but Monday it will reopen "back to 100 percent". Three other physicians who previously rotated shifts at Dr. Tiller's clinic will rotate weekly shifts to keep the clinic open. The important women's health services Dr. Tiller provided will still be available in Wichita.

So take that, motherfuckers. You may have killed him, but the work to which he devoted his life, and for which he gave his life, will go on.

RIP Dr. George Tiller.

He saved many women's lives, had already been shot in both arms for his trouble, and finally this morning "pro-life" forces murdered him in his own church.

My mother just told me half an hour ago, and I just want to cry.

I feel really proud of myself today. I'm wearing my new knee-length denim skirt, knee socks, and Converse. And I *didn't* shave my legs! In fact, I haven't shaved my legs in months! Only the bit of my knees between the skirt and the socks shows, but I still feel damn proud of myself, because it's more than I've ever been able to get myself to do before. It's like, "See this? This bit of my hairy knees? *This* is what a feminist looks like!"

My motto right now is "Fuck beauty contests." Really living that makes life so much easier.

I hate Rick Warren. I started hating him back when I still went to a Southern Baptist church, because my Sunday School teacher based months worth of lessons off his book The Purpose Driven Life, thus giving me the opportunity to observe that it's so much bound patriarchy and drivel.

And now he's been invited to give the invocation at Obama's inauguration. Well isn't that special. I'm not even going to get into why there's even any sort of religious leader at all reciting a prayer at a secular inauguration. I understand that this is a tradition that Obama couldn't just dispense with very easily. But it is NOT traditional to invite someone who holds views that are diametrically opposed to the views of a large number of your own supporters, thus fucking them over while trying to suck up to people who will never ever support you.

As Steve Benen points out in The Washington Monthly:

Warren is opposed, on religious grounds, to abortion rights, gay rights, stem-cell research, and euthanasia. In 2004, he described these issues as "nonnegotiable" and "not even debatable."

He also supported California's Proposition 8 for what Benen simply says are "absurd reasons." Melissa McEwan expands on that:

Those "absurd reasons," by the way, entailed Warren conflating same-sex marriage with polygamy, incest, and rape.

Melissa's rant on this is perfect, so I'm going to quote some more of it here as a stand-in for what I'm able to produce, which is mostly just spluttering indignation.

I understand that Warren isn't going to be driving policy, that he's only leading a prayer at the inauguration (and why there is a prayer at the presidential inauguration is a whole other post), but I also know that there are, literally, thousands of other religious leaders from multiple religions and Christian denominations, who aren't anti-choice, anti-gay, and anti-science, whose presence at the inauguration wouldn't be a sharp stick in the eye to progressive women and GBTQ men, and all their allies, so it would have been really fucking nice if any one of them could have been selected for this prominent opportunity instead of Rick bloody Warren.

WORD. If you say you're on our side, you have to actually, you know, be on our side. To use a reference Obama's esteemed friend Rick Warren might recognize, if you're going to talk the talk, you should walk the walk. Put very simply: We are tired of getting fucked around. I want my goddamn hope and change right the fuck now. I don't want another president like Clinton who says he supports us, then goes and does everything he can to placate religious nutjobs while ignoring us entirely.

I visited the school that does the training for the A+ certification. The training for this one test is $3000. Three thousand dollars. THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS!

Not so much happening.

On the up side, they made it sound like the A+ test is hella easy, so maybe I can just study for it on my own. Of course, they also do training for a bunch of other tests, including all the Microsoft certifications and the CCNA, which is reputed to be, like, the hardest test in the whole entire world apart from maybe the bar exam. So maybe they just think the A+ test is easy because they're comparing it to these other tests. I will have to look into it some more.

This school was also a major sausage fest. The recruiter was a guy, both instructors who were there were guys, and the 8-10 students currently there were all guys. They didn't make a big deal out of it or act like it was cute that a girl wanted to try to work with computers or anything like that. They probably didn't even notice it. But I did. I've gotten used to this not being a problem, since I work in a library and librarianship is traditionally a female field. But now I'm remembering college and one of the reasons I didn't want to pursue computer jobs after I graduated: even if the guys aren't actively trying to make you feel inferior, the fact that it's a primarily male field is uncomfortable and makes the job harder. It doesn't have anything to do with the guys I'm working with (usually). It's just the patriarchy and internalized sexism. And I hate it.

Also Known As: Piss, shit, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits.

Also Also Known As: There are more than seven words you can't say on TV.

This movie does not hold up AT ALL to having lines rewritten so it can be shown on TV. If you haven't ever seen it, first of all you're missing out. Second of all--don't watch it on TV. Seriously. Go rent it or something. You WILL NOT get Thelma & Louise without the R rating.

( so, lj cut for those who haven't seen it )

The abortion bill passed. Governor Henry vetoed it. My (Democratic) senator voted with the overwhelming majority to override the veto. Sometimes I really hate Oklahoma. Anyway.

Dear Governor Henry,

You are awesome. Really, I didn't expect you to veto it. Thanks, even though it didn't work out. Please don't let the stupidity of the other Democrats in this state keep you from doing the right thing in the future.

Love,
layniek



Dear Senator Asshat,

You suck. I really love it when old white men decide they know best where women's issues are concerned. No, really. That really butters my muffin. You just keep doing that. And please know that when your seat comes up for reelection, if there is any candidate who is even one iota more liberal than you, I will do my absolute best to make sure they defeat you.

Fuck you,
layniek



Dear Oklahoma Democratic congresspeople,

You also suck. Feel free to fuck off and die.

Love and kisses,
layniek

Actual bumper sticker I saw on an actual car on my way home from work today:



The Bible Belt, ladies and gentlemen.

Re: Senate Bill 1878--Again

The ACLU of Oklahoma is trying to get Governor Henry to veto this bill, but he won't meet with them until they have the votes to sustain a veto. So they need to find seven more votes, in addition to the ten who already voted no. My senator voted yes. *sigh*

Senator [],

I am writing to encourage you to change your vote on Senate Bill 1878, should the governor veto it. This bill would require a woman to have an ultrasound before being allowed to abort a pregnancy. Proponents of the bill claim this measure will ensure that a woman's consent to an abortion is voluntary, presumably by giving her a visual reminder that, should she continue the pregnancy, the fetus she is carrying will one day be a baby.

The decision about what information a patient needs should be left to her and her doctor. More than that, the women of Oklahoma are not children. When we seek abortions, we know what we are doing. Many women who seek abortions are in difficult places in their lives, faced with an even more difficult choice. Perhaps she already has other children and cannot afford to support another. Perhaps she has no medical insurance and cannot afford the pregnancy. Perhaps having a baby at that time in her life will destroy her chances of getting an education or keeping her job. Perhaps the pregnancy is a result of rape, or incest, or an abusive relationship. Women faced with such a difficult choice should not be forced to view an ultrasound in a misplaced attempt to make them feel guilty for seeking an abortion. Doctors and their patients, not politicians, should work together to decide what information and care is best in each situation.

Reducing the number of abortions is a noble goal, but Senate Bill 1878 is not the way to achieve it. Measures such as comprehensive sex education in schools, universal health care, paid leave during pregnancy, affordable child care, and domestic violence prevention/assistance would go a long way toward reducing the need for abortion. Senate Bill 1878 will do nothing but demean women by implying we are too stupid to know what abortion is and by interfering in the sacred relationship between a doctor and his or her adult patient. I ask you to do the right thing for the women of Oklahoma and help Governor Henry sustain a veto.

Thank you for your consideration,

[layniek]

Re: Abortion - Senate Bill 1878

Governor Henry,

As an Oklahoma woman, I want to urge you to veto Senate Bill 1878. This bill would require a woman to have an ultrasound before being allowed to abort a pregnancy. Proponents of the bill claim this measure will ensure that a woman's consent to an abortion is voluntary, presumably by giving her a visual reminder that, should she continue the pregnancy, the fetus she is carrying will one day be a baby.

Governor Henry, the women of Oklahoma are not children. When we seek abortions, we know what we are doing. Many women who seek abortions are in difficult places in their lives, faced with an even more difficult choice. Perhaps she already has other children and cannot afford to support another. Perhaps she has no medical insurance and cannot afford the pregnancy. Perhaps having a baby at that time in her life will destroy her chances of getting an education or keeping her job. Perhaps the pregnancy is a result of rape, or incest, or an abusive relationship. Women faced with such a difficult choice should not be forced to view an ultrasound in a misplaced attempt to make them feel guilty for seeking an abortion.

Reducing the number of abortions is a noble goal, but Senate Bill 1878 is not the way to achieve it. Measures such as comprehensive sex education in schools, universal health care, paid leave during pregnancy, affordable child care, and domestic violence prevention/assistance would go a long way toward reducing the need for abortion. Senate Bill 1878 will do nothing but demean women by implying we are too stupid to know what abortion is. We know. And we know what we need: your support, not your condemnation.

Thank you for your consideration,

[layniek]

I also, um, posted a comment on the Oklahoman article. Yeah, yeah, this is a slippery slope, commenting on articles at newspaper websites. I promise not to get into a flamewar with the stupid trolls who will inevitably show up. Anyway, the article says this:

KEY PROVISIONS
[...]
Ensures mother's consent to an abortion is voluntary.

Provides a woman with an ultrasound of unborn child that she can view before the abortion.

Uh-huh. The first part is so conservatively biased it's ridiculous. The second part is blatantly untrue. So this is my comment (with better formatting, because their comment posting system sucks):

"KEY PROVISIONS
[...]
"Ensures mother's consent to an abortion is voluntary BY TRYING TO GUILT HER OUT OF HAVING THE ABORTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.

"REQUIRES a woman TO HAVE an ultrasound of THE FETUS that she MUST view before the abortion."

There. Fixed that for you.

This is the best election since I've been able to vote. We've got the House and the Senate (which I never expected to get). South Dakota rejected their abortion ban. Arizona rejected a marriage amendment. California turned down a parental notification law. We got rid of Rick Santorum and George Allen! We have a FEMALE Speaker of the House for the first time EVER! I love American THIS MUCH right now.

*twirls*

I've been following Biting Beaver's story for the past few weeks as she was first denied emergency contraception, found out she was pregnant, and finally had to pay $450 for the abortion pill. Reading these posts just makes me want to cry. This is what "abortion on-demand" looks like. Biting Beaver did everything she could to avoid getting pregnant. She used regular birth control, which failed. She tried to get EC, and was denied it because she wasn't married or raped. Then she had to go to Planned Parenthood a total of four times to finally get the abortion pill, which causes cramping bad enough that they give you the tylenol with codeine and requires you to take it easy for several weeks afterwards. And costs $450. And because she posted about it on her blog, dozens of "pro-life" people found it necessary to tell her how much they wished she would die, so much do they love life. Here are the links:

I live in rural Ohio and I have been denied EC.

So now, without further ado, the Hall of Shame....or rather, those people to whom I give a great big happy "Fuck off" to.

Hey BB, you dirty whore. GET MARRIED YOU FUCKING SLUT. Have a nice day.

The EC failed.

I have had emails sent to me in the guise of having helpful tips to cause a miscarriage but which really suggested lethal herbs.

When that plus sign showed up I fell to the floor and cried.

I can quite safely say, with complete sincerity, that anyone who says, "Women use abortion for birth control" has never, EVER had an abortion.

I'm reading a series of posts by guest-blogger Sara Robinson at Orcinus. It's a fascinating look at authoritarianism and what prompts people to leave authoritarian groups like fundamentalist religion. I don't know how interesting this is to anybody else, but I'm endlessly fascinated by what I guess you'd call the interplay between religion and sociology. What does religion do for us? What kinds of things change what we believe, or what our religion believes? What kind of things *should* change our religion and what shouldn't? I know that etumon, at least, has wanted to know what I actually believe, so hopefully at least one person will find some of this interesting.

( Unintentionally-long essay ahead )

This has been done before, and better, but I'm going to do it again, because it's a giant pet peeve of mine.

fem-i-nism
n.

1. Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.
2. The movement organized around this belief.

If you believe in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes, you're a feminist. No, really. You can even call yourself a feminist! It doesn't matter if you're a Republican, a Christian, or whatever. You're a feminist if you believe in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. You don't have to believe in abortion rights to be a feminist. You don't have to support the Equal Rights Amendment. You can wear makeup and high heels if you want to. You can be a stay-at-home-mom. You can shave your legs. You don't have to become a lesbian.

I know so many people who hold feminist beliefs, yet I hear them say things like, "I'm not a feminist, but...." when they mention those beliefs. Please! If you believe in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes, call yourself a feminist! It's not a dirty word. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. And it's time we stopped acting like there is.

Apparently, Spike TV is one place I don't have to worry about putting the toilet seat down. Good to know.