Define stupid:  Rush Limbaugh being unable to identify just why women wouldn’t be common among his followers

 

Olberman reported last night, that Rush held a special call-in program for women in order to try and figure this brain buster out. 

 

Well, since Rush seems to be having trouble with this one, let’s make it a multiple choice question. 

 

Hmmm Rush, I don’t know maybe it could be:

 

A.       Your support of any number of policies that would continue the oppression of our gender

B.       Your name is Rush Limbaugh, enough said

C.      We are indeed real people, not just feminazis or babes…

D.      All of the above and sooooo much more!

 

Wait, what was that Rush, you need a lifeline…I thought you might say that….

This is one of the hypothetical commandments I would propose to the new religion of feminism. (It would certainly be a more women friendly religion than the majority. No I will not burn myself on my husband’s funeral pyre…or have twenty kids because the pope doesn’t believe in contraception…Thank you!) This week I’ve experienced an extra annoying circumstance of being forced to get to know my own enemy better. I’ve been forced to spend extra time with the President of the Campus Republicans. It isn’t that he is impossible to get along with, but I can’t ever forgive him for trying to take away my right to choose, and then trying to call himself a feminist. I found out last night that he and his cronies will be spending the next couple of days at a political action conference in Washington D. C. for conservatives. The schedule of events is alarming:

 http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/26/1204/74246/850/
Good thing we are going to D.C. too!!!

In a time of economic hardship, we should all be looking to cut corners when appropriate.  And abstinence-only til marriage programs should have more than their corners cut.

The plain and simple truth is that these programs do not work.

So, the news of potentially more money being flushed down the drain by AB-only is annoying, at best.  Read on for more info…

Via Amplify:

Details have just been released on the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, and I must say that it is disappointing news.

Despite the Senate Finance Committee’s recommendation for the House of Representatives to cut $28 million in funding for abstinence-only until marriage initiatives, the bill only cuts $14 million, leaving $94 million for these failed programs for the rest of the fiscal year.

This is despite President Obama’s public statements supporting comprehensive sex education, and his promise in the inaugural address to stop funding programs that don’t work. This is despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s public statement at Netroots Nation last year pledging to redirect abstinence-only funding.

The fact that the Democratic House leadership went exactly halfway towards the Senate’s recommendation is also alarming. Is this a sign that Barack Obama and the Democratic leadership are willing to meet halfway towards the social conservatives’ abstinence-only agenda, despite the overwhelming evidence of its failure, the desperate need to cut funding in the budget, and a strong Democratic majority in the House and Senate?

We certainly hope not, because Obama’s next test is currently underway. His administration is currently drafting their budget for the 2010 fiscal year, and this is Obama’s opportunity to walk the walk when it comes to his public statements on sex education.

We have already wasted $1.5 billion dollars on abstinence-only until marriage funding, and we are long past the time where this funding is, once and for all, zeroed out. Supporters of comprehensive sex education have already sent several thousand letters to Obama to zero out this funding, but we urgently need to send him more so he gets the message loud and clear.

Send this letter to President Obama, asking him to ZERO OUT funding for abstinence-only until marriage sex education in his 2010 fiscal budget.

The sexual health of young people is way too important to continue to leave it in the hands of these failed programs of the social conservative fringe. Abstinence Clowns and these horrifically misleading and harmful programs need go.  Please let him know!!!

South Dakota let them know what was up last November, but those crazy anti-choice people are back…this time in North Dakota.

http://www.feministing.com/archives/013776.html

 Wow, these “personhood” concepts are just SCARY!

Currently, out of 30 students in the Student Association Senate (that’s the student government body here at State) only NINE are women. And as 53% of the student body is composed of women, that’s a long way from reflective representation.

SO!

Three of us from Campus Women’s Coalition are part of a decent number of ladies running for a seat to help change that.

Jen’s goals include:

1. Increase sustainable practices on campus. I think local produce should be provided on campus. It is fresher, boosts the local economy, and creates less transportation emissions. Additionally, we could cut down on electricity bills by shutting off lights in buildings at night. The extra funds could be used to provide better quality food.

2. Increase accessibility to the student health center. I would work with student health to review their policies and create a friendlier student environment. I think student health needs to be more responsive to student needs. Possible changes include decreasing the cost of prescription medications bought from the on-campus pharmacy.

3. Work to provide campus wide wireless internet access. Technology is a critical component on campus. The current wireless available in the Union is good, but many agriculture related buildings on the west side of campus lack this resource.

Liz plans to:

1.  continue the fight against the mandatory laptop program. There are plenty of computer labs around campus and students should be able to decide for themselves if they need a laptop.

2.  advocate for a good samaritan drug policy on campus. Far too often, people don’t call for medical help if their friends seem to be overdosing or have alcohol poisoning because they’re worried about it going on their criminal record. If SDSU adopts a good samaritan policy, people won’t be punished for going to the hospital. You can read more about these policies here: http://ssdp.org/campaigns/ccc/goodsamaritan/

3.  work on improving snow and ice removal around campus. The massive ice patches all over the place are dangerous and need to be fixed.

I’ll be focusing on:

1. MORE LIGHTING. Too many large dark parking lots put SDSU students at risk. I’ll work to help allocate funds to increase street lights to high need areas of campus.

2. SDSU VOTES. Last semester, the county registrar’s office refused to come to SDSU to help students’ voices be heard. SDSU Votes helped more than 700 students get to the polls. I’ll work to make this a permanent and more efficient program.

3. CALL BOXES. Does anyone even know where these distress signal devices are? I’ll work with fellow senators to not only get more of these erected on campus, but also to attach visible lights atop them so that at least one can be seen from any point on the SDSU campus.

SDSU students, don’t forget to vote!  Everyone else, cross your fingers and send the good vibes.  Hopefully this year will be the year that young women leaders equal their male counterparts on the SA Senate.

(P.S.  Alisha will be presenting a paper on women at SDSU and their attitudes towards leadership…more to come on that).

The Great American Condom Campaign just notified me that I’ve been selected as a Safe Site. They’ll be sending me 500 free condoms donated by Trojan for me to distribute throughout the semester. Considering that the Student Health Center is still the only place on campus to get condoms and that they charge 25 cents a piece, this is very good news for SDSU. 

Two years ago, Trojan studied 100 college campuses around the country. SDSU was one of those campuses and frankly, the results were pathetic. The Collegian summarized the results:

SDSU ranked 82 out of 100 schools surveyed for the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card released Sept. 19 from the makers of Trojan brand condoms and Sperling’s Best Places.

SDSU received a D for information on the Web site, an F for condom availability and another F for advice columns and question-and-answer features for sexual issues or relationships. It did receive a respectable B for HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. 

This study inspired Campus Women’s Coalition to start Project: Condom. The goal is to make condoms free and available in more places around campus. Thanks to the Great American Condom Campaign, we’re a step closer. I’ll keep everyone updated on how condom distribution is going once the box comes in!

Don’t know what to do for Valentines day?  Mix it up this year!  Come to SDSU’s performance of the Vagina Monologues!

When: Friday, February 13th and Saturday, February 14th   — Doors open at 7 p.m.

Where:  Doner Auditorium, SDSU Campus, Brookings

Tickets are $5 and all proceeds go to the Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter!  Available for purchase at the door or in the Student Union Friday 11a.m.-1p.m.

So come support both students and women of the shelter.   “VDay.  Until the Violence Stops.” 

Contrary to what you may have heard, this is not a “man-bashing” play.  Rather, this is a collection of stories.  Sad stories, funny stories, angry stories, poignant stories.  But most of all, these are based on real stories that happened to women from all walks of life.

See you there…!

({})

This just in from EQSD:

Last night, the Brookings School Board unanimously agreed to add sexual orientation and gender identity to its non-discrimination policy. The policy protects students, faculty, and staff, and will hopefully inspire other districts around the state to take similar steps.

Please take a moment to thank the Brookings School Board members for taking a stand to support equality! Their contact information can be found here:

http://brookings.k12.sd.us/district/school_board_page.htm

While we still have a long way to go for equal rights, this is a great step in the right direction.

Last Monday, SDSU made the annual pilgrimmage to Pierre for the SD Advocacy Network for Women’s Women4Women Day. 

And what a blast!  First, we enjoyed 3 hours of SD scenery.

We sat in on committee hearings:

Observed legislators at work

And had a general awesome time!!

Thanks to all who made this day possible.  This is a wonderful program that not only lets us escape campus for a day, but allows us to interact with the people who make our laws.   (By this I mean — we get to give them a piece of our minds!) 

Sometimes representatives forget that young people are constituents too, and our issues matter.  This day, among others, lets us remind them of just that.

So no big surprise, but SD isn’t the most gay friendly state. However, there’s a whole lot of us here at Brookings who are part of a new generation, one that loves and supports our gay and straight friends alike. And so long as they are not considered equal, it’s up to all of us to keep pushing the line until they are.

That’s why CA’s Prop 8 (the November ballot measure that overturne the state’s supreme court decision to make gay marriage legal) is as important there as it is here.

On December 19 last year, Ken Starr (remember this guy?) and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8, and worse yet, seeking to nullify the 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted between May and November of 2008 when gay marriage was legal in CA.

On March 5, 2009, the Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments for this important case. A decision expected within the next 90 days.

Please watch this video, then show your support by signing the petition in favor of repealing this BS.

These are real people with real lives and families. Perhaps it’s cliche, but obviously some people need to be reminded of that. And that these Americans deserve the same right to pursue their happiness as anyone else.

Fight the H8! Sign today.