The Airline Business is hard

And another airline bites the dust...TOO BAD

If someone could tell me why Hooters was even an airline, maybe I would feel bad. But right now, the only sadness I feel is over the fact that my friends won't be able to take pictures of the Hooter's Air sign when they land in Atlanta.

And the Fall Guy IS....

ANDREW CARD--the Chief-of-Staff. His speech was a little sad....

Guess who his replacement is...COME ON...GUESS. Really, I want you to brainstorm all the possible options.

Did you guess Josh Bolten--the BUDGET DIRECTOR? No? Well, that is understandable. *stunned*

Now, I understand that in *most* cases, the chief-of-staff is really the neck of the administration. But in THIS administration? Andy Card does not stand a chance. And it's not like he is Scooter Libby and dripping with swarm and dishonesty. Sure, his politics leave a *lot* to be desired but is he really to blame? Mr. Bush, I know that you're approval ratings are at an all-time low. I know that nearly 70% of people think that the U.S. is on the wrong track. But do you really think that we sit down to dinner and discuss how Andy Card is the problem? No, sir, we discuss decisions like THIS and problems like THIS. Both of which have nothing to do with Andrew Card.

I own my blog....at least for now

I took this quiz as I was blogging instead of writing my paper....

37.5 %

My weblog owns 37.5 % of me.
Does your weblog own you?

...how fitting

Happy Day!

Mom is visiting us in sunny Georgia. It is nice to have the company, cooked meals, purchased groceries AND presents from Borders. Because I live under an (impoverished) academic rock, I had no idea Van Morrison had a new album out. It only includes two new tracks but his voice makes the purchase worth it. Lots of classic country.

VERY FUN!

EDIT: And THIS just in....TIME is reporting that if mid-term elections were held today, the Republicans would lose control. HERE'S to hoping!

Sparkling Dinner Conversation v. 3

Did you catch This Week with George Stephanopoulos? It was a great show this week. The highlight for me was all the coverage of global warming. He featured Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (D), who was discussing his commitment to reducing our addiction on foreign oil. HE WAS FANTASTIC. The best line was when he said that we need a president who will challenge the American people to change their lifestyles in order to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. He then issued a challenge to ALL OF US to be responsible consumers. It was heartfelt and earnest. ATE. IT. UP.

It is always great to see Dem's speaking their mind in a honest, articulate, inspiring way. I would love to chat with Governor Schweitzer (he can bring his wife!). He is extremely interesting, intelligent and seems like a fantasic visionary. Hmmm, maybe all the dems in the beltway should have dinner with him!

Something Drew and I did today....CHECK IT OUT. How big is your carbon footprint? Ours was disappointingly large considering how conscious we try to be.

SUPPORT THE CHICKS!

I LOVE the Dixie Chicks. Love their sound, their style, their politics! I supported them in 2003 when they spoke out against the war and I will support them NOW as they unapologetically return to the music scene. However, they need more than my support. A lot of radio stations won't play their new single 'Not Ready to Make Nice' and country music fans are still threatening to burn their CD's and boycott their music. Support strong, female artists who aren't afraid to make a statement.

READ MORE

But what kind of nations are we building?

Sooo, you know how I'm against the war and all? Know how the idea of "nation building" makes me all anxious and things? Well, stories like THIS don't help.

We've heard all about the Afghan man who converted to Christianity facing death. But now ABC News is uncovering the risks for women under the new Iraqi government. Remember, historically, Iraq was one of the more "liberal" Middle Eastern countries in terms of women's rights. Obviously, women's rights needed (A LOT of) work but at least women were able to attend college, work outside the home and were recognized as legal citizens. The hope was that Iraq would continue down the paved path of equality. Remember statements like THIS from Bush??

"We're improving roads and schools and health clinics. We're working to improve basic services like sanitation, electricity, and water. And together with our allies, we'll help the new Iraqi government deliver a better life for its citizens."

Yeah, well who is looking out for the women (they are citizens, too!)? Now...they don't have sanitation, electricity, clean water OR the right to work outside the home. Now...they don't have paved roads let alone paved paths to equality.

Hmmmm. So, we went into Iraq in order to fight terror and search out WMD's. Those reasons were unfounded but we were still able to use the "liberation" excuse (and by "we," I mean "they")--selling the equality narrative all over the mainstream media. But now? Well, now it appears we are just building global intolerance.

GRADE? A+

I'm becoming my mother

Since high school, I have had a MAJOR problem with sleep walking and talking. And by MAJOR, I mean I've woken up in hotel hallways with no idea where my room was or how I had gotten outside. Oh yes, I turn on lights, open doors, carry on conversations and then suddenly wake up and wonder what the hell I am doing. The incidents intensify when I am sleep deprived and/or stressed out. My mom did the same thing when she was younger. Although, she recently told me that she hadn't done it in years.

Sunday night Drew was startled awake by me--bolting out of bed and lunging at the window. Then I just stood in the corner and appeared to be trying to move the curtains and open the window. I quickly woke up, came back to bed and explained the dream (that I still remembered). Our building was being evacuated but we couldn't get out any way other than the window. I was still terrified when I came back to bed. The next day I talked to my mom on the phone and she said she had an "incident" the night before. She woke up to herself laughing and pulling on her curtains. She was having a dream that she was hanging her curtains and couldn't get them to hang right. She was still laughing as she got back into bed.

Do I need to even say it? Like mother like daughter.

The Flu Makes My Stomach Hurt

All the news of the bird flu really PISSES me off. Sure, if an outbreak happened in the US it would be horrible. However, the chances of that happening are SLIM and the panic about the flu simply diverts attention away from things like poverty, malaria, AIDS that actually kill millions daily.

But now, I have a NEW REASON to hate the bird flu press:

"Rabbi David Basri, a prominent Kabbalah preacher, has attributed an outbreak of deadly bird flu in Israel to calls in election campaigns to legalise gay marriages. "

Hey, Basri, your God sounds like a real a$@hole.

If I were a political consultant

Thanks to Shakespeare's Sister for the heads up on this story.....

I have long been fascinated with the idea of authenticity and political candidates. I think Presidential candidates (specifically) do better when they are true to themselves. A couple cases in point: Bill Clinton

Of all the many reasons I love Bill, his womanizing is not one of them. You just look at the guy and get a feeling that *maybe* (just maybe) he is a little swarmy when it comes to the ladies. He is not a good husband. Not someone I would want to have as a father. However, he was authentically swarmy. He took ownership of his personality--apologized for it when necessary and revelled in it when possible. I think that is why he resonated with voters. We knew what we were getting with him. (And then we also got a decreased unemployment rate, one of the lowest abortion rates, really close to Middle East peace, etc)

George W. Bush

This time, authenticity isn't working out so well for us....but here is another man who really resonated with the public. He is not well spoken, he does not read the news, he likes to be outdoors, he has a southern drawl. These things turn me off BUT some people EAT IT UP. They love that he is authentically "red neck" (as so many bumper stickers claim). There are no surprises with Bush. We can count on him to mispronounce things, smirk and lean on the podium. And it is safe to say the Religious Right knew EXACTLY what they were getting.

PEOPLE LIKE ROUTINE. THEY LIKE PREDICTABILITY. THEY LIKE AUTHENTICITY.

*SIGH* I wish Al Gore had figured it out (or asked my opinion). I would have told him to air THIS video. It is FANTASTIC. The best part is that he owns his personality. He is not apologetic. LOVE IT!

He didn't go as far as I would have liked...and that is to say "You know what, America? What this White House needs is a straight shirt in it...You can believe that I won't be picking up any interns--I'm far too boring."

* Beware...it may get you chocked up thinking of what might have been

Momma don't let your kids grow up to be....

Ok, this was just TOO funny not to share.

Did you know that there is a correlation between conservatism and whining?!

Irony

Drew's mom was there to meet us at the airport. As we walked, I told her all about the clothing I had brought along. I told her that I had broken out the "good boots." My fancy, expensive boots that were so nice that I never wore them for fear of ruining them. But a wedding shower--that calls for the "good boots." I assured her I would show her the boots as soon as we got home.

We waited and waited for our third bag.....and waited.

I happened to look over at the baggage desk and saw our bag. It was muddied and ripped. I went running over and the airline worker told me that Northwest had run over my fallen bag. I was stunned. I held up my boots...my GOOD BOOTS. They were covered in toiletries and mud. Had been shredded by some mystery vehicle.

Good bye boots. Wish I had enjoyed you more......

Sad Anniversary

Today is the three year anniversary of the day that Bush declared war on Iraq. It has been a full three years. Let's look at other numbers:

* $350 billion- US taxpayers' money (plus another $120 billion requested in February of this year)
*157,000- total troops (including 136,000 from the US, 8,500 from the UK, and 12,500 from all other nations)
* 2,290- US Troop Casualities
* 16,742- US Troop injuries (20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries)
* 71%- Iraqi's who do not have clean drinking water
* $55.3 billion- estimated cost of "reconstruction"
* 75- daily insurgent attacks

And he says more fighting will be necessary.....

FEMINIST MEME

As I was catching up with my favorite blogs after a week-long absence, a few of them had this meme. It was a great opportunity for me to revisit things/people/ideas that are/have been important to my personal growth.

1) Specify five women's issues of critical importance to you:
* Reproductive Rights (that includes access to birth control, morning after pill, any variety of planned parenthood services and health care)
* Poverty
*Terrors and atrocities of war that women so often suffer the worst
* Domestic Violence
* Equal Pay and Opportunities in the workplace/Maternity leave issues


2) Name five of your feminist heroes (other than Mom, grandmom, etc.):
* Betty Freidan. In the great scheme of things, she was pretty conservative. I don't know how well she and I would have gotten along BUT she got the ball rolling on so many things. She deserves respect and gratitude.
* Eleanor Roosevelt. This blog could not hold all I would want to say about Eleanor.
* Hillary Rodham Clinton (even though I am undecided about her 08 run, I still admire her a great deal)
* Margaret Sanger
*I really can't pick the fifth. It may be a cop out but I know so many strong men and women committed to equality and empowerment. I also really want to say my mom but the "rules" say I can't....

3) List five books by women that influenced your thinking about politics, gender, sexuality, identity, etc.:

I can't name just five books but I will name authors and projects
* Judith Halberstam
* bell hooks
* Judith Butler
*Monique Wittig
*Radicalesbians

And just in case you want some great feminist fiction/non scholarly stuff:
*Carson McCullers
*Zora Neale Hurston
*Toni Morrison
*Anna Quindlen
*Jane Austen

4) List five must-see films that illuminate a unique facet of women's identity/struggle/experience:
* Maria Full of Grace
* Magdelene Sisters
* Boys Don't Cry (lots of gender/sexuality/violence issues)
* Vera Drake
* North Country

5) List five feminist blogs you read (almost) daily:
* Woman of Color Blog
* Feministe
* Feministing
* Southern Feminist Blogs
* Pam's House Blend

And lots more...please click on my blog roll

6) List five women musicians you admire:
* Dixie Chicks
* Carly Simon
* Neko Case
* I also feel the obligatory need to mention Ani D....but I don't really get into her music

I need to listen to more women....

7) List five women performers you admire:
* Reese Witherspoon
* Charlize Theron
* Susan Sarandon
* Halle Berry (yeah, she did some BAD movies--but she also did some v. good ones)
*Hillary Swank

8) List your five favorite feminist quotes:
*The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl." ~Shirley Chisholm
* "I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat." ~Rebecca West
* It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.... Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less. ~Susan B. Anthony
* You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
* Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Opposite

As Kourt and I watched from afar, the bartender approached Drew. There was laughing, flirting, and walking away. We were seated soon after. Drew teased me that the conversation was the "smoothest exchange of a phone number" he had ever experienced. I demanded to see the number. He "couldn't find it" but said it was written on a yellow piece of paper that he had "somewhere" in his pocket. I pointed to one that was peeking out. He reluctantly showed it to me. Just as I suspected—it was, instead, the receipt to my recently purchased wedding band.

*GRIN*

I'll take any readers I can get

My favorite feature of my blogger Site Meter is the "referral" page. This is the page which tells you how visitors found your site. Mostly, my hits come from other blogs which link to mine. However, a fair number come from various internet searches (especially with the Google Blog feature). For the most part, it is entertaining to see what search terms brought visitors to your site. Mostly, the search terms that lead to my site are related to politics or movies. The past couple weeks have brought people looking for information about "Barack Obama" and "girlcotts." I even had a google search for my full name. Is someone looking for me? Anyway, these searches make sense.....

But sometimes the search terms are....a tad weird. And by weird I mean disturbing. I thought I had the weirdest experience way back in November when someone searching for "anal rapist" landed on my post about Arrested Development. It's funny...check it out! (let's just say that person probably didn't find the information they were looking for). But today, I was perusing my site meter and found two interesting searches:

kirsten lesbian love stories
AND
kristen panties michigan

So, "kirsten lesbian love stories" and "kristen panties michigan," WELCOME. I hope you found the site helpful.

Blogging Against Sexism

Jarrod: What are you doing?
Kristen: Sitting down to engage in my favorite activity--finding more instances of sexism in the Red and Black
Jarrod: You know, there are some who say if you look hard enough you'll find anything*

My friend Jarrod was pointing out one of the precautions of our job--over reading texts. As a communication student who studies feminist messages, I often struggle with the intended and implied meaning of discourse. Do I really see what I think I see in this message? However, I can't help but think I'm not the only one who notices the ridiculousness that is the Red and Black.

I am continuously surprised by the lack of quality in the University of Georgia's paper. UGA is a big school. It is a school with a great mass communication and speech communication department. However, the paper....well...it leaves A LOT to be desired. Whether it is its tendency to privilege football over "real world" issues or its obsession with female bodies, it sends a message that UGA students are incapable of ingesting "real" news. As the talking head of the student body, it sends the message that all men at UGA are objectifying buffoons and the women are eager to be objectified.

Let me highlight my favorite example and publicly take a stand AGAINST THE CONTINUING SEXISM in the Red and Black.

Brumby Hall, an all-female high-rise dorm, is located at the top of the hill on the west side of the University of Georgia. In all actuality, an all female dorm is not really that novel. So, I assumed when I saw the headline Those Brumby Girls Got Back that the women must be doing something unique. I actually thought--was the dorm evacuated? Did they need to move back into their dorm? Imagine my surprise when I actually read the article which was devoted to praising the “Brumby Calves” or the “Brumby Thighs" of the women who walk the hill daily on their way back to the dorm. We also read riveting interviews with men who claim, “If I lived closer to Brumby, I would definitely sit on the hill and scope out the girls. I love it when a girl has a little extra junk in her trunk.” The article does two things (a) objectifies women themselves and (b) permits a public space for MEN to do it as well. (it also reaffirms heteronormativity in an explicit and damaging way but this is blog against sexism day so I won't go there).

The big question is--how is this news? I am somewhat understanding when it comes to the immense coverage of the football team. It is no secret that SEC football is a huge part of UGA's culture. However, if objectifying women is a part of UGA's culture, I think I'll be part of the out group. I suppose my analysis could be an example of "over reading." However, I prefer to think that if this example of sexism isn't obvious to everyone, we are all under reading. I hope articles like this are offensive to the general public--not just feminist scholars.

* it should be noted that Jarrod in no way is sexist. He was just giving me a hard time.
** Check out other bloggers against sexism: Bethany, Quaker Dave, Shakespeare's Sister, OurWord

Use your dollar to fight sexism

We all know the power of consumers--we all made hammer pants popular in the late 80's. I figure if we have to live within the bounds of capitalism why not SHOP TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE??

I would encourage readers to buy from companies whose policies are advantageous to women. With collective effort, we can use our purchasing power to influence the policies of companies, states, and nations in order to advance feminist causes. This change in consumer policy should punish companies who are out of touch with a feminist position and reward companies who pursue a progressive agenda. Some thoughts:

Eckerd, CVS, and Walgreens' Pharmacy for refusal to sell the Morning After Pill in most locations. We can add Wal-Mart to that list but hopefully we are all already boycotting them

Abercrombie and Fitch for things like I talked about in THIS post

Mike's Hard Lemonade because it is GROSS and because they are the largest sponsor of the Man Show (remember that show? girl's on trampolines?). This could extend to A LOT of beverage companies like Coors and Milwaukee's Best for offensive advertisements and donations to the republican party which DOES NOT FIGHT FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS

General Electric not a purely feminist issue but they are a HUGE defense contractor and contributor to the US military and our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, they are investing huge amounts of R&D into nuclear power. BOOO nuclear power

And HERE is a list of women-owned businesses listed by product

GIRLCOTTS!!

Also, you should look into THIS BOOK for more ideas*

* I don't support the essentialist notion of the book that claims women shop more than men or that they are more powerful consumers due to their role in the family (i.e. buying all the household products). However, it has great ideas just the same

Homecoming "King"

I'm not sure how I feel about THIS

A small liberal arts college in Maryland recently crowned a lesbian homecoming king. I don't really agree with the notion of homecoming king/queen in general...but this situation has raised a few specific thoughts

1. While it is good for any person in a minority position to receive press, I can't help but think that this "press" is more damaging for lesbians than helpful

2. Why can't a lesbian be queen? Why is the association with king? It isn't clear from the article if the woman identifies as a transperson. Perhaps she views herself as a man (hence her desire to be king). However, she refers to herself multiple times as a "she" as do her friends and supporters. Thus, if she thinks of herself as a woman, why was she now crowned queen?

3. This award seems to imply that lesbians are not "real" women. They are in fact women who desire to be men--to have what men have. I think we can all agree that the lesbian identity is not an identity that simply seeks maleness.

While I value the support her classmates gave in voting for someone who is openly gay, I cringe at the notion that she had to be the "king" of the ball.....

Oscars!

I love, love, love the Oscars. Love the name, love the glamour, love the movies. Here are a few of my favorite moments....

1. Best Award: Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote. I was worried he would get overshadowed by all the "edgy" and "political" films. His performance was fantastic. I actually yelped and did a fist pump when it was announced. The academy got it RIGHT

2. Best Acceptance Speech: Reese Witherspoon....she was borderline cheesy but she is just so damn cute. Didn't like her dress but I loved the earnest smile and the fact that she is just "trying to matter." Me too Reese, me too.

3. Best Joke: "Bjork could not make tonight's ceremony because she was trying on her Oscar dress and Dick Cheney shot her." Normally I don't laugh at violence BUT given dresses like THIS, the joke seemed appropriate.

4. Best Dress: It is a tie between Kiera Knightly and Nicole Kidman. They both looked STUNNING.

5. Best Oscar Mock Ballot: Drew and I tied! We each got 13 right! Can you say "too much movie watching"

6. Best Facial Expressions: George Clooney. That guy is FUNNY. I think he *may* be drunk pretty much all the time but whatever...he makes me giggle.

7. Best Message: There were actual clips in the social commentary montage that could only be described as FEMINIST--Nine to Five for example?! We've heard all about the gay issues and the race issues...but there were also some feminist issues. GO ACADEMY!

8. Best Commercial: The M&M commercial with Yellow having huge collagen filled lips. So clever! I tried to find it but the link isn't up yet....hope ya'll saw it!

9. Best Awkward Moment: The performance of the Crash song. I mean…fire? Weird dancing? I don't get it. The song lyrics were enough.

10. Best (and by best I mean CUTEST) Couple: Ang Lee and his wife. ADORABLE.

I had some negative reactions as well but I hate to ruin a positive post....I'll rant later!

Another Meme

9 lasts:
Last cigarette: I have never smoked. Never will. I don't care that people do but seeing my grandfather suffer with emphysema took away the fascination for me
Last beverage: Fountain Dr. Pepper from McAlisters
Last kiss: Drew as he left to play football
Last movie seen: What the Bleep Do We Know (see post)
Last phone call: I had to look at my call log but it was to Shawna last night to see where she was at
Last CD played: ElizabethTown Soundtrack (which is awesome!)
Last bubble bath: So long ago I can't remember. That is SO, SO sad. I love bubble baths
Last time you cried: December--with relief--as my first PhD semester had just ended and I survived. Tears of pride and relief...mostly relief

8 have you evers:
Dated one of your best friends: He wasn't my best friend at the time but quickly fulfilled the role
Skinny-dipped: Yes
Kissed somebody and regretted it: No, I've never had a scandalous life!
Lost someone you loved: Yes.
Been depressed: I would say I've been in a funk. Not sure it was depression
Gotten drunk and thrown up: Yes but hopefully I am growing out of that stage of my life!

7 states you've been to:
Oregon
Washington
California
Michigan
Pennsylvania
North Carolina
Georgia
**Am I a total nomad if I have lived in more than half of them?!

6 things you've done today:
Went grocery shopping
Did laundry (of course)
Graded student papers
Read about female masculinity and Janet Reno
Went to Borders to pick up the new Harpers
Read my fave blogs

5 favorite things, in no particular order:
Drew
Dr. Pepper
Soup
Real Simple Magazine
Flip Flops

4 people you can tell (almost) anything to:
Drew
Kourt
My mom
Kelly

3 wishes:
For good weather on June 24th
Creative inspiration for the rest of the semester
To win the lottery without even playing

2 things you want to do before you die:
Live in Washington DC
Do enough great things that there is a Wikipedia entry for myself

1 thing you regret:
I don't believe in regrets. I would say I regret not dating Drew as soon as I met him but the 18 month journey it took to "find" him made me all the more ready to be the person he fell in love with.

Nope, no regrets

Read, Set, BLOG

I'm getting ready and so is my friend Bethany. Hopefully we can all BLOG AGAINST SEXISM! I already have some rants stored up!

Sparkling Dinner Conversation v.2

Sooo he chews tobacco.
Sooo he plays the congos naked.
He's wicked sexy, authentic and has just the right amount of hippy to please this lady.

And It Continues

Mississippi has decided to follow South Dakota's lead. This is a state that already requires a 24 hour waiting period and parental consent for abortions but I guess they thought they would go all out. THIS NEWS right after I saw

THIS

Sure, Sure...it is probably just a form letter and it doesn't state explicitly "I will take away a woman's autonomy" but I'm a little uneasy just the same.

Boo Death Penalty

Happy International Death Penalty Abolition Day!

I am proud to be from Michigan where I don't have to make a call or write a letter stressing the importance of this issue. However, I would encourage anyone who doesn't live in Michigan to become an advocate! If you need some recommended reading:

Read HERE
and HERE

The only thing former Governor Engler and I agree upon:

"I think Michigan made a wise decision 150 years ago (when the state abolished capital punishment). We're pretty proud the of the fact that we don't have the death penalty" -New York Times, Sept. 22, 2000

P.S. Thanks for Quaker Dave for reminding me about this!

Victim Blaming

I should save this story for "blogging against sexism" day, but I am too mad and the issues are too deep to simply to attribute to sexism. The below story shows a systemic need by society to blame women for the many assaults that happen to them. They drank too much. They put themselves in harm's way. They agreed to the sexual activity and then regretted it later.

This school year has opened my eyes to the huge problem we STILL have in treating rape victims. Issues as basic as not having enough rape kits on college campus OR refusing to give rape victims the morning after pill frustrate me. Editorial comments in newspapers with chains of reasoning that include "women should not go to strange men's houses" or "drink at parties" as that means they are "asking for it" infuriate me. However, the constant need for the justice system to humiliate and blame the women suffering from these horrible and violent attacks is too much.

The most recent example of an Illinois woman being threatened with contempt of court if she refuses to watch the video of her rape is outrageous. The woman was 16 when the attack happened. She does not remember much of the night but woke up in a strange man's bed naked from the waist down with obscenities written on her legs. The video tape shows the violence and obscenities which occured. Some of the men have already been charged with assault and battery. However, if this woman does not testify (which she won't if the defense insists on showing the video), the criminal charges will be dismissed against the alleged rapist. The defense is characterizing the woman as someone who got really drunk and had a one night (consensual) stand.

With horror stories like this, is it any wonder that women are hesitant to come forward? Even worse, the Chicago Tribune story that I read further delegitimizes the woman (and other rape victims) by throwing in an off hand (unrelated comment) about a case that happened in 1995 where a woman "recanted" her story after refusing to testify. Is the implication that this woman is refusing to testify because she is lying? Why compare her story with another story of a woman who recanted? Why not discuss the psychological effects on the woman watching the tape? Why not throw in an off hand comment about a case where the woman was not forced to watch a tape of her own attack but still convicted her attacker?

Remove this one from the schedule

Perhaps Bush was able to squeeze in the suprise Afghan visit because he took this off his schedule.

The US Peace Action has it right:

Mahatma Gandhi was a man of non-violence and peace and is a hero to people all over the world. As his war-strewn presidency shows, George Bush knows nothing about non-violence. Gandhi would in no way condone his actions. Bush should reconsider this cynical, disrespectful display of symbolism