This explains a lot. I thought Obama was just a flip-flop
wearing effete metrosexual. No, his sister says Obama is a feminist who "lives
surrounded by women."
But here is the really interesting part.
She said he taught her to ride a bicycle, made her practice harder math problems and start an exercise program, took her on college visits and even *gave her her first women's health book - "Our Bodies, Ourselves," a 1973 guide that came out of the women's movement and focused on female sexuality, health and hygiene.*
Just look at the cover to get an idea of the book. The reviews are even more eye opening. One guy blames the book for starting his wife down the path to divorce. And there's this masterful description:
Twelve women meet during a women's liberation conference in Boston. At a workshop on "women and their bodies," they talk about their own experiences with doctors and share their knowledge about their bodies. The discussions at the conference are so provocative and fulfilling that the following summer, each woman researches a health topic close to her heart. They decide to put their knowledge into an accessible form that can be shared with others and that can serve as a model for women who want to learn about themselves, communicate their findings with doctors, and challenge the medical establishment to change and improve the care that women receive.Barry is perfectly willing to give his sister a book that is not really the type of book you'd think most brothers would give to their sisters. Good for him, I guess, but I suppose I was raised in a more traditional America where boys don't give their sisters books that discuss their private anatomy. That Obama would be labeled a dedicated feminist by his sister and give her a book like this, is yet another layer of evidence that Obama really is at home with the far left in this country. But don't trouble yourself Doug. Obama will whisper sweet nothings in your ear when he signs legislation expanding abortion rights.
So he won't be the first black President?
Jaded July 18th, 2008 at 12:38 p.m. (link)
He will be the first woman President!
Whoever has his enemy at his mercy & does not destroy him is his own enemy
The NYTwits already said that.
Raven July 18th, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. (link)
[Snagglepuss] It made the front page, even... [/Snagglepuss]
"It is getting harder and harder to find suicide bombers. And all the really good ones are gone."
Heh ... at one point...
bs July 18th, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (link)
...Bill Clinton was considered the "first woman president". Then it was going to be John Edwards. Then we thought maybe Hillary herself would take the cup away from them (but she seemed to be too manly to qualify). Now we see that Barack himself is actually Mister Estrogen. Newsweek seems to have identified this back in February, as did the NY Post in January ("slim, good looking, with long elegant fingers, appealingly dressed - all terms more typically ascribed to female candidates." [snicker]). And the Chicago Sun-Times ran a similar article, although it seems to have disappeared from their site archives.
So The Waffler strikes again - he's taken on yet another persona. He's the Sybil of presidential politics. The question really becomes: how long before T.O. throws females under the ever-growing bus?
The Unofficial RedState FAQ “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
can't make this up
Streiff July 18th, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (link)
Iconic, eh?
"A man does what he can and endures what he must."
from the same
Streiff July 18th, 2008 at 1:21 p.m. (link)
iconic illustrator
"A man does what he can and endures what he must."
Broken link, streiff <NT>
Marcus_Traianus July 18th, 2008 at 2:13 p.m. (link)
Link is broken
"Nec Aspera Terrent" bene ambula et redambula Contributor to The Minority Report
NSFW would be useful <nt>
Slightly_Askew July 18th, 2008 at 2:17 p.m. (link)
streiff, were you trying to show this?...
Crowe July 18th, 2008 at 2:20 p.m. (link)
Because it's wretched.
(Your link seems to have a problem)
"Do not fear, only believe." (Mark 5:36)
Iconic?
Marcus_Traianus July 18th, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. (link)
No, iconic would be a copy of the original book with pages well thumbed by Obama before it was presented as a gift.
After all, he had to be reading something and we know it wasn't history or military strategy.
Either way, I feel better having not seen the photo. I just ate and that would have been emetic.
"Nec Aspera Terrent" bene ambula et redambula Contributor to The Minority Report
feminism
KBDay July 18th, 2008 at 1:21 p.m. (link)
As a woman who basically blazed trails outside the official women's movement, I can tell you this: most traditional leftista fems do not give one tinker's dam about real women's issues.
Feminism is no longer applicable. We can vote. We can work. We can run large corporations if we are willing to yield the time, energy and resources to our careers. Is there gender bias? Yep. I think we all saw a little of that, completely fueled by mainstream media and left-wingers, with Sen.Clinton's campaign--all that attention to her clothing. Saying Chelsea was "pimped out." But does that go with the turf? Unfortunately, yep.
Moreover, I have to say I am confused. That book came out in 1973, with a second edition in 1976. His sister is 39 years old. If he gave her the first edition, she was 4. I guess he must have given her a used copy of the 2nd edition. It just seemed strange. If my brother had ever gone off his rocker and gave me a book about my body, I'd have decked him.
Did he give her the book perhaps because the household had a standard for repression of women? Or the culture perhaps? I just think that is really strange.
I don't buy that a book can wreck a marriage, by the way. I do buy that a book can be replete with a sort of backwards gender bias.
I think Little Sister is pandering to the senior women's issues crowd, frankly.
All that said, I'm Southern and we do like men a whole lot down here. So I reckon I'm biased the other way.
And we do not leave the house, even to work in the garden, without makeup.
Guess that disqualifies me from official feminism. Even though I bet I can outshoot Gloria Steinem on a range, even with a pistol. Outfish her too. :) Kay
BWAHAHAHA!
bs July 18th, 2008 at 2:36 p.m. (link)
Great post, KB.
The Unofficial RedState FAQ “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
Thank you
Uma_Richie July 18th, 2008 at 3:56 p.m. (link)
for living through all that so I didn't have to.
Real women don't need makeup
BetsyRoss July 19th, 2008 at 11:20 a.m. (link)
As a woman from the Midwest, I can tell you that women who feel they need makeup to work in the garden are tramps. Who would you be trying to impress? The carrots, or the zuchinis?
Ad aspera, ad astra.
Let's all have one round of Kumbuya
fisk2521 July 18th, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. (link)
Geez, I almost broke into a round of Kumbuya when I read this. I had no idea that this love child book was still being sold, never mind purchased by anyone. I remember it well.....oh the days of strident negativity against society and men.
I was part of the 'feminist revolution' in the 70's.....I joined a 'consciousness raising group' (anyone remember those?) and subscribed to the very first issue of MS. Magazine. I took 'feminist' courses at night and was sure that all my problems in life was due to men.
The 'victimhood of women' was a 'fun' thing when I was young; but at some point not too far down the road, I began to realize what the women at these groups were saying.
One woman I remember well....married, with two very young children and a husband. She used to tell how she would go out at night and have sex with other men, then her husband would bring her coffee when she went home. Not many were shocked by it, and many thought it was funny. I didn't think it was funny, and I began to realize that my wonderful husband and two young BOYS deserved better. They were not to blame for the troubles of the world like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem preached. I wasn't a victim - - I was a lucky woman to have them and I didn't want to take part in creating a world where they were treated with such contempt.
Early REAL feminists like Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony never conceived of the world that feminists today have forced upon everyone. They abhored abortion and worked to make women's lives better in order to ENHANCE not destroy the nuclear family.
Obama buying this book for his sister doesn't impress me at all. Quite the opposite and I am a baby boomer that wore Buffalo sandals, long hair, headbands and listened to Peter, Paul and Mary albums over, and over, and over again. Thank God I grew up, there's nothing worse than an old hippie
LDavis
Lucky for me
Uma_Richie July 18th, 2008 at 4 p.m. (link)
the pro-life feminists had organized by the time I reached college age.
Thanks for sharing your memories.
A woman needs a man like,
blooch July 18th, 2008 at 4:33 p.m. (link)
um...to teach her how to ride a bicycle.
You've come a long way, baby.
"Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in common: their gender and their good looks."--spam
Man does this bring back memories
peg_c July 18th, 2008 at 7:15 p.m. (link)
I was in college when I got my copy of "Our Bodies Our Selves." Even being a lefty I was pretty repulsed. There were exercises in it like women getting together and getting naked to examine their genitalia with mirrors. Bleugh. It was a letter-sized, softcovered book maybe an inch thick, IIRC. A bit of a subversive, underground publication at the time. I kind of wish I still had mine because I am sure it was the first edition. Dang.
Nothing about Obama surprises me other than that he actually begat his daughters. I'm not sure I believe it. I'm not sure I believe he has a Y chromosome! Sheesh.
You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.
real women do need makeup, Betsy.
KBDay July 19th, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. (link)
"As a woman from the Midwest, I can tell you that women who feel they need makeup to work in the garden are tramps. Who would you be trying to impress? The carrots, or the zuchinis?"
Betsy, it's probably a cultural thing. I wear makeup not only to make myself feel good, but to look nice for the incredible guy I married. For what it's worth, he says I don't need it.
Your comment--'women who feel they need makeup to work in the garden are tramps' is indicative of some of the shrill rhetoric I've heard from feminists since I was in college.
Each to his own as long as no one is harmed. I consider diversity in personalities and preferences a blessing--I'm a conservative.
Do you comb your hair before gardening?
gamecock July 19th, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. (link)
I'll bet she does!
get it?
amen Kay, I wish you filled all my, Day(s)!
My Dad explained the point you just made to me when I was a teen.
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns The Minority Report and The HinzSight Report "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." - The Chief Justice Race 4 2008 "One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Funny makeup story re my lib girlfriend
gamecock July 19th, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. (link)
She attended a private womens college that reeked with feminism and gayness and so was orientation challenged as well after staying in that kind of environment for many years after college in ATL.
Here comes, then a dem lib from SC lawyer to ATL to live. PC alerts went out on I-85. I met her on day 2. She was the editor of the newspaper I would end up starting my sideline writing career with. She didn't wear makeup to work. We met.
My second sentence to her was that we could make beautiful children together and my third sentence successfully suggested we date. (She was my body type and she laughed at my jokes-one of which was my first sentence)
She wore makeup on the date.
I sucked it off during the date.
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns The Minority Report and The HinzSight Report "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." - The Chief Justice Race 4 2008 "One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
u funny
KBDay July 19th, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (link)
Mike, u funny.
And I do comb my hair, many times during the day even though my commute is across the carpet to my office. The girls always laugh at me for rushing to the mirror to check my makeup before my husband comes home, the minute I hear his car. Here's the benefit: many years of marriage and we still enjoy one another's company. He comes home willingly and so do I. I might add he is also careful about his own appearance.
It's funny, the different perspectives women have. Once my younger daughter complained about being female--"men have it made."
I told her she was completely wrong. We women have an arsenal of weaponry--subliminal sexuality (not to be confused with promiscuity), physical strength (extremely necessary during childbirth), the benefit of chivalry (if we choose our men well), and the right to sometimes venture an opinion a man might not get away with. What's not to like?
I admit I don't think like most women. That is perhaps because a number of fine men assisted in raising me. What a blessing.
best, Kay (watch out for that feather-plucking, Mike!)