politics

[quote=President-elect Barack Obama]This victory alone is not the change we seek; it is only the chance for us to make that change.

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That's the true genius of America, that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.[/quote]

My sister and I had a series of interesting discussions when Palin was first picked.  We went from shock at the apparent stupidity of the decision, the sheer ridiculousness of the idea that she will appeal to women, to a sort of grudging admiration for the apparent brilliance (intentional or not) of the pick. 

W. Bradford Wilcox wrote an interesting article on the reasons for Evangelical support of Sarah Palin, not despite but because of the apparent inconsistency between her religious ideals and the realities of her family life.  I must admit, I have found it a little disturbing how quickly we liberals point out the seeming hypocrisy she represents.  How often does our ideology falter in practice (hint: do you drive?  do you drink coffee grown outside your immediate environs?)?  What I find equally disturbing is the apparent lack of acknowledgment of the difference between ideology and practice among Fundamentalist Christians and some Evangelicals (fundamentalists are not the same as evangelicals!).  Wilcox's article makes an interesting connection. 

[quote= In Talking right, stumbling left by W. Bradford Wilcox at The Immanent Frame]

But when it comes to putting these views into practice, the picture grows more complex. My research shows that evangelical Protestants are more likely to be married and to have larger families than other Americans, as one might expect. But on other fronts, American evangelicals have clearly been affected by the tidal wave of change associated with the family and gender revolutions of the last half century. On average, evangelical Protestant teens have sex at slightly earlier ages than their non-evangelical peers (respectively, 16.38 years-old versus 16.52 years-olds). Evangelical Protestant couples are also slightly more likely to divorce than non-evangelical couples. And, I have also found that evangelical mothers are actually more likely to work full-time outside of the home than their non-evangelical peers.[/quote]

Read the full article >> 

A (somewhat) funny and scathing open letter by Tim Wise to white women voting for McCain as a protest against the sexist treatment of Hillary Clinton:

[quote="Tim Wise"] This is an open letter to those white women who, despite their proclamations of progressivism, and supposedly because of their commitment to feminism, are threatening to withhold support from Barack Obama in November. You know who you are.

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That said, and despite the awkward timing, I need to ask you a few questions, and I hope you will take them in the spirit of solidarity with which they are genuinely intended. But before the questions, a statement if you don't mind, or indeed, even if (as I suspect), you will mind it quite a bit.

First, for those of you threatening to actually vote for John McCain and to oppose Senator Obama, or to stay home in November and thereby increase the likelihood of McCain winning and Obama losing (despite the fact that the latter's policy platform is virtually identical to Clinton's while the former's clearly is not), all the while claiming to be standing up for women...
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Your whiteness is showing.
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Full Article: "Your Whiteness is Showing"

You Decide:

Along with many other Oregonians, I voted for Barack Obama, not Hillary Clinton. I have many reasons for that choice. But it was, and still is, a sad choice. I am a feminist, and I did not vote for the first female candidate for President. I think race mattered (and will continue to do so) and I think sex mattered, both in complicated, sometimes ugly, and often unconscious ways. I can't quite escape the feeling that I lost something, that I compromised a value I to which I am deeply committed, the full participation of women according to their real gifts, not merely those perceived by blind tradition and ancient stereotypes. I still think my reasons for choosing Barack are good, and I will stand by them. I only hope that what Hillary says below comes true, that we really can "build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us."

Newly re-registered in my home state, and called to serve within a month, I am fulfilling my sole legal obligation as a female citizen of the United States (unlike my brothers, I am do not need to register for selective service).  Our orientation to the responsibilities of our patriotic duty was delivered by Judge Janice Wilson.  I use “patriotic” intentionally.  This is one of those few times in my life I feel proud to be a citizen of the United States. 

From "Mythbusting Canadian Health Care -- Part I": The philosophical basis of America's privatized health care system might best be characterized as medical Calvinism. It's fascinating to watch well-educated secularists who recoil at the Protestant obsession with personal virtue, prosperity as a cardinal sign of election by God, and total responsibility for one's own salvation turn into fire-eyed, moralizing True Believers when it comes to the subject of Taking Responsibility For One's Own Health."