Guess what y'all

In what is apparently the first study to examine mental development during childhood, researchers found "much-touted differences in the mental evolution of boys and girls aren't so pronounced after all."

Some other findings:

* Mental performance differs little by gender. "We found a few significant differences that we would have suspected," Waber said. "For example, boys are better at visual and spatial tasks, and girls are better at motor speed, but there are no differences in many other paths, like memory."
* Family income matters. Kids from more affluent homes do better than those from lower-income families, with average IQs of 105, 110 and 115, respectively, for children classified as low-, middle- and high-income. "But when we limit the groups to healthy children, the differences are not as great," Waber said. "That suggests that the difference has more to do with disparity in health care related to income."
* Young children make the biggest gains. Mental performance climbed steadily from age 6, leveled off for most tests between age 10 and 12, and then improved only very slightly or not at all during adolescence, challenging the idea of a growth spurt in learning during the early teens.

So they're saying that conditions in early childhood are more important than one's genitals in determining mental development. Lord help us all!

A note from the Supreme Court

Hey ladies,

If your employer discriminates against you by paying you less than male workers who do the same job, please be sure to find out about the company's discriminatory policy within 180 days if you want to sue them, mmmkay? Your civil rights have a time limit.

xoxo,
The Supreme Court

More on birth control.

Some good news here from Brazil.

The Brazilian government is now supplying birth control pills at deeply discounted prices for impoverished women, along with providing larger numbers of free vasectomies in state hospitals.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the plan will give poor Brazilians "the same right that the wealthy have to plan the number of children they want."

Predictably, the Catholic church strongly criticized the decision, while Brazilian feminists applauded it. What I found most interesting was a brief discussion of the huge number of illegal abortions currently performed in Brazil:

...the program could reduce the 800,000 illegal abortions that Brazilian women have each year. About 4,000 women die from the back-office procedures annually, making it the fourth leading cause of maternal death in Brazil after hypertension, hemorrhages and infections.

The Yes on 6 crew, who are undoubtedly preparing another total ban on abortion in this state as I type, are absolutely deluding themselves if they think this kind of thing wouldn't happen in South Dakota if the legislature successfully banned abortion.

Mama's got the pill.

Ken Blanchard at SDP awaits Dakota Women's reaction to Lybrel, the new birth control pill. I suspect each of the women posting here has a slightly different personal reaction to the drug, and mine is: "I WANT MORE BABIES! MORE BABIES! WE LOVE BABIES!"

Sorry, I had to get a dig in at Leslee Unruh. I would imagine those of us posting at DW would all agree that it's one of those pesky 'personal choice' issues. I am not sure why this is causing so much controversy, actually, since I know all kinds of women who swear by various birth control methods (example: Depo-Provera) that stop their periods.

Ken directs readers to an article in Slate about the pill, and the division between "crunchy" and "techno" feminists over whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. First I want to share a news flash for our readers who may be unfamiliar with feminists or feminism: feminists don't agree with each other A LOT OF THE TIME. I would be more shocked if every feminist did approve of this pill than if I heard that women who adhere to different schools of thought have disagreements over this drug. I don't know that the pill is necessarily either "unnatural" or "liberating," or if that would be reason enough to use/not use the drug if one or the other was absolutely the case.

I end up agreeing with Ken's final point:

...when we ask what is natural, we can't look to the past. Modern society and technology have changed the context beyond recognition. Instead we should ask what promotes human flourishing, given our best guess about how nature operates in this brave new world.

The Slate writer starts talking about "primitive women" which almost always gets me rolling my eyes, because what do any of us do that is anything like what "primitive people" did? As soon as I end this post, I am going to put makeup on my face, and get in my car and drive to my job where I sit in front of a computer. Ken and I seem to agree: what cavewomen did is kind of irrelevant at this point in history.

I personally feel that allowing women and families to make their own decisions regarding whether and when to have children is what best promotes human flourishing. And if women or couples decide to limit the amount of children they have, it seems best to allow them to choose the method that works best, fits into their moral/ethical view of the world, causes the fewest side effects, etc.

Hate crimes

There's been some discussion lately about HR 1592, the bill expanding the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation and gender identity, among other things (I mention those two categories because they seem to be causing the most heartburn among conservatives). Here are some examples of recent-ish posts, comments, and letters on the subject, some from a fairly levelheaded conservative perspective (Jon Schaff) and others who seem to be making things up out of whole cloth (Truckenmiller, Ellis).

I have no issue whatsoever with saying that I support including sexual orientation and gender identity in hate crime laws, and I don't care if those laws are on the federal or state level. This Montana judge, sentencing a man who was the ringleader of a group who attacked two men they perceived to be gay, hit the nail on the head regarding why hate crime laws are necessary and harsher punishments are entirely appropriate for bias crimes:

The beatings led police to reach out to Missoula's gay community especially, and Deschamps spoke of the widespread fear precipitated by the assaults.

“You are a direct cause of that feeling,” Deschamps said. “You have hurt a lot more people than just the immediate victim in this case.”

People who commit bias crimes are not just attacking a person. They are attacking a race, a gender, a sexual orientation, or a gender identity. So far as I know, beatings and murders aren't protected by the First Amendment.

While I'm on the subject, Tiffany Leach took a moment to respond to my previous post about Matthew Shepard, and I think she's missing my point. Maybe I was a little harsh, but I think I made myself pretty clear: the '20/20' story to which Tiffany is referring is based entirely upon shoddy journalism. I posted evidence to that effect. One would think an employee of THE ARGUS LEADER would be a little more concerned about that than she is.

And honestly, I sort of wish every crime motivated by bias against a person's perceived sexual orientation and gender identity turned into a "media circus." If they did, it would be a lot harder for people to walk around acting like this stuff doesn't happen. When we live in a country where one transgender person a month is murdered in a hate-motivated crime and we still have people like Bob Ellis and Mary Kay Truckenmiller walking around talking about how their freedom of speech is being violated, you really have to wonder.

Leslee Unruh is crazy.

Further proof here, from CCK.



I really, truly, fundamentally cannot understand Leslee Unruh and what drives her to do what she does. I have never understood the "we need to protect women by restricting their access to health care and medications I don't like" argument. She basically melts down by the end of this clip, unable to say anything but "More babies! Like babies!" and she has the creepiest smile on her face the whole time.

Working wives, marriages compatible

Studies - Working wives, marriages compatible: The Aberdeen News ran a story today about a recently released book/study on the impact of working women on marriage disputing conservative views of so-called "traditional" marriages and the need for the woman to stay at home. Here's some snips from the very positive results:

The marriages of women who work outside the home are more likely to stay together than the marriages of those who don't, according to new studies that have converted at least one prominent social conservative.

The findings offer guilt relief for some of the 67 million married U.S. working women and reflect a growing equity among couples when it comes to income, decision-making, parenting and housekeeping. And if working wives promote stability at home, the trend is likely to buttress public-policy arguments for more paid maternal and paternal leave and more help with child care.

Time simplifies issue: In the end, time simplified the picture. More wives worked and made more money. More husbands appreciated it. More families adapted. That's the gist of Rogers' new book comparing the attitudes of married couples in 1980 to those in 2000. The main shift was away from breadwinner-homemaker marriages to what the authors call "egalitarian marriages." In them, husbands and wives share decision-making power more equally and housekeeping and child-care duties more equitably. Such alliances increased from 1980 to 2000, based on the book's nationally representative sample of 1,000 couples. They also were happier than traditional marriages.

Read more by clicking the above link...

May 23, 2007 in the News

My work has been crazy so haven't been able to do much blogging. Here's an update as to some recent press of interest:
Cars are not people; knowledge is the key/Applying the Brakes of Abstinence: Letter to the Editor in the Fargo Forum disputing the information put forth from a previous letter which likened teenagers and sex to overcharged cars in need of the brakes of abstinence.

HPV shots smart move move for women: Editorial in today's Aberdeen News regarding the popularity of the South Dakota HPV program for young women/girls. The editorial also notes:

Getting the shot doesn't mean a woman in necessarily sexually active. What it means is that she - and in some cases, her parents - is concerned about her future health.

That was a great closing paragraph to dispute the craziness out there. This is about health, period. This is a disease which can be cured and we should be promoting the hell out of it to get everyone vaccinated.

Optimism among genders, races in U.S. at low levels: The Jamestown Sun and the Aberdeen News both published an AP story about a recent poll breaking out by gender and race how the state of the country is viewed. I wasn't surprised by the results, it's what I hear when I talk amongst my friends. Some snips I found very interesting:

The percentage of white people who say Bush made the right decision to go to war in Iraq has exceeded that for minorities by 9 points to 25 points in AP-Ipsos polls over the past four years. The spread has been 5 points to 16 points when comparing men versus women who said it was the right choice.

For women, their pessimism extends across party lines. While 52 percent of Republican men said the country is heading the right way, only 33 percent of GOP women agreed.

Those who think the U.S. is heading in the right direction tend to be white male Republicans in strong financial situations who say they sense a solid economy and are satisfied with the country’s leadership.

[edited] SDP & Klaudt.

Schaff apologized, so I won't leave the sarcastic post up.

I actually am sort of interested to find out if Schaff or Blanchard have some sort of commentary about Klaudt's political work vs. Klaudt's personal crimes. People of any political slant are capable of this kind of thing (though he's quite conservative - Dan Sutton, anyone?), but connecting the dots between Klaudt's politics and this situation was one of the first things I did. And so did KELO, for that matter. So anyway.

Klaudt story & SDP & CCK

I had no intention of commenting on this situation, since I think the facts of the case speak for themselves, but I did want to respond to Ken Blanchard's post at SDP and indirectly Chad's posting at Clean Cut Kid.

I agree with Ken that it's not helpful to paint every social conservative, or anti-abortionist, or Republican with the same brush in the light of these charges. However, it's still very hard for me to separate the public persona of former-Rep. Klaudt from the crimes he's accused of committing. I don't consider it out-of-line to point out the fact that he appears to have had some pretty hateful attitudes toward women.

The court documents [pdf, courtesy of SDWC and not for the faint of heart] tell the story of a man who used his position of power and authority to rape, intimidate, stalk, and lie to a group of underage girls. He knew he had power over these girls and he made a choice to abuse that power in a truly awful way. I want in particular to direct you to the email where "Terri Linee" (i.e., Ted Klaudt, using one of the fake email addresses he utlized to stalk and abuse these girls) told the survivor not to cry while the "exams" took place, saying "I dont [sic] mean to sound rude but come on girl it [sic] not like you are a virgin." (p. 11) Because, I mean, obviously sluts don't care what anyone tries to put in their bodies, right? These girls came out of the juvenile corrections system in this state and he certainly didn't seem to hold them in high regard - he saw girls he could abuse, rape, and manipulate, and no one would care. They were delinquents. They weren't virgins. He went into financial deals with them (co-signing loans and etc.) and used his access to money (and promises of more money, cars, etc.) as a way to keep them under his thumb.

Now we know that he was doing and saying these disgusting things while also attempting to ban all abortions, and ensure that rape victims did not have access to emergency contraception, among other things. He prime-sponsored the bill establishing that Life Protection Subfund that was supposedly going to bring in all kinds of private money to fund the court defense of the abortion ban. His history of supporting anti-abortion, anti-woman legislation goes on and on and on, and I won't bore everyone with listing every wacky bill he sponsored and supported. The point I'm trying to make is that this particular person's votes and his social conservative activism certainly seem to reflect abusive and hateful attitudes and actions toward women and girls that he expressed in his personal life. Maybe that's not nice, I don't know, but I get to say that.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Yesterday's Rapid City Journal has information about a recent movie premiere held in Rapid City, SD for the new HBO movie "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" based upon the best selling book about the events in our neighboring states (for those of us in ND). The movie premieres on HBO on Sunday, May 27 at 8 PM (Central). Click here for information from HBO including the following description:

HBO presents an epic movie event with executive producers Dick Wolf and Tom Thayer , based on Dee Brown's bestseller, BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE powerfully explores the tragic impact that the United States' westward expansion had on American Indian culture, and the economic, political and social pressures that motivated it.

I obviously haven't seen the movie yet but HBO has a history of making these amazing, moving, historically accurate movies which otherwise may not get made. Some previous ones I have enjoyed (with their HBO descriptions):

Something the Lord Made: Is the story of two men - an ambitious white surgeon and a gifted black carpenter turned lab technician - who defied the racial strictures of the Jim Crow South and together pioneered the field of heart surgery. (I get teary eyed every time I watch what this man had to overcome.)

Iron Jawed Angels: Iron Jawed Angels tells the true story of how a pair of defiant and brilliant young activists took the women's suffrage movement by storm. (I always thought I was knowledgeable about what the women before me did to get equal rights but I had no clue. Hillary Swank did an amazing job and you would have to be dead to not be moved by what these women did.)

Sometimes in April: One nation, decimated by ethnic rage. Two brothers, divided by marriage and fate. Idris Elba and Academy Award® nominee Debra Winger star in Sometimes in April, a gripping drama inspired by true events surrounding one of history's darkest chapters: the 100 days of the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

Boycott: This powerful film vividly evokes the tension, energy and excitement of a unique episode in American history: the moment the Civil Rights movement found its leader in Martin Luther King Jr.

If These Walls Could Talk: Offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of three women and the choices they made in dealing with unplanned pregnancies in three very different social climates.

61*: Billy Crystal directed this towering true story of two friends (Roger Maris & Micky Mantle) who chased the ultimate record in sports-and discovered that respect isn't something you earn on the ballfield. (One of my all-time faves as a Maris fan....Maris was from ND)

Do You Believe in Miracles? : In February of 1980 amidst growing Cold War fears, the U.S. hockey team created an unforgettable moment of national pride when they miraculously beat the Soviets on the ice-a win selected by Sports Illustrated as the #1 sports moment of the century.

Band of Brothers: Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose, the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. (Not a movie but series which won many awards.)

And the Band Played On: Based on the bestselling book by Randy Shilts, this powerful and enlightening movie tells of the discovery of the disease we now know as AIDS.

HBO has done lots, lots more, but these are the ones which I remember having an impact on me and hope for the same with "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". (I cross posted this at BismarckDems)

Republican anti-abortion state legislator arrested on rape charges.

Republican lawmaker Ted Klaudt was arrested today on multiple charges involving two under age females. A few sentences just could not fully explain the level of sick and creepy this guy was doing while acting as a legislator. Read the entire sordid sick events at the Argus Leader.

Klaudt was also charged with witness tampering.

Klaudt was one of the key Republican sponsors of the 2006 abortion ban. Imagine that, a rapist trying to preserve his right to inflict more punishment on his victims.

Sick, sick stuff. I can't wait to hear how certain bloggers will try to spin this, excuse this and make believe this didn't happen.

Revisionism and Matthew Shepard.

I was extremely surprised last night to read Tiffany Leach's out-there post on the Argus Leader Voices blog about Matthew Shepard's murder. I, of course, began to write a response over here, but by the time I was done the post was gone. It's been reposted now with a little less harsh language, but the point the poster is trying to make remains the same. People need to understand, she says, that Matthew Shepard's murder was a simple drug deal gone wrong, and had nothing to do with Shepard's sexuality.

This theory is pretty popular in certain circles these days - the Cindy Flakoll tinfoil hat crowd seems particularly fond of it. (p.s. Where's that awesome picture of her with the tinfoil hat?) It was advanced in a "20/20" story by Elizabeth Vargas as well. It would be pretty plausible, unless of course one reviews the police reports, sworn witness statements and court testimony, and the lawyer's arguments from the trial.

This article which, oddly, was included with the original blog post, does a good job of responding to a lot of the shoddy reporting on the part of the "20/20" team that first gave credence to the 'drug deal gone bad' theory.

The murderers themselves advance this theory - in direct contradiction of their own (and their girlfriends') police statements, testimony, and McKinney's defense attorneys, who used the classic 'gay panic' defense to defend their client. The NYU article indicates that Vargas's '20/20' report depended entirely on unsubstantiated scandalous rumors and recanted testimony from people with a clear history of deception.

There are obvious reasons why the murderers and their lowlife friends would want to tell the world about how their crimes had nothing to do with the victim's sexuality. There are also obvious reasons why rumors about the victim's past would come up on campus and in the local public in the aftermath of his death - IT'S CALLED BLAMING THE VICTIM, PEOPLE, and it happens all the time! Hello?!?!

Did drugs and money play a role in Matthew Shepard's death? Maybe so. Did Matthew Shepard's sexual orientation also play a role? The records indicate that was definitely the case. To pretend otherwise is completely irresponsible - and I'm surprised the Argus Leader would allow this person a forum to share her ignorance of the issue.

Friday Miscellania

Get off my lawn edition.

I promise I will not play golf during business hours...anymore. I missed last week's Friday post.
It is really nice out and you can blow dry your hair just by stepping outside!

Wacky pseudo-doctor turned HHS family planning director Eric Keroack stepped down recently. Boy does he have an interesting past. It seems that the reason he stepped down was that he was facing medicaid fraud charges. The job cited on his resume and touted by HHS as his qualifications was not really a job. Depending on who you believe he was either a volunteer or only worked part time at the crisis pregnancy center listed on his resume. He was not in charge of these facilities as previously claimed. His board certification as an OBGYN expired a full year before his appointment. He was probably only an actual doctor for 5 years, not the 10 years listed on his resume. Keroack had also been under investigation during the year before his political appointment by the Massachusetts medical board for eithics violations. They also noted that there were two other investigations against Keroack that have been resolved. The state board also stated that they can't disclose if there are open investigations, only after they are closed. Keroack also did not complete the required continuing education to keep his medical license valid by his own admission in 2005. Keroack does not appear to ever have had an actual office anywhere. The addresses he has listed with various oversight boards were either an office he rented at the crisis pregnancy center he volunteered at, unknown addresses no longer valid or his home address. HHS has not idea how they missed all of these facts in vetting Keroack for the job. Raw story was able to figure out out just fine.

In the fine tradition of blaming women for everything, some people have decided that childhood obesity is all the fault of women who work. CNN and plenty of people are debunking this nonsense. One interesting note a commenter made was that the obesity rate happened to jump at the time the processed food industry started replacing sugar with corn syrup and adding it to more and more foods. The school lunch programs were also mentioned, if you look at most school lunch menus they read like a fast food restaurant menu. The comments on the CNN story page are interesting. The fact that the critics who were blaming women specifically started waxing poetic about women cooking Donna Reed style good old family meals while doting over their children non stop sort of exposed the real motivation of this accusation.

Victim of hate crime turns the tables. A lesbian woman in NY had her car vandalized. Someone spray painted "fag" and other slurs on her car. She was late for work so she drove it to work as-is and was going to call police later. She noticed that the vehicle was being gawked at and people were stopping looking at the car and expressing their disgust with the vandalism. She is now going to use to the car to encourage discourse about homophobia.

Politicians all over the country are trying to eat on $3.50 a day, the standard allotment someone gets per day from food stamps. Kerry Truman points out how nearly impossible and outright unhealthy the food options really are when your living on $3.50. Two members of Congress have also taken up the challenge to see if they can do it. What the current state of food programs points out is that nutritionally bankrupt foods are about all people can afford. Calories does not equal nutrition either. This is why many living in poverty or on limited incomes can be overweight and at the same time malnourished and have health issues related to both lack of nutrition and obesity. Misinformed people assume it is all just "bad food choices". When decent food like fresh vegetables and quality protein sources are completely out of your financial reach it is not a choice. What makes all of this worse is that food prices are going up. Chuck Schumer (D) NY, is trying to pass a change that would peg food stamps to inflation to help make food stamp allotments more in tune with the real world.

Of course, a Friday video.

Marriage by Proxy?

Very...interesting...story in today's Bismarck Tribune about the boom in marriages by proxy occurring in Montana, the only state in the US to allow.

By her own count, Sarah Knapton has been "married" more than 250 times. So last Thursday when she took her vows before Municipal Judge Heidi Ulbricht, it was just another day at the altar."I do," she intoned, and at that, Ulbricht pronounced her married, by proxy, for the umpteenth time to the man by her side, Kyle Kirkland, a high school classmate.

Montana is the only state in the nation to allow such form of marriage and now there appear to be serious problems:

That's because Montana is the only state in the country that provides for double proxy marriages - meaning that neither party need be present at the actual ceremony. Instead, stand-ins represent the bride and groom. The growing number of double-proxy marriages - from a handful just a few years ago to hundreds each year - prompted Democratic state Rep. Deborah Kottel to propose tightening the statute this spring.A former Chicago lawyer, Kottel said, "The clerks were being inundated. While many were coming from the military, there were a lot coming from all over - from Israel; a man in China wanted to marry a woman in Denmark. Court clerks were spending hours and hours on these."

Inquiries have come from all the world, according to Kottel. "There were hundreds and hundreds of requests for information. We decided the law needed to be amended to make it clear and eliminate ambiguity, although I am not sure how Montana has he authority to issue marriage licenses for an entirely foreign jurisdiction."

Wow! If I was in Montana government, I'd have some concerns as well. I also worry about potential abuses which might be occurring, particularly to those who may be in vulnerable or abusive situations outside of this country.

Socialized medicine, credit cards, photo exhibits.

Sadly, I will not be a Dakota Woman for much longer, since I'll be moving out of the Dakotas to pursue an advanced degree in History. As a part of my attempt to acclimate myself to the city where I'm moving, I've been reading their local paper. Hence, I found this article regarding a photo exhibit in Missoula featuring candid photographs of 19th century prostitutes and their clients in the West. It looks like a fascinating exhibit, though I have to laugh at the gallery director, who said "I find it assuring somehow that these women do look like everyday women." What did she think the women in the photos would look like? Jeez. The paper printed another woman's perspective on prostitution in a subsequent letter to the editor.

I'm pretty disappointed in both of South Dakota's senators in their reluctance to support more consumer-friendly regulations on the credit card industry.

Legislation introduced by Democratic Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan and Claire McCaskill of Missouri would prohibit credit card companies from raising interest rates on cardholders' unpaid balances and from charging interest on late fees and over-the-limit fees. It also would prohibit card companies from charging their customers a fee for paying their bill by phone or online.

These reforms don't seem too controversial to me, or too harmful to the credit card industry (an industry which makes enormous profits, by the by, often by gouging consumers).

Over at SDP they're terrified of the SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. As probably the only person participating in the Dakota political blogosphere who has actual experience with these big, scary, foreign government-sponsored healthcare programs (in Norway, the most evil of all the welfare states), I have to say that a lot of these fears are unfounded. I don't know if universal health care through the government is the answer - truly, I don't - but I also find the huge numbers of un-or-under-insured people in this country pretty shameful. I know it's crazy to think that a medical emergency shouldn't lead to bankruptcy and financial ruin, but there you have it.

And in a shocking development, I agree completely with Jon Schaff's post about American Idol. Crazy times.

Election results and etc.

I am always relieved when Sioux Falls voters choose not to elect crazy rightwingers to the school board. I believe voter turnout was something like 14%, which is disappointing. I've always thought the local elections are in many ways much more important than the state and federal elections that get a larger turnout. (For the purpose of full disclosure, I also voted 'yes' for an outdoor pool, mostly because I am an old fuddy duddy.)

This Argus Leader story about Geraldine Blue Bird and her involvement in cocaine trafficking is pretty heartbreaking. When reading the article, it really strikes me that her story is far more complicated than the versions of events given to us by the defense and prosecuting attorneys. Both stories are at least partially true, and there's a lot more to it as well. Either way, she did some pretty inexcusable things. The article makes it a little easier to understand (edit: the mechanics of how it all happened. Most of the original articles on the subject just explained that "the woman who met Bill Clinton" somehow got into drug dealing. A lot of people wondered how and why that happened.)

May 15, 2007 in the News

Number of S.D. business women growing: The Rapid City Journal reports over the last 10 years the number of female business owners in SD has increased by half.

Women Build building Habitat home: Great story in the Rapid City Journal about the Habitat Program "Women Build" and their efforts in that area. According to the story:

The purpose of Women Build, Christner said, is “to enable, to empower and to teach” the women volunteers to want make a difference in their communities.

A similar story out of the Fargo Forum about the same program working in Fargo, ND.

New women and children's shelter opens on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation: More information available via the Rapid City Journal story.

Court upholds visitation rights for lesbian partner: The Grand Forks Herald reports on a recent case out of Minnesota.

Women associated with origin of Mother’s Day were activists: Another great Jane Ahlin column in the Fargo Forum about the origins of Mother's Day.

Mothers still face deep bias: According to the Fargo Forum column by Ellen Goodman:

This year, salary.com estimates the value of a full-time mom at $138,095, up 3 percent from last year. The monetary value of a second-shift mom is $85,939, on top of her day job. But, alas, the check is not in the mail.

'The Feminine Mistake' hits home for some area mothers: Interesting take out of the Rapid City Journal on stay at home moms which seems to gloss over the issues about re-entering the work force. Couple Rapid City, SD women were interviewed.

Working women

An NPR story about the Mercury 13, a group of women who "underwent secret testing for spaceflight" in the early 1960's. The now-famous "Mercury 7" (male astronauts) were chosen to go into space instead, though the women state they generally tested better than the men.

"From the beginning, we were walking all over great, giant egos of the men," Truhill says. "They didn't want us, they didn't want women around. And then the one that put the nail in the coffin was [Vice President] Lyndon Johnson," who ordered the training to stop.

Many of the Mercury 13 women were present when Eileen Collins became the first American woman to pilot a space shuttle in 1995:

"We were so thrilled and she was so marvelous," Truhill says. "She's had two children and she's happily married. Eileen proved what we had been saying all along: Men can be husbands and fathers and do their job, and women can be mothers and wives and do their job."

Here's some awesome news for working mothers: an Adecco survey of American workers indicates that 82% of workers consider working mothers equally as productive as other workers, but 59% of male workers resent flextime granted to mothers.

May 14, 2007 in the News

Habits of the Heart class scheduled: From last week's Fargo Forum:

The fifth annual Habits of the Heart class for girls going into eighth and ninth grades in Cass or Clay counties is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. June 4-8 at the University of Mary, Fargo.

The young women will study local groups and agencies that work with women and girls and their families. They will do service projects and decide how to distribute a $2,000 grant from the Fargo Moorhead Area Foundation.

HPV vaccines offered during clinics in Aberdeen: Additional details in the Aberdeen News:

Free Human Papilloma Virus vaccines, which can protect against cervical cancer and genital warts, are being offered to girls ages 11 to 18 on May 30, July 30 and Nov. 30 in Aberdeen.

Abortion Protester Arrested at SD School of Mines & Technology: Rapid City Journal has the story. Lots of comments at the end of this story.

Been battling a cold so this is short...

More Sarkozy.

Ken Blanchard's response.

Once again, Sarkozy either sympathizes with far-right racists of the National Front, or he cynically woos them for their votes. Either way, Sarkozy's not someone I'm personally super excited about.

Sarkozy supports proportional representation which would give National Front racists a significant minority in the French parliament. They don't support immigration reform, they support zero immigration and, in many cases, returning legal immigrants to their home countries. Do you think that might point to why immigrants riot in the streets? Just maybe?

Sarkozy wants to bring these people into the mainstream of France:

They withdrew subsidies from festivals that showed homosexual movies, closed cultural centres that hosted "non-French" events, stopped schools from offering special meals to Jewish and Muslim children, and banned municipal libraries from subscribing to leftwing publications.

In Vitrolles, the National Front town council briefly offered a £500 "baby subsidy" to couples who added to their family - providing that both parents were French or European nationals. The measure was overturned, but the point had been made.

And these are the people Sarkozy wants to bring into the mainsteam? He doesn't think these people should feel guilty? I genuinely have a difficult time understanding your enthusiasm for this man, Ken.

Sarkozy

Lots of conservatives are very excited about center-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy's election victory in France this past weekend. And I'm thinking, really? That racist? Or, at the very least, that politician who panders to racists:

In his second term as interior minister, Mr. Sarkozy was more aggressive than ever, threatening to “clean out” troubled neighborhoods plagued by petty crime and vowing to repatriate illegal immigrants.

Many people regarded the anticrime campaign as a calculated effort to win support from France’s far right in anticipation of his presidential bid.

Here are a couple other articles about him, where he's described as "authoritarian," "brutal," "nakedly ambitious," and "not beyond betrayal to reach his goals."

Additionally, seeing Sarkozy's victory as some Europe-wide (or even French) rejection of socialism or the welfare state is laughable.

I think our right-wing friends are showing their true colors. Money and race baiting and race baiting and money.

Affirmative action & etc.

Here's an AP article from the Aberdeen American News about the University of California system after a decade of "race-blind" admission. Looks like the system isn't at all race-blind...whodathunk? Though minority high school graduation rates continue to grow, the number of minority students entering graduate school has declined sharply. I hope we'll keep this in mind as Ward Connerly looks for South Dakota to pass a similar referendum.

I'm not sure what's in the water in Rapid City. Bill Stone is worried about the declining birth rate among whites and says we're facing a "culture war." Sigh.

Friday Miscellenia

You've come a long way baby edition.

The Argus has been possibly by accident running a series of stories on women and work life lately.
South Dakota has the highest percentage of working mothers in the country at 75%. South Dakota is ranked 37th in child care standards and oversight. (pdf file) Single parents in South Dakota also spend a considerable percentage of their income on childcare at just under 25%. The burden on low paid single parents is crushing. With married couples the average evens out a bit at only 7.7% but those figures also include both low income families and high income families where child care is less of a financial issue.

The Argus ran this story about two women who were fired for being pregnant. What was astounding is the reader commentary that showed exactly how common this was.

They also ran a story about how some women are opting for staying home and working part time with different work from home selling programs. Well with the abysmal state of rights for women in the workplace and lacking childcare quality options one can see why this might be an attractive option.

This story ran last week about the need for over night child care options. The need is mainly coming from low paid call center and meat packing workers.

These articles and some of the reader comments to them reminded me of a comment I have heard more than once. "You got the right to vote and we let you work so just shut up and be happy already". This ties right in with the level of blaming women for everything coming from some corners. The reality for working mothers in South Dakota seems to play this out. It needs to change.

Women's unwaged labor has an estimated value of $138,095. Even women who work full time put in another $85,939 in estimated labor every year.


Here's something to ponder, The bra ball.
The bra ball is the ongoing project of artist Emily Duffy. It was a response to all the complaints about this torture device of the fashion industry.

It was partially in response to the fashion industries ongoing scam of women. Rather than providing an ongoing supply of available sizes and functional garments the fashion industry has adopted a policy intent on frustrating women into buying more and more garments that don't function. They determined that more money could be made by not providing an accurate range of sizes and garments geared around fashion trends rather than ones that actually worked. This was intended to frustrate women into buying more. The tactic of discontinuing styles frequently also plays into this. By sending someone searching yet again for a new replacement and style or brand the purchasing error or regret is higher. Thus women buy more bras and more of them don't function properly. To add to this game most of the major retailers have decided to completely quit carrying all but the most popular size ranges. The standard available size ranges now are 34 a-b-c and 36 a-b-c. Unless your one of those sizes you will be hard pressed for options in most retail stores. Two other facts that frustrate the process are fitting and simply finding something that functions properly. More than 8 out of 10 women wear the wrong bra size. The strike out rate of women trying to find a fitting garment in the store was an 80% failure rate to find anything that works to purchase.

So maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.


The patriarchial family values crowd is crying in their coffee this morning after the report on the reality of modern families in America. All of this information leads back to one thing. Families have tossed out the 1950's view of family and marriage completely and the new model is working pretty darn good.
Parents spend more time with their kids today, teens have less violent behavior and drug use than in the 60's, and mothers working nights actually tends to have a positive influence in most cases as it causes fathers to be even more involved in their kids lives.

Lastly a(nother) picture. We might not have equal pay, or rights in the workplace but hey, we can smoke!

For pity's sake!

A few things today...

Earl Adams is suing the Bentonville, Arkansas public library because his teenage sons came across a copy of "The Whole Lesbian Sex Book" while (allegedly) "browsing for material on military academies." This would be funny if not for the fact that the library removed the offending book, and now faces paying $20,000 in damages to the man under an obscenity law.

According to Adams, his two sons, ages 14 and 16, were "greatly disturbed" by their discovery and apparently underwent "many sleepless nights" as a result. In a letter faxed to Mayor Bob McCaslin, Adams himself wrote that the book pushes "an immoral social agenda." Though still seeking monetary retribution, Adams has taken credit for the removal stating, "God was speaking to my heart that day and helped me find the words that proved successful in removing this book from the shelf."

The Argus Leader has a pretty decent profile of Rachelle Dooley Lavin, one of the plaintiffs who won a recent discrimination suit in Sioux Falls when her employer fired her for being pregnant. The article (and the comments following it) indiate that these illegal firings happen far more often than any of us probably imagine.

Rogers, Dooley Lavin and Fossum's local lawyer, John Pekas, said finding impartial jurors was especially challenging in the case. Several potential jurors were dismissed because they'd experienced pregnancy discrimination or were close to someone who had.

"This one woman came right out and said, 'I don't think I can be impartial, because my daughter just got fired for being pregnant,' " Rogers said. "It was all I could do not to chase her out in the hallway and give her my business card."

One of the article's commenters proposed a sort of Women's Strike Day, which I think is a wonderful idea - the idea being the women in workplaces in the U.S. refuse to report to work one day, just so everyone sees what the working world would be like without us. Love it.

Over in crazyland, the enlightened folks at Dakota Voice republished a press release about the horrors of life in California after hate crimes laws have been passed. Transsexuals renting apartments and having jobs! Whatever shall we do!

May 3, 2007 in the News

High Heels Bring Heightened Awareness: Great event sponsored by the Three Rivers Crisis Center and the ND State College of Science Campus Violence Prevention Office involving several men slipping on some high heels and doing 60 yard runs as a way to bring awareness to sexual assault. Dubbed "Walk a Mile in her Shoes." I had read on Feministing about similar events but did not realize one was being held right here in North Dakota. Applause for the groups involved, and special applause for the guys participating. Check out the story for more info and a photo!

Grand Forks Oral Surgeon Accused of Sexual Harassment: An Oral Surgeon accused of touching female patients in an inappropriate and sexual manner had his hearing today on the allegations made by four separate female patients. A decision by the Administrative Law Judge may take up to 30 days.

NDSU Students Collecting House Wares: The NDSU Volunteer Network will hold a spring cleaning house drive through May 10. Any donations will be provided to the YWCA Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Program. More info from the Fargo Forum.

Women, Men Deserve Equal Pay: Add the Aberdeen News as another South Dakota editorial staff speaking out regarding the recent AAUW study on the wage gap between men and women in South Dakota.

HPV Vaccine Now Available in Huron: Vaccines available at the office of Dr. Mike Becker who enrolled his office in the immunization program. For more information, visit the Huron Plainsman.

Update on State Legislative Actions Against Reproductive Rights

Came across this today on Medical News Today where they summarize what the state legislatures have done recently on reproductive rights. The states with noted changes include Kansas, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas.

I know there's been other state action this year (Georgia & North Carolina for example) but this appears to focus on changes from the last month or so. And, other than New York, they can all be viewed as taking away or restricting a woman's choice.

North Dakota Women's Network-Save the Date

For those in North Dakota interested in being more involved in women's issues, the North Dakota Women's Network has sent out notice of their first ever "Annual Meeting, Training and Award Ceremony" to be held on June 15, 2007 in Fargo, ND. Here's the link for the meeting information, agenda and registration (you will need to scroll down to the June event).

May 2, 2007 in the News

All South Dakota today...
Cangleska Shelter Opens Friday: The first woman's shelter on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation will open Friday according to the Rapid City Journal. The story notes:

"The new shelter will offer women who have been victimized by domestic violence and/or sexual assault an opportunity to examine options, the time needed to plan for a life without violence, a life of dignity and safety for themselves and their children," Cangleska director Karen Artichoker said. "The new shelter is beautiful and a dream come true."

SD Women Entrepreneurs Defy Assumptions: Story today in the Brookings Register about a recent SDSU study of women entrepreneurs in rural South Dakota communities. A number of results considered "surprising". To get details on the study:

A summary by Cumber and Meeder describing their findings about rural women entrepreneurs in South Dakota is available online in a recent edition of SDSU’s Economics Commentator. Find that article at the SDSU Department of Economics Web site, http://econ.sdstate.edu/. Use the pulldown bar under “Research” and click on “Economics Commentator.”

Staff Editorial on Wage Discrimination: The Mitchell Daily Republic recommends that wage discrimination between genders be addressed. It notes:

Our worry is that many women, or others who may be discriminated against, do not realize the full extent of the laws that have been enacted to help them. Employers should feel obligated to make these laws known and the specific information accessible to all workers.

Full Frontal Feminism

South Dakota gets a shout out in the book titled, "Full Frontal Feminism" (written by Jessica Valenti, the creator of Feministing). As does Bill Napoli.

I bought the book and some of Napoli's quotes on when abortions should be allowed (only when a virgin is raped) are noted (pages 95-96) in case you're interested. Jessica also gives great praise to those who worked to fight off the abortion ban and keep a woman's right to choose in South Dakota.

By the way, it's a very good book. It's written for women in their late teens/early 20s and touches on a variety of topics. Even though I'm no longer anywhere near my 20s, I have found it a very interesting and entertaining read.

May 1, 2007 in the News

Mix of topics today in North and South Dakota papers:
Child Abuse Becomes an Epidemic: According to Grand Forks Herald story:

More than 1,500 North Dakota children suffer from some form of abuse every year. Here again, these are only the verified abuse cases and very likely reflect a mere fraction of the actual occurrences. If Gallup's estimates apply to North Dakota, we may well have 10,000 cases of child abuse.

Agencies collecting swimsuits for poor: The Sioux Falls Argus Leader notes that local agencies are collecting swimsuits for low income families in Sioux Falls who have received pool passes but do not have appropriate clothes to wear. Collection spots all around town. More info in the story.

Report urges lawyers for abused, neglected children: North and South Dakota receive failing grades. According to Grand Forks Herald/AP story:

Fifteen states, including North Dakota, get failing grades on a first-of-its-kind report card assessing the legal representation provided to abused and neglected children as courts make potentially fateful decisions about whether to separate them from their families.

The 15 states receiving an F were Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington.

A North Dakota Human Services Department Deputy Director also responded to the story claiming that the grade is not deserved.

Playing it Safe: A story in the Grand Forks Herald notes that North Dakota has one of the highest rates of child deaths by accidental injury in the US.

Judge Allows Hunt Case to Continue: Judge Katherine Caldwell has issued a written opinion that the case against Roger Hunt and the $750,000 anonymous donor to the South Dakota abortion ban can continue. There's been a number of previous blogs on this site on this issue.

HPV Program Embraced in South Dakota: According to the Yankton Press & Dakotan, the HPV program in South Dakota is a success:

South Dakota's free human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination program has been met with a tremendous response, according to a state health official. A total of 17,000 doses had been shipped by the beginning of April, according to Doneen Hollingsworth, the secretary of South Dakota's Department of Health.

Great job, South Dakota, in your effort to eliminate a curable disease. All the North Dakota Legislature did this session was approve $50,000 for education on the vaccine.