Superhero

Your results:
You are Catwoman

Catwoman 70% Iron Man 65% Supergirl 62% The Flash 60% Wonder Woman 57% Superman 50% Spider-Man 50% Hulk 50% Robin 47% Batman 40% Green Lantern 40%

You have had a tough childhood, you know how to be a thief and exploit others but you stand up for society's cast-offs.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Hook up Culture Hurting Women?

This morning I read this article about today’s “hook up” culture. My reaction was mixed – I agree in part that hooking up can be hurtful to some women, sometimes. But other parts of the article annoyed me – sentences like this: “’Men have always hooked up,’” says Sawyer. What you are seeing now is a desire of women to act in a masculine way, without being judged a whore.’”

Why is hooking up accepted as “masculine” behavior? Why shouldn’t women enjoy sexual freedom without being viewed as whores? Why do women have to be the moral police of the world? Why do we have to be all concerned about poor little girls and how their behavior will hurt them, but act as though men have always done it and it ain’t no thang for them. Bullshit. Either it’s hurtful to young people – both male and female – or it isn’t.

How is the hook up culture good for men? At one part in the article, the author says that hooking up is like thanksgiving for men – men get sex and they don’t have to do anything. But why is sex always framed in a way where men are trying to get it and women are supposed to refuse them? Why isn’t it hurtful to men too? The article says that one of the reasons hooking up is damaging to women is because it “denies their emotional needs. But at least they have emotional needs to begin with. If we treat this culture as acceptable for men and not women, then we say it is ok for men to be completely void of emotion in the sexual context. Why do we act as though it is acceptable and normal for men to be void of emotion with regards to sex, but women are supposed to be emotional? I mean seriously, one group (men or women) kind of has to change their thinking if we frame it this way or people are never going to get together. If we say it is ok for men to be void of emotions and just want to hook up, but women are all supposed to be emotional and hold out for real relationships, then I fear there is going to be a problem. Someone is going to have to give in and compromise. IS the author suggesting that the men are the ones that have to compromise? I don’t know. She doesn’t say. She just makes gender stereotypes and broad judgments about what men and women want and are capable of handling.

If we think hooking up is a problem, then we need to be concerned on behalf of women and MEN. Women are not delicate, fragile creatures who need people to take care of them any more than men are.

Lady justice not blind when it comes to age and/or gender?

People who rape children are probably the vilest creatures on this planet (if you ask me.) Sometimes, I question their very humanity. In fact, in my opinion, the only people deserving of the death penalty are those who hurt kids. Fry those sons-of-bitches up (yes, that’s probably my conservative roots talking, but I’m sorry, dear liberal friends, I’m not going to apologize for my views on the death penalty.)

But, like many, I wonder if perhaps our society doesn’t view the rape of men and women, or boys and girls, differently. Is it worse to rape a girl than it is to rape a boy? And, does it matter the gender of the rapist? For example, is it worse for a priest to rape a thirteen year old boy than for a thirty-something female teacher to rape him? Psychologically, is it more traumatic for the victim? Should that play a role in sentencing?

What prompted this post you may ask? I ran across an article this morning, about an 84 year old woman who raped an 11 year old boy. Her sentence? 36 month in prison. The really sick part of this story is that she was the child’s foster parent. I can’t help but wonder if the sentence would not have been greater if this was an 84 year old man who raped an 11 year old girl? In ohio, for example, a 33 year old man received a 15 year sentence for raping an 11 year old girl. Or, would it have been worse if an 84 year old man had raped an 11 year old boy? In another case, a man recieved a 20 year sentence for raping a boy under the age of 16.

Clearly, the sentencing guidelines for statutory rape crimes vary different in each state, and judges are often allowed discretion in sentencing, unless there is a statutory minimum sentence. For example, in this case, the court sentenced grandma to 36 months because she was old and had no prior criminal conviction. But I wonder -would the court’s benevolence have been extended if grandma was a man? Maybe. There was another case in which a judge sentenced a man to 60 days in jail for repeatedly raping a seven year old girl. However, after a tremendous outcry of public disapproval, the judge changed the sentence to 3 to 10 years.

Do women get off easier than men? For example, in Georgia, there have been several cases in the last few years where teenage boys were getting 10 year sentences for sleeping with their fourteen or fifteen year old girlfriends. How much more perverse is grandma’s crime, and yet she is only getting 36 months in jail?

One study has suggested that the difference between male and female sex crime sentencing is that generally the male crimes are more violent and are typically with younger victims. However, I wonder if there could be some other reasons. Do we still have paternalistic concerns about girls? Is it “worse” for a girl to lose her virginity or to be taken advantage of? Is the act of penetration worse in our minds? While we sometimes think that women and even sexualized teenage girls “asked for it,” do we also think, in the back of our minds, that men and boys can’t be raped by women? When we read articles about female teachers sleeping with thirteen year old boys do we view that differently than stories about male teachers sleeping with thirteen your old girls? Is the sexual double standard seeping into criminal sentencing? I don’t know… I’m really just asking here… Maybe the answer is no… Mary Kay Laterno, after all, received a seven year sentence….

Ok, so if it isn’t gender inequality, what’s the deal? Do we have a soft spot for older ladies? After all, surely grandma isn’t a violent criminal. Should she have to go to jail? This incident reminds me of a shocking case from criminal law, involving a 50 year old, female 7-11 clerk who shot a 15 year old girl in the back for allegedly trying to steal a bottle of orange juice. She got 5 years probation. The judge in that case stated that the light sentence was adequate because the woman was unlikely to commit another crime. The judge stated that “now was not the time for revenge.” Tell that to the little girl’s family.

Ultimately, proper sentencing in cases like this may come down to your theory on punishment – do we send people to jail to punish them or to deter future crime? If grandma is never going to commit another crime, does she need to go to jail? Or, does the very act she committed deserve punishment in and of itself? The deterrence/utilitarian model may be a more objective method of administering criminal sentences. If we take the retributive approach and decide that someone needs to go to jail solely to be punished for their actions, then the courts and legislatures will have to make value judgments about what is “bad” and what is “worse.” This could lead to teenagers going to jail for 10 years for consensual sex and grandma getting 36 months for willfully raping her foster kid. On the other hand, the deterrence model may lead to the very same result.

My theory – people should only be punished for hurting other people. Use a deterrence/utilitarian type model for victimless crimes (drug use, shoplifting, etc.) But, when a person is hurt by another’s actions, deterrence should not play a role in limiting sentencing. I don’t care if grandma or the 7-11 clerk are kind old ladies who will never commit another crime. They deserve to be punished for what they did to their victims. Victim should have a right to be vindicated, and when the state allows criminals to walk because of some deterrence rationalization, it fails those who have been hurt. And, when the state fails the innocent, it fails us all.

Let's Do IT! But first, sign here....

Below is a Consensual Sex Contract prepared by the National Center for Men, a New York organization dedicated to the "fight for men's equal rights." It is intended, according to the organization, to provide "proof of a couple's intent to have sex and may protect a man against a woman's false accusations..."
AGREEMENT BEFORE LOVEMAKING entered into by ________________ and ______________, this _____ day of ______, 199_.
WHEREAS, the parties to this agreement want to be sexually intimate, but also want to avoid misunderstandings that sometimes occur after sex,
Now, THEREFORE, the parties enter into the following agreements (check one declaration from each pair):
___ We want to have a relationship that may lead to sexual intercourse.___ We want to have sex without intercourse.
___ We want to have sex as a way of expressing an emotional commitment that may eventually lead to marriage.____ We want to have a sexual relationship but we're not ready for marriage.
___ We want our relationship to be monogamous.___ We both want the freedom to see other people.
___ We want to have sex in order to conceive a child.___ We're not ready to be parents now. If an unplanned pregnancy occurs, neither one of us will try to force the other into parenthood.
___ We want our sexual encounter to be discreet.____ We want the whole world to know about our love for each other.
Neither of us may claim to be the victim of sexual harassment or assault as a result of the acts which are the subject of this agreement. By signing this contract, we acknowledge that the anticipated sexual experience will be of mutual consent.


I came across this after reading an interesting article in Times about when rape occurs and whether or not a woman can legally say "no" after intercourse begins. Apparently, in some states, the crime of rape occurs at penetration; therefore, once a woman has given her consent for that act, it is no longer rape, even if she says no later on. A one court stated: “The initial de-flowering of the woman is the real harm.” Hmmm… if that’s true then only virgins can be raped? The court went on to state that "It was the act of penetration that was the essence of the crime of rape . . . . any further injury was considered to be less consequential. The damage was done."

Haggard is Healed...

WOW. It only takes 3 sessions of counseling to turn meth addict ministers who cheat on their wives with male prostitutes "completely heterosexual"! Amazing what modern religion can do.

Jesus Camp

My Childhood...

explains a lot about me, doesn't it?

I havn't seen the documentary yet, but just the trailer gives me the creeps.

Also, check out these great reminders of Jesus' love and compassion as expressed through the Christian church....

The Nuremberg Files; Abortion Dr. Hit List

Westboro Baptist Church's Godhatesfags.com

Operation Save America

Disgusting.

I'm a monster

I have a law school friend with whom I always get in these deep, angry debates. It doesn’t matter what we talk about - the importance of sports announcers, racial profiling, who can pay for what, universal truths, the appropriate use of state constitutions – it always ends in a raging fight. No matter what the subject, I can’t let it go. He always has to be right and I hate that. I can’t let him get away with it. I have to be right. When the fights are over I feel angry and frustrated and weak. Why am I such a bitch? Why do I get so argumentative every time we were together? Eventually, I came to realize that my friend and I are really very alike, and as such, we seem to inadvertently bring out the worst in each other.

It’s the same way when I go home to see my family. We constantly fight. I find myself attacking and arguing for no apparent reason. Is it a preemptive strike? An old habit? A strange family dynamic? I don’t know. I just know that I become a monster – 10x worse than normal. When the fights are over I feel horrible for intentionally hurting the people I love. I just don’t know how to control myself.

I just hate that certain people and situations bring out the things I hate the most about myself. I guess the solution is to turn it into a mechanism for personal growth. I should focus on being calm, rational, non-combative and non-confrontational. Maybe if I can learn to repress my ugly side around those who bring it out the most, I’ll practically be cured of myself.

Fucking Typical....

It look's like Baby Jesus' presidential pick is up to his old tricks again.....Bush has appointed as head of the Office of Population Affairs, a man who not only opposes abortion, but get this, opposes birth control!

Good job, jackass.... good job.

By the way.... Do you know what they call a man who lives by the pull-out method?








daddy.

haha!



Have I mentioned lately how much I hate fundies?

Thank You, Captain Obvious.....

Bill Gates announces on CNN.com that America's public schools need work and are not adaquatly educating our young people.

Is this really freekin' news?

I mean, no Shit, Sherlock.

You see, a problem just isn't really that big of a deal until Bill Gates says so.

A round of applause for the super rich philanthropist who has told us what we already know!!!

What, if Bill Gates says it, it must be true?

Shouldn't we get him working on something more controversial like global warming or evolution....

Put down the fork.....

Maybe it's easier for us not to think about where our meat comes from or the incredibly cruel and brutal ways in which animals are treated. I mean, hey, meat tastes good, right? I certainly think it does, anyway. I guess I could refuse to think about where meat comes from and close my eyes to what takes places so that I could continue to eat it, guilt free. But I can't. I think that information is power and that everyone's decisions should be based on the truth, no matter how hard or inconvenient that may be. One should not shut it out in order to continue living life in the same ignorant, comfortable way.

I challenge everyone to watch this. If it doesn't bother you, then great. Continue living life the way you always have. But, if it does bother you, then I challenge you to do something about, even if that something is just spending a little bit more at the grocery store to buy free range. I don't care what your politics are or what you think about the nature of man or the proper order of the universe. I am not even saying that animals should never be killed for food. BUT, I am saying that humans have no right to treat any other living being the way that we treat the animals we eat. It is cruel and it is wrong. But you know what, nothing will change unless we make it change. And who knows, maybe we don't have the heart to put aside our own gluttonous desires, put down the fork, and make it change, I don't know. I would certainly like to believe that we are all capable of more compassion than to just sit back and accept the torture of other innocent life forms because we Americans like the taste of meat and can't be bothered to ensure that animals are treated with just a little bit of compassion.

I want everyone to know that even though I am a vegetarian, I am talking to myself, too. I cheat sometimes because I am selfish and I like the taste of meat. And I eat fish, too. So, even though I know the truth, I still have trouble acting on it. I know it's hard to change how you live and It's hard to exercise self-control. But that doesn't mean that we should never try. Trying is better than just accepting the status quo! And just because it may be impossible for all of us to become full-fledged vegans tomorrow, it doesn't mean that we can't take little steps to make the world a better place.

Sobering Political Reality...

"It's amazing what a mere $2.6 billion can buy in a democracy. That's what the two parties will have spent in their campaigns leading up to these midterm elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And most of that money for Democrats and Republicans alike comes from corporate America. So what will be the outcome of this election? The only certainty is that corporate America will get what it's paid for, and that's more of the same."

from Dobbs: US is best Democracy $$ can Buy...

Far Right = Ignorant Assholes?

In the wake of the Mark Foley scandal, many conservatives have blamed Foley’s behavior on his homosexual orientation. Pat Buchanan suggested that once the Republicans knew Foley was gay they should have removed him as chairman of the Committee on Missing and Exploited Children, after repeatedly calling him a “flamer” on MSNBC. Gingrich has suggested that the Republicans could not investigate Foley’s inappropriate conduct towards minors because they might be accused of gay bashing. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council stated that “when we hold up tolerance and diversity as a guidepost for public life, this is what you end up getting, congressmen chasing 16 year old boys up and down the halls of congress.” Pat Robertson insists that Foley is just doing what gay people do. The right insists that gay men are all preoccupied with sex and that being gay is the same as being a pedophile.


These accusations are absolutely ridiculous. How can we blame Foley’s pedophilia on homosexuality and not blame the molestation of little girls on heterosexuality? If being attracted to men = want to molest little boys, then being attracted to women = want to molest little girls. Obviously, this does not compute. If a straight congressman had solicited female pages for sex, no one would be blaming his sexual orientation. Did the nation lash out at straight men when John Couey sexually battered and killed Jessica Lunsford? Did conservatives rally agasint heterosexuals when the Amish gunman wanted to molest and then killed those little Amish school girls? Of course not. Did conservatives lash out agasint all males because the overwhelming majority of violent, sexual predators are men? No. The idea of blaming an entire class of people for the individual choices and behaviors of a few individuals is generally not acceptable. At least, not unless you are doing it for political reasons to attack a group of people that, for some ridiculous and intolerant reason, you hate.

Being sexually attracted to children, and acting on that attraction, has nothing to so with one’s sexual orientation. It is perversion. When will the right stop demonizing homosexuals?

Keep fightin' the law, Mr. Dependable...

From a recent CNN article: The Supreme Court also refused to consider whether a Texas law making it a crime to promote sex toys shaped like sexual organs is unconstitutional. An adult bookstore employee in El Paso, Texas, sued the state after his arrest for showing two undercover officers a device shaped like a penis and telling the female officer the device would arouse and gratify her. The employee argued the law violates the right to sexual privacy.

Now, several questions emerge in my mind:

1) A man was seriously ARRESTED for promoting a vibrator?!?!?! Thank goodness I live in the state of FLorida where I can poudly encourage every woman who reads this to go buy The Rabbit. I can promise that you will be aroused and gratified. Repeatedly.

2) Are we supposed to be offended that he told the female officer that the device would arouse and gratify her? Dude was tryin' to help a girl out. God forbid we talk about female sexuality. God forbit we promote female sexual gratification.


3) Were the police really staking out a bookstore to catch dude promoting a sex toy shaped like a penis?!?!?! I am so glad that the police have eradicated El Paso of crime to the extent that the cops have nothing to do but bust people selling vibrators. Citizens of Texas, your tax dollars at work....

4) sex toys are ok as long as they are not shaped like sex organs? I mean, sure, the penis is not that attractive, I'll admit, but this seems ridiculous. So, would it be ok to promote a green sex toy that is shaped like a gint, vibrating cucumber or a baseball bat? Is that less offensive?

I m truly in shock, America. In shock.

ROcK yOu LikE A HuRRicAnE

My dreams have FINALLY come true!!!

Miriam Rebekkah - today is your day:

Tropical Depression MIRIAM!!!!

YES!!! Now granted, it's not the awe-inspiring, category 5 storm I was hoping for, but it'll do. Finally, the national weather service got it right!!! Just think, Yesterday I was just this sad little white girl from the south with this wierd, strangely Jewish sounding, grandma name, who could never find a tacky key chain with her name on it.... and now, I am a tropical depression. Where do I go from here?!?!?! I mean I really think the presidency is the only thing that could top this one.... :)

Heart-warming story of the year

Feshman Clemson football player, Ray Ray, is raising his 11 year old brother. Ray Ray plays football on schollarship and washes cars or mows lawns for extra money. If this doesn't restore your faith in humanity, try Zanex.

CNN strikes again....

a two-year old girl whose legs were accidentlly severed in a lwnmower accident received new legs today.

CNN headline reads - Girl gets a leg up

Dude.

Not funny.

Who proof-reads this shit?

Gloria, where did you put the keys to the Uhaul?

On Wednesday, Tara (the roommate) and I moved all of our shit (pardon the expletive, but after packing, moving and unloading everything I own, I am so sick of it all that shit seemed like the most fitting description) from the old apartment to the new one (about a quarter of a mile distance.)

I am never moving again.

Seriously.

Feminism was the order of the day. At 9am I picked up the 14 foot Uhaul. Had I ever driven anything that gigantic before? No. Was I sure that I could handle it? Hell fuckin’ yeah. The older lady who worked the counter at the Uhaul place took me outside to show me some things about the truck, since this my first time. She showed me the latch contraption in the back and said, “Don’t worry about this, honey; I am sure you’re husband or boyfriend will know how it works.” I just looked at her. Lady, if I had a husband and/or boyfriend overseeing this operation, do you think he would have sent the little woman to go pick up the freakin’ Uhaul? What about my lesbian lover? Will she know how it works? I was irritated, but not daunted. Today, feminism would win out. Today, we women would prove that we do not need men to unlatch our Uhauls. Period.

I did do a great job driving the Uhaul, if I don’t mind saying so myself. By about noon I had pretty much perfected the art of backing it up into a parking space perfectly straight. I am very proud of this little accomplishment, if you can’t tell. One comment about Uhauls – the mirrors are worthless. I’m not exactly sure what they are supposed to be used for, but you can’t see anything. Eh, I never really use the mirrors anyway. But ultimately, I felt very empowered by the whole experience.

For the most part, Tara and I did the move ourselves. Our friend Jordan came over and helped us in the morning with the three or four pieces of furniture that physically could not be moved without a third person. But then, for the next few hours Tara and I worked alone, loading box after box after random piece of furniture on the U-haul. We were soldiers. We were proving that we didn’t need men. We were independent and self-reliant. We were women, hear us roar. We were fucking exhausted.

By about 2pm, we had one last load of the u-haul to unload at the new apartment. By this time, morale was low. My feet hurt (flip flops = bad moving shoes). My back hurt. The roommates were getting on each others nerves. It was a thousand degrees outside. All we had the strength to carry was a toaster here and a throw pillow there. And then – our salvation. Out of nowhere swooped in two middle-aged gentlemen from across the street. Immediately, they began picking up bookcases and boxes and filing cabinets. At this point, the feminist in me was too tired to protest. We were saved. Thank goodness for men – big, strong, strapping men who can unload the entire contents of a U-haul in less than fifteen minutes.

It was an important lesson. As much as I wish to be free from the aid of men, I have to admit that there are times when they are needed. (Moving day, when the batteries in Mr. Dependable are dead, etc.) A friend of mine once told me that there is no “battle of the sexes.” There is no war. We are all on the same team and need to learn to work together. I am not sure if I buy this touchy-feely take on gender relations, but I see his point.

As for my feminist notions, I don’t feel they were compromised at all by allowing men to rescue us in our hour of need. We put in a valiant effort and managed to do about 75% of the work on our own. 75% is totally a passing grade. A bad grade, but passing nonetheless.

Goal for Fall....

Summer is almost over and as I sit here thinking about things that have happened to me in the past year, I realize that I need to set a few new goals for this year - goals that apply to every area of my life.

1) I will stop chasing after that which is unattainable.

2) I will be the best I am capable of being in everythng.

3) I will be content with my best.

Too Soon.

I keep seeing the previews for World Trade Center, and am continually disgusted. I don’t know; it just seems wrong to me. Honestly, for artists/movie producers, it’s cheating. It’s one thing to take an older historical event like WW2 or the Civil War about which most of us do not have strong emotional feelings, or to take a story most people are unfamiliar with and cause us to feel emotions about that event. That is art – a true accomplishment. But to just play off of the emotions already present in the national conscience surrounding a devastating event like 9-11 to sell your movie seems cheap. The movie won’t have to work to get us to feel – we already do. The wounds are still that deep and permeating. If World Trade Center were to come out in 50 years and cause audiences to cry and feel emotions that they didn’t have before, then it would be an accomplishment.

Your thoughts?