Grand Old Values

Posted on February 21, 2012 by sierratavasolian

Let’s be honest–politics can get pretty scary. And I’m not even talking about the consequences of voting or the candidates; politics are scary. The whole system through which things happens can be daunting, if not terrifying.

But in the interest of managing fear I’ll give you Interwebbers out there the same advice my dad gave me growing up–knowing about something makes it less scary. Mind, I still disagree with this sometimes, but overall, it seems my dad knew what he was talking about. Does knowing about how worrisome the Republican nominees are make them less terrifying potential presidents? Hell no. But knowing ahead of time who we’re dealing with as a people–and politicians–allows for us to prepare, either for or against their looming campaigns. So, Interwebbers, I write to you all to tell you a little about the forerunner in the Republican presidential candidate hopeful, and what he could do for (or against–mostly against) you.

As I write this, I’m looking at the polls for the GOP (Grand Old Party, aka the Republican Party) Ballot Support polls. Despite the negative connotation Santorum’s name holds from the Dan Savage neologism contest, Rick Santorum is leading in the polls. Right now, he’s the leading candidate for Republican nominee; right now, he’s most likely to challenge President Obama in November. Who knows, though, how long this’ll last. After all, almost a week ago, Mitt Romney held the position of GOP golden boy.

But as Santorum’s becoming a bigger name in the race to Repubican nominee, it’s only right to learn where he stands on some of the big social issues.

Abortion: Like every other GOP nominee, Santorum opposes abortion. Big surprise there. According to Santorum, the right to choose is a matter of choosing to keep the baby or to put it into foster system–because to Santorum, there’s no choice regarding carrying the baby to term; it has to be done. It doesn’t matter if the pregnancy is a result of rape, incest, or if the woman’s health is in danger. However, if it’s the woman’s life is in danger–life, not health–then he’s ok with abortion. To be fair though, Santorum doesn’t seem to know the truth about abortion statistics. Or, you know, just statistics.
Education: To Santorum, “education is the responsibility of the consumer, the parent.” Leaving aside the sad rhetoric that hints that education is something that should be bought, Santorum believes that No Child Left Behind was a good start to education reform, but that “it should have been initiated at the local level where the consumers, taxpayers, and children are.” Ignoring the fact that almost everyone in the education field agrees that NCLB’s standardized testing–as it is used today–is more harmful than helpful, Santorum believes that adding more bureaucratic nonsense to an already failing program will somehow help.
Gay Rights: Santorum doesn’t believe in gay marriage. No big surprise coming from a Republican front runner–Romney has expressed his opposition to it, and though Gingrich avoids to confirm his stance on it, he seems to be against it–but Satorum goes that extra mile in discrimination and bigotry. According to Santorum in an appearance in Fulton, Missouri, the gay community doesn’t deserve the “privilege” of marriage. Marriage is for making babies. Because everyone knows that all straight couples have babies. (Because straight couples aren’t infertile or have decided not to have kids. Apparently.) But if you think I’m misreading his words, feel free to go check out his speech for yourself.

Hopefully, your head hasn’t exploded from outrage, especially since this is ignoring the Eleven Quotes From Rick Santorum That Are Worrisome To Women. If nothing else, just remember to keep your eyes on the race–because even if you plan on voting to re-elect President Obama, you should know who’s out there.

-Sierra

Roe vs. Wade: Today vs. Abortion

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Raven

Sex. It is widely one of the most unmentioned topics seriously discussed in the world today. This doesn’t include casual conversations you can overhear at the bar, but rather honest talks about the facts.

So what does the lack of discussion surrounding sex have to do with abortion? Other than the obvious?

Abortion is rarely seriously discussed because sex is rarely seriously discussed and because abortion is, and has been for years, controversial. But why is abortion so controversial?

Because when human lives enter any equation lines get blurred.

People on both sides of the abortion debate tend to agree that women who are victims of rape or other violent crimes should have the option of abortion because the act of sex itself was nonconsensual.

Even more people agree that when a mother’s life is at risk an abortion is an acceptable option especially if the fetus is not developed enough to survive without her.

But what about consensual but unprotected sex?

Or consensual sex where protection failed?

Here are the blurred lines.

As a woman who was born nearly two decades after the decision of Roe vs. Wade, I can’t describe the horrors of the back alley abortions before 1973. I don’t know what it was like to deal with the appalling conditions for abortions at the time. I don’t know what it is like to be forced to carry a baby to term with no say in the matter.

I can’t remember the first time that I heard the term “reproductive rights.” But I can remember the first time that I realized how much I take those rights for granted.

As a teenager, I didn’t realize the kind of challenges women have gone through for what they believe in, for rights that today seem like such a given. Even today those same women who fought so many years ago are ready to defend the Roe vs. Wade decision if they need to.

I can admit that I don’t have personal experience with abortion or with making such an important decision as whether or not to have a child. But that does not mean that the decision of Roe vs. Wade doesn’t affect me.

The principle of the National Council for Jewish Women that has always stood out to me the most is Principle 3 that reads:

“Human rights and dignity are fundamental and must be guaranteed to all individuals.”

To me, the power of abortion doesn’t lie in the act but rather in the choice. Simply because a woman has the choice does not mean that she will choose to have an abortion. But she deserves to have the choice; she deserves that right and the dignity to know that she can choose for herself.

Abortion isn’t about murder. It isn’t about sex or controversy. To me, it’s about choice. It’s about the power to choose.

Full Frontal Feminism

Posted on January 21, 2012 by sierratavasolian

The word “Feminism” has come to mean a lot of things in the world–some good, some bad. Practically everything has multiple meanings, view points, and interpretations. So, when something as controversial as feminism comes up, you’d better believe there are multiple understandings of the word. But, to someone like Jessica Valenti, feminism isn’t the complicated matter some believe it to be.

In her book, Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters, Valenti starts off the book with a chapter entitled “You’re a Hardcore Feminist: I Swear.” Valenti’s book is written for young women in a way that doesn’t sugar-coat the bad side of the world. The chapter starts off examining the trends in name-calling, how everything insulting is feminized, and in her own words, Valenti doesn’t “hold back.” She lists words like slut, bitch, and pussy. But the question is, do you see which terms are aimed at men? Any of them. “The worst thing you can call a girl is a girl. The worst thing you can call a guy is a girl. Being a woman is the ultimate insult. Now tell me that’s not royally fucked up.”

Valenti’s words, while harsh, ring a true note in any woman (or man!) who has been on the receiving end of a verbal assault. Why is being a woman such an insult? For some of you reading this out there in computerland, you have probably thought about this a couple of times. Valenti takes those thoughts, those ideas, and examines them. She breaks them down and goes into depth about what being a feminist is (and is not) and going into the everyday aspects of life for feminists.

Now, as much as I enjoyed Valenti’s novel, I’m not going to ruin it for you in crappy internet-summation. Instead, I’ll tell you this: if you’re looking for an opinion on feminism from a feminist, I’d pick up Full Frontal Feminism. I read it in high school and cannot overstate just how much I enjoyed it and how much it changed me. Though that sounds like some cheesy line, I type it with all sincerity. The book is thoughtful, smart, and witty. How can it be anything but with chapter titles like: “If These Uterine Walls Could Talk,” “My Big Fat Unnecessary Wedding and Other Dating Diseases,” and “Sex and the City Voters, My Ass.”

The book is a fun, an easy read, and a great source of information for feminists looking to learn more about the F word. So, internet people out there, if you have a chance, go out and get the book–either from a book store or the library–and read up. Even if you know most of the stuff that Valenti’s talking about in the book, her way with words will keep you amused and excited as you read along.

Happy Reading!
–Sierra

Welcome to the San Gabriel Valley/Whittier Chapter of NOW’s Blog!

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Raven

The SGVW chapter of the National Organization for Women is a proud group of feminists found in Southern California. We, in the chapter and on the board, are dedicated to the founding principles of NOW including abortion and reproductive rights, economic justice, promoting diversity, ending racism, and so many other topics.

This blog is meant to address all of the issues that NOW deals with and more! We will post updates on the issues that affect women nationwide but also on events that are specific to our Southern California area that feminists might be interested. We hope to provide interesting, intriguing, and occasionally entertaining news along with chances to show support for these causes.

We on the SGVW board and on the blog team are passionate about these issues and we hope that all our readers are as well. We encourage creative ideas and stimulating discussion but we do hope that everyone will offer only constructive criticism. Disparaging comments will be removed from the posts.

Check back for our first posts soon!