feminist blogs

H/T: upyernoz

That seems to be the big new talking point from the bed-wetting Republicans, including the President, the shadow Vice President, the Defense Secretary, the dittoheads in Congress [mp3]....

REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN: ...You know, you have to look at fascism and look at the fact that we have the terrorist groups that are unified in being in disobedience or in opposition -- would be the better word -- opposition to the free world.

They're opposed to our way of life. They want to annihilate us. This is their goal, and they are unified in that goal. And so I think that, when you talk about the threats to freedom in the world and go through and look at communism, look at Nazism, look at fascism, that it is one of those items that is there serving as a reminder of the typeface.

But stop and think.

The Fascists of Spain did not threaten the world, They were evil. They were destructive to their own country. But they did not threaten the United States.

However, the Fascists of Germany did threaten the world. They were evil. They were destructive to everyone.

Why?

Because they had the heavy industry to build tanks, artillery, bombers, fighters, bombs....

The same is true for Communism. Communist Cuba and Communist Nicaragua, a stone's throw away from the United States, were never serious threats to the United States.

Communist Soviet Union was a very credible threat to the United States. Communist China could be now, if they put their mind to it.

Why?

Because they had the heavy industry to build tanks, artillery, bombers, fighters, bombs ... and ICBMs, nukes, submarines....

How is a barefoot Iraqi going to attack the United States? He can't.

Why would a barefoot Iraqi attack the United States if the United States were not occupying Iraq? Good question -- but even if he wanted to, how would he do it? It's not like the United States is defenseless against Third World threats.

The Republicans are desperate to draw connections where they aren't so they can maybe get re-elected.

National defense? This is more about Republican defense. Is that a cause worth the blood of our soldiers and Marines?

• Canada to arm border guards along U.S. border. Apparently, following in the footsteps of our paranoid neighbours to the south, Canada has decided that our border is just not safe enough. Turns out that we now feel that we also need to be arming guards, on the off-chance that a terrorist decides to cross from the U.S. into Canada. I'm not sure I like the message being sent here: sure border security is important, but I dislike the idea that Canada is becoming less friendly to border-crossing. One of Canada's signatures is how we're more friendly, more open, and more welcoming to visitors than the U.S. -- and this, I see, is an "Americanizing" of our country's culture.
  
  
• A Brain of One's Own, an article reviewing a book written that defends the sexual dimorphism of human brains. For my take on this, see my recent post: Sexual Dimorphism and Feminism
  
  
• General Motors Drops 'Survivor' -- apparently not in response to the "Racial Segregation" ploy, though the news dropped today that G.M. has decided they no longer want to be associated with the show. I don't buy the fact that G.M. felt that it didn't want to be sunk by the political incorrectness of the latest season -- why else would G.M. announce the news now, as opposed to earlier in this season's developmental process?
  
  
• Latest ACT scores by race, by Asian-Nation. On a related note, in the last few days, the SAT board announced that the class of 2006 had experienced the greatest drop in scores since the 1970's, and the AP article included a report of the drop in scores by gender and by race -- except Asian. What's that all about?
  

The visual proof is here.

It really says something when CBS News feels the need to retouch their new news anchor. It makes one wonder about how they might retouch the news.

Did they do the same for Dan Rather? Or is this treatment special for the ladies?

WTF?

U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20 million public relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq.

The contract calls for assembling a database of selected news stories and assessing their tone as part of a program to provide "public relations products" that would improve coverage of the military command's performance, according to a statement of work attached to the proposal.

The request for bids comes at a time when Bush administration officials are publicly criticizing media coverage of the war in Iraq.

The proposal, which calls in part for extensive monitoring and analysis of Iraqi, Middle Eastern and American media, is designed to help the coalition forces understand "the communications environment." Its goal is to "develop communication strategies and tactics, identify opportunities, and execute events . . . to  communicate Iraqi government and coalition's goals, and build support among our strategic audiences in achieving these goals," according to the statement of work that is publicly available through the Web site http://www.fbodaily.com.

$20M???? That's A LOT of PR. By comparison, the Pentagon allocates only $11M a year in direct support of the worldwide operation of Stars & Stripes.

WTF?

U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20 million public relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq.

The contract calls for assembling a database of selected news stories and assessing their tone as part of a program to provide "public relations products" that would improve coverage of the military command's performance, according to a statement of work attached to the proposal.

The request for bids comes at a time when Bush administration officials are publicly criticizing media coverage of the war in Iraq.

The proposal, which calls in part for extensive monitoring and analysis of Iraqi, Middle Eastern and American media, is designed to help the coalition forces understand "the communications environment." Its goal is to "develop communication strategies and tactics, identify opportunities, and execute events . . . to  communicate Iraqi government and coalition's goals, and build support among our strategic audiences in achieving these goals," according to the statement of work that is publicly available through the Web site http://www.fbodaily.com.

$20M???? That's A LOT of PR. By comparison, the Pentagon allocates only $11M a year in direct support of the worldwide operation of Stars & Stripes.