So today I heard a strange rumor about the whole Casey anti-abortion thing. . . that he is actually pro-choice [but has to play the role of Good Catholic Boy] and that if he beats Santorum, he won't vote for any anti-choice legislation. Hmmm.

In the meantime, yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted 53-46 to reject an amendment that would have stopped violent protesters -- i.e. like those at abortion clinics -- from using bankruptcy law to avoid paying court-ordered fines. This also worries me on the "gay front" as the protestors at pride rallies and marches have been getting a bit vehement for moi, now that I am with child at these events.

However, PA Senator Arlen Spector voted like the Democrat he used to be and actually supported the measure, even though it failed. [Maybe it was The Cancer talkin'.] You, Go! Mr. Blue State Man!

"Happy" International Women's Day.

While the rest of the world was busy marching, protesting and organizing, here in the States, I'm pretty sure my workplace is the only one which gives us the day off.

From the United Nations web site, a brief herstory / chronology of the most important events:

1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day was observed across the United States on 28 February. [Note: The Gal's birthday!] Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through 1913.

1910
The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.

1911
As a result of the decision taken at Copenhagen the previous year, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded the right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.

Less than a week later, on 25 March, the tragic Triangle Fire in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working girls, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This event had a significant impact on labour legislation in the United States, and the working conditions leading up to the disaster were invoked during subsequent observances of International Women's Day.

1913-1914
As part of the peace movement brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters.

1917
With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday in February to strike for "bread and peace". Political leaders opposed the timing of the strike, but the women went on anyway. The rest is history: Four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia, but on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere.

On the eve of International Women's Day and as the U.N. continues to meet on the status of women (Beijing + 10), I can't help but think we've taken one step forward, two steps back in many ways.

See, last week I caught a bit of a PBS documentary on the National Women's Conference of 1977. Some of the women who were present: Bella Abzug, Rosyln Carter, Betty Ford, Maya Angelou, Coretta Scott King, Barbara Jordan, Betty Friedan, Ellie Smeal, Annie Richards, Gloria Steinem.

Name one woman today who has made a difference like those women above. Ok, Hillary. Nancy Pelosi, but how many of you can "name" her? Martha Burk?! Can you even name who the current president of N.O.W. is? Or one important feminist author? (Camille Paglia? Puh-leese!)

Shirley Chisholm has passed away. Audre Lord. Susan Sontag. Who will carry their torch?

The women in the news today, role models for our youth? Brittany Spears. Martha Stewart. Janet Jackson (okay, old news). Oprah (who, by the way, has more money than god; does she give any of it away?).

First Lady Laura Bush never talks about "women's issues." The President of Harvard ponders, aloud mind you, that perhaps women aren't cut out, genetically speaking, to be scientists and mathematicians. The Master's golf tournament decides to run without ad revenue rather than force Augusta National Club to 'accept' women as members. Condi Rice took us into an unjust war.

Where can a young girl today get a good, feminist role model?

Back in PA, the Governor has decided to support Mr. anti-abortion, anti-gun control Bob Casey Jr. in the 2006 election for Ricky Boy Santorum's U.S. Senate seat, angering many pro-choice Democrats (yours truely amongst them) and alientating former State Treasurer Barbara Hafer, who was also planning to run for the seat.

In all fairness, I didn't think Hafer could beat Santorum; plus, she only became a Democrat recently ("switching over" because of she did not like where the Republican Party was headed re: "social issues"). She did have the support of EMILY's List, however; which now must possibly "sit-out" this hugely important national election.

Gov. Rendell, previous chair of the DNC, apparently pulls a lot of weight on the national level still. Hafer pretty much withdrew from the race as soon as Rendell announced his support of Casey. So much for "democracy" still being a part of the Democratic party / process / nation anymore, eh?

Meanwhile, the Gal just wants to know, "Where's Joe Hoeffel ?"

Meanwhile, back in New York, there were actual "jeers and catcalls" on the usually-staid floor of the U.N. today. For whom? you might ask. Well, for none-other than U.S. Delegate Ellen Sauerbrey, as she took a momet to "stress Washington's opposition to abortion and support for sexual abstinence and fidelity."

Ms. Sauerbrey : "We have stated clearly and on many occasions ... that we do not recognize abortion as a method of family planning, nor do we support abortion in our reproductive health assistance." [You may recall that one of Mr. Bush's first acts in office was to deny federal funds to any foreign agency which provides 'abortions or abortion counseling' services.]

She articulated U.S. policy on AIDS prevention for adolescents thusly : "We emphasize the value of the 'ABC' -- Abstinence, Be faithful, and Correct and consistent condom use where appropriate [read: when in the context of legalized, heterosexual union] -- approach in comprehensive strategies to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and the promotion of abstinence as the healthiest and most responsible choice for adolescents." [Italics mine]

Translation: So what if AIDS is a global pandemic? Kids shouldn't be having sex, we said so, and we're going to punish them and everyone else if they do so!

Oh, to have been there and been able to have heard the boo's. . . ;)

Down the road a bit from New York, there's another Feminist Battle raging between the so-called Borgata Babes and management.

Seems management wants the "right" to fire any Borgata Babes (a.k.a. the skimpily-clad cocktail waitresses in the Borgata casino in Atlantic City) who gain over 7% of their base weight when hired. The Babe's union challenged the weigh-in. Managment rejected the union grievance.

Ah, America. Land of the Free.

Personally, as long as the woman (or man) can get my drinks to me correctly and in a timely fashion while I gamble my life savings away, I don't mind a little meat on them. Prefer it, actually.

Of course, as one local (female!) reporter pointed out, A.C.'s new slogan is "Always Turned On" (no lie!) and "sex oozes from the walls" of the Borgata.

Guess someone forgot to tell HER and the Borgata management that THEY don't get to decide what's sexy, WE do. What's sexy to one person might, indeed, be large breasts, some weight around the middle, strong sturdy muscular (weighs more!) legs.

I'll take a few pounds over anorexic-stricken "babes" anytime.

Well, the U.N.'s Women's Conference began yesterday and already the U.S. has put its Big Brother Foot in its mouth.

The first proposal made was to merely reaffirm the platform adopted 10 years ago in Beijiing. But, U.S. delegates (lead by Ellen Sauerbrey - oh! how my Maryland years continue to haunt me!) expressed concern (now! of all times) that the Beijiing platform "might be interpreted as legalizing abortion as a human right".

God forbid the U.S. to allow any other nations to have free and legal abortion rights. Let's just send those women back into the closets and back-door abortions. Women who, in many developing nations, are raped, beated, tortured, mutilated in the name of "family" or "god" or "honor."

I don't see Ms. Sauerbrey or Mr. Bush or any other abortion-foes stepping forward to adopt those children -- born in poverty, dishonor, poor health, or in the middle of an unjust war -- let alone ANY children they "save" from abortion.

Remember all those "W is For Women" buttons we saw in the last election? Just Who Were those Women anyway? Apparently, they're the delegates to the U.N.'s conference!