Is there a Conservative "War on Women?"

I want to begin by saying that I've become something I never expected to be. I'm going to come out of the closet. OK, those who know me, don't get excited, I'm not about to announce that I'm gay. I totally support the rights of gays and lesbians, of all people, to live as they choose, marry whom they love, and to be accorded in society the same rights as everyone else.
That being said, the title of this post should tell you where I'm going with this. I here and now declare before all the world that I am an avowed and active feminist.
Is there a war on women? Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell says the war on women is manufactured, and I say yes it is; manufactured by the radical right Republicans in Washington and in states across the country where the GOP has control of the legislatures and the Governor's mansions. I've lost count, to tell the truth, of the number of anti-choice laws that have been passed in states and even in the US House of Representative in the last year. I do know that it's way up in the hundreds. Abortion rights, contraceptive rights, and even equal pay have been ruthlessly savaged - equal pay was actually repealed in Scott Walker's Wisconsin. And even renewal of the National Violence against Women Act has fallen prey to GOP obstructionism. (I'm actually astonished that a law against beating women should even be debatable, let alone need to be renewed periodically.) These are things that are in the public record, have been all over the news and in the blogospere.
So it naturally begs the question why a United States Senator would say that the "war on women is a manufactured issue," as McConnell put it. But I know why he says so. In the view of these people it isn't really a war, but more of a Crusade. It has its roots in radical right wing Christianity, that perversion of the message of our Savior that focuses more on what they believe the  Lord excludes and condemns rather than on what he calls us to embrace. As a born again Christian myself it breaks my heart to see people perverting my faith into such a ghastly caricature of Jesus' teachings. Their religion is not one of redemption by grace, it is a doctrine of works, a return to Calvinism/Puritanism.
It's a critical point in the history of the Church. Republicans, bombarded by the bigotry of preachers like Pat Robertson, telling us that every tornado, hurricane, earthquake or terrorist incident is somehow God's punishment. It's the perversion of truth that motivates the Westboro Baptists to try to disrupt funerals.
God does not hate - not gays, not liberals, not even independent women. Some forty years ago, I turned my life over to a Savior who offers redemption and peace for all.
And it is that God, that Gracious Saving presence in my life that brings me to say  that I am now an avowed femisnist, and will remain so until their Crusade has failed.

Women: They're making war on you. Fight back.

This may be one of the shortest blog posts in history. But as a man, I say it's time for women to take control of  politics in America. The old white guys have made such a mess that there is no other choice but to send most of them packing. I'm calling on women in Utah, and the rest of the nation to band together and return sanity to our Country.

The Right's New War on the People

It's been said that a fanatic is one who, having completely lost sight of his goal, redoubles his effort. I don't pretend to know what the neo-conservative movement's goal is or was, but the confusion is certainly evident.

With the economy recovering in spite of all their efforts to mess up President Obama's leadership, they can't talk about that anymore. With the Iraq war coming to an end, a drawdown beginning in Afghanistan, Bin Laden dead, along with most of the Al Qaeda leaders, Gadaffi gone, and respect for America growing world wide under this President, their mantra of " a President engaging in appeasement" seems to ring pretty hollow.

Meanwhile down in the states, the overreach seems to be biting them in the hiney. Ohio voters soundly rejected the GOP legislature's anti collective bargaining bill, forcing its repeal, and forcing Governor Kasich to put his tail between his legs. Wisconsin voters erupted over the same issue, and are on the verge of recalling the Governor and several (more) GOP legislators. 

At the same time, Republican controlled states have begun to attack voter rights by enacting so called "voter fraud" legislation - which is in reality voter suppression, and flagrantly violates both the '64 Voting Rights act as well as the Constitution itself, and very likely to fail in the end.

So, what to do? Well, here is where I think they've made their biggest mistake. They're back to the old "God, guns and gays" rhetoric and the old worn out "family values" mantra. But in their zeal to pander to the Tea Party crazies, they've chosen the wrong target; they've decided to declare war on womens' health. That's what all this self righteous outrage we're hearing about contraceptive coverage is about. Yesterday, Congressman Darrel Issa's "Committee to attack the President" tried to make it seem like a religious rights issue by having five old male clerics testify while completely excluding any women from the witness list, and that's backfiring big time. Let's make no mistake here; this is not about religion no matter how loudly they shout it. And the women of this country will not stand for it. I can say that, because I've been listening to my wife, and I've seldom seen her this worked up about anything. 

Republicans, you mess around with the rights of women at your peril. After a long talk last night, I suggested to my wife that she set up a Facebook page for women and supportive men to vent, share information and mobilize to send these old white guys who think that subjugating females is appropriate either politically or socially,  packing. The Facebook page is up and running:  She gave it a great title - Ovarian-Americans United - check it out and join the movement.