Homeless woman dies in police custody [video]

IMHO: I hate starting a day of Web Wanderings with this sadness, but it is one of the saddest realities of our society today: women die every day for reasons other than age or health. This young woman died from tragic institutionalized racism and the misogyny that pervades our country to the bone. She was judged by those involved in this incident as less than worthy of attention because she was a homeless, possibly mentally ill, African-American woman of little means. She was murdered by a society that does not wish to provide medical care for all of its citizens. She was murdered by a nation-wide infliction of social blindness to the injustices that occur around us on a daily basis. She was murdered by you and I because we are a part of the society that allowed this to happen.

Are you going to do anything at all about this? Are you going to reach out to your neighbors and make sure they know about this death? Are you going to write or e-mail your State Congress Person? Are you going to write a letter to President Obama and ask him what he would do if this were one of his daughters? Are you going to send everyone you know the above link to the Los Angeles Times article and horrifying video that exposed this tragic and unnecessary death? Are you going to sign-up for the Los Angeles Times web site so you can make a comment? Are you going to help make this death go viral by posting it every web site and social network you can? Are you going to March on your State Capitol on April 28, 2012 in protest of this death and the institutionalized misogyny that is so obvious at the political level and is adversely affecting every woman in the United States? Are you going to March on Washington, D. C. in September of 2012? Are you going to make your voice of protest heard in the ballot box next November? What ARE you going to do? Anything? Remain socially blind to such injustice? Pass it off as none of your concern? Mentally think to yourself that after all it was just a homeless black woman, maybe even a mentally ill woman? Are you going to remain a part of the problem because you refuse to be part of the solution? Just what are you going to do?

"At all times, day by day, we have to continue fighting for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom from want… from these are things that must gained in peace as well as in war."
             
~Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962),
the America's great reforming leader and First lady, in "My Day"

THE POWER OF PRAYER

June 1952.
I was eight
   and an only child,
wildly envious of any kid
   with a brother or sister
which was every kid in town except me.
I was the only
   only child I knew.
One greedy family
   up the street
      had four kids.
They never ran out
   of somebody to play with.
Mom had remarried at Xmas time
   and promised me a baby,
      maybe by the time school started
         in September after summer vacation.
I was impatient
   and prayed daily for speed.
On June 21, at 7:34 a.m.
   I got a baby sister.
She came early and she made headlines:

SMALLEST BABY BORN IN SAN DIEGO SURVIVES FIRST DAY

The paper went on to say
   how small she was,
      1lb., 2 oz., and 12 inches long,
and how the doctors thought
   if she could make it a week
      in a machine called an incubator
         she would be okay,
and they were going to keep her
   until she weighed 5 lbs.,
      just to be on the safe side.
I asked my step-father
   how long it would take her
      to get 5 lbs.
Maybe months,
   he said.
I began to cry.
I knew she would survive;
   she was my sister
      and tough like me.
But Mama had explained carefully
   the hospital rule about
      a kid had to be twelve to visit.
I couldn't wait months
   to see my sister.
My step-dad took me with him that afternoon
   warning all the way
      I might not be allowed in.

I wasn't.
Mean old nurse as the desk
   was a rule believer who wouldn't bend.
I threw myself into a chair
   and cried some more while everyone else
      in the world went to see MY baby sister.

A nurse walking by
   came over to ask
      why I was crying.
In between sobs I told her.
   Some nurses have hearts of gold.
She threw a stern look
   at the desk nurse,
      took my hand and
         led me out of the
waiting room into a long corridor.
We turned left.
At the far end
   I saw a mob of people standing
      in front of a huge window.
As we came closer
   I could hear
      "Oh's" and "Ah's",
people saying
   "She's so tiny",
      and
   "She's so beautiful."
I knew my sister
   was behind that window.
I pushed and shoved
   my way through until
      I was close enough
         to press my nose against the glass.

On the other side was a glass box
   standing on four metal legs
      with funny tubes attached to it
         and inside the box was.......
a horribly wrinkled red thing
   with long black hair all over,
      its tiny wizened monkey-face
         scrunched up
            in a silent howl.
The longer I looked the worse it looked,
   a sad mixture of lobster and monkey.

Finally I turned away,
   pushed my way silently
      out of the crowd,
strode back down the long corridor
   to the waiting room,
      threw myself into the chair
         where earlier I had sat crying,
and began to pray.
I prayed for six months.

They kept my sister for three months,
   and after Mama brought her home
      I wasn't allowed near her
         for another three months.
They were afraid I'd give her a germ.
I didn't mind.
   I needed all the time I could get.
Xmas was to be the big day,
   the first time I would be allowed
      to hold my sister.
All Xmax Eve I prayed
   extra hard
      and the next morning, too,
while waiting for everyone else
   to wake up.
Toward the end I started to lose faith,
   stuck a rabbit's foot in my pocket
      and crossed my fingers.

The time came.
Mama positioned me carefully
   at the end of the couch
      and plumped a pillow over
         the crook of my right arm.
I closed my eyes,
   held my breath,
      and felt a slight weight
press down on the pillow,
   then nothing -
      just motionless weight.
I opened my eyes.
She was staring at me
   with big, brown solemn eyes,
      as if she had been waiting
         for this moment
            as long,
               as anxiously
                  as me.

For an eternity
   we scrutinized each other.
My eyes traveled
   over her porcelain skin and rosy cheeks,
      over her tiny head capped with brown ringlets.
I pulled back the blanket
   and checked her feet.
      Ten perfect little toes.
I brushed one big awkward finger
   gently again her miniature hand.
I was afraid
   I'd bruise her
      with my hugeness.
She seized my finger
   and smiled at me.
I smiled back.

My prayers had worked.
From head to toe
   I had prayed her into
      the most beautiful
         baby sister
            in the world.

Luis, Lindy, Mama and Me

San Diego Union Tribune

January 12, 2005

LUISA LYNNE LaMAR

June 21, 1952 - Jan. 1, 2005

Luisa Lynne LaMar, 52, of San Diego died Jan. 1. She was born in San Diego.

Survivors include her daughter, Andrea Montgomery; son, David Otero; and two grandchildren.

No services were planned.

Arrangements: American Cremation Service.

Pat Summitt From Wikipedia:

Patricia "Pat" Head Summitt (born on June 14, 1952) is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division. She has been coaching since 1974, all with the Lady Vols, winning eight NCAA national championships, second only to the record 10 titles won by UCLA men's coach John Wooden. Summitt is the only coach in NCAA history, and one of three college coaches overall, with 1,000 victories. She was named the Naismith Basketball Coach of the Century in April 2000. In 2009, the Sporting News placed her number 11 on its list of the 50 Greatest Coaches of All Time in all sports; she was the only woman on the list. In 38 years as a coach, she has never had a losing season.

Summitt has written two books: Reach for the Summitt, which is part a motivational book and part biography, and Raise the Roof about the Lady Vols' 1997–1998 undefeated and NCAA-championship winning season.

Health

In August 2011, Summitt announced that she had been diagnosed three months earlier with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.[27] Despite the diagnosis, she did complete the 2011-2012 season, but with a reduced role .[28] In an interview with GoVolsXtra.com, she stated, "There's not going to be any pity party and I'll make sure of that."[MORE]

Governor of South Carolina From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 
Nikki Haley
since January 12, 2011  

The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard when not called into Federal use. The Governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the South Carolina General Assembly, submitting an executive budget and ensuring that state laws are enforced

The 116th and current Governor of South Carolina is Nikki Haley, who is in her first term after being elected in 2010. Haley defeated Democratic candidate Vincent Sheheen in the November 2010 midterm elections. Haley is the first female and first minority governor in the state's history. [MORE]

IMHO: It's starting to get almost scary, this psychic connection with Ivy Jo or her's with me, however it's working.  But it seems to never fail.  I get ready to update Web Wanderings and go into my mailbox at rudyblue02@yahoo.com and very first e-mail is an awesome poster from Ivy that just solidifies all the thinking I've done over the last two hours about how to start this latest update.  What do I want to share this time?  Was there something in the news I was watching on hulu.com while eating breakfast and taking a break that I wanted to share?  Was there someone I was not speaking about enough on the Womankind pages?  Oh, Cosmos, please tell me where to go from here.  Oh, never mind, Cosmos, I'm finally learning.  Just go open my mailbox and there will be an e-mail from Ivy Jo that will give me the direction to go.  Thanks, Ivy.  You've done it again!

Bad Romance: Women's Suffrage
Bon Jovi - It's my life w/ lyrics
You've come a long way baby... uh, not so fast... Lysistrata.mov
Lauren Zuniga, To the Oklahoma Lawmakers: a poem
I Will NOT Be Denied
Ask the Experts: Gender Wage Gap

IMHO: These youtube videos are all well worth watching.  But I have listed them in my order of preference.  The two songs are awesome, the poem is incredibly, and I am very grateful for finding the
Lysistrata.mov website.  All-in-all, a good day for youtubing.

 
Cherie Blackfeather via Barbara Cummings
The war comes home.
www.dailymail.co.uk

Soldier who shot dead his landlady cleared of murder because he was suffering from post-traumatic stress after serving in Afghanistan
By Chris Brooke

War veteran Aaron Wilkinson said the events played out like a movie and how he 'wasn't in full control'
 

It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.   
                                                                                               ~Susan B. Anthony, feminist

IMHO: Once again Ivy Jo has posted a beautiful poster just when I needed it the most.  Thank you, Ivy.  This one really helped make my day.  I spent about an hour and a half in the apartment complex office this morning talking with a Supervisor, Roxanne Cowee, from the Lodi, CA office about the complaint I filed with Fair Housing last week.  This is the first time since I moved into this low-income building in 2006 that I have felt that someone higher-up was actually listening to me.  But it may turn out just to be her quite politely, as opposed to the last time we spoke, blowing smoke up my butt.  Who knows?  We'll see.  In the meantime, I've done all I could about the misogynist and ageist conditions in this building and I'll be moving soon.  It IS time for me to move in another direction with my life and this was/is a beautiful poster that confirms my need to move on.  As soon as I get more color ink, I'm going to print this out and hang it where I can see it to remind me daily of my new direction. Good timing again, Ivy.  In Sisterhood, Blue

IMHO: I just realized that one of the more important things I like about Facebook and the women I've come to know here is that they all seem to always give credit where credit is due.  If they find something interesting or noteworthy or funny or of particular interest to other women, they share it and they always say where they found it.  And because Sharon shared the above link earlier today, in a few hours it shows 1,545 people "liked" this.  How awesome that we women can share like this.  I love it.  And this ability to share and give credit is one of the things that will prove to be of vital importance to the current Wave of Women's Rights Movement. Say it out loud: APRIL 28, 2012!

 BLUE SAYS: Around every night about this time, my web host, i-page, starts slowing down and I get horribly frustrated. I get that from my twin sister, Maxine, and I can't help myself.  So I'm going to update Web Wanderings for the last time tonight.  Keep coming back.  There's more to come bright and early in the morning.  Have a good evening, everyone.

Welcome Home - SPC Jordan Laffins, USA, Sacramento, CA 
06 APR 2012

This will be the ONLY email notice of this mission.
Do not reply to this email. Contacts are listed below.

Please go to the following link for mission updates
http://www.patriotguard.org/ALLForums/tabid/61/forumid/132/postid/1765237/view/topic/Default.aspx
 

Karen Oakley shared a link: "Oh no, oh no. Dead people, dead dolphins, dead everything. For oil. Where does it STOP?"

Gulf of Mexico Dolphins Sick, Dying After BP Oil Spill
| Environmentwww.alternet.org

The dolphins could have ingested oil from sediments or water while feeding or by eating whole fish, which can harbor toxic chemicals.

                           ******************************************************

Karen Oakley shared a link: "This is my fear. My fears for the U.K. are very similar.

"The “Supreme” Consequence Of An Obama Second Term
governmentgonewild.org

This video should scare the living daylights out of you. If Barack Obama gets re-elected, the national debt and record deficits may be the least of our worries. A second term for Obama may mean the end of the Supreme Court as we know it!

Marguerita Jane Dentino This is one of the most touching videos you will ever see. Truly beautiful and meaningful...check it out and share with others.
Marguerita Jane Dentino via Jack Barack Kraft
Little Girl Makes a Beautiful Video for her Brother with Down Syndrome - a Must See!
www.godvine.com

 
Nancy Summers-Long shared a link:  PRO LIFE tries to kill again.
Planned Parenthood Bombed In Wisconsin
www.huffingtonpost.com

A small bomb exploded outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Grand Chute, Wis., on Sunday night, and police are investigating to learn who planted the device........[MORE]

Nancy Summers-Long shared a link: "How low can the GOP go? Their war on women should be enough but their war on labor is what I just do not understand. Then fools vote them in and wonder what happened to the economy. Government employees and retirees that worked their butts of surely are not this stupid. They are after you wake up. When they say cut big government they are talking about you. They want to triple the waste by giving it to a corporation and some fat worthless CEO. Most of the government employees they lay off work 5 times harder in a week than the average CEO does in a year.

"A Shocking Scandal at the NLRB (but not the one the GOP would have you believe)
thehill.com

Since retaking control of the House, GOP leaders, along with an assortment of anti-union and corporate organizations, have subjected the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to ferocious criticism. After 15 months of desperate attacks, however, the sole “offense” of which they can credibly accuse t...[MORE]

Nancy Summers-Long updated her status:

"Debbie Wonders Shared: This is noteworthy.  It defines things people should know: For those guys that have been listening to Rush again! Facts: Cutting government spending while giving more money to the rich does not create jobs. The rich - Koch Brothers paid ALEC to write model bills that Republicans are using instead of what the people want. Every poll shows the majority of people, 75%, want the rich to pay more in taxes and leave social security and medicare alone . The Republican Budget wants to take away public sector jobs - hey, guys, this is the teachers to your children, the roads you drive on, the firemen that fight your fires, the policemen that protect you, Social Security, Medicare, Disability and Unemployment Insurance, etc. The Republicans for years have reduced taxes on the rich and corporations so much the % to Gross National Product, which by the way is higher then any other country, is less then in the 1960's - which means less money is going to American sustainability. YES I WANT PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS AT THE % RATE OF THE 1980's IN COMPARISON TO GNP.  SHAME ON YOU FOR BELIEVING SUCH LIES THAT HURT US ALL.  Alec and Crossroads Grassroots, Americans for Prosperity, what other names can they use to totally malign the 99%. GOP ideology is hype that has never worked.  We have been there, done that for 8 years and it has been a climb out of it slowly, yes, but on the right track: We cannot go backwards for another GOP created disaster for America:".

Nancy Summers-Long shared a link: "This is the reason we are fast becoming a 2nd wold nation and heading toward third. The rest of the first world countries educate their citizens. We put ours in debt to feed the greed of our corporations

Senior citizens continue to bear burden of student loans
www.washingtonpost.com

New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that Americans 60 and older still owe about $36 billion in student loans. More than 10 percent of those loans are delinquent......[MORE]

This July 24, 2007 booking photo provided by the Jennings Police Department Mug shows Anna Brown. A St. Louis hospital says it made every effort to help Brown who sought treatment for a sprained ankle and subsequently died in police custody after being arrested for refusing to leave the facility. An autopsy showed blood clots killed 29-year-old Anna Brown in September when they migrated from her legs to her lungs. (AP Photo/Jennings Police Department via St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

A homeless woman's death from blood clots hours after officers arrested her for trespassing at a suburban St. Louis hospital was a tragedy, but was not the fault of police, the town's mayor said Monday.

Anna Brown, 29, died in September from blood clots that formed in her leg and migrated to her lungs after her arrest at St. Mary's Health Center in Richmond Heights. St. Mary's was the third hospital where Brown sought help for her injured ankle and she refused to leave. She died hours later in her jail cell.

Mayor James Beck said in a statement issued to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the city performed a review "to determine whether our officers followed procedure and acted properly, given the circumstances. We concluded that they did follow procedure and acted appropriately."

Beck's statement said that during the time officers were in contact with Brown, "there was no indication she was in any imminent danger," the newspaper reported.

Beck's office declined to immediately issue the statement to The Associated Press, saying the mayor planned to speak at a city council meeting later.

Keith Link, the attorney for Brown's family, said no lawsuit has been filed to date, but added, "I think it's fairly obvious that something went terribly wrong. We are in the process of fully investigating the hours, days and minutes leading up to Anna's death and we do intend to hold any and all responsible parties accountable for it."

The hospital said in a statement last week that its staff followed medical guidelines and performed appropriate tests, but "blood clots can still be undetected in a small number of cases."

Brown's life had spiraled down since a New Year's Eve 2010 tornado destroyed her home. She and her two children relocated to a different home, but she lost her job at a sandwich shop soon afterward. Her utilities were shut off when she stopped paying bills and her children were removed after a child welfare agent found a feces-filled toilet, burn marks on the floor where Brown had lit fires to keep warm, and other distressing signs.

Police reported at the time that she was not lucid and seemed confused. Brown's mother, Dorothy Davis, took custody of the children on the condition Brown couldn't also live them.

Brown went on to bounce between shelters and live on the street from May to September. She injured her ankle and went to three hospitals complaining of leg pain in the days leading up to her death.

State inspectors working for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — a federal agency that regulates hospitals — determined that when Brown arrived at St. Mary's on Sept. 20 her left ankle was swollen. She was there for about seven hours, during which ultrasounds on both legs were negative for blood clots.

Inspectors said she returned eight hours later and was discharged at 7 a.m. on Sept. 21. Three hours after that, she still refused to leave.

A doctor issued a "Fit for Confinement" report, and Brown was arrested for trespassing, handcuffed and taken to the police station.

Brown told the arresting officers she couldn't get out of the car because she couldn't put any pressure on her legs, so they dragged her by the arms inside, according to surveillance tapes. They listed her physical state as "suspected drug use" and noted she had "unknown leg pain" in their report.

Her condition worsened at the station, and officers carried her by the arms and legs into a jail cell, laid her on her back on the floor and left. Fifteen minutes later, a jail worker found her cold to the touch. The autopsy determined she had no drugs in her system.

IMHO: The "after" in paragraph 2 above is highly suspect to me. If she got the blood clots after she was arrested, then why was she in severe pain before her arrest.  Why did she refuse to get out of the wheelchair in the hospital? And in the paragraph just above she couldn't get out of the car because she couldn't put any pressure on her legs. Watch the video.  She was brutally yanked out of the police car.  Too bad we couldn't see the officer's face. Oh, and also, "'.................the city performed a review "to determine whether our officers followed procedure and acted properly, given the circumstances. We concluded that they did follow procedure and acted appropriately.'"  It is procedure to drag a woman out of a police car, carry her by her feet and legs to the holding cell and just dump her on the floor?  And then after her death, once her body is gone, someone begins calmly cleaning up while the Chief of Police is quietly talking with him, not a sign of concern, remorse or caring on his face is procedure? But then, we already know this is a misogynist society, so I guess it was just business as usual.  And now the cover-up and misleading press releases begin.................

        WHEN ARE WE GOING TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THIS INSTITUTIONALIZED MISOGYNY?

In my e-mail box at rudyblue02@yahoo.com:
MOVEON.ORG

The " Top 10 Shocking Attacks from the GOP's War on Women " campaign is brought to you by MoveOn.org Political Action™.

Stop the Republican War on Women Redefining rape. Attacking the right to choose. Belitting victims of violence. The Republicans are on a rampage attacking women's health and rights this year. And if we don't speak up, they'll keep going. That's why we need to raise a ruckus, and get the word out about the GOP war on women.

Make sure your friends see this! Click the buttons below to share this on Facebook, Tweet it, and email a copy to your friends. Everyone should know about the Republican war on women.

Top 10 Shocking Attacks from the GOP's War on Women 1) Republicans not only want to reduce women's access to abortion care, they're actually trying to redefine rape. After a major backlash, they promised to stop. But they haven't yet. Shocker.

2) A state legislator in Georgia wants to change the legal term for victims of rape, stalking, and domestic violence to "accuser." But victims of other less gendered crimes, like burglary, would remain "victims."

3) In South Dakota, Republicans proposed a bill that could make it legal to murder a doctor who provides abortion care. (Yep, for real.)

4) Republicans want to cut nearly a billion dollars of food and other aid to low-income pregnant women, mothers, babies, and kids. 

5) In Congress, Republicans have a bill that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life.

6) Maryland Republicans ended all county money for a low-income kids' preschool program. Why? No need, they said. Women should really be home with the kids, not out working.

7) And at the federal level, Republicans want to cut that same program, Head Start, by $1 billion. That means over 200,000 kids could lose their spots in preschool.

8) Two-thirds of the elderly poor are women, and Republicans are taking aim at them too. A spending bill would cut funding for employment services, meals, and housing for senior citizens.

9) Congress just voted for a Republican amendment to cut all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers, one of the most trusted providers of basic health care and family planning in our country.

10) And if that wasn't enough, Republicans are pushing to eliminate all funds for the only federal family planning program. (For humans. But Republican Dan Burton has a bill to provide contraception for wild horses. You can't make this stuff up).

Sources:
1. "'Forcible Rape' Language Remains In Bill To Restrict Abortion Funding," The Huffington Post, February 9, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=206084
"Extreme Abortion Coverage Ban Introduced," Center for American Progress, January 20, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205961
2. "Georgia State Lawmaker Seeks To Redefine Rape Victims As 'Accusers,'" The Huffington Post, February 4, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=206007
3. "South Dakota bill would legalize killing abortion doctors," Salon, February 15, 2011
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/02/15/south_dakota_abortion_killing_bill
4. "House GOP Proposes Cuts to Scores of Sacred Cows," National Journal, February 9, 2011
http://nationaljournal.com/house-gop-proposes-cuts-to-scores-of-sacred-cows-20110209
5. "New GOP Bill Would Allow Hospitals To Let Women Die Instead Of Having An Abortion," Talking Points Memo, February 4, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205974
6. "Republican Officials Cut Head Start Funding, Saying Women Should be Married and Home with Kids," Think Progress, February 16, 2011
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/16/gop-women-kids/
7. "Bye Bye, Big Bird. Hello, E. Coli," The New Republic, Feburary 12, 2011
http://www.tnr.com/blog/83387/house-republican-spending-cuts-pell-education-usda-pbs
8. "House GOP spending cuts will devastate women, families and economy," The Hill, February 16, 2011
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/144585-house-gop-spending-cuts-will-devastate-women-families-and-economy-
9. "House passes measure stripping Planned Parenthood funding," MSNBC, February 18,2011
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/18/6080756-house-passes-measure-stripping-planned-parenthood-funding
"GOP Spending Plan: X-ing Out Title X Family Planning Funds," Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2011
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/02/09/gop-spending-plan-x-ing-out-title-x-family-planning-funds/
10. Ibid.
"Birth Control for Horses, Not for Women," Blog for Choice, February 17, 2011
http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2011/02/birth-control-f.html

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Rock The Slut Vote shared a link via Karen Teegarden.
10 hours ago

Ok, I lied about last post tonight...found this Karen Teegarden post (she started the Unite Against The War On Women organization marching on every state capitol and Washington D.C. on April 28, 2012) and it had me laughing out loud!

Women Voters Can't Help Fawning Over Sexist GOP 'We Should Know Better, But There's Just Something About Its Unflinching Misogyny,' Says Gushing Female Populace
March 26, 2012 | ISSUE 48•13

WASHINGTON—Saying they know its no good for them but they just can't help themselves, gushing women voters acknowledged Monday the overwhelming and uncontrollable attraction they feel toward the sexist Republican party.

Smitten female voters across the nation told reporters that despite the way it treats them, they still find everything about the GOP—from its reckless, devil-may-care neglect of women's health issues to its devastatingly bold misogyny—completely irresistible.

"They openly insult me, undermine my intelligence, and act as if I lack the basic responsibility to take care of myself, but every time I hear them talking about why I shouldn't be able to choose what I do with my own body, I get a little turned on," registered voter Jennifer Wilson said. "My friends keep telling me I'll get burned like I always do when I elect guys who think their authority extends to my uterus, but there's just something unbelievably sexy about politicians who see something they want and then go out and take it."

"Sure, I could probably find a party that would respect me and be sympathetic toward my desire to make my own personal health care decisions," Wilson continued. "But what can I say? That's not what drives me wild."

While acknowledging they deserved better and were "probably going to hate [themselves] for it," many women said that when they go to the polls they simply cannot resist their deep-seated urge to vote for brazenly chauvinistic candidates who actually wish to deprive them of access to even the most commonplace forms of contraception.

According to a recent Zogby poll, 83 percent of females voters say they "just aren't ready to settle down" with a political party that has their best interests at heart, 68 percent find themselves drawn to cocksure Republican lawmakers who oppose extending the Violence Against Women Act, and 54 percent report feeling aroused "just thinking about" an elderly hard-line evangelical explaining to them how the nation's moral fabric is threatened by the sexual activity of unmarried women.

Image Sexist Republicans Who Make Women Swoon, left to right • Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate – Romney constantly changes his mind on women’s rights, and while women say his indecision can be infuriating, they also admit it’s kind of sexy. • Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) – Women know this sounds awful, but they were seriously turned on when Issa’s government panel on contraception didn’t include a single female witness. • Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) – Upton is firmly against federal funding for abortion, and women have said his shortsightedness on the issue totally gets them going.

"I keep saying I won't let myself be put at the mercy of a political party that caters to fundamentalist Christians who believe husbands should control their wives," said Seattle attorney Connie York, explaining the difficulty of voting against a GOP presidential candidate who talks tough about shutting down Planned Parenthood cancer-screening and prenatal-care centers. "Then I step into the voting booth, draw the curtain, and…and it's just so fucking hot, I can't say no."

Added York, "There's something about pulling the lever for a man who would force you to die for the sake of saving a fetus that makes you feel like you're doing something a little bit naughty, you know?"

While experts have repeatedly warned them about the need to break this self-destructive cycle, many women admitted that come November they will likely find themselves falling for yet another wild, insolent candidate who opposes something as basic and necessary as sex education in public schools.

"They're just setting themselves up for disappointment when they do this," said sociologist Herbert Iglesias, whose research focuses on women who vote for men who would like to see them imprisoned for murder if they have an abortion after being raped. "And no matter how often they're called derogatory names or discriminated against, some of them keep going back to the same political party."

Still, some female voters said they have a more nuanced outlook on their situation.

"Ultimately, I think we just want what we can't have," middle school teacher Deborah Trillo, 37, said. "They walk all over you and break your heart anytime you have the slightest bit of hope for them, but there's always a small part of you that thinks maybe, just maybe, you'll find one who's more than just an irredeemable, narrow-minded, backward, bullying misogynist."

"Of course with my luck, they always just turn out to be gay," Trillo added.

About: Are you angry about the war on women? Getting tired of being told what you can or can't do with your body and your mind? Here's your forum, sisters (and open-minded brothers).

Lauren Zuniga, Personhood
visit Lauren Zuniga's Youtube Channel
Posted by Ikoi Hiroe: Love this. Yes!

Dear MoveOn member,

On November 19, 2011, my father, 68-year-old Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., was shot and killed in his home in White Plains, New York.

My father was a 20-year veteran of the Westchester County Department of Corrections and proudly served the United States of America as a Marine. He stood about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and he suffered from a heart condition.

The events that led to his killing began around 5 a.m., when his medical alert device was accidentally set off, sending a call to the City of White Plains Department of Public Safety. Everything that happened after that was recorded by an audio device installed in my father's home as part of his medical alert system.

When the police arrived at my father's home, he and the staff for his medical alert service told them that there was no medical emergency and asked them to leave. And yet they insisted that my father let them into his home, banging loudly on my father's door for over an hour. On the recording, the police can be heard calling my father a "nigger."

Ultimately they broke through his apartment door and first shot him with a Taser. He was wearing nothing but boxer shorts when the police began their assault against him. Shortly after that, he was shot with two 40-caliber rounds and killed.

My family is asking the Westchester County District Attorney to bring a criminal indictment, and we call on the United States Department of Justice or the New York State Attorney General to prosecute this as a hate crime.

Will you sign our petition? Click here to sign and please share with your friends: 

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=273615&id=38418-22177828-c5otYYx&t=3

The petition says:

This petition is regarding the upcoming grand jury hearing in the case of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an unarmed elderly black citizen who was shot to death by the White Plains Police Department. 

This case not only brings into question the policies and practices of this department; but it is an open question whether it was inevitable, particularly in light of the audio tapes and video tapes witnessed by Mr. Chamberlain's family members and attorneys where racial slurs and expletives were used before ultimately shooting him twice in the chest and killing him. 

It is imperative that those tapes be made available to the grand jury, and that all other evidence be presented as well. I am concerned that secrecy so far—for example, the names of officers involved have not been released—bodes badly for transparency in this case as it moves forward. Nor am I aware of any public statements about the case from elected officials calling for openness. 

Members of Mr. Chamberlain's family and community—and a much wider circle of people who need to know there is fairness in the criminal justice system—seek reassurance that, no matter what the verdict, the process has been open, honest, and just. 

We, the undersigned, implore Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore to no longer allow police misconduct, brutality, or criminality to happen in this community and ask that these officers be indicted and charged with murder and civil rights violations.

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=273615&id=38418-22177828-c5otYYx&t=4

Thanks!

–Kenneth Chamberlain Jr.

The text above was written by Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., not by MoveOn staff, and MoveOn is not responsible for the content. This email was sent through MoveOn's secure system, and your information has been kept private.

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Launch your own MoveOn-style campaign - and sign up other members to get involved. Start a petition on SignOn.org

                                                          *****************

Leah -

In the past three weeks, Apple revamped its policy to protect workers in China, Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp stood up to high school bullies, President Obama took action to protect Syrians living in America from potential torture and death, and a woman named Hope saved her husband from deportation.

Here's the crazy thing -- it's possible none of this would have happened if people hadn't started petitions on Change.org. But they did. Today we want to share stories with you of nine people who took a chance to try and change something, earned the support of thousands of signatures, got attention from major media outlets from the New York Times to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and who ultimately won their campaigns.

These victories are amazing on their own. But we're even more excited about the potential they represent: we're living in a time where anyone, anywhere, can use the internet to change the world. (Seriously, you can start a petition right here.)

Keep reading -- we hope you find these stories as inspiring as we do.
 
- Patrick and the Change.org team

Apple customer Mark sparks promised improvements for workers in China
"Like most Apple customers, I had no idea how appalling the working conditions were at Foxconn, where most iPhones and iPads are assembled. After hearing employees worked excessive hours, in some cases seven days a week, and stood so long their legs swelled until they couldn't walk, I wanted to write a letter to Apple, but then I thought, why not start a petition instead? 250,000 signatures later, Foxconn has promised major changes, including making sure all employees work no more than 49 hours per week without having their salaries cut. I know great organizations continue to press for additional improvements, but I'm so grateful to have played a part in this amazing first step." -Mark Shields

Maha and Darakshan save countless Syrians from terror and violence
"Since Syria's democratic uprising in 2011, the government there has killed thousands of people. Syrian nationals living in America were terrified of being deported and tortured or killed for supporting democracy. We started a petition asking President Obama to grant those Syrians "Temporary Protected Status" so they could stop living in fear, and after 12,000 people and several members of Congress supported our campaign, President Obama came through." -Maha Hilal & Darakshan Raja

Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Ellen DeGeneres support Katy's fight against bullies
"I used to be bullied so badly that I was afraid to go to school. When I saw that a new documentary made to stop bullying was rated R, I started a petition asking the Motion Picture Association of America to change the rating to PG-13 so that the kids who most needed to see the film would be able to. A few weeks and almost half a million signatures later, I got to be on The Ellen Show. Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, and 35 members of Congress threw their support behind my campaign. Now the movie's distributor, The Weinstein Company, is releasing the film as 'unrated' so that all kids can see the movie." -Katy Butler

Mom and food blogger Bettina keeps "pink slime" out of school cafeterias
"I'm a parent who writes about children and food, especially school food reform. So I was upset to learn that USDA was arranging to offer school districts ground beef containing 7 million pounds of 'lean, finely textured beef,' more commonly known as 'pink slime.' LFTB is made from slaughterhouse scraps previously used only for pet food and cooking oil, and treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens. In just 9 days, nearly 250,000 signed people my petition, leading the USDA to change its policy and offer districts, for the first time ever, ground beef without this cheap filler." -Bettina Elias Siegel

Jason takes on an insurance company to help save his dad
"My dad, Henry, had a terrible heart attack last fall that left him with severely impaired cognitive and motor skills. His doctors said that rehab would help him get better, but his insurance provider -- Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts -- refused to pay. I started a petition on Change.org and almost 200,000 people signed it. Now Blue Cross has agreed to pay for my dad's care." -Jason Warren

Craig -- a straight Republican Marine -- defends his gay brother's right to marry
"I served in Iraq to defend freedom and liberty, but the legislature in my home state of New Hampshire wanted to take away my brother Calvin's freedom to marry the person he loves just because he's gay. I started a petition asking New Hampshire's Republican legislature to do the conservative thing: stay out of people's private lives. More than 125,000 people signed my petition, and the legislature voted to uphold marriage equality. I hope one day I get to be the best man in Calvin's wedding." -Craig Stowell

Cancer survivor mom Jane convinces Mattel to manufacture bald Barbies
"I lost my hair when I went through chemo, and I know so many little girls go through the same thing -- it can be sad and scary. I started a petition asking Mattel to manufacture a bald Barbie so that little cancer warriors will see that they are beautiful princesses, too. Almost 35,000 people signed my petition, and now Mattel says it will make bald dolls and donate them to children's cancer wards around America." -Jane Bingham

Hope Mustakim uses petition to save her husband Naz from deportation
"With the outpouring of support from our community, numerous organizations, churches, Change.org, our incredible legal team, friends and family, and our loving God, my husband Nazry is back home in Waco. Thank you Change.org for believing in our cause and providing a way to gather the support that played a monumental part in winning Naz's freedom back. We are so grateful." -Hope Mustakim

Is there something you want to change in your community, or in the world? Click here to start your own petition on Change.org.

THE QUANTUM ROMNEY

What does all this bode for the general election? By this point it won’t surprise you to learn the answer is, “We don’t know.” Because according to the latest theories, the “Mitt Romney” who seems poised to be the Republican nominee is but one of countless Mitt Romneys, each occupying his own cosmos, each supporting a different platform, each being compared to a different beloved children’s toy but all of them equally real, all of them equally valid and all of them running for president at the same time, in their own alternative Romnealities, somewhere in the vast Romniverse.

And all of them losing to Barack Obama.

IMHO: The last time I pulled an April Fool's prank, in 2008, it did not go well at all. I resolved then to never do another prank.  So today what I'm going to do is instead share with you the beauty of the world as seen by Ivy Jo Cochran, some advertisements from the past from David Evans and some awesome pet posters from various contributors to Web Wanderings. Have a great day, everyone! 

IMHO: Lately, because it's an election year, I've been getting a lot of e-mails from various candidates for Congress and for President.  And each and every one of them ask for money.  Shame on them.  If they want me to vote as an informed citizen, give me information, not pleas for money I don't have. So today I responded to several political e-mails begging for money with the following response.  Please feel free to cut and paste it into your own e-mail responses to requests for money from politicians, delete what you don't want to use, change the name from mine to yours, and pass it on to whoever is asking YOU for money because I know they are.  Instead of money, let's give them the collective voices of America's Women!

Dear Candidate:

Instead of giving you money, I'm going to offer you something much, much more valuable: the Voices of America's Women!  

I think you will be surprised at how angry American women are becoming.  Those politicians smart enough to listen to these angry women's voices will learn a lot and also receive fair warning.  They're coming for you, these angry women. They are marching on every state capitol in the United States on April 28, 2012 and on Washington, D. C. in September.  This new wave of women activists are following in the footsteps of the thousands of courageous American women before them and have begun their own unique wave of the generations-long Women's Movement.

And these women are everywhere: on YouTube, on Facebook, on their own personal web pages, in jobs across the United States, in homes caring for their families, in Congress, in The White House. 

Women on Youtube.com:
Kay Weaver's One Fine Day (1984)
We are Warrior by Erin Nanasi  (February, 2012)
CALIFORNIA -- Unite Against the War on Women  (Mar 30, 2012)
Unite Against the War on Women -- "Calling all Moms"  ( Mar 26, 2012)
Unite Against the War on Women -- Protest 4.28.12!!! Mar 16, 2012
Unite Against the War on WOMEN -- 1000 words! Mar 12, 2012
 
Women on Facebook:
RockTheSlutVote
Baby-Boomers-and-Senior-Citizens-Against-Republicans-The-Tea-Party
thepridepac
lysistratasdaughters
DareToDemand
thinkprogress
[Facebook users; click "LIKE" on those you really like - let's make them go viral]
[to name just a very few]

Women on their personal Websites:
The Awareness Project
The Womankind Party
The Womankind Party Web Wanderings

And these women may or may not vote for you.  It depends on what they hear and see from you between now and Election Day in November. You would be wise to heed this warning.

Sincerely,
Leah L. Ward
Crescent City, CA

P.S. These constant requests for money are both annoying AND humiliating to me. I am a low-income senior who has very, very little money and can barely afford the necessities for myself and my hearing dog.  My ONLY monthly luxury is the bill I pay to i-page.com for my website, thewomankindparty.com. Therefore I do not often even open your ADS for money. I don't have it.  It would be nice if you would send out information just one time about President Obama or members of Congress and what is going on with them today politically and NOT ask for money.  You all are beginning to seem as greedy as the Republican's and Big Business. .

IMHO: I absolutely adore this picture! If it were ever made into a jigsaw puzzle, I would be working on it this very second to mount and hang on my living room wall.