21 July, 2008
· Filed under general government fuckery, general healthcare fuckery, immigration, prison system, sexism · Tagged 287G program, breastfeeding, ICE, immigration, inmate mistreatment, Juana Villegas, Karla Weikal, Nashville, pregnancy
via New York Times
A undocumented, pregnant Mexican woman was detained after a traffic stop in a Nashville suburb. She had been pulled over for “reckless driving,” and rather than issue a ticket upon discovering she did not have a license, the officer arrested her. Within the next 6 days, she would be forced to give birth while her foot was cuffed to the bed as a sheriff stood guard, be refused the right to see her newborn son during the two days she had to stay at the hospital, be refused the right to see or speak to her husband, and then was not allowed to take a breast pump back to jail with her. The result? Her son quickly developed jaundice, and her breasts quickly became swollen with milk and infected.
Mrs. {Juana) Villegas’s arrest has focused new attention on a cooperation agreement signed in April 2007 between federal immigration authorities and Davidson County, which shares a consolidated government with Nashville, that gave immigration enforcement powers to county officers. It is one of 57 agreements, known formally as 287G, that the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has signed in the last two years with county and local police departments across the country under a rapidly expanding program. [...]
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14 July, 2008
· Filed under discrimination, exploitation, general assholery, prison system, sexism · Tagged Brooklyn, false arrest, Monica Gonzalez, NYPD, prostitution, Sean Spencer
Monica Gonzalez was arrested in Brooklyn last November on charges of prostitution. The evidence? She was walking alone at night, and allegedly had a condom in her possession (a fact she refutes). The arresting officer also claimed she had been arrested for prostitution before (Her record is spotless, though the arresting officer, Sean Spencer, has been sued in the past for false arrest).
In reality? Gonzalez had an asthma attack earlier in the day, her medication wasn’t working, and so she decided to walk four blocks to the emergency room later that night, get some help, and be back in time to send the kids off to school in the morning.
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7 July, 2008
· Filed under body politics, cultural appropriation, discrimination, elections, general assholery, general government fuckery, obama, sexism · Tagged abortion, mental health, obama, Relevant Magazine, si se puede
Obama’s on a fucking roll with all these conservative about-faces, now, isn’t he? It’s like he’ll do anything to kiss Conservative America’s ass. I never thought he was particularly liberal, and I’ve always been annoyed at how he promoted himself as the next great civil rights leader (original he is not). But when it came down to it, I voted for him over Hillary because I simply could not abide by her racist tactics. That’s not a president I want.
Then again, neither is Obama.
If casting my ballot for him hurt my soul in February, it’s going to feel like there’s a damn gun to my head come November. Why are we always forced to choose between Asshole and Bigger Asshole during presidential elections?
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4 July, 2008
· Filed under holidays · Tagged 4th of July, fireworks, patriotism, Sleater-Kinney, stickittothemoneosis
I’m kind of a cynic when it comes to any type of “patriotic” holiday, and I hate bandwagon patriotism. You will never, for instance, catch me buying flag stamps at the post office (unless that’s all they’ve got, at which point i will stick them on the envelope upside down).
But I will admit a very soft spot for purdy light shows. I was originally going to brave the crowds and make my way down to NYC for the Macy’s thing, but after working all day, I just can’t bring myself to deal with the hassle of trains, subways, and lots of standing just for a 30 minute display, so I will soon be heading out to one of the many other fireworks shows in my suburban hell.
And since my idea of patriotism involves sticking it to The Man, I would also like to share with you one of the best damn patriotic songs ever.
Sleater-Kinney – Combat Rock
Have a good one!
3 July, 2008
· Filed under cultural insensitivity, racial politics, racism, rape, sexism · Tagged Don Juan, double standards in the media, Good Morning America, Kelsey Peterson, Latino machismo, Mary Kay Letourneau, pedophilia, People magazine, racist stereotypes
via Jezebel
Kelsey Peterson, a 6th grade math teacher, pleaded guilty in federal court this week to a slew of charges, not the least of which was seducing her twelve year old student (she was 25 at the time). When she got caught, she kidnapped the kid (or as the media puts it, ran away with him) and fled to Mexico, where she was later apprehended.
Her attorney’s defense in court? “I resent the term ‘child.’ You’re baby-fying this kid. This kid is a Latino machismo teenager.”
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2 July, 2008
· Filed under body politics, general healthcare fuckery · Tagged cosmetogynecology, G-spot injections, Kegel exercises, labiaplasty, Lauri Romanzi, pelvic fitness, plastic surgery, shitty things marketed to women, vaginal reconstruction
via New York Times
I don’t believe I’ve yet stated my position on the cosmetogynecology being marketed to women these days (hymen reconstruction, labiaplasties, G-spot injections, etc.). Long story short: it’s a fucked up, multi-billion dollar male-dominated industry that preys on women’s insecurities and keeps furthering the goal posts to that ever-elusive standard of female perfection.
But just when you think it couldn’t get any lower (no pun intended), the NY Times is reporting (in it’s Fashion & Style section, no less) a new pelvic fitness spa for women. As in, “Get in shape from the inside out!” I’m swear I’m not making this shit up.
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