Salvage

Would that I could remember my ALA membership password.

whynotshesaid:

ladyatheist:

Over the past five years, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation funds have enabled Planned Parenthood health centers to provide nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams and referrals for more than 6,400 mammograms. These cancer detection and prevention programs saved the lives of women who often had nowhere else to turn for care.

Now, after facing criticism from anti-choice, anti-women’s health groups, the Komen Foundation has decided to stop supporting women seeking care at Planned Parenthood health centers. We are determined to make sure that these women can continue to get the care they need — and, as always, that means we are counting on you.

If you can spare the money, please donate. If you can’t, spread the word!

I donated earlier this month, and I’ll be donating again after this. If you can, consider doing the same.

(My most recent donation went to the National Network of Abortion Funds.  They actually called to thank me that day!)

This makes me want to cry. Komen, you are a cash cow—-who fucking cares if woman-hating conservatives criticize you? 

Or fine, go back to selling your toxic perfumes.

I have yet to read this. I still have Feminism: From Margin to Center on my shelf, waiting. But as I emphasize over and over to everyone, she’s damned important in the study of women’s studies, African-American studies, and the general breaking down of societal hierarchies.

Funny, I was just looking at pepper spray products online yesterday. My roommate keeps telling me stories about someone she knows getting followed and attacked, so I thought I’d better think harder about protecting myself. I, too, was annoyed by all the pink on the site. It’s condescending as fuck. It’s a big commercial jeer at us for feeling like we have to buy products that *might* make us safer. They probably won’t, though, because you could be attacked anywhere, anytime, and won’t always be lucky enough to have the spray in your hand at the right moment. 

whynotshesaid:

feministhistorian:

[tw: rape culture]

theforthrightfeminist:

This is what my pepper spray looks like. For the record, I didn’t buy it for myself, my parents got it for me. As I was walking out of Wal Mart tonight, without it, it donned on me on how fucked up it is. Not only the fact that I need the weapon itself, but it’s color.

It’s like, we’re trying to make rape culture cutesy. Same goes for pink tazers. Pink handguns. We’re trying to make these weapons adorable in order to distract ourselves from the reason we carry them: to prevent ourselves from attackers. 

Not only that, but the pink is geared toward women (or people who identify as women). There isn’t any blue, masculine mace. Why? Because men aren’t the ones who carry it around. How fucking terrible is that? “Here you go, you cute little girls, here’s a pink weapon to protect yourself from potential rapists and/or murderers.” It’s furthering the idea that rape and violence towards women is acceptable. It’s saying because our ways of protecting ourselves are cute and stylish, we’re harmless. Weapons should never make a fashion statement.

I’m planning to get some mace for when I run at night but I’ll be skipping the cutesy-poo pink mace and heading straight for the local weapons/ammo store. 

Bah, I NEVER masturbated to CotCB. Ick. That’s what the rest of the series is for.

lazybookreviews:

You know you want to.

After I posted the previous entry, I remembered something someone who worked on the Hill mentioned about jerky constituents who call and yell at them. A tip: don’t yell at the staffers who answer the phone. It’s their job to record your position if you’re a constituent, but that’s all they can do. You are one of many, many people calling, and you can imagine what it’s like to take calls from asshole after asshole, albeit idealistic, crusading assholes.