At Ms. Musing, Christina notes that Ms.' "No Comment" is now available online. If you've read Ms., you're familiar with this feature. You've enjoyed it. By being available online, you can (hint, hint) e-mail it to friends.
Christine also notes one of my favorites (who I've sadly never met), Susan Faludi:
Susan Faludi spoke at Radcliffe this week as part of the 2004–2005 Voices of Public Intellectuals Lecture Series: Feminisms Then and Now. Her talk dealt with the post 9/11 anti-feminist reaction and the reinforcement of gender roles as reflected in advertising and other media. How are things now? Harvard News' Ken Gewertz writes:
Despite feminism's victories over the past three decades, in certain ways women are worse off now than they were 30 years ago, Faludi said. While 1974 was "a bleak scene for women," with female representation in leadership positions and in the professions far below what it is today, there was still a sense that "women were busting out" and questioning social institutions in a way that is no longer much in evidence.
In the same entry, Christine notes that Barbara Ehrenreich will be speaking at Radcliffe on May 10th.
Josh e-mails Katrina vanden Heuvel's latest Editor's Cut:
"Now that we're there, we're there and we can't get out," Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean told an audience of nearly 1,000 at the Minneapolis Convention Center on April 20th. "The president has created an enormous security problem for the US where none existed before. But I hope the president is incredibly successful with his policy now that he's there."
I agree with Dean--a political figure I admire-- that the war in Iraq has put the US in greater danger. But the question facing us today is who will speak for the millions of Americans who believe that continued occupation increases the danger? Who will speak for the millions who believe that the US has gotten bogged down in Iraq? Who will speak out against the (majority of the) Democratic Party's silent consent to the Bush Administration's Iraq war policies? Who will speak out about the wrenching human and economic costs of occupation? Who will speak out in support of a clear and honorable exit strategy? Who will make a clear, unequivocal declaration that the US will not maintain permanent military bases in Iraq?
[Actually not her latest. I'm seeing a new one up that must have gone up after Josh visited. We'll highlight that this weekend. Note, Katrina vanden Heuvel then quotes Tom Hayden's open letter to Howard Dean. We'll quote that tomorrow. I'm holding off due to fair use. ]
Trina e-mails to note that over at Iddybud, Jude's highlighting Jim Wallis' recent article from Sojourners:
It is now clear there are some who will fight this religious war by any means necessary. So we will fight, but not the way they do. We must never lie or misrepresent the facts or the truth. We must not demonize or vilify those who are our opponents. We must claim that those who disagree with our judgments are still real people of faith. We must not fight the way they do, but fight we must. A great deal is at stake in this battle for the heart and soul of faith in America and for the nation's future itself. We will not allow faith to be put into the service of one political agenda. This is a call for the rest of the churches to wake up. This is a call for people of faith everywhere to stand up and let their faith be heard. This is not a call to be just concerned, or just a little worried, or even just alarmed. This is a call for clear speech and courageous action. This is a call to take back our faith, and in the words of the prophet Micah, "to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God."
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