About Bush's record on women... where do I begin? How about in August 2002, when John Ashcroft named two women from the "Independent Women's Forum" (IWF) to the National Advisory Committee On Violence Against Women. Well for starters, the IWF twice opposed the Violence Against Women Act, and continues to lobby against its enforcement. It also vehemently opposes affirmative action, Title IX, which provides for equal educational opportunity, Take Our Daugters To Work Day, and Women In Combat. Bush appointed Nancy Pfotenhauer, president and CEO of "IWF", to be a delegate to the UN commission on the status of women. Ironic, no? The activities of the IWF include debunking "feminist myths", and it says reports of rape, wage discrimination, domestic violence and gender bias in schools are either "flat out wrong" or "wildly exaggerated" (Chris Black, Chicago Tribune).

Not convinced? How about his appointment of Dr. Hager, to the Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee? Many women I'm sure will be comforted to know that Hager coauthored a book that prescribes "scripture and prayers" as a cure for PMS. He also opposes contraceptives to unmarried women and voted to prohibit emergency contraception for women sold over the counter, because it would be used by "individuals who did not want to take responsibilty for their actions and wanted a medication to relieve those consequences". On the CDC webiste, a fact sheet on condoms mysteriously disappeard. Based on a large pool of scientific study, it encouraged condom use since they are 98-100% effective in preventing pregnancy and STDs. 18 months later, a new fact sheet emerged stating abstinence is the surest way to avoid STDs. The CDC also removed a study that showed no increase in sex activity among teenagers taught about condoms.

The womens bureau of the Dept. of Labor used to post 25 fact sheets on topics including "Women's Earnings as a Percentage of Men's", "Domestic Violence: A Workplace Issue", "Women in Management", "Care around the clock: Developing child care resources", etc. Now they've been replaced by such relevant articles as "Hot Jobs for the 21st century", and "20 Leading Occupations for Women". A recent report by the National Council for Research On Women notes that a required study by the Justice Dept on discrimination in the
insurance industry against domestic violence victims has also mysteriously vanished. Furthermore, a congresionally mandated report on how employers should handle such abused women has been held up by the Justice Dept for more than 2 years. The Dept. of Education archived its guidelines on sexual harassment without explanation. When information on women's issues isn't disappearing without a trace or explanation, women's committees are also being disbanded. e.g. The President's Interagency Council On Women and The White House Office of Women's Initiatives and Outreach are no more. An attempt was even made to disband the Pentagon's Advisory Committee On Women in the Services. Instead, its agenda was softened.

Still not convinced on Bush and his administration's attempts to undermine women's rights? Read the National Women's Law Center report called 'Slip Sliding Aaway', on the erosion of women's rights under the Bush adminsitration. It shows how the Dept of Labor has refused to use tools at its disposal to identify violations of equal pay laws. It has also repealed regulations to allow paid family leave to be provided through state unemployment compensation funds, which would deprive millions of women of the right to overtime pay. The Justice Dept weakend the enforcement of laws against job discrimination and
abandoned pending sex discrimination cases.

At least 300,000 children will be knocked off child care assistance, under the president's new budget. Which also freezes funding for Head Start and cuts funding for after school programs. Factor in cuts to housing subsidies, to prenatal and early childhood nutrition programs, to college grants, to career education, to domestic violence programs, and lower federal grants that result in cuts to public shools, and you've touched upon most issues that affect women and their families. Particularly low to moderate income Americans. Laura Bush went on the Today show reassuring (nervous) women that she doesn't think her husband would ever do anything that would overturn Roe v Wade. Because if there's one gender that this decision, which has always been an issue presided over by men, would affect, that would be WOMEN. Three days later, Bush imposes a global gag rule on groups abroad that receive US funding for family planning. Which stipulate there may no longer be so much as a mention of abortion, even when medically necessary.

He used his wife Laura to kick off the campaign for America's libraries (because she was a teacher, as I understand). One week later, Bush cuts funding for the Library Services and Techonolgy Act, the Reading is Fundamental program and the National Commision On Libraries and Information Science. He used Laura to put a friendly face on policy for the war in Afghanistan, where she spoke out about the Taliban's legendary oppression of women. The hyped "Afghan Women and Children's Relief Act", signed by Bush, turned out to be a paper tiger. He had attached no dollar figures to the act, and only a tiny amount of money was ever committed.

Let's face it. Not that much of the 'ordinary' American public is aware of just how the Bush administration is going about its official affairs, on a day to day or week to week basis. Especially not if they are deliberately hiding, masking or falsifying documented evidence of their actions. Theirs has been called one of the most secretive admininstrations to come along since the KGB. But some information has leaked out and ALL of these little snippets can be corroborated by credible sources. I have and I urge you to do the same IF you have any doubts whatsoever. Especially if you're a woman, since men don't seem to care much about "YOUR issues". That goes double for Republican men, and triple for the classic fat, white Roveian Republican man.

Furthermore, this only scratches the surface about the Bush adminstration's approach to women (by no coincidence, it differs not much from the Christian Right's attitudes toward women, since the Christian Right is one of his biggest supporters). But when you look further back to get a clearer picture, a grave and solemn pattern about how Bush is running his adminstration emerges from this. Showing tthat the two-faced weasel has a four year running history of presenting support for some "good cause" or other, such as a literacy program in an economically deprived state, then two weeks later, long after the photo-op cameras have been shut off, cutting the legs out from under the program in a heartless brush of the pen, whilst behind closed doors.

And how much of THAT kind of stuff was reported to you in the mainstream media these last four years, so that you could have a distinct idea of just what kind of adminstration you were voting for in the last election? In the absence of the truth, what you had was "Bush's word" that "W. Is For Women!", that he's a "good guy" and has everyone's best interests at heart. He dangles the "tax cut" carrot, Americans bite. Americans, the truth is out there. But it ain't gonna find you. And I'm sorry but it doesn't hang around much at the Fox news headquarters either, so don't even bother looking there to find it.

It's always nice to be appreciated.

"18 months later, a new fact sheet emerged stating abstinence is the surest way to avoid STDs."

It (abstinence) works, without failure, 100% of the time, whenever it is used.

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"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
Winston Churchill

Try sitting on a toilet seat in the Texaco in Georgeville, Arkansas, and tell me that again.

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"Violence isn't always evil. What's evil is the infatuation with violence."
Jim Morrison

contortions to avoid touching a nasty toilet seat....

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Palin/McCain - '08

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"Traffic is alot lighter on the EXTRA mile."

When you say Us women also voted for Bush, do you mean U.S. women, or are you implying that
you are a woman that voted for the dumb weasel, and after reading my little exposé of his
record, you're still defending this evil cretin? Please tell me you're not a woman, that
would make you scary-stoopid.

You tell me that most women are 'smart enough' to have security as their first priority,
and thats why they voted for Bush. Have you any idea of the stupidity of what you just
said? Apparently not. Read the first thread I started, 'Are 51% of Americans really THAT
stupid'. In there, I explain with SUPPORTED FACTS, how America is in an unsafe position
BECAUSE of Mr. Bush Jr., and is less safe since 911 than it was before. Thats in part, because
its a proven fact that he KNEW about the threat of Bin Laden, and did NOTHING. Couldnt see
any money in it for him or his buds, apparently.

As for you telling me Bush will never send women into back alleys to have abortions, he already
DID, brainstein. Are you blind or just too dumb to have read through the message?
I mentioned how he is sending women into back alley abortions throuhgh his imposition of the global
gag rule. And that law is a FACT, idiot. Your inane response of 'outlandish lies the left has to say'
and 'leftist distortions' doesn't prove otherwise. All you have to offer in response to the
facts are VIGOROUS DENIALS about what terrible liars Bush' opponents are. With no argument supporting
your position, you prove yourself to be nothing but an empty vessel of Republican prejudice
and hatred for sane reasoning. You have nothing to say here BUT 'stupid remarks', that you accuse
me of. There are FACTS and then there are OPINIONS, and all you have to keep you warm is
OPINIONS. And while the body count mounts in Iraq and the illegal war of aggression your
precious Bush initiated comes round to America in the form of terrorism, keep telling yourself
how safe you are under Bush. You are a shining example of what I was saying here about the
WILLFUL IGNORANCE of Americans. If stupidity and ignorance are the only things that will keep
you asleep at night, more power to ya.



QUOTE:
Laura Bush went on the Today show reassuring (nervous) women that she doesn't think her husband
would ever do anything that would overturn Roe v Wade. Because if there's one gender that this
decision, which has always been an issue presided over by men, would affect, that would be
WOMEN. Three days later, Bush imposes a global gag rule on groups abroad that receive US
funding for family planning. Which stipulate there may no longer be so much as a mention of
abortion, even when medically necessary.

for moral, ethical, or spiritual reasons are stupid?

Feel free to clarify your position.

Because, I'm a woman, and I would support sane, medically sound limits on abortion. I'm not at all religious. And, I've actually been through an unplanned pregnancy.

So, tell me...why must I, as a woman, support unrestricted use of abortion as a form of birth control?

I'm quite curious.

Catz

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Palin/McCain - '08

I'm not implying *anything*. I wrote exactly WHY your GOP sweetheart is a brain-dead
spoon-fed IMBECILE. Does anybody know how to read here? Haven't seen much evidence of
it in your responses. In the very first paragraph, I called GOPer 'scary stoopid' for
defending BUSH on behalf of women, given all the (uncontested) FACTS I wrote about his
4 year record, which amounts to nothing less than a war on women's rights. What part of
that didn't you understand??

In the 2nd paragraph, when I called GOPer stupid again, that was on the issue of defending
BUSH' record on homeland security. As I clearly explained. So what part of THAT didn't you
understand??

In the 3rd paragarph, when I called GOPer 'brainstein' (a reference to her glaring level of
stupidity), I explained, again VERY CLEARLY, why. When I called her an 'idiot', it was for
the same reasons, namely her vigorous denial that BUSH had any plans to repeal Roe v Wade,
when he imposed a global gag rule re: funding of int'l abortion clinics, on the condition
they do not even mention the word 'abortion'. Sending women into back alleys to have abortions
once again. Which, in case I have to hold your hand and point even HARDER at the message here,
contradicts what GOPer assured me (and all women in America) about how I'm a fuddy duddy for
concerning myself about her daddy BUSH sending women into back alleys, as was the rule of
day in the past. Although that idiot called me a LIAR, I believe, not a fuddy duddy.

Once again I ask: what part of THAT didn't you understand?? If you have trouble understanding
a simple post such as mine, without having to misinterpret, distort and read all sorts of silly
things into it because like GOPer, you're too slow to get it, a political forum is probably
not where you should be hanging out. Have you tried the home decoration and gardening forums
for a hobby?
That's not even a question to be asking. BUt if it were, the answer would be: because
it is none of your G-D BUSINESS what OTHER women choose to do with their own bodies.
Including their decision to go through birth or not. Since you're not willing to take care
of all the little rugrats that would otherwise have been aborted, you can shut up right
there. None of those fat sweaty white GOP pigs in Congress that would impose such laws
against women's rights are willing to take care of the excess unwanted births either. But they sure have a lot of backward opinions they want to impose on the women who are most vulnerable in your (backward) society.

Its not complicated: The government has NO BUSINESS regulating morality; including what
people should or
shouldn't do with their bodies. If it has no business imposing religious laws on people,
and I believe this is ingrained in your constitution, it has no business imposing ANY
morality on people. Particularly when the government of BUSH is so (*)(*)(*)(*)ed corrupt and
amoral to begin with. Never understood why on the one hand, you conservative freaks scream
about how government is too big (because that's what you were told to scream), but then turn
around want government to impose moral rules on all of society.

Canadians rape women more per capita and more total rape victims than the US:
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_rap_cap
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_rap_vic

Men certainly earn more than women in Canada
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_mal_to_fem_ear

So I suppose as far as the raping and the descision making goes, women over here have it slightly better off than there.

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lambaste me not