“Informed” Chauvinism

We all have our place:

But there�s a larger issue here. I cringe every time I hear the we-must-appoint-a-woman mantra or the-fairer-sex-will-save-the-day schtick, but it�s not just blind chauvinism. Call it informed chauvinism. You see, the governing principle here is that finding a traditional woman in the political arena is a little like finding a NOW member in a full-length burka.
Think about it: generally speaking, where do you find good, conservative, traditional women? The answer is in the home, not the House. Traditional women are usually devoted to traditional endeavors, such as raising their children and tending to hearth and home. And when they are forced by necessity into the workaday world, they�re usually doing merely what is required to put three squares on the table. They�re not seeking to exalt themselves through careerism.

I’m glad to see we’ve all caught up with the 21st century here.

Playgrounds Off-Limits

Wonderful:

It’s an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn’t have children.
The Rivington Playground on Manhattan’s East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.
Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn’t see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

Perhaps I’m not sensitive enough about these issues since I don’t have kids, but the whole notion of banning childless adults from entering a playground seems over the top to me.

Confirm Them

Alas. It does make it a little harder to push for the confirmation of a nominee who you can’t endorse.
UPDATE: Many people have been generally befuddled on their comments regarding Miers, due to her lack of a “paper trail”–i.e., she hasn’t written any articles entitled “I’m Pro Choice,” or “I Oppose the Right to Abortion.” So they are forced to speculate. This is the extent to which they are now reaching.

WGOP On Miers

This pretty well summarizes what I heard today:

Wingnuttia is rather angry at the choice. I don’t think this is because they’re really concerned that she’s not conservative enough for their tastes, although that’s part of it. They’re angry because this was supposed to be their nomination. This is was their moment. They didn’t just want a stealth victory, they wanted parades and fireworks. They wanted Bush to find the wingnuttiest wingnut on the planet, fully clothed and accessorized in all the latest wingnut fashions, not just to give them their desired Court rulings, but also to publicly validate their influence and power. They didn’t just want substantive results, what they wanted even more were symbolic ones. They wanted Bush to extend a giant middle finger to everyone to the left of John Ashcroft. They wanted to watch Democrats howl and scream and then ultimately lose a nasty confirmation battle. They wanted this to be their “WE RUN THE COUNTRY AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT” moment.

Oddly, the talk radio crowd seems more concerned about the in-your-face factor of the selection than the nominee’s actual philosophy. “What’s best for America” seems to be the last of their concerns.

SCOTUS Nomination

Old habits die hard. I guess it should be no surprise that points one and two of my previous post apply to this nomination of Harriet Miers.
Ms. Miers having no previous experience as a judge should not necessarily disqualify her from being on the Court, though perhaps this should. Regardless, this pick certainly fits the mold of the cronyism storyline the media has finally been developing.