Quote Of Note - Barbara Ehrenreich

“ What is this fixation on growth anyway? As a general rule of biological survival, any creature or entity that depends on perpetual growth is well worth avoiding, lest you be eaten alive. As Bill McKibben argues in his book Deep Economy, the "cult of growth" has led to global warming, ghastly levels of pollution, and diminishing resources. Tumors grow, at least until they kill their hosts; economies ought to be sustainable.” Barbara Ehrenreich

"Hillary Clinton broke through the glass floor and got down with the boys"

From Hillary’s Gift to Women by Barbara Ehrenreich:

But did we really need another lesson in the female capacity for ruthless aggression? Any illusions I had about the innate moral superiority of women ended four years ago with Abu Ghraib. Recall that three out of the five prison guards prosecuted for the torture and sexual humiliation of prisoners were women. The prison was directed by a woman, Gen. Janis Karpinski, and the top U.S. intelligence officer in Iraq, who also was responsible for reviewing the status of detainees before their release, was Major Gen. Barbara Fast. Not to mention that the U.S. official ultimately responsible for managing the occupation of Iraq at the time was Condoleezza Rice.

Hillary Clinton smashed the myth of innate female moral superiority in the worst possible way – by demonstrating female moral inferiority. We didn’t really need her racial innuendos and free-floating bellicosity to establish that women aren’t wimps. As a generation of young feminists realizes, the values once thought to be uniquely and genetically female – such as compassion and an aversion to violence – can be found in either sex, and sometimes it’s a man who best upholds them.

Read the rest here.

If Only Atheists Were Running For President, I'd Have Nothing To Write About

I suppose I’d have to write about something other than Obama/Wright. At least I’d probably have somebody I’d want to vote for.

My atheist candidates are imaginary of course. An African-American and a woman stand a better chance of being elected president than an atheist does. So much for the separation of church and state. However, if the three current major candidates were atheists, none of them would have to worry about their respective “preachergate.” Here’s the rundown so far: Obama/Wright, McCain/Hagee, McCain/Parsley, and Clinton/Coe. For Hillary Clinton, that’s Doug Coe. I’m not sure if he could strictly be called a preacher, but he has a “pastorate.”

Here is Barbara Ehrenreich on Hillary’s Nasty Pastorate:

There’s a reason why Hillary Clinton has remained relatively silent during the flap over intemperate remarks by Barack Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. When it comes to unsavory religious affiliations, she’s a lot more vulnerable than Obama.

You can find all about it in a widely under-read article in the September 2007 issue of Mother Jones, in which Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet reported that “through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the “Fellowship,” aka The Family. But it won’t be a secret much longer. Jeff Sharlet’s shocking exposé, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power will be published in May.

Read the rest at Barbara’s Blog.

The Bush Stimulus Package

Now, be honest, when you hear the phrase “The Bush Stimulus Package” what is the first thing that pops into your head? Does it involve sex? If you are me it does. Also if you are Barbara Ehrenreich:

With all the talk about how to stimulate it, you'd think that the economy is a giant clitoris.

I greatly admire Barbara Ehrenreich and her article Desperately Seeking Stimulus in The Nation (web only) is a worthwhile read.