Where are all the women?

I noticed something while watching the news this morning as the anchors ran through the catalogue of anti-American protests going on in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Sudan.

In all the reels of footage they were showing of the rioters, I didn't see a single female face amongst the crowds.

Mohammed Abu Zaid/AP Photo                           Egypt

AFP/Getty Images                                            Libya

Hassene Dridi/AP                                       Tunisia

AP Photo                                                     Yemen

Reuters                                                Sudan

There must be some women who share the anti-American sentiments on display. But they are noticeably absent or at least underrepresented in the mob violence.

This is very different from the pro-democracy protests of the Arab Spring that we saw last year where men and women, Christian and Muslim stood shoulder to shoulder in Tahrir Square. 

CNN

And, this very different from the crowds of counter-protesters that have been gathering in Libya.

Esam Al-Fetori/Reuters

Sociologically, this is interesting to me. Statistically, there are fewer female serial killers, fewer female suicide bombers, and historically, far fewer murderous female world leaders.

Personally, I'm far less likely to lend credibility to a mass movement until I see both sides of the human race represented.

I don't have the answers to the Middle East problem -- I don't know anyone who does -- but I know that when we find one, women will be in the mix.

Democrats for...democracy

So, this happened tonight at the second night of the Democratic National Committee's convention in Charlotte, NC.



To put it all into context, there was a lot of hullaballoo about the fact that the DNC's platform, voted on and passed on the first night of the convention, differed greatly from the 2008 platform in leaving out "God" in a section where God was previously acknowledged and on the matter of Israel's security -- one of the U.S.'s strongest allies.

The language that was voted on included a declaration that Jerusalem "is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths." Such language was in the 2008 platform, but the 2012 platform only made reference to a "commitment to Israel's security."

Also, it included a call for a government that "gives everyone willing to work hard the change to make the most of their God-given potential." 

As you can see, they did not have their ducks in line when they took that vote. The change required 2/3 approval by all delegates. Anthony Villaraigosa (mayor of Los Angeles and convention chair) looked almost as if he was trying to convey a *hint, hint, wink, wink* to the crowd as he repeated his call for the votes not once, but twice before making a wholly indefensible decision that the "ayes" had it.

Reports coming in from Twitter suggested either that the "nos" were in the majority or that the vote was too close to call. Some delegates are even questioning whether a quorum was present to make the vote official.

Had the party any integrity, Villaraigosa would have admitted that it was too close to call and requested a roll call vote. Because the party's platform is meant to be represent the guiding principles under which all party members will campaign. What goes into that platform matters most to grassroots political organizations. The delegates who represent party politics on the local level are bound to defend that platform to the people they engage, for better or worse.

The message the Democrats sent tonight was not just about their views or contentions on foreign policy or religion, though they are...interesting, I suspect, to many. In fact, I would say those revelations are subservient to a greater issue. 

No, the greater Voila! moment was the one where convention watchers across the country witnessed a political party's attitude toward the value of a vote.

Context...doesn't matter

Look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something—there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that.

Here's why the context of the "you didn't build that" comment doesn't help Pres. Obama.
If the "that" he was referring to was the business you've got -- a grammatically sound interpretation of the remark -- it shows, at best, economic ignorance and, at worst, hostility towards free market capitalism.

But let's give him the benefit of the doubt and concede that it was just a grammatical error; let's accept that he was referring to roads, infrastructure, the American system, etc. Under that interpretation, it shows that Pres. Obama believes that we the people don't own an investment in our own government. We didn't lay the asphalt, fire the steel, or teach the leaders of tomorrow (even though some of us actually DID do that), so we didn't build it. Government put it all in motion (except for those handful that actually DID those things); we just paid for it. 

When was the last time Pres. Obama, or any member of Congress, pulled out a wallet and said, "This school construction project? Yeah, that's on me," and then picked up a hardhat and went to work? The government doesn't do these things unless they can stick us with the bill. So, while maybe we didn't physically build it (except, again, for those people who had a direct hand in it), our financial contribution to it is reduced to nothing, and government gets all the credit.

Let's finally put all this equivocating aside. People have a right to be incensed with the president for saying, "you didn't build that," because no matter how you slice it, it's damned insulting.

The Daily Special 9.13.10

Greetings and glad tidings! I was told today that I looked beautiful which boosted my confidence and prompted me to make a mental note that daily showering and mascara are good investments. Such is the life of a law student -- my standards of beauty and socially acceptable hygiene are so low after two years that a swipe of lip gloss transforms me back to a mildly attractive human being.

• In that vein, check out this self-esteem booster. "Does this J.D. make my ass look fat?"

• The U.S. will ban mouthy teenagers, but drug mules are still OK.

• Space Aliens v. The Pope -- It's all fun and games until God starts smiting you.

• Democrats putting their midterm hopes in...Justin Bieber?

• SkyNet is coming.

Power Tripping

I don't trust our government to efficiently screw in a light bulb, so I certainly don't think it should have anything to do with policing the internet. But that's just what Congress wants to allow the president to do.

The President. One man. With the power to control our access to information and communication. Think it'll never happen?

S.773 drafted by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.

First and foremost, I want to know exactly what constitutes a "cybersecurity emergency." I can not think of a single doomsday scenario that would justify turning any region of the United States into Burma, even temporarily.

This is bad news.

The Daily Special 8.18.09

I spent the last five days romping around SoCal with ShinySpecialMama and ShinySpecialBabySister before Baby Sis starts her senior year of high school. My apologies for the lack of your Daily Special. I know all three of you were starving. Anywho, bottoms up.

• RIP Robert Novak.

• Billy Corgan continues to be douchey by doing a series of small venue shows at large venue prices. Who pays $30 for what is essentially a Pumpkins cover band? Bring back Iha and D'Arcy!

• Admission to the LA Arboretum is free today!

• Speaking of free, who wants to see the Cold War Kids with me this Friday?

• Because I love to hate it and so do you, here is the recently released trailer for New Moon.

The Daily Special 8.11.09

• Need more evidence that people are not even remotely conscientious consumers of media? FOX just picked up OctoMom's two-hour special.

• Clearly, Angela Merkel has "more to offer" than her competition. Hey, baby! Flaunt 'em if you got 'em.

• My So-Called Life is now on Hulu. Angela, Rayanne, and Ricky captured the bleeding hearts and tortured minds of early-to-mid 90s teens (including me) with their flannel, babydoll dresses, heavy eye liner, and bright red hair. This, of course, was back when Jared Leto was still amazingly hot and such a good leaner. The emo kids of today have nothing on the angst and apathy of the grunge era. It was so beautiful, it was painful. And yeah, we had a time.

• Sometimes, I wish my blog, like my life, had a clear focus and purpose. Like the girl in Julie & Julia who had a goal of doing a new recipe per day. Or even the dude who runs this blog. He scours the news every day to find the craziest screw-ups. Then again, I do have a lot of TV to watch and food to eat, so where's the time?

• Ever since a brief text conversation the other night with my friend, Adam, I've had this song stuck in my head. Enjoy!

The Daily Special 8.6.09

• Republican or Democrat, this is the kind of politics I can't support. If you lack the better argument, you use subtle deflection and reframe the issue. You don't incite fear and hatred.

• Wanna know what kind of music mood I'm in on any given day? Check out my Blip.fm page or follow me on Twitter.

• Because this blog is further evidence of why sterilization should be a condition of your probation.

• Yes, Johnny Depp is finally on Hulu with Season 1 of "21 Jump Street," but as my friend Allison graciously reminded me, you're not cool if you don't already have the first three seasons on DVD.

• I'm really excited about Bobby Long's show tonight and Marcus Foster's show tomorrow night. My chicas, Casey and Bri really hooked a bored and broke girl up. Enjoy the following Marcus Foster vid.

The Daily Special 8.5.09

• The news of Euna Lee and Laura Ling being released warms my cold, stone heart. Well done, Pres. Clinton, and welcome home!

• I'm really excited these boys are getting the recognition they deserve. I pretty much despise the Twilight fandom and everything that has surrounded this mediocre series, but I love Bobby Long, Marcus Foster, and Sam Bradley's music, so I go see them play any chance I get. In fact, I will be at Hotel Café tomorrow and Friday night for Bobby's and Marcus' shows (respectively).

• I was always a huge fan of Michael Crichton, and his passing was sad, indeed. His website, though, is still up and if you're a fan of his work, I'd suggest you check out some of his essays and speeches on topics ranging from genetics to dating.

• Head on over to Sexy People to see some of the most outrageously gorgeous portraits, ev-ahhh! I challenge you to find my favourite.

• This wild tirade is getting some attention from LAist. Personally, I love LA, and I don't think it can hold a candle to the meanness of Chicago. But people will get their panties in a wad over just about anything -- honking and tailgating, really? Someone gave you the finger? Horrors! What I find most humorous is the fact that his/her only base of comparison is what was surely a tourist experience in NYC. Hey, softy! Get over your break-up baggage and move your ass in that crosswalk, or I'm gonna start scowling in your general direction!

The Daily Special 8.4.09

• I was so excited about this last week and I'm still excited. Twenty-six episodes of She-Ra are now available on Hulu! Someone promised me a BattleCat, and I'm going to make them deliver.

• I don't know what everyone's so sad about, but the tally of Americans on anti-depression meds has shot up to nearly 27 million.

• People are up in arms about Pres. Obama being portrayed as The Joker, saying it's "mean-spirited," but no one fussed when Drew Friedman did it to Pres. Bush. Perhaps it's the exhaustion after the effort spent on that self-righteous indignation that's got people so down.

• In my personal opinion, former Pres. Bill Clinton has done more good out of office than he ever did in. So, I was happy to see that he's going to try to charm the North Korean government into releasing journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling. Godspeed, sir!

• I keep forgetting one or two at the end of this game.