Sheriff: Girls Robbed of $150 at Lemonade Stand
They were raising money for one of the girls’ cousins who is getting medical treatment. Ugh. I hate people.
Daily Archives: 11 April 2011
Nixing the Niqab
France Bans Face-Covering Islamic Veil
The law went into effect today. Several women defied the law and wore their niqabs in front of Notre Dame cathedral. Good for them. I’m not too keen on governments telling people what they can and can’t wear.
But the security risk! There are ways around it, like having a female officer check out who’s under the veil in a separate area.
But they’re not assimilating! Assimilating into what? Religion? A lot of French people are Catholic. Are they supposed to convert? Society? Do all French women have to be the same? People use the terms melting pot. I prefer salad bowl. We can all contribute to the whole without breaking down the individual ingredients.
But it’s extreme! There are different flavors of Islam. There are women who choose to wear the veil. Just because a woman is wearing one doesn’t mean she’s going to go all suicide bomber on you.
I’ll be the first to admit I was taken aback when I first saw one. When I was poolside in Bahrain and feeling rather naked in my bikini, there were many women wearing the niqab. Bahrain is (or maybe was at this point) the KSA weekend getaway. They were sitting by the pool umbrella-less watching their kids in the midday sun. In 105 F heat. I felt bad for them thinking, “Jesus, how have you not spontaneously combusted in this heat?” Maybe they’re used to it. It’s not my place to say anything.
Of course, since it is France, it’s their rules. As an observer, it will be interesting how this will play out.
Beseeching Obama’s Base
Dear Fellow Democrats and Liberals, Progressives, and the occasional Leftist who votes for our team,
I was perusing the diaries on Daily Kos earlier this evening. I read so much disappointment, frustration, and some hate for Obama. Some are threatening to not even vote for him. Of course, my head started to spin.
I know that a lot of you are extremely disappointed in him. I love him, but there are things he has done that I don’t agree with as well. Extending tax cuts for the wealthy pissed me off. I do see where he was coming from because by “compromising,” he was able to get the tax cuts to the middle class. Mainly, I am disappointed because in his attempt to please everyone, he ended up pleasing no one.
Some of you have much stronger feelings against Obama – that he’s moving way too close to the center. You believe he has conceded too much. Compromised too much. Maybe he has, but will that really drive you to not vote? Or vote for some 3rd party candidate who has a Slurpee’s chance in hell? If you are considering it, please imagine the alternative. Do you want someone who will continue the erosion of women’s reproductive rights? Someone who will always have the corporations’ best interest at heart? Someone who has no problem jumping into a war with the next country who looks at us wrong?
I heard someone say in the summer before the midterms, it’s better to vote for the friend who disappoints you, than let the enemy back in. I think about that a lot, and I hope you keep it in mind over the next year and a half. He’s going to do more to disappoint us, I’m sure, but there’s something we have to remember. Bottom line, he is a politician. He’s going to do what he has to do to get re-elected. I’m going to vote the politician who shares my ideals and views. It’s easier to get through to “ours” than “theirs.”
I’m not asking you to campaign. I am asking that you vote for Obama. Even if you will be gritting your teeth while doing so and having a stiff drink afterward. I really don’t want a President Huckabee. Do you?
Love,
Spinny (a.k.a. an Obama “apologist” on Daily Kos)
xoxoxo
Spin the Globe
