Boobs on the Ground; US Military Veterans Respond – #HeforShe

Fox News, thank you so much for your inappropriate comments within days of the #HeforShe campaign launching. In case you’ve been out of the country, or living in hole, a couple of Fox News hosts mocked the first female fighter pilot from the UAE named Maj. Mariam Al Mansouri, who led the charge against ISIS terrorists in Syria. Let’s ignore the fact that she had to fight to become a pilot in a culture that doesn’t hold women in the highest regard; that it was her life long dream to serve in her country’s Armed Forces and that she’s fighting against the worst terrorist organization in history. Let’s forget all of that and just focus on the fact that she’s got boobs.

Greg Gutfeld, of the Fox show “The Five,” made a comment about how Maj. Mansouri couldn’t park the plane after she bombed them; and then his co-host Eric Bolling followed that up with, “Would that be considered boobs on the ground, or no?” And we wonder why people hate us? We wonder why we have lost the respect of the world and especially the Middle East.

First off, the two female co-hosts barely fought back against these ridiculous and sexist remarks made by two men against someone laying their life on the line for our safety. Sure, Bolling has gone on to apologize for his “joke.” The apology lasts less than 30 seconds. It’s pathetic. I can think of no other perfect response to this childish and inappropriate behavior than the open letter written to Fox News by members of the US military criticizing them for their lack of tact and stupidity.

In my book, this group of men and women who have put their lives on the line for this country said it so well. They are the perfect example of what #HeforShe is all about. The complete article can be found here and I’ve pasted the letter below from these men and women that comprise members of the ARMY, NAVY, Marine Corps, Air Force and National Guard. #HeforShe.

Dear Mr. Bolling and Mr. Gutfeld,

We are veterans of the United States armed forces, and we are writing to inform you that your remarks about United Arab Emirates Air Force Major Mariam Al Mansouri were unwarranted, offensive, and fundamentally opposed to what the military taught us to stand for.

First, foremost, and most obvious to everyone other than yourselves, your remarks were immensely inappropriate. Your co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle was so right to call attention to an inspiring story of a woman shattering glass ceilings in a society where doing so is immeasurably difficult. We never heard an answer to her question: why did you feel so compelled to “ruin her thing?”

As it turns out, women have been flying combat aircraft since before either of you were born. Over 1,000 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) flew during World War II. Seeing as U.S. Army Air Forces Commander “Hap” Arnold said “Now in 1944, it is on the record that women can fly as well as men,” we can probably guess he thought their parking was adequate. The WASP legacy reaches into the present day; on 9/11, then Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney scrambled her F-16. Completely unarmed, she was ready to lay down her own life to prevent further devastating attacks on American soil.

Thus the skill of women as fighter pilots is well established. And before you jump to the standby excuse that you were “just making a joke” or “having a laugh,” let the men amongst our number preemptively respond: You are not funny. You are not clever. And you are not excused. Perhaps the phrase “boys will be boys”—inevitably uttered wherever misogyny is present—is relevant. Men would never insult and demean a fellow servicemember; boys think saying the word ‘boobs’ is funny.

The less obvious implication of your remarks, however, is that by offending an ally and cheapening her contribution, you are actively hurting the mission. We need to send a clear message that anyone, male or female, who will stand up to ISIS and get the job done is worthy of our respect and gratitude.

We issue an apology on your behalf to Major Al Mansouri knowing that anything your producers force you to say will be contrived and insincere. Major, we’re sincerely sorry for the rudeness; clearly, these boys don’t take your service seriously, but we and the rest of the American public do.

Very Respectfully,

U.S. Army: Michael Breen, Richard Wheeler, Aryanna Hunter, Welton Chang, Michael Smith, Matt Runyon, Jon Gensler, Scott Holcomb, Terron Sims II, Josh Weinberg, Daniel Savage, Matt Pelak, LaRue Robinson, Anthony Woods, Dustin Cathcart, Kayla Williams, Dan Espinal, Jonathan Hopkins, Andy Moore, Kevin Johnson, Brett Hunt, Russell Galeti, Mick Crnkovich, Jonathan Freeman, Dan Hartnett, Dan Futrell, Matt Zeller, Jason Cain, Adam Tiffen, Sharmistha Mohpatra, Justin Graf, Lach Litwer.

U.S. Navy: Shawn VanDiver, Andrea Marr, Kristen Kavanaugh, Leo Cruz, Scott Cheney-Peters, Margot Beausey, Tony Johnson, Gail Harris, Alex Cornell du Houx.

U.S. Marine Corps: Geoff Orazem, Gordon Griffin, Timothy Kudo, Jonathan Murray, Richard Weir, Rob Miller, Sonia Fernandez, John Margolick, Katelyn Geary van Dam, Rob Bracknell, Andrew Borene, William Allen.

U.S. Air Force: Kelsey Campbell, Erik Brine, Chris Finan, Robert Mishev, Karen Courington.

U.S. National Guard: Kristen Rouse.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/us-veterans-send-fox-news-open-letter-about-boobs-on-the-ground-joke-2014-9#ixzz3EjWOVutX

HeforShe – A Game Changer on Gender Equality

I finally had the chance to watch Emma Watson’s stunning speech that she delivered on Monday, September 22, at the UN. Like Watson, I care deeply about women’s rights and I echo her sentiments in knowing how lucky we are that we were both born into societies where there is more support for women than others. However, she is dead on when she said that no country, NONE, zip, zero, can claim that they have gender equality. While most Western countries can claim that they are close, they still have a very long way to go.

What I love so much about this new campaign is that it doesn’t polarize the sexes; there’s room for both. She’s not just calling for the rights of women, she’s also advocating for the rights of men. In recent weeks there have been countless news stories regarding violence against women, this is a very real problem in every country in the world. Every nine seconds in America alone a woman is assaulted or beaten; 1 in 3 women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex or abused; 10 million children world wide have witnessed this abuse.

Dallas, TX, has more nonprofits (and restaurants) than any city in America. Just this year Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law announced a new center that would be devoted specifically to domestic violence, sex trafficking and other crimes against women. This new center will work directly with two of our city’s largest agencies dedicated to serving the needs of women – Genesis Women’s Shelter, which serves women and children fleeing domestic abuse and New Friends New Life, which serves women trying to leave the sex industry, sex trafficking and sex slavery.

The success of HeforShe will rely on multiple partners and both sexes working together to educate men and women on their rights. Watson quoted startling statics that the leading cause of death among men ages in 19 – 40 in Britain is suicide; not cancer or car accidents – suicide, because they are too afraid to get help for issues that are deemed “unmanly” by society such as mental illness.

According to Watson’s speech, if countries do not push for gender equality and things remain at today’s levels it will take 75 years for women to be paid as much as men for the same job; 15.6 million young girls will become child brides; and 2,086 African girls will not receive a secondary education. Those are just a few of the statistics.

I loved everything about this speech. Ladies, what happens to women all over the world and in your own country impacts you whether you know it or not. Men, you all have women in your life that you love and they in turn love you, stand up for them, stand up for you. #HeforShe

Judge Not, Yet Ye Be Judged

I’m behind on so many posts that I want to write – Ferguson, terrorism, etc. My actual day job is getting in the way of my life job, but I just got a little fired up so I figured I’d write about it. At this point you’ve probably figured out that I am a Christian. After almost 13 years of not attending church regularly, except for the 12 times I was a bridesmaid, I started going again after I turned 30. I thought it might help my singleness – desperate times, call for desperate measures- and while I may still be single it has provided me with a tremendous outlet for service to others.

I happen to be a United Methodist and if you don’t know much about Christian denominations I jokingly say we are like the Democrats of Christianity or there isn’t a social cause we haven’t championed. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m fully aware that as with anything there are hypocrites and people that turn Christianity and the big JC’s words around on other people in order for it to fit their own agenda. I always say, “Don’t confuse God with something mankind is doing. Once mankind gets involved we will figure out a way to fuck it up.” We’re human, we’re flawed.

So, this leads me to my post. I follow the United Methodist Women on social media and this group has been serving the needs of local and world communities for years. Today, they posted a link about a recent report they did in Nepal about helping needy children get the nutrients they need in order to thrive and survive. In that post they asked for others to share what they’re doing in their community to help improve maternal, child and reproductive health. Those last two words is what got me all fired up. Another woman on the site said the following: What is “reproductive health?” Seriously, it sounds like a Planned Parenthood catch phrase.

And yes my friends that’s what this nice Christian lady who is supposed to love and provide for everyone had to say about that. Good ole’ Planned Parenthood, you know the demon organization that provides other life saving healthcare services besides abortions to women who are in need. I’m proud to say that Dallas will open one of the first clinics that meets stringent new laws imposed by the state of Texas on abortion clinics. If you remember the epic Wendy Davis filibuster that’s what she was bustering about.

Thankfully I’ve never had to make the choice of whether or not to have an abortion; but I know plenty of women who have. Just because it isn’t something that I would do doesn’t give me the right to judge. I believe in a woman’s right to do what she wants with her body. If you don’t agree with abortion, don’t get one and leave everything else up to her and her God.

Jesus was the ultimate human rights activist – he died for freedom of speech – where once we were told an eye for an eye he said turn the other cheek, when the Pharisees were after him to try and trap him with his words and accuse him of blasphemy (a crime punishable by death back in the day, and in some 3rd world countries still today) asked what the greatest commandment was he said this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. That is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.”

So with that I’ll leave you with my post back to my lovely friend who apparently missed these passages.

Post from UMW: Read our maternal and child health story from Nepal: bit.ly/VOCXd0. Then share your own story! What are you doing to improve maternal, child and reproductive health in your community or around the world? Share your success stories and challenges right here on our Facebook page, and get inspired to take action!

Follower’s post: What is “reproductive health?” Seriously, it sounds like a Planned Parenthood catch phrase.

My response: Reproductive health is defined by WHO as the the entire reproductive system and the healthy maintenance of that system. It could be a Planned Parenthood catch phrase since they provide life saving services like mammograms and pap smears to women who do not have access to adequate health care. One of our human rights as outlined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights is the right to healthcare; something people in our own country and many countries around the world do not have. Women and children in developing nations are especially susceptible to reproductive health issues during and after child birth. As a United Methodist I am extremely proud of this church’s staunch support of basic human rights. You don’t have to agree with everything, and if you don’t like something don’t do it, but judge not least ye be judged on anything that does not pertain directly to you as a person.

 

Out of Africa

No I don’t mean the stupendously wonderful 1985 film starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford; I’m talking about three important stories that have come out of Africa in the past few days. While I am aware of the recent news out of Nigeria with the military being accused of war crimes I am not going to cover that in this post, I will cover that later however in a more encompassing look at war crimes.  I volunteer with a respite program for special needs kids and their siblings. At the end of the night when their parents return to pick them up we practice what we call the Oreo theory. What’s the Oreo theory? It’s simple, you start with something good, slide in something not so good and finish on something good.

So now our first good out of Uganda. In February, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed into law an anti-homosexuality act that went into effect in March. Members of the LGBT community in Uganda have long suffered from discrimination and the new act only made things worse, with many of them fleeing the country under threat of their life and loss of their income. Sadly, the message of homophobia is often preached from the pulpit and homosexuals are portrayed in an almost demon-like manner (clearly the love thy neighbor and do unto others message has been missed here). However, on Friday, August 1, Parliament overturned the law on a technicality stating that when the act was passed Parliament did not have the required quorum to make the vote legal. Now it remains to be seen whether or not the bill is reintroduced into Parliament for another vote but for the time being this is a small victory for the LGBT community in Uganda.

Now for the not so good. West Africa is experiencing one of the worst Ebola outbreaks in history with more than 1,600 people diagnosed and almost 900 deaths. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 90% of patients that contract Ebola die. Ebola first appeared in 1976 and since that time outbreaks, of varying intensity, have occurred from time to time. While the outbreaks are typically reported as a quick blurb on the evening news something has changed in recent weeks. Why is that? First, one of the leading doctors fighting the disease, Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, contracted the disease and died. Second, two Americans, Dr. Kent Brantly and a missionary named Nancy Writebol were infected with the disease. Both Americans have been flown to the United States for treatment and an experimental drug has seen some very promising results. So why am I calling this something not so good? It’s simple, I predict that by the end of 2015 if not sooner there will be a vaccine for Ebola, or this experimental drug will be readily available to West Africans and the world. All it took was two, white, Americans to contract the disease to save thousands of others. If you don’t think that race plays a part in the decisions of major corporations you would be badly mistaken.

And for our last good. For months the world was riveted by the plight of Sudanese Doctor and Christian Meriam Ibrahim who was sentenced to death- for the straight out of Genesis archaic law of apostasy – which means to renounce your religion. Meriam gave birth to her daughter shackled to the floor awaiting her execution. I signed every petition that Amnesty International sent my way with every email address I have. It’s against international law to execute a pregnant woman or a woman who is nursing. The UN Declaration of Human Rights also protects a person’s right to practice the religion of their choosing. Meriam is marred to a Sudanese-American and they now have two children. After intense international pressure she was released from prison only to be rearrested by the Agents of Fear when she and her family were trying to leave Sudan. After intense negotiations between the Italian and Sudanese governments Meriam and her family were finally allowed to leave – stopping in Rome to meet Pope Francis – before finally arriving last week in Manchester, NH. Despite the fact that her case was a serious misstep in US foreign policy – everyone knew the danger she was in and she should have been taken immediately to the US embassy and sent to America – this story has a happy ending. Not only are Meriam and her family free but her story goes to show that ordinary people all over the wolrd signing petitions and taking action really can make a difference even if it is for one person.

The Talmud (or the ending of Schindler’s List) says it best: And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.

I Am Woman Hear Me Tweet, Post, Like…You Get the Drift

On Monday Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, announced that women should not be allowed to laugh in public or discuss unnecessary things on their cell phones like recipes. I don’t even know where to start on this one because it’s so absurd and frightening all at the same time.

In response, Turkish women have taken to social media posting pictures of themselves laughing and smiling in public. It brings to mind one of my favorite Facebook pages that I’ve been following since  earlier this summer called My Stealthy Freedom. My Stealthy Freedom is a Facebook page dedicated to Iranian women posting photos of themselves without their mandatory hijab. I find this page fascinating and I try and like each and every post because what they’re doing is so incredibly brave. Women in Iran face jail time and fines if they’re caught in public with their head uncovered. These women simply want the hijab to be a choice like it was before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

If you haven’t seen this page go and check it out. There’s of course the usual crazy postings about how the women will be killed or by uncovering their heads it will lead to rape, but for the most part the tremendous amount of support they receive is overwhelming. What’s happening in Turkey now is another example of how women all over the world are using social media to fight for their rights.

I know how incredibly blessed I am that I live in the United States and as a woman I am free to speak my mind, get an education, dress the way I want and the list goes on. Things aren’t perfect here either when it comes to women’s rights but at least we can fight for those rights without fear of persecution or death.

As women we should work to uplift and support each other instead of tearing each other down. Dr. Rick Halperin who I have the pleasure and honor of studying with always tells us that the biggest problem in human rights today is men. The first time I heard him say this I was a bit shocked but I understood what he meant. He doesn’t hate men, I don’t hate men – he simply means that the majority of the wars, rape, laws etc in the world are controlled by men. So ladies that means it’s up to us to change that and these brave women in Turkey and Iran are a great start.