We the People: An American Plea

America is a greedy country. Americans are greedy people. The People - though at the hub of America and its function both as a democracy and a capitalist nation - are not people but rather individuals in the fight for survival of the fittest, consistently stampeding each other to get to the top and control the greatest portion of the economy. The majority of Americans get left behind. Both those who are left behind and those who make it to the top - BOTH - refuse to acknowledge their own humanities and look out for each other. No one wants to pay the additional taxes to provide universal health care or welfare expansion. And no one wants to redistribute the wealth within our nation so that no one person or group of people monopolize capitalism or are exploited by such a system. Though most Americans will admit to our dire problem of poverty and even agree with economic reform and social programming to alleviate poverty, the same Americans are unwilling to initiate the changes necessary to do so; the same Americans would prefer to elminate poverty on a national scale while maintaining their own individual wealth and assets. America, as a whole, dreams of being a nation devoid of poverty with a continued emphasis on liberal individualism, thriving on the rags to riches Lifetime movie.


America is greedy. Americans are greedy. It is unAmerican to want to pay more in taxes to support the nation as a whole. It is unAmerican to want to pay more in taxes to support the People, by the People, for the People. We the People need to abandon our selfishness and embrace our one commonality - HUMANITY - and take care of each other for the sake of taking care of each other. If We the People become We the People, the People's America will become the America the world envisions.

She's a Politician - Treat Her Like One!

Sarah Palin is a politician. No matter how many times American society throws around the idea of her being a playmate or a MILF, a soccer mom, or Jane the Plummer, at the end of the day, she is a politician and an American leader.

So why do we care about her resignation so much?

BECAUSE SHE'S A WOMAN!

Women are severely marginalized in terms of political representation and participation. We saw this demonstrated during Hillary Clinton's run for office, during Sarah Palin's VP nomination and subsequent run with John McCain, and perhaps most importantly, we see it every day when we tune in to the news. Click to CSPAN: How many women do you see on the screen? Are they speaking? How so? How are they receieved? How do the men interact with them? What is she wearing?

WHAT IS SHE WEARING?!

She's a politician for christ's sake - who cares what she's wearing?! If she's running my country or even attempting to do so, I wanna know what the hell is coming out of her mouth, not what it falls onto when she dribbles!

America's obsession with women's inability to be political leaders and furthermore, the perpetual sexualization of women and masculinization of women in power allows the intense focus on the lady politician's wardrobe - paying particular attention to her itty bitty skirt and perky tits, complimenting the sex in the office fantasy quite nicely - to dominate any and all discussions of women leaders. Not only do these notions dominate the discussion, they control our view of her politics, her leadership, and the way in which she makes herself known.

Sarah Palin is a dumbass, doesn't matter how you spin it. Obviously, she was smart enough to make it to political office. But I will remind you that Alaska is tiny. I will also remind you of who served as president for the last 8 years of our existence. With that said, even dumbasses can make it to office. It's the people who get them there. And after all, our country isn't perfect! ;) So why is it that the American public cannot view Sarah Palin A) as a dumbass and B) her resignation as the American dream come true? And more specifically, why can't I, as a feminist, criticize this ridiculous woman, her career, and every word that comes out of her mouth, and celebrate her resignation and the eventual return of the United States to a just society with a greater socialist philosophy?

BECAUSE SHE'S A WOMAN!

Bullshit! Sarah Palin is a woman. But she is also a politician. It is amazing that she made it, as a woman, as far as she did in her political career and her national leadership. I applaud such efforts and acknowledge the difficulties she overcame in her career path. I acknowledge the society within which she was nominated as VP and see it as a tremendous victory for women's leadership. This does not, under any circumstances, mean that I cannot look beyond what is between her legs, binding and lifting her breasts, and swishing as she steps up to the podium and actually listen to what comes out of her mouth! In fact, it means that I have the ability to view Sarah Palin as a politician as opposed to a lady politician, to see her as a politician as opposed to a woman, to see her as a leader of this country as opposed to a sex object.

Sarah Palin's political leadership, political career, and resignation should be viewed ENTIRELY in terms of just that. And no matter my gender or ideologies, I should be able to form judgement of Sarah Palin solely by what comes out of her mouth and the action she has made. THAT is progressive. THAT is gender tolerance. THAT is feminist. To do anything otherwise, to pity her resignation on the basis of her gender, to view her only for her struggle to overcome oppression, to focus on her identity rather than her work is SEXIST.

She's a politican. Treat her like one!

*~My Vagina Monologue~*

the lotus grows from root in the dark mud of a wetland up through the water towards the light and blooms to beautiful flower on the surface dancing in the sun, the bright of new day, new phase - a symbol of triumph over hardship for the feminine - the vagina, its sexuality, and person having lived through hardship - stigma, hatred, violence, slander, shame, reconstruction, deconstruction, modification, concealment, abandonment - hair, folds upon folds, smell of wet earth, deepest blood - an enchanted environment unexplored, unexplained, unexcited - lives, loves - bes. uncensored. unscripted. with every color, shape, and movement of the earth.
(design modified from Sappho's place at the table in Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party" - tattoos done by Mark Schwalm-Bell http://www.myspace.com/mbell300)