While surfing channels I chanced accross "Family Feud" asking what were the most common (poll of 100 people) answers to the question "What can a woman do as well as a man ?" Unfortunately none of the answers offered were the ones I'd consider obvious : "Think" , "work", and "run for President".
Answers offered all related to relatively undesirable behaviors , such as "swearing" , "drinking". This is really a sad commentary. So I had to write something. And I live in California , where for decades both of our Senators have been women, and the one now retiring will be replaced by either of two women candidates. A California woman was Speaker of the House for 4 years and remained a Congressperson, undoubtedly will be re-elected. (Update note : and in 2018, she became Speaker of the House for the second time.) So I began with the notion of women as Senators and Congressmen. The first four lines go somewhat to the tune of "Blowin'In The Wind", the verse starting "Senators, Congressmen, please head the call", then sing the last couplet however makes sense to you.
I am adding this to my site the day before a most HERstoric election. I actually wrote it at least a month ago.
April 2021 : I see I need to update this a bit.
What can a woman do as well as a man ?(somewhat to tune of "Blowin' in the Wind")by Pam Green , © 11/07/2016
Be a Senator, Congressman, President too |
I think within a few months we will have seen proof that one of the correct answers is "Be President", ie POTUS.
I hope in another 48 hours I will be singing (to tune of "The Ballad of Mary Hamilton") as follows :
Word is to the kitchen gone, and word is to the hall,
That Hillary Rodham finally smashed that highest Glass Ceiling of all
She has of course smashed the next highest ceiling by getting nominated by a major political party.
(Other women, starting with Victoria Woodhull, have run, but not as nominee of a major party. Others, notably Shirley Chisholm, have tried for nomination of a major party. )
Well , alas, I seem to have been wrong about the election outcome. There are no words to exprress my horror.
Bad enough that Hillary, most qualified candidate ever, who would have brought 3 decades of concern for women's issues to the office, shockingly did not get elected, winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral College. That's bad. That hurt and will hurt for a long time.
But far far worse is that our nation will suffer 4 years of the least qualified POTUS ever, one of the most bigoted ever, one who has run 4 businesses into bankrupcy and waltzed away with a ton of money while the other investors and workers got stiffed.
Worst of all is the likely harm from truely deplorable appointments to the Supreme Court. That damage could last for decades.
I will write elsewhere about why issues of contraception and abortion matter so very much , are crucial to women's access to higher education, good jobs and promotability, as well as freedom to marry or not, freedom from third class citizenship.
And I will write elsewhere about how those who wish to preserve access to contraception and abortion for themsselves and/or for others could protests. And what they should do if they find themselves living in an Anti-Choice state (which many already do).
Perhaps that first line should be changed to "Vice President too", as we now have Veep Kamala Harris.
So right now California , for first time in many decades, has one Senator who is male, replacing Senator Harris as she became Veep. Our other Senator is still the formidable Dianne Feinstein.
Nancy Pelosi is still Speaker of the House.
So for the first time ever, but long overdue, the two standing behind the President when he addressed Congress were both women, very formidable women.
| SITE INDEX | BOUVIER | RESCUE | DOG CARE |
| PUPPY REARING | TRAINING | PROBLEMS | WORKING DOGS |
| BOOKS | VERSE | IMAGES | MISCELLANEOUS |
| site author Pam Green | copyright 2003 |
| created 11/07/2016 | revised 12/08/2016, 5/12/2021 |
| return to top of page | return to Site Index |