Should All Women Care?

By Dolores M. Klein

Was the War on Women just dimwitted blustering? During the national media conversation lately, that assessment made some sense. But now, it’s being called “drop dead shocking” that Pope Benedict has attacked nuns, the most chaste women in America.

I’d think a nun would be a conservative’s “dream girl!” They take a vow of poverty and celibacy. They pray for the forgotten, nurse the sick and educate our children. When the Vatican announced it was starting a Study on Women, objectors asked instead for a study on Sexism.

Now, here comes the Pope’s Doctoral Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. He attacks them for being too amenable to “radical feminist themes,” incompatible with Church teaching, including women’s ordination. This group that represents 80 percent of the 57,000 nuns in America, are well-educated and know how to analyze history and ideas. Their intuitive and holistic view of Power differs from the Hierarchy’s view of Power. Their Associate Memberships do not take vows, but publicly witness to an overly consumeristic and overly sexualized society which objectifies women for profit.

In the 19th century, nuns who opened schools and hospitals instead of just being cloistered, faced reprimands. Remember Sister Theresa Kane’s confronting Pope John Paul II in 1979, pleading that women be included in all ministries of the Church? He was visibly annoyed at the time. Later he did look into expanding roles for women. Later on also, he forthrightly opposed the death penalty. Sister Helen Prejean of “Dead Man Walking” has had a great influence on the Moratoriums on the Death Penalty.

Should this Pope’s marking his 7th Anniversary by showing that he is “fed up” with America’s nuns, be of serious interest to the rest of us? If even the good sisters are under attack, what can us flawed women do in the paternalistic political climate? I’ve seen it suggested by some devout activist women that they will fill the collection baskets with their old lipsticks!

Nerf Wars

by Martha Willi, Peoria, IL

Modern Day Warfare just isn’t any fun anymore!! You go to a hot climate and slog through burning sand or steaming jungles carrying a heavy backpack and a heavy weapon. You might get blown up or shot or burned with some of the most destructive weapons available. The toll on the soldiers left traumatized, brain-damaged and maimed is immense. The toll on civilian populations caught in the warfare is immeasurable. There has to be a better way.

Since the desire for warfare seems to be deeply rooted in the human race I would like to propose some improvements to the way we wage wars. I think that the exclusive use of a new material for war, would help bring back the excitement without the danger. It may take some time to get the entire world to see the advantages of this new weapons system, which would resemble nerf toy material.

Sword and saber fighting with weapons made of nerf can be fun. Remember childhood battles? Nerf spears can be awesome. Long range combat would utilize missiles of the same material. Imagine the thrill of being hit by nearly weightless balls shooting in from all directions. Bombs of the same material could be dropped from hot air balloons and dirigibles as well as airplanes. Imagine large colorful spheres floating downward in slow motion!

I would like to see the military industrial complex turn their inventiveness to develop an innovative light spongy material to be used for weapons and missiles. It would be a challenge to formulate it so that it would edible, biodegradable and fertilize the soil. In the best case scenario it also should be manufactured from non-food crops.

Think of the money that could be diverted from medical care and long term rehabilitation, from body armor, from the transportation of heavy weapons. Think of the expense saved in clearing debris, decontamination and rebuilding ruined cities and farms. The amount is staggering.

A lot of this extra money could be used for flags, pennants, and really colorful uniforms with braid and stars. The troops could have different uniforms for various purposes—Formal dress uniforms for parades, comfortable leisure wear, traditional camouflage for actual battles, and of course post-combat party uniforms. And there must be post-combat parties. The losing side would have to provide the food and drink!  How to determine who won and who lost? Perhaps one could count piles of nerf, or coat the nerf with an easily identifiable dye and count hits.

Let’s not stop at new uniforms and parties——let’s have more parades and marching bands, the really cool stuff.  There would still be money left over for college tuition, home loans and job training for the returning veterans.

Why not try it?

Homemakers Bill of Rights

by Marie Micheletti, Tremont,  IL

Thanks to Dolores Klein for reminding us without the feminists’ hard work, our daughters and granddaughters wouldn’t have many of the opportunities that they have today. From being able to pursue careers in areas they never could have before, there are opportunities in medicine, law, even business; but also as a stay-at-home homemaker with at least some compensation for their hard word.

As a homemaker and mother, I’m sure that Anne Romney HAS “done a day’s work” by staying home to raise her sons.

However, it isn’t the feminists who are denouncing her, after all it was the national Organization for Women that instigated the Homemakers Bill of Rights.

We need to be vigilant in remembering our past and not allow the Rush Limbaughs and Pat Buchanans to re-write our history.

Really, Is Obama a Socialist?

Ed Klein, Peoria, Il

Franklin D. Roosevelt was accused of being a socialist when he came up with his New Deal back in the ‘30s. Those whose memories go back to the depression, or who worry about the Obama administration looking back 80 years to FDR’s answer to the depression, probably have some ideas about what socialism is. But if they think Roosevelt’s and Obama’s programs to help put people back to work is socialism, they had better look up the meaning of the word, and discover what socialism is and what it isn’t.

One thing it is is what the European radical left is all about. True socialism is more than the government creating programs to help the country get back on its feet. It’s more than universal medical coverage, more than the government bailing out the auto industry, the banking industry or Wall Street. So what is this ominous program the Obama administration is being accused of foisting off on us?

Socialism, in the true sense of the word, is government taking over central economic planning. And the way the government can best do that is to take over ownership of business and industry, including medical, financial, manufacturing trade and virtually every other function of government.

So, let’s stop being ridiculous calamity howlers and imputing sinister motives to Obama’s efforts to help America get back on its feet again. He knows what a lot of Republicans either don’t know, or have forgotten: business alone will not solve our problems.

Interesting News Tidbits … found by the CW editor

A fine for swearing? The town of Middleborough, MA passed a local law to assess a $20 fine for swearing. Will they opt for a swearing task force to enforce?

Elsewhere, Florida is being accused of purging “ineligible” voters from their rolls. Just in time for election too. Perhaps this could be the 2012 hanging “chad” issue!

According to the Journal of the AMA, female doctors are paid less than their male counterparts. Over their career lifetime, female doctors will make $350,000 less than male doctors. How’s that for fair and equitable?

Up for discussion in Illinois is the concept of a graduated tax rather than the current flat tax. It’s supposed to add billions in revenue. One wonders how seriously they might be considering it!