California NOW

Roman Polanski

Yeah, I know.  The news is full of Polanski, and the asshats who just can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact that he isn't being persecuted for his art, he's being arrested for RAPING A CHILD and fleeing the jurisdiction before sentencing.  The timing of Monday's article on the Lolita narrative was completely coincidental, but magnificent.  I actually had no idea this was going on at the time I wrote that.

Kate Harding has an excellent article on Salon about this, probably one of the most linked and read to date.  She's also talked about it on Jezebel.com.  You should go read those articles.  But let me reiterate Kate's point, and the point of the California legal system:  Roman Polanski pled guilty to CHILD RAPE. That's what "sex" with a child is, rape. 

Unfortunately, the majority of Hollywood stars are not scoring any points with right thinking beings, by leaping to his defense.  "It was a long time ago, he's been punished enough." 

As I said in my personal journal, I don't think being "exiled" to Europe, while continuing to work, travelling freely and continuing to fuck teenaged girls (Nastassia Kinski was 15 during their "affair") constitutes "punished enough" in any way, state, form or whatever.  It's not like he was living in a tin shack in Siberia and surviving on lichen and moss or something.  For the love of the Gods, people.

Film Industry's Polanski Defenders Disappoint

I am so very disappointed in most of Hollywood and the international film industry right now, because far too many people seem to feel some need to defend a child rapist just because he also happens to make good movies.

Whoopi Goldberg, Whoopi-freakin'-Goldberg, the same woman who said this about Kayne West taking away Taylor Swift's VMA mic time:

"It was kind of a bullying moment, you do not do that to kids. Sometimes you can get away with doing stuff, you come out and you take your chances with another adult, but with a kid you do not do that. With a kid they are going let you do your thing."

Had this to say about Polanski's case:

"I know it wasn't rape-rape. It was something else but I don't believe it was rape-rape."

Well, Jesus, Whoopi, I'm so glad that you're clear on that, so let's take everyone who ever drugged and raped (orally, vaginally, and anally, just for the record) an underage kid (who was repeatedly saying no) and let them out of jail to walk the streets, because, you know, it's not really rape-rape.

Unfortunately, Whoopi has a hell of a lot of company. Here's a (no doubt incomplete) list of film industry people who have signed a petition in support of Polanski:

Those Man-Eating Children...

  So, in response to my last post on how I find some of Amanda Palmer's songs problematic, I had someone reply on my personal blog:  "I think "Missed Me" is *supposed* to be a really creepy, unpleasant song about fucked things girls/women do."

But how often does this REALLY happen?  I mean, I remember being a fairly sexually precocious teenaged girl, and hanging out with other sexually precocious teenaged girls.  Yeah, we all slept with older guys, and we all went through some amazingly byzantine maneuvers to keep those relationships secret from anyone who might rat us out. 

Seriously, I want you to sit down and really think about you and your friends as teenagers.  Now, how many girls that you knew personally, that you could verify through conversation with her and not just through idle gossip and character assassination, set out to seduce and destroy adult men?  I couldn't think of any.   

Monday's Action Checklist

Governor Schwarzenegger has until October 11th to sign or veto the bills that the legislature has sent to him. Take action NOW to tell him to sign the over twenty CA NOW priority bills on his desk!

The vote on a public health insurance option in the Senate Finance Committee could be tomorrow. Even though your Senators do not sit on the Committee, they still need to hear from you! Can you make another call to your Senators and tell them where you stand on a public health insurance option? Click here to call.  

When 60 percent of individual health insurance plans don’t cover maternity care, and when women can be denied health insurance coverage because they've had a Caesarean section, why do some of our elected leaders believe that they can pick on the mothers of America? Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) showed us how out-of-touch some of our elected leaders can be during a Senate committee debate on health care reform legislation, by saying that maternity coverage in health care plans was unnecessary because he didn't need it! Send your baby pictures to Senator Kyl and show him that maternity care is important for all boys and girls.  

Without a doubt, the women's rights movement benefits immensely from the unprecedented power of an open and accessible Internet. But, can we rely on the big companies that bring us the Internet to preserve its open nature? The simple truth is: No, we can't. Write to your Congress members today, and urge them to support the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 3458). This bill will make "Net Neutrality" -- one of the guiding principles behind the open Internet -- the law of the land. Take action NOW!  

For the past 13 years, the immoral and absurdly named "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) has denied same-sex partners 1,100 federal protections and responsibilities that otherwise apply to married couples. DOMA even says that if you get legally married in Vermont, other states, like California, wouldn't have to recognize it. On September 15th, the Respect for Marriage Act was introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Keith Elison, and 89 other original congressional co-sponsors. This critical bill would repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. All of it. Every single hateful line. Add your name to the petition asking Congress to pass this bill and repeal DOMA! 

Legislative Update: Bills Signed

Here is the status of the CA NOW bills currently on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk for signature or veto.

AB 23 (Jones) Cal-COBRA: Premium Assistance
CA NOW Position: APPROVE
Signed

AB 247 (Emmerson Child Abuse Reporting Availability of Information
CA NOW Position: WATCH
Signed

AB 258 (Ma) Domestic Violence Restraining or Protective Orders
CA NOW Position :WATCH
Signed

ACR 29 (Jones) Health Disparities
CA NOW Position: APPROVE
Signed

SB 786 (Yee) Civil Procedures: Attorney’s fees & costs
CA NOW Position: WATCH
Signed

Governor Schwarzenegger has until October 11th to sign or veto the bills that have been sent to him by the legislature. We have over twenty priority bills on the Governor's desk- please take action today to ask the Governor to sign them! If you have time, call and fax the Governor (Phone: 916-445-2841 Fax: 916-558-3160), but if you only have a few moments, go here to take action NOW!