Yes, it's been a long, long time since I posted - quite a sin in the blogosphere, I know. I got back from the bike trip and went on another trip and then was dealing with real life and actually making some money instead of spending it - but that's not the whole truth.
See, the real reason I stopped blogging is because I was being a bit of a poor loser. I poured all of my heart and hopes into Hillary's campaign and felt, as one of those mythical young Hillary supporters, that my voice just might be important this time. When she conceded in Washington and the media continued to berate her, blame her for every little thing, and go on endlessly about the PUMA's, I decided that I had been wrong - if her voice didn't matter, then my young one on an unknown blog certainly wouldn't matter because, it seemed to me, women's voices simply don't matter this election season.
Now, I see how depressing and defeatist that is. Our voices matter very much. Women make up more than half of eligible voters this season and many are undecided. There are some Hillary loyalists out there, I know, that have pledged to vote McCain or write in for Hillary or simply sit at home. That won't do any of us any good - McCain is about as anti-woman as they come and has even called his wife a cunt in front of reporters - a sure sign that he doesn't think what he thinks about women matters all that much, because they don't matter all that much to him.
When he chose Sarah Palin as his Vice President this morning, I knew I had to step back in the fray, even if only my parents and friends read this blog and even if it makes no difference at all - because I realized the only way we lose is if we stop fighting, go underground, and disappear. We, and yes this is me speaking for all feminist young women, are certainly smarter than to fall for the ploy of an anti-woman woman in the VP spot in place of two progressive, pro-choice men. We're going to win this one for Obama and then we're going to set to work making sure there are so many women in the pipeline for political office that there can never again be the claim that the talent pool is too small for one to be president. And this feminist young woman is holding out for Hillary in 2016 - she'll have had eight more years in the Senate to fight for me as a New Yorker and then she'll do the same good work for the whole country.
So, thank you Sarah Palin and John McCain for nudging me back into blogging. The next 67 days will be interesting, to say the least!
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I've admired your work and shared your film with my teen daughters. Please take a look at what I've written below--I wonder if you have any way of getting this to Hillary:
Open letter to Hillary Clinton:
>
> Dear Senator Clinton,
> The people of America need you to lead us! Find as large a national
> stage as possible and ask Gov. Palin to explain to the American people,
> and especially our young people, her position on comprehensive sex
> education in the public schools. How quickly will the governor respond?
> Ask the same question every day, a la Cindy Sheehan who kept asking Bush
> to please tell her what "noble cause" her son died in Iraq for. Bush
> never answered--I wonder if Sarah Palin will? If she does, she'll have
> to explain to the American people her opposition to teaching about any
> birth control method other than abstinence, and her opposition to
> "sexually explicit" sex ed.
> Senator, if you do this--the vast majority of Americans will rally
> around you with tremendous appreciation! Most of us believe, even if we
> are morally opposed to sex outside of marriage or to birth control, that
> our young people need good, solid information in order to make informed
> choices in today's America. Sarah Palin, according to her record, is
> very much not in sinc with the vast majority of Americans. Can she
> explain her position to us? Could you please ask her?
> Gratefully,
> Barbara Young
>
>P.S.--How does one teach sex education without being sexually explicit? How
> about: "Don't put your you-know-what in her you-know-what because you
> could get you-know-what, if you get my meaning."
> ____________________________________________________________
Please keep blogging. Please keep posting. Your voice is important, even if you think there aren't others outside of your familiar sphere that listen to you.
Thank you for standing up for yourself, your peers, your fellow students, and the youth of our country.
And we'll meet some fine people on the march.
Good luck and best wishes.
Ben.