Wow, I get the first comment. That never happens. NOW has never been about women. I am not quite sure what their point is. I think this is a great reason why the rest of America should tell them to shut the hell up. And thanks for pointing out the latest heartwarming story from the Religion of Peace.

NOW reminds me of various religions -- in the business of perpetuating NOW to a great extent.

Years ago my sister was the President of the L.A. chapter of NOW. She's not even a member any more and doesn't talk about it much. I went on their website recently after reading about them protesting something, and it seems to me they just are a bunch of pissed off people.

Tell us more about her... Not identifying details, but what her ideas are like

They so often seem to protest the silly or inconsequential, and are so easily duped by the phony stats of advocacy researchers (as opposed to those who are actually seeking to find the truth). Of course, they're usually desperate to see their beliefs confirmed rather than to know what the reality is, especially if the confirmation of their beliefs suggests men are evil and behind a vast conspiracy to keep anybody with a vagina down.

(And FYI, some of us with vaginas enjoy being held down on occasion. In other words, no sometimes means "try harder." Just not when you're saying no to the junkie in the alley. As I've said before, if I have to have the feminist version of "egalitarian sex," I'd really rather play checkers.)

My thought on NOW, and a number of other politically-motivated organizations and individuals is the following: in order to look like they're DOING something for the sheep they're trying to manipulate into following them they pick easy targets.

Want to seem for "womyn's" rights? Gripe about offensive ads, but stay silent about genital mutilation and other barbaric practices/laws.

Want to seem hard on crime? Promote harsh sentences for any drug offense, including non-violent users or lump all sexual offenses into the same catagory - which in some states require the offenders to have marked plates and live under bridges because there's no where else they can live...after they've served their sentence, of course.

Want to see like you're getting schools under control? Forget teaching ethics and promoting discipline in the schools. Let's have zero-tolerance policies that get kids expelled for bring aspirin/motrin or a butter knife to school.

Wow, it's amazing how easily irritated I get when I've been up working and handling a 5-week old. Heh.

The real problem with various grassroots lobbies groups right now is that they don't have a cause anymore.

All the groups we know right now (NOW, Amnesty International, NAACP, etc) were born in the '50-'60. At that time, these groups were mostly staffed by idealists working "Pro Bono" for their cause. When their organization got weight, they started hiring outside help for managing their operations. Of course, those pros asked to be paid for their services.

This is where the worm get itself into the apple; you need a bankroll to pay for their salaries. Unpaid staffers can't go far without specialized knowledge. In our current days, when most of the combats have been fought and won, soliciting donations to maintain this payroll is more difficult. So they invent outrage after outrage out of nothing to give the impression that they work on something.

Of course, NOW can launch an attack against Saudi-Arabia but it's against their interests. Not only the fate of others don't sell well close to home but it will also goes against the Sacro-Saint multiculturalism everyone loves these days. No-one loves to be called intolerant, not even NOW.

> no sometimes means "try harder."

Mysteries of women, #781.

Sorry!

Isn't it just perfect that the supposed feminist organization stays silent about Saudi misogyofascism. Just one more reason why women are abandoning liberals for patriots. What we need to do is stand up to Saudi misogyofascists, and liberate the women of that country. Clinton naturally was too busy harassing his interns to care about the poor women of that godforsaken country.

Do you really think George Bush has been a great president?

And we should be a bit more like the French about the sex lives of presidents. Newt Gingrich certainly was -- as he was having an affair with a congressional aide while he was vilifying Clinton for l'affaire Lewinsky. Politicians are sleazebags. As sleazebags go, I think Newt is one of the smartest, and I would probably vote for him if he ran for president (although my boyfriend threatens to divorce me every time I say that).

"misogyofascism"
tofu soup stock, horror manga fascism?

Makes me hungry for a gyro from Olga's (sorry, Detroit reference, but they're really good).

Interestingly, the Clinton administration essentially finished off NOW as a national organization. Their refusal to take a stand against Clinton for sexual harassment exposed them as leftists and not feminists.

And their continued refusal to speak out about Islam cements their status as primarily leftists.

I just did the same search and I can't find anything about them condemning either this or the teddy bear incident. Which is why I'm making the comments I am on my own blog.

My name is Jessica Brown. I'm the President of the Nevada chapter of NOW, and I was doing a Google search and came across this blog. I am appalled at the lack of research Ms. Alkon has done, and, as a result, the ridiculous conclusions she has reached. Does she really think that NOW members weren't horrified of the news of the gang rape in Saudi Arabia? Of course we were. And we spoke out against it.

Ms. Alkon, a simple search of the site does not constitute research. NOW has been speaking out against Muslim (Christian, etc.) fundamentalism for years.

Don't start bashing until you have the full story, folks. And the next time the Republicans puts up Christian fundamentalists as nominees to the Supreme Court, you can depend on NOW for being the only organization to send grassroots lobbyists (regular folks, not professionals), to fight hard against it. We are working our asses off.

Jessica, how would you suggest I find what NOW stands for if not for a simple search of the NOW site? Does one need a degree in library science? Is there a trove of hidden microfiche I didn't get the decoder ring for?