Yourish.com

Cutting straight to the point

Ilyka is on FIRE.

Posted on March 20th, 2006 at 8:42 pm by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: Feminism

Holy crap, just go to the main page and scroll down.

Meantime, from her latest:

I trust no woman who tells me I must expect less but do more. I trust no woman who tells me I have too much, it’s unfair, give it back. I trust no woman who bases her ostensible feminism on the premise of, “What about men?” I trust no woman who says “I’m a feminist” but does nothing but attack it. (For that matter, I trust no one whose actions seldom match his or her words. It’s a useful general principle in my life.) I cede no authority over my decisions, my health, my sanity, my lifestyle, or my inherent rights to any woman who presumes to tell me how much is enough for me.

Blog against the Strawfeminist week

Posted on March 20th, 2006 at 1:17 pm by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: Feminism

Because both Ilyka and I are masochists, she has created Blog Against the Strawfeminist Week, and I intend to promote the crap out of it.

First, go here: Click on all the intro screens at least once, because they’re effing hilarious as well as informative. (Just click on the bottom line of each screen.)

When you’re done, or if you’re one of those freaks that likes to read the last page of a mystery novel before you read the book, you can start here.

What is a Strawfeminist? Well, Rush Limbaugh calls her a feminazi (a word I loathe). Sean Hannity calls her a radical feminist. Jeff Goldstein says she’s an identity politician. Most conservative bloggers call her a cap-F feminist. Conservative female bloggers insist they are not, have never been, and will never be feminists — even while they enjoy the fruits of feminism’s struggles, and take for granted the rights that were handed to them by their older sisters and mothers. In fact, when you point out to conservative anti-feminists that they wouldn’t be lawyers or doctors or the professionals they are without feminism, they tend to change the subject rather abruptly. Or simply not reply.

None of these descriptions resemble feminists or feminism. Conservatives take the fringe and use them to tar all feminists with the same brush. They go on and on about how the fringe is not the fringe, because it’s leading NOW or some other women’s organization. They say that feminists never protested radical Islam’s treatment of women, when a simple look at feminist websites would have found dozens of articles against the Taliban, against the treatment of Muslim women, against the treatment of women in Bosnia, in Darfur, in Afghanistan, in Iran, in Iraq, in Saudi Arabia — but it’s a lot more fun to build a Strawfeminist and say she has never protested the Muslim world’s mistreatment of women, because then you can bash feminists with your Strawfeminist argument. Never let the facts get in the way a good rant, eh?

So, fellow feminists: Feel free to join us in our Blog Against the Strawfeminist Week. Great idea, Ilyka.

I’m in.

And the first entries: The opening salvo. Strawfeminists I have known. Expect much gnashing of teeth from the usual suspects in the comments to Ilyka’s posts.

The third intifada

Posted on March 20th, 2006 at 1:05 pm by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: Israel

Since the Israeli security forces, targeted assassinations, and the security fence have made it that much more difficult to launch suicide attacks against Israelis, the terrorists are trying to bring back the one-on-one attacks. Stabbings have become more frequent. And now, it’s attempted vehicular homicide:

An Arab driver apparently tried running over a Jew standing at a hitchhiking stop near an IDF base in Samaria Sunday evening, according to a Zaka report.

The Arab missed the bystander, careened into a cement block near the side of the road, and sustained light to moderate wounds.

The Jewish bystander was not wounded in the incident.

Good thing the Arab was a crappy driver.

The OIC chose Aleppo? Why not… it’s symbolic of Islamic Intolerance and Persecution, after all

Posted on March 20th, 2006 at 1:00 pm by Laurence Simon.

Filed under: Anti-Semitism, Media, Religion

Hundreds of Muslim “dignitaries” have gathered in Aleppo, Syria for some kind of cultural conference, according to Al-Jazeerah:

“We appeal to the world for dialogue, Christians and Muslims united to edify this culture,” he said. “Muslims brought civilisation to (Spain’s) Andalusia. They protected the Jews and recognised and guaranteed everybody’s right of expression.”

So the Muslims are claiming that they protected the Jews?

Let’s take a look at the recent history of the city they’re meeting in:

There was a Jewish place of worship on the site of the Aleppo Synagogue since late Antiquity, perhaps from as early as the 5th century C.E. The oldest surviving inscription is from the year 834 C.E. These early buildings were damaged after the Mongol occupation of Aleppo during the 13th century and then turned into a mosque. The central synagogue was rebuilt at some point in the early 15th century. It had later on undergone a series of modifications until its destruction during the violent attacks against Jews by the local population in December 1947.

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Another reason to dislike Cherie Blair

Posted on March 20th, 2006 at 10:44 am by Laurence Simon.

Filed under: Cats

Back in 1997, there were rumors that Cherie Blair’s intense dislike for cats has resulted in the death of the official 10 Downing Street feline-in-residence, Humprhey. However, photos of Humphrey and the day’s papers were released to the press to prove that she hadn’t offed the poor beast.

Well, Cherie may still be around “understanding the Palestinian suicide bombers” and puttering about, but Humphrey is no more:

Humphrey, a stray cat who wandered in to the official residence of the prime minister in 1989 and caused a scandal when he “retired” in 1997, has died, a spokesman for Tony Blair said on Monday.

The black and white one-time “mouser in chief” was perhaps the most famous pet in a country of animal worshippers.

“World of politics mourns a legend,” headlined the Sun.

He was photographed, hostage-like, with copies of the day’s newspapers to show the pictures were fresh. Blair’s office issued a statement saying Cherie was sad to see him go.

Sure you were, Cherie.

AP speaks terrorist

Posted on March 20th, 2006 at 9:00 am by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: AP Media Bias, Israel

The AP, whose mission is to present the news in an unbiased manner, has a whopper of non-biased reporting in this paragraph.

Hamas’ failure to bring Fatah or other more moderate Palestinian lawmakers into the government was likely to set off painful Western aid cutbacks. The main bone of contention was Hamas’ refusal to compromise on its right to violent resistance against Israel and its rejection of the Jewish state’s legitimacy.

I believe the phrase that most people who are not terrorist sympathizers use is the one the AP normally uses: Hamas refuses to give up violence or recognize Israel.

But if you’re a palestinian writing or editing for the AP, apparently, palsympspeak is the voice du jour.

Compare and contrast

Posted on March 20th, 2006 at 7:30 am by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: AP Media Bias, Israel

It’s been a while since I did a compare-and-contrast in an AP story, watching it spin more anti-Israel as it gets updated. So here’s one for you.

First edition:

Haniyeh: Hamas May Make Peace With Israel
Mar 17, 5:41 AM (ET)
By AMY TEIBEL
JERUSALEM (AP) - The Palestinians’ incoming prime minister suggested Hamas could one day make peace with Israel, but undercut his statement by saying his militant group wouldn’t disarm or recognize Israel unless it recognized a Palestinian state within boundaries the Israelis reject.

Updated article:

Haniyeh Discusses Peace, but Makes Demands
Mar 17, 11:36 AM (ET)
By AMY TEIBEL
JERUSALEM (AP) - The incoming Palestinian prime minister has suggested Hamas could one day make peace with Israel, but undercut the gesture by demanding Israel first recognize a Palestinian state within boundaries the Israelis reject.

The boldfaced words are missing in the update. Big change in meaning to that opening paragraph.

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