The Surgeon General Pick ---attacked because of her weight

from crooks and liars

The sickening hate of our new Surgeon General
By John Amato
Friday Jul 24, 2009 7:45am

As soon as Dr Regina Benjamin was named as our new Surgeon General the right wing haters crawled out from under their rocks. Every single move President Obama makes is immediately transformed into some socialistic/Nazi/Witch doctor conspiracy theory which is amping up the crazies and violence is sure to follow in even greater numbers now than it already has. C&L has vigorously objected to several of President Obama's moves on policy, but the freepers even attacked the jeans he wore when he threw out the first pitch at the All Star game.

Now they've expanded their hatred and have unleashed vile attacks on Dr. Benjamin.

The only problem seems to be that some people think the face is too fat.

From her photos, it appears that Dr. Benjamin will need a generous size 18 military uniform. The anti-fat brigade has been arguing in various online comments sections about her BMI and whether or not the term obese applies. These chattering masses wonder if a country plagued by obesity should have an above average-weight woman speaking to public health.

For me the answer is a resounding yes. This country is full of above-average weight women and children struggling for dignity as well as to lose weight. Achieving either of these is not easy. (Never mind that none of these criticisms have mentioned any actual health concerns Benjamin might or might not have, instead presuming "obesity" as a catch-all for bad health.) Having a confident, big-bodied and big-spirited woman as America's family doctor could do more to improve their health than skinny HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius. It's good to know that even doctors struggle with their weight -- and lead full and active lives in spite of adversity.

Amanda Marcotte has an excellent post about this story.

Yet, as Marcotte points out, there is an increasing tendency to see all of this as yet another opportunity to marginalize and shame certain segments of society based upon appearance:

By saying this, I’m not making any health claims about weight. That discussion, while interesting, is beside the point of this post. It’s enough to know that most people strongly associate health and weight. So when disingenuous sexists start to bellyache about the dangers of letting fat women out in public, they get traction, because it’s becoming increasingly acceptable to suggest that not being perfectly healthy is a moral failing that should be punished with social disapproval, shaming, ostracism, and lowered access to society. Of course, we double down on fat people, and triple down on fat women, because of plain old prejudice, but this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Smokers, people who don’t eat right, and other people with poor health habits are also considered morally inadequate, if harder to judge because they’re harder to spot. The fetish for health management is, I suspect, a large reason that the anti-vaccination movement has taken hold. People who want an edge in the moral olympics of prevention are inventing counterintuitive (and anti-intellectual) shit to do in order to win as the bestest, most deserving of good health.

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'The Cost of Silence' - now it's the BLACK WOMAN'S fault that White Feminists don't defend Michelle Obama? HELL NO

From The Root.com:

The Cost of Silence
By Corinne Douglas and Jacquelyn Gray TheRoot.com
Black women's attacks on white feminists during the primaries may be coming back to bite Michelle Obama.

Aug. 25, 2008--Tonight is Michelle Obama's night at the Democratic Convention. She will reintroduce herself to America, try to convince us that she and her family, especially her husband, are just like us and worthy of our support.

Expect her to be phenomenal. Expect her to be attacked, as well.

Republicans and their surrogates have already tried to diminish the achievements of the Obamas and to mute their widespread appeal by portraying Michelle Obama as an angry black woman. She has been caricatured, and she has been mocked. But the angry, fearful reactions that Ms. Obama's depiction has stirred up in men were not that different from those generated by Hillary Clinton during the 1992 and 2008 primary election seasons. And the recent failure among so many African-American women to stand up for Clinton—regardless of how they intended to vote in the primaries—gave many male political commentators tacit permission to do the same thing to Ms. Obama.

The misogynistic savaging of Hillary Clinton was one of the most inexcusable elements of the primary campaign, and the silence from black women in the face of those attacks, because they supported Obama, was, at least, a tactical mistake. It is entirely unacceptable to go along with unfair attacks against women simply because you disagree with the particular woman under attack.

Well, you do understand why I stopped quoting this article.

Let me get this straight.

When Michelle Obama is unfairly attacked, and White Feminists refuse to stand up for her, it's the Black Woman's fault because they did not defend Hillary Clinton?

G-T-F-O-H

Black women were too busy, Ms. Douglas and Ms. Gray....

Too busy trying to keep up with the RACEBAITING that came DIRECTLY from Camp Clinton. We didn't even have to go to the MEDIA to create the ClintonAttacksObama Wiki and its 50 Incidents. Hillary Clinton and her surrogates kept us quite busy.

Why didn't I say anything about the ' sexism' surrounding Hillpatine?

Well, not only because I was sitting there, fuming at the Racial Dogwhistles coming from Camp Hillpatine...
But, I also got the message loud and clear from White feminists. I'm shocked that you didn't hear it:

Miss Anne Aint Studdin' About Your Black Behind

From Gloria Steinem to Geraldine Ferraro, I was told loud and clear, that all I was good for was to sit in the back of the female bus. That you two can so profoundly overlook the obvious racebaiting that happened with Obama from the CAMPAIGN AND SURROGATES - not the Media. If we counted the media, I don't even know how many incidents would be in the Wiki.

I'm very clear about who I am as a Black Woman.

I'm a BLACK woman. I know that my fortunes are tied to the Black men in my life: My father, uncles, nephews, future husband and possible sons. I know that I'll not be divorced from them. So, when the Racial Dogwhistle was blown, I knew where I stood. I make no apologies for not keeping any pretense of 'Sisterhood'.

I've challenged others, and I'll challenge you. Make up your own ObamaAttacksClinton Wiki based up on all these ' sexism' charges that I hear bandied about. But, here's the catch: you must only include Camp Obama and their surrogates. Get me 10 incidents. I'm not even asking for 50. Just 10. The media doesn't count.

I won't hold my breath.

Maybe I'm just a wee bit suspicious at the ' timing' of this article. Why now? Part of the Hillpatine Bitching and Grievance Committee to make trouble in Denver, IMO.

Well, I care as much about the ' sexism' pushed towards Hillpatine as you obviously did about the blatant and recorded Dogwhistle Racial remarks towards Senator Obama.

You don't worry about Michelle Obama. There are plenty of us out here, willing to defend her. Thank goodness we didn't wait on the White Feminist Establishment. They can stay wherever the hell they've been while Michelle Obama has been under attack.

We know what time it is with them.

When It Comes To Michelle Obama, Where Are The Feminists?

So asks a good op-ed by Mary C. Curtis in the Washington Post.

In her piece called ' The Loud Silence of Feminists', Curtis opens with:

Michelle Obama has become an issue in the presidential campaign even though she isn't running for anything. An educated, successful lawyer, devoted wife and caring mother has been labeled "angry" and unpatriotic and snidely referred to as Barack Obama's "baby mama."

Democrats, Republicans, independents, everyone should be offended.

And this black woman is wondering: Where are Obama's feminist defenders?

She's not the only Black woman asking this.

I'd like to know too...

feminists...

where is you at? (Mama, forgive me)

One has to wonder, as Michelle Obama is being labeled unpatriotic, bitter, mean, angry. Where are those feminists who saw sexism lurking around every corner with Hillary Clinton?

Where.are.they?

Ok, so they don't defend Michelle Obama, but can't they at least come up and point out the hypocrisy of the attacks on Michelle Obama as compared to the Pill Poppin' Piece-On-The-Side? Is it too much for them to bring THAT up?

Why is an accomplished professional, Double Ivy-League graduate, loving wife and devoted mother NOT WORTHY OF DEFENSE BY THE FEMINIST ESTALBLISHMENT?


A new blog that has become part of my daily routine is Michelle Obama Watch, a sort of Media Matters for Michelle Obama. If you have the time, take a look at the blog. The stuff being thrown out there with regards to Michelle Obama is enough to make the blood pressure rise. But, I want to thank Gina M for doing this. For cataloguing all things Michelle Obama so that there is a one stop shop, so everyone who 'poo-poos' those of us who defend Michelle Obama as being ' sensitive'-WE can see the cumulative effect of those attacks. Seeing them gathered in one place adds to the strength of those of us who DO defend Michelle Obama.

To be fair, I have seen defense of Michelle Obama somewhat in the Feminist Blogosphere, so I give credit where it's due. But, the SILENCE of all those that were yapping their flaps for Hillary just can't go unnoticed.

Curtis wrote:

The campaign against Michelle Obama -- who went on "The View" this week to prove her everywoman bona fides -- has not caused a rift between black and white women so much as it has exposed it.


I've long been frustrated, as a black woman and a feminist, with our national conversation. I didn't hear the cause speaking up for women of color or for women who have always worked in blue-collar or service jobs. Choice was not their issue.

The woman who employed my educated mother to clean her house never quite saw her as a sister in the struggle for equality.

Well, it's no secret that I'm not a fan of feminism. I don't believe that it had anything to do with Black women's lives. I believe we already had our own brand of feminism, because Black women have always worked. Our ancestors - mothers, aunts, grandmothers, elders in the church- have been balancing work, relationships and marriage, well, since forever. We failed to uphold the lessons that they tried to teach us, throwing it away for something that NEVER had our families in mind. I can't be a Black feminist if I'm being separate from the Black men in my life. Just doesn't work for me. That's part of the reason why there was no real 'conflict' for me when it came to Obama vs. Clinton. Am I Black or Woman? I'm both, but I've been in this country long enough to know:
1. Being Black is the true designation of my life
2. Being separated from the men in the community has not done us any good
3. 'Sisterhood' is a one way street; I'm a ' Sister', when Mainstream Feminism wants something from me. When they're done, then I'm kicked to the curb. I understood long ago that Miss Anne wasn't studdin' about my Black behind, and I don't think I'm alone in that realization.

I said before that I wasn't going to hold my breath waiting for Mainstream Feminists to defend Michelle Obama. This was a job that those of us who cared would have to take on our shoulders.


Their silence has been quite instructive....don't you think?

Senator Straight Talk's Interesting Fundraiser

Hat tip:Politicalinaction.com

From ABC.com:

McCain Cancels Event with Controversial Fundraiser
June 13, 2008 5:36 PM
ABC's Rick Klein reports:


Sen. John McCain on Friday abruptly cancelled a Monday fundraiser that had been scheduled at the home of a Texas oilman, after ABC News contacted the campaign inquiring about a verbal blunder the Texan made during an unsuccessful 1990 campaign for governor.

Clayton Williams stirred controversy during his 1990 campaign for governor of Texas with a botched attempt at humor in which he compared rape to weather. Within earshot of a reporter, Williams said: “As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.”

His Democratic opponent at the time, the late Ann Richards -- who, coincidentally, would lose the governor’s mansion to George W. Bush in 1994 -- highlighted the comments in a TV ad during that 1990 campaign. View the ad HERE.

McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said the Monday event was being cancelled, given the offensive comments. He said he could not yet say what McCain would do with donations brought into the campaign by Williams.

"These were obviously incredibly offensive remarks that the campaign was unaware of at the time this event was scheduled," Rogers said. He added that Williams apologized for the comments back in 1990, but he said that does not excuse them.

Williams told the Midland Reporter-Telegram recently that he had already raised more than $300,000 for McCain and the fundraiser to be held at his home in Midland.

Rest of article at link above.

Has Senator Straight Talk returned the money?

Of course, this IS the man who called his Pill Poppin' Piece-On-The-Side...

the ' C' Word.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........................