Obama Elected By Women – Now It’s Time For Payback

By Barbara Hannah Grufferman

This week, the women of America spoke with a voice that was loud, clear and unified, and it is now universally acknowledged that our votes helped President Obama win the election.

President Obama and his team worked very hard to convince us that he needed more time to ‘be the change’. In the end, even in the face of severe economic problems and worrisome doubt about his abilities to push America back from the brink, we gave it to him.

We even have an historic number of women in the Senate — 20 — no doubt also helped by women’s votes.

Women have a vision of a different America: an America that shows its citizens — by actions and not just political lip — that every single one of us is equal in the eyes of the law, regardless of gender, race, religion, politics or sexual orientation. It is an America led by brave men and women who will step up to the plate, work to unite this divided nation and start the healing so we can rebuild our economy, create more jobs and bolster our standing in the world once again.

What’s more, we want to go to sleep at night knowing that in the morning, our bodies will still belong to us, go to work every day and get the same amount of money in our paycheck each week as our male colleagues and rest easy knowing that we are protected by the U.S. Constitution.

That’s where the payback comes in.

To read Barbara’s entire article in the Huffington Post click here.  Find out what needs to be done.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

 

Topless Swimming Denied To Breast Cancer Survivor

by Linda Franklin 

 

Jodi Jaecks, a woman who survived breast cancer after a double mastectomy was banned from swimming topless at her public pool.

Fellow swimmers were outraged by the decision made by Seattle Parks and Recreation department, which refused to let Jodi Jaecks swim topless – despite the nerve pain she suffers across her chest and neck as a result of her surgery.

After telling Jodi that her bare chest would disrupt the family-friendly environment, a public outcry led the parks department to reverse its controversial decision, allowing her to swim wearing only her shorts. 

Ms Jaecks, a lifelong athlete, said she wanted to reclaim her fitness.   

Ms Jaecks is one of nearly 1,200 women in the state of Washington alone who have mastectomies annually, and choose not to have reconstructive surgery.  

Doesn’t reading this make you mad as hell?  It clearly reflects how politicized women’s bodies and breasts are in our culture.  It’s time to get over it.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Vagina and Vasectomy Taboo Words on House Floor

 by Linda Franklin

Two Michigan State Reps. were blocked from speaking on the House floor after using the words ‘vagina’ and ‘vasectomy’ while opposing a proposed anti-abortion bill the day before.

Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, was told that she was not allowed participate in Thursday’s debate because of her earlier ‘offensive comments’ and ‘unprofessional conduct’.

Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, claims she was also prohibited from speaking on Thursday for using the word ‘vasectomy’ during Wednesday’s debate. 

During the heated debate, Brown, who is Jewish, spoke against a proposed bill which would further regulate abortions. ‘Wherever there’s a question of the life of the mother, or that of the unborn child, Jewish law rules in favour of preserving the life of the mother,’ she said.

‘The status of the fetus as human life does not equal that of the mother. I have not asked you to adapt and adhere to my religious beliefs. Why are you asking me to adapt to yours?’ 

But what caused the most controversy were the closing words to Brown’s speech. ‘And finally, Mr Speaker,’ she said. ‘I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no.’

Some Representatives applauded her impassioned statement but others did not take too kindly to her bold words.

‘What she said was offensive,’ state Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, told The Detroit News. ‘It was so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company,’ he said. 

State Rep. Lisa Lyons, R-Alto, agreed. ‘As a woman and mother, I was personally offended by Rep. Lisa Brown’s disgraceful actions during Wednesday’s floor debate, she said.

Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas, R-Midland, said the decision to bar Brown from speaking was not her reference to the female anatomy, but her conduct.

But Brown yesterday defended her decision to use the ‘v-word’. ‘If I can’t say the word vagina, why are we legislating vaginas?’ Brown said during a Capitol press conference. ‘What language should I use? We’re all adults here.’

During the same debate, Byrum tried to introduce an amendment that would regulate vasectomies but was not allowed to speak. She protested and was declared ‘out of order’.

 Byrum said, ‘It’s my impression that I’m being banned from speaking as a result of my use of the term vasectomy – a medical procedure,’ she told The Huffington Post.

‘Neither of us has been contacted by Republican leadership as to why or how long we’ve been banned. Talk about disrespectful, that they don’t have the common decency to tell us themselves.’

Seriously, these women should be applauded, but instead sent to the woodshed for expressing their opinions.  I guess Lisa had two strikes against her before she opened her mouth – she’s a woman and she’s Jewish. 

The idea that a woman can’t speak freely about their anatomy or procedures involving genitalia is embarrassing.  Is this 2012 or l952?  I guess the party line is women should be seen and not heard.  How frightening is that? 

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Mad Men Era – Let’s Never Go Back There

 by Linda Franklin

 

Mad Men is back and bigger than ever.  That show illustrates how political correctness was not even a small concern for the advertising salesmen of Madison Avenue when they successfully pitched their client’s brand campaigns.

The ads from the 1960s were breathtakingly unconcerned with sexism as they appealed to men’s macho side, using images of subservient women as a way to sell everything from wrinkle-free trousers to boldly patterned neckties.

The popularity of Mad Men has kept many hooked on an era when drinks were strong, cigarettes popular…and women kept firmly in their place.

In the current political climate it’s entirely possible that women’s rights are heading back to where they were in the 60′s.  Let’s stand together so that doesn’t happen.  We have come too far and worked too hard to go backwards.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Women’s Sexual Rights – America’s Going Backwards

by Linda Franklin

In 2012 the spotlight is once again focused on women’s rights. Is all the news out there bad or  is there a bright side?  You decide.
•Mitt Romney now says he doesn’t want to close Planned Parenthood, just strip it of federal money.

•A proposed new law in Arizona would require women to prove they’re taking birth control for non-sexual reasons before they get reimbursed through their health plan hasn’t passed … yet.

•Virginia and Texas now require women to have ultrasounds before they can obtain an abortion. 

Let’s face it the United States has become a scary place for sexually active women.  Even Hillary Clinton, has been forced to turn her attention to gender abuses in our backyard. Addressing the Women in the World Summit last week, she marveled that extremists who strive to control women aren’t confined to foreign lands.

“It is hard to believe that even here at home, we have to stand up for women’s rights and reject efforts to marginalize any one of us, because America needs to set an example for the entire world,” she said.

But a crackdown on women’s rights, once mainly confined to the crazy Southern states, is now under way all over the place, with many locales vying for the “State That Can Best Demean Women”. Idaho, for example, has proposed an ultrasound bill that would effectively trick women into visiting those creepy crisis pregnancy centers that try to shock them out of having abortions. Under the proposed law, a woman would have to have an ultrasound before terminating a pregnancy. But she’d be provided with a list of places that provide them for free, and guess where they are? Yup, those deceptive organizations that harass pregnant women.

Elsewhere, Kansas is considering a provision of a bill that would protect a doctor who discovers that a baby will be born with a devastating condition and withholds that information from his patient. So if the bill passes, an anti-abortion doctor could lie about the results of blood tests and ultrasounds. God forbid that a woman be trusted with decisions about her future.

This national Father-Knows-Best flashback is inspired by the Rev. Santorum, and its consequences go beyond proposed legislation and laws. It’s created an atmosphere in which even birth control advocates now frame the matter as a health issue, rather than admit that women like to have sex, just as men do. Otherwise, they’re taking the Slut Pill. 

Many women enjoy sex, and they sometimes enjoy sex with different partners, just as men do. Many use some form of birth control. This does not make them sluts. It makes them responsible. Sex without consequences is what women fought for.

That’s why any effort to determine which women “deserve” birth control is dangerous. All women do. And it’s absolutely crazy that this point must be made in 2012, and that the systematic dismantling of women’s rights continues to unfold in broad daylight.

Let’s hope we can soon look back on these dark days with a shudder, and shake our heads at the inanity.

 

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Slut Has A Whole New Meaning

by Linda Franklin

Slut has a whole new meaning thanks to Rush Limbaugh. When you attacked Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown Law Student because she wanted to include birth control as part of health care coverage, you stripped the word of it’s traditional cruel meaning. Now all women who have ever attempted to decide when and how many children they would have, and with whom, are now sluts.

Slut is a loaded word, a word used for many years to brand women for exercising sexual freedom. Men are not considered sluts. We don’t even have a word in for men who like a lot of sex with different partners.  Therefore their behavior is okay – not so surprising is it?

The thought that a woman might actually enjoy sex for its sex sake is so scary to some men that they will do anything to shut us up. You even invent words to tell us how sinful our behavior is.

Rush, thanks for removing one of the uglier of those words from our vocabulary. After your tirade, the word slut has become a badge of honor, a rallying cry for all women who demand freedom. 

Since you don’t approve of sex for fun, you probably won’t mind that women insist that Viagara be banned from health insurance reimbursement.  If we can’t enjoy sex, neither can you.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

The Penis Rules Again – Sad Day For Women

by Linda Franklin

We finally get the government to pass a provision under the Affordable Care Act requiring insurance companies to cover contraception and now it looks like we could be back at square one.

It sure feels like the Obama Administration is going to cave into the Catholics and other religious zealots and create an “opt out” provision for employers who don’t want their insurance programs to cover birth control for women. We finally get the government to pass a provision under the Affordable Care Act requiring insurance companies to cover contraception and then it is ripped apart.  I don’t remember anyone protesting when insurance companies decided to cover Viagra.

Many women still go to Planned Parenthood for their birth control because it costs half the price of going to the pharmacy with insurance, if they have it, that doesn’t cover what women really need. 

Our Presidents talk about abortion with limiting language.  Abortion should be legal and  “rare” – if you want abortion to be rare then isn’t contraception the answer?  The U.S. has the highest rate of second trimester abortions in the industrialized world (we also have the highest rate of teen pregnancies and STDs). It’s all about economics – and that’s just not right.

“42% of women having abortions live on an income that falls below the federal poverty level – they are making less than the $208 per week needed to pay for the basic necessities of life – and 53% of women having abortions between weeks 16 and 20 gestation are women in this low-income bracket.”

They have to wait to save up the money to get the abortion because they’re living on $200/week.

If men got pregnant, maybe they’d be singing a different tune.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

 

 

 

Women At The Center of Israeli Conflict

by Linda Franklin

Chany Ma’ayan, a professor of pediatric medicine at Hadassah University Hospital, made headlines when it was revealed that when she was awarded a prize by the Ministry of Health, unlike the male winners of the same prize, was not invited to the stage to receive the award.

Though shocked that this was happening at a government ceremony, Dr. Maayan bit her tongue. But others have not, and her story is entering the pantheon of secular anger building as a battle rages in Israel for control of the public space between the strictly religious and everyone else.

The episode is causing Orthodox women, in particular, to express indignation at the growing extremism of religious men in public life.

“This was a public event involving a deputy minister of state,” said Dr. Hanna Kehat, the director of Kolekh, an organization of professional religious women, in an interview with Israel Radio. “This is an incidence of gross discrimination, which is prohibited by law and it is difficult to believe actually took place. We are advancing at a rapid pace toward Iran.”

At a time when there is no progress on the Palestinian dispute, Israelis are turning inward and discovering that an issue they had neglected — the place of the ultra-Orthodox Jews — and it is centered on women.

How has Israel reached this point? Among other things, ultra-Orthodox society, a minority within the Israeli population, has outsized influence in the nation’s political and partisan sphere due to the fragile coalitions that form Israeli governments, which often require kingmakers from minority parties. In addition, unsettling changes within ultra-Orthodox society are causing some to retrench.

And as Orthodox women demand greater freedoms, some young men too are choosing lives of interaction with the secular world, either through army service or through the labor force in the place of life-long religious studies.

“Just as secular nationalism and socialism posed challenges to the religious establishment a century ago, today the issue is feminism,” said Moshe Halbertal, a professor of Jewish philosophy at Hebrew University. “This is an immense ideological and moral challenge that touches at the core of life, and just as it is affecting the Islamic world, it is the main issue that the rabbis are losing sleep over.”

The list of controversies grows weekly: Organizers of a conference last week on women’s health and Jewish law barred women from speaking from the podium, leading at least eight speakers to cancel; ultra-Orthodox men spit on an 8-year-old girl whom they deemed immodestly dressed; the chief rabbi of the air force resigned his post because the army declined to excuse ultra-Orthodox soldiers from attending events where female singers perform; protesters depicted the Jerusalem police commander as Hitler on posters because he instructed public bus lines with mixed-sex seating to drive through ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods; vandals blacked out women’s faces on Jerusalem billboards.

Public discourse in Israel is suddenly dominated by a new, high-toned Hebrew phrase, “hadarat nashim,” or the exclusion of women. The term is everywhere in recent weeks, rather like the way the phrase “male chauvinism” emerged decades ago here in the U.S.

I know it seems impossible in this day and age that women are treated with such disrespect and dishonor.  Here in the U.S. we have waged our battles over discrimination and have made substantial progress.  Do we have more work to do?  Yes we do.  Is it our responsibility to support our sisters in other countries?  Of course it is. 

The New Israel Fund, which advocates for equality and democracy, organized singalongs and concerts featuring women in Jerusalem and put up posters of women’s faces under the slogan, “Women should be seen and heard.”

Amen to that!!!

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

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Sexualization of Women in Men’s Magazines

by Linda Franklin 

Descriptions of women used in men’s magazines are indistinguishable from views expressed by convicted rapists, researchers found in a new study.

When presented with quotes from both, some men actually found themselves identifying more with the views of the sex offender than those espoused by the magazines.

Psychologists say that the study highlights the danger of the sexualization of women in the media and called for moves to deal with the issue. 

Men between 18 and 46 were shown quotes about women from leading men’s magazines and also quotes given in interviews with convicted rapists. Participants were asked to rank the comments on how derogatory they were.

The results found the magazine descriptions more demeaning than those from the sex offenders, reports the British Psychological Society’s British Journal of Psychology.

Quotes from the sex offenders list included: ‘I think if a law is passed there should be a dress code. When girls dress in those short skirts and things like that they’re just asking for it.’ “Girls love being tied up, it gives them the chance to be the helpless victim.’ Then there’s this one “‘I think girls are like plasticine, if you warm them up you can do anything you want with them”.

Dr Peter Hegarty, of the University of Surrey, added: ‘There is a fundamental concern that the content of these magazines normalizes the treatment of women as sexual objects. 

This problem is bad and getting worse.  How are teenage boys and young men supposed to be prepared for a fulfilling love and sex life when they normalize their views from what they read and what they see on porn sites?

Anna van Heeswijk, Campaigns Manager for OBJECT, a human rights campaign group which campaigns against the objectification of women, said: ‘This crucial and chilling piece of research lays bare the hateful messages which seep out of the magazines and indoctrinate young men’s attitudes towards women and girls. 

If we are serious, and we should be, about putting an end to discrimination and violence against women and girls, we must stand together and have a very strong voice.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,” there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system and a dream.  All things are possible”.  Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Israeli Women Pose Naked To Support Egyptain Blogger

by Linda Franklin

When an Egyptian activist posted a nude picture of herself online in protest at the lack of freedom of expression, it sparked outrage in her country.

Now, a group of women in Israel have also posed naked in a show of solidarity.

Inspired by 20-year-old Aliaa Elmahdy’s bold move, the 40 Israelis posed naked for a ‘copycat’ shot. Their banner read read ‘Homage to Aliaa El Mahdiers’ with the slogan ‘Love without Limits’, written in Arabic and Hebrew.  ’Regardless of whether they are Jewish, Arab, straight or lesbian – because here, as of now, it doesn’t matter. ‘Let us show the doubters that our international discourse doesn’t depend on governments.’.

Elmahdy’s blog received millions of hits and thousands of negative comments.  She told CNN: ‘The (sexism) against women in Egypt is unreal, but I am not going anywhere and will battle it til the end.

I wish more women would take a stand to support each other, regardless of race, color or political views.  That way standing together we could really make a powerful difference.

 

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.