!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! ! ! ! Catt's Claws ... A Feminist Newsletter #75 ... October 12, 1995 ! ! ! !.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! Hey, you read it here first (thanks to a CC reader): Lt. Commander Solveig Kray of Norway is the new commander of the submarine Kobben. SHE is the first woman to command a combat sub or maybe any standard size sub in history. Wonder why not one single U.S. media representative has picked up on this story ????? Maybe they can't find the Newt down in those trenches playing in the mud for permission? Please send the info to your local newspaper and TV station. But what is closer to why it hasn't been publicized in the U.S. is the well known anti-woman sentiments that the media is adopting more and more. Gawd forbid we should learn the truth about what's going on ... Well, a Norweigan woman is commanding a combat submarine while the U.S. which claims to be the home of the free is still debating about women serving on navy ships. What hypocrisy. ....................... * ........................ Those of you wishing you could get hold of the "controversial" t-shirts that the national headquarters of Wal-Mart banned from the Miramar, Florida, Wal-Mart because of - count 'em - because TWO complaints were registered against the t-shirts will be pleased to know that Wal-Mart has not only reversed itself but is planning to sell the t-shirts nationwide ... as are several other companies. The controversial t-shirt reads "Someday a Woman Will be President." (which is as controversial as the phrase "the sun will rise tomorrow.") But if you want to get one direct (with all the profits going to the artist and none to Wal-Mart) send $14 to Women Are Wonderful, Inc., 6948 Crown Gate Dr., Miami Lakes, Florida 33014. She'll pay the postage. ....................... * ........................ Just when you thought it was safe to see the news again ... OJ agreed to an interview that would have his old suckup pal Brian Gumble running interference but the NBC news boss nixed that and pouty Gumble pulled a blue flu and won't show up for work the rest of the week. However, NBC keeps the team of Tom Brokaw with cream-puff interviewer Katie Curic (her husband is a defense attorney) and even at that Mr. Simpson and his handlers decide that its too dangerous when the NBC news boss insists the interview go forward as agreed upon: NO HOLDS BARRED. But without Gumble, the stakes evidently changed and it was no go. Tom Brokaw said, "Kattie Curic and I were prepared to ask Mr. Simpson the many questions that remain unanswered in the wake of his acquittal." He added later that his initial questions had to do with the "timeline" of the murders. OK, you probably know all that if you don't live on Mars ... except maybe you don't know that Gumble, an old pal of OJ, used to call Jane Pauley a C--T and seldom used any other word, including her name, while they shared duties on the _Today_ show. Pauley is so decent she didn't sue the pants off of NBC for not reining in that dirty mouth. Gumbel's treatment of women is legendary. OK - NOW TO THE GOOD NEWS ... the cancellation is being called a public relations catastrophe for Simpson who had hoped to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the public so he could go after some nice money-making contracts again ... the cancellation is being called a victory for protestors who look like they are going to haunt Simpson wherever he goes ... the protests are a victory for Los Angeles Chapter President Tammy Bruce who has been "out in the cold" as far as national NOW is concerned because of her clashes with NOW President Patricia Ireland ... reports from NOW chapters throughout the country indicate that LA was the only NOW chapter to really stir things up in connection with the violence of Mr. Simpson with national headquarters being strangely silent.... Hey, Tammy, may I transfer my membership to a REAL NOW activist group and cancel out nationally? Tammy told TV reporters, "Our reaction (to the interview cancellation) is I don't know why anyone should be surprised. Mr.Simpson has acted like a coward throughout this trial. I think NBC responded naively to the feeling they were going to get anything of substance from Mr. Simpson." BUT MOST OF ALL -- (Let us pause for sirens and whistles and a show of victorious fireworks.) SOME ADVERTISERS PULLED OUT OF THE NBC DATELINE SHOW that was to bracket the no-commercial interview! The New York _Times_ reported advertisers represented by Grey Advertising pulled their commercials. (Take a WONDERFULLY Deep breath and read on) "This man did abuse his wife," said Jon Mandel, Senior Vice President of Grey Advertising. "Most network programming has a target audience of women." (TRUST ME - Catt's Claws will be back about this statement and what women and those opposed to spousal violence and murder can continue about it. But the most beautiful words were spoken by NBC news Director Andy Lack was when he repeated Simpson's words: "It's clear to me I ought to do that (interview) now or else I'm GOING TO CONTINUE IN A LIFE THAT I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH AT THE MOMENT." Maybe Mr. Simpson would like to go back to jail where the jailers treated him like a hero... BTW how many and with whom was he allowed conjugal visits. Somebody out there try to find out, huh? I bet those jailers could make a few bucks with THEIR stories ! ....................... * ........................ Four Episcopal bishops, including William Wantland of the Eau Claire, Wis., diocese have refused to ordain women or take communion from them. Women priests have been ordained in every other diocese in Canada and England since the ordination of women began in the U.S. in 1976 said an Episcopal news release. The other three EP bishops are Jack Iker of the Fort Worth, Texas, diocese; John-David Schofield, of the San Joaquin diocese, based in Fresno, Calif.; and Keith Ackerman, of the Quincy diocese, based in Peoria, Ill. Some Christians, huh? More concerned with whether the priest has a penis under those robes than goodness, mercy, or holiness ... By the way, the group is also having problems with its priest's pension fund after a $2 million embezzlement scandal (by a male). ....................... * ........................ Dr. Fang (sp?) of Mt. Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, stated on Dateline last Tuesday that she has operated on more than 1,000 women to remove breast implants and 70% of them had ruptured. Dow Chemical, one of the makers of silicone breast implants maintains ONLY 3% of their implants showed signs of rupturing and a spokesperson pointed out Fang only sees sick patients. Dow has discontinued the line. ....................... * ........................ House Speaker Newt Gingrich headed a large (spell that LARGE $$$) political organization that collected and dispersed huge amounts of cash - all in secret. He has refused to say who the donators were or where the money went. He may have to divulge the facts if a federal prosecutor is named to investigate the growing number of ethics violations being laid at his feet. But you can bet all ways to Sunday that the men who donated all that cash for nefarious political deals don't want them brought to light in an investigation. So you can bet the farm that there's a LOT of big money being spread around to quash the prosecutor or to limit her powers. How about a phone call, snail mail, or email to your US Representative simply saying, "Giving the same powers for Gingrich's prosecutor as was given Wright's prosecutor is equality under the law." Common Cause recently called for the committee to name an outside counsel for Gingrich using the same standards. ....................... * ........................ What could be equally filthy to movie censors as women dancing and thrusting their body parts into the hands, and mouths of strange men in bars as is shown in the movie _Showgirls_? Give up? Why two women in love kissing, that's what. _When Night Is Falling," a lesbian love story is getting a NC17 rating by censors - the same as _Showgirls_. Some people are objecting but as usual with strictly lesbian problems, the Gay and Lesbian groups are busy somewhere else. BTW, we live in the Bible belt and the letters-to-the-editors are a parade of poorly written religious sermons about the evil in rainbows, Satan in the new age book store, etc. But _Showgirls_ has been playing here for several weeks to jammed crowds whereas in other places in the nation it is playing to near empty theaters. We guess our good neighbors have to do a lot of research before condemning! ....................... * ........................ Ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Jerusalem are forbidding their flocks from using a calculator device to determine when men can have sex with women? The device, according to AP, helps religious couples to determine when they can have sex outside of the 12 hours BEFORE menstruation to 7 days AFTER menstruation that is forbidden. Rabbi Yosef Halevi Eliashiv, an authority on Jewish law, wrote, "Everyone must go to the home of his rabbi, put his question and abide by the answer." Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg warned the manufacturers "lest they dare to tread on holy ground (and) turn computers into authorities on Jewish law." Menstrual blood is supposed to be - how to put this - well, it is supposed to be very bad if it gets on any male - in fact men will supposedly die if they even pass between two menstruating women. Reminds me of the wit who said Catholics are allowed to use mathematics to prevent pregnancy (the rhythm method) but not physics (condoms). ....................... * ........................ The FDA falls all over itself to approve certain highly profitable drugs quickly without adequate testing, but when it comes to women ... Another helpful WOMAN'S drug that is unavailable in the U.S. but is available in Canada, Mexico, and South America is Taxtere that improves the quality of life for women with advanced breast cancer. It has side effects, but doctors they are much less than the now approved FDA treatment and say the women feel more functional ... BTW, why can't women dying of breast cancer determine what kind of side effects they will tolerate? How about a dignity in dying? ....................... * ........................ Thomas Brooks, 28, has been sentenced to die by injection in Missouri for beating to death a 10-year-old girl who fought him off as he attempted to rape her. He killed Cassidy Senter with a bed slat, hid her body in the basement for eight days, then dumped the child's body in a trash-strewn alley. He has an extensive criminal record. His lawyers are calling for a new trial because, they claim, the slaying wasn't planned, his IQ is only 72 to 78, and as a black man, he was denied a fair trial because the jury included no blacks. ....................... * ........................ Common Cause points out: "Corporate welfare programs are big-money bonanazas for a host of special interests ... for Archer Danie Midland (ADM), the agribusiness giants, which has pulled in huge BILLION-DOLLAR TAX SUBSIDIES for Gallo Winery, Sunkist Foods, and McDonald's who receive MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAXPAYER MONEY EVERY YEAR to advertise their products abroad (including CHINA) ... and for the timber industry, which benefits directly from nearly $2 MILLION in new forest roads, built just so the industry can transport its products! "Why? Because millions upon millions of dollars of campaign contributions from special-interest PACs guarantee that these special corporate subsidies continue." Remember, in the 1994 elections, special-interst PACs gave House and Senate candidates $189 million -- a new record and look what kind of Congress they bought! It's not too early to make sure everyone you know is registered to vote. Few elections have been so important - it will determine the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court for decads to come. ....................... * ........................ In all the limelight about another case in Los Angeles, the escape of convicted rapist Phillip Juan Barba, 24, was ignored by the national media. He escaped from the courthouse and raped another woman. Police picked him up driving the woman's car after a search by 30 policepersons and a helicopter. He been sentenced to 29 years in jail for raping and robbing another woman before unlocking his handcuffs, scaling a fence and taking off. Shortly after his escape, he broke into a woman's apartment, raped and robbed her. The police are investigating how he got the key to his handcuffs. ....................... * ........................ Does anyone know if the medical license of Dr. Ronald W. Pearson of Erie, Pa., has been taken? He's the doctor who removed the fallopian tube and ovary of a 5-year-old instead of her ruptured appendix. The girl, needless to say, developed a massive abdominal infection and Pearson operated again. It wasn't until the pathology report came back that it was discovered Pearson made such a horrible mistake. The family is suing. ....................... * ........................ Oh, by the way, John C. Salvi III, 24, who faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols at clinics in Brookline, Mass., and shot five more people December 30, 1994 will plead insanity. Prosecutors point out that Salvi knew what he was doing and was able to plan the attacks months in advance. ....................... * ........................ The stepmother of the man accused of raping and impregnating a 13- year-old victim has been arrested - for helping the girl get a legal abortion. Rosa Marie Hartfod, 39, has been charged with corrupting a minor and is facing up to 12 years in jail for taking the girl to New York for the abortion. Irate attorneys from the Center for Reproductive Law & Policy will represent Hartford who feel that the girl was simply executing her constitutional rights., The do-gooder Sullivan County District Attorney Max Little said the case is about parental rights and not abortion. He is quoted in an ITN story as saying, "We're not talking about the girl's right. We're talking about the parent's right." Pennsylvania requires parental approval for an abortion of any woman under 18. New York does not. Little claims the girl's mother reported the abortion to police. Do you have the feeling that the new ultra-conservative religious supremacists are turning our U.S. of into a Balkan-like collection of individual fiefdoms? What happened to EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW FOR ALL CITIZENS OF THESE UNITED STATES? ....................... * ........................ This appeared on another board: "If you meet French people this fall, it may be useful to know a few sentences in French, to try on them: "Where can I find Australian wine ? Ou est-ce que je peux trouver du vin Australien ? " How about Chilian/SouthAfrican/Portuguese/Spanish wine? Alors avez-vous du vin produit au Chile/en Afrique du Sud/au Portugal/en Espagne ? "Do you sell Greenpeace stickers ? Est-ce que vous vendez des auto-collants Greenpeace ? " I can not find the Polynesian pocket dictionaries.Je n'arrive pas a trouver les dictionnaires de poche en Polynesien. "Two hundred grams of sliced Gouda cheese, please. Deux cent grammes de Gouda coupe en tranches s'il vous plait. " Luckily these mushrooms do not glow. Heureusement ces champignons ne sont pas radioactifs. " How much will you reimburse me for these bottles of last year's Beaujolais ? Vous me remboursez combien pour ces bouteilles de Beaujolais de l'annee passee ? " Can you direct me to the nearest "nuclear-free" community ? Pouvez-vous m'indiquer le chemin pour aller a la municipalite non-nucleaire qui est le plus proce ? "If those tests are really that safe, why doesn't your president conduct them in the French Central Massive ? Si ces essais nucleaires sont vraimant sans risque, pourquoi votre president ne les fait pas dans le Massif Central ? (Copied with permission from NRC HANDELSBLAD, one of Holland's leading newspapers. Publication date 19 July 1995. The authors are Warna Oosterbaan en Sjoerd de Jong. Translation into French by Daniela Hooghiemstra.) ....................... * ........................ Thursdays: The URLs to the most current weeks' worth of Catt's Claws set up on the Web by Laurie D. T. Mann, the Feminist Webitor, are: http://worcester.lm.com/lmann/feminist/cattsclaws.html The FTPs for Catt's Claws being archived by William Affleck-Asch, are: ftp://ftp.eskimo.com/u/f/feminist/ (or NCFTP open ftp.eskimo.com cd /u/f/feminist/) The FTPs for Catt's Claws being archived by Dorothy Dean are: FTP.execpc.com ....................... * ........................ Women's rights are young and tender and we must protect them from the plagues of holy hypocrisy and newts. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>> Send your ideas, comments, and news to istuber@cswnet.com for inclusion in the Catt's Claws feminist newsletter which will be emailed three times a week: Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. This is NOT an interactive discussion net but an exchange of information and is NOT sponsored by any organization. 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