Lots of bloggy goodness out there today.

Check out Jill’s post at feministe: File Under: Get pregnant, lose your civil liberties:

Ah, the things politicians will do in the name of protecting babies! Now, we all know that the term “protecting babies,” when uttered by a “pro-life” individual, is usually code for “reminding women that they are simply vessels who, once occupied,* cease to possess the basic rights that non-vessels are entitled to (non-vessels being “men,” otherwise known as “actual human beings”) .”

Jill has another good one about the dust up with the Office of Women’s Health losing more than 25% of their budget – many people suspect for their actual principled defense of the morning after pill with and FDA run by anti-sex, anti-contraception wingnuts.

Standing up for science and appropriate healthcare in the face of the virginity-or-death crowd does not go over well.

Finally, Jill quotes an ass-kicking editorial from Bill Maher about the fracas about giving an vaccination for HPV. Great quote from Maher:

But let’s be frank: These Christian groups aren’t just against the HPV shot; they’re against family planning and condoms and morning after pills — they want to make sure sex is as dangerous as possible, so that kids know, if they sleep around and get an STD, that’s God teaching them a lesson. And the lesson is, you should never have tried out for “American Idol” in the first place.

Jessica at feministing has a disturbing post about a woman who decided to slap Christian label on low self esteem and start something called Makeover Ministry where women can look hot for Christ (or like the Lancomme Lady from Mad TV).. Yes another aspect of the very boring Christian subculture in the US. The Christian Subculture is a bizarre, shiny happy plastic place where literally everything is sold, but with the label Christian – Christian sex books, Christian child care books, Christian clothing, Christian Diapers, Christian books, music, CD’s, Christian restaurants, plumbers, doctors, food stores, abstinence only counselors, reparative therapists and resorts. Few of us will ever venture deeply into the Christian Subculture – but escapees, including many in the emerging church movement, describe it as stifling, conformist, dishonest, focused on appearances, and dangerously obedient and deferential to authority figures. The Christian subculture is very much fear oriented – fear of contagion, of contamination by the secular world. Often, the Christian Subculture seems like a desperate attempt to recreate the mythical world of the 50s sitcom family where nobody ever talks about sex, where everybody knows their place, children never talk back and girls just wanna be moms.

I’m a few days slow on this one, but this article on the alcohol rape connection should be required reading in every high school.

Elizabeth Anne Wood has some of her greatest hits linked. Head on over and give them a read.

Pastor Dan at streetprophets may win for best summation of the day:

in Alberto Gonzales, the worst American President found himself the worst Attorney General. Ever.

Finally from talk2action, Frederick Clarkson has some amazing posts – one on Phyllis Schlafly, and one the way in which conservative NGOs from the US are actively pursuing their anti-female, anti-sex campaigns at the UN and attempting to take their failed conservative policy road show worldwide.