Wonder Women

Posted Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at 4:16 PM

Earlier today, about 300 Afghan women marched to protest a new law in their country that essentially legislates their subservience to their husbands. These women braved angry crowds and the possibility of being spit on or stoned to stand up to their government and fight for their rights.

According to The New York Times, the law "makes it illegal for a woman to resist her husband's sexual advances. A second provision requires a husband's permission for a woman to work outside the home or go to school. And a third makes it illegal for a woman to refuse to 'make herself up' or 'dress up' if that is what her husband wants."

Sometimes it is hard for me to even understand how lucky I am, as a woman, to be living in 21st century America. I don't have to cover my face in public, and going places alone is perfectly acceptable. To my knowledge, I have never been discriminated against because of my sex. I am allowed to vote, to drive, to attend school and to work in any career of my choosing. My life is easy compared to those strong women living in Afghanistan.

But, my life is easy because of pioneering American women who came before me: women fighting for control of their own money and property, women entering the male-dominated workplace, women balancing careers and family. It's hard to believe that it has been less than a century since we got the vote, even harder to think that the birth control pill was illegal in some states just 40 years ago.

Of course, I can think of wrongs done to American women still. For example, the AFL-CIO's Web site states that, in 2007, a woman earned about 77 for every dollar that a man was paid. There continue to be laws proposed and passed in many states, including Missouri, that encroach upon the protections offered in Roe v. Wade. And, during her campaign to be the Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton received much unjustified scrutiny because of her gender.

Although they are not unimportant, these grievances pale in comparison to the struggles Afghan women are facing today. And though I have never supported the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, I hope that our presence there can help the native women achieve the equality and respect that they deserve.

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From SSA.gov: The Vietnam Era draft ended in 1973, and the registration requirement was suspended in April 1975. The registration requirement was reinstated in 1980 by President Carter, and continues today "as a hedge against underestimating the number of service needed in a future crisis."

The draft, though, was not reinstated, and isn't likely to be. In the event it is, I would have to support registration for women as the only fair and equitable thing to do. And as NanaDot pointed out, it isn't women who've been at the forefront of keeping them out of combat zones - it's men.

-- Posted by Kathy Fairchild on Sat, Apr 18, 2009, at 7:34 PM

A righteous piece of writing Sydney. It is especially gratifying to see a young woman of your generation paying homage to your sisters of prior generations who have done so much for the cause of equal rights for women, especially within our own country. I have been saddened by listening to, and observing many young women who seem totally unaware of the unfair constraints placed upon women not all that long ago.

The plight of Afghani women is heart rending, as is the plight of women in most, if not all societies where fundamentalist theocrats are controlling influences. Though I am not making a direct comparison to the horrible conditions in Afghanistan it is true to a lesser degree in micro societies within the United States.

In my opinion war with its horrible byproducts is not, and will never be the solution to problems of this nature. In fact I believe that the stategy and tactics of war emulate the behavior of theocratic paternalistic societies which is counter productive in the long run to achieving equal rights for all people.

The goal of war is to subjugate the opponent in order to change the opponent. It becomes fuzzy when war is pursued because your opponent has done just that, subjugated people to change them. In the larger view it becomes do as I say, not as I do. There are better ways which more advanced civilizations must choose.

Having said all that I also hope our presence in Afghanistan in some way does alleviate the persecution of women. Unfortunately our limited presence, both in numbers, and time are not likely to make a durable difference.

Peace.

-- Posted by Oklahoma Reader on Mon, Apr 20, 2009, at 12:26 AM

Our new US Attorney General Coh is a believer that our nation should support or allow shiria law to be used in our courts. He also beleives that our laws should be interpreted based on the laws in other nations and the way that they are interpreted there. So much for our sovereignity.

-- Posted by mrxray on Mon, Apr 20, 2009, at 1:41 AM

Mrxray, I am assuming that you read the article that NanaDot directed you toward in the interest of being sure that you are truly fair and balanced in your political views. As you have not graciously thanked her for the clarifying information I alas, must make another assumption. That being that you remain unconvinced that your statement was in error.

Here is another site that will lead you onward and upward in your vigilant pursuit of the truth concerning Mr. Koh. http://www.slate.com/id/2215142/

-- Posted by Oklahoma Reader on Mon, Apr 20, 2009, at 11:43 PM

We might also note that Koh is not the new U.S. Attorney General. He is legal adviser to the State Department, on leave from his position as Dean of Yale Law School. As a Korean-American native of Boston, it doesn't seem likely he'd be in favor of Sharia.

-- Posted by Kathy Fairchild on Tue, Apr 21, 2009, at 7:50 AM

Little Town Blues Goes to China

SYDNEY STONNER

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Something about music. Something about small towns. Something about Hong Kong. Or maybe something else entirely.

Sydney is a former staff writer for the Democrat-News. She received degrees from University of Missouri in both music and magazine journalism. She played oboe with the Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra and the Marshall Municipal Band while she was in Marshall.

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