Madwoman Out of the Attic

a feminist trudging forward in a patriarchal world

Thursday, April 26, 2007

5 questions

I sollicited this meme from Jana, who came up with these questions for me.

1. If you could trade places with one woman in history, who would it be?
Oh, there are so many. Mother Theresa, Mother Jones, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Joan D'Arc (though I wouldn't want to be burned at the stake). But I think I'll go with Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I think it would have been tremendously exciting to play such an integral role in raising the country's consciousness about the oppression of women.

2. Pretend that you're in a band. What instrument do you play and what's the name of your group? Hmmm.... Never having had any musical talent, this is one I've not considered before. I think I'd like to be a guitar player. The name of the band: Pug Mothers.

3. What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
I ate bits of Amish friendship bread that my sister in law brought over the other day. And I had a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats.

4. If you were to get a tattoo, what image would you choose and where would you put it?
I kind of like the idea of an anklet tattoo. Maybe some kind of East Indian design circling my ankle. Or maybe I'd go with words - an Emily Dickenson poem tattooed on my upper arm.

5. Where do you want to go on your next trip overseas?
I've been yearning to go back to Britain. I want so badly to go see more cathedrals, historical buildings, castles, etc. I'm also very interested in going to Scotland and visiting some of the islands up there.

Let me know if you want me to interview you!

"I Know This War Is True" The Home Teaching Visit from Hell

A week or so ago, a friend in my ward recounted this harrowing story. (sorry if I get any details wrong.) I find it horrifying, but vastly entertaining. I'm not quite sure what draws me to this anecdote exactly - the blanket assumption that all Mormons are right behind Bush when it comes to the war? the nerve of someone who doesn't know you well coming into your home and preaching political opinions? the willingness of an LDS person to put Mr. Nice Guy aside and tell it like it is when said person comes preaching politics?

The story:
The home teachers came over for a visit. After the usual chit chat, the home teacher, instead of giving them the First Presidency message like he's supposed to, instead brings out an article about LDS soldiers serving in Iraq, how noble the endeavor is, etc. After summarizing this article, the home teacher proceeds to bear his testimony that he knows this war is true.

My friend hears the man out, and then says, "Well let me give you another view on this war." And he proceeds to talk about all the ways this war is problematic and unethical, and how it was a huge mistake for the U.S to invade Iraq. My friend really gives him a piece of his mind, and then closes the visit with this:

"I never thought I'd say this, but could you just give us the message from the Ensign next time?"

Hah! I love that last line.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

We Are As The Army of Helaman



We have been born, as Nephi of old,

to goodly parents who love the Lord.

We have been taught, and we understand,

that we must do as the Lord Commands.

Chorus:We are as the army of Helaman.

We have been taught in our youth.

And we will be the Lord's missionaries

to bring the world His truth.


That used to be my favorite song when I was in primary. I loved it. LOVED it. I actually still really do like the melody.


But these days, any reference to the word "army" makes my stomach turn. Even (especially?) when it's paired with something related to the gospel - a gospel that ideally would have nothing to do with violence.


My distaste for the word 'army' is connected with the hard time I'm having with the war in Iraq. It makes me sick when I think about it, the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives lost. It makes me sick that the U.S. went so thoughtlessly into this situation. I don't deny that we had the right to depose Sadam. After all, Sadam had renegged on his agreement to let arms inspectors in. But just because we had the right to do it doesn't mean we should have done it. W's own father understood that. Why couldn't W have?


I'm actually not in the same exact place as so many of my politically progressive friends, who have great moral clarity about advocating a quick withdrawl from Iraq. I guess I don't know exactly where I am. My number one question is this: What will cause the least loss of human life? Will withdrawing our soldiers and letting the country slip into even greater factional violence result in fewer lost lives? Or will staying for a while, trying to help protect the new government and stem the tide of violence that is rising, while our men and women are slowly picked off and Iraqi's die by the dozen everyday - will that result in the fewest lost lives?


I don't know. But I'm sick over all the deaths and I'm sick over the fact that the U.S. has squandered it's moral capital in this ill-advised war.


Sunday, April 15, 2007

Dutcher's gone


I'm sad. Richard Dutcher, maker of Brigham City, God's Army, and States of Grace, and the only decent Mormon filmmaker that I know of, has left the Church. I wonder what the straw was that broke the camel's back. I wonder how related his leaving is to his frustration over the current status of Mormon cinema. This is a sad for for all of us LDS who crave works of art that deal thoughtfully with LDS history, doctrine, and culture.


But as sad as his leaving was, even sadder is the vitriolic and hateful response of Keith Merrill, an LDS filmmaker that works for the Church. See his disturbing opinion piece here. Sad all the way around.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Going to Sedona

My spring break has at last arrived. Mike and I are off for our first ever day(s) away from baby. We're heading to Sedona where we're going to ride ATV's, go on a jeep tour, hike, and eat. It should be a fun three days, but I'm going to miss that baby! I hope he's good for my mom.

Monday, April 02, 2007

FHE My Way


Tonight I forced Mike to have FHE with me. We went to a Thai restaurant, and looked through the latest Time Magazine, which featured an article on 51 things we can do to reduce global warming. I thought Mike would be resistant (he didn't sound at all excited when I first proposed this) but he was actually quite agreeable when we talked about things we can do to reduce our carbon footprint.
We decided to:
a) switch out our regular bulbs with compact fleurescents
b) wrap a blanket around our water heater
c) buy a screen door for our front door so that we won't have to use our AC very much
d) get some new weather stripping for our door
e) wash all our clothes in warm and cold water (no hot) and try to hang dry more of our clothes
f) look into purchasing green power or get solar panels
g) landscape with more CA native plants
h) only do loads of laundry and dishes when they are totally full
i) buy more produce from our farmers market
i) look into getting rid of my gas guzzling VW and buy a PRIUS!

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