Sarah Palin

What I like about Sarah Palin: she is a post-feminist, professional woman. She doesn't so much reject Establishment Feminism: she just ignores it. She has a collaborative relationship with her husband, not, as far as I can tell, an adversarial or competitive relationship with him. He is not an obstacle to her life goals: he is a help and support to them. And her life goals include accepting children lovingly from God, in fact, all the children God may choose to send her.
For all these reasons, she is a complete mystery to most of the mainstream media, including much of the conservative media that should be sympathetic to her. Notice the WSJ: and here. They talked about her reform streak. They seem to be clueless about why her life story is so exciting to so many women.

The L.A. Times is Scared of Dr. J

Although she met with the editorial board of the L.A. Times three weeks ago, they have ignored Dr. J. since then. The L.A. Times published an article quoting other people from that meeting, but not Dr. J.

When we left the L.A. Times board Dr. J felt confident that she had answered all their questions. However they choice not to call upon her again. Why is this? Possibly because her answers are harder to make look bad in print? Her comments backed with facts and social science research must be too much truth for one article.

Read it all here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-faith24-2008aug24,0,5092135.story

All the Letters Unfit to Print

I've started a new blog, to take out my frustration at my friends not getting their pro-marriage letters published. I'll publish your letters! Go Here to join the fun!

The Pro-Marriage Alliance: Hip-Hop meets White and Nerdy

The book, Take Back Your Family: A Challenge To America's Parents, by the stars of MTV's Run's House is an excellent tribute to marriage and family and a highly worthwhile read.

This article was published August 10th, 2008 in the New York Post by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse.

If I do say so myself, I am the perfect person to review Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents, by Rev. Run and Justine Simmons. I am a complete media naif. I don’t own a TV. I have never seen MTV’s Run’s House. I’ve never seen Justine’s Brown Sugar jewelry line, or the Pastry shoe line founded by daughters Angela and Vanessa. I’ve never seen either Angela’s magazine Run Down, or Vanessa’s performance on The Guiding Light. The family’s larger-than-life presence in the rap music world, (Rev. Run, his brother Russell, and now his son JoJo are all hip hop recording artists) is lost on me. My personal theme song is "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al Yankovic.

But I am qualified to judge a book on marriage and family. I am the Founder and President of The Ruth Institute, a non-profit educational organization promoting marriage as a fundamental, gender-based institution of society. I have a doctorate in economics. I can judge this book on its own merits, without being unduly influenced by the family’s media presence.

It's a good book. You should read it.

Reverend Run and Justine take a stand for some radically counter-cultural ideas that happen to be correct. Let me mention just three areas where hard data support the Simmons’ common sense down-to-earth approach.

First, while this book is ostensibly about parenting, the Simmons’ opening salvo is that their marriage comes first. As the Rev. puts it, “Everything worthwhile I have is a by-product of my union with my wife.” Rev. and Justine believe parents need to nurture their relationship with each other and not allow their kids to absorb so much time, attention and energy, that the spousal relationship suffers. Nerd Alert: research shows that marriage builds wealth, and that happy marriages build happy kids.

Their second politically incorrect idea is that gender roles are legitimate, necessary and helpful. Rev. Run says, “All the decisions that get made in Run’s House, both large and small, are collaborations.” Yet, they agree, without apology, that everything works best when one person has the final say. “Run has the final say at Run’s House.”

They recognize the counter-cultural nature of their stance and rush to the others’ defense. Rev. recognizes that male leadership of the household isn’t necessarily appealing to men. He pointedly observes that too few MEN, especially African-American men, step up and take this responsibility for their families. Justine points out, “Just because I’m a powerful, independent woman doesn’t mean I want some sucker husband.”

For both of them, mutual respect is the key. Justine puts it this way, “Just like I wouldn’t want my kids to grow up around a woman who’s constantly undercutting her husband, I wouldn’t want them around a father who disrespects his wife by treating her like a maid.” Justine’s sentiments echo the results of survey data gathered by University of Virginia Sociologist and fellow marriage-nerd Brad Wilcox. The happiest wives are those who feel their husbands appreciate their contributions to the household.

Third, and probably most importantly, the Simmons’ unapologetic support of marriage is a stinging rebuke to those avant garde types who claim that matrimony is out-dated, fathers are disposable and marriage is for white people. In my humble opinion, those in the media, the academy and government who lead the charge against life-long married love have a lot to answer for.

Like many African-Americans, the Simmons’ don’t give a hoot about being politically correct. Another Nerd Alert: Survey data shows that some 95% of African-Americans support traditional marriage.

Rev. Run and Justine Simmons are doing a great public service by giving people hope that they can build a happy family. Through projects like Take Back Your Family and Run’s House, they are doing their part to make marriage cool.

On behalf of Marriage Nerds everywhere, I thank them.

Mom might be the reason dad is not there....

This moving and honest article by Renee Mitchell just moved to the top of my list of must-shares.

this is my way of making amends for contributing to the epidemic of children being raised by single parents. I've come to realize: Fatherlessness can sometimes be a result of the mother's choices.

When I made the decision to divorce my children's father and move to Portland when our twins were age 2, I thought I was the only parent my sons, Alex and Zavier, would ever need. I was mistaken.

Read it all here.

"Bigots Against Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

That's the name of a new satirical group that has organized itself to defeat Proposition 8, the Marriage Amendment here in CA.

the "bigots" have some big plans to grab your attention through a campaign of satirical advocacy, the centerpiece of which will be a campaign Web site, www.marriagebigots.com, which at press time was not yet operational. But the site will soon have some pretty spectacular content, according to Nelson.

"We have secured [exclusive] interviews some of the worlds favorite bigots; Osama bin Laden, who has been very hard to find. Another one of our very favorite bigots is Saddam Hussein. Kim Jong-Il has also weighed in," said Nelson. The site will also "honor" over a hundred individuals who have veritably advocated for Prop 8, and present the exaggerated arguments in favor of the measure, in the hopes of pointing out the flaws in the arguments for banning gay marriage.

How will they secure an interview with Saddam Hussein? Hold a seance?

At first glance, this might seem like an effective rhetorical strategy: make people feel ashamed for supporting man/woman marriage. But on second thought, it isn't so smart. Lots of people who believe in man/woman marriage know perfectly well that they are not bigots. They know that their views have nothing to do with what they beleive about gay people and everything to do with what they believe about marriage. These people may think to themselves: "Vote NO on Prop 8 is not likely to be the last demand of the gay lobby. Sooner or later they are going to demand that I support something I can't support. I don't care to empower people who are calling me names now, and are likely to keep calling me names. It's time to put a stop to this."

I could be wrong. Mark Nelson, the organizer of "Bigots Against...." could turn out to be the marketing genius of the century.

But I don't think so.

The Papacy Stands for Freedom?

Usually, the Papacy is a symbol of unfettered authoritarianism. But in the topsy turvey world of the conflict within the worldwide Anglican Communion, things have taken an interesting political turn.

A leading conservative cleric has launched a devastating attack on the Archbishop of Canterbury, accusing him of “betrayal” and calling his office a “remnant of imperial colonialism”.
Writing in The Times, the Most Rev Henry Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda, says Rowan Williams has betrayed churches that remain true to the Bible by inviting colleagues who consecrated the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire to the Lambeth Conference. ...
The Archbishop of Uganda stands by the biblical texts that rule against homosexuality but says that he and his peers do not want to cause schism by leaving the Anglican Communion.

So far, this is a pretty typical statement of the conflict between the conservative African south and the liberal European North. But here is the statement that got my attention:

He writes: “Even the Pope is elected by his peers. But what Anglicans have is a man appointed by a secular government. Over the past five years, we have come to see this as a remnant of British colonialism, and it is not serving us well.

“The spiritual leadership of a global communion of independent and autonomous provinces should not be reduced to one man appointed by a secular government.”

Wholesale conversions to Catholicism, as a protest against remnants of colonialism? Stranger things have happened.