I could throw an axe

This is the first election season since I turned 17 that I haven't actively worked on a campaign. It hasn't always been a state or national campaign, but I've always done something. In 2016, I canvassed, I phone banked, I wrote letters, I donated, I registered people to vote, I greeted people at the polls. I did everything I could to help elect the first woman to the White House...except commit treason and get in bed with a dictator (literally or figuratively). After the election, I gave myself a few weeks, and then I dusted off my canvassing shoes and went to work to elect Ralph Northam governor of Virginia. I felt better when he won; not great, but better. Ralph's a good dude. He's good governor.

And then the 2018 midterms began to loom. And the calls and texts from the Kaine campaign started. And I didn't answer any of them. Not because I don't believe in Tim Kaine (I do; I'll be there voting for him in November), but because I couldn't face another round of being abused by people I don't know. Do you know how many times I was called a cunt when I phone banked for Clinton? I'm pretty sure none of them were talking about my charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. A little old lady in Southwestern Virginia told me she hoped I burned in hell for supporting "that traitorous bitch." I did what I was trained to do and said "thank you" and hung up. I thanked her for telling me to burn in hell.

Because that's what women do. We say thank you to people who insult us and don't believe us and question our choices when all we're doing is living our lives and trying to exist in this world. We apologize for taking up space and telling our stories.

I know that I'm not alone in being a cone of rage following this week's absolute circus/dumpster fire/ shit show of hearings in the confirmation proceedings for Brett Kavanaugh. I watched it all and have been experiencing a range of emotions since that move from sadness to rage to blinding rage to disappointment to anger to sadness to laughing because it seems like a better idea than crying and back to blinding rage. Christie Blasey Ford spent four hours telling her story to the entire world. It's a story she shouldn't have had to have broadcast on every news station and live tweeted. She should have been granted the decency of an investigation, not a trial masquerading as a hearing. I cannot imagine what she's going through right now. Women are fucking warriors.

I've had a lot of thoughts running around in my brain about these proceedings, and I'm going to share a few with you today. Rage blogging isn't something I do often, but writing this made me feel better. Not not rage-ful, but better. Strong language ahead, so please do your best impression of a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee, and feign horror that someone raised in a nice family could use such language.

• How is it possible that eleven elected officials, all male, couldn't ask Dr. Ford a direct question, let alone look her in the eye? They had to hire a woman to ask their questions for them. If you're a constituent of one of these clowns, you need to take a hard look at yourself and ask if you want someone who can't actually do their job to continue holding office. And if you say, "that's not right," get yourself to the polls when they're up for reelection and vote them the fuck out of office.
• Conversely, how much restraint do you think it took those same eleven men to not jump over the table to bro hug Kavanaugh the second he walked in the room? They practically fell over themselves apologizing to that fucker and acting like his life is ruined. Give me a fucking break.
• Dr. Ford fulfilled her civic duty in a way no one should ever have to. She even thanked the committee and apologized. Her courage can't be understated, but I was so mad for her when she thanked them. I wanted to tell her, "You don't have to thank them. You don't have to be polite." But that is who she is and I respect her for being herself. 
• Not all heroes wear capes: Senators Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Mazie Hirono deserve medals. Sen. Klobuchar is 100% correct in her assessment that Kavanaugh would have thrown her out of his court if she had behaved as he did during his testimony. 
• Rachel Mitchell knew that she was in charge of an absolute shit show and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She showed at least some humanity at the end of Dr. Ford's testimony. I think she believes Dr. Ford. I have no proof of this, but there was something about the way she conducted herself that makes me believe she believed Dr. Ford. 
• If Brett Kavanaugh was trying to convince people that he's the right person to fill a position on the highest court in the land, a court that is supposed to be apolitical and nonpartisan, he probably should have scaled back on the vindictive language. All I saw was someone who looked angry and ready to lose his shit when challenged. Oh wait, he did that. 
• And men say women are emotional and shouldn't be positions of power like White House. Please, every pundit on Fox News, tell me that one again while talking about your boy here. 
• To all of the Republican/conservative women saying that boys/men rape/assault/grope women and it's perfectly normal: I'm going to need you to shut the fuck up. It is not normal. I've been alive almost 40 years and I have never in my life said, "Gee, I should rape/assault/grope that guy over there. That's a great idea." Not once. Because it is not normal behavior. Stop telling your sons and daughters this is how life works.
• There's a popular quote going around now that is so true it hurts: Brock Turners grow up to be Brett Kavanaughs and Brett Kavanaughs make the rules for Brock Turners. 
• Brett Kavanaugh is a man who has never been held accountable for anything in his entire life. I grew up with assholes like him in high school in NOVA and went to college with bigger assholes like him in New Orleans. Wealthy, white dudes with no real responsibilities and no one telling them that they don't always get to win. They hide behind "boys will be boys" until someone calls them out on their bullshit, and even then they still get away with so much. Rape culture exists and this is part of it.
• Jeff Flake is not a hero. He doesn't get to say he'll vote to confirm and then call for an investigation because he knows they don't have the votes. He knows what's going on is wrong and it's eating him up inside. Frankly, suffer. Suffer with that guilt forever. You could have done better before this week, but you didn't. You are not a hero. 
• When does the 30 minutes women are allowed to not have to worry about the futures of the men in this world actually take place? Women are told to report assault and rape, while also being told that coming forward will ruin some man's life. When they don't come forward for decades and then do, they're also told they're responsible for ruining some man's life. I mean, for the love of the goddess, when do women just get to take care of their own lives? You know what men can do? Not rape and assault women (and men). Maybe we should focus on raising children who understand that NOT raping and assaulting people is the way one should live their life. Maybe those who do commit those crimes can be held accountable for their actions and not get away with it. And if they're about to be named for lifetime appointment, maybe, just maybe we should investigate allegations against them so we know that we are in fact, placing the right person in that position instead of someone who committed sexual assault.
•  Lindsey Graham is a worthless human being. I try to find the good in people, but he deserves nothing positive from me. He's up for reelection in 2021; I hope the good people of South Carolina get rid of him. PS - If it's acceptable to ask me why I'm still single and also tell me to smile more, than Lindsey Graham can also be asked why he's still single and told to smile more. Don't like Lindsey? Too fucking bad. 
• No one's life is over because they don't get to be on the Supreme Court. Seriously. If, by some miracle, Kavanaugh is not confirmed, his life will go on. He will be fine. He doesn't deserve to be fine, but he will be. 
• I believe Dr. Ford. I believe her. I believe her. I believe her. #BelieveSurvivors

I was driving to work yesterday morning and two cars veered into my lane at two different points along 66, each coming super close to hitting me. I don't know if they intended to get over or what because neither driver bothered to use a blinker. I'm so angry about what's going on that my reaction was to follow the next driver who didn't use a blinker to wherever they were going and take a tire iron to their windshield. That's how angry I am. I want to destroy property and be awful to someone I don't know. The kicker is this: I'd go to jail while Brett Kavanaugh will probably end up on the Supreme Court. I'd be held accountable for my behavior and he'd get a lifetime appointment to make decisions that will impact generations.

Christine Blasey Ford, Ana Maria Archila, and Maria Gallagher: thank you for being you. You deserve so much better than this. We all deserve so much better than this.

The Road to 300: Lady Parts

I don't normally get political here on the Island; we all need a little break from politics and loudness and whatever else comes with living in the middle of an election season. Regardless of your personal feelings about Hillary Clinton, you can't ignore the historical significance of this election. While other women have run for President, no woman has ever been nominated by a major party for the presidency. She achieved this first just over a week ago at the Democratic National Convention. I admit that I teared up a bit during her speech; she is not the soaring orator that Barak Obama is but her words and the moment were enough for me. I'm not naive enough to believe the next 90-ish days are going to be easy or fun but they will be fascinating to watch. And I will be there with her on this journey, hopefully all the way to the White House.

However, today is not about Hillary Clinton or her historic bid for the presidency. No, today I want to discuss some other ladies who haven't had the easiest time of late but have chosen to rise above that and bust some ghosts.

Yes, I'm taking about the all-female cast of Ghostbusters.

Like most people, I love the original Ghostbusters. It's not a great movie but it's funny, a little scary, and featured a great cast who are the reason the movie works. The sequel is less exciting; I tend to watch it when I'm sick. It's one of the movies that I call fall asleep during, wake up in the middle, and still know what's going on before I fall asleep again. People, mostly men, lost their shit when it was announced that Paul Feig was going to be making a new version starring...an all female cast. Clutch your pearls or whatever it is dudes do when they're shocked by something. It didn't matter that the original cast was behind the film (and all make an appearance in the new one, including a lovely tribute to Harold Ramis who died in 2014). It also didn't matter that this isn't a remake in the way that other movies have recently been remade; Feig wasn't interested in recreating the same characters from the original films but creating a movie that exists within the universe of Ghostbusters. I didn't read this as a remake as much as an addition to the story in the way comic book stories often cross paths within the same universe.

What this movie makes abundantly clear is that people have zero chill and are incapable of simply being entertained. Everything doesn't have to be an epic masterpiece that will last the test of time. This could be the greatest movie of all time (it is not) and it wouldn't make a difference to a large percentage of the population who refused to see the movie because of ladies in lead roles. I cannot with these people. Are people with vaginas really that scary? Is that what's happening here? Interestingly, the movie plays to this theme in several places most notably with the character played by Kristen Wiig. Erin (great name) is a physicist, working towards tenure at a prestigious university. She is constantly being criticized for being uptight and dressing in a dowdy fashion. It doesn't matter that she's an accomplished scientist; she's still female so apparently it has to be hard to "make it" in academia. This is the reality for so many women in the world and not just in scientific fields. I'm not making this up; it's a reality. Hollywood isn't that much better and this movie is a clear example of that.

I liked the movie a lot. I would have liked it even if there wasn't controversy around it and if I didn't feel like I was required to go see it because I have lady parts and I need to support other humans who have lady parts. My favorite things included:

• Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan, an MTA worker who also happens to know a ton of New York history. This comes in handy throughout the movie. I feel like Patty and I would be friends and go on history tours together.
• HOLTZMANN! Kate McKinnon is freaking hilarious as the engineer/physicist who gives us some of the best moments and the best gear in the movie. She's probably the only character that has a true parallel to the original cast; Ramis's Egon, but she takes the weird and wacky to a completely different level. Egon was the straight man of the group; Holtzmann is something else. 
• Cameos by the original cast except Rick Moranis (who declined the chance to be in the film and has been on a hiatus from Hollywood for the last 18 years following the death of his wife). My favorite cameos include Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and the firehouse. 
• Chris Hemsworth. Is it stunt casting? Yes. Was he funny? Yes he was. Did I objectify him a bit when he was wearing the white t-shirt and dancing at the end? Absolutely. It's hard being in a movie just for your looks isn't it?
• The friendships between the women. It's great to see the Abby/Erin friendship evolve during the movie to what you imagine it was before Erin went all academic on Abby. Dropping Patty into the group changes it for the better. They don't compete with one another; they need one another to bust some ghosts and save the day.
• The climactic fight scene. History, ghosts, cool weapons, slow motion fight sequences, improbability, and something seemingly innocent being turned into a rage filled ghost monster - this sequence had everything.

Seeing this movie didn't ruin my childhood memories of the original or discredit its originality. It added a new chapter to the Ghostbusters universe and let some seriously funny women showcase their talent. If the fact that they are female while being funny and busting ghosts bothers you, you need to take a long look at your life.

Ghosts are scary; feminism isn't. Ectoplasm is gross; funny, talented women are not. Considering a future led by an angry hornet of a man is terrifying; women as Ghostbusters is not.

Ghostbusters & Car
Holtzmann
Poster