A moment on women in History. On December 27, 1927: Anne Legendre Armstrong was born. 

She was a United States diplomat and politician, and the first female Counselor to the President; she served in that capacity under both the Ford and Nixon administrations.

From 1966 to 1968, she was the vice chairman of the Texas Republican Party. From 1971 to 1973 she was Co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, and She was the first woman from either major party to keynote at a national convention when she was the keynote speaker at the 1972 Republican National Convention.

She was the  first woman co-chair of the Republican Committee, ERA supporter, cabinet-level advisor to Richard Nixon 1972-74, first woman Ambassador to the Court of St. James 1976-77, co-chair of Reagan-Bush presidential campaign, 1980.

In 1987, Armstrong was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan.

She died in 2008.   And there is little doubt that she probably would not have been allowed to participate in today's Republican party.  She supported the ERA and would have been viewed as too liberal for the over the top conservative movement of today.

Anne Armstrong was a Republican woman who made a lot of valuable contributions when the GOP provided a strong balance in our country and stood for something other than obstructionism.  I know a lot of people would like to believe that their Republican party is still the party of Lincoln, but we all know that isn’t the truth. Today’s Republican party stands for nothing but their own self interest.  They’ve drastically cut food stamps for the poor, eliminated unemployment rights for 1.3 million Americans right before Christmas, stripped women of their reproductive choices in every state that they control, refused to even consider raising the minimum wage or pass laws that would support equal pay for women. 

This is not your father’s or your Mother’s GOP.  They use religion as a weapon and go about assaulting everyone who disagrees with them.

This is truthfully the ‘do nothing’ Congress of all time who was willing to throw a tantrum that cost the American tax payers 2 billions dollars when they shut down the government over not getting their way. They have done nothing in the national congress but vote to defund the Affordable Care Act…. 44 times.  And yet have offered no viable alternative.  48 million Americans were uninsured prior to Obamacare. That’s over 15% of the population.  A report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that on average, uninsured families can only afford to pay in full for approximately 12-percent of hospital stays they may experience.  the uncompensated cost of care – is up to $73 billion a year, a significant portion of which is shifted into higher costs for Americans with insurance and their employers.  The number of uninsured is cut almost in half by the affordable care act.  I'm still seriously trying to see the downside to affordable health insurance.

One of the things I hear most from Republicans is their philosophy of ‘taking personal responsibility’.  I worked in Social Services for a long time with homeless and victims of domestic violence.  And you would be blown away by the number of people who work full time, sometimes even two jobs and frequently have to chose between paying rent and eating.  The Republicans want to fight against raising the minimum wage for  these ‘working poor’.  They want to give tax breaks to the big businesses who frequently find ways to avoid offering health insurance to their employees.

I’ve heard that we decide our political affiliations at an early age and most often stay with them our entire lives.  But today’s GOP is not the party it was when Lincoln was president ,or even when President Eisenhower sponsored and signed the first civil rights bill since reconstruction. 

The Democrats have long since been the party that has obviously accomplished more social justice. This is why they are referred to as 'Progressives'.  I have come to refer to the right wing as the 'Regressives'. 

Just a few of the major laws passed under Democratic Presidents:
40-hour Work Week
Minimum Wage Law
Overtime law
Social Security Act
Unemployment Compensation
Medicare
Medicaid
Family and Medical Leave Act
The 19 Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Women’s Suffrage Amendment Civil Rights

All of these accomplishments were under a Democratic president.  Even the Voting Rights Act of 1965  and the Motor Voter Act of 1993  were under Democratic presidents.  Democrats want you to vote, unlike many in the Republican leadership.

And it’s been statistically proven that the American economy does better under Democratic presidents than Republican.  Since the end of World War II, the U.S. economy has grown at an average real rate of 4.35% under Democratic presidents and only 2.54% under Republicans.

So why do people who make less than a million dollars a year vote Republican?  I have no idea.  I haven’t figured that out why anyone would vote against their own self interest. My only possible excuse would be that the GOP has high jacked religion and twisted social issues in order to manipulate the fanatical moral fibers of some people.  

But as we enter a new year, I really hope that more people will give thought to their long held belief systems and seriously consider if those self-destructive beliefs are serving the greater good or even the personal good.  Change is never easy.  But they have proven that those who more easily adapt to change…. do live longer.

It really must be the holiday season.  This week a miracle occurred.   The Pope and I actually agreed on something. 

I’ve never been much of a fan of the Catholic Church or any organized religion that suppresses women and teaches them that they’re subservient.   But this week I read an article about how Pope Francis is taking aim at the ideologically obsessed Christians.  He’s actually calling right-wing, fundamentalist Christianity an “illness.  I’ve certainly given my opinion on that topic.  In September, Pope Francis attacked “savage capitalism” and took up the plight of the unemployed against a system that worships money. Earlier that month, the Pope also criticized conservative Catholics for focusing so much on abortion, same-sex marriage, and contraception. And in July, Pope Francis put the brakes on hating gay people, saying that we shouldn’t judge or marginalize them. Clearly, Pope Francis isn’t fond of the extreme ideals of the Christian Right. He supports helping the poor. He believes in economic fairness. He denounces hatred of gay people. He thinks the war against abortion and birth control has gone too far. This was a huge revelation coming from the Catholic Pope.  And it got me thinking about all of the other amazing things that have happened this year, especially for women.  I mean if the Pope can actually say out loud that there is too much focus on abortion and contraception and agree with me that there is a serious bunch of whackos on the right, then anything is possible.  So I decided too look back over the year and find my attitude of gratitude, as a friend likes to say. 1.  I have heard the word feminist used much more this year than I have in recent years.   The definition of feminist means that you believe man and women are equal… pretty radical.   But somehow over time that word got hijacked into meaning that you are a man-hating hag who wants to castrate all males of the species. I’m pretty sure that was Rush Limbaugh’s definition.    Thankfully I’ve really been seeing it used in its true form…. A feminist being the radical notion that women are people.   Even Beyonce said. “I guess I am a modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality.”  "John Legend said, “All men should be feminists. If men care about women's rights the world will be a better place. We are better off when women are empowered — it leads to a better society."

2.  After one of her superiors threatened to fire her if she didn't slim down, Academy award winning actress Jennifer Lawrence was pretty angry. She told Harper's Bazaar UK that "If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet,' I’m like, 'You can go f**k yourself.'" This inspired young women across the country to do the same thing.  I’ve even heard several actresses objecting to having their images airbrushed.   I’m hoping that it’s a trend.

3. After the fatal, brutal gang rape of a student caused international uproar and mass protests, the Indian government took drastic action. On March 19, the parliament passed an anti-rape bill that doubled the punishment for rapists.  This set the stage for a global conversation about sexual assault and the persistence of rape culture across borders.

4.  I saw the most amazing commercial targeted towards little girls.  It was created by Goldiblox and it was so creative and empowering for girls that I had to watch it several times.  Instead of the usual pink and frilly and dolls and tea sets, it showed the ingenuity of little girls. Their website says,  “We believe there are a million girls out there who are engineers. They just might not know it yet. We think GoldieBlox can show them the way.” 

5. Wendy Davis.  Seriously do I need to say more than that name?  After Republicans tried to pass an anti-choice abortion bill that would shut down one-third of abortion clinics in Texas, Davis took it upon herself to filibuster the heck out of that law. Though the legislation ended up passing over the summer, it inspired Davis to run for governor and she’s vowed to reverse that bill the minute she gets into office. Not to mention that Rick Perry’s wife came out as Pro-Choice.   …. That was the cherry on the cake.

6. Gloria Steinem, The writer, feminist icon and co-founder of Ms. Magazine has been fighting for equality for more than four decades. Was awarded the “Presidential medal of freedom”, by President Obama.  This is the highest civilian award given.  She received her award in November at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. where she was the first woman to have ever spoken at the Club back in 1971 when the Press Club finally admitted women. When she accepted her medal, she said it "was a medal for the entire women’s movement."

7.  The Affordable Care Act… better known as Obamacare was a huge success for women this year.  Despite a bumpy roll out, which is pretty normal for any major program like that, this is a huge victory for women.  We will no longer pay more for insurance just because we are women.  Since we frequently do earn less income, this will provide health insurance for us and our families at affordable rates. Free preventative care, which includes birth control. Maternity care… you probably didn’t know that only 12% of the current plans on the individual market include that.  …. The Right wing wants to force women to give birth, but they don’t want insurance to cover the cost of that pregnancy and birth, or pay a woman equal wages to support that child or even allow birth control to prevent the pregnancy to start with. Sorry a core issue for me.  …. Getting back to the things I appreciate.

8.  The Senate has cleared the way for Janet Yellen to become the Chair of the Federal Reserve.  … this is huge.  We’re talking about overseeing the world’s economy. This is the first time in our nation’s history that a woman has ever held this high level position.

9. On July 12, Malala Yousafzai celebrated her 16th birthday by delivering her first speech since she survived a bullet to the head by the Taliban. Her words inspired millions around the world, especially after she made some enlightening feminist statements like, "We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back."  She was on Time Magazine’s list for ‘Top Person of the Year’ and she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize… which she should have won in my opinion. 

10.  California Woman 411.  Having the opportunity to do this show and meet some of the most inspiration al women around is such an amazing thing.  And I truly appreciate this station.  So many of the Progressive talk stations are under attack around the country.  I recently heard about the progressive talk station in Los Angeles being converted to a Sports station.  The Right Wing does seems to have a monopoly on talk radio and it’s pretty impressive that RR Broadcasting maintains their commitment to KPTR 1450 AM. 

This list isn’t inclusive of everything that should be mentioned and it’s not in any particular order.  Depending on the day or the mood each could be more relevant.  But I think that as this year draws to a close, it’s important to look at the achievements and the progress as we continue to call out the changes that need to be addressed.

We have to remember that "Feminist" is not a dirty word, contrary to what the misogynist on the right would have you believe.  If something isn't fair or isn't right, you don't have to keep quiet and act like a 'lady.' Speak up and say NO to things that you feel are wrong and you’d be surprised to find that you’re not alone. I am an optimist.  I believe the glass is half full and you have to look for the good.   But that does not mean denying what’s bad and doing what you need to do to fight for change.   We all have to find our attitude of gratitude list.

This week the  Republican-dominated Michigan state legislature pushed through a bill on requiring women to purchase separate insurance policies if they want to have an abortion. The law, which takes effect in early 2014, will also ban women from purchasing the policy after becoming pregnant under any circumstances, including rape and incest, causing opponents to refer to the policy as “rape insurance.”  So a woman would basically have to plan ahead if she was going to be raped and need an abortion.   But let's not make the mistake of placing abortions on a hierarchy of what is an acceptable need. (ie rape) and what is not (ie unplanned).  A woman has a legal right to a safe, affordable and accessible abortion under any circumstance.

This is just the latest in a very long line of legal, financial and geographical barriers that Republicans have constructed to prevent women from exercising their rights to safe and affordable reproductive choices.   It’s easy to become numb to the continuous erosion of your rights.  But unless your Ann Coulter, who seems to hate women as much as Rush Limbaugh, how can any woman really be accepting of  the misogynistic health risks that women are now being subjected to in this country? 

Since 2010 When the Republicans and their zealot cousins in the Tea Party flooded into state legislatures, as well as the US Congress, over 1100 laws have been proposed and or passed to restrict a woman’s right to abortion and birth control. These people are serious.  Do you think this has anything to do with protecting women’s health?  No.  The number one killer of women in this country of child baring age prior to Roe V Wade, was botched abortions.  These legislators, predominately male, have no regard for a women's health and safety.  Their primary concern is infusing their archaic religious dogma into our cultural norms.

Restricting women’s access to safe and legal abortions puts women’s lives in serious danger.

Every day, every hour there are events going on that impact our lives.  And we have to pay attention.  Something really dangerous has came into play these past few years.  The overwhelming and insidious intermingling of religion into our politics.   We have historically been very clear in our separation of church and state.  Even the Republican God, Ronald Reagan said, “We establish no religion in this country. We command no worship. We mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are and must remain separate.”  Article VI of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.  This is to ensure that we maintain our country as a democracy and not a theocracy. 

Theocracy is a form of government in which a religious deity or god, is officially recognized as the civil Ruler and official policy and laws are made based on the belief system in that deity. The word theocracy originates from the Greek  meaning "the rule of God".

We’re always told that ‘Religion and politics’ should not be discussed in ‘polite company’.  I’m probably a little too opinionated to ever be considered polite company.  We have a real problem in this country.  And we can’t dance around the GOP elephant in the living room. And it’s not the right wing zealots who are screaming about their freedom of religion while stripping us of ours.   it’s the rest of us who are cowering  when we’re accused of not being ‘religious enough’.  In the past few years, the Republicans and their Tea Party cousins, have taken their religion and shoved it down our throats and we continue to dance around the issue.  Are we afraid to piss off God… or Ted Cruz?

I remember exactly when I stopped believing in organized religion.  When I became educated and free thinking and looked beyond the dogma that I had been spoon fed.  I was in college and writing a paper on the women’s suffrage movement.  And as usual  I went off on a hundred other tangents in my research and really started learning about the history of women in the church.  In just about every religion women have been subjugated to roles that are basically chattel.  No voice, no self determination, deemed by the church to be the origin of the original sin and nothing more than seductresses who lead men astray.  Seriously.  This is women in the history of the church.  My mother immediately had a heart attack when I made the announcement that I could no longer believe in a religion that obviously hated me.

And it is that misogynistic tyranny that the right wing have brought in to politics in recent years. The Republicans in their efforts to turn the American Government into a Theocracy, have seized control of our consciousness and made us fear for our mortal souls if we rebel.  …. Very similar to what happened in the Dark Ages when progress stopped and society became embroiled in religious superstition and ruled by the church.  Moral standards weren’t any higher, they killed and tortured and stole and prevented any scientific knowledge from development. 

Their whole objection to marriage equality is that it is against their religious beliefs that marriage is between one man an one woman.  Marriage is a legal contract between two individuals.  It has nothing to do with religion…. Unless you make a choice to go off and have a church ceremony….  The state issues a marriage license and it is the state that recognizes that contract or dissolves that contract in the cases of divorce.  Historically women have again pretty much been used as chattel in marriage.  A woman would be given from the father to the husband in exchange for property or titles.  So this moral objection to marriage equality based on the sanctity of marriage is a new evolution.  There was no moral outrage when women were traded for property. 

The GOP is about forcing religious doctrine on to Americans and turning this country into a Theocracy instead of a democracy.  Women’s lives are endangered when they have restricted access to abortion and birth control.  Period.

The Christian right scream that their rights are being denied and trampled upon and yet have such callus disregard for the way they deny others their freedom.  That is a theocracy.   The great thing about being pro-choice is that you don’t have to believe in abortion, you just have to accept that America is a Democracy and not a Theocracy and that you don’t get to make that personal choice for every woman in America.

The Republican lawmakers do not have clear boundaries between the misogynistic fanatics like Rush Limbaugh or the fire and brimstone preacher on the pulpit.  They incorporate these twisted views into their politics and then pass laws that force the rest of America to live by their fanatical rules. They are working to incorporate this ‘mandate from god’ into our government.  Keep Jesus out of my Vagina as a friend of mine likes to say.  

 Why do women vote against their own self interest? I have heard so many times that the Republicans are the ‘fiscally’ responsible party.  How absurd is that?  Forbes magazine listed the top five worst Presidents for the economy… guess which party held 4 of the 5 spots?  Yep, the Republicans.  George W. Bush was number 1 worst president ever for our Economy and his daddy was number two, of course in all fairness Bush Sr did get stuck with Reagan’s mess.  Then they were followed on the list by Nixon, Eisenhower and then Truman.  Seems that the GOP fiscal policies of giving tax breaks to the rich and boosting income inequality for the rest of us, isn’t a very sound fiscal practice. 

Supporting abortion rights isn’t a moral sin that is going to damn you to hell for all time. And the owner of Hobby Lobby should not be allowed to dictate that his religious views outweigh every woman in America who have a right to access affordable birth control through their health insurance companies.  

As long as I live, I will never understand religious objections to birth control. That way of thinking is as misogynistic as it gets.  Deny a woman birth control so that you can control her sexual behaviors.  Not only sexist, but stupid and impractical.  I heard someone say once that if men got pregnant, birth control would be dispensed like Pez candy.

Complacency is Complicity.  We have allowed the religious zealots on the right to co-op religion.  It’s as if they are they only ones that know how to define it and any one who disagrees is a liberal moral degenerate.  We have to stop cowering under the attacks of these bullies.  And make no mistake that is exactly what has become the platform of the GOP.  Bully until you get what you want and scream that your religious freedom is being jeopardized while you trample the hell out of everyone else’s rights. The religious wackos aren’t going to change, but those of us in the center and to left of crazy, have to stop allowing ourselves to be intimidated. 

When I was 16 and getting my driver’s license,  my driving instructor purposely took me down a dead end street and I didn’t even realize it until I couldn’t go any further.  He told me that I couldn’t be a myopic driver and  that I had to pay attention to what was going on around me or I was going to keep finding myself on dead end streets.  We have to stop being myopic citizens in this country.  We have to look around and pay attention.  Women's rights will continue to be eroded until we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me -  that I love history.  I love to read about it and write about it.  I think that history gives us our foundation and insights to who we are as a nation. 

I have always had a special interest in World War II for some reason.  Maybe it’s a reincarnation thing and I lived another life during that era. What ever the reason, I was especially fascinated during the years that I lived in Germany and visited the landmark sites where so much of that war had occurred.

I usually like to end the show with information on women in history, but given what a historic day this is, I decided to switch things up and open  the show with women in history.  

December 7th  is Pearl Harbor Day. As President Roosevelt called it, “A day that would live in infamy”. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor Hawaii.  the attack started at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian Time.  90 minutes after the attack began, it was over.  And 2,386 Americans were dead and 1,139 had been wounded.   It was equivalent to 9/11.  Unexpected and devastating. 

Lt. Annie G. Fox  served as the chief nurse in the Army Nurse Corps at Hickam Field during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  
And she was the first woman in history to receive the Purple Heart for combat service for her role in coordinating treatment of the wounded that day.

It was the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II.

But there was also another woman who was at Pearl Harbor on that infamous day. A pilot by the name of Cornelia Fort. 

This is an excerpt from a magazine article that Cornelia wrote for “The Women’s Home Companion, July 1943 issue.”   It’s titled

"At the twilight's last gleaming"

Cornelia Fort's EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December, 7, 1941

"I Knew I was going to join the Women's Auxiliary

Ferry Squadron before the organization was a reality,

before it had a name, before it was anything but a radical

idea in the minds of a few men who believed that woman

could fly airplanes. But I never knew it so surely as I did

in Honolulu on December 7, 1941.

    At dawn that morning I drove from Waikiki to the

John Rogers Civilian airport right next to Pearl Harbor,

where I was a civilian pilot instructor. Shortly after

six-thirty I began landing and take-off practice with my

regular student. Coming in just before the last landing, I

looked casually around and saw a military plane coming

directly toward me.  I jerked the controls away from my

student and jammed the throttle wide open to pull above

the oncoming plane. He passed so close under us that our

celluloid windows rattled violently and I looked down to

see what kind of plane it was.

    The painted red balls on the tops of the wings shone

brightly in the sun.  I looked again with complete and

utter disbelief. Honolulu was familiar with the emblem of

the Rising Sun on passenger ships but not on airplanes.

    I looked quickly at Pearl Harbor and my spine tingled

when I saw billowing black smoke. Still I thought

hollowly it might be some kind of coincidence or

maneuvers, it might be, it must be. For surely, dear God .

. .

    Then I looked way up and saw the formations of silver

bombers riding in. Something detached itself from an

airplane and came glistening down. My eyes followed it

down, down and even with knowledge pounding in my

mind, my heart turned convulsively when the bomb

exploded in the middle of the harbor.

I knew the air was not the place for my little baby airplane and I set about

landing as quickly as ever I could.  A few seconds later a

shadow passed over me and simultaneously bullets

spattered all around me.

 Suddenly that little wedge of sky above Hickam Field

and Pearl Harbor was the busiest fullest piece of sky I

ever saw.

We counted anxiously as our little civilian planes came

flying home to roost. Two never came back. They were

washed ashore weeks later on the windward side of the

island, bullet-riddled. Not a pretty way for the brave little

yellow Cubs and their pilots to go down to death.

The rest of  December seventh has been described

by too many in too much detail for me to reiterate. I

remained on the island until three months later when I

returned by convoy to the United States. 

When I returned, the only way I could fly at all

was to instruct Civilian Pilot Training programs.  Weeks

passed.  Then, out of the blue, came a telegram from the

War Department announcing the organization of the

WAFS (Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron) and the

order to report within twenty-four hours if interested.  I

left at once.

Because there were and are so many disbelievers in

women pilots, especially in their place in the army,.

Officials wanted the best possible qualifications to go

with the first experimental group. All of us realized

what a spot we were on.  We had to deliver the goods or

else. Or else there wouldn't ever be another chance for

women pilots in any part of the service.

I have yet to have a feeling which approaches in

satisfaction that of having signed, sealed and delivered

an airplane for the United States Army. The attitude

that most nonflyers have about pilots is distressing and

often acutely embarrassing. They chatter about the

glamour of flying.  Well, any pilot can tell you how

glamorous it is. We get up in the cold dark in order to

get to the airport by daylight.

None of us can put into words why we fly. It is something

different for each of us. I can't say exactly

why I fly but I know why as I've never known anything in my life.

I know it in dignity and self-sufficiency and in the pride of skill. I know it in the satisfaction of usefulness.

I, for one, am profoundly grateful that my one talent, my

only knowledge, flying, happens to be of use to my country

when it is needed. That's all the luck I ever hope to have."

Cornelia Fort was Stationed at the 6th Ferrying Group base at Long Beach, California, and on March 21, 1943 she became the first woman in American history to die while serving on active military duty.  At the time of the her death, , Cornelia Fort was one of the most accomplished pilots of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

The footstone of her grave is inscribed, "Killed in the Service of Her Country."

She was 24 years old.

Her sister described her as "A great rebel of her time." – I’d call her a true American Hero! 

....  Dee Jae