News Update - PM Abe Denied WWII Forced Prostitution

We posted about the departure of Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, a while back but we just read that among the many other scandals of his time in office he denied Japan's role in forcing as many as 200,000 women in China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea and the Philippines, into prostitution for the Japanese military. These "Comfort Women" are widely recognized by historians and the Japanese government has apologized for the WWII practice in the past.

While the Japanese government apologized in 1993 for its role in trafficking women during the war, it has refused to provide government compensation to victims. In June, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution aimed at urging Japan to take responsibility in "a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces’ coercion of young women into sexual slavery."

This is big, folks. This is like if today the German president denied there was a Holocaust. "Comfort women" aren't just a rumor; their existence is an extremely well documented fact.

Like many things of this nature, it is believed he denied it because to this day the Japanese government has refused to pay these women - its victims - reparations. (The same thing is still kind of happening with the German government and the Romani or 'Gypsy' survivors of concentration camps from WWII.)

PS. The image above is from the Wikipedia article on the subject.

News - Southwest Airlines A Misogynistic Pig

We're totally considering boycotting Southwest Airlines after reading this article about a 23-year-old female passenger who was nearly removed from a flight for wearing what crew members of the airline considered a revealing outfit.

The college student was on a flight from San Diego to Tuscon when she was accosted by flight attendants and told that she needed to buy new less-revealing clothes before getting on a later flight. She had a doctor's appointment to make so she compromised by adjusting her clothing and covering herself with a blanket - and frankly, her outfit looked just fine. (See picture above.)

"She looks like every other college girl in San Diego," said her mother, Michele Ebbert. As a female San Diego college student ourself (we just graduated this June,) we completely agree.

We would also like to point out to Southwest that San Diego has been going through a record heat wave recently - one that has been deadly for some and has everyone in the city wearing as little as possible. We are seriously disturbed by the misogynistic implications of the decision made by Southwest and its employees both initially and its subsequent decision not to apologize to the woman.

We think she has an outstanding case for a lawsuit and at this point almost a moral obligation to fight back against the budget airline.

Important Article From NOW President

This article from NOW president, Kim Gandy, is almost a year old but we feel that it is the most important article we've ever read. It moved us start to finish and renewed both our vigor and our efforts to make the ethical and equal treatment of women the top priority in our moral and political lives.

Please take the few minutes required to read and digest it. Then think back to the news stories you hear about directly or indirectly, the injustices witnessed or experienced, and the mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, wives, girlfriends, and family members who have statistically and in all reality most likely been affected by one or more of these crimes, whether they've ever told anyone about it or not.

Both genders, please join us in showing support and respect for women as equals in capability and value, in both your words and conduct.

PS. In the August 20th edition of People, Nicole Weisensee Egan's article "Drawing Strength from Sorrow" showcased the parents of seven children who were high profile victims of violence. Six of them were girls. The parents have come together to form The Surviving Parents Coalition which will receive an upcoming post of its own.

PPS. We love how many supportive men are in the photo above! We <3 our fathers, brothers, sons, husbands, family members, friends, and boyfriends!

One Of Our Heroes - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: feminist, human rights activist, survivor, politician, writer, filmmaker -- what can't this woman do?

Ali, originally from Somalia, sought political asylum in the Netherlands after enduring a forced marriage, and FGM when she was just a child. An absolute genius, she became a successful author, a filmmaker and a politician in her adopted country, where she continues to speak about the plight of women in Muslim countries, Female Genital Mutilation, and freedom of speech.

We <3 her!!!! She makes us want to be a better person.