Michelle Malkin’s post on hate mail amused me yesterday. Hate mail laws must be universal.

I’ve said before that the right and left have crazy fringes that send hate mail, and I still believe that. As I told someone on Twitter last week, I’m desensitized to being called a Nazi/Brownshirt/fascist, but it should be noted that it isn’t a very accurate slur. The Nazis were the socialist party in Germany. Plus, there’s a 90% chance you won’t spell “fascist” right.

I fail to understand what motivates someone to send a profanity-laced email. Is that person angry? Can they not process their emotions? Don’t they realize that someone is going to be reading that email, and that someone is rarely the intended recipient? I’m starting to believe that folks who send profane emails are one step above Darwin Award winners. If you can’t deal with your emotions with a complete stranger, I can only imagine how horrible you are in real life.

The notes that bother me are the ones that wish violence or rape upon myself or family members. Malkin highlights the email that wishes her family would die in a car wreck. How can you hate someone that much? I immensely dislike the Climate Change Sex Poodle and Nancy Pelosi, but I would never wish them dead or their families dead. Someone on this planet has to love them. Why do some people struggle to grasp that concept?

Based on Malkin’s post and recent hate mail experiences I’ve had, if you must send someone an angry email, follow these rules:

1. Don’t send it from your work address.

It is way too easy to track you down. Plus, in the event of Malkin, your email may be published. If you’re the kind of trashy person who sends hateful email, I believe your name should be spread all over the web. I’m sometimes tempting to look up the company and forward that hate mail to the writer’s supervisor. I haven’t done it, but I’ve wanted to… Technically, anything that goes through the server of your company is their property, and writing hate mail from a professional account is likely a violation of a workplace policy.

2. Don’t include your name, address and phone number in the footer.

I can’t begin to recount how many hateful messages have included where he or she lives (or ironically a quote from the Dalai Lama.) If you send a threatening note, be aware that your address makes it that much easier for me to file a complaint with the police.

3. Use correct spelling.

Sad, but many people don’t understand this fundamental concept.

4. Understand that there are words in the English language that extend beyond profanity.

I’ve actually written someone back a note for sending a thoughtful attack email. This person took the time to articulate exactly why he or she didn’t like the project. You’ll get further with thoughtful debate than four-letter words.

5. Stop calling women derogatory slurs.

It seems like liberals, especially liberal women, would be the last ones to use words like c–t, yet most conservative females have been called that. What does it accomplish? It just shows that you are tacky and hypocritical.

Over the weekend, I was reminded that my friend and former colleague, Lindsay Souza, will be in Knoxville to organize a protest against Al Gore. Her note is below. If you are interested in attending, please contact Lindsay directly. Fortunately for the University, I’m throwing a wedding shower that day, so I can’t travel to Tennessee for graduation.

****************************************

Hello,

My name is Lindsay Souza and I am a Campus Services Coordinator with the Leadership Institute. I’m looking to get in touch with students at UT that are angry Al Gore will be speaking on their campus and are interested in putting a protest together. I plan on being on campus the week of graduation and would be more than willing to organize a meeting for everyone that is interested. Please contact me if you’re interested.

In Liberty,

Lindsay

lsouza@campusreform.org

I agree with Amanda Hess at The Sexist

Amanda Hess covers Hollaback DC, and I agree with her. She shares a negative experience of a police officer intimidating her from a car while she was running alone.Unfortunately, there are cops out there who use their positions of power to intimidate women. Normally, I disagree with Hess, but she’s right on this issue.

About a year after I graduated from college, a cop in Tennessee pulled me over for tailgating. Yes, tailgating. (I think I passed a car with less than one car-length in front of me.) I was driving back to my parents house for Good Friday, so I knew that I had not run a red light or failed to stop at a crosswalk. The cop took my name and information and gave me a written warning.

When I told my family, something bothered my Dad about it. He happened to know the officer in charge of all traffic cops  and asked his opinion.  The officer told my dad that pulling over young women for tailgating is a cover for stopping female drivers in order to check them out. Since I was driving a little Honda covered in sorority stickers, I was a prime target. My dad’s acquaintance was extremely upset that someone working for him would pull such a stunt and wanted me to complain. I debated reporting the offending cop’s badge number, but ultimately decided against it. If he was willing to use his position to intimidate women, what would he do in retaliation? It’s not a very big town.

As Hess notes, it might not seem like a big deal when a guy shouts out “Hey Baby!” on the street, but you never know where that guy will stop. Most women have had negative experiences with skeezy guys and are wary. If you’re enough of a jerk to shout at us from the street, how do we know you’re not going to do more?

However, an element of personal responsibility is required. We are adults. In Hess’ case, I would recommend not running alone. In a city like DC, every other person is a runner*. It’s not difficult to find a partner or join a gym. Women should also use common sense. It doesn’t matter if you feel empowered from holding up a Take Back the Night sign. Chances are, it’s not safe to walk around at 2 a.m. by yourself. There will always be bad people out there in the world (both male and female) and no well-intentioned law or protest walk can protect us enough. Ultimately, we must use good judgment and protect ourselves.

I sort of agree with Feministing

Sometime last week, my mom sent me a photo of Angelina Jolie’s daughter, Shiloh, with the commment, “You had that haircut as a little kid.” I replied, “Me and almost every other kid from the 80s.” It’s true. The bowl cut that little Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is sporting was immensely popular with the under-10 crowd during the 1980s.

Last night at the grocery store, I noticed Life & Style with the headline, “Is Angelina Turning Shiloh into a Boy?” and rolled my eyes. Immediately I thought, “Some gender blog is going to cover that tomorrow.” (If only I could monetize my gift for anticipating the reaction of feminists.) Feministing rarely fails to disappoint in expected liberal outrage.

The article is immensely stupid and attacks Angelina Jolie because she’s been cast into the “other woman” narrative since tabloids can’t move past the Brad Pitt/Jennifer Anniston break-up. (If Jolie broke up a marriage, she must be a bad mother!) The haircut is not masculine, nor is Shiloh dressed like a little boy. If anything, she’s displaying some serious prep for a three-year-old.

Feministing, of course, goes off on the other end.

First of all, the gendering of kids’ clothing for a three year old like Shiloh is utter bullshit. There is little to no difference between the body of a young girl and the body of a young boy–the norms we hold around clothing and hairstyles at that age are pretty much made up. There is little difference in kids’ bodies until puberty.

Well, actually that’s wrong. Gender differences are part of our DNA, and toddlers actually go through a pre-pubescence phase. Little boys’ minds are washed with testosterone, which makes them more aggressive, and little girls are washed with estrogen, which makes them more sensitive and observant.

According to The Female Brain by Dr. Louann Brizendine, babies and toddlers go through infantile puberty, which starts at about 18 months. It only lasts for 9 months for boys, but 24 months for girls. Brizendine writes:

During this time, the ovaries begin producing huge amounts of estrogen–comparable to the level of an adult female–that marinate the little girls’ brain. Scientists believe these infantile estrogen surges are needed to prompt the development of the ovaries and brain for reproductive purposes. but this high quanity of estrogen also stimulates the brain circuits that are rapidly becoming built. It spurs the growth and development of neurons, further enhancing the female brain circuits and centers for observation, communication, gut feelings, even tending and caring. Estrogen is priming these innate female brain circuits so that this little girl can master her skills in social nuance and promote her fertility. That’s why she was able to be so emotionally adept while still in diapers.

As much as the left doesn’t want to admit, there are strong arguments that gender is imprinted in our DNA and hormonal make-up. Some factors are socially constructed, but many are a result of our brain chemistry or are reactions triggered by brain chemistry. However, the Feministing post continues:

But what if Shiloh was exploring their gender identity? What if Shiloh wanted to be a boy, or wear “boy’s” clothes, or go by male pronouns? That of course, would be unacceptable, according to Life & Style magazine. It might even harm the child. Such a typical narrative around gender variance in the mainstream media.

While this cover is an extreme example, it’s indicative of larger norms that exist around gender. These norms are real, and alive, and affect us from the the moment we are a bump in our parent’s belly to the day we die.

Say what? Isn’t Shiloh three? What toddler is exploring gender-bending? Most three-year-olds are consumed by toys, naps and their families. According to the left’s beloved Maslow, they aren’t self-aware enough at the tender age of three to comprehend the concept of gender. It makes me wonder if the writer, Miriam, has ever encountered a three-year-old before.

So I agree with Feministing that Life & Style was stupid for mocking a little girl, but they went way too far into liberal psychobabble. But be careful. According to Miriam, if you are so inclined to not abort your in utero “bump,” you may be causing gender confusion if you invoke the “larger norms that exist around gender.”

*Someone once told me that you can judge the amount of type-A people in a geographic area by the number of runners. DC has to be in the top 3 for the U.S.

This past weekend kicked off the 2010 Wedding Season in which those of use in our twenties and early thirties spend at least one weekend per month from March to June and then September to October at some type of wedding activity for a friend or family member.

We have all participated in some odd wedding moments. The wedding I attended this past weekend was fun because the bride and groom are both artists. We made paper airplanes out of scrapbook paper to throw at the couple as they left the church, and they had an ice cream sundae bar in lieu of cake. Both of those were cool and unique.

This morning, a good friend of mine was discussing some wedding plans via gchat and shared a tradition that her fiance mentioned. At most weddings he has attended, the winner of the garter toss places the garter on the winner of the bouquet toss. Having only attended weddings in the South, this was a new one to me.

Intrigued, I posted the question on Twitter and got a few replies:

-I have seen that all too often..and it is…once it happened to be a brother and sister…

-Yep. Although I didn’t do it when I caught the garter at my brother’s wedding. The bouquet catcher was 8 years old.

-Yes-last Nov & the groomsmen were suppose to tell the guy how high to put the garter on the girls thigh. It was different.

As someone who finds the garter toss tacky, this is just well…creepy.

Hence, my Friday afternoon question: what strange wedding traditions have you seen?

The UT Board of Regents wants to award Former Vice President Al Gore an honorary doctorate. They’re voting on it it today. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel:

The proposal was approved by the UT Board of Trustees Academic Affairs and Student Success Committee, but the proposal will go before the full board for final approval this afternoon. Trustees are on the UT Martin campus for their winter board meeting.

As a donor to the UT system, I pledge to NEVER give my alma mater another dime if this happens.

If you are just as outraged as me, call the Chancellor’s office at 865-974-3265. Tell the administration and the Trustees that this is not acceptable. Also join the Facebook Page.

Why does UT want to recognize someone who is currently in the spotlight for pushing questionable science? Regardless of how you feel about Climate Change, should you give such a high honor to someone who is possibly a flake? Al Gore should not be honored by the University. It’s even more sketchy since he endowed the department chair of the degree he would be getting. Can anyone pay to play to get an honorary degree?

Look at the situation.

The now infamous hockey stick graph that he used in an Inconvenient Truth has been debunked.

The IPCC is distancing themselves from Climate Change science.

Senator Inhofe is threatening to haul Gore before the Senate for a hearing on Climate Change.

There are calls for Al Gore to return his Nobel Prize, which is one of the reasons the UT Trustees want to recognize him. Per the KNS article:

Board vice chairman Jim Murphy encouraged trustees not to view the honorary degree as an endorsement of Gore’s advocacy areas or political beliefs but as a way to recognize Gore as an accomplished Tennessean who has received national acclaim. By shying away from awarding honorary degrees to people who are deemed too controversial, “more people would be disqualified from receiving honorary degrees,” Murphy said.

“Not many Tennesseans have received the Nobel Prize – that alone distinguishes Al Gore from many other folks,” Murphy said. “The area of his current advocacy is an area UT and Oak Ridge National Lab have a significant area of expertise, and it’s an area we need to promote that area across the globe. Nothing will do that more than (presenting the honorary degree to Gore).”

This can only bring disgrace and ridicule to the University of Tennessee. Why recognize someone this controversial? The earned media isn’t worth the reputation and potential loss in donation dollars. This is a bad move.

As the Center for a Just Society noted, Al Gore has not been very prominent in answering the recent challenges to Climate Change credibility:

In the face of the embarrassing Climategate scandal and an unprecedented winter season that has for the first time ever delivered measurable snowfall to all 50 states, Al Gore’s absence from the public stage has been conspicuous.  Perhaps he’s taken a page from Punxsutawney Phil’s playbook and is hibernating in hopes of a sunnier forecast come April.

Why is the University doing this now? In a time when corporations and scientists are distancing themselves from climate change research, this only makes UT look foolish and will hurt them in the future. Students at Penn State have protested the actions of Professor Michael Mann. Why does UT want to willingly walk into this controversy?

Also at Instapundit and Post Politics.

For the remainder of the week, I’ll be camped out a CPAC 2010. It’s awesome to be back. The conference last year encouraged me to dive back into the blogosphere. After a number of years, I had just stopped blogging completely. CPAC 2009 motivated me to get back into the fight.

This year, I’m here for work. It’s nice to have access to more events and receptions. My magic lanyard gets me into nearly everything. I’m also having fun sitting at blogger row. It’s almost pointless to tweet since nearly everyone I follow is here.

CPAC 2010 morning audience

“The partisan nature of politics continues to appall me. I’m almost paralyzed by my inability to see things in black-and-white… I felt uncomfortable to be in that discussion. The weird thing is, when Darrell Hammond or Will Ferrell or Dana Carvey did an impersonation of a president, no one assumed it was personal, but because Sarah Palin and I are both women and people think women are meaner to each other, everyone assumed it was personal.

Granted the writer of Mean Girls is probably going to see this as personal, and I believe there may be some truth behind her view. As Fey notes in the article, SNL has a long history of satirizing politicians, and they are never flattering. Why the backlash when she played Palin?

It may have resulted from what she said last year at the Emmy’s:

“I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5,” she said. “So if anybody can help me be done playing this lady Nov. 5, that would be good for me.”

With that short statement, Fey went from satirizing the 2008 Election to inserting her personal opinion. Will Ferrall, Dana Carvey, Chevy Chase and Darrell Hammond mocked politicans, but they never made it personal. Fey crossed the line and made the impersonation appear mean-spirited. It was no longer lampooning a politician but was a political ploy to bring her down.

I like Tiny Fey. Mean Girls is a favorite movie (although Baby Momma was terrible), and I enjoy watching 30 Rock. However Fey lost a lot of respect the moment she publicly opposed Palin. That’s were the backlash started.

Aside from taking a tour of the country’s WalMarts, I’m not really sure what else Palin could do to court Middle America. Honestly, if Palin didn’t already have the hokey American vibe going, this would come across as pandering. Where this any other candidate, it would be. In the case of Palin, I get the impression that she will actually enjoy herself.

Is Palin’s strategy to distance herself from the political world and ingratiate herself into American culture? She’s on a tabloid and is a Fox News contributor. Next month, she’ll headline the controversial Tea Party Convention in Nashville. She’s doing a good job of keeping her name in news. (Although, I doubt liberals would allow that to happen. They are far too addicted to trashing her. I’m starting to believe she’s the outlet for repressed disappointment in Obama.)

Has any other potential presidential candidate taken that route? I’m drawing a blank. Is 2012 her endgame or is she content in creating a personality-driven empire more akin to Oprah?

There are so many nonprofits out there, who is legit? The White House directed everyone to the Red Cross, but again, I don’t trust them. Nor do I trust the Clinton Foundation. The Smoking Gun also questions the Wyclef Jean Foundation and their partner, Yele Haiti Foundation (of Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie fame). If you want to help with a financial contribution, please check out GuideStar first. GuideStar tracks nonprofit financial data and has guidelines for giving to Haitian relief programs.

I’ve worked for a number of nonprofits, and volunteered for even more. The problem with large nonprofits is the administrative costs. Salaries and equipment are expensive. The rule of thumb for the nonprofit world is to keep admin costs to under 10% of the budget. Some foundations require 6% in order to win grants. Having worked in fundraising, it’s hard to keep admin costs that low.

The other option is to donate to smaller nonprofits that are typically staffed by missionaries. I was struck by a Fox News interview with the Joy of Hope orphanage. Tabitha Hale also did an interview with the director.

What about the UN? Remember that the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the UN Foundation are all part of the United Nations. The World Food Programme has a long track record of corruption. This past summer, Save the Children UK released a study on child abuse among aid workers, and one of the countries cited was Haiti. A majority of the abusers came from UN programs. Please do not give money to UN programs!

InterAction has a listing of member organizations with outreach to Haiti. The Huffington Post also put together a Twitter list of NGO’s helping out.

Baptist Haiti Mission is also asking for donations, and a friend of mine did some work for the Haiti Foundation Against Poverty web site.

World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse are also respected faith-based organizations working in international aid.

Before you click on the donate button, please do a little research. If something seems off, donate to someone else. Trust your instincts. You want your dollars to go directly to the people as much as possible. Please be responsible with your giving.

FYI: There’s also a Haiti e-mail forward going around that Snopes has already debunked.

UPDATE: Two friends on Facebook directed to me to Convoy of Hope, which is where NCC will donate, and Heartline Ministries, which works with Haitian women.

While Worst Decade Ever sounds like a VH1 special with Michael Ian Black, I don’t think it was that terrible. America faced a number of challenges, and only time will tell if we made the right decisions.

This decade, which I never quite figured out what to call, had a lot of terrible things happen, but positives did emerge. I think that historians will define the Industrial Revolution ending and the Technological/Information Revolution beginning at some point.

The 2000s were the decade in which I became an adult and went through all of the proverbial twentysomething experiences. In 2000, I graduated from high school, moved away to college and voted in my first presidential election. 2000 could be seen as an omen for a decade of divisive politics. I’ll always remember the cheer that erupted at the Knox County GOP party when Al Gore lost his home state. I’m still proud of that vote.

Technology and terrorism are the two takeaways of this decade. In 2000, I was shocked to fill up my 1 gig Gateway computer with songs downloaded from Napster. Those were the days when file-sharing was still murky. I would sit in class, writing playlists in the margin of my notes, and go back to the T1 line in my dorm room to download anything I wanted. Now, I have a $10 USB drive that has twice the memory of that computer and is the size of a band aid. It also cost a fraction of the Gateway desktop. Are Gateways even around anymore?

I never thought that I’d buy my last CD in 2005 with Coldplay’s XY? Who anticipated that we’d need iPods with hundreds of gigs in order to carry around every song ever recorded? I wonder if 20 years from now the Surgeon General will release a report detailing how headphones are causing generations to prematurely lose their hearing. It can’t be healthy.

When I got my first cell phone in 1999, I never thought that it could one day double as a computer. My Sprint Quaalcom was only analog and had a battery life of 3 hours. I kept it off and only used it for emergencies since I had about 1 hour of minutes per month. It was huge and would never die. Since it could also double as a self-defense weapon, I named it Mr. Clunky.

Social media wasn’t even a concept, and only a few nerds were blogging. Crazy to think that the technologies that have changed our society weren’t around ten years ago. My career field didn’t even exist when I graduated from college in 2004 and was just emerging when I got my master’s in 2007. When I wrote my thesis on social media there weren’t any academic texts to use. My adviser looked at me and said, “You’re on your own here.”

It’s been 10 years of huge changes in culture, society, economic and technology. A new generation entered the workforce, and 9/11 forever changed our way of life. Yes, it was a decade of challenges, but I’m hopeful that we can face those as a nation and be better for it.