I promised that we would not let this story drop, so we are following up on it here: Marina Ovsyannikova. The 43-year-old Russian TV editor had held up a poster for six seconds on “Vremya,” the main news program on Russian state television, while live and on air, and had become an icon for freedom of speech, women, and the press overnight. Those six seconds would change her life forever. Lilienström spoke with Ovsyannikova about what motivated her to take such a courageous move with concrete repercussions, the moments that followed, and how her family reacted....
So we just had Mother's Day--fitting, because last Tuesday the United States Supreme Court ruled that every American woman must become a mother. The forced pregnancy ruling that was leaked from the United States Supreme Court, written by Justice Samuel Alito, is on one hand not at all surprising, in that we were expecting it, but on the other hand is an utter astonishment, because of its complete gall, an audacity, an atrocity. I and others, far more learned in law, have already and will in future make clear why the haphazard, erroneous reasoning cited by Alito in his draft is egregiously wrong, biased, myopic, and in brazen contradiction to the Constitution and to jurisprudence itself. Which is not to even begin mentioning the death-knell effect this ruling will try to ring on American women—more than half the population of the country—or blatant ignoring of the fact that over 54...
They say one person can't make a difference. Well, let me set the stage for a singular act. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation--former KGB espionage network officer, and for the past 22 years leader of his country, now an autocracy--is tightening the noose. Many Americans were surprised to think so much “Americana” was all over Russia, particularly the cities: from CNN to MacDonald's, from Ford and Adidas to Coca Cola and rappers. Never underestimate the power of American culture, energy, and capitalism! Of course they're all over Russia, and have been, in increasing presence for years, even if, as they withdraw under sanctions against that country, some Americans are only now learning they were there in the first place. But Americans were aware that there seemed to be an uneasy peace with the former Soviet Union—no cuddly warmth, mind you, but at least an end to the Cold...
Before we look at the gender dimensions behind the ghastly situation in Ukraine, there are some other news stories that demand notice, even if only in passing. Rising gas prices and the burden to the environment, for one. Florida's “Don't Say Gay” bill, for another, now passed into law. It bans teaching that same-sex lovers are human beings to children who are not “age appropriate”—not that such teaching is done in Florida schools anyway. COVID deaths worldwide reached 6 million. The Amazon rainforest hurtled toward irreversible change. And a happy after-the-fact International Women's Day to you. Am I not your cheerful blogger? But oh, how I do like to at least try to look on the bright side of things. And three news items come to the fore immediately, although the third has taken more than a century to crawl there. First item: a jury found Guy Reffitt guilty of obstruction...
The important thing to remember is that by the time these words land in your brain, everything will have changed. Things are moving so fast that I won't keep repeating the phrase “as of now,” but please just factor it in. To start, if you're wondering what you can do to help an embattled Ukraine, let me right at the top here add to the list of organizations you may already have compiled. Here are two more, but important ones. The Kyiv Independent was envisioned and launched by former staffers of the Kyiv Post, a well-respected Ukrainian newspaper whose owner shuttered its doors and fired the entire team only three months ago, in a move considered to be retaliation for editorial independence. Now, relying almost solely on support from readership and donors, The Kyiv Independent faces continued financial challenges as its journalists work to provide the world...
