23 Comments
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

I’m the father of two very successful and liberally-minded 40-ish year old mothers, and I’ve always been an advocate for strong, independent women. The world would likely be a much better place if (mostly) women ran things. I could add plenty to the list of DEI males (can we just say, “Idiots?”), but rather, how about a list of the world’s most awful women? Yes, of COURSE it’s a short list: That’s the whole point. The contrast is rather stark. I would start with Condi Rice as one of the pivotal instigators of the disastrous Iraq war. One could argue that Margaret Thatcher was rather brutal in some ways, but at least she’s not responsible for the deaths of a half-million Iraqis (and thousands of Americans) like Condi, W, Cheney, Rummy, Wolfowitz, Feith, etc. Phyllis Shlafly also comes to mind as a hugely influential woman on the negative side of social progress, being perhaps singly responsible for the Equal Rights Amendment getting shit-canned decades ago. Imelda Marcos. Maybe Marie Antoinette. But in the grand scheme of things, they’re all at the 1% level compared to men in the great pantheon of human misery. Comments welcome.

Expand full comment
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

Let’s not forget Nixon and Kissinger. Hell, let’s add every man in leadership since the beginning of time. The world — an unbelievable shit-show, we all live in was created by and for men.

May I suggest a better list? Warrior women throughout history. I’ll start with the YPJ. The Kurdish Women fighters who ended ISIS.

Expand full comment
Jul 18Liked by Nina Burleigh

If I remember rightly, the Secret Service got into some trouble a few years ago because they were drinking heavily and cavorting with prostitutes during international travels. I believe the agents involved were . . .how does one say it? Male?

Expand full comment

I had seen Christopher Russo's ridiculous smear of the female Secret Service agents who were allegedly responsible for what he strongly implied was a "botched" attempt to protect Trump's misspent and odious life. Here is my response to him:

*If blame is to be assigned to any single contributor to Trump's vulnerability during the security breach, that blame should be assigned to the stubbornness, vanity, histrionics and megalomania of Trump himself.*

Trump chose the venue. Trump has repeatedly thwarted any legislation or even discussion of the need for regulation of firearms in this country. Trump has consistently pushed back on the notion that "his people" could wish to harm him. AND TRUMP LITERALLY FOUGHT WITH THE AGENTS WHO STRUGGLED TO PROTECT HIM AT THEIR OWN PERIL IN ORDER TO HAM IT UP FOR HIS AUDIENCE AND THE CAMERAS.

Blaming the women agents for being smaller than their charge, for being forced to struggle to protect that addled man as he performed his "defiance" show for the cameras and his adoring rally goers, is like blaming the victim of rape for having invited her attacker's lust.

In short, blaming the female Secret Service agents is utterly predictable.

Expand full comment

… and utterly reprehensible

Expand full comment
Jul 18Liked by Nina Burleigh

One postscript to your comments on the value of women working in institutions: the major whistleblowers in both the Enron and Worldcom frauds were women. Another reason to endorse DEI.

Expand full comment
author

Extremely important postscript! Should be a part 2. Thanksyou.

Expand full comment
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

GWBush pulled the Secret Service into the new Department of Homeland Security and cut its budget. Standards for the SS were lowered. And now these most manly of men are about to haul the female Secret Service head before Congress and give her Hell. I don’t know anything about her other than their attitudes which include, “If it’s female, it’s obviously incompetent.”

Expand full comment
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

My mother often used the term educated idiots.

Expand full comment
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

Oh, please don’t leave out “W” Bush and Dick Cheney’s “Weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION! Or Ronald Reagan’s Iran Contra Affair!

Expand full comment

To them we re all witches they forgot to burn.

Expand full comment
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

Nice work with the list of male fuck-ups.

Expand full comment

Yep. The Radical Right knows that if they fail at completely subjugating women, their dreams of the ultimate patriarchy will surely fail. Women and our democracy-loving men need to stand up BIG for women’s rights now.

Expand full comment
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

Thank you Nina!

Exxon-Valdez Spill

2nd Iraq War:,’W’ Bush

Dick Cheney hunting trip shooting a male friend in the face.

Bay of Pigs:,JFK took responsibility

‘The Big Lie:,TFG himself.

TFG victim of own rhetoric.

Bought the new book!

Can’t wait!: What email to use?

Expand full comment

Right on and write on!

Expand full comment

No, there is nothing.

Expand full comment
Jul 17Liked by Nina Burleigh

1) I thought that the client, e.g. TFG, could veto agents. But he didn't veto this woman. 2) So all SS agents should be male, probably white, Christian, straight, a certain height and build, and just LOOK like SS agents, and wear cultural blinders that they are unaware of.

Expand full comment

Yes.

Failing to say, "Ohhhhhhh....Donald, you're the greatest!"

Expand full comment