My very jaundiced opinion of the loathsome twosome, the former governor & Mrs., @ the Star Ledger’s NJ Voices. Even the judge was disgusted.
Nojoud talks to CNN
Brave little Nojoud Muhammed Nasser talked to CNN about her divorce.
And the husband was not prosecuted for this? Under Islamic Sharia law she had to pay him $200 to compensate him for the loss of his bride.
You can watch the interview here.
Message to Jeremy: Divorce Leslie
Larwyn sent this link, by TigerHawk: Message to Rupert: Marry Rachel now
If Rupert does not propose to Rachel right now, he’s an idiot*.
TigerHawk is referring to Rachel Lucas’s post, Her husband is a lucky man, who was reading Dr. Helen and came across this article:
Chores for two: Why men don’t pitch in
Leslie Bennetts explores the role men play in housework and childrearing.
To say that Leslie Bennetts is a bitch would be an understatement. The underlying contempt and lack of respect this woman holds against her second husband is spelled out for all to see. Read
Yes, dear readers, it’s true: Maintaining some semblance of parity in your marriage requires you to deploy the same kinds of nasty tactics you swore you would never stoop to as a parent but nonetheless found yourself using the minute you actually had a kid. Bribery and punishment work; so do yelling and complaining. Threats are also effective, as long as everyone knows you mean business. With husbands, tender blandishments and nooky are particularly useful, as is the withholding of the aforementioned.
Bennetts goes on,
So why aren’t women demanding something closer to parity? While many are resigned to seething in silence, the stakes are far higher than they seem to realize. When wives permit their husbands to shirk a fair share of the homemaking and parenting, not only do they themselves suffer, but chances are good that they’re also sentencing their children to a similar fate. When you have kids, everything you do teaches them how to live their own lives when they grow up. Unfortunately, all too many women are still teaching their children that “woman is the nigger of the world,” as John Lennon and Yoko Ono put it so memorably in a song lyric years ago.
Oh, yeah, John and Yoko. Didn’t they also say,
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
Maybe if Leslie gave up all her posessions she’d have no housework chores. Or, if her work is so valuable that her pay justifies her agony, why not hire a cleaning service to come once or twice a week and clean the house?
But I digress. Bennetts goes on:
And what too many fathers teach their sons and daughters is that men can get away with dumping the scut work on their wives, and that women will grit their teeth and put up with it.
Dr Helen’s advice is sensible:
I have some advice for your long suffering husband, Jeremy. Next time you need something fixed around the house, your wife needs help lifting something, or you need a blowjob, resort to yelling and complaining. Threats are also effective, as long as she knows you mean business. Huff and puff and complain to all of your friends about her inadequacies and let the world know what a loser she is. Then crow about your newfound equality. Finally, call yourself a hero and write a lousy piece for Men’s Health or some other men’s magazine about your loser of a wife and see how your married life takes off after that. For deep down, even if Jeremy won’t admit it, my guess is, just like the women mentioned in the article, he is seething inside. It’s no wonder he won’t scrub toilets for this woman.
Francis Porretto, commenting at Dr Helen’s, said,
Leslie Bennetts has undertaken the gender-war feminists’ practice of “defining oppression down.” She’s not the first, nor is her response to “oppression” original, but she does appear to be the anchor woman on the “nasty” end of the curve.
I wonder if the idea of hiring someone to do the heavy cleaning has occurred to her. Or might that be a red herring? Might her problem simply be a need to exercise power over her husband — the sort of domineering that causes men to leave their wives, thinking “solitude in celibacy would be better than this” –?
My advice is rather more drastic:
I have stated before in this blog that I believe that couples with underage children should not divorce except in cases of abuse (infidelity can be a form of abuse, by the way). The Bennetts article is abuse, simply put by an abusive woman against her husband, in a public venue for all to see.
Jeremy, get a divorce and hire a cleaning service.
And regain some peace in your life.
(and don’t register at Perfect Match, which sponsored the article!)
UPDATE
The Anchoress: My husband is a gem, a jewel!
I suspect that when The Vagina Monologues comes to town this deeply victimized woman clamors to audition as the Special Guest Vagina: the one made of steel wool that shreds the penis and then toot-toots like a claxon horn in Rome.
Eight year old seeks divorce in Yemen
From Armies of Liberation and Jawa, Eight Year Old Seeks Divorce in Yemen
Yemen is ranked number one in the world in gender inequality. One study found that rural women work 17 hours a day on average. Domestic abuse is not considered a crime nor is it socially unacceptable. Women are required by law to submit to their husband’s sexual demands-ie, there is no such thing as marital rape in Yemen. Rape is a largely under-reported crime because social mores blame the victim.
Bear this in mind when you read about this courageous little girl:
For the first time in Yemen 8-year-old girl asks for divorce in court
Nojoud Muhammed Nasser arrived at court by herself on Wednesday, April 2, looking for a judge to handle her case against her father, Muhammed Nasser, who forced her two months ago to marry Faez Ali Thamer, a man 22 years her senior. The child also asked for a divorce, accusing her husband of sexual and domestic abuse.
According to Yemeni law, Nojoud cannot prosecute, as she is underage. However, court judge Muhammed Al-Qathi heard her complaint and subsequently ordered the arrests of both her father and husband.
…
Nasser’s uncle, who does not want to reveal his name, is following the case now as her guardian. According to her uncle, after Muhammed Nasser, the girl’s father, lost his job as a garbage truck driver in Hajjah, he became a beggar, and soon after suffered from mental problems.Thamer is in jail now. “Yes I was intimate with her, but I have done nothing wrong, as she is my wife and I have the right and no one can stop me,” he said. “But if the judge or other people insist that I divorce her, I will do it, it’s ok.”
So far, no accusations have been made against her father, who was later released due to health problems, or Nasser’s husband, who will remain in jail for further investigation.
“So far there is no case and no charges, as Nojoud arrived by herself to court asking just for a divorce,” said Shatha Ali Nasser, a lawyer in the Supreme Court who is following Nojoud Nasser’s story.
…
Nasser confirmed that Nojoud Nasser’s case is not the first of its kind in Yemen, but it is the first time that a girl went to court by herself to ask for a divorce.
Related:
At Dhimmi Watch, Iraqi Islamic scholar: Muhammad consummated his marriage with Aisha when she was nine, and there is no minimum age for marriage in Islamic law
Digg! src=”http://digg.com/img/badges/80×15-digg-badge.gif” width=80>
Did Sarko marry Carla?
A (French) friend sent me this: L’Est Republicain newspaper says Nicolas Sarkozy et Carla Bruni se seraient mariés jeudi à l’Elysée Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni married in secred Thursday at the Elysee (the president’s residence)
This is his third marriage and her first.
The story in English at AFP will save you the translation: French newspaper says Sarkozy may have married Bruni
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is believed to have married former Italian supermodel Carla Bruni at a small private ceremony held at the Elysee palace last week, a French newspaper reported Monday.
In a report posted on its website, L’Est Republicain newspaper quoted an unnamed “source close to a witness who attended the ceremony” as saying that it was a “small, very private” affair held at the presidential palace on Thursday.
Presidential spokesman David Martinon declined to comment on the report.
Sarkozy, 52, told a news conference last week that his relationship with 40-year-old Bruni was “serious” and suggested he planned to marry the former supermodel and pop singer.
“There is a strong chance that you will learn about it once it’s already been done,” the president said.
The Journal du Dimanche reported earlier that the couple would marry around February 9.
Rumours about an imminent marriage have been flying since last week and a Paris city hall office in the chic 16th district was besieged by journalists on Thursday who had received a tip-off that the couple were getting married there.
L’Est Republicain journalist Laid Sammari, who wrote the article, told AFP the newspaper had “good reason” to decide to run the story, but added that he was being cautious “because I did not personally attend the ceremony.”
Sarkozy on Monday visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar as part of a tour of Gulf countries and was to head to Dubai on Tuesday.
An AFP journalist traveling with the president said he was not wearing a wedding ring on Monday.
In October, Sarkozy became the first French president to divorce while in office when he ended his stormy 11-year marriage to Cecilia Ciganer-Albaniz, with whom he has a 10-year-old son, Louis.
He also has two sons, Pierre, 22, and Jean, 21, from a previous marriage to Marie-Dominique Culioli.
Born into a wealthy Turin tyre-manufacturing family, Bruni has a six-year-old son with the philosopher Raphael Enthoven, but she has never married.
Bruni’s previous affairs with such rock stars as Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton have made tabloid headlines and she was quoted in a French magazine last year as saying “Monogamy bores me terribly”.
After visiting Egypt and Jordan with Sarkozy last month, she may accompany Sarkozy on a state visit to India later this month.
The latest rumours about the marriage drew criticism from opposition Socialists that Sarkozy was putting too much of his private life on public display.
Sarkozy’s rival in the presidential election, Segolene Royal, charged that the president “has decided to turn events in his private life into public events, like Louis XIV.”
“It’s a bit like the monarchy, where an event in the king’s private life become a political event,” Royal told French radio.
Sarkozy’s second wife Cecilia lost a bid in court last week to block the release of a book in which she is quoted as described the president as a womaniser and uncaring father.
The book “Cecilia” by journalist Anna Bitton has become a best-seller in French bookstores.
With Sarko’s two prior divorces and his reputation as a ladie’s man, and her prior history of being “the other woman” who came between Jerri and Mick, and Donald and Marla, this is going to be tabloid heaven a la francaise.
Happy Feast of the Epiphany Day!
Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany. People of Spanish ancestry call it El dia de Reyes (Three King’s Day), and when I was a little kid in Puerto Rico we used to get presents on Christmas Day and on Three King’s Day, which was a pretty good deal. My son gets presents on both days, too.
The English used to celebrate the Epiphany. Shakespeare himself wrote Twelfth Night for Queen Elizabeth’s celebration. Jane Austen wrote about going to dances on the evening. It wasn’t until late Victorian times that the emphasis shifted to Christmas.
Considering how retailers start the Christmas merchandising season in October, I’m rather surprised that they don’t extend it until January 6. However, standard accounting practices require a year’s end inventory, so we can get to purchase our Three King’s Day gifts on sale, rather than at regular price.
Thank goodness for that.
I went to Banana Republic yesterday to check out the sales (but not because of Three King’s Day). BR is one of the few stores whose regular sizes fit me without alterations (except for the slacks). Most other stores’ sizes are made for women three or four inches shorter than I. Shirts sleeves are too short, and torso lengths are way too high, but most of BR’s are the right proportion. However, even at Banana Republic the slacks are too short, so I usually try their regular size at the store and order the tall size on line. Yesterday I also brought along my son (who hates shopping, of course) to see if they had jeans on sale in his size (they didn’t have any men’s jeans on sale).
While my son wore an expression of tired resignation, I found this shirt on sale for $15 (on line it’s $30) in red, and a jacket. The shirt fits perfectly right off the rack, and so does the jacket.
I’m wearing them today to celebrate Three Kings’ Day.
Happy Three King’s Day to all of you!
UPDATE
Francis Porretto writes about Zoroastrianism, and the Feast of the Epiphany,
The Magi of the Incarnation story were three esteemed nobles of Persia, wealthy in gold, wisdom, and the admiration of their societies. In contrast to the pattern prevalent among the nobilities of later times, these three, whose names have come down to us as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, were deeply religious men whose involvement in the investigation of the Zoroastrian prophecies was sincere. When they spied the famous “star in the east” — quite possibly a nova in Draco now known to have occurred at about that time — they resolved to follow its trail, to find the divine infant and pay him homage.
A month ago I mentioned that I strongly believe that if a married couple has children under the age of 18, I am against divorce except in cases of abuse.
Considering the high number of divorces nowadays, I expected to receive feedback from people who thought the opposite – that children are better off with divorced parents.
That was not the case at all.
I received a dozen or so emails from people who agree with me. I’ve been corresponding with several of them, and, while I won’t publish their emails, their feeling is that grownups who can remain civilized to each other in non-abusive marriages for the sake of the children are doing the right thing. Once the children are adults then most of my correspondents (except for one who doesn’t believe in divorce at all) see no reason not to divorce.
This week’s Wall Street Journal’s 5-best books are on marriage, selected by Edward Mendelson:
I concur with their opinion of The Prime Minister,
The fifth and best of Anthony Trollope’s six “Palliser” novels is also his subtlest portrait of a marriage. Plantagenet Palliser and his wife, Lady Glencora, who have recently become the Duke and Duchess of Omnium, never resolve the conflict between her unscrupulous ambition and his belief that their marriage so thoroughly unites them that her actions are also his own, even if he disapproves of them. Without making any final judgments, Trollope explores the ways in which a marriage is not just a relation between two persons but also a relation between the married couple and the world around them.
Trollope is a superb author, and this is one of his best.
Twenty-five years ago Alan Bates starred in an adaptation of The Return of the Soldier. As always, he was wonderful.
After all the holiday excitement, it’s time for a sporty pair of shoes: The Privo Women’s Oso Skimmer in gold.
Not only is it Three King’s Day, it’s also time for Pat’s Carnival of the Insanities.
Push presents? Plweeez!
The latest in golddigger demands? A push present:
A Bundle of Joy Isn’t Enough?
This bonus goes by various names. Some call it the “baby mama gift.” Others refer to it as the “baby bauble.’ But it’s most popularly known as the “push present.”
That’s “push” as in, “I the mother, having been through the wringer and pushed out this blessed event, hereby claim my reward.” Or “push” as in, “I’ve delivered something special and now I’m pushing you, my husband/boyfriend, to follow suit.”
How very mercenary.
I’m not alone in thinking this is mercenary:
The popularity of push presents has generated a backlash among some couples, who decry the implicit materialism.
“This isn’t the time to give a $200 piece of jewelry,” said Rhonda Grote, president of ThinkThoughtful.com, an online gift consulting company in Bradenton, Fla. “I do not think that because a woman has had a baby she requires a Tiffany & Company item. She requires help, love and emotional support.”
Ms. Grote suggested that new fathers should instead consider performing domestic chores, hiring a cleaning service, or otherwise provide extra assistance for the new mother.
For the record, when our son was born The Husband showed up with flowers at the hospital, and helped around the house once we were home. I also hired a cleaning lady.
I do not exaggerate when I say the most wonderful gift of all is our son.
Update
There are better ways to keep mama happy.
“Indeed“.
Update, Sunday 9 December:
Welcome, Instapundit readers! If you have a chance, don’t miss this week’s podcast on marriage, childbirth, sex and relationships.
From the religion of AGW: Divorce Found to Harm The Environment
The Catholic Church does not allow divorce (it allows annulment), and there might be other religions out there who also don’t. Now the church of Globally Warmed Saints has decreed that people should not divorce… because it’s bad for the environment:
Divorce Found to Harm The Environment With Higher Energy, Water Use
Divorce is not just a family matter. It exacts a serious toll on the environment by boosting the energy and water consumption of those who used to live together, according to a study by two Michigan State University researchers.
The analysis found that cohabiting couples and families around the globe use resources more efficiently than households that have split up. The researchers calculated that in 2005, divorced American households used between 42 and 61 percent more resources per person than before they separated, spending 46 percent more per person on electricity and 56 percent more on water.
Their paper, published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also found that if the divorced couples had stayed together in 2005, the United States would have saved 73 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water in that year alone.
Mind you, if a married couple has children under the age of 18, I am against divorce except in cases of abuse.
Once the children are adults, if the couple wants to part ways, for whatever the reason, I have no problem with that. However, I have seen time and time again the harm done to children by their parents’ divorce and by now I am convinced that staying together “for the sake of the children” is worth it.
In cases of abuse, however, it is best that the couple divorce, the earlier the better.
Under most circumstances, divorce is a tremendously painful and traumatic experience. Anyone contemplating it surely has more problems than worrying that they’d be using too much water and electricity if they go through with it.