it’s not about you

via the New York Times. The article is titled, “A Small Charity Takes Lead in Fighting a Disease.” The first few grafs:

“The drug that could have cured Munia Devi through a series of cheap injections was identified decades ago but then died in the research pipeline because there was no profit in it.

If approval is granted as expected this fall, it will be the first time a charity has succeeded in ushering a drug to market.”

via the Washington Post.

“A government advisory committee agreed a month ago to recommend the vaccine for girls ages 11 and 12, for girls and women ages 13 to 26 who have not yet received the vaccine, and for women who have had abnormal pap smears, genital warts or certain other conditions.

Bradley Monk, associate professor in gynecologic oncology at the University of California at Irvine, said the best use of the vaccine would include giving it to girls and boys and all women and men, regardless of individual risk factors.”

I had originally wanted to post about this new vaccine a LONG time ago, but never did, mostly because it had me so up in arms and angry that i couldn’t post anything coherent. It is being touted as a cervical cancer vaccine, which is simply overstated misinformation. It is only being pushed for women, which drives me crazy.

Basically, a vaccine has been developed that has been shown to be effective in combating one strain of HPV. As in, there are more than one strain. HPV is considered responsible for about half of cervical cancer cases. The drug company, and the media, has made the jump that this is a cancer vaccine, and it will even appear in headlines as so (though not in the headline for THIS article, which makes me very happy). So, the effects of the vaccine have been blown completely out of proportion.

That’s the first part that pisses me off. The second is this - up until reading this article, it has been suggested that this vaccine only be given to women and girls.

OKAY.

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. That is how you get it. By having sex. Singling out the female half of the population for a vaccine that is spread by both sexes is completely discriminatory - I don’t care if the reasoning sounds altruistic because it could prevent cancer if the strain of HPV you get is the single one this vaccine combats. That is just wrong. This places all the sexual responsibility of the disease solely on the shoulders of women, and not both women and men. Is essence, to recommend the vaccine to only women tells men and boys that they are not responsible for their sexual behavior and lets them off the hook.

It is women, not men, to whom annual genital exams are recommended as early as 15 years of age. It is women, not men, who shoulder the responsibility of pregnancy, the choices involved in that, childbirth, and care of children, when sex produces life unexpectedly. It is predominately women, not men (although it does exist, I am aware of that), who are more likely to be sexually harrassed, objectified, oversexualized as a gender, raped, and human trafficked. It is women who are called whores and sluts for having sex while men are called studs.

I am so tired of the responsibility and the stigma of of sex falling mostly on the shoulders of women.

There’s a magazine, called Babytalk, that’s been in the news lately for having on its cover a close-up picture of a baby nursing at the breast. Joshua and I saw a news story on this last week. Apparently, I have no idea why, but this has caused an uproar. One woman was quoted as saying she threw the magazine away and shredded the cover because she didn’t want her 13-year-old son exposed to a a sexual object in such an overt way.

WHAT?

Yes, breasts can be sexual objects. I know. I have a husband. But that is not their only function. Breasts are a source of food, nourishment and comfort for human babies. That is ALSO their function. Now I’m not an advocate of walking through the city topless, just because I’m a nursing mom. I nurse in public, and I attempt to do so as discreetly as possible. But I also know my rights and I will not be bullied about because someone doesn’t like it. i have actually never had a problem with it, to be honest - never had one person say something negative to me while nursing.

What bothers me is that the quote by the women revealed so much - it shows that she sees her body as a sexual object, and that the only way to view the breast is as a sexual object, and she is passing that along to her son. There was no opportunity for discussion about it with her son, no chance for learning, just further stigmatization and stereotyping being passed from one generation to the next.

i should really stop. I’m supposed to be keeping my blood pressure in check…

***update***
I don’t know how to do this without sacrificing the integrity of the message I was trying to get across with the original post, because I still believe in and stand by the issues I brought up. Having said that, it HAS been brought to my attention that I have some facts wrong. The way it was brought to my attention was done rather rudely, and while my initial inclination is to simply ignore it due to that alone, I’m not out to promote lies or “untruthiness” about this vaccine. So in an effort to get the facts straight, I am posting this link to a news article with some information about the vaccine that contradicts some of the things i said about it earlier.

It would be nice if I had the time to delve into it further right now. But I don’t. I’m sorry if that disappoints. And again, the main issues I (and some others) raised are still the same regardless of whether every fact and detail is ironed out on here. So if it bothers you that I’m not 100 percent correct, well, I’ll just have to be sorry for now. If you really care that much about this, there are a lot of resources and opinions out there. I suggest you start with googling it.

via the New York Times.

“Though Congo’s civil war supposedly ended four years ago, and the nation’s first democratic elections in more than four decades are scheduled for Sunday, the fighting and chaos here continue to kill about 1,250 people each day, mostly from hunger and disease. In all, nearly four million people have died as a result of the conflict since 1998, almost half of them children under the age of 5, according to the International Rescue Committee.”

“The consequence is that a child dies in Congo almost every two minutes, mostly from preventable causes.”

I read this and I am so upset about it, yet I feel so helpless at the same time. I want to help be part of the solution (like I do for most stories I read like this) but I have no idea how. Grr. i don’t understand how we can turn our eyes from things like this, but I don’t have any solutions either. Is it okay that I’m at least aware this exists? That I at least don’t pretend the world is fine? That I care? That despite inability, the desire is there? Right now I have to think so, because I have no outlet for it otherwise at this point.

So a couple of posts ago, I copied some quotes and a very few thoughts on an article on Christian consumerism. My friend Brent, who is a youth pastor in Flower Mound, reposted my post on his blog, generating a few comments of his own. There is a bit of dialogue going on over there about it as well. Please comment responsibly.

Joshua and I have had some interesting conversation about this as well, and we have come across a few more articles which shed some more light on this topic on a broader spectrum.

The first is this article from the New York Times. The headline has changed since I read it the first time. I wish I had left my browser open so I could tell you what the original head was. It is now titled, “Disowning Conservative Politics is Costly for an Evangelical Pastor.” I find the title slightly misleading, cause he never “owned” conservative politics in the first place, according to the article. And I liked the pic of the pastor at the top, over the pic of the congregation.

Like the Christianity Today article dealt with a consumeristic view of Christianity, this deals with upending the notion that the Christian faith is an American and Republican institution. P.S. - it’s NOT. Please read the whole article to get a better picture. But here’s some of the great tidbits:

“Like most pastors who lead thriving evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Gregory A. Boyd was asked frequently to give his blessing — and the church’s — to conservative political candidates and causes … After refusing each time, Mr. Boyd finally became fed up, he said. Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called “The Cross and the Sword” in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns.”

“Mary Van Sickle, the family pastor at Woodland Hills, said she lost 20 volunteers who had been the backbone of the church’s Sunday school. ‘They said, ‘You’re not doing what the church is supposed to be doing, which is supporting the Republican way,’ ‘ she said. ‘It was some of my best volunteers.’ ”

Please read the whole article! There are some other parts that are amazing, like the progression of the church after they lost 1,000 of their 5,000 members. There are also audio clips of some of his sermons, which I haven’t listened to yet, but plan to. I want to write this guy a nice letter.

The second article is from the Dallas Morning News. It’s about Donald Miller’s book, “Blue Like Jazz,” and the response it has generated from people, some supportive, some … not so supportive.

I haven’t read the book, but my brother has, and Joshua has. I don’t like reading “latest fad” books, but we’ll see. Some quotes from the article:

” ‘It was like a dagger to my heart when he talks about spending time with some hippies in the woods, and how he had never felt as loved and valued by any Christian group,’ Mr. Caple, 51, said. ‘I had probably fallen into the trap that Christians were the only ones that could love well. I was humbled that others might love better, and wanted to learn from that.’ ”

“[Miller] also audited courses at Reed College, falling in with a small group of evangelicals. Their unconventional ways – including setting up a campus confession booth in which they apologized to fellow students for the historic failings of the church – form a big part of Blue Like Jazz.”

So there you go. I’m surprising myself with all this “issue” posting. I usually try to not get into the fray of evangelicaldom. Mostly, i think it’s pointless, as it doesn’t usually solve anything, just gets different camps of Christians to disagree over yet one more thing, as if we need more of that. But the issue of consumerism and politics invading the spheres of faith and taking faith over, the way it has in this country, totally rubs me the wrong way. I think it cheapens my faith - not MY faith, per se, but how others interpret what that is. Like being told by others that they don’t like Christians, but they don’t mean me. It has caused so many semantics to get in the way of trying to explain what following Jesus really means. I guess you could call it the raping of Christianity. Harsh, yes, but fitting. Make sense? Still having the thought vomit problem….

I guess not getting around much has my brain on hyperdrive. I got like this right after Judah was born and I was home a LOT. I welcome your thoughts.

You know what happened last night while Joshua and I were at the movies?

THE FOG ROLLED IN.

It was beautiful. I almost cried. And then almost wished I’d brought a sweater. *Almost.*

“From Christ’s Church to iChurch: How Consumerism Undermines Our Faith and Community”

The link (I can’t believe I just linked to Christianity Today).

A few quotes:

“When we approach Christianity as consumers rather than seeing it as a comprehensive way of life, an interpretive set of beliefs and values, Christianity becomes just one more brand we consume along with Gap, Apple, and Starbucks to express identity. And the demotion of Jesus Christ from Lord to label means to live as a Christian no longer carries an expectation of obedience and good works, but rather the perpetual consumption of Christian merchandise and experiences—music, books, t-shirts, conferences, and jewelry.”

“According to Finke and Stark, the American church adopted a consumer-driven model because the First Amendment prohibited state-sanctioned religion. Therefore, faith, like the buying of material goods, became a matter of individual choice and self-expression. And ‘where religious affiliation is a matter of choice, religious organizations must compete for members and … the ‘invisible hand’ of the marketplace is as unforgiving of ineffective religious firms as it is of their commercial counterparts.’ “

Dude. If this at all interests (or perhaps outright disgusts) you, you should totally read the whole article. I love the line about the Jesus fish.

***update***
perhaps this is one reason I feel so out of sync with so many people who call themselves Christians and I identify more with many people who don’t. many of my friends are people whose religious and spiritual beliefs are vastly different than my own, yet despite our core beliefs we can (1) have intelligent, respectful conversation about those beliefs and (2) care about many of the same issues. I still disagree with many of my friends on many issues as well, as i assume will be evident from my previous post… and okay, I no longer know what iI’m saying. someone help me out here. what? oh yeah. it’s articles like this that make me feel more connected to my non-Christian friends than most Christians I know.

it also makes me very glad that the people who follow Jesus that I have made efforts to get to know (I will purposefully not lump them into the “Christian” category as a way to distinguish them - you all know who you are) see the fault with consumerism and it’s soul-sucking effect on the Church.

that’s not all said very well, sorry. mostly just some though vomit for you.

Apparently, I had it wrong. Via the Washington Post:

“President Bush does not consider stem cell research using human embryos to be murder, the White House said yesterday, reversing its description of his position just days after he vetoed legislation to lift federal funding restrictions on the hotly disputed area of study.

Supporters of the research said the shift reflects White House concerns that it is alienating mainstream Republicans.”

Don’t even get me started on politicking.

Joshua and I ordered a season pass to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on iTunes (thanks to the gift certificate from Nana and Papa for our anniversary!). We watched it last night with the past few days’ worth of podcasts from ABC’s World News.

One hot news item this past week was President Bush’s veto of the stem cell research legislation passed by Congress. Now, I don’t claim to fully understand the ins and outs of stem cell research, but from what I understand - please correct me if I am wrong - the bill allows for research to be done on embryos that are the “cast-offs” from fertility treatments. In other words, from the leftover frozen embryos that would otherwise be thrown away.

For once, I agree with Bush on something. I don’t think that research should be performed on these embryos, even in the name of “good” or “progressive” scientific research. My position is that they are still human life, however small. Now this could open up dozens of cans of worms, each going in different directions, I know, so for now I am only going to take this in one meandering direction.

The President’s reason for vetoing the legislation is that he cares about a culture of life, and the use of these embryos would be a form of murder. I would agree. The problem with his rhetoric, however (and which Mr. Stewart so eloquently and satirically pointed out), is the 30,000 some-odd Iraqi civilians who have died in his so-called war on terror. Joshua and I had to actually pause the video to discuss it.

What a disconnect. I like that the President talks about a culture of life, but there is a huge link missing when this doesn’t pervade to all life. Civilian casualties in a war are justifiable, but not embryonic in the name of research? This makes no sense to me. Never mind the erroneous justifications for this war in the first place. This is why I am generally against embryonic stem cell research, abortion, the war on terror, doctor-assisted suicide, and even the death penalty. I value life.

Now you could bring up the issue of what if someone harmed my child, would I be willing to use enough force to actually kill to protect my child? For one, I hope and pray to God that scenario would never present itself. I also imagine my first thought would be just how to get my child out of that situation as quickly as possible. If I thought it was the only solution, I think I probably would kill another human to save my child, in self-defense. Does this mean I think killing is right? No. Does it mean I’m a hypocrite? I don’t think so. I think it just means I’m human.

I think many of our ideologies break down at some point. Perhaps not all, but many. For some people, they don’t like the idea of using embryos to perform research. But perhaps they know or they are someone who is afflicted with a disease that the research could possibly help, so to them the benefits outweigh the costs. I can understand this. I can understand why people have abortions. I can understand why some terminally ill and people with debilitating chronic pain don’t want to go on living anymore. I think any hot-button issue, on a personal level, is no longer about the issue, but the person.

I’m not saying I have the answers. I just have some thoughts and wanted to throw them out there. It’s bothersome that the President doesn’t see a link between valuing embryonic life and the life of civilian war casualties, many of whom are children. That’s all.

I’m just gonna flow with the crankiness right now. So I saw on the accuweather site that yesterday’s high was 97. I put this in the comments in the last post. The average high for yesterday was 71. That’s 26 degrees higher than normal. Let’s say the average high for Dallas, is oh, 94 degrees. Add 26 to that norm and you get FREAKING HOT. So think of it that way.

Luckily for us, we come from a place that is used to freakishly, hellishly hot summers. Yesterday we ran some errands - to the air-conditioned Bed Bath and Beyond to return some pillowcases and pick up a fan (except they were all out of fans) and to Trader Joe’s for groceries. City Car Share cars have AIR CONDITIONERS. Have I mentioned I love Trader Joe’s? And that it’s air-conditioned? We then came by the house to drop off the groceries and pack a picnic to take to Dolores Park. We left there at 8:30 and came home. Joshua and I watched Down By Law after Judah went to bed. Great cinematography, but a slow script, poor acting and cliched dialogue delivery. It’s like watching a high school play - you want it to be good, but mostly it just hurts a little bit. Roberto Benigni was easily the best actor in the flick. Big surprise.

Today, the San Francisco Symphony had a free concert in Dolores Park at 2. So we packed up a wicked cool picnic lunch (Italian bread, smoked salmon, pesto, spinach dip, hummus, goat cheese, a blue cheese, a brie-like cheese,, crackers, yogurt, watermelon, grapes, sparkling cranberry, swiss chocolate bars - I might have to eat that for dinner too), extra pillows for mommy, and headed over early. That last uphill block kicked my ass. We were joking that if I want to induce labor I should just walk to Dolores Park every day pushing a stroller laden with picnic gear. We stuck around til about 3:30, when the shade no longer was on our side of the tree. I definitely don’t want a sunburn while it’s this hot out there. We went to Ritual for a bit, trying to prolong our trip home, but it was just as hot and stuffy there, so we came home and all got in a cold shower. It was like our own personal water park. I’m now laying on the hot sheets in our hot bedroom with a fan blowing hot air on me, water by my side, and an ice pack down my pants, trying to think cool thoughts.

Mark Twain was dead wrong.

I’m less cranky now than I was earlier.

95 DEGREES. I now expect sympathy from you Texans. Just FYI.