Copyright © 1997 Henrietta W. Hay
Anita Hill and Paula Jones (cont.)
June 20, 1997
Although I knew it is impossible, I had hoped to forget the Paula Jones
lawsuit for a while - hopefully for ten years or so.
But Thomas Sowell wrote in the Sentinel recently that, "The Paula Jones
case shows how richly the feminazis deserve their name. Like the
original Nazis, the radical feminists today have no regard for principle
or for facts or for other people, and do not hesitate to ruin whoever
stands in their way by whatever means are necessary."
He must have had a sleepless night and been fed straw for breakfast.
This is so far-out offensive I feel compelled to answer him.
Dear Thomas,
Chill out, Sowell. I am not a Nazi. I am an 83 year old W. A. S. P.
grandmother who loves babies and kittens and cherishes her friends, both
Democrats and Republicans. I believe that women should be able to
choose their life styles and to have financial and political rights
equal to men, and have been saying so for years. I am a pretty normal
American woman. But to you I am a Feminazi.
That's a nasty word that was invented by Rush Limbaugh. Rush, however,
is such a ham (read that showman) that I can laugh at it a little bit.
But in your column it is a vicious epithet.
You seem especially incensed by the feminists' support of Anita Hill and
presumed failure to support Paula Jones. What I guess nobody has told
you is that feminists are not cut out with cookie cutters. We come in
as many different shapes and sizes as Republicans or Democrats or Blacks
or Hispanics. We are housewives and doctors and clerks and lawyers
and truck drivers and librarians and models and waitresses and retired
little old ladies.
Another thing that I guess nobody has told you is that the only thing
the Hill and Jones cases have in common is that they both involve
political issues and - sob - females. Your opinion of women is showing.
In 1991 there was a public debate over the nomination of ultra
conservative Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court and most feminists
weighed in on the liberal side, opposing his nomination. You know what,
Thomas? You and the political conservatives were on the other side, and
both of us were acting legally. Anita Hill testified to alleged sexual
harassment on the part of Thomas. From the moment she opened her mouth
the pin striped suits on the Senate Judiciary Committee pilloried her
so viciously that women across the country rose up in wrath. At long
last sexual harassment was out in the open. This was a political issue
that most American women got excited about.
Hey, Thomas, you were right on one thing, though. Women use whatever
means are necessary. At the next election, they voted -- legally -- and
the sexual balance in Congress changed. Today there are 9 women in
the Senate and 51 in the House -- all elected legally!
So now we have the Paula Jones case which has raised your blood pressure
so dangerously. Cool it or you'll have a heart attack. This is a law
suit and law suits proceed slowly - very slowly.
While you are waiting, you might want to wade through the ten page
Legal Complaint filed by Ms. Jones. You can find it the Internet. It
is very enlightening.
Certainly feminists support the first President in recent history who
has been sympathetic to their issues. But we also are unalterably
opposed to harassment and the unfair treatment of women.
Anita Hill herself speaks with the voice of reason. "Most of the public
seems content to let the process move forward. And given the conundrum
created by the claim, it is no wonder that many ("feminists" included)
have been slow to jump into . . .the fray . But people from all walks
of life remain open to her suit. We don't yet know which outcome we
must confront, the president who betrayed the issue or the woman who
used it. Whichever it is, we should continue to pursue sexual
harassment with the same kind of energy that we have in the past."
So relax, Thomas. You're probably a nice guy when you're feeling good,
but let's not blame the feminists for the fall of western civilization
just because they like Clinton and are waiting to see what happens to
Jones.
Henrietta Hay,
Little Old Lady Feminist