STUPID BITCH OF THE WEEK: Elisabeth Badinter

Browsing through Yahoo today, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the following headline:

"French feminist warns green movement forcing women to stay at home"

What?!

I had to read on. And was appalled at what I read, which included, according to the Telegraph online: "Mrs Badinter claims a "holy reactionary alliance" of green politicians, breast-feeding militants, "back to nature" feminists and child psychologists is turning Frenchwomen into slaves to green "fads" like re-usable nappies and organic food."

What was that?

It continues, "In her new book, Conflit, la Femme et la Mere (Conflict, the Woman and the Mother), Mrs Badinter contends that this politically correct cabal is burdening mothers with intolerable guilt unless they stay at home and breast-feed for as long as possible."



What the hell is it with this woman? Is she seriously contending that the environmental movement is somehow 'anti the liberated woman?'

Mme. Badinter appears to have sound credentials - clearly a smart intellectual much admired in a country that still understands the importance of intellectuals in society , she is also married to a famous Socialist lawyer who was once France's Minister of Justice.

However, she is also the founder of one of France's leading advertising agencies (the very well known Public Groupe) and one of the richest women in that country. That may explain a lot - nothing like a filthy rich champagne socialist.

To equate trying to save this planet with being anti-woman or somehow unfeminist, whatever your reasoning, smacks of agitprop reactionary thinking that belies logic. It's like saying that Margaret Thatcher was a staunch feminist just because she became prime minister.

On the contrary, Mme. Badinter, loving this planet is loving all life therein, woman most definitely included.

Intellectual credentials or not, this is the classic case of the message far outweighing the messenger.

In thinking she is somehow being 'autre' or fashionably contraire, Mme. Badinter is being little more than that most tired cliche - the heckler of the environmentalist.

How very petit bourgeoise and pathetic of you, madame - which is why I am making you my Stupid Bitch of the Week.

Do you get my point?

RANT: Greece - Sold (Out)

My second rant for today is a follow-up to my first rant. It's all about the Greeks again.

So what happened yesterday at the frantic EU conference in Brussels, of which the Greek financial crisis was top of the agenda?

Well, Greece got sold out of course.

And we have Germany and France in particular to thank for that. The 'deal' for Greece (read: sell-out of Greece) is that there will be a bail-out (of sorts) at the behest of both the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Or rather, very much under the control of the IMF.

Talk about shockingly bad news. Consider this:

1. The IMF is the Satan of international finance. It's that simple. This horrific organization, along with its evil twin, the World Bank, has single-handedly wreaked more havoc on the economies of the world than any other multilateral entity on the planet. The IMF is the 'world arm' of Wall Street and international banking and finance. Have any doubts? Think I'm being overly melodramatic? Then please do take the time to read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein. And get real.

2. It is de facto guaranteed that an IMF bail-out means that a country must slash all public spending. So, bye bye to spending on education, health, pensions and other social welfare programs for the Greeks.

3. It is de facto guaranteed that an IMF bail-out means that a country must privatize more of its public entities, and that could include for energy, transport and even water. Yeah, and we all know what a huge success privatized electricity is (California and the UK, anyone?), not to mention privatized water (Bolivia, anyone?).

4. It is de facto guaranteed that an IMF bail-out means that a country must 'open' up its economy even more to foreign bankers, foreign creditors, foreign anything-that-can-rip-your-economy-off-in-the-name-of-'free-trade'. Yeah, like that's just what Greece needs right now: to be even more exposed, legs flayed wide open, to the very financial and economic terrorists that destroyed their economy in the first place. For sure.

What surprises me is that the Greek Prime Minister, who at the beginning of this crisis so virulently attacked the global financial sharks for artificially creating the crisis in his country, is now quoted as saying that he sees this 'deal' as a "big step forward". Yes, a big step forward into the abyss for Greece and for the Greek people. When was he taken away by the aliens and a Stepford Prime Minister put in his place?

Did Papandreou really need to kiss Angela's feet quite to that extent?

Look at the talons on those feet. Snicker.

Why do countries always feel so obliged to sell themselves so down the river when they are in a 'crisis'? It's the international relations equivalent of battered wife syndrome - the more battered you are, the more you go back to the aggressors for more. Just ask Argentina, circa the early 2000s.

This deal will definitely mean less sovereignty for Greece as a nation and untold more suffering and hardship for most Greek citizens, very probably for years to come. How can this be ever be a good deal?

And all of this thanks to the pressure of fellow European countries, starting with that Uber-Meister of the EU, Germany, and given greater impetus with that inimitable French je ne sais quoi.

With friends like these, what the hell does Greece need enemies for?

Do you get my point?