The Crime Itself: Roman Polanski

Ugh. This fucking Roman Polanski saga has been making me sick. I've always thought the guy was a disgusting rapist pig and I didn't give a damn that he made "good" movies or whatever. (I don't give a fuck what movie we're talking about - no movie is so fucking artsy and amazing that it's worth more than the health, safety and sanity of a human being, damn it.) I knew there were some shitbags in Hollywood who wanted to work with him and who didn't seem to care much about his history, outside of his movie-making. I knew, simply by virtue of living in a patriarchal, slut-shaming, rape culture that there were plenty of non-Hollywood shitbags who would be on his side.

I knew all that, but in a background sort of way. It wasn't current news, it wasn't slopped all over the internet all day.

Now his fugitive ass has been arrested and I've felt like I was about to lose my damn mind for the past two days. As a feminist, I've certainly become well-acquainted with rape apologists. I am not surprised by the mobs of assholes fleeing to Polanski's defense, but I am most decidedly disgusted, angered, and so contemptuous I can barely write this post. As with many rape cases, but exacerbated here to the nth degree because of his fame, no one on the defense wants to talk about the crime itself.

This is all too common - people will focus on circumstantial bullshit, or on irrelevant details, or on anything other than what the rapist actually did to the victim. (ESPECIALLY in cases with famous perpetrators - Why did she go to his hotel room alone? Hasn't she had lots of sex before?) Not that I find anything salacious or morbidly fascinating about the details of a rape, but when you don't talk about it - when you gloss it over with a few words and treat it like an auto theft or tax fraud - you remove the horrific aspect of it from the minds of the public...and that's when rape starts being treated like no big deal, victims treated like whiny skanks, and rapists treated like a teenagers who got caught cheating on the SATs.

It's painful and triggering for some, but people - especially anyone who wants to defend this morally repugnant piece of garbage - need to know what he did. Kate Harding will tell you:

Let's keep in mind that Roman Polanski gave a 13-year-old girl a Quaalude and champagne, then raped her....[He] instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she said no and asked him to stop; performed cunnilingus on her as she said no and asked him to stop; put his penis in her vagina as she said no and asked him to stop; asked if he could penetrate her anally, to which she replied, "No," then went ahead and did it anyway, until he had an orgasm.

Okay. It's not easy to read, right? (It shouldn't fucking be. If it is, please - go seek help.) But it needs to be said, it needs to be read, it needs to be grasped and understood. When you don't think about what he actually did, maybe it becomes easier to shrug it off. So think about it - he forcibly raped a 13-year-old girl vaginally, orally and anally after drugging her and despite her repeated vocalized non-consent. (Of course, the fact that she was thirteen means consent is not a factor - a 13-year-old cannot legally consent to any kind of sexual contact with an adult - but the fact that she kept saying no and asked him to stop repeatedly just breaks my heart...and really really makes me want to rip this man's testicles off and shove them down his throat.) Do not ignore the details of the crime, do not allow fame or time or anything else to overshadow the crime itself. Do not let yourself believe that anything - anything - is prioritized over the violation of a human being's bodily autonomy and physical and emotional health and well-being.

Do not think about anything else other than what he did. Then fucking tell me you think he's a good guy. Then fucking tell me he shouldn't have to pay for it. Then fucking tell me you don't give a damn about rape victims...because that's exactly what you're saying.

Do not have more concern for the rapist than the victim.

Do not ignore the crime itself.


(In addition to Kate's post at Broadsheet, you should also read Melissa McEwan on why it's not relevant that Polanski's victim doesn't want the case pursued and Amanda Hess on why the common Polanski defenses are bullshit. Also read Kate again on this enraging shitbag petition from a bunch of fuckface actors and directors demanding Polanski's release that I can't even fucking think too much about because I'm about to claw my face off.)

Saturday + Sunday = Soccer

Time for a soccer round-up! Not every game, of course - I'm not THAT crazy - but some of the notable ones, at least. I hope to do this every weekend, but we'll see. The best laid plans, and all that...

Disclaimer: I am not a professional soccer analyst by any stretch of the definition. I don't really give a shit, either. I hate when people act like unless you've got every single club team's roster and stats for not just the current season but the past 10-15 seasons memorized, then you should shut up and not even talk about the game. Talking about the game is a way to get to know it better and a way to spread the excitement of it to others. So piss off!

Generally, I focus on MLS and the Premier League, though I do give a little attention to the Serie A and La Liga, and a few teams in other leagues (the ones with American players, essentially). And with Newcastle - my main team in England - down in the second-tier Championship, of course I have to keep an eye on those games, too. So let's start in England with the EPL:

Liverpool 6 - 1 Hull City
Ouch. OUCH. This was a painful one to watch for Hull fans, which I consider myself to be in at least a cursory sense, since USMNT awesome youngster Jozy Altidore is playing there now. Liverpool controlled the game nearly from start to finish. Fernando Torres scored twice in the first half and then notched his third hat trick in the Prem with a third goal early in the second half. Geovanni answered Torres' first goal within three minutes, and while I think he's a skillful player, that goal was due a little more to poor defending by Liverpool rather than strong attacking by Hull, which we didn't really see any signs of throughout the game. There was a brief period, soon after Torres' third goal, where the Reds started looking a little sloppy, and Hull seemed to see that and started battling a bit. They held possession and stayed in their attacking third for a short while, and I started to think that if they could get one in, it would keep the momentum with them and maybe they could eke out a draw. Alas, it seemed Liverpool woke up and yanked control back, with a stunning goal from Steven Gerrard that curled into the far corner from nearly on the touchline. After that, Liverpool dominated and Hull looked resigned to the loss. Ryan Babel knocked in two more, in the 88th and 90th, to really seal the painful deal for the Tigers, who are dwelling in the drop zone and are 1-1-5 thus far in the Prem.

Arsenal 1 - 0 Fulham
Less painful, but not by much. This was a much more even game (unsurprisingly) and considering the fact that Arsenal has not exactly been on fire this season, there was no clear prediction to be made about this game. Fulham is another team I generally cheer for, being the home of USMNT stalwart and top player Clint Dempsey. Deuce hasn't been doing much on the club side this season, with five appearances and no goals yet, but he quickly made his presence known with a shot on goal in the 4th minute, that gave the Gunners' rookie keeper Vito Mannone a quick test. A short while later, Mannone again denied the home side on both the header from Andrew Johnson and the point-blank rebound from Dempsey. It was the story of the game, really - Mannone is the reason this game was an Arsenal win, because it easily could have been 2-1 or even 3-1 Fulham if not for his agile goalkeeping. Fulham did not give up at all and I thought they played well for the whole game, although there were a few too many times that Arsenal players had open space, including Andrey Arshavin, who is not someone you should ever leave unmarked, though it came to nought in this match. Arsenal's lone goal came from a pretty pass from Cesc Fabregas into Robin van Persie, who made a neat little stop and knocked it low into the corner. Fulham continued to push and nearly equalized when Dempsey took a shot that deflected off an Arsenal man and then hit the post. (THAT was painful...I think I almost shook my TV.) They couldn't manage to beat Mannone, though, and now the Cottagers are one spot above the drop zone. Arsenal are currently in 5th, a more expected spot for them, although that'll change if Manchester City gets a draw or a win against West Ham tomorrow.

Wigan 3 - 1 Chelsea
I didn't see this game, but whoa - this was unexpected. Chelsea was undefeated so far in the Prem with a +10 goal differential. Wigan was 3-0-4 with a -6 GD. I'm pretty sure everyone - including Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti - expected the Blues to continue their winning streak. From what I've read and heard, it sounds like there was a little too much complacency on the side of Chelsea, and that a spirited Wigan saw that and were able to exploit it. It's a somewhat typical tale, a top-four team thinking a lower-level opponent doesn't require them to try too hard, and then getting steamrolled because of their laziness (i.e., Burnley beating Man United). Wigan went ahead in the 16th thanks to a header from Titus Bramble and retained a 1-0 lead into halftime, but Chelsea kick-ass striker Didier Drogba tied it up soon after the restart. That could have turned the tide, but shortly after that, Chelsea keeper Petr Cech was red-carded after tripping up a Wigan player in the box. I saw the replay and yeah - it was warranted. It was in the penalty area, and Cech didn't get to the ball, so...later, dude. Wigan went ahead on the PK and added a third in stoppage time to give them the surprising win. Good for Wigan, I say - every time a lower team can get a strong win against a top side, it's a good thing for the sport overall. You can't go into any game expecting a win, because that's when you get lazy, and any team can be punished for laziness.

Everton 1 - 0 Portsmouth
Another one I missed (I do need to sleep sometimes) and not a whole lot to say, except - poor, poor Pompey! Seven games, seven losses, and I have to imagine manager Paul Hart's job is hanging by a thread at this point. Not that I wanted the game to go differently. Everton is another team with a star of the USMNT - goalkeeper Tim Howard, who has proven to be a wonderful successor to Kasey Keller for the national team and who is often a game-saver for the Toffees - and they haven't had a great season so far, so I definitely wanted them to get this win. Honestly, it should have been more than 1-0, but hey...three points are three points, right? It's early enough in the season that you can let these games go by and just hope they'll pull it together soon and not have to barely eke out a win against such a poor side.


Now to hop back across the pond and look at a few from MLS.

Columbus Crew 2 - 0 L.A. Galaxy
Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh WHAT THE FUCK. Okay see - even though I live in the Bay Area and was, in fact, a San Jose Earthquakes fan when I first got into soccer, I have turned traitor and consider myself first and foremost a Los Angeles Galaxy fan. (Look...they took the Quakes away from us and there was no team here for a while! I had to pick someone, and L.A. is at least in California! Yes, we have Earthquakes again, and I'm happy to see them win when it doesn't affect the Galaxy...LOL.) The Galaxy have had a great year, with former USMNT coach Bruce Arena leading them out of the depths of hell of last year's crap showing and making them a definite title contender. Plus...yeah, ok, I'm sort of in love with Landon Donovan. STFU if you don't like him, because I'm sure it's based on bullshit. Haters to the left! Anyway, sadly I missed this game too! I fell asleep mid-afternoon and woke up just before it was over. But seeing the scoreline, I'm sort of glad I did. It sounds like Columbus controlled most of the game, partially due to being at home, partially due to being more accustomed to playing on a soaking wet pitch...and I'm sure partially due to just being a good club. What frustrates me is that the Galaxy is good enough for all of that not to matter, but it seems they just couldn't put it together. Is David Beckham's absence (due to injury) a reason? Maybe. He's been on a hot streak lately and I do think the other guys tend to rise to his level (as best they can) when he's on the pitch, so maybe missing him meant missing that motivation to really push and fight. KInd of bullshit, really, because Donovan is no slouch and can control the flow of a game well, too...and as captain, the other guys should be reacting the same way to him that they do to Becks, but not having seen the game (and not yet being able to force myself to watch the highlights) I can't really speak to what went wrong. I'm just bummed as hell because now getting to the playoffs becomes just a little bit more difficult. The Galaxy are still in second place in the Western conference, but Colorado, Chivas and Seattle are right behind them, and there are only a few weeks to go in the regular season. The guys need to focus and start fighting for wins no matter what the circumstances of a given game may be.

New York Red Bulls 1 - 1 Chivas USA
I'm sure Chivas is sufficiently embarrassed to have only been able to get a point out of poor, sad bottom-dwelling New York. But Jiminy Crickets - I know I said you should never expect a win, but damn...really, Chivas? And at home! Sacha Kljestan apologized on Twitter for his missed penalty kick that would have won the game had he converted it, though considering he also scored Chivas' only goal to at least get them the point, I'm not sure he should take too much heat. Apparently Chivas went for a 4-3-3 in the second half, but even with three strikers they could only net the one goal against the not-exactly-intimidating Red Bulls defense. That should really be cause for concern, especially if Chivas is still hoping to make it to the postseason. New York has been out of the running for a playoff spot for a while now, but apparently they're still battling for wins, which is heartening. It's always good to see that spark from a team who is down for the count.

San Jose Earthquakes 2 - 1 D.C. United
Speaking of spark, my local boys showed some today, pulling off a come-from-behind win against D.C. MLSnet seems to indicate that they're not mathematically out of playoff contention yet, though I think it's a pipe dream at this point. But again...you want to see these teams fight, if only because it's sad to see the fight go out of them. And if not for two goals from Ryan Johnson being called back (one for offsides, one because the ref had already stopped play due to an injury to D.C. keeper Josh Wicks) it could have been an even more decisive victory (and a hat trick for Johnson). Jaime Moreno put D.C. up 1-0 in the 26th minute, and it certainly wasn't their only chance, but they weren't able to capitalize on any others, even with Quakes main man between the posts, Joe Cannon, having gotten the night off. San Jose managed to complete some chances, though, first on a great free kick from Ramon Sanchez that came just after D.C. back-up keeper Milos Kocic came on for the injured Wicks. Later, Johnson finally got a goal to stick when he headed in a rebounder in the 72nd minute. D.C. didn't give up, but nothing came of it, and for now they've dropped below the wild card positions in the overall table.


Out of the other games this weekend that I paid any semblance of attention to (had them on in the background while crafting weapons and killing things) the main ones sticking in my mind are a couple of head-scratchers from Serie A in Italy.

Sampdoria 1 - 0 Inter Milan
Sampdoria may have been up in the top portion of the Serie A table, but it was still quite an upset for them to not just beat Inter, but hold them goalless. Inter coach Jose Mourinho - my fantasy Portuguese husband - is probably still whipping the soles of the feet of his players, even though his public reaction has been somewhat muted. Both sides struggled a bit in the first half, neither seeming to have a strong focus or to create a lot of chances. I think there were fewer than half a dozen shots on goal between them. The second half saw some penalty pleas from each team, neither of which were heeded by the ref...your usual Italian league scenario. Again, there were a lot of crosses and blown whistles, but not much actual threatening of the net. Finally, Sampdoria capitalized in the 72nd minute after Inter's Davide Santon slipped in the area and left the ball loose for Daniele Mannini to send over to Giampaolo Pazzini. Inter nearly equalized a few minutes later but it was called back for offside, and that was it. Sampdoria goes to the top of the table and Inter slips to third behind Juventus.

AC Milan 0 - 0 Bari
What exactly is going on with the Rossoneri? They're in 11th place at 2-2-2, and have a -3 goal differential. Very odd. Any team's fortune can change, of course, and I suppose a lot of people would point to the new coach Leonardo and say that the fault is with him, he's making rookie mistakes. But I'm of the belief that you can never say it's all the coach's fault, because whatever decisions he makes, it's still up to the players on the pitch to get shit done. I know others will point to Ronaldinho and say he's lost his touch - and granted, he's not the same player he was a few years ago, but FFS, he's still got talent and skill lightyears beyond a lot of people out there - but you also can't put all the blame on a single player. It's not Ronaldinho's job alone to win games - there are eleven guys out there. However, there are obviously some problems at Milan, likely a combination of the above two situations as well as other things that we may not know. The performance against Bari was lackluster, and the back line came up short quite a bit, forcing Milan keeper Marco Storari to shore up the defense. Ronaldinho had a couple of good shots on goal, as did Andrea Pirlo, but there wasn't enough on them. I suppose you can look at the game as a positive outcome for Bari, but it's another ominous one for Milan.


There was obviously a hell of a lot more in the footballing world this weekend, but I'm just one woman, with one TV, and stupid American sports media that makes catching a lot of games nigh impossible. Plus, I'm fucking tired of typing. Fox Soccer Channel exists for a reason, go watch the review shows and the FSR!

And so I say....goodnight!

Stabenow With the Smack Down

Politicians in every party like to try to get digs in at each other once in a while. Nothing wrong with it, in general (although "Go fuck yourself" is going a little far...but I'll admit when Rahm Emanuel says it, it becomes ridiculously sexy) and in all honesty, I kind of like seeing real personalities come through the political robots they all tend to be most of the time. Whether or not I like those personalities is another question, of course.

I don't know much about Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), but I know I like this bit of personality that came out to play at a recent Senate Finance Committee meeting:



In case you can't view the video, the committee members were debating Senator John Kyl's (R-AZ) amendment to the health care bill which would remove language that defines which benefits employers are required to cover, including maternity care. Kyl was predictably douchey in that traditional white Republican male way:

"Well, first of all, I don't need maternity care," he said. "And so requiring that to be in my insurance policy is something that I don't need and will make the policy more expensive."

Ah, asshole logic. Don't you love it? Thankfully, Sen. Stabenow didn't let that one slide, responding, "I think your mom probably did."

OH SNAP! Now THAT is a dig I can fucking get behind. Hats off to you, Sen. Stabenow, for trying to get this jerk to see that maybe, just maybe, it's not all about him.

And if I may expand on her statement a bit (and I think I may, since it is my blog and all...) isn't it so disgustingly typical of someone like Kyl - a white, heterosexual, upper-class, Christian, Republican man - to be so completely uninterested in and uncaring about the possible needs of anyone other then himself and others just like him? "I don't need maternity care." Oh well, gee - if YOU don't need something, then FUCK IT, let's just toss it out the window! In fact, let's just write this bill up based solely on your personal medical needs, just so we don't offend or annoy you anymore with the silly, silly needs of all these other people, those fuckers. Who do they think they are, having different medical requirements than you? Those stupid women and their uteruses. YOU don't have a uterus, so how could you be expected to give two shits about them?

Hm. Maybe your wife could answer that one for me. I'd love to hear her thoughts on your total disregard for the needs of pregnant women and mothers, considering she has been the former and is the latter. PSST, by the way, Sen. Kyl - those kids of hers? I think they might be YOURS. Wouldn't that be crazy?? Because that would mean that at some previous time in your life...maternity care might have actually mattered to you! Oh, but I forget myself. Silly me, to think having a wife would make you see the needs of women any differently. What malarkey!

Ugh. This is one of my main problems with Republicans. Not only can they never see anything from someone else's point of view (especially if that someone else is an Other in some way - female, POC, gay, disabled, etc) but they seem arrogantly proud of that. They sneer about Democrats' desire for empathy and compassion as though we were talking about crappy sports teams we refuse to stop cheering for. They act like caring about others, even when their needs are not yours or are even diametrically opposed to yours, is a weakness, a flaw, and that they are somehow stronger and better for not giving into it. They love their privilege more than they love their fellow man. And that's a sad way to live.

It's not all about you, Republicans. Refusing to believe that won't make it false.

Donna Sachet to Sing National Anthem at SF Giants Game

(This piece first appeared as a guest post at Shakesville.)

Donna Sachet, a drag performer, singer, writer and activist in San Francisco, will make history when she sings the national anthem at the San Francisco Giants baseball game on Tuesday, September 29. Donna has quite a resume – she's been Grand Marshal of the SF Pride parade, a board member of Equality California, a long-time member of the SF Gay Men's Chorus, and was named "First Lady of the Castro District" by California Assemblyman Mark Leno (and that's just a drop in the bucket of her fabulous life) – and this will be a very exciting and unique bullet point to add to it:

Donna and Pat Gallagher, President of the Giants, met last year while working on a video for the SF Convention & Visitors Bureau annual luncheon. Donna mentioned her dream of singing at a game and Mr. Gallagher encouraged her to apply, suggesting that a demo CD would be a plus. Being the good Girl Scout that she is, Donna just happened to have a CD on her with a few songs she had prepared some time ago. Shortly thereafter, Donna received a call with an offer to sing, but was unable to attend the scheduled event due to a prior engagement. The season ended without another offer. Donna didn’t give up though, and she decided to try out again this season.

This time, Donna received an email invitation with plenty of notice and was happily able to accept. As she said, "I was hoping that the Giants weren't like the White House where once declined, another invitation was not to come." LOLsob!

Personally, I'm a die-hard soccer hooligan, but I've always been a baseball fan too, and as a resident of San Francisco, the Giants are naturally where my affinity rests. I am so proud of them for being so progressive and awesome, and for embracing the diversity and love that defines the city they represent, the city I love so dearly. This won't be the first time they've made progressive waves – as Donna mentions in the article above, in 1994 the Giants became the first professional sports team to host an AIDS benefit game, which has become an annual event and has raised $1.3 million for AIDS education and research.

It's refreshing to see a team challenge the sadly prevalent attitudes of homophobia and intolerance in the sporting world. If you follow the link to the Examiner.com article, there's a poll asking if readers think people will cheer Donna on, or if they'll boo because they're "not ready" for this. In my opinion, there's nothing to be "ready" for, unless you're a closed-minded, bigoted jerk – and for fuck's sake, this is San Francisco! If a drag performer singing the national anthem at a baseball game is too much for you, something you're "not ready" for…well, tough crap. The rest of us are thrilled, as is Donna, I'm sure, and your narrow-mindedness and prejudice is not going to change that.

The Obligatory Introductory Post

Hello. For now, you can call me PB.

I was sitting around one day, just thinking, and it occurred to me...damn, what the world needs now are blogs, more blogs! In a highly uncharacteristic move, I decided to rise to the occasion.

Thus - this.

Progressive Bitch. Yup - that's me. It's pretty self-explanatory, but just in case...

Progressive - My politics are progressive. I am pro-choice...pro-women's rights in every sense. I am pro-gay marriage...pro-gay rights in every sense. I'm for the environment, health care reform, separation of church and state, peaceful diplomacy, and gun control. I want to see a healthier planet, a more compassionate society, a more tolerant and loving world. I am emphatically anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia, anti-xenophobia, anti-ablism, anti-ageism, anti-violence, anti-BULLSHIT.

Bitch - My attitude is a little bitchy. Yeah. I suppose this is part of that whole "taking the word back" concept. The way I see it is that all those things that make people call me a bitch - demanding equality with men, not shutting up just because someone doesn't want to hear me, fighting for my rights, being a loud and proud ally, telling off harrassers and misogynists, being proud of my intelligence and not afraid to show it - I am proud of these things. So if they make me a bitch, then so be it - I'm a bitch, and proud of that, too. I don't take shit and I don't cower. I am not meek, I am not restrained, and I am not sorry.

In addition to all of this, anyone who may end up reading this should know I am a soccer devotee. I'm a born-and-bred American, but once I found soccer I fell in love like Juliet and that was all she wrote. This sport is thrilling, it's amazing, it's sexy, it's powerful, it's awe-inspiring, and like the saying goes, it's a beautiful game. No other sport grabbed my attention like soccer, and nothing will ever top it. I want to help make this sport huge in this country, and the best way to do that is to tell you - believe me, go to a game. You will not be sorry. It gets inside you. You do not know ecstasy until you see your team score a brilliant goal and win a great game, and you do not know agony until that brilliant goal is scored against your team and that game is lost. Soccer is life, in every sense of the word.

Put all of that together, and that's a pretty good biography of me. There's more, of course, and I'm sure it'll all spill out across the pixels eventually.

Thanks for being here. Hope you stick around.