Just how you can be so rude to her and make that feeble ‘accusation’ that she is no Phyllis, without even seeing its ridiculousness, astonishes me. It is clear to blind Freddy where Denise’s major interest areas are – predominantly crime analysis and literary criticism – and not the fields that Phyllis is so often found tripping gaily around with a horsewhip in hand.

(Denise) Perhaps I need to explain why Mr. Usher so often derides me as a Phyllis Schlafly-wannabe. Awhile back, I put up an essay entitled “Phyllis Schlafly, Champion of Women’s Rights and America’s Military Might.” In that essay, I wrote that, as I saw it, Schlafly’s battle against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment was motivated by 1) a desire to protect the rights of women who were fulltime homemakers and married with the understanding that their husbands would be legally obligated to be responsible for family support and 2) a desire to ensure that the U. S. military would be legally able to make gender distinctions when those distinctions were important to military effectiveness.
Mr. Usher enjoys the privilege of being a personal friend of Phyllis Schlafly. He disliked my essay because he found my characterization of her as a “champion of women’s rights” to be an effort to drive a wedge between her and the father’s rights movement to which Schlafly is very sympathetic. He gave me an email to write to her and show her the essay. I did so and she returned a brief note stating, “I agree that your essay is complimentary.”
Ever since I put that essay up, Mr. Usher has seen me as attempting to portray myself as a second Phyllis Schlafly or to somehow usurp her.
It doesn’t seem to me that paying someone a compliment should indicate that I worship her or am trying to become her.

David, I admire you. I always read what you have to say as you are a proven leader of the movement for equal rights for men and families. You have a fine sensitivity for reasonable and good people regardless of gender. You are such a good bloke. So it comes as a disappointment to see you act so rudely to Denise.

My comment at #3 was slightly off-side but was not aimed as a reprimand to her. I hope I didn’t lead off a poorly expresses strain. I often disagree with Denise. I often take her to task over some point or other. I have often challenged her stance on some feminist issues.

But Denise always provides interesting topics and is always polite and kind and thoughtful. Even when people here are very direct, she will parry with grace. She will give me as good as she gets and often with gusto.

But I cannot remember an occasion where Denise has denigrated anyone who she has a disagreement with.

I like Denise. She is quirky and intelligent, superby well-read and a tad naive. She can be provocative in her pieces and certainly gets a discussion going – with plenty of passion. But above all she comes across as a Good Person.

Just how you can be so rude to her and make that feeble ‘accusation’ that she is no Phyllis, without even seeing its ridiculousness, astonishes me. It is clear to blind Freddy where Denise’s major interest areas are – predominantly crime analysis and literary criticism – and not the fields that Phyllis is so often found tripping gaily around with a horsewhip in hand.

You are a better man than that, David, even on your bad days. So, what is up, my friend?

As my recalcitrant and tongue tied nephew Percy failed to ask me, at that defining moment in his life, “What ails thee?”

I’m disappointed to see Mr. Usher insulting Denise Noe in this manner.

(Denise) Thank you, Mr. Maguire.

<>

(Denise) Bingo!

I think she’s got a reasonable point. Female alcoholics don’t very often get to the street-corner wino stage, and it’s an interesting issue to raise. I know a bunch about this disease, having been near it and worked for a while in a shelter that catered to street alcoholics. I think her theory is right: women are perceived as the weaker sex, and female drunks manage to find people to take care of them: parents, siblings, children, and of course paid social-worker types. Dependency in a woman is less disgusting; people adjust to it. There are a lot of variations–and social expectations are part of this. Still, the weakness is women is protected, but weakness in men is rejected. And men end up in a society of rejected men, living in the weeds.

I know you like to pretend you are a reincarnation of Phyllis Schlafly. You have a very long way to go.

(Denise) I have nowhere to go as there is one — and only one — Phyllis Schlafly. I believe Erma Bombeck, who did not share Schlafly’s political views, said there will be no one to replace Schlafly when she dies.
However, Phyllis Schlafly did find my essay, “Phyllis Schlafly, Champion of Women’s Rights and America’s Military Might,” to be “complimentary.”

July 2, 2008 at 5:00 pm

David R. Usher said,

You might recall that the elephant’s child got spanked regularly by all his aunts, uncles, and cousins for asking tons of stupid questions.
This is a stupid question that goes nowhere. And your piece does not alleviate the overarching attitude on which the title is based.

(Denise) My questions go to the very heart of the issue: why do so many more men than women end up on the streets or on skid rows? This is not a new phenomenon but a very old one which badly needs to be addressed. Men have always been the ones who slip through the cracks. Why is this? And what can be done so that men don’t fall to the very bottom?

amfortas said,

Good God, that can’t be ‘Hugo’, shirley?

July 2, 2008 at 11:04 pm

1) Yes, God IS Good;

2) I CAN be Hugo. And, I AM Hugo;

3) Stop calling me “Shirley”!!!

Until we as a society acknowledge that we have systemically placed women on a pedestal, men will continue to be forced to build those pedestals! And, when you can no longer haul enough stone for the task, out on the corner you go!

This is a stupid question that goes nowhere. And your piece does not alleviate the overarching attitude on which the title is based.

There you go again, Denise.
What about all the wino women sitting around at home watching Oprah? What about all those wino prostitutes hanging out on streetcorners?

If you go to a few AA meetings, you will find that alcoholism is an egalitarian disease.

(Denise) So wino women get to stay home and watch Oprah while wino men end up homeless, right? Why is that? Why do wino women have the privilege of staying at home and watching TV while the men are so often without even a roof over their heads?

What about all the wino women sitting around at home watching Oprah? What about all those wino prostitutes hanging out on streetcorners?

If you go to a few AA meetings, you will find that alcoholism is an egalitarian disease.

I know you like to pretend you are a reincarnation of Phyllis Schlafly. You have a very long way to go. Your attitudes towards men are disgusting. And that is not considering the rest of the political mismatches.

Therein lies the root of why most of the homeless are men. The destitute woman, can use many means to secure a domicile. Sex, being the primary commodity being exchanged in a barter transaction, or for straight up cash. In the case of a barter exchange, the opposite party may not even be aware of the quid pro quo. Many men, myself included have tried the White Knight for the damsel in distress. An expensive choice and it’s an easy scam for a woman to play.

A destitute man, on the other hand, has no such opportunity as he has nothing of real value to offer a woman of means.

Now consider the reverse, a man who does not or cannot provide for himself. Women and men alike will just want him to go away, maybe call the cops to have him arrested.

A woman also has the option of getting pregnant, at which time massive government machinery will come into play to make sure her every need is at her fingertips. She’ll get welfare at least until she names a man as the father who must then give her half of her income of go to prison.

Now if the male winos could get handouts by getting women pregnant, they would at least have a second option. Somehow society isn’t ready for giving handouts to males because they became a parent, but there seems to be no end to the benefits to women for doing the exact same thing.