International Women's Day observed by top White House hypocrites

Today is International Women's Day. The first American Women's Day, organized by the Socialist Party, was held in the early 1900's; some sources say 1908, others say 1909. The first International Women's Day was observed in Germany, Austria, Denmark, and a few other European nations, and the day received U.N. recognition in 1975, the Year of the Woman. The history of International Women's Day is a colorful one.

Today, first lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice spoke on behalf of the observance. Rice did not even mention women's rights, but spoke only of women as part of a community helping to create democracy around the world. Bush, in her speech, did talk about women's rights: “We all have an obligation to speak for women who are denied their rights to learn, to vote or to live in freedom."

I agree that we all have an obligation to speak on their behalf. Perhaps someone should speak to Bush's husband, in fact, because he has done everything possible to deny hundreds and thousands of women and girls their right to reproductive health care and protection from death by AIDS. The women in rural Afghanistan and parts of Iraq would also like some protection from rape and sexual assault, and from the oppression of Islamic fundamentalism.