Bloodless Coup

And the Bricks Will Fall Out of the Bell Tower

While we twitter around analyzing every possible aspect of the Roberts nomination and worry what it will mean for the rights of women in the U.S., a couple of items from abroad on the position of women:

First, from Uganda, an offer from a politician to pay for women's college education should they graduate as virgins. Let me count the ways that this this is wrong-headed: the intrusiveness of a physical exam? the lack of a connection between virginity and success in college? the physical inconsistencies of virginity? that years of hard work in college could be rewarded by a job? that no one cares what happens to men? I could go on, but there's plenty of room in the comments to continue the list.

Second, more good news from Iraq! Not only is the constitutional review considering eliminating the mandate for women's participation in parliament, but a "working draft" has language that resticts women's right in divorce and inheritance. Of course it does, because women derive power from economic independence. The draft constitution would revert women's decisions to families and "court cases dealing with matters like marriage, divorce and inheritance to be judged according to the law practiced by the family's sect or religion." That means sharia law, in many cases.