The Gadflyer: Mobilizing Iraqi Women to Go Backward?

The current administration has given $10 million in grants to programs around the country to promote the independence of Iraqi women. One of the groups they granted money to, however, is an organization called the Independent Women's Forum. This group has a history of bias against women and fighting programs (both governmental and private) that would, in most people's opinions, increase equality and "even the playing field." What the hell are they gonna teach Iraqi women about democracy if they don't even support equal education?

The Independent Women's Forum supports weakening Title IX, which protects equal education opportunities, charging that insistence on women's athletic opportunities "wreaks havoc on men's sports teams." They argue against more opportunities for women in the military, and even opposed the integration of Virginia Military Institute.

So just what does the Independent Women's Forum plan to teach Iraqi women? Media training in how to disparage quaint concepts like equal pay, or calling on government to ignore complaints about violence against women? Or, perhaps they'll sponsor a seminar in "How to Raise Money from Anti-Women Sources to Attack Every Current Initiative to Benefit Women."

As of two weeks ago (yeah right, like's it's only been that recently), the Bush administration has clearly gone fucking insane.