Boston Wounded Vet Run VI

Yesterday I took part in an amazing event, the Boston Wounded Vet Run at Suffolk Downs. Five wounded veterans were honored and I was humbled to be there. For the first time, a woman was among the honorees. I was proud and grateful and there really aren't words to express my empathy for all these that four men and one woman have suffered for our sake.

I say this so you know I'm not trying to find something to be upset or offended by, I'm a 'live and let live' type for the most part. But I am a woman and something happened yesterday that bothered me at the time and was still running through my mind as I lay in bed last night. I'm not picking a nit or trying to cause a ruckus. But I saw something I didn't like, so I'm saying something.

The governor couldn't come to the event, so he sent his Chief Secretary, Carlo Basile, in his stead. Basile was introducing Marine Sgt. Kirstie Ennis, to quote her bio from the BWVR website (to give you an idea of what this brave young woman has gone through): 

On June 23, 2012, a CH-53E Super Stallion Ennis was aboard went down during a combat resupply run to Forward Operating Base Now Zad, Afghanistan. All eight people aboard survived, but the crash left Ennis with a shattered jaw, broken leg bones, burns, cervical and lumbar spine damage, traumatic brain injury and a hearing impairment. After a few years of trying to salvage her leg it unfortunately had to be amputated. After 38 reconstructive surgeries and years of speech and cognitive therapy, the 24-year-old is scheduled to appear on US Paralympic team.

After mangling her name, "Christy, Kirstie, Christy, no Kirstie, ha ha," he put his arm around her and commented, "she's pretty hot, right?" And he laughed, and she laughed and the crowd got a kick out of it. This person lost her leg, has suffered countless injuries and is miraculously still standing and still a whole person and she's just "hot." 

I smiled with the crowd for a second before I frowned as my mind went into overdrive (as it is wont to do) and I barely heard the rest of Basile's remarks. I kept thinking, "would he say that about the men sitting behind him? Would he put his arm around Sgt. Peter Damon or Marine Sgt Eric Rodriguez and say, "hey, he's hot, am I right, folks?". Would a woman in Basile's place ever say that about these men, these wounded warriors? "Ladies, he's a hot piece, know what I'm saying?" 

No. Because it's inappropriate. It strips this decorated veteran of her humanity and she becomes an object. I watched a women who suffered and nearly died for her country objectified in front of a crowd of thousands and the man who did it was applauded. He is a public official. She laughed too, how could she not? 

Sadly, I'm guessing she and her fellow female military are used to hearing inappropriate comments, sexual innuendo, slurs and insults. They have to be harder and tougher than their male comrades simply because of the fact that they are women and they, by their very nature and placement in the military, are fighting institutionalized sexism every day. 

Every day. 

Still. 

In 2016.

This sexism needs to stop. Moments like this are the reason that feminism as a concept is still necessary. Feminism is not the idea that women are better than men. It is the notion that women and men are EQUAL and as such should be treated the same. That's it. 

If you're offended by this post or scared by strong women or feminism in general, perhaps you need to take a closer look inside. If Sgt. Ennis was your daughter or your sister or your friend or your wife, I think you'd be offended if someone reduced her from the sum of her amazing life into "she's hot."

My Rooster Keeps Attacking Me

Monday my rooster Luke came at me.

It was the first time he's been let out of his coop & run since we built it for him. Bo, our other rooster & his flock have been free ranging for a while. But Luke has always been aggressive, honestly he's kind of a jerk... Long story but thus he has his own coop & his own flock.

Luke, the jerk

I'd just got home from running errands. I noticed that Luke & his ladies were over by Bo's coop (we keep them penned in, we were planning on alternating their days out if the experiment was successful). I got some seeds to go feed my chickens but I was distracted by a package that had arrive me the door. I took a picture of it to send to me husband when I was being clawed & flogged by Luke. I was so surprised I turned my back to him. I eventually kick/shoved him back a few feet which didn't deter him at all. I grabbed a nearby branch and fended him off. 

I went inside the house and called my husband. I was practically vibrating with anger. Pat reminded me I can't retreat & I have to attack when he does that. He also laughed at me a bit because Luke has been coming at him for awhile now. 

I decided while talking to Pat that I was going to go back out there & show Luke who was boss. He immediately attacked me again as soon as I went outside & walked to the coop where his flock was still poking around.









He did it again today (Sat 3/6) first thing when I was changing his food. I knew to curb his behavior I had to keep picking him up when he attacks me. 

So I shouted "Come at me bro!" & grabbed him during his attack. When I was trying to grasp him more securely he nearly ripped my glasses off my face & then bit my nose, making it bleed. The little shit.

I went inside. Pat tended to my wounds & I sat holding Luke for a half hour before putting him back in his coop.  

My name is Luke & I'm an asshole. 

Since then he's been confined to his run & coop. We got him four more hens & hopefully that will help him. I also got some advice on dealing with aggressive roosters from BackyardChickens.com.