Budding choreographer, Liam Scarlett, works out the kinks in his piece Sweet Violets for the Royal Opera House Ballet with dancers Leanne Cope and Thiago Soares. The ballet is based on the true story of the murder of a prostitute in the 19th century, foreshadowing the Jack the Ripper era. I love this rehearsal. The dance is tense and sexy but the rehearsal is full of unintentionally funny and painful moments.
Twelve Secret Service agents assigned to this port city in advance of President Obama’s arrival for the Summit of the Americas were relieved of duty, amid accusations of misconduct that is said to have involved prostitution, a government official confirmed Friday.
The misconduct is said to have occurred before Mr. Obama arrived here on Friday afternoon for the meeting of more than 30 world leaders that begins Saturday.
White House officials would not comment, referring all questions to the Secret Service. News of the accusations was first reported by The Washington Post.
In a statement, a Secret Service spokesman, Edwin M. Donovan, acknowledged that agents had been recalled because of accusations of misconduct and that they would be replaced by other Secret Service personnel, but he did not address the issue of prostitution.
“The Secret Service takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” he said, adding that the matter had been turned over to the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility.
Prostitution is legal in designated areas of Colombia.
Well, I guess that makes it Ok then. It’s just our western imperialist culture that makes a big deal about prostitution.
You know, I could see maybe one or two bad apples. But TWELVE? This is more like a gang looking for a bang.
Of course the White House will distance itself from this incident. You know, they actually work for the Treasury department and Obama has no control over who guards him and yadayadayada. I don’t know. It’s more the ambience of the White House. Women aren’t exactly in the loop and treated like professionals or experts or anything. And then Michelle is doing the SAHM thing. You SAHM moms out there can whine all you like about how you’re being attacked {{eyes rolling}} but it’s working women who seem to be getting the shaft in the Obama era. And when women repeatedly get treated with little respect, and we don’t make clear that women are not commodities, well, we shouldn’t be surprised.
You can blame the Republicans for a lot of bad stuff but at least you can’t call them hypocrites.
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More on women: I am really disturbed that Hillary Rosen felt that it was necessary once more to kiss the asses of the sacred cow we call Stay at Home Mothers. Fume all you like ladies. You are not doing a harder job than all the other working mothers out there. Trust me on this because I have been there. Your efforts do not make the world go around any more than anyone else’s. I don’t want to hear about your “sacrifice”. If you want praise for staying at home with your kids because you loved them so much, then it wasn’t a sacrifice. It was a choice you made. And that choice is no better or worse than any other choice that a working mother made. It is no better or worse and it isn’t more worthy of praise or self-righteous snootery.
It’s about time you SAHM stop looking down your noses at everyone else and clutching your pearls when the working mothers have the audacity to demand respect. And it’s about time that the rest of us stop apologizing and worshipping at the altar of people who choose motherhood as their exclusive career.
The Confluence 