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Ladies, forget about transvaginal ultrasounds or contraception coverage or any other concerns about a war on women. The real issue for Fox-lovin’, rootin’ tootin’ American women is packing heat. At least, that’s what the “fair and balanced” network would have you believe as Laura Ingraham and her like-minded pals on Fox & Friends ridiculed Colorado State Rep. Joe Salazar as a Democratic Todd Akin after he inartfully voiced concerns about allowing concealed weapons on college campuses.

I’ll agree that Salazar’s words were ill-chosen and perhaps insensitive. But it’s clear he was worried about Trayvon Martin-like situations and not being heedless of sexual assault.

That’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, that’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble and when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop a round at somebody.

Akin, on the other hand, is a staunch abortion opponent who was questioning whether claims of rape were “legitimate,” suggesting that women who said they got pregnant as a result of a rape were lying and, therefore, should not allow their fetuses to be “punished” with an abortion.

But while Fox spent a lot of time trying to ignore Akin’s comments, it loves comparing Salazar to Akin – and holding itself out as some kind of champion of women’s rights.

Carlson eventually got around to pointing out that Salazar has apologized for his remarks, though she “forgot” to mention that Salazar is a former civil rights attorney who has defended women’s rights. She also “forgot” to point out that Salazar was talking about students on college campuses, not women walking down dark alleys or home alone with children. Nor did anyone note that Salazar comes from a state that has suffered horrifically from gun tragedies. Instead, Carlson distorted Salazar's comments as, “Call boxes and whistles are the best way for women to protect themselves against an attacker.”

Ingraham wasted no time getting with the Fox News program of comparing Salazar to Akin. "Let's think back to the Richard Murdouck scandal, the Todd Akin, Murdouck - all the outrage about they said, OK? Fine. But what about this? What’s he going to shoot the attacker with, a squirt gun buried in that bow tie?” she sneered. Then she held up guns as the real empowerment for women:

He’s channeling what might happen during an attack of a 200-pound man vs. 110-pound woman. … When he’s attacked by someone, probably, 400 pounds, going up against him …Let’s see him crawl to a call box. That’s one of the most absurd things I’ve ever heard.

…The greatest equalizer is a gun in the hands of a woman who is well trained in its use. That’s the greatest equalizer out there when it comes to crime against women.

Nobody pointed out that what Salazar was really talking about was unnecessary gunfire nor that his worries are well-founded given the increased homicides in “stand your ground” states, e.g. – which Colorado is, by the way. Nor that women are five times more likely to be murdered by a gun in states with higher gun ownerships.

But they were ready to use their “sensitivity” to women to attack feminists for not attacking Salazar and/or not being more pro-gun. “Where are all the feminists, that’s what I say,” Ingraham sniped.

Occupy LA has enjoyed a special rapport with the police, city officials and the city council. They went to Councilman Richard Alarcon before they started their solidarity demonstration at City Hall. Alarcon was so inspired by his constituent's protest, he wrote the following three-page resolution. It's expected to pass sometime today:

WHEREAS, Angelenos, like citizens across the United States, are reeling from a continuing economic crisis that threatens our fiscal stability and our quality of life; and

WHEREAS, "Occupy Los Angeles" is fueled by Angelenos from all walks of life who have come together in a demonstration of solidarity with and support for the national movement started by the "Occupy Wall Street" protests that began 17 days ago; and

WHEREAS, on Saturday, October 1S\2011, "Occupy Los Angeles" started a peaceful protest on the Lawn of Los Angeles City Hall that continues through this day, and "Occupy Los Angeles" demonstrators are working to secure permits to continue the protest; and

WHEREAS, over 70 additional "Occupy" protests have taken root across the Country, from large demonstrations in Boston and San Francisco, to dozens of smaller ones in between, with many more being planned every hour, including a large-scale "Occupy Colleges" movement set to begin at 12 noon today on college campuses across the United States; and

WHEREAS, the protest in Liberty Plaza called "Occupy Wall Street" released its first official Resolution on September so", 2011, available at http://occupywallst.org/forum/first-official-release-from-occupy- wall-street/, providing an overview of the goals and unifying principles of the "Occupy" movement; and
WHEREAS, the "Occupy" demonstrations are a rapidly growing movement with the shared goal of urging U.S. citizens to peaceably assemble and occupy public space in order to create a shared dialogue by which to address the problems and generate solutions for economically distressed Americans; and

WHEREAS, the causes and consequences of the economic crisis are eroding the very social contract upon which the Constitution that the United States of America was founded; namely, the ability of Americans to come together and form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense of, promote the general welfare of, and secure the blessings of liberty for all, allowing every American to strive for and share in the prosperity of our nation through
cooperation and hard work; and

WHEREAS, today corporations hold undue influence and power in our country, and the key to this power is the corporate claim to "personhood," an opinion both U.S. Supreme COUl1Justices Hugo Black and William O. Douglas declared should be reversed; and

influencing the selection of candidates, the outcome of elections, and policy decisions -- threatening the voices of the people; and

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