How can you have a discussion about something without mentioning it? Without calling it by its name? Without calling a spade a spade or a vagina a vagina?
Because that’s what happened in the Michigan State Senate. No, no, no, it didn’t happen during the reign of Queen Victoria.
Alive and well, apparently
No it happened Wednesday, June 13. 2012. Michigan State Rep. Lisa Brown said the word “vagina.” It’s true. Imagine that! During a debate on abortion, she uttered the “V” word right there on the floor of the legislature and was banned from speaking, from offering amendments, from doing her job.
According to a story in The Detroit News,
Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas, R-Midland, determined Brown’s comments violated the decorum of the House, said Ari Adler, spokesman for the Republican majority.
And other Republicans agreed:
“What she said was offensive,” said Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville. “It was so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company.”
Again, according to the Detroit news article,
“If I can’t say the word vagina, why are we legislating vaginas?” Brown said at a press conference. “What language should I use?”
Why is it that Republicans are so willing to legislate on sex including who does it and its various outcomes, but they can’t say the word? How can you have a debate if you can’t mention the subject? Oh, I guess that’s the point.
Isn’t it time for these powerful GOP members to grow up? Say it with me boys, it’s not hard “V-A-G-I-N-A.”
And isn’t it time that we voters start paying attention to the views of people we vote for and not just listen to all the bullshit?
FiftyFourandAHalf 
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Did you see this: Silenced Mich. lawmaker does ‘Vagina Monologues’
Just goes to show that vaginas should rightfully replace the standard ‘balls’ as in “he’s got the balls for it.”
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Thanks for being a voice of reason on topics that many are too fearful to talk about. I love and respect that so very much. You go girl!
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Sadly, I’m a pretty quiet voice reaching a very few people. There are others, though. I think that women’s issues must take a high priority in this upcoming elections. On the Federal, State, local level. All the way down to dog catcher.
You can’t say “vagina” — find other employment!
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For the Michigan State Senate, I’d actually prefer vagina be called “pee-pee hole”. That’s not biologically accurate I realize, but I do like the idea of people using the words that are more appropriate for their intelligence level.
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If we go to their level we will be forced to describe things with Colorforms.
I am so tired of intentional ignorance.
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I agree. I don’t think they should be talking about vaginas either. Not mine and not anyone else’s. But since they want to legislate what goes on with them, they need to grow up or shut up. Even if they call it ‘Louise’, it’s still a vagina.
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Thanks Renee!
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I had a belief that, this kinds of things happens in our part of world only; but thanks a lot for the reality check.
I hope Lisa Brown helped other people, who need to use that word on floor in future. Now they can simply say, dash and fill it with the word Lisa Brown once used here.
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Sadly, Arindam, there are all too many places where fools reign.
I hope Lisa Brown has helped — by speaking the truth.
Thanks for visiting, Arindam.
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What they need to do is grow some balls. They’re like five-year-old boys whose mommies won’t let them hear it. You’re right. Who votes for these idiots?
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Sadly, too many people vote for them. We need to fight against the idiots.
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This isn’t about decorum or about being offended by the word “vagina”. This is about finding any excuse to silence people who disagree with them.
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You’re absolutely right, Laura. There are a whole lot of layers to this one!
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Absolutely. My VUO is Off-limits to these guys!
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Prude doesn’t even begin to describe the two MEN who were offended. Puleez! Get your legislation out of my vagina, my uterus, and my ovaries.
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How ridickulous! 🙂
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Absolutely!
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I could not agree more.
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That’s just because you have one of those dark places, Lorre.
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Must I play nice?
I have some decorum for you….here kitty kitty kitty. Gad, what a bunch of .. oh, never mind. Most of these men attended Sex Ed during my day, they had a class that taught them masturbation and night emissions were normal, perhaps they should return to these and never ever ever ever again see a vagina up close and personal again.
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The Lysistrata method is in order for the country, I think. Deny sex until the men get their heads out of their asses.
Of course the ones with their heads up there all married women like Michelle Bachmann, so this may be an uphill battle.
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Is what you are saying is those ‘men’ might like it?
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I don’t know. I’m just pretty sure that whatever they do like, I don’t.
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Good Lord. What idiots. I’m so sick of them trying to legislate what I do with my VAGINA. It’s ridiculous.
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Absolutely. Besides if they can’t go so far as to mention it, what are they so concerned about?
Thanks for stopping by!
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Oh my stars, I do declare, I cannot take much more of this referring to body parts by their correct names. It just damages my delicate sensibilities. If only she called it “penis pootang party” she would have been fine. And America would have been fine.
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Or “that dark, wet, evil place where I debase myself as often as I possibly can.”
I really cannot stand these self-righteous DICKS. (Thanks again, Paprika!)
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Thanks to the comments above who made me laugh after this sad story. Go get ’em Elyse!
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My commenters are always clever and funny (yourself included). Or, appropriately outraged.
What is wrong with these legislators, though. Shouldn’t there be a mandatory maturity level as well as a mandatory age?
Oy Vey.
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So very true – it’s about time someone telks it like it is.
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Thanks Claire. Yes, these folks need HUGE amounts of public ridicule.
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Hi,
That is so ridiculous it is laughable.
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Yes, Mags, it is laughable. I’d rather, though that it could take its rightful place in with your Friday jokes.
And while I don’t live in Michigan, state legislators here in Virginia where I DO live are equally asinine. And it is contagious.
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Yes, it is time. It has been time for a very long time 🙂
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This all makes me so angry.
It makes me want to scream. And when I do, I will scream “VAGINA.” In fact, I think we should all chant it until November’s election.
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Yes. Vagina Monologues. Vagina MONOLOGUES. VAGINA MONOLOGUES. Peeps, there is so much “language” so poor everywhere in public. I vote if we cannot say Vagina, neither can we, in fairness, say Penis. But then I live in Canada. Screaming loudly anyway, lol
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This reminds me of a news article that reported on a woman who was kicked off a flight because she was wearing an offensive tee-shirt, which stated, “If I wanted the government in my vagina I’d f*** a senator!” Maybe we should petition for a constitutional amendment stating that government should stay out of all of our orifices, but then, I guess, it wouldn’t have anything to do.
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When I first read this comment, I thought you wanted to keep government out of our “offices.” I wasn’t quite sure how to respond!
Love the Tee-shirt. Can I have one with Governor Ultrasound on it (VA Gov. McDonnell)?
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Shame on the women of Michigan for electing dinosaurs to represent them. Perhaps, instead of voting for who their husbands or their preachers tell them to vote for, they should use their minds and vote for people who will represent THEM. Old white men can only make laws about women’s bodies if the women allow them to do so. Seriously, sometimes it seems that placing an (R) after a man’s name turns him into a neanderthal.
We haven’t heard the last of Lisa Brown. I sincerely hope that she lawyers up and demands the opportunity to do the job that her constituents elected her to do. Her voice should not be silenced for frank discussion of matters at hand.
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I agree, whole heartedly. And while I always vote just the way my husband does, it’s because I married someone with political (and moral) beliefs I share, not because I need guidance!
This comment went into spam, D&O. I don’t know if others of yours have gone their on other blogs.
Thanks, as always for your thoughtful comment.
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“violated the decorum of the House” ??????
are you f’n kidding me? every time one of them opens their mouths, they violate my ability to tolerate their insanity.
puh-lease.
what a bunch of vagina-phobes
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Now, now, 99. You clearly don’t understand. They are on a mission from God, who doesn’t like any of that sex talk.
Excuse me while I vomit.
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I never heard of her before today, but Rep. Lisa Brown is my new favorite politician.
Of course, now I understand why certain people feel so strongly about not having sex ed in schools – if you do, you have to name the parts, right?
Isn’t it perverse to pretend we don’t have certain parts or pretend that we do have them but that they somehow have no labels?
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Isn’t it also perverse that so many of these self-righteous jerks are found (1) cheating on their wives; (2) soliciting hookers; (3) soliciting gay sex in public places?
This makes me crazy though. How can they debate without using the appropriate terms? How can they be so juvenile?
And HOW CAN PEOPLE VOTE FOR THEM?
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Perverse, immoral, disgusting … You know, if you keep blogging about stuff like this, I’m going to be left with no choice but to get out the tranquilizer dart gun.
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For you or for me? I’m afraid it may only get worse as the craziness increases until November.
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I was thinking you, but now that you mention it, I could use one too.
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Alas, I have much more coming… Because it is silly season. You will be shooting me a lot.
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I do it because I care.
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Sniff. That’s so touching.
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It is both surprising and sad that these richards (which is a more polite word for dicks so I know they would approve) are able to reproduce. Perhaps if they are unable to article the body parts involved in procreation they will eventually lose the capacity to procreate and their kind will finally die off and the rest of us can happily pepper our conversations with anatomically correct body part names while on crowded elevators. I often do this, even if I do not have a friend accompanying me. I just pretend I have one of those little thingies in my ear and chat away about vaginas and penises and the slippery slopes that can arise in state legislatures. I do this for the entertainment value – mine and everyone else’s on the elevator. I think I need to ride the elevator in the Michigan State Senate.
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Oh, Sandy, I do hope you’re right that some day they will be extinct. Sadly, since they are taking over legislatures (city, state and federal), they will do much damage before they become dinosaurs.
And I think elevators are great instruments in which to torture stupid people. Several years ago, I worked in a building that housed the government folks who banned singer/songwriter Cat Stevens from the U.S. I sang Peace Train in the elevators for about 2 years.
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Vagina, vagina, vagina, vagina.
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Oh, you dirty boy.
Glad you stopped by!
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I come from Vagina, so maybe I’m biased but…I LOVE Vagina. This story-of shaming a beautiful place by horribly small minded people-reminds me though how some people hate it when I even mention my beloved home. Maybe they just need to visit?
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Do you really come from a town called Vagina? Do I need to wash your mouth out with soap whenever you speak of your hometown? (I know there is one in Russia (thanks Google)).
But these folks are small minded in a much larger sense, I think. And visit? You mean like a foreign country? Pshaw! I bet they don’t go too far afield.
[I have to confess a fondness for funny human names. Last month I attended a conference where a trio of lawyers formed a panel. Their names were (and I am not making this up): Mousely, Ratlin and (drum roll) Katz.]
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Imagine if I did come from the real place called ‘Vagina’? I’d love to have that in my passport.
But seriously, the point I was trying to agree with is THESE GUYS ARE CRAZY.
What would they have my wife and I raise our daughters to call their ‘special place’? Some other de-evolved name which belittles women, shaming them into subtle, blatant and ever oppressive submission.
“Make sure you wash your flingy dingy, darling.”
I don’t think so.
I have another word for people who suppress other’s expression in the name of morality like that—and it ain’t vagina. Though it can mean that too.
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There is, apparently, a town called Vagina in Russia (if we are to believe Google, the Oracle 😉 ). Now, I would bet that there is a Russian word for “vagina” that is at least somewhat different from our English word.
I too know the word you’re thinking of, but we won’t use it here on this family-oriented blog. We’ll just use vagina. Repeatedly.
Vagina. Vagina. Vagina. Vagina. Vagina.
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Vagina. Vagina. Vagina.
🙂 🙂 🙂
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It’s the anatomical name for a body part, not a vulgar curse word. What a bunch of dicks!
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I snorted when I read your comment. And then I added “Dicks” to the tags. Because you’re right. They are all DICKS. Every last one of these Cretans.
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Oh, I love when I make people snort 🙂
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I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous. What is wrong with these people?
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I’m pretty sure that it could be scientifically proven that they have their heads up their asses. Oops, I mean “kiesters” — that word is OK because Ronald Reagan used it.
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They can write the legislaton like this: “We have the right to know what is going on DOWN THERE.”
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I’m still fuming over this. What pussies they are!
AND I’m annoyed at the formatting. I can’t get the spacing at the bottom to work. I blame the GOP for that, too.
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Haha. You’re killing me. I don’t think I’ve seen you this angry before. I like it!
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Well, if only I could fix these jerks as easily as I fixed the formatting problem.
And I do mean “fix” in the way Lorena Bobbitt meant it.
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Wow!
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It doesn’t pay to mess with women with vaginas. By which, of course, I mean ALL women.
‘scuse me while I burn an athletic supporter.
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Hey, just remember that it wasn’t me. I love all vaginas. Seriously.
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Smart man. Very smart.
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