The Annals of Sexism

Farce
The New York powerbroker Al Pirro has apparently been working behind the scenes to get his wife, Jeanine, to end her campaign to face Hillary Clinton in the 2006 race for senator:

A report in Monday's New York Post indicated that Jeanine Pirro's husband - dubbed a "Judas" and a "louse spouse" by the tabloid - sought the assistance of the state Senate's top Republican in short- circuiting his wife's campaign against Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and convincing her to run, instead, for state attorney general.

As you might guess, Al Pirro is not a grand prize in the spousal sweepstakes: a few years back he was sent to prison for tax fraud, and he has also recently admitted to fathering a child with another woman while married to Jeanine.

Tragedy
On Wednesday, NPR ran a gripping and horrifying story by Anne Garrels on the rising practice of "honor killings" in Iraq - men murdering female relatives whom they suspect of sexual indiscretions. Of course, these "indiscretions" can be and often are usually imaginary. The story focuses on a young woman who is murdered by a relative after she is kidnapped by criminals. The mere chance that she was raped is enough. This story will make you ill, and makes me want to write a half-informed screed about how on god's green earth that country or region will ever drag itself out into modernity when men can do this to women. But I'll refrain.