Amy Poehler is a brilliant writer and performer.
Her latest success of a show, Parks & Recreation, combines my two favorite things; politics and comedy.
Having grown up watching her on SNL, she's been a hilarious and vital contribution to my definition of what's funny. Something that speaks to her character as a person is how the comedy veteran, with the establishments of two Upright Citizens Brigade comedy schools/theaters one in LA and one in NY, is loyal to her original comedy troupe in addition to creating this platform for future performers.
But here's why I really love Amy Poehler, she's an activist. These days there's so much stigma attached to words like activist, or as Ms. Peohler would more likely be labeled, a feminist. People like Rush Limbaugh don't help much when equating feminism with Nazi perpetrators of the holocaust, calling women like Sandra Fluke who care about equal rights "Feminazis" and additionally labeling them 'sluts' and 'prostitutes'.
For me, seeing Amy Poehler use her comedic wit and far-reaching influence to shine light on an issue that is truly unbelievable in this day and age, is like the glimmer of hope that there are people out there who realize this is outrageous. These GOP candidates say they want to minimize government in terms of how it limits rich people like themselves, by lowering taxes on carried interest? Really? Do average Americans rely mostly on the money they make from carried interest? No, just rich dudes like all of the current GOP candidates, but as Romney said he's not that worried about the poor people. In a move of absolute hypocrisy, these candidates then want to extend the reach of government into the sex lives and health decisions of Americans and go so far as to deny women the right for contraception to be provided by insurance when it is often used for medical purposes like to treat heavy periods that keep a woman from leading a normal life, to treat chronic migraines, and as Sandra Fluke would've testified if given the opportunity, the birth control pill is even used to treat ovarian cysts. They argue that it's wrong to "force" beliefs on employers with different religious values. But is it really encroaching upon their religious values, to provide the insurance they're already providing, the only difference being that the insurance company now is being required to provide the contraception if a woman needs it? Because it is often a medical need.
This topic is a magnet for conservatives to spew rhetoric that contradicts itself, which is actually typical for them. If the conservatives are so pro-life why wouldn't they be down for contraception? Being that it's the #1 way to prevent abortions by avoiding a conception in the first place!
I could go on all day about it because it baffles me to see men trying to run women's lives with so little insight or even willingness to gain insight into what effects such positions would have on their human rights, but my better judgement tells me to stop before I've rambled on too long.
Without further ado, here is Ms. Poehler's much funnier and more concise interpretation/reaction to this conservative war on women.
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