IN PRAISE OF WOMEN

One of my favorite women is Ida B. Wells.

I've always found it surprising that her role in the civil rights movement is rarely mentioned. Long before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, Ida Wells successfully sued a railroad company for forcing her into the segregated car after she refused to give up her seat. She was fired from her job as a teacher for speaking out against the conditions of black schools. She opened her own newspaper whose offices were destroyed after she published scathing articles about lynching.

Ida B. Wells was truly fearless.

Liliuokalani :: pity and admiration..

Who?

Liliuokalani

Oh:

"Liliuokalani
[lElEOO"Okälä'nE]
Pronunciation Key

Liliuokalani , 1838?1917, last reigning queen of the Hawaiian Islands. She ascended the throne in 1891 upon the death of her brother, King Kalakaua. Her refusal to recognize the constitutional changes inaugurated in 1887 precipitated a revolt, fostered largely by sugar planters (mostly American residents of Hawaii), that led to her dethronement early in 1893 and the establishment of a provisional government. Failing in an attempt to regain the throne in 1895, she formally renounced her royal claims. Much of the remainder of her life was spent in the United States, where she unsuccessfully entered against the federal government claims totaling $450,000 for property and other losses. The territorial legislature of Hawaii finally voted her an annual pension of $4,000 and permitted her to receive the income from a sugar plantation of 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares). She wrote many songs, including the popular ?Aloha Oe,? or ?Farewell to Thee.?"

Nefertiti, defiled post-mortem, her influence shunned and repressed...and Catwoman, maybe. Populist choices perhaps, but hey...Local authors Barbara Gowdy and Susan Swan are also faves of mine, for their incredibly insightful literature.

Queen Lydia Liliuokalani
Queen Lydia Liliuokalani
(September 2, 1838 - November 11, 1917)
Queen Liliuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian islands. She felt her mission was to preserve the islands for their native residents. In 1898, Hawaii was annexed to the United States and Queen Liliuokalani was forced to give up her throne.

Queen Liliuokalani was deposed by the advocates of a Republic for Hawaii in 1893. She was born in Honolulu to high chief Kapaakea and the chiefess Keohokalole, the third of ten children. Her brother was King Kalakaua. Liliuokalanie was adopted at birth by Abner Paki and his wife Konia. At age 4, her adoptive parents enrolled her in the Royal School. There she became fluent in English and influenced by Congregational missionaries. She also became part of the royal circle attending Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma.

Liliuokalanie married a ha'ole, John Owen Dominis on September 16, 1862. Dominis would eventually serve the monarchy as the Governor of O'ahu and Maui. They had no children and according to her private papers and diaries, the marriage was not fulfilling. Dominis died shortly after she assumed the throne, and the queen never remarried.

Upon the death of her brother, King Kalakauam Liliuokalani ascended the throne of Hawaii in January 1891. One of her first acts was to recommend a new Hawaii constitution, as the "Bayonet Constitution" of 1887 limited the power of the monarch and political power of native Hawaiians. In 1890, the McKinley Tariff began to cause a recession in the islands by withdrew the safeguards ensuring a mainland market for Hawaiian sugar. American interests in Hawaii began to consider annexation for Hawaii to re-establish an economic competitive position for sugar. In 1893, Queen Liliuokalani sought to empower herself and Hawaiians through a new constitution which she herself had drawn up and now desired to promulgate as the new law of the land. It was Queen Liliuokalani's right as a sovereign to issue a new constitution through an edict from the throne. A group led by Sanford B. Dole sought to overthrow the institution of the monarchy. The American minister in Hawaii, John L. Stevens, called for troops to take control of Iolani Palace and various other governmental buildings. In 1894, the Queen, was deposed, the monarchy abrogated, and a provisional government was established which later became the Republic of Hawaii.

In 1893, James H. Blount, newly appointed American minister to Hawaii, arrived representing President Grover Cleveland. Blount listened to both sides, annexationists and restorationists, and concluded the Hawaiian people aligned with the Queen. Blount and Cleveland agreed the Queen should be restored. Blount's final report implicated the American minister Stevens in the illegal overthrow of Liliuokalani. Albert S. Willis, Cleveland's next American minister offered the crown back to the Queen on the condition she pardon and grant general amnesty to those who had dethroned her. She initially refused but soon she changed her mind and offered clemency. This delay compromised her political position and President Cleveland had released the entire issue of the Hawaiian revolution to Congress for debate. The annexationists promptly lobbied Congress against restoration of the monarchy. On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaii with Sanford B. Dole as president was proclaimed. It was recognized immediately by the United States government.

In 1895, Liliuokalani was arrested and forced to reside in Iolani Palace after a cache of weapons was found in the gardens of her home in Washington Place. She denied knowing of the existence of this cache and was reportedly unaware of others' efforts to restore the royalty. In 1896, she was released and returned to her home at Washington Place where she lived for the next two decades. Hawaii was annexed to the United States through a joint resolution of the U. S. Congress in 1898 . The "ex-"queen died due to complications from a stroke in 1917. A statue of her was erected on the grounds of the State Capital in Honolulu.

Jenna Jameson:

Jenna Jameson is the epitome of sexual desire. She exploded onto the porn scene in 1995 like a sexual supernova, becoming the biggest star in the industry within about a year. Jenna is 5'4" with a well toned body and a cover-girl face. She's a drop-dead gorgeous blonde who is one of the biggest porn starlets of the 90's, if not of all time. For the last 5 years Jenna has out shined all the porn starlets and has been titled the "Queen of Porn". Jenna Jameson was born and raised in Las Vegas by her father, and by the time she was 18, the bright lights were already drawing her in. She started stripping which led to nude modeling, and by her 20th birthday Jenna had appeared in dozens of top men's magazines. A visit to a porn set got Jenna interested in a hardcore career. A few movies later in 1996 Jenna scored an unprecedented triple crown by taking home the XRCO Best New Starlet, the F.O.X.E. Video Vixen and the AVN Best New Starlet awards.

Queen Elizabeth I for managing in a man's world alone and not marrying the choice of her courtiers and avoiding Spain ruling England. She was highly educated and it was a rich era in arts and literature.