Readers might think that we stack the editorial deck here at AOC, but this string of three articles came in a natural sequence. One of our AOC male friends Steve Mintz just sent this our way. Without intention, the unifying theme is men’s need to control women’s bodies, whether the men are in Cairo, the Congo or in America. Consider it a trifecta.

My biggest problem with the whole Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck crew is they honest to goodness do hate facts, almost as much as they hate science.

First the facts. The Kelly Liken restaurant in Vail where Michelle Obama and her daughters ate ribs has already refuted Rush Limbaugh’s assertion that the First Lady is a hypocrite for gushing on ribs that were 1,575 calories per serving with 141 grams of fat.

“Dare I say,” said Limbaugh, “it doesn’t look like the first lady follows her own dietary advice.”

600 Calorie, Low-Fat Short Ribs, Not 1500 Fat-Laden Calories, Rush

Restaurant owner Kelly Liken told the Vail Daily on Monday:

A braised short rib is a relatively lean cut of beef, braised with most of the fat cooked off. The 5-ounce serving runs about 600 calories, Liken said — a far cry from the 1,500 calories and 141 grams of fat it’s accused of.A proper 5-ounce portion of protein is what nutritionists say we should have,” said Kelly Liken, who launched the highly successful restaurant.

Let’s not forget that the 5-ounce rib is served with local kale, nurtured and grown by students at Eagle’s Brush Creek Elementary School.
“Kale is one of nature’s super foods,” Liken said. “There are more nutrients in the 3 ounces of kale we serve than you’ll get in a massive green salad.”

Mrs. Obama ate at the Kelly Liken because the restaurant supports the Brush Creek’s Sowing Seeds program, in which kids grow food in a greenhouse for their own lunch and sell some as well.

Rush Limbaugh’s Own Weight Problem

Judging from his own obesity, I don’t believe Rush Limbaugh is much into healthy eating or exercise, like the majority of Americans.

As for his comments about the First Lady in a bathing suit, he just reinforces my point about men believing they can say, do, legislate, critique whatever they want about women’s bodies.

I understand that Rush Limbaugh likes his women really thin, and that’s his prerogative.

When America’s 59-year-old morality leader married his 33-year-old fourth wife Kathryh Rogers in Palm Beach in June 2010, he chose a woman who probably does have a BMI lower than Michelle Obama’s.

I’m not so sure, though, that Rush Limbaughs has an ounce of critical judgement when he says:

What is it - no, I’m trying to say that our First Lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, or of a woman [professional baseball player] Alex Rodriguez might date every six months or what have you. I mean, women are under constant pressure to look lithe, and Michelle My Belle is out there saying if you eat the roots and tree bark and the berries and all this cardboard stuff you will live longer, be healthier and you won’t be obese. Okay, fine, show us.

To suggest that the First Lady Michelle Obama is obese is not only tactless but totally false.

Mrs. Obama works out aggressively and has a muscular body, one that I admire even if Rush Limbaugh doesn’t. I’ve been asked to estimate her size and believe her to be about a 10 at 5’11”.

Limbaugh’s comments just dovetail into the fashion industry trend of downsizing women since the 1990s, a subject I write about every week.

Crystal Renn recently called the 90s Supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer Amazons. It-s true that they were sexy, kick butt women at size 4-6.

The fashion industry’s determination to make women’s ideal beauty a size 0, preferably with no breasts, is part of the global trend to disempower strong women.

Rich Republicans, in particular, want their women very, very slim. I argue that it reduces their libidos but I can’t prove the motivation.

I read recently that Conservatives as a group exercise more and generally eat better. We’re working on a story on this subject, because I believe that many Conservatives do have a self-discipline that inspires. I reject the argument that it’s only an issue of access to healthy food and income differentials.

Rush Limbaugh is not among the healthy Conservatives — based on his own girth — and he has no business making unbelievably sexist comments about America’s First Lady, who is one of the few people trying to tackle the obesity problem that America’s military leader Gates has called a national security risk.

Rush Limbaugh should be concerned that America is too fat to fight the wars he envisions for our noble future and status as a divine right nation.

Another thought about obesity in men and sexual impotence is floating in my mind, but I won’t go there.

Money and shoes are always a great substitute for good sex. I’ve written that article, too. It’s time to go find it. Anne