No more hiding

I never thought I would see the day when I, a proud American and Texan, would cheer on a French politician. But it has arrived.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke out against a specific garment in a presidential address to a joint session of France's two houses of parliament. He actually called the burqas what it is, a prison, and said they are not welcome in France.
Sarkozy stood up for women's rights in the strongest terms I have heard yet. He is quoted as saying, "The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."
I have never seen any representative from the National Organization for Women speak in such terms.
Yet the issue goes beyond the simple garment itself. It is a symbol of the woman being inhuman, being like every other. The burqa robs a woman of her uniqueness and hides it behind a black mesh strip across the eyes. It gives leave for the men in a woman's life to treat her with utmost disrespect.
As a woman, and a true feminist, I find the garment and everything it stands for entirely disturbing.
- Lauren Ricks, Staff Writer