Bob Herbert, my new hero.

Who's Bob Herbert? He’s a contributor to the New York Times’ OpEd page. I just discovered Bob because of his recent kickass feminist columns about the mass murder of little girls in an Amish schoolhouse, which should be called what it was – a hate crime – and the UN report on worldwide violence against women. Then I read his archives and was floored at such a brave, trenchant voice coming from, not The Nation or the HuffingtonPost, but the venerable Grey Lady herself (though let’s face it, the NYT is pretty liberal for a mainstream paper).

A Pontificator after my own heart, Bob Herbert writes passionately, angrily and articulately about racism, poverty, political corruption, and misogyny in all its forms, including certain Abercrombie t-shirts, genital mutilation, mass rape as a weapon of war, bride burnings, honor killings, female infanticide, etc. ad nauseam. Here’s a sample:

“The disrespectful, degrading, contemptuous treatment of women is so pervasive and so mainstream that it has just about lost its ability to shock.

“In a misogynistic culture, it's never too early to drill into the minds of girls that what really matters is their appearance and their ability to please men sexually.”

“We're all implicated in this carnage because the relentless violence against women and girls is linked at its core to the wider society's casual willingness to dehumanize women and girls, to see them first and foremost as sexual vessels – objects – and never, ever as the equals of men.” 10/16/06

He’s bracingly, outspokenly anti-Bush:

“His breathtaking arrogance is exceeded only by his incompetence…he is the worst president in memory, and one of the worst of all time.” (1/26/06)

Testify!

He’s a voice crying out in the wilderness, calling for an end to the Iraq war and for making our entire nation bear the burden, not just the troops.

“You never want to say that brave troops in Iraq died for the mindless fantasies spun by a gang of inept politicians. But what else did they die for?” 10/3/05

He reminds us what patriotism really is:

“A lot of Americans are like spoiled rich kids who take their wealth for granted. Too many of us have forgotten – or never learned – the real value of the great American ideals. Too many are standing silently by as Mr. Bush and his cronies engage in the kind of tyrannical and uncivilized behavior that has brought so much misery – and ultimately ruin – to previous societies.” 7/17/06

Bob has a new column today about Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House (second in line to the presidency after the VP! Just in case something were to mysteriously happen to Public Enemies #1 and #2!) Most of Bob’s columns are only accessible if you’re a TimesSelect member – in other words, you have to pay a fee. But you can sign up for a 2-week free trial and read all his columns, then cancel your membership if you must. Do it!