When I hear traditional family values raised, I hear that effort once again to re-establish the man as head and master of his family. Who had the, not only the right, but the obligation to discipline his wife and children to keep them in line?

Most of us see Justice O'Connor as something of an icon, although we do not agree with all of her decisions.

Advice and consent does not mean rubber stamp in the Senate.

Is a woman raped every three minutes or every six minutes? It is far too much, whatever it is.

And of course we are familiar with the English common law rule of thumb that said a man could in fact use a stick no bigger than his thumb to discipline his wife and family.

All of us knew he was a snake when we voted for him

We have to stop this violence. We have to make the political nature of the violence clear, that the violence we experience in our own homes is not a personal family matter, it's a public and political problem. It's a way that women are kept in line, kept in our places.