Sometimes I wonder if Rush Limbaugh is a secret liberal whose strategy is to make the far right look JUST THAT BAD.

If only. But listening to all the conversation and outrage that’s followed his most recent vile contribution to the national dialogue, I can’t help but feel like he’s accidentally done feminism a favor. There’s a lot of stuff worth reading out there, but I’ll only mention a few: Here’s a Slate article by Emily Bazelon about the whole thing, plus some of the positive changes that are happening these days in rape legislation. Here’s a Salon article by Maureen Andrade that injects some reality and common sense into the issue of human relationships and pregnancy prevention. Both Slate and Salon have other related articles I’ve enjoyed reading — poke around. Here, Tamora Pierce calls for an end to “women slut-bashing other women. Using the words that have ripped women apart for centuries.” And finally, if it’s all too upsetting and painful and you need a good laugh to help you wipe off the muck, watch what Jon Stewart has to say about Limbaugh.  Really, do.

Speaking of awesome women (because that is ultimately what I’m speaking of), Elizabeth Warren is trailing Scott Brown in campaign donations in the Massachusetts Senate race. Here’s Warren’s website, if you care to make a donation.

And finally, did you know that it was a woman in her early 20s who uncovered the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State story? Sara Ganim worked on the story for two years, pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, asking people questions, and in fact, published her first story about it (in Harrisburg’s The Patriot News) seven months before most of us ever heard about it. For seven months, her reporting was squashed and ignored. Then Sandusky was finally arrested and charged, and the national media jumped on it. In December, Sara Ganim became the youngest recipient ever of the Sidney Award for socially conscious journalism. Congratulations!