What, No Lucrezia Borgia?

In honor of Women's History Month or International Women's Day or maybe just Women's Four O'Clock, the college library has set up a student-crafted display in the lobby.  Giant pieces of construction paper have been festooned with photos and factoids about famous females throughout history.  The section devoted to "Women in Politics" features pictures and capsule biographies of such trailblazing notables as Representatives Shirley Chisholm and Nancy Pelosi; Marian Wright Edelman, the president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund; some lesser-known (at least in America) figures like Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller and Mexican Attorney General Marisela Morales Ibanez (who is actually quite the fox--talk about putting the "International Woman" in "International Women's Day," Mrrrr-ow!);

Where was I?

Ah yes. And, rounding out the display of noteworthy female political figures. . . Tokyo Rose!

Tokyo Rose?

Look, just because a woman played a significant historical role, that doesn't mean her accomplishments MUST be celebrated.  How many encomiums to Idi Amin did you see during Black History Month?  Plus, "Tokyo Rose" isn't even technically a woman: "She" is a generic character, a name given to any of several English-speaking Japanese broadcasters who sought to destroy the morale of American servicement during World War II.  She's kind of the anti-motivational Rosie the Riveter--who, incidentally, is quite a prominent figure in this neck of the woods (Richmond, CA), where "Rosies" supported the Allied war effort through service in the local shipyards.  SHE couldn't have been put into the diorama?

Next to the politics section is a display about notable women in the sciences, prominently featuring information about Valerie Thomas, a NASA scientist who invented the "illusion transmitter," a device used in 3-D filmmaking.  Cool and all, but, in describing her invention, the students mentio that this technology made possible, "some of your favorite movies like" [wait for it] "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

I'm sure "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" will feature prominently in the first line of Ms. Thomas's obituary.