I'm Back. . . . sort of
It's been quite a while since I posted anything. You last heard from me before I jumped in to help with the organizing of the Roots Project, a joint effort of
Firedoglake,
Crooks & Liars and
Glenn Greewald of Unclaimed Territory. We are trying to get people together in their respective states to take real action with real face time rather than just work online and write letters, send money, and to the editor, etc.
We in MA are starting a relationship with the directory of Sen. Kerry's Boston office. It is a great thing to be doing. Here's the example of what can happen:
Last Wed. the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) wrapped up its Youth Summit with lobbying on the Hill in DC. We took groups of wonderful young college and seminary students to meet with their elected representatives to talk about the REAL act, a full spectrum sex education act. We went to see aides in Neal's, Capuano's, Markey's, and Kerry's offices. Two of the three reps were already co-sponsors. That was easy. The third saw the issue as a "no-brainer" and said she would try to get the rep to sign on.
Our visit to our senator's office was a different story. We presented the info. and was told a variety of waffling things. We left with a bad feeling mixed with anger. I e-mailed the Boston director when I got back from the YearlyKos and asked for a phone call. All is now straightened out and Kerry will back it!
Now the real story here is that the Kerry aide in DC had never before met with people of faith who were PRO comprehensive sex ed and was confused. We have now untangled the confusion. That is the power of the Roots Project which really is about Common People for the Common Good.
I'll have more to write about soon, but I am recovering from 2 long trips in a row and a nasty cold on top of it.
Stay tuned.
Pro-Life Nation
I've been crazy busy lately and there hasn't been a lot of buzz about Choice lately, or if there has, it has been put on the back burner because of things like, oh let's see, Tom DeLay's stepping down from the House, more corruption coming out on the Abramoff scandal, steroids in baseball, W's sinking ratings and taking it on the road, the continuing Mess'o'potamia, etc.
So this morning I am awakened from my slumber by Rachel Maddow on Air America Radio with the story of what is happening in ElSalvador where all forms of abortion are criminal. Women and those who help them are sent to jail. Women with ectopic pregnancies cannot be helped until the pregnancy ruptures. Women who abort a "viable" fetus (don't really know what viable means here other than post second trimester) are sentenced to 30-50 YEARS in jail!!!!
So is this where we are headed?
This will be the cover story in the upcoming NY Times Sunday Magazine. Look for it. In the mean time, here's more at
Alternet complete with the radio clip.
Urgent Action needed in Mississippi
A long but worth it diary on Kos about what's happening Monday March 27 in Mississippi. They may be the next South Dakota and they are trying to do it "quietly" but that's not happening.
There are a lot of action items toward the end of the diary. Lots to do in a short amount of time.
Here's the story.
The Only Moral Abortion is MY Abortion
There is a diary up on the DailyKos
here that discusses
this article.
I found it on Steve Gilliard's blog
hereMany years ago my husband, before I knew him, worked at the PP clinic in Seattle. He told me the story that had been told to him by the clinic director of the day that the head of the anti-choice group that picketed the clinic regularly asked to have an appt. with her after hours. The woman needed to make an appointment for her daughter who needed an abortion. Being the kind and empathetic woman that the director was, she said of course assuring the mom that confidentiality would be kept, etc.
At the end of the meeting, she asked the anti how she could reconcile taking this action with and helping her daughter get an abortion. How does she have thtemerityty to stand out in front of the clinic and try to block other women from coming in. The anti said something to the effect,
"My daughter's a good girl, she's not a slut like the others who come here."
The stories never end, and never will end.
The Oglala Sioux Stand Up for Choice
This is the beginning of what could be a very interesting line of action.
Cecilia Fire Thunder, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe at Pine Ridge, SD, says that she is going to stand up to Gov. Rounds' ban of all abortion in the state of South Dakota.
The tribe is talking about inviting PP to open a clinic on the reservation. It's an interesting thought. Since the reservations of the various tribes are sovereign nations, they can make their own laws.
Here's more of the story with lots and lots of comments.
It raises lots of question—questions that could bring the debate to a new level.
Small Victories—we'll take them
Small victory in Indiana:
Indiana is one of the worst states on choice I have ever seen. As you drive over the state line from wherever into Indiana, you will find the horrible beating heart billboards. So this small victory, the bad bills proposed to limit choice even further, died because of a deadline. Read the short diary:
My Left Wing
Missouri, Marching backward in the annals of time!
Fired Up MissouriThose good ole repulsivans in Missouri are hellbent to punish poor women for having sex. Now they want to take birth control availability away from state clinics. Gee, who'd o thunk it?
Comments on the story posted at:
Firedoglake,
Crooksandliars,
AmericaBlog and
Booman.
Again, it's not about preventing pregnancies which lead to icky abortions, it's totally about slutty women having sex.
If you haven't read the paper written by Lisa Littman about prevention vs. punishment, go and
do it.Lots to catch up on—been having to do my real job lately— so I'll be back with another interesting exchange that Digby got into this week. . . . more later.
A New "Game" of Twenty Questions
Interesting questions to ask our "pro-life" friends. We could probably add to the list—and will—but in the mean time, Molly has these for us:
Twenty Questions -- Baby Killing Edition
Since many of the people commenting on that other post are referring to "murder" in one form or another, here are some questions for those of you who claim to believe that abortion is murder, and that all women who receive them are "murdering their babies."
1) Should women who abort get life sentences in prison and/or the death penalty?
2) If a woman's husband knows she is aborting, should he be charged as an accessory to murder? . . .
Go see the rest
hereJust Added mollysavestheday to the blog roll. Check it out
