Damn. Can't sleep. I must share a true story:
During my fertile years, I made a point of having my annual PAP smear, pelvic and breast exams, and getting my pills refilled, at a local women's clinic which also provided abortions. I thought they needed my support.
Every weekday morning, women seeking access to the clinic's driveway had to pass a group of 5-10 dedicated sidewalk protesters, mostly retirees and mostly Catholic, who stood quietly by, held up signs, and prayed their Rosaries. No big deal.
Free speech, free assembly, and they stayed on the public side of the property line. Occasionally one of the group led the Rosary with a megaphone. Again, free speech. Stressful and annoying to listen to for hours on end, but it's their right.
But the real circus was on Saturday mornings, when local fundamentalist churches sometimes brought out protesters by the busloads. They were well-armed with megaphones and powerful lungs, and shrieked at women entering the driveway: "DON'T KILL YOUR BABY." They sometimes attempted to block the driveway and used cameras to intimidate women entering the clinic. Women had to run a formidable gauntlet just to enter. So the clinic had escort volunteers and a security guard for the weekends.
Anyway, women would go there for all sorts of reasons: abortions, birth control pills, pelvic exams. But of course it was assumed by the Conservanazirepubliscum that each and every woman was cheerfully marching in there to terminate her pregnancy, so they shouted at women on a regular basis: "DON'T KILL YOUR BABY!"
But one Saturday morning I realized that they were only shouting at PARTICULAR women.
I pulled in for my exam appointment and to have my pills refilled. I drove past the screamers, drove up the driveway and into the large parking lot in the rear, safely surrounded by private property.
A moment later, another, younger woman pulled into the adjacent parking, space: she was attractive, tall, slender, lovely ... and African- American. While I gathered my things, she got out of her car. I called out, "be careful, those guys are whacked. Be sure to lock your car." She did so, and walked toward the clinic's entrance. I could hear the crowd singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children," but I noticed something -- they did not scream directly at her. In fact, they glanced at her and completely ignored her. She entered, and the door closed behind her.
I was about 20 steps behind this young woman. But as my WHITE baby-makin' hips approached the door, the screams began in earnest: "DON'T KILL YOUR BABY! DON'T KILL YOUR BABY! PLEASE COME TALK TO US! WE'LL ADOPT YOUR CHILD!"
I had started to open the clinic door, but my blood boiled. I let go of the door, and I marched to the foot of the driveway. I went nose-to-nose (just on the clinic's side of the property line) with the Alpha Screamer. I made a theatrical gesture of clearing out my ears, and snarled, as I pointed behind me: "I didn't hear you say that to the woman who entered before me! Or did I have wax in my ears and I missed that?"
He did not respond, but resumed yelling "PLEASE DON'T KILL YOUR BABY! WE HAVE WET MOTHERS! WE CAN ADOPT!"
This time I shouted back: "You didn't answer my question! WHY DIDN'T YOU URGE THAT BLACK WOMAN NOT TO HAVE AN ABORTION? WHY DIDN'T YOU OFFER TO ADOPT IT? YOU DON'T WANT BLACK BABIES, DO YOU?"
I was again ignored, and screamed at not to kill MY imaginary baby.
So I said, "What if I wanted to keep a baby? What if I didn't want to give it up for adoption? Would you help me then? Would you help pay my bills? And help me finish college?"
Again, I received no answer, just more shouting.
I whirled on my heel, flipped them all a double-handed bird, and marched into the clinic. As I approached, I noticed a couple of people peeking out the door.
In a much, much calmer voice, I asked the packed waiting room (about 50/50 black and white): "How many of you African-American women were screamed at not to have an abortion?"
Not a single hand went up.
Then I said, "How many of you white women got screamed at?"
EVERY HAND went up.
I said, "Fucking racists. They want white babies, and they want us to GIVE them to them to brainwash. They don't care what happens to black women or black babies." Then I sat down.
This spurred a discussion about the venomous sexism and blatant, undisguised, shameless racism all rolled into one big, stinking shitpile of hatred and herded into church busses. The KKK in Jesus T-shirts. Two busloads of 'em. EVERY SATURDAY. Most of the women there were in tears. One of their male companions bolted out the door to give the screamers a piece of HIS mind.
I started volunteering as a clinic escort after that -- I'd been through non-violence training, but I was also belted in a martial art and not afraid to use it to defend myself or another if I absolutely had to.
When Operation Rescue came to town, the same observations were made by all clinic volunteers: minority women did NOT get yelled at to give up their precious bundles of joy for adoption. But EVERY white woman was body-blocked and otherwise interfered with as she attempted to enter the clinic. All of us clinic defenders came away bruised simply by body-block contact with those lunatics (the idea is to surround the woman and get her safely inside). I had bruises even though I had worn motorcycle leathers for the job.
My Granny used to call such hypocrisy, "The Devil in a Sunday hat." Wise words, those.
So...this throws another bag of Ugly into the fray. Sexism and racism. A desire for total control over women, and for a permanent underclass. It makes me so sick I can't sleep. Didn't get any sleep last night either.
Y'all, "The Handmaid's Tale" really is coming if we al don't get off our butts and DO something.
Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the National Rifle Association, delivered what appeared to be his stock speech, saying the media exploits grief produced by violence by making it about gun control. He read the names of a dozen Americans, all victims of mass shootings, shaming the media for making their killers famous while they are forgotten. His presentation took on the drama of America's Most Wanted as he played the 911 recording of an unarmed woman trying to resist an armed intruder. How safe, he asked women in the audience, do you feel in a dark parking lot? "And these clowns want to ban magazines? Are you kidding me?"
He left no ambiguity about where the NRA stands on congressional efforts to ban large-size magazine clips like the shooter in Tucson used. He patted himself and his organization on the back for maintaining a "respectful silence" in the face of calls for more of what he considers ineffective laws that penalize law-abiding gun owners. "As soon as you leave this hotel, your life is in jeopardy," he said, reciting a laundry list of alarming statistics on the number of Americans who would soon be murdered, maimed, robbed and forcibly raped. He showed a clip out of Cairo with a correspondent reporting on the breakdown in order, and how Egyptians were taking matters into their own hands. "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun," he said.
There was a lot of talk at CPAC about American exceptionalism, and how the elites in Washington, Manhattan, and San Francisco don't believe in it, and how President Obama doesn't command respect in the world the way that, say, Ronald Reagan did. Every speaker paid homage to Reagan; on whatever the subject, and sometimes despite the facts, Reagan is the benchmark for success. But when you translate the American specialness conservatives cite into policy, the results can be disquieting. It apparently means more God, with one display inquiring, "Why are you a conservative?" The most succinct response, "Because God is." It means cracking down on immigration, conveniently forgetting that President Reagan signed an amnesty bill, and of course repealing Obama's health-care law, which Iowa Republican Steve King calls a cancer tumor that must be pulled out by its roots and eradicated before it metastasizes.
A panel on "political correctness" in the military assailed the recent overturning of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy on gay soldiers. Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness claimed the survey of troops was faulty because it relied too heavily on respondents who said they knew and had worked with someone who was gay. That, she said, didn't mean they were ready to overturn DADT.
“As soon as you leave this hotel, your life is in jeopardy.”
Clockwise from left: The audience at CPAC. National Rifle Association Executive Vice President/CEO Wayne LaPierre, Center for Military Readiness President Elaine Donnelly, and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. (AP Photo)
Ilario Pantano, a former Marine and a fiery speaker, said that America is a Christian nation, and that's being denied because we have to be tolerant of everybody else's worldview. "It's time to start offending and start talking about God's truth," he declared, concluding to thunderous applause, "The ultimate founding document is the Bible."
A panel on immigration featured Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who wants the federal government to stop sending money to "sanctuary cities" like San Francisco that don't enforce immigration laws, and states that give tuition breaks to illegal immigrants. Another panelist deplored the notion of granting citizenship to illegal immigrants in exchange for military service, wondering how you can trust people to defend the country when they broke the law to get here.
The hearts of many CPAC activists seem to be with the social issues, and among the speakers, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is the embodiment of those issues. Santorum, who is running for president, implored the CPAC audience to join with him in an army anyone can join, one in which they don't need a uniform. After his remarks a questioner asked, "We're all ready to fight, but how do we know when we've won?"
When we repeal Obamacare, reduce the size of government, and get the courts to stop attempting to redefine life and marriage, Santorum responded.
A panel in support of traditional marriage featured two of the very few African Americans attending this conference. Michael Faulkner got a big round of applause for having run against Democrat Charles Rangel in the last election. Bishop Harry Jackson of the Hope Christian Church in Maryland implored the audience to seize the opportunity to bring blacks, Hispanics, and others into the conservative movement based on their shared conservative social values. "Don't throw us under the bus, don't push social issues over to the corner," he declared. "Stand with me and decide if this is a multicultural, multiracial movement. We can change America!"
• Howard Kurtz: Romney Tries MockeryHe brought the almost all-white crowd to their feet, and then a questioner brought everyone back to reality. Noting the shared commitment to traditional marriage and the antiabortion agenda that conservatives share with black Americans, she asked, "Where do we lose them?" Faulkner, who lives in Harlem, took a stab at answering. "It's not our values, it's our message.... It's a disconnect we need to work on."
Conservatives built their movement on a set of social issues and have regularly capitalized on them. These issues took a backseat during the 2010 elections, but their power to motivate these voters is undiminished.
Eleanor Clift is a contributing editor for Newsweek.
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Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
On our current trajectory, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans. The real story isn't about jobs, it's about the ever decreasing standard of living for the middle class.
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bench craft company
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All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners com/news/business/2006099/new_survey_finds_vegan_diet_enhances_health_weight_loss_and/index.html Source article? r_science source = “> Read more about redOrbit ...
Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
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AOL Bolsters Local <b>News</b> Investment With Acquisition of Outside.in <b>...</b>
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bench craft company
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Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
On our current trajectory, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans. The real story isn't about jobs, it's about the ever decreasing standard of living for the middle class.
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bench craft company
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All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners com/news/business/2006099/new_survey_finds_vegan_diet_enhances_health_weight_loss_and/index.html Source article? r_science source = “> Read more about redOrbit ...
Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
On our current trajectory, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans. The real story isn't about jobs, it's about the ever decreasing standard of living for the middle class.
AOL Bolsters Local <b>News</b> Investment With Acquisition of Outside.in <b>...</b>
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bench craft company
Latest Health <b>News</b> Wellness | Daily Health Reviews
All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners com/news/business/2006099/new_survey_finds_vegan_diet_enhances_health_weight_loss_and/index.html Source article? r_science source = “> Read more about redOrbit ...
Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
On our current trajectory, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans. The real story isn't about jobs, it's about the ever decreasing standard of living for the middle class.
AOL Bolsters Local <b>News</b> Investment With Acquisition of Outside.in <b>...</b>
AOL has acquired local news aggregator Outside.in, according to multiple reports.
bench craft company
Latest Health <b>News</b> Wellness | Daily Health Reviews
All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners com/news/business/2006099/new_survey_finds_vegan_diet_enhances_health_weight_loss_and/index.html Source article? r_science source = “> Read more about redOrbit ...
Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
On our current trajectory, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans. The real story isn't about jobs, it's about the ever decreasing standard of living for the middle class.
AOL Bolsters Local <b>News</b> Investment With Acquisition of Outside.in <b>...</b>
AOL has acquired local news aggregator Outside.in, according to multiple reports.
bench craft company
Latest Health <b>News</b> Wellness | Daily Health Reviews
All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners com/news/business/2006099/new_survey_finds_vegan_diet_enhances_health_weight_loss_and/index.html Source article? r_science source = “> Read more about redOrbit ...
Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
On our current trajectory, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans. The real story isn't about jobs, it's about the ever decreasing standard of living for the middle class.
AOL Bolsters Local <b>News</b> Investment With Acquisition of Outside.in <b>...</b>
AOL has acquired local news aggregator Outside.in, according to multiple reports.
bench craft company
Latest Health <b>News</b> Wellness | Daily Health Reviews
All other copyrights remain the property of their respective owners com/news/business/2006099/new_survey_finds_vegan_diet_enhances_health_weight_loss_and/index.html Source article? r_science source = “> Read more about redOrbit ...
Robert Reich: The Real <b>News</b> on Jobs
On our current trajectory, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans. The real story isn't about jobs, it's about the ever decreasing standard of living for the middle class.
AOL Bolsters Local <b>News</b> Investment With Acquisition of Outside.in <b>...</b>
AOL has acquired local news aggregator Outside.in, according to multiple reports.
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