i just added a new link to this blog of mine. one for the brady campaign to prevent gun violence.
i am so upset about the current tragedies in virginia and texas that i've finally decided to put my hand in.
it is just too easy for people in this country to get their hands on any kind of weapon they want and can afford.
the young man in virginia was disturbed. but because he was legally an adult, and could not be forced to undergo counseling, no alert was sent out to possibly prevent him from buying a gun.
as i have said before. there is no earthly reason for anyone other than law enforcement officials and the military to possess weapons.
we need to get together until this madness stops.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
It's My Choice, Stupid
The recent supreme court decision in Gonzales v Carhart, permitting a ban on an abortion procedure without exceptions to protect a woman's health is a strong blow to women's reproductive rights.
It's even more than that. the ban refers to something the anti choicers call a 'partial birth abortion' and no such thing exists. Never has. Never will.
That the media, in all its lazy haste to fill air/print space, has picked up this phrase only illustrates the pervasiveness of the fanatics who would control a woman's life completely, even to inserting themselves between a woman and her doctor.
There are abortions performed during the second and third trimester of a few pregnancies. But they are rare, and only done because the health of the woman makes it necessary. The doctor and his/her patient discuss this, and together decide whether or not to abort the pregnancy.
One example is when a cancer is discovered that must be treated, and could damage the fetus, or if no treatment is consented to, the woman faces a harder battle against the cancer after giving birth...if she survives at all.
But the point of this is that this decision is made by a woman and her doctor...made even more poignancy by the fact that, given the pregnancy has advanced to even the third trimester, this woman has looked forward to giving birth to a wanted child. A child that was looked forward to, anticipated, even longed for.
But the anti choicers don't think about this. They have an agenda that they adhere to no matter what.
I don't want anyone to make my decisions for me. I don't want anyone to make decisions for anyone in my family. my friends, my city, county, state or nation.
We are intelligent, thoughtful people. i don't ask the anti choicers to become pro abortion. i do ask that they respect my right to make up my own mind, and then act on that decision. In other words, become pro CHOICE. because what they don't realize is that prochoicers would fight just as hard to protect their decision not to abort a pregnancy, as we fight to get safe, legal abortions.
I have had many discussions over the Internet with women in the fight to protect our reproductive freedom. ultimately, i decided that we can no longer trust our government to defend and protect our reproductive rights. laws can be made, changed, amended, overturned, at the whim of whatever power is in charge.
the best way to make sure that abortion is available and safe is to learn how to do it ourselves. and then no woman would ever again be at the mercy of a collection of men and the women who support them.
It's even more than that. the ban refers to something the anti choicers call a 'partial birth abortion' and no such thing exists. Never has. Never will.
That the media, in all its lazy haste to fill air/print space, has picked up this phrase only illustrates the pervasiveness of the fanatics who would control a woman's life completely, even to inserting themselves between a woman and her doctor.
There are abortions performed during the second and third trimester of a few pregnancies. But they are rare, and only done because the health of the woman makes it necessary. The doctor and his/her patient discuss this, and together decide whether or not to abort the pregnancy.
One example is when a cancer is discovered that must be treated, and could damage the fetus, or if no treatment is consented to, the woman faces a harder battle against the cancer after giving birth...if she survives at all.
But the point of this is that this decision is made by a woman and her doctor...made even more poignancy by the fact that, given the pregnancy has advanced to even the third trimester, this woman has looked forward to giving birth to a wanted child. A child that was looked forward to, anticipated, even longed for.
But the anti choicers don't think about this. They have an agenda that they adhere to no matter what.
I don't want anyone to make my decisions for me. I don't want anyone to make decisions for anyone in my family. my friends, my city, county, state or nation.
We are intelligent, thoughtful people. i don't ask the anti choicers to become pro abortion. i do ask that they respect my right to make up my own mind, and then act on that decision. In other words, become pro CHOICE. because what they don't realize is that prochoicers would fight just as hard to protect their decision not to abort a pregnancy, as we fight to get safe, legal abortions.
I have had many discussions over the Internet with women in the fight to protect our reproductive freedom. ultimately, i decided that we can no longer trust our government to defend and protect our reproductive rights. laws can be made, changed, amended, overturned, at the whim of whatever power is in charge.
the best way to make sure that abortion is available and safe is to learn how to do it ourselves. and then no woman would ever again be at the mercy of a collection of men and the women who support them.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Save Small, Independent Magazines like Ms.!
The future of independent magazines like Ms., Mother Jones, The Nation, etc. is at risk with a massive new postage hike!
The U.S. Postal Service has accepted a Time Warner proposal that would significantly increase postage rates for smaller magazines, while reducing costs for the nation's largest publishers like Hearst and, you guessed it, Time Warner.
Ms. is working with Free Press, a national non-partisan organization working to reform media, and the Media Consortium, including Mother Jones, The Nation, American Prospect, The Progressive, In These Times, and other independent media to send a massive number of letters protesting this unfair postage hike. But we must act now - we only have until April 23 to respond!
Please take a minute now to cosign a letter demanding that the rules are changed.
Time Warner's plan was chosen - with no public input - instead of another proposal that would have imposed a mostly equal increase (approx. 12 percent) for all magazine publishers. If implemented, the Time Warner plan could force many smaller publications out of business.
This proposal unfairly hurts smaller, cutting-edge publications like Ms., at a time when we need independent media more than ever. You can count on Ms. magazine, not "big corporate media," for the real story on the issues affecting women in the U.S. and worldwide.
Don't let Time Warner and the corporate media win - please cosign a letter demanding that Congress step in to stop the unfair postage hike and save independent media!
For A Strong Feminist Media,
Katherine Spillar, Executive Editor
Eleanor Smeal, Publisher
THANKS AGAIN, NRA.
there was another shooting this week. some guy walked into NASA in texas with a shotgun (?) and killed his supervisor for giving the shooter a bad work performance review that cost the shooter his job.
the fact that the shooter used a shotgun to respond to this review may be one indicator that the dude wasn't really a team player, and may have had the need to keep his mind on his work more than whatever he was actually doing. i dunno, when the mind wanders to things like killing someone, your work tends to suffer.
but the fact also remains that if guns were illegal, he may not have killed his victim. true, the shooter might have used something else. but if it's harder to buy a gun than pick up a club or whatever, maybe there would be fewer deaths.
i know a woman who's husband hunts every deer season to put food on his family's table. but he uses a bow and arrow. he said it makes for a level playing field, as he isn't the greatest shot, and the deer can move really fast. yet he manages to keep venison in his freezer. enough so that his wife and kids won't starve. they may get tired of it, but they eat.
maybe if the shooter had walked to the building with a bow and arrow in hand, someone would have asked the question 'wha'ca doing?'. if the answer was anything other than feeding my family, maybe someone would have stopped him before he got through the door.
the fact that the shooter used a shotgun to respond to this review may be one indicator that the dude wasn't really a team player, and may have had the need to keep his mind on his work more than whatever he was actually doing. i dunno, when the mind wanders to things like killing someone, your work tends to suffer.
but the fact also remains that if guns were illegal, he may not have killed his victim. true, the shooter might have used something else. but if it's harder to buy a gun than pick up a club or whatever, maybe there would be fewer deaths.
i know a woman who's husband hunts every deer season to put food on his family's table. but he uses a bow and arrow. he said it makes for a level playing field, as he isn't the greatest shot, and the deer can move really fast. yet he manages to keep venison in his freezer. enough so that his wife and kids won't starve. they may get tired of it, but they eat.
maybe if the shooter had walked to the building with a bow and arrow in hand, someone would have asked the question 'wha'ca doing?'. if the answer was anything other than feeding my family, maybe someone would have stopped him before he got through the door.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
