Can DU Activist Corp be activated for the Birth Control issue?

[Nikki Stone 1]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1961601&mesg_id=1961601

[bliss_eternal]

1. I don't see why not? Anyone else interested in an effort here?

I read your comments on the other thread, Nikki. I agree.

I was seeing red after the elections. I was talking to some women on another board I frequented. They were all depressed. Several were single women, that feared their reproductive rights were being threatened. One woman (that voted for the boy king), was calling us all liars, and refused to see the proof we layed out for her that the GOP most definitely wanted Roe v. Wade overturned.

We presented this cow with full articles, excerpts, web sites, the GOP site itself, articles about the pharmacists choosing NOT to fill women's prescriptions, etc. Over and over again, she persisted in saying,'it's not true, it's not true.'

She didn't want to own up to the reality of what the guy she voted for really stood for. All she could do was deny it, even though it merely made her look insane and as if she was incapable of reading and comprehending.

Sadly, she is not the only woman I know that voted for shrub--stating they felt choice, and women's rights were not a threat. Get this--they said things like, "I voted for him for his military stance...not for his position on choice...that can never be overturned, and I didn't see it as a pressing issue, like terrorism is."

I guess women being terrorized means little to women like those I mention here. :grr:

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. God, bliss, you are so right about the Repug women

I have two family members, god help me, who are repug women and I have talked until I am blue in the face. They are just so convinced that Bush won't touch abortion rights. That was why the birth control thing just got me.

I would love it if our activist corps--all 1000 of us--could take some unified action. I've already sent out a bunch of emails today to representatives. I feel like sending out giant coat hangers to every rep, but the cost would get prohibitive.

[bliss_eternal]

8. All I know is what I experienced with these wacky women.

It was like listening to a Jew argue that the Holocaust never happened--completely insane.

A part of me wonders if the reason they are ignoring all the signs that this IS INDEED HAPPENING is their own guilt or if they are just incapable of seeing facts for what they are. That or they are just addicted to the Kool-Aid.

(sigh)

Whatever it is, I'm not about to get caught in one of those idiotic, surreal, no listening to reason, refusing to acknowledge facts kind of arguments ever again. It was one of the more exasperating moments of my life--don't want to go there again.

Oh, but I've heard men in the GOP say the same thing for different reasons. They felt it would be political suicide for the GOP to endorse such activities...

Whatever...

[Nikki Stone 1]

10. I am learning to never underestimate the capacity for denial

It seems that the worse things get, the more people are capable of denying. People just don't want to believe that it can happen here.

[bliss_eternal]

18. If they actually acknowledge it,

then they would have to take responsibility for their role in it all.
No one wants to do that.

The woman we argued with until we were all exhausted seemed to just not want to accept her role in this happening. We sent her directly to the GOP website that stated plain as day that they do NOT support Roe v. Wade, and she still said 'it's not our fault this is happening.':wtf:

Maybe we were asking too much. For her to actually understand that the climate created by this administration is what is making these pharmacists comfortable in acting out this way. She didn't want to accept or acknowledge that.

I guess I shouldn't expect someone that is obviously incapable of independent thought to draw conclusions based on the evidence presented.:headbang:

No one was telling her how to think or feel, as a good, God fearing, fundie, religious, intolerant small-minded, kool-aid drinking gop woman. What could we expect?

[bliss_eternal]

2. Nikki--w/in the post above--I addressed some of your comments

:hi:

[atommom]

3. I would be interested. This is truly getting scary.

[Nikki Stone 1]

7. I agree. I've been worried for months

I have been following the pharmacy stories pretty closely and I am not reassured by anything I have seen.

[smartvoter]

4. It's worthy of action. And it brings up a point that I think we need to

consider.

I've noticed out here that there are many good ideas to pursue and that, at least in the first two actions, we basically had admins say jump and we jumped. We need to figure out a method of democratically voting on some issues to pursue, or something like that, or people are going to drop out. I already saw some people thinking we jumped the gun on Roberts -- especially considering other issues we face and his nomination was timed to distract from Rove. There also is (admittedly rare) sarcasm emerging in some of the threads regarding the follow-orders-and-report scenario.

The bottom line is we need to make sure the activists out here who have issues to bring up, like the one you just did (another issue that resonates all across DU is black box voting), have an opportunity to have them seriously considered/sorted out.

[Nikki Stone 1]

6. You are right. There needs to be some mechanism for prioritizing actions

I disagree with the notion that Roberts is a distraction for the Rove outing Plame case. Treasonous Turd Blossom is still on the hot seat, regardless of Roberts.

But, I wonder how cases could be prioritized. I think the birth control case is crucial to women and men. It is not really just a woman's issue. Couples need to be able to control when and under what circumstances they have children. No guy wants to be a dad before he is ready. I see birth control as an issue for all hetero and bi-sexual people, regardless of gender, in addition to being a feminist issue philosophically.

I also see it as a privacy issue and a church/state issue. Why should fundamentalist nutbags get to dictate when the rest of us procreate? (This also makes it a gay/lesbian issue since the right to privacy on which abortion rights rest is the same right to privacy that keeps the government out of our bedrooms.)

I understand, though, that there are lots of other issues. I just happen to think we shouldn't ignore this one. We need to let Congress know that they can't throw the fundamentalists the "bone" of reproductive control.

BTW, I like the idea of reporting back once I have finished an action. It's a cheering thing knowing that so many of us are doing something together. And we need all the cheering up we can get these days.

[smartvoter]

12. I have no problem with the Roberts action either, for the record. nt

[bliss_eternal]

9. I'm on the naral list of immediate action...

Whenever something important to the choice movement comes up, they send me an e-mail. Usually, I come here and post what kind of response they are looking for (phonecalls, e-mails, signing electronic petitions, etc.). Sometimes people respond to that here (and on the boards in general) sometimes they don't.

If we can determine something else that we can do, I'm all for it. Anything that gets the word out, and gets people involved in preserving these rights...

:thumbsup:

[Nikki Stone 1]

11. I'm on their list too. I don't know what else to do, but writing to news

outlets and raising awareness of this might help. That is why I thought of a DU action. Of course, we could just buy a bunch of cheapie plastic coat hangers from Costco and send one a day to each guy on the committee mentioned in the email.

[NMMNG]

13. I have already signed numerous petitions and sent e-mails to my Senators

and Represenative. However I'd be glad to do some LTTEs as well. This is a crucial issue which we cannot allow ourselves to lose, at least not without a significant fight.

[Wetzelbill]

14. that's a good idea

[Patiod]

15. I'm taking this one to the streets of Pennsylvania next year

I intend to distribute Santorum's quotes about birth control up and down the (largely Catholic) streets in my Area.

Catholics might be against abortion, but based on the size of the families in the pews, they sure as hell are pro-birth-control (in spite of naive claims from elderly Catholics that suddenly everyone is using "natural family planning/the rhythm method").

Hardworking families in my area might roll over and give up their right to choose on abortion, but the absolutely do NOT want this choice taken away from them. This is an issue that will sway votes.

And hate radio isn't going to touch it with a ten-foot pole - they're aware of the percentage of their own listeners who would NOT be happy if their wives started presenting them with new babies every year or two.

[jasmeel]

16. I sent my repub friend the link to the story and she seemed to be

relatively appauled.
My email to her:
Dear Friend,
>> I just found out about an attack on birth control in Congress!
>> On July 25, a U.S. House of Representatives committee held a
> hearing on whether pharmacies should be allowed to refuse to
> fill women's prescriptions. One lawmaker told a witness whose
> prescription had also been rejected by a hostile pharmacist that
> her "minor inconvenience" - that is, risking an unintended
> pregnancy - was nothing compared to the "conscience" of a
> pharmacist. Please tell your Member of Congress that you expect him or her to stand up for women's access to birth control.
Just click on the link below to learn more and take action.
> Thanks!
> http://prochoiceaction.org/campaign/house_alpha_072605?rk=Sd1qNt91rXkqW
>
She replied:"Yea, this is unbelievable."

I hope that motivated her to look into it further. I don't usually include her in my group of friends to send these types of emails to but she I thought this was general enough that she might look into it further. I wonder if she sent did anything about it.... I don't think she'd send an email from the Naral website but, who knows.

[bliss_eternal]

17. I hope that your friend has an open mind

and doesn't just take the information to other repubs, who convince her it is all lies of the liberal media.

I've heard that one, too. That nothing is as bad as it seems, and it's just a lie from the liberals.

Just makes me want to slam their heads into something. What does it TAKE to get these women to pay attention to what is happening to women in this country?