On Sunday, Jan 22nd, the Anniversarry of Roe v. Wade, Tampopo and Supersoling entered Washington with the purpose of finding, and joining with Nationally recognized Pro-Choice organizations such as N.O.W., Planned Parenthood, and others to recognize the significance of this date and what the Roe ruling has done for American women since it’s inception.It’s also true that the Judiciary Commitee’s vote to send or block the Nomination of Samuel Alito to the full Senate is on Tuesday if I’m correct. Alito is the nomination we have been told that the Democrats have been keeping their “powder dry” for. Alito is the one who will change the face of the Supreme Court and set women’s rights back a hundred years if he’s confirmed.
You might imagine our surprise and dismay to find Washington completely devoid of any women’s rights groups or citizen’s rights groups at all. What we did find was shocking and saddening.
In my last diary I exhorted my friends to become involved in protest. To realize that our country is being stolen and distorted right before our very eyes. That while we sit still, the right wing is constantly on the move and developing new and more in your face tactics to deny us our rights every day. I know we have a challenge ahead of us if we want the democrats to actually be an opposition party. What i didn’t know was that citizen groups who are supposed to be in opposition to Bush and his desire to drag us all along for his ride to Fascism are seemingly dropping the ball too.
This past Sunday was disturbing for me and Tampopo to witness. The streets were literally crawling with anti-choice groups, childrens Christian groups numbereing in the hundreds weeping on the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court as they likened abortion to the Holocaust with their psuedo nazi matching tee shirts. Just like the fly b y media photo op that Military Tracy witnessed in Crawford. Right wingers pull up by the busload, jump out with their cameras, mock anger and tears everywhere, get it on the news and get back in their bus and head for the next photo op. The stage being set up on the mall for Monday’s “Walk for Life” rally. The woman who stated she wanted no part of Tampopo’s “Impeach” and “No to Alito” umbrellas in her picture of the Capitol. She just had to make sure it was said loud enough for us counterculture types, the only two in DC that day it seemed, to hear. We both just shook our heads at her ignorance of the fact that if nothing is done soon she won’t have to worry about having any part of anything in this country. Including freedom.
I guess what I’m saying is that I’m frustrated that in these times of dire danger to our democracy, it seems that few care. Including those we consider to be on our side. I assured Tampopo that we would definetily find some groups to join forces with on Sunday. I just didn’t realize that the groups we would find would be comprised of right wing christian soldiers occupying our city.
What are we going to do about it?
Seriously, I want to know because if I’m going to sacrifice my time, my children’s future involvement with Patriot Act soldiers and possibly my life, I want to know that there’s someone out there who might even give half a shit about it.
Peace
I want to be clear here that these thoughts are not directed at bootribbers. I meant to speak to the left in general terms and more specifically to the major rights and political organizations on the left. I appologize if my language made it appear as an attack on anyone here. I lnow you are all doing what you can. You here have inspired me to do more.
I give a shit, Supersoling.
Thanks to you and tampopo for going to D.C. and making our message visible. Even though you didn’t have the numbers physically beside you, know that you were both on the mind of this young latino activist from Arizona all day on Sunday. I wish I could be there, I feel helpless being so far away.
I think I’ll go contact my Senators again…
I know you give a whole lot more than a shit manny. Like I told Tampopo, I’m not calling out my friends. I’m calling out the c
ountry for it’s complacency. You and the others here are the ones who inspire me to get more involved.
I was talking with my Mom this weekend, and she was lamenting on how it seems that the Democrats have no voice and no visibility. I am frustrated by the same thing, but I know the “traditional media” is right-wing and corporate run. I don’t know how exactly we can break into that. What I do know is that change and activism has to start locally… we have to be that change and move upwards. It’s going to take some time though, and I do fear what will happen in the interim.
Thank you SS and Tampopo for being that change, for doing what I have yet to do. I’m moving in a few months, so I haven’t gotten involved in local politics, as I view my time in this town as temporary. But I will get involved in my new hometown. My first big effort will be at YearlyKos, and I’m really excited about that.
Was it cold there? It was here… I was thinking about you two out there. 🙂
You know, we talked about the whole notion of acting locally. I’ts what the republicans have been doing for years. That’s part of why they’re so entrenched. We need to do the same but the reality of our situation now is we don’t have the luxory of time anymore. Bush is doing harm and injury to us every day and we need a national push and national figures to lead in the effort against him. We’re out of time. Period.
As for the weather, it was nice most of the day but got windy and cloudy at the end. We can’t help it that we took the sunshine with us when we left ;o)
What’s so odd is how the internet has made my world “smaller”. I’ve met some wonderful people through this crazy thing called cyber space.
We sign the petitions and action alerts, we blog to alert people to make calls and write letters. Recently I saw a site where we can rate the senators… but there has to be a better way to be a Cyberactivist.
Sure, DC is a ways off for all of us. Sure we all have capitols but most of those are even a ways off for many.
We’re busy working, existing, some are disabled so can’t get out as easily, some are single parents, or working dads, some can’t go. So how do we create a bigger, louder, more effective voice via the net?
I am so sorry there wasn’t even NOW there. Damn them.
Regardless there was two more voices in DC than not. Don’t ever feel you didn’t amount. Every day you do.
XOXO!!!
We’re busy working, existing, some are disabled so can’t get out as easily, some are single parents, or working dads, some can’t go. So how do we create a bigger, louder, more effective voice via the net?
Good question!
Or how do we develop “rapid response” or even “pre-emptive” responses?
Yeah, a rapid deployment protest unit :o)
I wish I knew how to do a proper update.
I added to the end of the diary to explain my thoughts a little better and to point out that this isn’t directed at the occupants of the pond.
Not at all.
I think we understand. BooTribbers are like the one good kid in the classroom who takes the teacher’s frustration to heart. The ones who really need to listen are doodling and goofing off.
I think that progressives in general need to do a little more infiltrating of standard republican groups, to get their ears and perhaps turn them to the light. I’m working on getting my Daughters of the American Revolution membership just for that purpose. And, honey, we were kicked out of Ireland as soon as the first ship came available, and fought to be left alone in droves.
Now ladies, next week’s meeting is at Tehanu’s house. She wan’t to discuss history and the constitution or something like that. And Bitsy- you’re on for petit fours.
I’m so much with you, Super, that I included you and tampopo in initial podcast (a broadcast you can read about in today’s “On Being the Media: Day 2” diary, if you care to hear about its pathetic fate). But I tried. You guys rock.
First of all, thank you for doing what you are doing, everyday! I thought about you all day Sunday and have been eagerly awaiting a diary. Just this morning I read at WaPo about the huge turnout in DC for the Prolife Rally and how there were tens of thousand of “young activists” there. It mentioned there was a “handful of ProChoice protesters”. It is frustrating and disgouraging but lets be honest about our dilema.
We have been shut out by the media. Just look at the lack of coverage for the huge turnout in DC for the Iraq proest back in Sept. Look at the almost zero coverage that is got, never showing the streets spilling over with people. Our side is really starting to give up and say what’s the use. The media lies about polls, they lie about numbers, like how many are really at our protests, how many Iraqis are dead and on and on and on. They fawn over George because now he is taking unscripted questions? From a “friendly crowd’? Give me a freaken break. We don’t have a chance when it comes to the media.
What I believe another part of our problem is, quite frankly, there is no central organization that gets the ball rolling. We are too splintered right now(with just cause) but my hope is that we can come together and put our differences aside and start the fucking revolution.
I don’t know Super…I am angry and frustrated and depressed. Some days I think we can take the country back. Other days I feel we are doomed. Again, you are a better person than I for going there and trying.
I live in a resort town that is usually overflowing with people this time of year. It’s not, but apparently the only visitors we can be sure to get are the “christian” lunatics of the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas. They were here last weekend to disrupt the funeral of a local soldier that they have decided was a “feces-eating fag.” This cult has made several screaming appearances here this winter and the very republican populace barely notices. Just like the marching kkk they get their piece in the paper and nobody really cares about them. The republicans just wonder why nobody besides the psychotic wants to get on a plane and spend their money here.
I watch these little theater events play out and try to live my own life and not get too riled up by the crazies. Meranwhile, even on television I get to see that there are many people way smarter than me who are working hard to defeat the evil that I see running rampant. Take heart Super – change is happening. It’s just not as visible. What you do is definitely a catalyst for something somewhere, you just can’t know about it. I saw NOW in the street on Monday – guess we’re just on different schedules.
I’m afraid that Alito’s ascension could be the spark to a violent revolution. But hope that we are evolved well enough to solve this mess in a peaceful way.
This little ditty from JibJab may cheer you(a tad).
http://www.jibjab.com/Home.aspx
I think we need the kind of rallying/planning/funding network that the right has-no, not bribery, money laundering and sweatshops but a church type thing. Somewhere you go once a week at least and set up plans and pass the plate and like that. I don’t know how many here are Christians but for those who are maybe a nudging of progressive congregations to take part in marches would help. Cyber is good for news, petitions and such but we need local chapters of…something? to organize actual bodies onto the bus.
Overcoming fear is also a problem, with things as bad as they are a lot of people are keeping their heads down and hoping the storm will pass over. Not a good strategy I think but I can understand it.
Thanks for standing for us, it may not have seemed like it but some of the young ones who saw you might have given it some thought that night, even a small voice can catch someone’s heart if it’s the right time.
I shared this in another diary
But if we could grab the waves during SuperBowl with counter-commercials… then maybe they’d wake up a bit?
They are our airwaves right?