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"SLIP SLIDING AWAY"
We've been reading about "W" and his education. You know how those of the conservative persuasion are against affirmative action because it may allow "those who are incompetent to take places away from good students"?
Well it seems that the GOP front runner for the presidential nomination was admitted to Yale with a mere 1200 on SATS! And later on, he was admitted to Harvard Business School with a C average. Sounds like affirmative action to us if you go by their definition, but in this case, money and parentage overcame his dual handicaps: pale complexion and gender.
Despite this background, the lad believes himself competent to be the leader of the free world. Having illustrated how little he knows of foreign affairs only a few weeks ago, "W" continues to parade his woeful lack of knowledge and experience to us, the electorate.
Recently, a reporter asked him if he knew the names of a few world leaders who were in the news. He failed badly. The Bush camp claims that the reporter sandbagged him.
Well, not hardly, according to Ron Fournier of the AP who tells us that "W"'s advisors had coached him on how to handle questions of this sort that he could not answer. He was told to say, "Americans don't expect their presidential candidates to be trivia experts; they want a leader who has *A CLEAR VISION* for America's future."
So, his advisors gave him the words and when to say them, but "when it came time to deliver, Bush failed" -- and then compounded his failure by showing anger and frustration at the interviewer. Now this is very important since he has told us repeatedly that when he gets to be president he will have these really smart advisors that will tell him what he needs to know and say.
Stung by comments about "W" and his woeful lack of knowledge of foreign affairs, GOPpers have been leaping around to all the talk shows like demented kangaroos. Frightened out of their wits because they see "W" and his $millions$ as their only real hope of regaining the White House and Congress. They have promoted him as a strong, anti-choice candidate who declares that "he would make it a criminal act to harm any child, born or UNBORN".
(Bush knows full well that there is no such thing as an UNBORN CHILD. CHILD and/or BABY are conservative-speak for embryo and/or fetus.)
We've noticed that there are more PRO-CHOICE individuals calling in to talk/hate radio shows lately. They are using some phrases that drive the anti-choice crowd ballistic; words that send them into such fits of anger that sometimes they foam at the mouth. These are phrases that clarify and crystallize the words of anti-choice candidate, G.W. Bush.
Therefore, in the interest of fully clarifying "W"'s stand on women's reproductive rights, we advise everyone to use the following phrases often when speaking, posting to lists or writing OpEd letters.
"They (anti-choice candidates) prefer that a woman dies rather than a fetus."
"They contend that the life of a fetus is more important than the life of a woman."
Meanwhile, the United Church in Ashville, NC, has a Bible study group that meets on Sunday evenings. They watch episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. Then they discuss "the eternal truths" of the Bible as exemplified by this show. Several other churches in the Bible belt have also "taken up the idea that fictional 'Mayberry' can serve as a springboard into Scripture."
No wonder they see confirmation of THEIR faith in this old sitcom. The law is given by a WHITE MALE FATHER FIGURE and it is always good. The FEMALES, like Aunt Bea, KNOW THEIR PLACE. It is in the kitchen baking bread and getting meals for the males; doing all the housework without complaint, and heaven forbid they should have the right to, or even desire, an education or a career.
With these shibboleths firmly in place, all is serene. All is right with the world. Family values are intact. However, the subtext message is clear -- WOMEN MUST STAND DOWN FROM THEIR MOVEMENT TOWARD EQUALITY.
Have
many of us, as the polls suggest, been seduced already by saddlebags full
of $millions$ and a candidate whose VISION for our country is A RETURN
TO MAYBERRY?
Can any of us afford to watch MORE of our human rights go "slip sliding away"? What a betrayal that would be of women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Their story, "NOT FOR OURSELVES ALONE" aired recently on P.B.S..
The maker of this film, Ken Burns comments, "They changed for the better, the lives of a majority of Americans, and they're responsible for the largest political and social transformation in American history. How can we ignore this as a people?"
How can ANY WOMEN dishonor their memory by failing to vote for candidates that will continue the struggle these women made on our behalf?
1999-046
Copyright 1999 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: twanda@ConnRiver.net.
G e n d e r G a p p e r s T M
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