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HOBSON'S CHOICE
One
of the funniest incidents in the campaign so far gave further proof of
how the media has already picked "W" as the next president. The
Republican Leadership Council, which is supposed to be neutral until after
the primaries, came out with ATTACK ADS.
Not against Gore or Bradley, mind you. They attacked Steve Forbes -- a Republican candidate for president! They heard he was going to run some attack ads against "W" so they made a preemptive strike.
And how did the media handle this? Mostly by ignoring it or just a brief mention. Forbes, who had not run any attack ads, says it showed the Council is in cahoots with "W".
Funny as this faux pas is, it must not prevent us from taking a look at two other recent, potentially damaging GOP events. However, depending on how we women respond, the damage to us CAN be minimal.
Last week an incident occurred that served to inflame those who are anti-choice even more. Matt Drudge produced a picture of an intrauterine operation for spina bifida. Since he was going to use it as an example of an abortion, FOX would not allow him to air it.
This was all intentional. By broadcasting that he was prevented from using this picture, it got more viewers on the Internet and media than it would ever have gotten on air. In addition, the picture is unclear, so viewers are left with the Rychus One's DESCRIPTION that a [they say baby] fetal hand reached out from the womb and clasped the Dr's. finger.
What an image!!! We all have had a BORN infant curl its fist around our finger so this description caught at every one of us. However, the fetus was only a few weeks old and the picture fuzzy, but you know what? IT DOES NOT MATTER. They have gotten miles and miles of mileage out of still another lie about abortion. They are still winning the spin wars by substituting lies and images of lies in place of truth.
We must elect a majority of PRO-CHOICE senators and representatives in the next election. If we can't do this then we have lost, perhaps forever, our reproductive freedom. Women and doctors will be prosecuted for murder and the ICON of our gender will once again become crossed COAT HANGERS over a woman's DEAD body.
Another
incident in the news last week was the deal the Republican Majority made
with the administration which, in effect, traded some family planning in
needy countries in order to get the $$ to pay our past dues to the United
Nations and keep our vote there. Our
U.N. payments have been in arrears for years HUNG UP BY THE INSISTENCE
OF THE RYCHUS ONES THAT NO AID GO TO ANY AGENCY THAT MIGHT JUST "USE"
THE WORD ABORTION -- the agency did not have to be involved in PERFORMING
abortions.
For years, President Clinton refused to be blackmailed by the Republicans, but this year he compromised with the Congressional Majority in order to get many other things in the budget that do benefit women -- A HOBSON'S CHOICE.
It is important to understand that it is NOT Clinton or pro-choice Representatives that are killing women by not funding family planning clinics, IT IS THE GOP Congressional Majority whose titular head is the media's crown prince, "W" Bush.
Some
women are greatly upset with President Clinton's action and this saddens
us because danger lies in once again letting ourselves BE MANIPULATED by
the rhetoric of the Anti-choice. Their purpose is very clear. Turn
us against each other. They did
this when they blamed women for the Clinton scandals and now they want
us to turn in anger from a party and candidates that have mostly been our
strong champion for reproductive rights.
The women who are reacting with a typical knee jerk anger are just what the GOPpers love to see. Surely we do not owe the Rychus Ones any response what so ever. Their gloating over a victory to deprive women of information on family planning says more about THEIR unchristian intolerance than it does about us.
We would do well to take a lesson from the loyal fans of the Boston Red Sox who want a pennant so badly. Year after year, their team just doesn't quite make it. They don't get angry at their team, they just support them stronger than before and their cry is POSITIVE, "Wait 'til next year."
It may feel good to get angry and eager to fight, but it is not productive, and it is an immature response. We must learn from experience and stop acting without thinking. In the movie, Endgame, Xena counseled that, "Answers are not found at the point of a sword. You must find those answers IN YOURSELF."
Rosa Parks found the answers in herself. Her feet hurt. She refused to move to the back of the bus and what followed was a boycott that brought *a whole culture of ignorance* to its knees.
If we feel strongly enough about ALL WOMEN'S CIVIL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, we should be concentrating on how we can do something about the loss of U.N. funding and our own loss of concern for each other. There must be dozens of ideas of projects that we can do that would be so much more productive than the whining heard round the land now.
Perhaps this is a cause that could unite women again. It may just prove to be what is needed if we really are serious about maintaining our FREEDOM. We claim that we no longer wish to be children who are dependent upon men. Our government and most of the world is predominantly male. The ball is in our court. Next year may ALREADY be too late if we don't get our backfield in motion soon.
1999-048
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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