A NOTE TO AMERICAN PROSECUTORS

By Ruth A. Sheets

The Roberts Supreme Court conservatives did a lot of damage to this nation when they overturned the 50-year precedent Roe v. Wade last summer.  They knowingly let Americans see that the Court conservatives care nothing for precedent, will go after any rights they don’t personally or ideologically care for, and put many women’s lives at risk.  Women, particularly poor women and women of color of reproductive age are vulnerable to the whims of old white men who dominate the legislatures in the former Confederacy and confederate wannabee states.  By declaring that there is no constitutional protection for abortion the SC conservatives could depend on those old white red-state guys and their surrogates to do their dirty work of taking away women’s rights.  The SC conservatives, if asked, could lie, ”It wasn’t us, the states decided to outlaw abortions!”

Alito and friends were well aware of the make-up of red state legislatures as he/they “researched” and wrote their pathetic decision.  I suspect Alito, and possibly the other conservative justices gloated silently when Alito leaked (“accidentally” let someone, maybe his wife, get hold of the draft) nearly 2 months before the actual ruling came down.  The final document was nearly identical to the draft, which means Justice Alito and his crew didn’t even have to clean up the poorly-reasoned, poorly-written draft.  Why, because Alito had succeeded in informing the red states of what was coming so they could be armed and ready with legislation, and they were.  In reality, he and the other SC conservatives just didn’t care about quality.  Only their supposed victory over abortion mattered.  The mostly male and one female justices had little concern for the havoc their ruling would cause so many women and families.  They dismissed the fact that a majority of  American people do not agree with the decision.  That’s a lot of not caring!

This is Women’s History Month when women are supposedly celebrated.  Most women are not feeling celebrated this year.  More states are targeting women’s right to bodily autonomy, mothers are threatened for providing help for their trans and non-binary children, and trans people and drag queens are being criminalized.  Women still face harassment at work and in the public sphere, earn less than men, and very often live the double role they have been expected to live if they choose to work outside the home. 

The problem for conservative men is that women are everywhere and are chafing at their assigned roles which are usually seen as less valuable than the work men do.  Women run the households:  care for the children and the spouse if there is one, care for older parents, do the shopping and meal preparation, clean the home, and on and on.  These tasks are not so hard, right?  And, why should a woman need or want more?

However, in addition to all that, our economy depends on women holding down jobs:  teaching in our schools, nursing in our hospitals, doing the grunt work for businessmen, the jobs women were permitted gradually over time.  They did this while men did whatever it was men did. 

What a blessing that women were not satisfied to stay in the roles men and their female helpers laid out for them.  From ancient times, some women ignored the narrative and acted for themselves, their families  and their communities, often putting their lives at risk. 

In American history, how many know of Ida Wells Barnette, Antoinette Brown, Alice Paul, Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, Phyllis Wheatly, Deborah Sampson, the Grimke sisters, Edith Wilson, Ella Baker?  These women were pioneers in moving into the male world, doing what men do.  We don’t know the names of the millions who were doing the same kinds of tasks as these amazing women with little or no recognition:  taking care of pregnant women, growing herbs to soothe those who were ill, fighting for civil rights, spying for and serving in this nation’s military, protecting their neighbors, rescuing people from danger, and leading from behind and beside the throne.  I think these women’s consistent actions scared and continue to scare men and some women, especially those in power.  If women can help each other plan and end pregnancies, limit family size, and support their children in positive ways to grow into the adults they are meant to be, they may not be as easily controlled and manipulated as in the past.  Can’t have that! 

Since last June, I have been frustrated that there have not been larger, more vocal protests from women to the uncaring, misogynistic, racist, homo/transphobic, pseudo-Christian actions taken by our Supreme Court’s and state legislatures’ mostly white male conservatives.  When I finally stopped to think about it, I realized what a monumental task it is for women just to balance all the components of their lives.  Where would the energy come from to participate in the high-level protests for bodily autonomy that are needed?  Unfortunately, the anti-abortion crowd has the momentum at this moment, draining the energy of a significant portion of the population, those striving to put out all the fires right-wing ideologues have started. 

Therefore, women of child-bearing age are going to need a whole lot of allies among older women, men, and people in power to carry a lot of the weight.  The media will be of minimal help because of their warped “balancing act,” trying to cover as many anti-abortion figures as pro-choice persons even though there are many more pro-choice, even pro-abortion Americans than anti’s.

That’s where local prosecutors can really help.  You all can quietly dismiss cases where the people who bring the suit or complaint have no standing (not directly involved with the women they are accusing).  You don’t need to shout what you are doing to the heavens because there are a lot of haters out there who will go after you, bring even harsher laws against women, and force you to act against them even when you know it is wrong to do so.  The old white men who are legislating want to keep women down as far as possible.  You need not help them. 

Let’s be honest, those old men are ignorant of women’s lives.  They will never know the hell of being forced to carry a fetus that is seriously impaired or dying.  They will never feel the pain of carrying the fetus of a rapist or incestor.  They will never have to face needing an abortion because their own life is at risk and their doctor fears treating them.  They will never be denied medication for a chronic condition because the medication might end a pregnancy.  They will never know the pain of trying to figure out how they will manage to care for one more child when they already have 3 or more.  They won’t have to try to figure out how they can afford the prenatal care and birth of the baby when they have no medical insurance.  They will not find their education or career in jeopardy because they are pregnant.  Those who are passing these outrageous laws have no clue, and don’t want one.

We need you prosecutors to help to nullify the Supreme Court ruling which should never have happened in the first place.  We need to stop these self-righteous a-holes who had the gall to cite Medieval and 17th century bigots who were OK with killing women as witches to affirm their decision to take away a woman's right to bodily autonomy.  That is insane but what can one expect from old white guys who hate women, a Black guy who was put on the SC as a slap in the face to African-Americans and a misogynistic white woman whose appointment was shoved through to squeeze her in before the 2020 election to stir up the base?  On the current Court, there's a credibly accused sexual offender and a sexual harasser, a chief justice who cares nothing for the law he claims to know so well and convinced so many people he did.  (I guess a pretty white boy can convince nearly anyone of anything.)  The wives of Roberts and Thomas are activists against policies that one would consider democratic.  There is more, but you all get the point.  These right-wing justices do not represent the American people, just a minority, the ones  who are closed-minded, hate science unless it is specifically helping them or their family, think the Constitution can be twisted to say whatever they want it to say while claiming they are “originalists” who know the Founder’s minds, believe in witches and outrageous conspiracy theories, and see women only as baby factories to be controlled.  

So, prosecutors, there was no pressing need that led to the anti-Roe ruling as there should have been if a precedent was going to be overturned.  Nothing had changed recently except that the majority in the SC became super conservative.  And at least 3 of the justices lied to Congress about their responsibility to precedents.  The Court’s anti-Roe decision represents the prejudices of 6 justices who think they are holier than anyone else.  You know they’re not, so prosecutors, be an ally to women in general and pregnant women in particular.  Abortion should be a woman’s decision with the scientifically-based advice from their doctor and other medical personnel.  You all could make a difficult life a lot easier by stopping the Republican war on women and our bodily autonomy.

Prosecute violence and vigilantism against women while ignoring the tattle-tailing and vengeance-seeking and hatred of women that could fill your community's courts if you permit it. 

You prosecutors could be the bulwark standing against the anti-woman nonsense the Republicans are pushing like a drug these days.  I guess fighting meth, heroine, and their other favorite drugs just wasn't enough excitement for Republicans/conservatives.  Don't prosecute women for seeking the healthcare they want and need.  Then, fight for your right to support them. 

We the People will be watching to see which of you actually cares about women (and human beings in general), by what you and other local officials choose to do or not do. 

Yo, Prosecutors, we need some heroes right now and we’re looking to you!   

LYSISTRATA IN AMERICA

by Ruth A. Sheets

American women are facing a crisis that should have been settled more than 46 years ago when Rowe V. Wade was correctly ruled on by the Supreme Court.  The ruling stated that women have a right to abortion in the United States.   Since that time, conservatives and people who call themselves “Right to Life” have been doing everything possible to overturn this Supreme Court decision.  Why?  They want women put back in their place, back where “God” decides on pregnancy and men rule the home and everything in it, or think they do. 

One can understand why men would like this.  It allows a man to remain a juvenile who can boss a woman and children around, treat them just as he wants to, and be sure “his” woman does nothing he does not approve.  The confusion for me is that women go along with this.  One of the media darlings on this issue was a woman named Phyllis Schlafly, a lawyer whose purpose in life was to tell other women they should not have what she had.  Being a stay-at-home mom was a glorious thing, something all girls should aspire to. 

With her help, over time, vitriol against abortion and the women who had one became vicious.  A fetus was a person for many of them, even to the point of having more rights than the woman who carried it. 

When the “pro-life” prayerful protests didn’t work, their actions became louder and more extreme.  The movement encouraged bombing clinics where abortions were performed, killing abortion providers (it would save a lot of baby lives), passing draconian laws to make simple unimposing, safe, clean facilities unacceptable and require instead, unnecessary, unbelievably expensive surgical centers to perform a simple 5-minute procedure. 

When these actions  didn’t have the desired results, the movement got help from mega conservative organizations that designed bills for Republican legislatures all over the country that would ban abortions after some period into a pregnancy (20 weeks at first, then 8, then 6 weeks),  forced ultrasounds on pregnant women, forced women to get male permission, enforced extremely inconvenient long waiting times, threatened doctors with prison.  None of these helped any women because, of course, they were not meant to.  They were meant to send us back to the good old days when women had to seek back-alley abortions, often dying as a result.  For the pro-lifers, that was OK because those women deserved what they got for daring to end a pregnancy. 

Since the pro-lifers love fetuses so much, one might wonder if they care what happens after the all-sacred birth.  The answer is, of course not.  That’s the mother’s responsibility now.  Pro-lifers just got the baby born.  Now, you’re on your own.  Good luck!

No  matter how hard we who are pro-choice examine the problem, we just can’t seem to understand a few things (OK, anything about the pro-life position). 

- First of all, how does a man, any man (especially old white men) have a say regarding women's reproduction?  Men will never know what it means to be pregnant let alone pregnant as a teen, as a rape victim, as a victim of incest, as a college person trying to get life started, as a desperate carrier of a severely compromised fetus, you know, the things that could lead a woman to choose abortion.

- Then, how can a politician have a say in women's reproduction?  These guys not only are mostly not women, they are not doctors, and they really don’t care to learn about women’s needs.  Men are often pathetic hypocrites who don't want government in their business but are more than OK if government is in women's vaginas and uteruses.  

- Furthermore, How is it religious fanatics have any say regarding women's reproduction beyond FaceBook comments?  This country was built on the separation of church and state.  The right to abortion does not mean you must have an abortion, just that you can choose to have one. 

How should the thinking women of America respond?  We should pull a Lysistrata on the men of America.  Refuse all sexual contact with any man who does not 100% stand behind women's right to choose.

Men think that because they are loud and strong physically that they have a right to tell women anything they want about everything.  They don't and perhaps it is time we take a hint from the Ancient Greek play and kick disrespectful men out of our beds, possibly, our lives. 

Then we need to work on the women who are so afraid of men and what they think that they will betray their sisters and claim it is OK for women to be treated like little kids with no rights and no control over their own bodies.  Perhaps these women need to be pushed back a bit until they grow up and stand up for themselves and for their sisters. 
 
In the Greek play “Lysistrata,” the women refuse their beds to their men until the men stop the war that has been raging.  Well, this is a war against women.  It’s time we women follow the heroine Lysistrata and kick men out of our beds until they grow up and get out of women's reproductive decisions. 

Come on sisters and supporters.  Lysistrata has come to America and is showing us the way to get what we need! 

Hypocricans vs Women

by Ruth A. Sheets

The Hypocricans are now getting more serious about their attacks against women.  Why?  What has changed? 

Women have changed. 

Hypocricans harken back to a time when “men were men,” which, of course, meant, in charge, dominant, forceful, and all those other manly terms.  The men didn’t really have to grow up.  Their wives simply stepped into the place their mothers had held. 

Women bought into this structure for society because the Bible said that was how it was supposed to be. Occasional volunteering kept women’s yearning for something more at bay.

After each of America’s wars, when women were coaxed back to the home, more and more women refused to accept the prescribed roles.  In the wartime jobs, they had functioned at least as well as their male counterparts and learned a thing or two about propaganda.  While the men were marching off to glory, the women were operating the machinery that provided everything from ships to planes to tanks to ammunition. 

When the men came marching home, women were told how patriotic it would be for them to go home and give their jobs back to the men. Those who didn’t leave voluntarily were fired and sent home to take care of their hero husbands.  Women were encouraged to produce as many kids as possible. After WWII, they gave birth to the baby boomers.  Women fell into the oblivion of housewifery.  The problem for the men was that these women kept with them the memories of a life of skilled work, appreciation for their efforts, and independence.  It was hard to go back under a man’s thumb. Through propaganda men tried to damp down the restlessness.

Men, particularly white men, naturally want to go back to those days.  They may not have much power on the job, but by God, they had it in the home. 

Women have come quite a distance from those days, but there is a strong movement among the Hypocricans to bring those days back.  They have created a scism among women, e.g., stay-at-home-moms vs. working moms.  There isn’t that much of a gap between these groups, but the stays have been propagandized to believe that everyone is against them for doing God’s will or for caring more about their children, or some other nonsense.  Most working mothers don’t think much about the stays either way.

Men have jumped on the issue of abortion.  It really has nothing to do with them directly, but they want to outlaw it and the women who choose it.  Why is that?  Abortion represents women having power over their own bodies and their lives and what happens to them.  Men can’t stand that because it represents female independence.

However, men want to keep contraception from women as well.  If women have the means to keep from getting pregnant unless they want a child, it is harder to make them feel dirty, slutty, and shameful.  Bearing children too young or in difficult living situations helps to keep women’s self-esteem low.  When women have control, their self-esteem rises.  That can lead to getting involved in other things, like politics, business, law, medicine, ministry, all formerly bastions of male dominance.

Now, women are being blamed for the “terrible state of our society.”  Accourding to Hypocricans, Our nation is in decline toward mediocrity because so many of our women are working and are not taking proper care of our children.  This has been stated by some prominent SWG’s (Scared White Guys).  They are hoping that guilt will make women pull back and resume bowing and scraping to them.

The Hypocricans have a good share of women who seem to like the “inferior” role in society.  They and their Hypocrican brothers  hate everything about science until they want to use it to prove that the males of all species are dominant over the females.  Their lack of knowledge of science is showing, though.  In many species the female is dominant or at least equal.  In some, the female consumes the male to provide energy for the young. 

Like so much of the Hypocrican propaganda, their view of live is imperfect.  It shows more ignorance than proof of the correctness of their anti-woman position.  But, men’s voices have until now been louder and stronger than those of women. 

What can women do?  We can stop coddling men and stop giving weight to their outdated, misogynistic comments and beliefs.  We can vote the Hypocricans out of office at all levels.  We can stay vigilant and call Hypocrican men and women on  their lies, half-truths, and manufactured science.  When they show up on our television screens, we can change the channel.  The one thing we cannot do is ignore them.  That’s how women’s rights have been nibbled away during these past few years.

Women DO Care About the Economy

Women in Binders protesting in Ohio

by muon

The other day Mitt Romney said all this talk about "women in binders" was just a diversion. He said women aren't all that concerned with "women's issues." He said what they really care about is the economy.

As for women caring about the economy, I couldn't agree more. So let me explain it to you, Mr. Romney.

You're the one who uttered the words "women in binders." It was part of your response to a question about the Lilly Ledbetter Act. Now, nevermind the fact that you lied about actively appealing to women's groups to find qualified women to fill cabinet posts (the women's group contacted you, not the other way around), the issue here is women who are often discriminated against in being considered for certain jobs in our society. If a woman can't find a job, simply because she's a woman, for her, that's an economic issue.

If a woman isn't paid equally for doing the same work as a man, especially if that woman's family depends on her paycheck to make ends meet, THAT's an economic issue.

If a woman can't afford contraceptives, and therefore can't plan a family according to what is affordable in her circumstances, THAT's an economic issue.  Not just a family issue, but a major national economic issue, because the more children who are born into poverty, the more strain it puts on social programs designed to help the poor. Of course, these are programs you'd just as soon take away from those children, but that won't change the fact that, without contraceptives, the population will grow, creating a bigger economic issue in the future.

If a woman and her family have inadequate preventative healthcare, to the point where symptoms are ignored because the cost of seeing a doctor, having tests, or buying medicine is too high, THAT's an economic issue. The nation's emergency room and clinics will be overwhelmed. The costs of major medical procedures can ruin families completely.

And that's just for starters. EVERY women's issue is an economic issue. And most women I know are getting very tired of having Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan dismiss women's issues as mere diversions.