why are women angry? because we STILL have to protest this s***

[niyad]

Why Are Women Angry? Because 'They Still Have to Protest This Shit'
Answering the clichèd question, 'Why are Feminists so angry?'
by Jessica Valenti
. . . .


I had posted a picture of this sign and a few others (and maybe they had a few more curses on them)—and I got an e-mail from a young man who asked me a question that I get asked a lot: Why are you so angry? I imagine a lot of us in the room have been asked some
iteration of this question. It’s a common one when you’re a feminist. Calm down, why are you so worked up? You seem so pissed off. And it’s a stereotype, really, of feminists—that we’re all angry.

So I was thinking of how I could respond this young man…and this is what I came up with, and I wanted to share it with you. It's not that I'm angry, I'm exhausted. The war on
reproductive health and autonomy feels absolutely never-ending. In 2011, there was a record number of anti-choice laws enacted across the states and in 2012, we saw more than forty new state laws restricting women’s access to abortion.

The restrictions ranged from TRAP laws and ultrasound mandates to waiting periods and mandatory counseling—all of which end up hurting the most marginalized women in the US by making legal medical care more costly and harder to get. So while I’m thrilled that we’re celebrating Roe’s fortieth anniversary—if women can’t access abortion, then it’s not really legal for all of us.

If the Hyde Amendment still exists, then Roe doesn’t mean anything for the woman who can’t afford care. And if one woman in Texas can’t get the care she needs, then Roe isn’t fulfilling its promise. I'm exhausted thinking about the fact that I'm still fighting a battle that my
mother marched for. That so many years later, we’re working so hard to hold onto the rights we already have, that creating a proactive—rather than defensive—agenda seems like a pie-in-the-sky dream.

. . . .

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/01/31-5

[2theleft]

1. This, plus less pay for equal work, slut shaming...

I don't get the women who are NOT angry. Doesn't mean I'm angry every minute of every day, or even every day, but I am DAMN angry.

[niyad]

3. "if you aren't angry, you aren't paying attention"

I am, and will continue to pay attention.

[freshwest]

37. Didn't we have a video a while back of a teenage boy lecturing us on the word feminism?

[niyad]

43. I would ask you to say you are joking, but, sadly, I think you are not. did DU rip this twit apart?

[freshwest]

45. A little, I was too pissed to look at much.

[Demeter]

71. Dilbert Gets It (Thanks, Scott Adams)

[niyad]

72. great one--thank you for posting it (perhaps you could post it as a separate thread so I can rec it

[SunSeeker]

2. K&R

[me b zola]

4. K&R

[Brickbat]

5. As a woman, I feel it. I say the same thing as a union member, too.

We're still fighting these battles? REALLY? Even after we've won them over and over again?

[niyad]

31. and, it seems, the anti-union thugs of the early 20th century have nothing on the current bunch

who wield legislation instead (or in addition to) of guns.

(I make a yearly pilgrimage to the site of the ludlow massacre, just a few miles down the road from me)

[Brickbat]

44. I disagree a little bit as far as legislation vs. guns -- some seem to think that as long as it

isn't guns, we can sit back and count our blessings and keep our powder dry.

Respect to you for the pilgrimage. Leave a flower from me next time.

[niyad]

48. we cannot trust those cretins for one minute--guns or legislation, they do not have our

interests in mind, EVER.

will be happy to do so.

[classof56]

75. I was horrified to learn about the Ludlow Massacre recently, I think via a DU post

Thing is--I grew up in Colorado, attended public school, studied the state's history in junior high and high school, visited the Capitol during field trips, etc., etc. And never once were we taught about the Ludlow Massacre.

This was in the 1950s, and as I think back, I am appalled at what a backward and regressive culture we lived in. Seriously...if "girls" hadn't snagged a husband by high school graduation, we were old maids who could be teachers or nurses or somebody's secretary as we continued our desperate search for a male to rescue us from our terrible fate. And no matter the job, we were never paid as much as men, 'cause after all, there was always some guy to take us out to dinner. Or we could share an apartment with five other "old maids". Or we could live at home with our parents. Seriously--that's what my male counterparts told me. The path to any form of equality was long and hard-fought. I'm sure it wasn't just Colorado, but that's where I was and what I had to deal with. I tend to rant because I spent so many years being angry as hell and felt helpless to change things. But change did come--and now they want us to fight those battles again? Okay, now I'm back to being angry.

But as to the Ludlow Massacre, I'm thinking it was among a lot of Colorado's history that was left out of our textbooks. When I read about it, I cried. As another poster asked, I would like you to place a flower at the site the next time you visit. Bless you for doing so.

And for caring.

[niyad]

78. I know what you mean about the backwardness and regression. even ten years later, it was not

all that different--same messages, only I was not listening to them I came out of the womb an activist, I think. Have never wavered from that, no matter how exhausted (and after all these decades, yes, we are exhausted, but still determined, and outraged).

We did not learn about ludlow, or sand creek, just to name two. we did not learn just what a staunch women's rights advocate molly brown was. there was a lot left out. I was, and am, a voracious reader, who never hesitated to challenge the teachers.

When I go, will place flowers in both your names.

[SkyDaddy7]

67. Same here & as a...

Atheist I get asked the same thing over & over, "Why are you angry?"...It is a way to deflect the conversation I think?

Folks do not realize what it is like to be an Atheist in America & to watch so many people not give two squirts of piss what the US Constitution says about religion & government.

The goes for me as a Union Member watching so many working people fighting to crush Unions just because they have been told by folks on talk radio & FOX "News" that Unions are bad...And Unions have self inflicted wounds as well with all the mafia connections in the past that does not help...But still.

And I can only imagine what it must feel like to be a woman in America where many men still think they should be treated like children & told what they can & cannot do with their own bodies...Not to mention all the other crap they must deal with on a daily basis.

We have a lot of work to do to make America a more perfect union!!!

[niyad]

80. it isn't just a way to deflect the conversation--it is an attempt to make us appear as if we are

nuts, and totally without merit.

I remember hearing poppy's remarks about atheists, and the fact that pagans were going to be excluded from the faith-based initiatives bs. these people would actually have to have read the constitution--with comprehension--something I am pretty sure most of them have not.

what it feels like to be a woman in a country that treats us like children? annoying, frustrating, irritating, horrifying, disgusting, dismaying, and sickening. One would think we were back in the 17th century or something. "you've come a long way, baby" yes, backwards.

[AgingAmerican]

6. It will never end

This country suffers from fake puritan syndrome. It will never go away. Stupid on steroids is the cause celeb in RW circles. This is do to the fact they have enlarged and hyperactive amygdala, the emotion/fear center of the brain.

Ain't no cure for stupid.

[calimary]

25. "Stupid on Steroids." WOW does that nail it, Aging American!

I've heard it a LOT, though, in the circles I run in - WHY ON EARTH are we STILL fighting this????? If I had a dime for every "I thought this was SETTLED! Years ago!" comment I've heard about this issue, I'd have enough to bankroll a national pro-choice commercial campaign.

[Starry Messenger]

7. k&r

[sheshe2]

8. K&R!

For Women!

[iandhr]

9. AMEN SISTER

[spooky3]

10. A man once offered this response to that question:

"What do most men do when they believe that they have been victimized by 'reverse' discrimination? They are livid. So why would you expect any different reaction from women? And 'regular' discrimination happens a lot more often."

[freshwest]

54. +1

[WillyT]

11. K & R !!!

[forestpath]

12. K&R

[Ilsa]

13. I tell people,

"If they have the right to tell you must carry to term, then they also have the right to tell you when you can't. Wouldn't you rather let the person who owns the uterus be in charge of safe healthcare for her body?"

And yes, I'm still royally pissed that there are people who believe that forcing the elimination of all access to abortion is the "right" thing to do for me and my sisters. Screw them.

[CrispyQ]

14. This:

So while I’m thrilled that we’re celebrating Roe’s fortieth anniversary—if women can’t access abortion, then it’s not really legal for all of us.

If the Hyde Amendment still exists, then Roe doesn’t mean anything for the woman who can’t afford care. And if one woman in Texas can’t get the care she needs, then Roe isn’t fulfilling its promise.

No abortions, no birth control. This is about control, not morals. They are some of the most immoral people on the planet.

[ReRe]

15. If we can get religion....

K&R

.... back in church where it belongs, and out of government once and for all, we'll come a long way, baby. Separate church and state. And see how much better we are. Everyone of these laws that they have passed and are passing all over the country need to be stricken down, once and for all. Because women have the right to choose, constitutionally. Period.

And equal pay all the way, damit! Let me tell you what happens out here in the good old midwest, and has since the beginning of this country... men impregnate women and then have the gaul to deny the child! And don't want to take responsibility for their actions! That or they threaten no support if the woman says no more babies, since she already has so many and the SOB won't make a decent living, and she tries to leave his butt. (Am I making sense? I'm pissed and typing too fast. ) If a woman has it up to here with the situation she didn't bargain for, she needs to be able to make a living for her children. All the responsibility for raising the children fall on the mother's shoulders. So she absolutely HAS to have equal pay.

Hey, and here's another bitch I have that nobody talks about.... If a woman spends all the good years of her life being a devoted knock-out wife and mother,
she should be getting social security credit for all that work during all those years.

[niyad]

33. your last point is something we have been working on for decades--some very ingenious plans

have been brought forth--alas, I doubt we will see them in my lifetime.

[ReRe]

35. Married women....

....are nothing if not slaves. Then comes the train wreck. I rest.

[sigmasix]

47. too bad your experiences have been so negative

but married women are not slaves. And MOST men are not manipulative child neglectors or abusive misogynists. Sweeping sexist generalizations are offensive, even when the sexism is coming from someone that claims to be supportive of the destruction of sexism. I remain hopeful that you will be able to aknowledge the fact that your anecdotes do not prove anything about all men.
My wife and daughters sure don't seem to be abused or enslaved. Perhaps you should look a little closer at yourself and the reasons you are attracted to toxic individuals that would treat anyone as a slave or refuse thier obligations to thier children. These are the actions of ALL people, nut just men.

[niyad]

52. "too bad your experiences have been so negative" but you don't know what you are talking about.

is that what you meant to say? I have to tell you, that post is a prime example of why women are angry. this poster was talking about things s/he has experienced or seen, and you deny the reality of it. and then go on to make assumptions about this poster's relationships and instruct the poster in making choices based on your assumptions.

you might want to look at the legal construct of marriage--and remember the old common law statement "husbands and wives are one under the law, and that one is the husband" or, do you have any idea where the phrase "rule of thumb" comes from? a man could beat his wife with a stick or rod, provided it was no wider than his thumb. or "who gives this woman to this man?" do you know where that comes from? marriage in patriarchy is NOT an equal relationship under the law, no matter how individual couples manage to act.

[niyad]

55. a little reading on women and marriage

Blackstone Commentaries
Women and the Law


Source: William Blackstone. Commentaries on the Laws of England. Vol, 1 (1765), pages 442-445.

By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law: that is, the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or at least is incorporated and consolidated into that of the husband; under whose wing, protection, and cover, she performs every thing; and is therefore called in our law-French a feme-covert, foemina viro co-operta; is said to be covert-baron, or under the protection and influence of her husband, her baron, or lord; and her condition during her marriage is called her coverture. Upon this principle, of a union of person in husband and wife, depend almost all the legal rights, duties, and disabilities, that either of them acquire by the marriage. I speak not at present of the rights of property, but of such as are merely personal. For this reason, a man cannot grant anything to his wife, or enter into covenant with her: for the grant would be to suppose her separate existence; and to covenant with her, would be only to covenant with himself: and therefore it is also generally true, that all compacts made between husband and wife, when single, are voided by the intermarriage. A woman indeed may be attorney for her husband; for that implies no separation from, but is rather a representation of, her lord. And a husband may also bequeath any thing to his wife by will; for that cannot take effect till the coverture is determined by his death. The husband is bound to provide his wife with necessaries by law, as much as himself; and, if she contracts debts for them, he is obliged to pay them; but for anything besides necessaries he is not chargeable. Also if a wife elopes, and lives with another man, the husband is not chargeable even for necessaries; at least if the person who furnishes them is sufficiently apprized of her elopement. If the wife be indebted before marriage, the husband is bound afterwards to pay the debt; for he has adopted her and her circumstances together. If the wife be injured in her person or her property, she can bring no action for redress without her husband's concurrence, and in his name, as well as her own: neither can she be sued without making the husband a defendant. There is indeed one case where the wife shall sue and be sued as a feme sole, viz. where the husband has abjured the realm, or is banished, for then he is dead in law; and the husband being thus disabled to sue for or defend the wife, it would be most unreasonable if she had no remedy, or could make no defence at all. In criminal prosecutions, it is true, the wife may be indicted and punished separately; for the union is only a civil union. But in trials of any sort they are not allowed to be evidence for, or against, each other: partly because it is impossible their testimony should be indifferent, but principally because of the union of person; and therefore, if they were admitted to be witness for each other, they would contradict one maxim of law, "nemo in propria causa testis esse debet"; and if against each other, they would contradict another maxim, "nemo tenetur seipsum accusare." But, where the offence is directly against the person of the wife, this rule has been usually dispensed with; and therefore, by statute 3 Hen. VII, c. 2, in case a woman be forcibly taken away, and married, she may be a witness against such her husband, in order to convict him of felony. For in this case she can with no propriety be reckoned his wife; because a main ingredient, her consent, was wanting to the contract: and also there is another maxim of law, that no man shall take advantage of his own wrong; which the ravisher here would do, if, by forcibly marrying a woman, he could prevent her from being a witness, who is perhaps the only witness to that very fact.

In the civil law the husband and the wife are considered as two distinct persons, and may have separate estates, contracts, debts, and injuries; and therefore in our ecclesiastical courts, a woman may sue and be sued without her husband.

But though our law in general considers man and wife as one person, yet there are some instances in which she is separately considered; as inferior to him, and acting by his compulsion. And therefore any deeds executed, and acts done, by her, during her coverture, are void; except it be a fine, or the like manner of record, in which case she must be solely and secretly examined, to learn if her act be voluntary. She cannot by will devise lands to her husband, unless under special circumstances; for at the time of making it she is supposed to be under his coercion. And in some felonies, and other inferior crimes, committed by her through constraint of her husband, the law excuses her: but this extends not to treason or murder.

http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/lives19th/a/blackstone_law.htm

or, how about the plank in the southern baptist convention a few years ago, resurrecting the old "wives shall be submissive to their husbands" nonsense. google that phrase, and see how many institutions view that as a commandment right now.

[ReRe]

60. Dear Mr One-in-a-million,

... you live in a bubble. What did you expect when you wandered into this thread beginning with "Why are women so angry?..." Without even knowing it, you proved my point with a sweeping sexist generalization of your own. Where did I "claim to be be supportive of the destruction of sexism.."? My anecdotes were few, but they were very true and they do prove much about men in general. And even though you are one-in-a-million, you MUST recognize that everything I said was true. You can not tell me you don't believe everything I said. You can't. Your bubble isn't that impervious.

Oh, I have taken a closer look at myself. And I am one of the very lucky ones to have escaped the vicious inter-generational cycle of dysfunctionality. You want to know what women's biggest enemy of all is? It isn't men, as you thought I would say. It's BIOLOGY.

[blackspade]

79. ouch.

I hope you don't really mean this:

You want to know what women's biggest enemy of all is? It isn't men, as you thought I would say. It's BIOLOGY.

Your biology is a fact of life, but it shouldn't be viewed as an 'enemy.'
The enemy is in reality many men and some women who are actively trying to strip all women of their autonomy as people.
The enemy is a social construct that diminishes women rather than empowering them based on both their individual and biological strengths.
I tell my little girl that she can do whatever it is she wants in life and that she is just as capable as any boy. She is not her own enemy. Members of society who would tell her that her gender is the 'enemy,' that she is somehow less of a person for it are her true enemies.

[ReRe]

90. I guess I should have been more explicit...

...what I meant by "Biology" was sex drive, not gender.

[Demeter]

70. You are joking, right?

Why do you think the divorce rate is so high? For kicks? What about the murder rate, the murder/suicide phenomenon....

Ah. forget it.

[Le Taz Hot]

65. Wow!

That was a monumentally stupid statement right there. You're just as sexist as the anti-choice crowd.

[ReRe]

91. Huh?

I don't see the relation between "women are slaves" and being anti-choice. I'm definitely pro-choice, not anti. But, you CAN call me sexist until the cows come home, because I am. Sexism goes both ways. No? Oh, and to clear up any confusion, I am a woman.

[liberal_at_heart]

81. you don't speak for me

I have been married 18 years and I am no slave.

[ReRe]

92. I never insinuated that...

... I speak for all women. And I have no interest in cross-examining you because you disagree with my view, like some are apt to do on these boards. You are a very lucky woman, in that you don't feel like a slave after 18 yrs of marriage. My best regards to you.

[HockeyMom]

16. Unfortunately, it IS the poor who suffer

If ANY wife or daughter of these anti-choice legislators in these states needed an abortion, she would be on the first plane out of there for a nice "vacation" in someplace like NY or LA.

Besides having fought these very same battles 40 years ago, I also know all about rich women and their "vacations".

[ismnotwasm]

17. K&R

[Smilo]

18. Suffragettes are spinning in their graves

knowing their descendants are still fighting for rights.

K&R

[Luminous Animal]

19. There is some incredibly powerful words in that speech.

[Squinch]

20. K&R

[Nika]

21. It is very important never to give up this struggle, as or opponents would push women...

... down to Taliban levels of oppression were they free to operate with no resistance to what they do.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

53. It shouldn't BE a "struggle" at this point....

The fact that there are people in power who didn't run on this issue and then pull this crap out of party loyalty is what people are beginning to realize.

[niyad]

56. unfortunately, it IS a struggle--and please note that someof these idiots actually have run

on anti-choice, woman-hating platforms. take a good look at people like akin, gingrey, broun, etc. no secret about where they stand.

and take a look at all the proposed legislation coming out of the states and DC. even though some of these clowns got trounced, they still have not gotten the message (take a look at ND and that idiot in NM (a woman who is raped must not have an abortion because she is "tampering with evidence"--and a WOMAN proposed that idiocy)

[Spitfire of ATJ]

66. There are WOMEN that vote Republican because of wedge issues....

One being racism.

There are people who believe civilization is a fragile thing invented by the White Race and all other races are savages.

Republicans exploit that.

[11 Bravo]

22. I'm a man - with a wife I adore, a mom I love, and two sisters I cherish; and I'm ....

fucking pissed off as well!

I'm done questionioning why any woman could vote for a Republican. The better question is, "Why would any sentient human being vote for a Republican?"

[Freddie]

28. A woman voting Republican is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders

[CRH]

69. Every time I read similar threads, ...

and hear all the anger and frustration, I often wonder the same.

Without suggesting blame, I often wonder if a strategy of cultivating an overwhelming block of women voting to affirm choice through the defeat of any politician not supporting it, would rapidly change the national republican platform.

It is often inferred men are the sole problem of this issue. There are more registered women voters than men, yet somehow choice and equal pay remains a hot button issue in every decade.

How do the chauvinistic male politicians continue to dominate or at least block progress for women's rights? With the consent of a lot of women.

[niyad]

82. if you had read the OP, you might have had some answers. some of the explanations were right

there. (you might also look at post 30)

but, I see, this whole situation is the fault of the women. we created the patriarchy and its mental constructs about women, apparently. all we have to do is vote, and everything will magically be different??

what do you suggest we do about the religions that tell women they are chattel, second-class, less-than? if women are brain-washed, indoctrinated that they are lesser--it takes a lot of education to overcome that.

[Solly Mack]

23. K&R

[gtar100]

24. What "they" call traditional values is nothing more than their pathological fear of change.

Too often I hear misogyny couched in some false sense of tradition from a time when women "knew their place". It's never stated so bluntly but it is exactly what they mean.

[Z_I_Peevey]

26. K&R

[Lifelong Protester]

27. I'm with you, and her

Last edited Sat Feb 2, 2013, 06:24 PM - Edit history (1)

as I cannot believe that after being on the front lines of this fight 40 years ago, we have to keep fighting the same battles. Jeez-o-pete, I thought we'd 'evolve' by now.

Then I remember that it took 70 years, from Seneca Falls until women got to vote.

So let's keep on. SBA said "Failure is Impossible".

[niyad]

29. "failure is impossible"

[Lifelong Protester]

40. Yep, duh, I need to up my caffeine intake today!

Sorry, but you can tell, if I am someone who was on the frontlines 40 years ago, I'm getting up there!

[niyad]

41. same here

[Lifelong Protester]

42. I edited it, to make sure I show no disrespect

to our foremothers!

[niyad]

57. I think our foremothers would understand.

[niyad]

30. why am I so angry? for one thing, because there are still people around who are so clueless,

so ignorant of the realities of our world, so out of touch with the discrimination, the hatred, the violence, to actually have the nerve to ask that question.

[Hissyspit]

63. That is the correct answer.

[ohheckyeah]

32. I wish more young women were angry.

I'm tired. The very first high school debate I was in, I took the pro-choice position. That was a long time ago and the same damn debate is still going on.

[niyad]

34. I have been tired for decades, but will not give up--sometimes I think they are hoping for us

all to just drop from exhaustion.

[ohheckyeah]

36. If they think we will quit they seriously underestimate

us.

[niyad]

39. you have that correct

[liberal_at_heart]

59. believe me a lot of young women took notice last year when politicians were trying to take their

rights away. My now 18 year old daughter certainly noticed. She missed the election by 1 month, but she is completely aware and ready to stand up for her rights.

[ohheckyeah]

61. That's good to hear.

I live in a very conservative area and the young women are brainwashed. Many of them appear to believe they were put on this earth to have babies.

[Freddie]

84. Me too -- HS debate

It was 1972 and the issue was hot. I was the head of the pro-choice side in our 10th grade English class debates.
Unfortunately our teacher was a former priest (left the priesthood to marry) and the topic had him so upset that he ended the debate mid-stream and disliked me the rest of the year. A foretaste of how the topic would never be resolved.

[ohheckyeah]

89. Mine was in 1971 and I was a junior.

The class said I won the debate. Unfortunately, that didn't help much in changing things.

[Eleanors38]

85. Women, men, feminists have a right to be angry, and I'm one if the angry...

I have supported reproductive rights since the 60s, and I can still remember from even earlier times when back alley abortions were plot themes in T.V. drama. I supported Sarah Weddington when she ran for and WON a TEXAS legislative seat even before Roe v Wade was handed down. It is infuriating to go through this again. Many hours spent on this issue. And I'm ready to get in the trenches again.

[niyad]

38. "for all women in struggle" kristin lems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1gyQplb3mfM

Kristin Lems
For All Women In Struggle lyrics
Send "For All Women In Struggle" Ringtone to your Cell
This song is for all women in struggle
Forced to make their troubled ways alone
In the courts, in the homes, and in the factories
Our heroines unnamed and unknown
Chorus:
They knew they'd never change the world without fighting
Even though they had a lot to lose
If you can stand the pain, it's worth deciding
To defend a woman's right to choose
Oh my sisters, dear sisters, be strong.
Before we had a movement to call our own,
There were women fighting one by one
And even now, when the going gets tough
There are times there seems to be no one
Chorus
Whatever rights we cherish now,
There are mothers, and their mothers to thank
For the sake of ourselves and our daughters to come
It is time for us to join in the ranks
Chorus
Words and music by Kristin Lems c MCMLXXIX Kleine Ding Music (BMI

[Useless in FL]

46. I'm tired too, and beaten down.

I've spent my whole life defending our rights and everytime I think we're making improvements, advancing our hope, it falls apart. I'm tired of fighting..I'll soon be gone and I don't see a whole lot of women advancing our cause. Where are we? Nowhere. Just as we were in 1963 when I was a highschool graduate or in 1967 when I was a college graduate? Why?? Why do we have to justify and keep fighting back to have equal access to every facit of our existence? Are we just tools to ... I can't even express what? I'm tired of fighting, but then I think of the hate and the total control and I think that we are where we were during the American revolution, except that we are Women, fighting for our rights and our control of our lives and bodies in 2013. Regardless about how you feel we should be, somehow we need to unite to fight back - to the corptocracy and to the 1 percent who seek to control us. Where is all this evil energy coming from? People who want to control and enslave us for their own profit and enjoyment.

I rarely post here for fear of expressing my ignorance and inviting criticism. That is no more. I have a voice, and I have an opinion and I will not be disparaged.

[niyad]

51. many of us are tired, and discouraged, and even bewildered. as you asked, where is all this

evil energy coming from? the sheer ugliness and brutality of the current round in the war on women is almost beyond any rational person's comprehension.

I do see the energy in many of the young women. If you need a lift, suggest you visit the v-day website (v standing for ending violence against women, eve ensler's amazing group)
www.vday.org. very inspiring.

and I am so glad you have decided to use your voice--we need each and every one of ours in order to be heard.

[alphafemale]

49. I did not raise my children to be mere grease on the gears....

of your war profit machine.

[curlyred]

50. Because my constitutional rights are second class

To your second amendment rights. Because you continue to infringe on my right to privacy but allow no hint of regulation to your right to own any weapon you please. Because you continue to regulate my rights out of existence while slaughter continues unabated.

That's why, you jerk.

[RKP5637]

58. Because we have a good portion of the population that vote in the assholes that

keep this shit going on IMO.

[Left Coast2020]

62. Yes. And some of them are women themselves--voting against own self interest

But I was taught that when you get really pissed, something is supposed to happen after that. Protesting? Hmmm. Perhaps something more of an attention-getter like sit-in's I would think.

[Le Taz Hot]

64. I'm 57 years old

and it feel like we've been fighting this battle FOREVER. I'm lucky to be in California, a state where the anti-choice crowd has been rendered toothless but I look at states like Mississippi where there's ONE abortion provider in the entire state and I see, at least regionally, that we've moved about an inch from where we were 40 years ago.

[malthaussen]

68. Doncha know? Angry women are unattractive.

I've been fighting this shit myself since I became sapient, but I'm not angry. I'm friggin' outraged. I want to grab some people by their pencil-necks and start laying into them with a lead pipe. But hey, I'm a guy -- we're allowed to get angry.

-- Mal

[niyad]

73. people ask me why I carry such a large purse--I smile sweetly and say, 'because it's legal,

and lethal" handier than a lead pipe.

[Eleanors38]

86. LOL! Leverage -- the first weapons using projected power!

[Le Taz Hot]

94. By the way, that works REALLY good.

(Just in case you never got a chance to try it out IRL.)

[niyad]

95. fortunately, I have never needed to use it that way. I have been told that I walk with a serious

"DO NOT mess with me" vibe (gee, ya think???)

[PasadenaTrudy]

74. If you are on twitter..

follow @EverydaySexism, it is stunning. Women all over the world share the daily crap they have to endure by men...

[niyad]

76. thank you for letting us know about this, I know many will check it out.

[PasadenaTrudy]

77. I'm angry because...

childfree women are looked at as freaks. There was a great essay in the Seattle Times the other day by a woman who has chosen not to have children. Boy, the comments were cruel! Sorry, but I have never liked kids and knew at the age of 8 that I would never have them. I'm a person, not a baby making machine. I'm angry at all the other stuff too, btw

K&R

[niyad]

83. do you have a link to that article? I got a lot of flack over the years for choosing to be

childfree, but, fortunately I have a very thick skin when it comes to other people's opinion of me. Like you, I knew from a very early age that I would not have children, and have never regretted it.

[PasadenaTrudy]

87. I will try to find it! n/t

[PasadenaTrudy]

88. Here...

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020250712_sharonpianchancolumnkidsxml.html

I'm also a member of The Childfree Life, a forum. You can google for the site

[niyad]

93. apparently some of the worst comments were removed

[smirkymonkey]

96. K&R, I still can't can't believe we have to have to protest this this shit.

It is high time that we get our rights due. This is bullshit. We are overdue.

[niyad]

97. kick for monday crowd

[niyad]

98. . . .

[niyad]

99. . . . .

[niyad]

100. . . . .