Ipod Reviews: Women Making Money

Posted by:
dezcrawford |
February 20, 2011 2:16 AM

Damn. Can't sleep. I must share a true story:

During my fertile years, I made a point of having my annual PAP smear, pelvic and breast exams, and getting my pills refilled, at a local women's clinic which also provided abortions. I thought they needed my support.

Every weekday morning, women seeking access to the clinic's driveway had to pass a group of 5-10 dedicated sidewalk protesters, mostly retirees and mostly Catholic, who stood quietly by, held up signs, and prayed their Rosaries. No big deal.

Free speech, free assembly, and they stayed on the public side of the property line. Occasionally one of the group led the Rosary with a megaphone. Again, free speech. Stressful and annoying to listen to for hours on end, but it's their right.

But the real circus was on Saturday mornings, when local fundamentalist churches sometimes brought out protesters by the busloads. They were well-armed with megaphones and powerful lungs, and shrieked at women entering the driveway: "DON'T KILL YOUR BABY." They sometimes attempted to block the driveway and used cameras to intimidate women entering the clinic. Women had to run a formidable gauntlet just to enter. So the clinic had escort volunteers and a security guard for the weekends.

Anyway, women would go there for all sorts of reasons: abortions, birth control pills, pelvic exams. But of course it was assumed by the Conservanazirepubliscum that each and every woman was cheerfully marching in there to terminate her pregnancy, so they shouted at women on a regular basis: "DON'T KILL YOUR BABY!"

But one Saturday morning I realized that they were only shouting at PARTICULAR women.

I pulled in for my exam appointment and to have my pills refilled. I drove past the screamers, drove up the driveway and into the large parking lot in the rear, safely surrounded by private property.

A moment later, another, younger woman pulled into the adjacent parking, space: she was attractive, tall, slender, lovely ... and African- American. While I gathered my things, she got out of her car. I called out, "be careful, those guys are whacked. Be sure to lock your car." She did so, and walked toward the clinic's entrance. I could hear the crowd singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children," but I noticed something -- they did not scream directly at her. In fact, they glanced at her and completely ignored her. She entered, and the door closed behind her.

I was about 20 steps behind this young woman. But as my WHITE baby-makin' hips approached the door, the screams began in earnest: "DON'T KILL YOUR BABY! DON'T KILL YOUR BABY! PLEASE COME TALK TO US! WE'LL ADOPT YOUR CHILD!"

I had started to open the clinic door, but my blood boiled. I let go of the door, and I marched to the foot of the driveway. I went nose-to-nose (just on the clinic's side of the property line) with the Alpha Screamer. I made a theatrical gesture of clearing out my ears, and snarled, as I pointed behind me: "I didn't hear you say that to the woman who entered before me! Or did I have wax in my ears and I missed that?"

He did not respond, but resumed yelling "PLEASE DON'T KILL YOUR BABY! WE HAVE WET MOTHERS! WE CAN ADOPT!"

This time I shouted back: "You didn't answer my question! WHY DIDN'T YOU URGE THAT BLACK WOMAN NOT TO HAVE AN ABORTION? WHY DIDN'T YOU OFFER TO ADOPT IT? YOU DON'T WANT BLACK BABIES, DO YOU?"

I was again ignored, and screamed at not to kill MY imaginary baby.

So I said, "What if I wanted to keep a baby? What if I didn't want to give it up for adoption? Would you help me then? Would you help pay my bills? And help me finish college?"

Again, I received no answer, just more shouting.

I whirled on my heel, flipped them all a double-handed bird, and marched into the clinic. As I approached, I noticed a couple of people peeking out the door.

In a much, much calmer voice, I asked the packed waiting room (about 50/50 black and white): "How many of you African-American women were screamed at not to have an abortion?"

Not a single hand went up.

Then I said, "How many of you white women got screamed at?"

EVERY HAND went up.

I said, "Fucking racists. They want white babies, and they want us to GIVE them to them to brainwash. They don't care what happens to black women or black babies." Then I sat down.

This spurred a discussion about the venomous sexism and blatant, undisguised, shameless racism all rolled into one big, stinking shitpile of hatred and herded into church busses. The KKK in Jesus T-shirts. Two busloads of 'em. EVERY SATURDAY. Most of the women there were in tears. One of their male companions bolted out the door to give the screamers a piece of HIS mind.

I started volunteering as a clinic escort after that -- I'd been through non-violence training, but I was also belted in a martial art and not afraid to use it to defend myself or another if I absolutely had to.

When Operation Rescue came to town, the same observations were made by all clinic volunteers: minority women did NOT get yelled at to give up their precious bundles of joy for adoption. But EVERY white woman was body-blocked and otherwise interfered with as she attempted to enter the clinic. All of us clinic defenders came away bruised simply by body-block contact with those lunatics (the idea is to surround the woman and get her safely inside). I had bruises even though I had worn motorcycle leathers for the job.

My Granny used to call such hypocrisy, "The Devil in a Sunday hat." Wise words, those.

So...this throws another bag of Ugly into the fray. Sexism and racism. A desire for total control over women, and for a permanent underclass. It makes me so sick I can't sleep. Didn't get any sleep last night either.

Y'all, "The Handmaid's Tale" really is coming if we al don't get off our butts and DO something.

The Cut

Last 72 Hours

bench craft company

Ipod Reviews

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Women Making Money

The Cut

Last 72 Hours

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Outside.In

Hyperlocal Heartbreak: Why Haven't Neighborhood <b>News</b> Technologies <b>...</b>

Good <b>news</b>: Obama now brewing his own beer at the White House « Hot Air

No comments:

Post a Comment