NOW - New York State

Obama Must Come Bearing Gifts

What Women Want From Obama

Obama must do more to gain women's vote than to simply tell us that he is the least of two evils. He must come bearing gifts! We are not talking about candy and flowers.

NOW-New York State is proposing a list of gifts he must bring:

1) Four or five Supreme Court Justices should be pro-choice women and all appointments to all courts should be pro-choice.

Now ~ I am Distressed

That horrible word ABORTION is in the news.  NO one is PRO-ABORTION.  I have had two and I am not PRO-abortion.  Both were extraordinarily difficult and rocked my soul.  But going through the process made me even more certain that each woman needs to have all options obtainable, must be able to consult with people of her own choosing and deserves compassion before, during and after her decision.

After 35 years of legal abortions and experiencing some of the years before, I really have come to accept that minds are made up.  Most people have really formed their opinion, that opinion has taken on meaning beyond their own lives and, somehow, adherence to that opinion demonstrates their morality.  Almost no one is actually arguing about the woman, the pregnancy, the circumstances.  They are arguing about their right to hold a moral decision that they hold as correct for all humanity.

The point being that in 1972, the US Supreme Court ruled that each woman has the right to choose how to exercise her conscience.  Some people are offended.  Some people take it for granted.  All people have opinions about it.  But lets state the one thing that is always true, an unwanted pregnancy is a terrible circumstance.  It can be a danger to one’s health; mental or physical. 

So what happened this last weekend that Barack Obama, Constitutional Law Professor, said publicly that he was in favor of permitting late term abortions only when the health of the mother was threatened, BUT THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH.

Here is the quote - I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that “mental distress” qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions.

What does this mean?   Lets just put the abortion issue entirely off the table – it still leaves me with a terrible conclusion, that MENTAL DISTRESS is not equal to physical.  Mental distress can not carry “real significant problems to the mother.” 

I just don’t know what to say – this really distresses me.

Binary is not Diversity

Last night I went to a meeting of smart, advanced, involved women.  The talk was Hillary.  All the talk was Hillary.  I love Hillary.  I wanted Hillary.  Hillary for President was my PLAN A.  I am still praying for Plan A.

The opposite of Plan A is not defeat.  The opposite of Plan A is not even a good question.  Opposite is 180 degrees and, if I can’t have Plan A, I will only concede ONE DEGREE – I want on degree less than Plan A.  My Plan B is one degree from Plan A.

My Plan B is for all 18 million who voted for Hillary and all the feminists who voted for Barack to join forces and insist that the new Democratic leadership~

1) Commit to gender and racial parity in all three branches of government.  That includes every contract, every appointment, every hire.  That includes the Cabinet, the Courts, all government agencies and contracts.  That includes all of the staff, interns, pages, people in service positions from the kitchen to the garden.  And how about insisting that the press corp also reflects diversity. 

2) In addition to gender and racial parity reflecting the population, every person in this changing of the guard is paid equally for each position. 

3) They support reproductive freedom including, but not limited to, choice.  That means the choice to end a pregnancy and the choice to prevent a pregnancy which does not present abstinence as a reliable vehicle for pregnancy prevention. 

My Plan B would change the landscape on all levels.  It would make seeing women and men of all colors common place in federal government.  Maybe then Rep. Pelosi won’t be asked if she has ever experienced sexism.  Isn’t there a word for the question that contains the answer?  Oh yeah, the person asking the question is an ASS.  Okay, a SEXIST ASS.   

If I can't have Plan A and Senator Obama commits to my PLAN B, I will consider that he is not sexist and consider taking his call.