My
cup runneth over.
So,
still from last week I have been wanting to comment on the Hawaii incoming
ballistic missile warning that wasn’t, but other than for my own satisfaction
to take Jamie Lee Curtis to task I don’t know how to get 1,000 words out of the
only one that matters: “Oops.” It would make a better cartoon anyway.
I guess we could talk about
conspiracy theories surrounding why it took the state of Hawaii 40 minutes to
assure its citizens that they were not really going to incinerate but my
tinfoil hat is at the dry cleaners.
Believe me, it is also more than
tempting to skewer Chuck Schumer and his band of merry men for endangering out
national security and inconveniencing a nation by shutting down the Federal
Government to play politics with an issue that could be clearly and easily
resolved. And if you think that means completely screwing over 800,000 DACA “kids,”
you really need to consult another source other than CNN or MSN.
And what I spent my spare time
researching all week (I even watched the one hour and 14 minute press
conference twice) was the media’s frustration and visible anger that President
Trump is healthy as a horse and sharp as a tack.
I could have gotten a thousand
words out of just comparing the press corps reaction to McDonald’s hamburgers
and Kentucky Fried Chicken to Obama’s chain smoking off camera. I understand
their frustration. I truly do. What the heck good is the 25th Amendment
if you can’t use it on a president you don’t like. And shouldn’t that be up to
the media, anyway?
Well, probably not.
But then about Wednesday I heard
an interview with a young lady who was super excited about the “annual” women’s
march this Sunday and I should have known then what direction I was going to
have to go.
And it’s not really because I
have any issue with the idea. I can’t possibly because I absolutely do not
understand what its about so I don’t even know with what to agree or disagree.
According to the official
website of The Women’s March on Washington, the mission is “to harness the
political power of diverse women to create transformative social change.” A
little vague, but who can’t get behind that?
Still trying to understand, let’s
look at the fine print. What transformative change? The website states that
women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights. No
argument with that, but I still don’t know what’s being protested.
The website goes on to specify “ending
violence.” I’m good with that. Especially because I thought with this being a
women’s march that we were probably talking about domestic violence and I can
certainly get behind raising awareness and protesting that, because I think men
who beat women are a life form that shouldn’t be tolerated.
But no. That’s not the violence
we’re talking about, although I don’t think the organizers are in favor of it.
No, the violence they specifically define is “police brutality…racial profiling
and targeting communities of color.” Sigh. That mythical, statistically
unsupported detritus of the Obama Legacy again. Doesn’t seem to have much to do
with women to me…and I’ve already lost interest in chasing fairy tales.
Next on the list is “reproductive
rights.” Specifically, healthcare services, birth control, STD prevention, and
sex education. They beat around the bush
a bit but eventually get to stating that this means the right to an abortion, “regardless
of income, location or education.”
Ok. Whether you agree with them
or not that is a real issue and in this country, like it or not, people have a
right to express their opinion on the subject and peacefully demonstrate to
advance their cause. Roe v. Wade has been undefeated in court for 45 years but
I understand it is under constant attack and concern over constant vigilance
and awareness of the issue is a valid thing for which to march. There is a piece
of paper under glass in a building in Philadelphia that says so.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
Next on the list is LGBTQIA rights. I’m sorry, but I don’t know what the “I” or
the “A” stand for. The bottom line is that the movement wants us all to be “free
from gender norms, expectations and stereotypes.”
And I’m confused again. Doesn’t
seem like this one is about women specifically or even generally, but see “women’s rights are
human rights and human rights are women’s rights.” Well, ok. If we’re talking about
being ok with gay marriage, being gay, gay rights, I know there’s a lot of
progress and understanding still needed there (on both sides) but it seems we’re
headed in the right direction. I’m ok with that part but it seems like they’re
making it a weirder issue. Maybe that’s just me.
Well, maybe it will be easier
for me to understand “worker’s rights.” And for the most part it is, especially
if we are talking about equal pay for equal work for both sexes and whatever
the “I” and the “A” do stand for. The group also wants to include all domestic,
farm and migrant worker classes as well as “undocumented” workers which is
another way of saying “illegal alien workers.” So, I’m with you up to
everything before that, but not with giving illegal aliens rights reserved for
American citizens.
Wouldn’t the world be great if
we could be happy about agreeing on ¾’s of a thing and not obsessed with
disagreement over ¼?
“Civil Rights” is next on the
list. Well heck yes. “…including voting rights, freedom to worship…freedom of
speech and protections for all citizens regardless
of age, race, gender or disability.” I’m pretty sure we already have that
although we may not be perfect in all places at all times about it’s
enforcement.
The group wants an all-inclusive
Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution to ensure that it happens which makes
me think that they are not being completely transparent about what they’re
after since that is one of the bedrocks, at least in intent and law, of current
U.S. society. Lost me.
“Disability rights.” (Still with
me? Hang in there. Women have a lot of things to protest) The group strives for the disabled “to be fully included
(to) contribute to all aspects of American life, economy and culture.” Well, of
course. Again, we already have laws for that but there is nothing wrong with a
parade to raise awareness and increase sensitivity to the issue. Good one.
“Immigrant
rights.” Here we go. I won’t bore you with the whole paragraph but the last
sentence is “We believe migration is a
human right and that no human being is illegal.” The English language can
be a funny thing. Obviously it isn’t illegal to be a human being. But it is
pretty darn skippy illegal to sneak into the country as if there were no
borders, no right to vet one’s criminal record, and no right to expect a contribution
to and assimilation into our society.
Sorry,
ladies. Vote for Oprah and she’ll have me killed for being an old white man,
but until then: Nope.
FINALLY,
the last item in the group’s mission statement is “Environmental Justice.” After
the part on clean air, clean water, and the right to enjoy public lands, which
is cool with everyone I would think, they get into global warming, corporate
greed and things that seem sort of ill-defined and not worth putting on a
pretty pink hat and going for a walk.
So
you’ll either have to take my word for it, or not, that I support women and have
been vocally in favor of many aspects of women’s rights in the past and present
and plan to be in the future. I think
this particular movement has gotten a little fuzzy and I actually think it’s less
than honest.
If
you can keep from getting bogged down in the “women’s rights are human rights
and human rights are women’s rights,” linguistic shield, most of the rights
women have, deserve and need to protect, expand and enforce are not new. I’ve
been hearing about most of them for most of my life and I’m old. Why did women
begin their “annual” protest on the anniversary of the date Donald Trump was sworn
in as President?
Hmmmm.
I wonder. Well why not just say so?
Are
we where we need to be on all women’s rights? Are we done? Heck no, and in that
spirit march away. But be honest ladies. This has a lot less to do with your
rights than it has to do with the fact that left-leaning women are upset that
Donald Trump is President.
Don’t
let the media use you, please. You’re better than that and THAT seems to me
like one of the things you should be protesting.
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