The bonfire of women’s rights continues

[theHandpuppet]

Very interesting article. Only wish I could have posted it in its entirety.

The Corsair
The bonfire of women’s rights continues
Liz Phillips, Photo Editor
July 1, 2014

(excerpts)
When you’re talking about a group of companies that includes Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart and Koch Industries, the results can no longer be defined as “narrow.” When the subject is a woman’s right to her own body and the opponent a religion whose God’s name is in the pledge of allegiance and on every piece of U.S. currency, it is no longer “localized.” That is why we are worried. That is why it is important.

More than 70 other companies have also sued to be exempt from Obamacare’s contraception provision. 48 of those are still pending. Our justice system looks to the rulings from the Supreme Court for guidance in their own cases in the lower courts, and now they have it...

...How could religious liberty exist if everyone were allowed to affect each other with their own religious agendas? It couldn’t. And our founders never intended for that to happen. They were secularists. In her book Freethinkers, Susan Jacoby describes the distinction: “… a secularist’s specific metaphysical beliefs are politically irrelevant, because insistence on the distinction between private faith and the conduct of public affairs is precisely what distinguishes secularists from the religiously correct” ...

...This might explain why the Becket Fund was so eager to bring Hobby Lobby into their battle. As openly conceded by Mumma, the fight will not stop there. Their new policy is an active one. They are not defending rights anymore. They are attacking them. Seek and destroy. This is not the end for them. This was one battle, but they are fighting a war.

- See more at: http://www.thecorsaironline.com/opinion/2014/07/01/the-bonfire-of-womens-rights-continues/#sthash.WvvjaaCE.dpuf

[redqueen]

1. K&R nt

[sheshe2]

2. KnR

Bookmarking to read.

[MadrasT]

3. K&R

[cyberswede]

4. Really good article...

and I notice the writer is a "photo editor" - obviously one with great writing skills.

[theHandpuppet]

7. Yes, I noticed that, too.

Unless she is one helluva photo editor, she's got some real talents that are being wasted!

[corkhead]

5. Until the 19th amendment is thrown into that same bonfire, women need to show what they think

of all of this by voting accordingly.

[theHandpuppet]

12. I've found that registering women to vote can be maddening...

Last edited Thu Jul 3, 2014, 09:50 PM - Edit history (1)

... depending on the particular area of the country. I've done the door-to-door registration in rural NW Virginia and let me tell ya, there were times I thought I'd been caught up in the wayback machine. Mind you, this from a woman raised in small town Appalachia, so we're not talking subway queen here. Yet no woman where I come from would have put up with that shit.

The first time I encountered a husband who refused to let his wife register to vote I was shocked. But when it happened over and over it dawned on me just how naïve I was and that there really are places in this country where women, politically speaking, might was well be living in the 19th century. Not only did some men not let their wives speak at all, they were antagonistic to the point of being intimidating. One women hid in the doorway of the kitchen, looking furtively at me while her husband explained that his wife didn't need to vote and he voted for the both of them.

I've encountered shotguns and being run off the road during registrations drives but I don't think I was ever as disheartened as trying to register women voters in that part of Virginia. Of course, at some level I should have expected it. My partner and I spent a couple of years living in that area and within the first week we were there a "welcome" letter from the KKK was left on our doorstep in the middle of the night. We now live in WV and have found everyone here welcoming.

Registering women for the vote is vital. Reaching those women whose voices need to be heard can be another matter, entirely.

[BrotherIvan]

19. Your story leaves me speechless...

Reading the HL facebook comments about how women should be subordinate to their husbands was creepy, but I still have my jaw on the floor from your story. How very sad. I think there are so many women who need to find their own voices, I don't worry about convincing men who don't care any more. Getting women to work in their own self-interest would be enough to make real progress. That seems like the only way.

[steve2470]

22. your account is really eye-opening, wow nt

[theHandpuppet]

23. Hell, that was nothing

When we moved to that little town in NW Virginia, we figured there were no black citizens because we never saw any out and about. Not on the streets nor the shops. It was only when we did door to door registration that we discovered an entire community living there! We were told they did all their shopping and held jobs out of town as black citizens were expected to be neither seen nor heard on Main Street. It was some kind of unspoken leftover from the antebellum era. I was just gobsmacked. This was our first time encountering one of those pockets of folks still living with antebellum baggage; it was a very weird experience for us touring the surrounding countryside with the old mansions and slave quarters still standing as grim reminders of an ugly part of our country's history. (There's another fascinating story about that but I'll save that for another day.)

Anyway, folks were so surprised to see us knocking on doors (and some in the white community not too pleased) we had a wildly successful registration drive and in the process, met a lady and her daughter who became good friends of ours. Her grandbaby was named after me, of which I was so proud. Voter turnout was fabulous and Democrats carried the day!

[William769]

6. And reading some OP's here on DU by so called "liberal men"

I can understand where there power is coming from and it's fucking disgusting!

[theHandpuppet]

8. Do you think they're really liberals though, William?

I have to wonder why some with such dismissive, antagonistic and paternalistic attitudes towards women would choose a forum for progressive discussion.

[William769]

9. I'm trying to give the benefit of the doubt.

But I see your point. To bad the Admins don't clean house on these sanctimonious assholes.

[Arugula Latte]

25. I can think of a handful who have been obvious trolls for years ...

yet continue to be tolerated on DU.

Very frustrating.

[theHandpuppet]

28. Yep.

I hear ya.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. Thank you, William769. I, for one, appreciate your support and value your voice.

Thank you for taking a stand and speaking out against what we are watching happen on DU3.

[William769]

18. Not a problem.

We will stand together and be strong as we can be to let freedom ring!

[nomorenomore08]

20. The kindest thing I can say is that they're disappointingly myopic.

They need to realize that their basic rights and freedoms are ultimately at stake as well.

[leftstreet]

10. DURec

Very good article

[Orsino]

11. It's a bonfire of all our rights.

Women are simply--as always--being robbed harder.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

15. and thank you for seeing that. They are using us as the match to light the bonfire.

edited to change the metaphor to fit the OP.

[Orsino]

16. Yeah. Robbing women helps them sell better to particular audiences. n/t

[Tuesday Afternoon]

17. it is contiuining the old divide and conquer theory. United we stand. Divided we will fall -

if we haven't already as some threads on here are pointing out.

[nomorenomore08]

21. Got a hate-on (hate hard-on) for women/gays/brown folks? Vote GOP!

They're more transparent than ever nowadays, in many respects.

[mrsadm]

13. excellent article, thanks for posting

[niyad]

24. k and r and bookmarking for later

[Arugula Latte]

26. I often think that religion's main purpose

for centuries has been to provide cover for power grabs and misogynistic suppression.

[theHandpuppet]

27. Bingo!

They see it all slipping away, so they're making their power grab now through the courts.