On Sunday, Jan 22nd, the Anniversarry of Roe v. Wade, Tampopo and Supersoling entered Washington with the purpose of finding, and joining with Nationally recognized Pro-Choice organizations such as N.O.W., Planned Parenthood, and others to recognize the significance of this date and what the Roe ruling has done for American women since it’s inception.It’s also true that the Judiciary Commitee’s vote to send or block the Nomination of Samuel Alito to the full Senate is on Tuesday if I’m correct. Alito is the nomination we have been told that the Democrats have been keeping their “powder dry” for. Alito is the one who will change the face of the Supreme Court and set women’s rights back a hundred years if he’s confirmed.
You might imagine our surprise and dismay to find Washington completely devoid of any women’s rights groups or citizen’s rights groups at all. What we did find was shocking and saddening.
In my last diary I exhorted my friends to become involved in protest. To realize that our country is being stolen and distorted right before our very eyes. That while we sit still, the right wing is constantly on the move and developing new and more in your face tactics to deny us our rights every day. I know we have a challenge ahead of us if we want the democrats to actually be an opposition party. What i didn’t know was that citizen groups who are supposed to be in opposition to Bush and his desire to drag us all along for his ride to Fascism are seemingly dropping the ball too.
This past Sunday was disturbing for me and Tampopo to witness. The streets were literally crawling with anti-choice groups, childrens Christian groups numbereing in the hundreds weeping on the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court as they likened abortion to the Holocaust with their psuedo nazi matching tee shirts. Just like the fly b y media photo op that Military Tracy witnessed in Crawford. Right wingers pull up by the busload, jump out with their cameras, mock anger and tears everywhere, get it on the news and get back in their bus and head for the next photo op. The stage being set up on the mall for Monday’s “Walk for Life” rally. The woman who stated she wanted no part of Tampopo’s “Impeach” and “No to Alito” umbrellas in her picture of the Capitol. She just had to make sure it was said loud enough for us counterculture types, the only two in DC that day it seemed, to hear. We both just shook our heads at her ignorance of the fact that if nothing is done soon she won’t have to worry about having any part of anything in this country. Including freedom.
I guess what I’m saying is that I’m frustrated that in these times of dire danger to our democracy, it seems that few care. Including those we consider to be on our side. I assured Tampopo that we would definetily find some groups to join forces with on Sunday. I just didn’t realize that the groups we would find would be comprised of right wing christian soldiers occupying our city.
What are we going to do about it?
Seriously, I want to know because if I’m going to sacrifice my time, my children’s future involvement with Patriot Act soldiers and possibly my life, I want to know that there’s someone out there who might even give half a shit about it.
Peace
I want to be clear here that these thoughts are not directed at bootribbers. I meant to speak to the left in general terms and more specifically to the major rights and political organizations on the left. I appologize if my language made it appear as an attack on anyone here. I lnow you are all doing what you can. You here have inspired me to do more.
