[reposting from an email I received]
HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET.....IF ....WE EVER KNEW......WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTEThis is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.
Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.
The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.
Lucy Burns)And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
(Dora Lewis)
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.Thus unfolded the'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.
(Alice Paul)When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeksuntil word was smuggled out to the press.http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdfSo, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote.Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said.'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again..'HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.History is being made.
This was sent to me by a fellow woman Democrat today. The story it tells is one we should not forget or fail to honor.
This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.
(Lucy Burns)
And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.' They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.
Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the Night of Terror on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.
For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.
(Alice Paul)
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.
All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.
My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'
HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.
It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.
The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'
Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.
We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.
History is being made.
Despite all the frustrating deception surrounding "the popular vote", party rules, electability, and daily changing standards, the front runner according all the original rules of the game is clearly Obama. He has stayed positive and kept me from throwing my TV out the window. It's been harder for me. My faith in journalism is finally shaken completely loose from the thin line called Hope, attached to what is left of the withering block of the Truth. My father is Lifetime Democrat, MLK era, still has hope that the party will stay true to it's promises and past activism in racial equality. He used to always tell me, "Black folks owe the Democratic Party." Yet, we are now divided sharply into Women's Suffrage 2.0 versus Civil Rights 2.0, thanks to Hillary R. Clinton. How do we stitch those movements back together? I think Barack H. Obama can bring us back togther, and Hillary needs to not just fade away but help deliver the election. She can't leave things torn and sore like they are. She owes us some community service after damaging the Public Property called the Democratic Party. Jon Ellis
Libertarian for Obama
Saw this article in the Washington Post today by Shankar Vedantam titled "When Disadvantages Collide." The discussion centers on the politics and passage of the 14th, 15th & 19th Amendments to the Constitution. The first two gave Black men the right to vote. The later gave women the right to vote.
Please read, as this is the Unity we aspire to attain to win the White House in November:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/01/AR2008060101557.html?sub=new
If the mainstream media wants to truly analyze congregations they should systematically look at all candidates. They should have completed the analysis before the final curtain.
If the MSM includes Barack Obama's congregations as a part of his campaign rhetoric, they must also include Hillary Rodham Clinton's religious efforts
in the rhetoric, as well as John McCain's religious affairs in their observations.
What most Obama supporters will notice is the discrepancy in the fair analysis of religious connections and participation of everyone else, which unfortunately is racist, misogynistic, divisive and systemically set up to fail Americans.
An important historical review of Hillary Clinton details her dark past which has yet to be analyzed in MSM to her supporters.
http://prorev.com/hillary.htm
Unless this information is properly vetted there will be an unfair advantage used against Obama due to his religious participation. I for one believe Obama to be a partial participant in Religion. Michelle is one reason I am sure Obama chose to attend church, for he grew up outside of this social circle which is evident. Ususally, politics, where one goes to church is not an issue in the political arena. An article listed below by Jesse Jackson will list the target of Michelle who as an African American can play the game they wish to play and win. Obama and his close circle of friends, I hope can heed the call.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/27/9210/
Obama's connection to religion is due to Michelle Robinson, and her historical place in this America. They have a young family and historically in the black community, families attend a church where there is a community of inclusive social connections which privately thwarts the public anger from erupting on the racist America we live in. It keeps one aligned on the straight; out of trouble, gives direction to make something out of a life; even when the odds are against the African-American. Does Hillary choose to destroy the success of the Obama campaign that Jesse Jackson reflects in this attached link?
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/20/9074/
As this election moves forward, note that the historical participation of African Americans in politics reaches back to the 1870's when the right to vote was an issue. AS someone said in an article discussing this issue in detail, Hillary is using this in her fight to the death of the Democratic Party.
The fight between the African American male and the white female, became an issue in the 1870's and must be understood to really grasp the context Hillary will use to destroy by whatever means necessary.
As Zillah Eisenstein notes in her analysis the historical ugly face of racism, misogyny and a given right which historically has worked to the favor of the majority may no longer work, for it is a new day, a new time, and there are people who do not care for such rhetoric.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/18/9031/
Lastly, read this article written by a great mind; Alton Maddox who made his mistakes but speaks of the same truth as Ms. Eisenstein.
http://www.amsterdamnews.org/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=88967&sID=34
Lastly, this Dawn Turner Trice from Chicago is asking the question, is the Black Church bad for Obama in so many words? Please also read her article.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/race/2008/05/do-plegers-anti.html
i sent this out to a couple of groups andi included .pdf's of the articles, but everyone supporting Obama in his/her quest for a new America should read these articles for the days ahead and become prepared for the false assumption that Hillary is the victim woman, for she is not.
Just read this. Seems they're making a fuss because Obama is pro-democracy. Strangely enough, I think they may be right!
Ha!
Not only is Obama in favor of democracy, he's willing to support the right for everyone to vote. I think it's time we stepped out of the 18th Century with our voting systems, and stop worrying so much about making things so absolutely secure they're unworkable.
In Sweden, they count votes in public (how is *that* for transparency)? In Sweden, they have an experience that private vote counting leads to potential fraud. I happen to agree with Sweden on that score. Florida seems to be a big reason for my agreement.
I'm also thinking that if they don't like the law about college kids from out of state being allowed to vote in an election for the national leader, then they should raise the voting age to 30. Or 50. Better yet, why don't they just do away with voting altogether? We don't need democracy in this country! Our current president has proved that! All that we need is to remove those troublesome civil rights, establish a religiocentric absolute leader, and suspend the Constitution, right?
If you agree, please don't talk to me. And if you disagree, then VOTE FOR OBAMA!
