Women received their right to vote less than 100 years ago. And our struggle continues as we fight to get equal pay for equal work. Warriors among us will not passively accept our societal role to remain barefoot and pregnant. The valiant effort of Hillary shows the stuff of which strong women are made. The vacuous anointment of Palin shows the fluff of political tooling.
Perhaps, many women will not see me as a proper advocate. After all, I am the mother of 7 children who were all conceived or adopted on purpose. We lived with sheets on the windows for 2 years as money was needed elsewhere. We chose to be a 1-salary family with a stay-at-home mom. I cherish with no regrets all the moments I have had as I watched and participated in the flowering of 7 fantastic human beings. My boxing gloves became well-worn as I fought for all my children and, in particularly, the 2 adopted with special needs. These gloves are not retired as I will quickly don them if any help is requested by the parents of our many grandbabies. They came in handy when I ran for Congress for many, many months until May of this year.
Because I chose to stay at home and take on the sacrifices this entailed, does not mean that I have the right to denigrate any other woman who chooses differently. Most families cannot subsist on only 1 salary and 2 working parents is a sad economic necessity. Many women are not happy to communicate only at a child’s level day in and day out. They have the talent and the drive to participate more fully in society and make far better mothers when they return home.
In my case, I ventured out of the full-time mom mode while my children were still home. We made a decision to place our oldest 2 children in public schools after 2 years of parochial schools. At the time, it was not a business decision since we were able to afford the tuition for 2. (One of these boys is a Commander and pilot in the Navy and the other is a VP of a Nashville bank.) I wanted our youngsters to learn to co-exist with all SES levels, ethnicities and religions. Never did we regret the big decision. To continue to pay tuition would have necessitated fewer children.
Compelled to know, firsthand, what my children would be taught, I went back to college with 4 youngsters, stopping only for a few years to add 3 more, and then not stopping until my Ph.D. was earned. My original goal to teach high-school Biology was short-circuited when I had an "aha" experience and changed my major to Psychology. I discovered facts with the public school system that I could not live with and would be incapable of changing as an employee of the system. But this is digressing.
Palin’s decision to work professionally while raising a family is not the bone I have to pick with her, since I am sure there are competent caretakers hired. (My priorities would be different but this is America.) I fault her with allowing Repubs to use her infant with Downs as a campaign prop to prove her heroism and mettle. Lots of parents have children with special needs and this does not qualify them to be VP. By the same token, lots of people are POW survivors and this does not qualify them to be Pres.
Bill Maher was a bit rough on Palin last night calling her dumb. I wouldn’t go that far, although discounting the science of evolution in favor of the religious fanaticism of creationism does point to deficient brain cells. Allowing religion and/or government to dictate what things you believe in without question is alarming. Following your leader off of a cliff is not admirable. Flip-flopping--no, LYING-- to fit an image created by your party is inexcusable. Come to think of it, being called dumb is better than being a lying sack of unmitigated gall. I would rather be dumb than be a willing, token plaything of the greedy bastards who run our country.
Women have a voice and we must use it collectively to get Obama and Biden elected. No time for niceties and manners. We must get tough and so must Obama. Lies are lies, not untruths, and must be refuted in point-blank language with no extra words. My heart sank with the election steals of Gore and Kerry. Both of them were far more intelligent and capable than the one we ended up with. The common masses do not respond to logical paragraphs. They need succinct words passionately delivered unrelentingly.
American women have the power to keep the vote from being so close. If only so many of us were not too busy working and raising families. If only more of us were not too lazy to search past the regurgitated sound bites of self-righteous, tunnel-visioned pastors and preachers. If only all women appreciated the tremendous gains paid for by the blood, sweat and tears of our grandmothers.