Valuing Women First, Reducing Abortion Second

Watching all the coverage of the anti-abortion protesters gathering at Notre Dame before the President's commencement address I can feel the anger in me rising.

It is not that I am pro-abortion, or disagree with the freedom of speech and the right to protest, and yet I can feel myself getting a little crazy!

Abortion is undoubtedly a very emotional issue, and I suspect this is because we wrap a number of other issues and deep seeded feelings up in this debate.  Investigating my opinions on abortion reveals less interest in the medical procedure of abortion, and more interest in the issues it symbolizes. It seems much hurt and devaluing of women has come from both my religion and my country.  

Men beware, it might just be easier to agree to give women a choice, rather than open the space for this much larger debate...

Has Christianity Left Women Behind?

Watching the protesters at Notre Dame placing the signs on their graduation cap of a cross with two baby feet on either side, enraged me.  This symbol reminded me of the way I have felt disenfranchised from traditional Christianity. 

Apparently God is male, first fail for women.  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... I count three whole parts there, couldn't we have gotten even 33% representation in the trinity? It sure makes it harder to be God-like when you are born the wrong gender to begin with. The one main female role model in the church is both a virgin and a mother (a very hard standard for most modern women to live up to). And let us not forget in Catholicism as well as some conservative protestant traditions women just aren't equipped (read smart enough) to teach men.

And it is not only what we aren't.  It is the incredibly small box of expectation of what we are. In many traditional Christian settings women are seen to be primarily baby factories. Somehow the issue of abortion seems to imply that the Church doesn't trust women's ability to choose whether they want to fulfill that role, as if that decision was pre-determined for us when our eggs were formed.

A Country Where All Men are Created Equal

I appreciate that abortion is legal in this country, but the way this debate is often framed rips away at the equality women feel.

Women are so often portrayed as the monsters in the abortion debate when so many factors lead to the situation of an unwanted pregnancy with at least one factor that is always present, a man!

Another factor rarely discussed is the lack of health insurance for women. Did you know that less than half of American women can get health insurance through work?  Keeping that in mind did you know that a 22 year old woman can be charged 1 1/2 times the premium of a 22 year old man in the individual insurance market. Yes, that is because it is expensive for the insurance company if that woman gets pregnant.

So until America decides to value the health of a woman and offer fair and equal health care for all women, I have very little patience for your debate as to whether women should have a choice to have an abortion or not. Without first the basic respect for a woman's health, this issue can quickly make women feel like property rather than people.

Working for Solutions

Let me be clear, I am not saying that pro-lifers hold these views that I have articulated anger me so. I am trying to convey why this issue is such a hot button issue for me.  I believe there is much that needs to be done to bring feminism to Christianity and equality to America.  I would love to spend more energy on these issues, less on fighting about the fetus, and together from a place of high value and regard for women I believe we could work very effectively to decrease unwanted pregnancies.   

President Obama's Official Statement on Roe v. Wade Anniversary

So yes, it was day 1 of Obama Administration and this was the first official statement I read by our new President.

Please don't ask how I reacted, I was tired, I was overwhelmed, I was emotional and his words were dripping with respect and admiration for women... You can guess!

Such hope!

Such respect!

Such equality!

On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.

While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.

On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.

My Place in History

It has been an amazing experience to travel to our nation’s capitol to be a part of this historic event. From the elated buzz on the flight from Milwaukee to Reagan National Airport, to the incomprehensible mobs of people, to the serene and hopeful moment of hushed silence just before Barack Obama took the oath of office, this has been an experience I will never forget, and try as I might, will never adequately describe.

The crowds were simply overwhelming in size, so often it seemed as though there was no end to the people, and moving in a collective mass quickly became the norm. My experience of this diverse, beautiful mix of people was so friendly, considerate, and united, that I was not at all surprised to hear reported that on Inauguration Day with two million people in attendance, there was not one single arrest made.

On that day, after hours of trying to make it through the crowd that seemed to never end, and through the security check I started to settle in to watch the swearing in ceremony. Standing there behind the reflecting pool at the front of the mall, I turned in attempt to take in the moment, and to survey the crowd. The view of the huge, elated crowd, waving American flags, for as far as the eye could see, with the Washington Monument in the backdrop was a simply breath-taking sight.

As many others in my generation, I have been critical of my government, and have not felt the sense of American patriotism that my parents and grandparents often describe. And at that moment, taking in that view, the simple thought came to mind, we actually did it. And then the tears began to freely flow, overwhelmed at the power of diverse people to come together with hope and optimism in these uncertain times.

And before I knew it, from seeing my tears, complete strangers around me were crying too, and then they were hugging me, and it was the moment that we had all come all that way to experience.

The swearing-in ceremony was moving, the speech by President Barack Obama was powerful and inspiring, and of course Malia and Sasha were undoubtedly the crowd favorites. And then it was over. We were back in the moving mass of people (sometimes not moving much) walking the seven blocks back to my friends’ apartment, which took two hours to navigate with many detours and the slow pace, and it was cold. This wasn’t the most pleasant walking conditions, but it was somehow different. The crowd was more subdued- no chants or song singing, and it was as though we were ready to get on with the business of being America. The energy of anticipation of this big day had been transformed to a deep sense of peace and together as individuals we walked forward as one.

Just Another Official Letter from the U.S. Senate

I am not the best at reading my mail.  I don't even get much mail, pay all my bills online and try to avoid as much of the paper stuff as possible.

So it comes to be that stacks of the snail mail will mound before I get around to going through it, this generally takes a few weeks.  No exception during the holiday season though I try to sift out the holiday cards.

When I do get around to getting through it all, I am totally used to all of my celebrity friends writing to me about their favorite causes.  I get all sorts of mail from Richard Gere, sometimes even some nice Tibetan Prayer Flags thrown in, as he is sharing with me the latest news from Tibet, though sometimes the Dalai Lama prefers to write me himself.  Leonardo DiCaprio has been writing recently he cares an awful lot about the earth and wants me to know that.  I think he is working with the NRDC, but I am not exactly sure. Then there was the recent postcard from Michelle and Barack thanking me for all I did.  That sure was sweet.

So yes, it is quite normal for my famous friends to write.  Clearly this is why I was not phased when I received an envelope from the United States Senate. To be fair I should have noted that part on the envelope that said Official Business, but on my defense it was very small print!

So for weeks this rather important piece of mail sat.  This piece of mail dated December 18, 2008.

So today, January 2, 2009, I decided to go through my mail.  And instead of asking for money, or my time or volunteer efforts, to my shock and excitement, Senator Debbie Stabenow of the great state of Michigan was writing to let me know that her office received over 12,000 requests for Inauguration tickets, that she was given less that 400 tickets and that she wanted me to have two of them!

I think I am going to start reading my mail, just a little bit closer from now on...

P.S. Senator Levin, I know you were sorry not to be able to grant my request for tickets, but I wanted you to know, Senator Stabenow, is going to have to be my favorite Senator now, and please don't confuse this for a bribe, but if you wanted to throw a few more tickets in my direction, I have some friends that would very much like to make you their favorite Senator :)

What Do I Think About Rick Warren?

Ok, so I am frequently being asking what my opinion is on the Rick Warren selection for the invocation at the inauguration, and it is time to get this out once and for all.  

I am mad as hell that Rick Warren was selected to give the invocation.  I am mad that on the biggest human rights issue of our day, the candidate I worked endlessly for has decided to literally begin his presidency by giving the stage to someone who worked so hard to take the rights away of so many California citizens.  Take rights away, I can't believe I am even typing those horrible words.  If I hear one more person tell me it was a smart political move for Obama, I just might throw up.  I didn't work this hard for this kind of "smart political moves."

As a Democrat, as an Obama volunteer and supporter, and as a person who deeply loves gay and lesbian family members and friends I am nothing short of furious!

But I do not wish to write today from any of those perspectives (though it would be easy to do...)

Today, I wish to write to you as an OUTRAGED Christian!  I just can't take it anymore!  ENOUGH!  Seriously, dammit ENOUGH!  

How, I ask you, how can the millions of American Christians, sit back and continue to allow their faith to be tarnished and marked by injustice and prejudice.  What world are they living in?  What faith are they following that makes this behavior acceptable?  

How is Christianity any place other than the leading edge of the fight for equality?  How is Christianity any place other than the leading edge of inclusion and acceptance and wholeness! How can Christianity and its followers possibly be responsible for discrimination against a minority group of Americans?

So in all my fury and outrage, here I sit.  Yet, again questioning if remaining in the Christian movement is something I have the courage to do.  I sit deeply ashamed of mainstream Christianity in this country today.  I sit wishing Rick Warren wasn't the face of Christianity to millions of people.  I sit ready to act and fight and work to end this last form of  socially acceptable, truly rotten discrimination.  

And I simply sit.

As a child it was almost more than I could bare to come to grips with the reality that  I was white while learning of the pain and suffering "my people" had caused African-Americans.  

And yet, like it or not, it is a part of me.  But I hope dealing with the pain of that reality took me to a place of greater awareness.

So much of my time in the Christian movement is time spent with those just like me. The Progressive Christians that aren't interested in dogma or particular beliefs.  They don't take the Bible literally, but look to it as one of many sources of poetry and metaphoric wisdom.  These Progressive Christians care about the earth, work for equality for all people, love to use their mind and intellect to question and wonder, are followers of Darwin, champions for the poor and are inspired social activists. 

All Christianity is not equal.  But all Christianity is part of the human experience of trying to understand life.  And a part of understanding life is wrestling with prejudice, and injustice, and at times even hatred.

So for today, I will sit with the utter agony of holding both the peace and the pain that my religious tradition has caused so many (this is where that courage comes in).  And if I am able to survive that just maybe that will lead me to sit more generally with the peace and the pain, that I personally have caused the world.  And if I keep sitting, maybe one day, down the road, I will see that my peace and my pain, my joy and my sorrow are one.

And for now... I will promise to try contain myself while at the inauguration and will try my best not to throw my shoe at Rick Warren.

Hey Obama (and Dems in General) Listen Up!

I just had a delightful dinner with some dear progressives here in the Tri-Cities.  We had a conversation which I can only imagine is just like thousands of other conversations across the country.  It can be summed up to "Now what?!"

Here, during the election, we had this fabulous (unexpected) outpouring of progressive activists!  Our county here in West Michigan was one of the redest counties in the country in 2004.  The last time our county (Ottawa Co.) voted for a Democrat was when they voted AGAINST Abraham Lincoln!  And here, in our section of this EXTREMELY conservative area we came within 21 votes of beating John McCain.  People are still reeling from this shocking progressive surge.

So yes, "Now what?!"  Everywhere I turn I am getting this question.  

I guess I am left asking what brought this unlikely crew together.  Undoubtedly we had MANY reasons for coming together behind this transformative candidate.  But because we all had different specific motivations, ending the war, environmental concerns, supporting the first African-American candidate, the economy, women's rights, gay rights, desire for a young fresh candidate, health care, fed up with the Republicans, etc.  It would seem impossible to unite this diverse group again prior to the 2012 re-election campaign (yes we are already excited.)

One of the keys to Obama's success (in my estimation) was his ability to excite and mobilize the Cultural Creatives.  And the way he was able to do that was by appealing to their shared progressive values.  Cultural Creatives is a term to define an emerging and growing demographic which is estimated to be 50 million strong here in the States.  The term was coined by Dr. Paul Ray and Dr. Sherry Anderson.

Here are just some key values that define Cultural Creatives:

• love of nature and deep caring about its destruction
  
• strong awareness of the planet-wide issues (i.e. global warming, poverty, overpopulation, etc.) and a desire to see more action on them
  
• willingness to pay higher taxes or spend more money for goods if that money went to improving the environment
  
• heavy emphasis on the importance of developing and maintaining relationships
  
• heavy emphasis on the importance of helping others and developing their unique gifts
  
• volunteer with one or more good causes
  
• intense interest in spiritual and psychological development
  
• see spirituality as an importance aspect of life but worry about religious fundamentalism
  
• desire more equity for women in business, life and politics
  
• concern for the violence and abuse against women and children
  
• want politics and government to spend more money on education, community programs and the support of a more ecologically sustainable future
  
• are unhappy with the left and right in politics
  
• optimism towards the future  
  

Paul Hawkens, author of Blessed Unrest, writes about a similar global movement that is happening right now.  You can watch this brief video here.

I believe the work regarding the Cultural Creatives and the work of Paul Hawkens is the first step in knowing where to go next.  I believe it is the answer to why we came together, the most unlikely characters spending hours to work on, what was for many, their very first political campaign.

So as the conversations continue here in the Tri-Cities it is revealed some want to support local Democrats, while others want to take on an issue- health care, LGBT rights, green jobs, Michigan's economic woes etc. 

And truth be told, I want all of this to happen!  I want to see all of these great progressive agendas moving forward here and on a national level.  But as the volunteer coordinator for this area, how do I manage to give people the opportunities to do all of that? How do we stay connected with each of us choosing our unique work and stay in touch and supportive of what others are doing and keep that feeling of being a part of something so huge.

ALLISON'S SOLUTION:

We need a Change Network.  We need to use the technology and tools that made the Obama Campaign for Change all possible, and let people use it to continue the progressive agenda. Each community is different, but with the tools of MyBO we could list groups and organizations that are already doing this work.  We could call this MyChange.  In our area the Alliance for the Great Lakes, The Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance, and local candidates could tell their stories and put out a call for action and volunteers.  People could plug into areas where they are needed and connect with others with similar interests. They could personalize email notifications and just learn of volunteer or action opportunities based on their region or interest. Of course this Change Network would also be a platform for policy and educating the public.    

I really believe this network of Cultural Creatives is seeking this sort of local community connection and centralized action.  The Change Network can be the Facebook of activism.  And would continue to build and grow the movement for integrated progressive action which would be of huge benefit to the Democratic Party and the American people.

Thirteen million signed up for email alerts from the Obama Campaign.  Instead of asking what do we do with this list, we need to be asking how to we mobilize the citizenry to produce the change that Obama inspired us with.  Let's keep these new activists moving, and I believe understanding the values of the Cultural Creatives, just might be the answer to doing so.

Did You Hear My Friend Frank Schaeffer on NPR

Did you all hear my friend Frank Schaeffer on Fresh Air with Terry Gross yesterday?  It was a fabulous 30-minute interview.  Here's the link so you can listen and some info on it...

"Pro-Life and In Favor of Keeping Abortion Legal"

Frank has a truly interesting and unique story of growing up as part of the evangelical royalty that for anyone interested in religion and politics in America this story is simply fascinating to hear.  Frank was an integral part of creating the Religious Right in this country (though he has distanced himself greatly from that movement now).  Frank also shares the way the Christian stories of his family and culture impacted the way he viewed the world and related to other people, a perspective that so many can relate to.

Frank has had a dramatic though slow shift away from the evangelical movement, he now writes for the Huffington Post, he voted for Barack Obama, he also attended our local Obama rally with me in Grand Haven and was the star of the show! (that is where this picture was taken) 

Frank gave an absolutely inspiring talk at C3 when he was here, and you can purchase the DVD "Frank Schaeffer: Confessions of a Fundamentalist" here. You can also watch a clip from that talk on that page.

Be sure to check out Frank's book, Crazy For God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (Or Almost All) of it Back. 

This Young Feminist Stops Yelling Just Long Enough to Reflect

Livid. Insulted. Outraged. Appalled. And possibly bordering on Psychotic. These words are all appropriate descriptions of me upon hearing of John McCains choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. And with just the smallest self-reflection I could see how that intense of a reaction to a veep choice of a party and a politician that I had no intention or possibility of ever voting for would seem a little, shall we say, extreme.

I kept trying to calm myself down and gain just a little perspective. But then with every email, and every phone call I had that day, I realized I had not lost it, we all had lost it. It seemed as though most if not all of my friends were having the EXACT same reaction. Now they may not have been expressing it with quite as colorful of language as I was, but nonetheless the feelings and sediments were the same. Best simplified as “what the F$@#!”

So now, a couple days later, and still no more calm or rational about the choice, it occurred to me to ask myself, how could this possibly be this emotionally charging for me? My reaction could most obviously be compared to the reaction of millions of Hillary supporters across this nation. Women, who let’s be honest, for months now I had wanted to tell to simply “get over it.”

So why did my reaction to Sarah Palin look so much like their reaction to Hillary’s defeat?

I think these two political situations can teach us so much about the feminist movement and gender equality in our society.

I, as a self-proclaimed feminist, had absolutely no negative reaction to Hillary Clinton not winning the nomination. Would I have been proud to see the first female president, of course! But what saved me from heartache (besides my sincerest excitement and support of Barack Obama) was the expectation that the number of accomplished and successful female politicians will continue to grow and that first female president is not in fact too far off. And though I have the utmost respect for Hillary Clinton and her accomplishments, I have to admit to preferring the first female president not break through the glass ceiling in some part because she was married to a president.

So back to Sarah Palin, why was this so damn infuriating? Thinking back over my life as a young feminist of generation X/Y I realized I grew up firmly believing I could do anything I wanted to do, hold any office or job I so desired, and would never be denied success, so long as I proved myself. I never believed I would be held back by men. I knew I might have to work harder to be treated the same, but always felt that my goals were always achievable.

So to see a woman given a position that no man would be given with the same credentials seems to undermine and diminish hard-working, successful women everywhere! This only seems to drive a wedge between the genders, men won’t come out and say this in our politically correct world, but those males more qualified for the job, should be outraged too! We (women) have worked so hard to prove we were deserving of our positions and accomplishments, to have a woman promoted for simply (as a correspondent on Jon Stewart so eloquently put it) having a vagina was offensive to say the least and likely a major setback for the women’s equality movement.

Hillary and millions of accomplished hard-working women prove everyday that women have what it takes to succeed. John McCain and by association the republican party have proven that they do not believe in equality between the sexes, because clearly they view all women, qualified or not, as the same.

My VEEP Predictions

Ok, I can't be this much of a political junkie without just putting my predictions out there.  

It is Friday, 9:08 a.m. and I am sitting here waiting for my txt from Barack with the big news. I literally jump every time my phone makes the slightest noise, so for my sanity I would appreciate no other txts from my friends until the news breaks!

Ok, for the less interesting choice on the Republican front:  I have been saying for months now and still feel convinced that McCain will pick Romney.  He is talking about Liebermann and others just so that he can show he could have and didn't choose a pro-choice candidate.  Apparently for the evangelicals Romney hasn't been pro-life long enough, but he will seem like a relief after talk of Liebermann.  Plus I think McCain thinks Romney will help him on the economy (#1 issue this fall) and will give him a potential boost in Michigan.

And on to the VEEP that has us all wanting to know...

My prediction is that Obama will choose Hillary.  I did not hold this opinion until this week, and here are my reasons for my predictions:

1) It would explain why she has been so quiet.  Not because she was sulking and being a poor looser as we all thought, but because he needed the time in the spotlight while she remained quiet.  The only way for her to not overshadow him in the fall.

2) She would be such a shock at this point, and i think they want that sort of excitement.

3) I am feeling more reinforced by they fact that he hasn't announced yet.  It is not like they need to introduce the country to Hillary, we know her pretty well.

4) She will deliver the blue-collar rural democrats that he must have to win.

Prediction 2:

Last night it was pointed out that his schedule is unknown for Saturday afternoon after the speech he will do with his VP and it is expected that he will be traveling to the home state of his VP.

My prediction going along with the fact that it will be Hillary is that Saturday afternoon they will spend their time in either Michigan or Florida.  Together they will be saying we need you in november, you are our top priority now, sorry we didn't campaign here but we're here now together asking for your support. 

So that is my best guess...  Please share yours!