Gloria Steinem On Roe v. Wade Repeal

I love this feminist! Featured on businessinsider.com, this is what she’s said:

“Controlling reproduction is the first step in any hierarchical or authoritarian government.”

“Without the right of women and men to make decisions about our own bodies, there is no democracy.”

“Banning abortions does not stop the need. It just bans their safety.”

“The ruling guarantees civil disobedience and disrespect for the court.”

“Don’t agonize. Organize.”

When I think about all the talk of how our democracy is in peril, actually, we have not had a semblance of a democratic system of government for quite some time. As long as I’ve been voting, the Supreme Court has been political, even making George W. Bush president in 2000 and giving us Citizens United in 2010, we have gerrymandering and the Electoral College taking precedent over the popular vote, the far-right hijacking the majority, no separation of church and state and, as is evident with this, accelerated social inequality and injustice.

Woman Who Brought Down Roe v. Wade

I’ve repeated often that, in addition to men, woman are complicit in patriarchy, oppressing women and girls and systematizing it. So many have been shattered as a result and have had to diligently work to transcend, including myself. In this article, I’ve really tried to be open-minded, but Marjorie is majorly misguided!! For example, in response to the question “What are you doing to help women in red states who get pregnant and may not have the financial resources and support to care for their children”, she said the following: “What we’ve done so far with our allies in four states (Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia and West Virginia), and hope to do in 30 in four years, is comprehensive and massive inventories to make sure that women and children in the first two years of the child’s life have access to seven different points of care.” What at timeline! What the heck happens after 2 years and with unwanted children? How can this be anything but a preset to foster care and penal-system trajectories? https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-06-24/the-woman-who-brought-down-roe-vs-wade-marjorie-dannenfelser

Opprobrious

Outrageously disgraceful or shameful. (Yesterday’s word of the day from Dictionary.com.) This is the appeal of Roe v. Wade! A massive assault on women and unwanted children, especially those who are underprivileged. We clearly have an immense fight ahead for our right to healthcare, choose and make decisions about our own bodies.

Roe V. Wade

Friday was a very sad day for female human beings. How many times have I said that we have been and continue to be the most oppressed group on this planet? I think the reversal of this 50-year right to abortion by activist, right-wing republican supreme court justices is a grasping of the patriarchal system of oppression that is doomed to implode. Along the way, though, this hijacking of our right to choose will wreak great havoc with far-reaching effects and complications for us. The genie is out of the bottle though, and I do not believe the younger generations that will be the most affected will stand for it, similar to gun control.

When the ruling was issued, expressing upset, I texted a friend who just happened to be spending the day as a foster parent to a 5-month old baby boy who was born with drugs in his system. She said, “So appropriate as I am here with a kid without a family - Ughhh!” With the forcing of pregnancies now, there are going to be lots more of these babies put into our broken foster care system.

Warriors' Warrior Wives

I’m a huge Warriors’ basketball fan. As I may have mentioned before, I admire and so appreciate the owners’ adherence to first class, excellence, and running a brilliant, progressive organization. Top to bottom there are quality humans with a winning mentality and, if you don’t have that and/or fit in, you are “encouraged” to move on. I have experienced immense joy in watching the games as well as comfort and distraction through various challenging experiences of my life.

On Thursday night, they won their 4th Championship. Certainly no easy feat! In watching the scenes unfold with the players and their families right after cinching yet another title, I was reminded that the owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, the GM and President of Basketball operations Bob Myers, Coach Steve Kerr, Superstar Stephen Curry and some of the other players, did not achieve this level of greatness alone. That is, wives especially were instrumental in their success and certainly deserved enormous credit for the support and “holding down the fort”, taking care of the kids, etc., while they were honing and expressing their skillset and traveling the country. I do not remember any previous championship celebration wherein they were mentioned, let alone accredited.

Shortly after pondering this, Steve Kerr beckoned Bob Myers to the stage to give him well-deserved recognition. Immediately, the reporter Lisa Salters said it wasn’t easy to repeat success and asked Bob how he’s been able to do that. To my surprise and tremendous delight, he began his response with, “I want to thank all our wives and kids. It is not easy supporting us all year long……” With this prime admission in front of a global audience, my esteem for him instantly rose. This is correct to give wives accolades for their steadfast contribution to the success. Now, we just need the patriarchal family law legal system to advance in honoring and accurately assessing the worth of wives should a divorce ultimately be necessary.

Legal Matters

Recently I sought legal representation to deal with my HOA Board. I didn’t want to; however, despite repeated requests, I alone was not able to convince the directors to do the right thing. On International Women’s Day March 8th, we had an HOA election meeting via Zoom. The discussion turned to a pipe that burst, the damage to several units, the repairs, and insurance coverage. As the Board was solely considering using the President’s personal contractor, this was concerning. I raised my hand and questioned if our insurance carrier required getting bids from multiple contractors. The building manager didn’t know and then said, “Why do you ask?” To which I responded, “For financial optimization and to get the best product (end result), it makes sense to get more than 1 bid. Further, to hire this one contractor could potentially create a conflict of interest, and oversight and accountability might be difficult. It’s not a good look.” Presumably defensive, wanting to squelch me, and distract from what I expressed, the male President’s male partner immediately jumped in, off video, attacked my character and then said to me, “You’re a Bitch!” There were about 18 other members in attendance. The President was silent as he has been 3 previous times when 3 other female Board members were verbally attacked and harassed by him. Although he has slandered before, he has not engaged in name calling. This time he went too far and called the wrong woman a Bitch. This was going to stop, and I was prepared to do what was necessary. As the activist and co-founder of Bellingcat said on 60 Minutes, “If you’re in a position to do something, if you have the information, motivation and strength, you should do it.” I have all of it and am driven by a passion for justice.

In accordance with HUD and California Fair Housing laws, women are a protected class group. HOA’s, as housing providers, must comply. Calling me a Bitch is considered unlawful discrimination and illegal harassment. When I found out that this male perpetrator was not even an HOA member and had no right to attend any of our meetings, my request was that he be prohibited from attending in perpetuity. The Board, ignorant of its fiduciary duties, did not readily agree; congruent with the glaring conflict of interest and influence of his partner, (now VP), who refused to recuse himself from the matter. Multiple executive sessions involving our HOA counsel yielded a draft of a long meeting decorum and conduct policy but no prohibition. So, I pursued it to the next levels with letters from my attorney and an Internal Dispute Resolution. Finally, the Board decided to forbid the harasser from attending with the caveat that if he ever became a member and his name on a deed, he would be allowed. I take the win and will continue to advocate for women and all other protected classes - race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability. We must transcend oppression!

Spirited

Defined as full of energy, enthusiasm, and determination.

This weekend I was at Medicine Horse Ranch participating in the monthly equine coaching program. I have mostly worked with stallions, but this time a mare I had never met was waiting in the corral with 2 other familiar horses. (Her name is Sueva, which means little miracle in an African dialect and is a registered Polish Arabian rescued from a neglectful breeding center.) As soon as I walked towards them to begin our observation practice, she eagerly trotted over, put her head above the rail, and greeted me with a nudge. Responding to this warm welcome, I naturally started petting her neck. She then energetically moved around the corral while the other horses focused on eating the grass. Spirited immediately popped into my head as a description and, with the influence of mirroring, I realized I AM spirited too! No matter what is presented!

Hokum

The Word Of The Day from Dictionary.com. It means out-and-out nonsense. One nation under guns! (Reference Amanda Gorman).

Lifelong Learning Continued From 8/22/21

Referencing and pursuant to my blog post on 8/22/21, for my son, I add 4) Remember the 3 P’s - persistence, perseverance, and patience, 5) For personal and business partnerships, choose people with the same moral compass, with a kind heart being paramount, 6) Treat others as you want to be treated, 7) Remember the power of OOPS and compassion, 8) Life involves impermanence, 9) Practice awareness (appreciation) in the present moment, 10) Cultivate detachment and letting go, 11) ) Honor birth and death as constant forces necessary for renewal and transcendence……This can go on and on!