The ITT List
Thursday Jan 20, 2005 9:08 am
Jan Schakowsky speaks to Chicago NOW
Last night I attended "Shaping the Future of Women's Rights" a discussion sponsored by Chicago NOW featuring Illinois' own fearless and forthright Jan Schakowsky (See our recent interview with her, "The Gloves are Off" or listen to the audio at In These Times' radio show, "Fire on the Prairie").
The gathering was inspiring. Activists of all ages, involved in all types of social justice work coming together with shared concerns about women's rights, especially reproductive rights, during Bush's second term. Schakowsky hit right at the heart of many our concerns when she declared that the step not to take was moving the Democratic party "more to the center." She chastised prominent leaders of the party for suggesting that relinquishing a public and open stance on reproductive rights would help Democrats. Schakowsky called on Democrats to employ three things to focus and energize the left: confidence, discipline and coordination.
We have a majority that supports our vision of combating poverty, providing social services, and promoting an agenda of peace, she told us, it's about focusing our efforts on mobilizing it effectively.
Hopefully, this event is just the beginning of a progressive agenda setting that will rally us to change.
The gathering was inspiring. Activists of all ages, involved in all types of social justice work coming together with shared concerns about women's rights, especially reproductive rights, during Bush's second term. Schakowsky hit right at the heart of many our concerns when she declared that the step not to take was moving the Democratic party "more to the center." She chastised prominent leaders of the party for suggesting that relinquishing a public and open stance on reproductive rights would help Democrats. Schakowsky called on Democrats to employ three things to focus and energize the left: confidence, discipline and coordination.
We have a majority that supports our vision of combating poverty, providing social services, and promoting an agenda of peace, she told us, it's about focusing our efforts on mobilizing it effectively.
Hopefully, this event is just the beginning of a progressive agenda setting that will rally us to change.
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WOmens rights issues are no longer relevant. Women of equal creditials and experience make as much $$$ as men. Girls do better in school than boys, and graduate in higher proportions. The glass ceiling has been shattered.
Abortion is not a womens issue - it is a human issue. And a very divisive one, given the strong feelings on both sides (and genders) of the issue. The Dems would do well to allow both sides to be in their camp (as the Repubs have begun to do).
Time to move on to relevant issues now. . .
one out of three women will be raped in her lifetime. how dare you say women’s rights aren’t relevant?
Rape is absolutely terrible and anyone that perpetrates rape on anyone should be severely punished. However the feminazi’s from NOW ;( the nazi organization of women) the group that fits all the true criteria of a hate group , should realize that their day has thankfully come and gone. People realize their message is a message of hate for men and not about freedom or reason. Jill Ireland and Kim Gandy will have to stop spredaing their message of men are the problem- (those bad men) and quit their incessant bitching and whining. I look forward to the day coming soon when this odious group closes up shop because folks are smarter than to listen to their utter hypocrisy and stupidity
It would help tremendously if the Democratic Party moved more towards the “center”. They have been so busy chasing the Republicans to the right that the center is now slightly to their left.
No I hope the Democrats go even further to the left, really run Hillary in ‘08. I love seeing the liberal wing take the democrats down. It has been a trend for 8 years now to watch the dems get slowly flushed down the toilet of public opinion and trust. Hey run Clooney and maybe even Michael Moore for secretary of Defense. How about Al Franken for press secretary. It will be hilarious if it wasn’t so sad that the “progressives” have ruined what used to be a good political party.
Hi Alex - you are right. Rape is a horrible thing and should not happen to anyone. I suggest we lobby to pass laws against it!
(Hmmm, i the Islamic wastelands, i hear that when a woman is raped, she is held responsible. Yet another lovely facet of their version of “civilization”. . .)
The view from Northern Europe is that many Americans are beginning to sound more and more like Putin’s (reddog and friends, you do know who he is, although you probably cannot find his country on a world map) brownshirts. What can be expected from a country that endorses a torturer as its attorney general, and is nominating a liar and a syncompant as secretary of state. reddog, just dont’t forget that it’s the Chinese that are financing you, and sooner or later they will call their markers in.
my AG maybe a torture but yours (janet reno) was an outright murderer. Brainwashed? me? you sound like the brainwashed one Marfa. Bashing Condi.Why I thought you lefties were all for African Americans in higher Government. Where is your sense of diversity now? I don’t buy Chinese stuff. I don’t like the idea of buying goods made with slave labor thank you. and personally I don’t give a rat’s ass what the view is from northern europe. i just know that in a few years time we will probably have to go over there( again) and save them from their own self defeating blind diversity. And you want brown shirts check out the facism of the left in American colleges. You want facism? try not paying taxes in Massachussets or trying to excercise your second ammendment rights in NY city.
oh and no hard feelings miz Marfa but trying to insult my geographical intelligence only speaks volumes about your own liberal ignorance. i really don’t want to have a battle of wits with someone as utterly defenseless as you but go on if you must. i know you liberals think you are smarter than ANYONE else. We call that delusional in my country.
Groups such as Now or Naral are not NAZIs if they didnt speak for the millions of poor woman whow are left out in the cold. Most of you have forgot that when abortion was illegal that woman were dropping dead in the alley. For those who think that woman make more than men and some do it has nothing to do with the millions of them that are below or at poverty levels, This is the group that they help since no one seems to be concern about them they are the ones who do not get enough money to feed their kids(US rank 42nd behind China and Cuba in infant mortality rate), they are the ones who are denied the emergency contraceptive pill because a doctor would use this opportune time to impose his or her religious views on them), a rich woman and some middle class woman can go to another state of another country to get an abortion if Roe vsa wade is overturn something I rarely here people mention since money seems to be the main object. Do we really want to take away a womans right to choose? Do we really want to see woman dropping dead in alleys because she cant get a safe abortion? Are we really concern about children enough to explain some of their stance against abortion? Why is it everyones business to stick their nose in other peoples business when people could care less about whether you eat or not or have a job or at best a place to stay? We seem to talk about a couple of moral issues but anything else that requires money no ones wants to talk about. maybe if we discuss the real reason why woman have abortions such as economic reasons or other social issues that pertains to them then maybe you would see less. But cutting it out and having them risk their lives is not the answer and would not stop abortion. Its really sad that conservatives would call these woman groups nazi’s or any other names because they speak for those who do not have a voice in this country. God say everyman has the free will to make their own moral choices I and everyone else has the right to choose him or not. You have to work on your own salvation and allow others to work on theirs. It is not anyones job to criticize something that would not even been a thought had it not been for some of these groups. So you conservatives who are so self rightous take a chill pill and analyze your ways because remember God is watching and he doesnt like ugly.
are you saying that God, in your mind dislikes conservatives beacuse they oppose murdering unborn children? this is how far the left has come in trying to rationalize baby murder as a “right”. it is totally unbelievable that Cheryl could put forth this argument. I cannot believe that anyone would co-opt God to rationalize abort5ion.
Hey- I have the solution to this problem. Use your right of “choice” to choose NOT TO GET PREGNANT! If the media would stop giving these kids the idea that sex and violence were not without consequence then maybe just maybe these kids and adults would stop their rampant march toward self destruction.
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