Two weeks from today, women and men from all over Texas will rally in Austin on the south steps of the capitol from 4-6 p.m.. Today was the final open volunteer planning meeting before the rally. The core group of organizers and volunteers met today to tie up all the loose ends before the big day. I am a better person for knowing these ladies who have been tireless in their efforts to make our rally successful.
When I first arrived, the Texas Team Leader, Lois, was on the phone talking to Kingwood-area liberal blogger and radio host, Egberto Willies. Lois gave me the number, and I, too, called in and spoke to Egberto about my personal reasons for involvement with Unite Women. I explained to him that many friends and loved ones have been directly affected by our governor's refusal of Texas' $35 million in federal Title X funds. As you probably know by now, this was done to snub Planned Parenthood. This week, Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas for excluding them from eligibility to receive these funds. Many women across our state have very limited choices in healthcare. Those choices have been erased or been further restricted with our governor and HHS' recent actions. On April 28, I will be at the capitol to speak out on behalf of all these women.
Unite Women has buses full of people coming from Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Denton. Carpools of people from all over the state will be heading to Austin on that Saturday to join our voices. I became a deputy voter registrar for Caldwell County earlier this week, and will have all my supplies ready to register anyone from my county. We must vote. Whether you can make it to Austin or not, voting is the single most important thing you can do to send the message to our legislators that we will not tolerate oppressive legislation such as the Sonogram Law which passed with nary a protest back in January. Never again will we sit by while those elected officials who represent us chip away at our liberties.
Please take a moment to reflect on the women you know. Are they paid a fair wage? Do they have health insurance? If not, do they have access to health services through Medicaid or other programs for low-income and uninsured people? Undoubtedly, you know someone that is being affected by these recent decisions taking place in our state. Now is the time to change the equation in our state. It is up to us to take back Texas from those who would throw us out with the bath water to make a political statement or further line their pockets with special interest money. We can no longer allow our futures to be compromised. No more waiting on some person or some other time to stop the out-of-control train wreck happening under our noses. Texas is our home, and we must stand up and fight for fairness and justice for those who cannot stand up. We are the ones we've been waiting for, and the time is now.
Please join me and thousands of others in Austin two weeks from today. You matter! Come be a part of history.
Peace, Love, Solidarity ~
Martha
The Raging Liberal
women's health issues are SO important, but mainly they should never be considered 'special'.
ReplyDeleteIt's just mind boggling that some people consider covering women's health issues with insurance as 'special'.
Grrrrr...
We are a little over half the population, are we not? And I've read that most women who take the pill, are doing so for related health reasons, not just to keep from getting pregnant.
The ignorance in our society lives on and on, especially with Republicans. Gheeeeesh.
Isn't it infuriating, LinAus? I believe it to be related directly to the influence that the TEA party radicals have on the Republican party. The GOP's recent legislative attempts at the state level to minimize access to abortion, birth control and reproductive health services, is them giving in to the demands being put on them by these radicals who are so far right of mainstream, it is unfathomable to my liberal brain! If we don't defeat the Republicans this November, and win back a majority in our US Congress and state legislatures, I earnestly fear for the future of our country. After the focus of my time and talents for the past six weeks is behind me tomorrow, I will get to work campaigning for the Dems I support. And, I will also return to my contact campaign of every Republican in Texas and WashDC to voice my displeasure with their ridiculous agendas. I'll also be hitting the pavement to register voters in my community. And, of course, I will never shutup talking about the issues to anyone who will listen. Who knew the boldness that always got me in trouble as a child, would be my greatest attribute in my adulthood? Political activism has come to be my life's work, and I can't think of anything more important. My country is so worth saving from the lunatic fringe!
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