House Republican Women

Dear GOP,

Thanks so much for pointing out that there are women in your party. Hey, that's great but it doesn't negate the fact you have waged a war on women in this country.

For those who haven't seen that there are indeed Republican women, have a look.

Now that we're clear and know that Republican women DO exist, put the gloves back on and ROCK THE SLUT VOTE LADIES!!!!!

Iowa’s GOP Proposed Platform: The Tea Party Vision For Subjugating Women

This is not a surprising document. It’s a Tea Party bonanza and another petrifying example of why Democrats need to gain control of the government in the next election.

As an activist for women’s rights, I am only going to focus on the issues pertaining to women and abortion rights. I urge you to read the entire document, as this is what the Tea Party wants ALL of America to look like. They have a decent shot at taking this country over and it’s up to the citizens to make that decision in the voting booth this November. You can view the document in it’s entirety here.

Please take a look at these propositions, share them with young women you know and explain how it can affect their lives now and in the future. I have selected a just a few for you to read:

1.4 We disagree with Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton as “settled law.” Under the tenth amendment, these Supreme Court decisions have no authority over the states.

1.6 We oppose the use of public revenues for abortion, and call for the elimination of government funding for all organizations, such as Planned Parenthood which advocate or support abortions.

1.9 We believe in “conscience-clause” legislation so that no physician, pharmacist or healthcare provider can be penalized for refusing to prescribe, dispense or participate in the procurement of an abortion or anything contrary to the conscience of the health care provider.

1.10 We support an Iowa “Women’s Right To Know Law” requiring informed consent—including a three day waiting period and a mandatory ultrasound—before any elective abortion services may be provided. “Informed Consent” means that abortionists must offer to the pregnant woman, prior to the abortion, complete factual information about the complications of abortion, the biological development of the unborn, fetal pain, and the availability of alternatives to abortion.

1.14 We support legislation that would prohibit organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, from entering public school facilities for the purpose of promoting abortion.

When was the last time you saw Planned Parenthood or any organization promoting abortions? And, although the Tea Party would have you believe otherwise, tax dollars, do not now, nor have they ever been spent on abortions and there are no plans to include abortions among publicly funded medical procedures.

While any women choosing to have an abortion should understand the risks involved, mandating an unnecessary ultrasound and allowing a pharmacist or health care professional to deny a women birth control is a judgment based on a religious belief.

The choice of abortion is not a pleasant one for any woman. It’s not something we aspire to nor do we wish to use it as a form of birth control. It is however, legal. If you become pregnant and choose to terminate the pregnancy, you still have that option. The Tea Party wants to eliminate your choices by dictating their personal and religious beliefs and making them law.

Republicans currently dominate the House. If they keep the House, or take hold of the Senate or Presidency, we are not going to make the progress that will save this country from financial ruin and the theft of our individual freedoms. As it stands, we have choices. Those choices are in danger of being taken away.

I have spoken to many young women about the threat to their rights. Sadly, the ones I have talked with are not informed and a few have expressed the feeling that so much corruption plagues our voting system that voting makes no difference. To that I say, VOTE ANYWAY! What would happen if nobody voted? What if only members of the Tea Party voted? By choosing to not exercise your right, you are throwing your choices away. If your rights are stripped because you gave up, you will have no one to blame but yourself and you WILL have to suffer those consequences for a long time to come.

I ask again that you take a look at all that is proposed in this document. Is this the America you wish to live in? You have a voice. Use it and VOTE!!

Susan McMillan Emry: Founder of RTSV United Explains Why We Choose To Embrace The Word SLUT

What do Rock The Slut Vote and Yankee Doodle Have In Common? You Might be Surprised!

 
Slut.  What a storm of controversy this four-letter word stirs up. Why in the world would we claim such a demeaning word as a battle cry for women's rights? 

For all the same reasons the founders of our great nation laid claim to the British army's great slur against America's colonists. Redcoats gleefully sang "Yankee Doodle" to demean roughly clad revolutionary soldiers as inept, impotent bumpkins. Moreover, they raucously urged "...let the girls be handy," a grave insult to colonial women's chastity."You laughable revolutionaries are uncouth and your women are sluts", they sneered.

How did our hardy patriots respond? They embraced the outrageous insult and made it their own. Laughing off the slur, they wrested all the stinging power from the words.In fact, they began singing "Yankee Doodle" as their own battle song, mocking the British. These ordinary men who rose up to become extraordinary heroes deliberately shamed the Redcoats with their own insult  as they won the hard victory for America's rights and freedom. We can do no less while battling today's war for American women's rights and freedoms.

There's a long, proud history of oppressed peoples who effectively reappropriate the very perjorative terms used to demean and keep them in a lowly, disgraced place. By reclaiming the most hurtful, shaming words, groups rise up, unite and fight against intimidation and injustice. Many examples exist in modern America -- from punks to geeks, from gays to rednecks. And yes, now sluts!

Do any of us aspire to be insulted as sluts and worse? Of course not.  But neither will we allow that word to shame, intimidate and silence women any longer. When one woman is battered with the word "slut" for simply speaking her truth, then ALL women are attacked. We can let that word chill us from speaking our own truth -- or we can rise up together and seize that weapon from those who would oppress us. At Rock The Slut Vote (RTSV) we choose to unite, reclaim that word "slut," and turn it back on those who would deny us the basic rights due every American.

Make no mistake. The GOP has launched an orchestrated, all-out-war on women's rights in states throughout America's heartland and in the heart of her capitol. They would silence women's opposition with fear and brutal insults against our very womanhood. Let us reclaim the word "slut" as our own anthem of defiance, strength and pride.

Like those Yankee Doodles who fought at the real Tea Party, Sluts WILL win this fight for equality and basic human rights. Together, we will go forth, raise hell, and rock the slut vote in November 2012.

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Ladies And Gentlemen: President Romney

This is proving to be quite a volatile election year and we’re really just getting started.

RTSV United was created in response to the GOP's War On Women. This post is not about women’s rights, it’s about what a “President Romney” would look like. It’s a collection of information about this man who claims he has your best interests at heart.

The Obama administration is pulling out the big guns and utilizing the infinite and available information out there on Romney to prove that he would destroy America as we know it. We are in a VERY vulnerable position now. The Bush years have put us at a grave disadvantage and this election is perhaps the most important in decades. We simply cannot afford to allow the GOP to dominate government policy and the only way to do that is to insure a Democratic House, Senate and another Obama victory. Unless this happens, we will all lose, including so many who refuse to truly understand what the right’s agenda is and will blindly vote Republican because they buy into the lies, fear and racism.

There is a website www.romneyeconomics.com that provides a plethora of information and none of it is hopeful. I will highlight some of the content here as well as articles, quotes and video.

Articles:
            George W. Bush: ‘I’m for Mitt Romney’

            Mitt Romney “I’m Not Concerned For The Very Poor.”

            Mitt Romney Takes Credit For The Auto Bailout. Say, What?

            Former Mormon Explains Why Mitt Romney Should Never Be President

GST Steel & Bain Capital

Romney Economics: Dade

Jobs lost At least 2,937
Debt at time of bankruptcy $1.5 billion
Bain profits > $250 million
Dade: Profiting from debt:“With Dade Behring, Mitt Romney and his investors took over a healthy company and loaded it with debt. Rather than sell the company, they then had Dade take out even more loans to buy out their shares, driving the company into bankruptcy. Nearly 3,000 workers lost their jobs, while Romney and his partners made more than $250 million in profit.”


“It was just a great place to work, with great people. Everybody really enjoyed it there—and then Bain Capital came in.” —Charlie DeAngelis, mechanical engineer who lost his job after eight years with Dade BehringBoston Globe, 11/19/09


"Bain and a small group of investors bought Dade in 1994 with mostly borrowed money, limiting their risk. They extracted cash from the company at almost every turn—paying themselves nearly $100 million in fees, first for buying the company and then for helping to run it." New York Times, 11/13/11

“My experience at Dade during those Bain Capital years was that it was strictly an investment, not to create jobs. ... No one came from Bain and said, ‘How can we hire more people?’ It was, ‘How do we turn our investment around and make a lot of money?’”—Michael Rumbin, vice president of technology management at Dade during Romney's tenure - Los Angeles Times, 12/4/11


“They were just trying to milk as much out of us as they could.”—William T. Mowrey, former Dade employee whose salary and pension were cut.


This is only a small sampling of information on what a Romney administration would look like. Do you like what you see? If not, vote Democrat and share this.

Why I'm Proud To Be A Liberal Slut!

There is a fan page on Facebook called Republicans Are Idiots and Arguing With Them Is A Waste Of Time. Now, of course we know that all Republicans are not idiots, but sadly, sane conservatives no longer have a voice within the Grand Old Party. As the election draws near, it is increasingly difficult to converse with the right wing. They refuse to have an honest conversation, let alone an honest debate about their agenda or their relentless campaign to assault women’s rights.

And, lo and behold the Republicans outrage as liberals embrace the word ‘slut’! They mock us, they degrade us, and apply all of their standard operating procedures and tactics to bully, subjugate and silence us. As Spokeswoman for Rock The Slut Vote, I say “Bring It On!” So one more time, I offer an explanation as to  why liberal, independent and many conservative women are wearing the word ‘slut’ as a badge of honor.

I recently watched an old episode of Happy Days. In this TV classic, Fonz, the uber cool, leather-clad, motorcycle-driving rebel with a heart is singled out by Police Officer Kirk, who goes out of his way to make Fonzie’s life miserable. Of course, the Fonz is too cool to be bothered, until the bullying spreads to include his friends – and he offers to leave town to protect them. Score one for the bullies? NO! In support, his friends come in to Arthur’s restaurant one-by-one, dressed in leather jackets with one clear message; When you attack one of us, there will always be another and another to take his place.

The message is simple and it applies today! When Rush Limbaugh or any of the GOP calls Sandra Fluke a slut, women unite and say, “If Sandra Fluke is a slut, then SO ARE WE! There are millions of us - and we represent the majority. Sticks and stones may break our bones, but your words? Your words will never harm us! Nor will they ever silence us!”

It's astonishing that we find ourselves in this position, forced to fight once again for equal rights we fought long and hard to win decades ago. But here we are, and FIGHT WE WILL!

We will spend no more time explaining or justifying why we embrace the word ‘slut’! It's obvious to most thinking people. So, Rush Limbaugh and the GOP, hear us! Your misogynistic plans to destroy our rights and silence our voices will not work. We will spend our time making sure women are aware of your tactics, making sure women are informed, and making sure women vote. All 53% of us.

Links to help us accomplish our mission appear below. Find someone you know who doesn’t have the time to follow what’s going on and INFORM them.  Thank you for reading and we welcome each of you to join our effort as we GO FORTH, RAISE HELL, AND ROCK THE SLUT VOTE IN 2012!

***On April 28, we will be in Sacramento California with UniteWomen.org to stand-up against the War On Women. There are rallies all over the US. Check the link to see where one is in your area and please, show your support.

916 Anti-Women Bills Introduced By The GOP Since March 2011  -  Guttmacher Study on anti-women measures.

Ohio GOP Moving To Defund Planned Parenthood By Memorial Day

Wisconsin Bill Claims Single Moms Cause Child Abuse by Not Being Married

How To Contribute Your Opinion

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Chloe Viening-Butler: My Body Is Mine

My body is mine: it has born three children and received lovers (I don't feel the need to say how many). I have given my body willingly to those people: turned over a piece of myself and allowed myself to be vulnerable. Most of the time, I have been rewarded, in turn, with what I give. When I haven't, it has been my choice and mine alone to either give without expectation of reciprocity, or to shut down the interaction. But like everything that belongs to a specific person, my body can be stolen, violated, hurt and vandalized. It can be mistreated. And it is my responsibility to protect it. This is not new: I have always had to protect myself and my body and the rights we share, between us. My mother had to do so. Her mother had to do so. So did your mother and her mother and her mother before her.

So why is the hard work of our past generations of strong, vocal, activist women being undone? And how? Reproductive rights, equal pay, access to sexual education, laws protecting us from sexual discrimination and laws protecting our right to nurse our children... these are all being slowly- or not so slowly- weakened and broken down- the pieces swept under the rug- the corpses burned. Little by little at first, and now in greater and greater chunks, the long proud history of womens rights is being taken apart by the GOP.

I am not complacent. Neither are most of the women I know and love. We care about our bodies and our rights and we are ready to fight to protect them. How did we get here? Each of these damages, big and small, had to be enacted by the politicians our country somehow elected into office. Each of these decisions had to be thought of, written, supported, presented by someone who wanted them to happen. But with most of them, I saw a news story on a website or a feed on my Facebook wall and thought "what the fuck?? How did this happen??" They snuck up on me. Many were already bills or laws before I knew they were even being considered, many in other states, where my vote holds no sway. So what can I do? What can we do?
 

Stay informed. Gather more information, research it independently when you can, and discuss it with others: real life friends, Facebook "friends", forums, college groups and anyone else with whom you feel comfortable doing so. Talk to the other side and try to understand where their hearts and minds are on the subject. Often, the pseudo-anonymity of an online conversation can make it easier to both speak your thoughts and run your mouth. Keep both facts in mind, along the way.

Participate. Write to politicians, sign petitions, attend rallies and protests, join groups, and create pieces of visual art and/or written work upholding your beliefs, your anger, your fears, your needs, and your expectations. Don't ever let the bastards forget that you exist.

Spend Your Money Wisely. Know how the stores, products and services you frequent spend the money you give them. Know how they treat their employees and the earth. Know the way their advertising affects the overall image of women. Know the messages their products send to people, both male and female alike, about the worth, expectations and value of women. Know where their higher ups spend their money politically. Money talks. Money votes. Money makes big decisions. Money guides cultural trends. 

 

And most of all:
VOTE. Vote Democratic, vote Republican, vote Independent. Vote for whoever you feel best represents, considers and is willing to protect your needs, rights, interests and beliefs. Encourage your friends and coworkers to vote. Encourage your sister to vote. Encourage your mom to vote. Get your aunt to the polls, if she doesn't have a ride. Don't let it slide when a woman says to you "I don't vote. My voice doesn't make a difference." Speak up! Tell her how to speak up for herself. Don't let yourself or the women you love become voiceless, forgotten non-citizens.

To keep our rights, we must protect them, and the best way to do that is to become a presence and play the demographic to it's fullest. When the female vote is strong, the elected officials must listen to it's voice, or they don't stay elected for very long. Don't listen to the news politispeak about red state/blue state, female state/male state, white state/black state/Latino state. Don't let them tell you where you matter on their maps. Wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you believe, whatever you want: Your vote matters. Your voice matters. Your rights matter. Now more than ever.
My body is mine. Your body is yours. But we are all intertwined and we are all responsible. Take the tools our mothers and grandmothers won for us and use them. Because, as Maya Angelou said: "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

Chloe Viening-Butler
Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Women Speak Out - The War On Women

Here are some comments left on the blog about the war on women! Thanks for sharing! Please share & spread the word. Make sure your friends know what's going on and that they get out to the voting booths this November. GO FORTH AND ROCK THE SLUT VOTE!

My head has been about to explode since the GOP started this caveman assault on the rights of women and families. When I was 16 in 1966 I got pregnant, was forced to spend four months in a home for unwed mothers (e.g. worthless sluts). I was also made to take a new name so as not shame my family name. I had to give up my son for adoption and to this day I have never met him. This is a burden of sadness and loss that is always with me. No choices were offered to me. Three years later in college, I was date raped and got pregnant. It was 1970 a few months before the passage of Roe v. Wade. The search began for an abortion. I knew if I was compelled to have a rapist's child it would be the end of me. I had to travel over 500 miles to a doctor who would do the procedure. He shamed me, used no anesthetic and did not finish the procedure completely. I miscarried alone in my dormitory bathroom two days later.

I have fought long and hard to make sure none of that happens to young women today. This is personal. The neanderthals who are pushing this agenda are mean-spirited, ignorant and just plain stupid. THEY MUST BE STOPPED. Reproductive rights and women's health is NOT A WOMEN'S ISSUE IT'S A FAMILY ISSUE. I'm hopping mad and I'm not taking this crap from a bunch of ignorant white men. Count me in.

Lydialou

~

I think the War on Women that has been occurring in our society is unconscionable. It's not "just politics" anymore. It's not about being republican or democrat. It's a real effort by lawmakers to control, silence, and maintain power over women.
No matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on, or whether you even have an interest in politics, every woman should speak, and act, against the War on Women. That lawmakers around our nation even have the nerve to question and to openly attempt to suppress the rights of women to equal pay, privacy, and the most fundamental autonomy over our own bodies is outrageous, and all women should be outraged.

Hannah VR

 ~

We won't be marginalized. I'm keeping my cool but I will vote, and it won't be for someone who thinks of women as a sub-human group akin to livestock. Nothing against our livestock beings but they don't have the vote. Yet.

Raine Castle

 ~

What upsets me is Romney's secret weapon; His wife. Where does she get off claiming that she stayed home and raised five kids? I'd bet good money she's never cleaned up vomit. She's probably changed a diaper or two but her nannies did the work that the average stay at home mom does. A millionaire's wife is NOT an example of a stay at home wife. A stay at home mom is the hardest job in the world. They don't have clue and they think we're stupid!

Beth Weeks

~ 

Hmmm...let's see, in the past year alone there have been 916 bills introduced by the GOP that infringe on, limit, or deny women's rights. Yes, you read that correctly - 916 bills in ONE year. In the past 100 years, there have been only 2 bills introduced by the GOP that infringed on men's rights (one was in the early 1900's and involved shaving). Seems fair, no? What war?? (insert sarcasm here).

Lucy Padovano

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My Name Is Kimberley And I Am A Liberal Slut



Kimberley A. Johnson



A while back, I wrote An Open Letter To Rush Limbaugh From A Liberal Slut.

I posted it on my blog and was surprised  when, only an hour later, it had received over 3,000 views.  I knew it would strike a chord with many viewers, but had no idea how fast it would circulate.  Shortly later, two political websites, Addicting Info and Politics Anonymous, invited me to join them as a contributor.  Though unexpected, I welcome and appreciate this opportunity.  (Thank you Rush!) 

I have been passionate about politics since the 2000 Bush v. Gore fiasco, when I watched our country start to painfully unravel.  I always considered myself an armchair activist -- until last week, when I received an email from another former armchair activist, Susan McMillan Emry.  Like me, Susan was also outraged by the GOPs relentless assault on women.  In response, she established RTSV United and immediately started its Rock The Slut Vote campaign.  After reading my Rush Limbaugh blog, Susan researched my website and the books I've authored, and asked me to be the RTSV spokeswoman.  After a 90-minute phone conversation, we agreed to join forces against the war on women.

America has many problems.  There are fights, divisions and issues that will require long battles ahead.  The war on women is not one of these battles.  We ALREADY fought long and hard for our rights decades ago and there's NO WAY IN HELL we will sit back and let anyone take them away!  Especially not the GOP with their blatant agenda to manipulate, dictate and control not just our lives, but all three branches of the government.

Like so many women, we are outraged.  When Susan and I decided to work together, we knew my experience collecting stories from real people for my reality books would be invaluable.  I quickly invited women (and men) to join this blog to share their insights on how the war on women has impacted their lives.  Two submissions are already posted and the response has been genuine and enthusiastic.

The GOP strategy against women is failing miserably and yet they stubbornly INSIST they are standing on terra firma.  Thinking Americans, including centrists and sane Republicans, agree the Republican party has lost its marbles.

Despite what the GOP tells you, there IS a war on women.  And you know what?  There are millions of strong, intelligent, capable, angry women out there who will fight them tooth and nail.  You know the old saying, "Hell hath no fury!"

I realize I will receive some unfavorable comments from both men and women.  Despite our differing ideologies, women's rights are everyone's rights and we will fight the good fight on everyone's behalf.

If you have friends or family who are not informed or interested in politics, I ask you to start a conversation about any issues that directly affect them -- whether its birth control, equal pay or any other issue or freedom under attack.   Help them get informed and urge them to vote this November.

Thank you for reading and join us as we Go Forth, Raise Hell, And Rock The Slut Vote.

Author Kimberley A. Johnson on Facebook.

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I Am Embarrassed To Be A Woman In America.

The second post from an "embarrassed" woman. Thank you and keep your opinions coming!

I am terrified, I am stressed and my peace of mind is threatened. I am disappointed and appalled. I am embarrassed to be a woman in America. The whole world is watching and the whole world is gasping in shock and horror with us.

Here the nation that delves right in to fight for civil rights for citizens of other nations, the nation who host the United Nations and the nation that claims to be free is now the nation waging a war on its own people.
The nation that used to be a leader in progression, that used to set the standard, has regressed and has violated their own constitution. We used to be the example for others to follow, we used to be the nation of hope. Now we are our own worst enemy.

Any nation that oppresses a group of its people is weak. Only a nation that empowers every single member is strong.

Our government has changed the laws on rape; they have changed the laws on conception of life; they have changed the laws on a woman's freedom of choice. They have violated the offices they serve and their oaths when they took office. Every one of these laws they have changed have demeaned and undermined women and bound us to their notion of what they think we should be. They have slotted us as unworthy creatures; unworthy of making our own decisions; unworthy of protection against violators; unworthy of access to healthcare and access to life; unworthy of fair treatment and fair pay. They have rendered us powerless to defend ourselves.

Or so they think.

That was their goal. How could we stand by and do nothing? How could we extinguish hope for women worldwide that the world is progressive? The women of America are better than that. We will not sit idle while you strip us. We will fight for our rights just as we have done in the past and we will win because we know we are worthy.

I am worthy to make my own choices and I am worthy to fight my own battle and I will do everything I can to make sure other women in America believe that same thing.

We are worthy and our voices and wills are strong.

Stascia H.

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Keep Rocking The Slut Vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!