He Loves Us Not: Molly Ivins

W is for women....................NOT!

Ladies, can we talk? George Bush is not for women. He is not for any of us, for that matter. He's not making a big deal out of it, but that's all the more worrisome. We have a president who takes action on Fridays when no one is watching. We have a president who refuses to talk to us about anything. Even major national human rights and civil rights organizations have been unsuccessful in their attempts to meet with the president. He has maintained a closed-door policy from day one. Bush doesn't even listen to his own advisors. And as far as his phrase "compassionate conservative" goes, he is not compassionate, nor is he conservative. Quite to the contrary, George Bush is a very radical man. To make matters worse, he is very intolerant of the views of others. This is a very dangerous personality, especially, I think, for women, many of whom are too poor and too tired to fight back. Those of us who are strong enough, must fight for our sisters. We must go to the polls on November the 2nd and speak for them. Many of them, statistics tell us, won't be able to get to the polls.

At the core of women's issues is our right to make decisions about our own bodies. If elected, Bush will likely appoint 3 supreme court judges, and with that grim possibility goes our rights and the rights of our daughters and granddaughters. Roe v. Wade will be history. The government will have free access to our medical records. The cost of health care will continue to be cost-prohibitive for more and more Americans. That's a women's issue. More and more people will join the ranks of the poor. That's a women's issue. Overtime pay may be out the window. That a women's issue. Many of us work at jobs where overtime is essential to put food on the table. No Child Left Behind will continue to be an "in name only" fantasy. That's a women's issue. We will continue to be dependent on foreign oil. That is a women's issue. Our energy policy is a matter of national security which is one reason why this is a matter for women. With poor national security and an oil-dependent foreign policy, our sons and daughters and their descendants will be sent to foreign lands to protect oil. And with our interests in the Middle East, Arabs will continue to be at odds with America. Terrorism and war will continue and increase. Women's issue. Our natural resources are being assaulted at all levels. Pollution and polluters get special treatment and tax breaks. Women's issue. Our food supply is hazardous and becoming more so. Women's issue.

George W. Bush is so anti-women that it can't be stated strongly enough. Do you remember the picture of Bush signing the partial birth abortion legislation surrounded by all those Republican men, smiling proudly? It was chilling.

Even the women in Bush's administration are either closely allied with the corporate world and/or the extreme right-wing conservative crowd. They do not represent us. And has anyone noticed how they behave? Very submissive to The Big Cheese in the oval office. You can trust them not to make waves.

Read Molly Ivins article from the September/October 2004 issue of "Mother Jones." Click on the title of this blog to go there.

Please think about which candidate for president will support the issues we as women face every day of our lives.

Kerry is that candidate.