You made the comment that of course this is a woman's issue... and I totally agree. I'm so proud of being able to bring a new Handmaiden into the craft - the 3rd generation I've taught in this family. Talk about feeling humbled! (And very, very old!)
But there is SO much we're losing every minute in this country. I impress it upon my students. They are nearly always as political as I am... and if not coming in, they are going out! I marched for abortion rights and civil rights as a teenager... why do I need to do it again at 65?!
After doing my stint in the Air Force... I was among the first flights of female law enforcement in the AF (they wouldn't even let me drive the patrol truck (not that I could reach the pedal, anyway!... and no shoes small enough to fit my feet), I got a degree in psychology and ended up making my career in computers. ALWAYS my salary was a pittance of what the guy working with me was making... even when we were doing the exact same job, and our skillsets were similar. I'm now beginning to live that result; my Social Security each month is much less than his will be. And yet, at least I have it. Those who have made home and motherhood their job have nothing but their husband's social security. This is not right. I dare any man to live the life of mother and "housewife" for even a week without running away, screaming!
That's not even to mention taking away our bodily autonomy. Those of us who have herbal learning, I believe, are pressed to push that knowledge forward to the younger generations. Gilead is a real possibility, in one form or another (and personally, I fear a Theocracy). We must learn and hold dear the lessons our foremothers taught in how to retain our own bodily autonomy, whether anyone else "gives" it to us or not.
There was an excellent article on how discriminatory the voting rights are for women, as well as for POC, here on DU. We must all band together to fight against the oppressive class.
I have a piece of this I'm fighting against at the moment. I've been married, divorced, and remarried. But I can ONLY get a "REAL ID" if I trace every piece of that "male ownership" as I've called it to everyone within hearing distance. The only piece I couldn't come up with was my marriage license for my marriage with my current spouse. You would think having our names together on checking and savings accounts, credit cards, utilities, etc., would be enough to establish I married the damned man (and I did... both in a handfasting and in a Unitarian ceremony). But no... HAVE to have that last bit of ownership shown. We managed to find it and one day I should go down to do this, since at my age I will no doubt have need to visit some federal bldg for food stamps, SS issues, etc. Who knows? All I know, is in Kansas, nothing has really changed since the days my Grandmother was alive... and she fought a lot of the same things I'm fighting today.
As a point of pride, let me brag just a little... my great-grandfather, who actually WAS part Cherokee, fought tooth and nail against the Koch brothers father. He sang with Woody Guthrie against them. He'd show up wherever they were and cause "good trouble"... and he never kept his mouth shut about it. I like to think this man would be proud of his great-granddaughter, for continuing his good fight against this evil family.
May we all be so well blessed to be remembered as helping each other, and fighting the good fight against the authoritarians!
Blessings, Sister... and thank you again for your words and support. I truly appreciate them! Hugs!!!!
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