RANT: Abortion Bullshit

Some days I don't know why I bother keeping my Tumblr account active, the art blogs seem to be the only thing keeping me there. What does that have to do with the subject of abortion? I'm glad you didn't ask (really, you'll find out why soon.) The fall semester has barely started here at the University of Arkansas, and within 48 hours of it officially kicking off, there were ALREADY a group of people from a pro-life organization handing out these little cards to students: 

Arguably, not THE most horrifying thing I've ever seen, but it still irked me. 

YOU didn't ask to read this blog post, and you don't have to. Seriously, if you can't handle this kind of conversation (for whatever the reason) it would probably be a good idea to close this tab RIGHT NOW and go on with your day. I didn't ask to be stopped on the way to the library by this peice of propaganda nor the people distributing it: They seemed to be packing up & leaving just as I got my hands on this. Universities and Colleges are, by their very definition, a place for learning and career preparation. I'm a die-hard vegetarian and I would be just as pissed off about PeTA doing this exact same thing: True, they have every right to share their opinions with people, but I ALSO have every right to object AND to voice my objections. 

And I DID...

...In my own, not-so-subtle way (fun fact: Once the item being distributed PHYSICALLY LEAVES the original distributor's hands, I have EVERY RIGHT to do whatever I wish with it, if I so choose.) 

Was this a very mature & civil thing of me to do? In hindsight, probably not. I admit, I ripped up the card out of vindication and anger: I am not obligated to "respect" any ideology that doesn't consider me a full-blooded human being because of my reproductive organs, wether it's a religion or political party. They have every right to speak their opinions and distribute their propaganda to the public, and I have every right to LITERALLY tear their opinions to shreds. As long as there's no physical violence involved, it's perfectly legal.

As soon as I posted these images to Twitter and Google+, I started getting some mixed feedback: Just over half of my friends and regular contacts seemed to voice their support, for which I'm grateful. A few thought that ripping it up probably wasn't very nice, and while they're welcome to voice their opinions, I really don't care for the most part. When I put it up on Tumblr however, BOOM! I've never seen one of my posts take off that quickly by so many people!

An overwhelming majority of them (at the time of this writing) claiming to be pro-life MEN. 

Now, I'm not one of those feminists that thinks men shouldn't have a say in the abortion debate because they can't get pregnant: If anything, I think that comedian Dick Coughlan's story clearly demonstrates the need for (civil and constructive) participation by men and women alike. I just can't stand people who are in no tangible position to benefit (nor detriment) from someone else's choices trying to tell them WHAT CHOICES TO MAKE. And I guess the thing that really made me angry about this particular card is the "human beating heart" line. Even if the "heart" CAN beat, so fucking what? Who are YOU to try and guilt ME into making  a choice that you approve of? Especially when "keeping it" has the possibility of destroying, or even ENDING, my very life? 

So yes, I AM going to destroy every single one of these things that I come across for the rest of the semester. Immature? Maybe, but I have every right to be bothered by this. What's in it for ME? Personally, if I can make free and reasonable counter-measures against bringing someone else unnecessary guilt and shame, I'll do it gladly. Think I'm a feminazi bitch? Think what you like, it's not like you can STOP ME. 

I also have every right, IF (emphasis on IF) I so choose, to destroy a Bible or a Koran if I don't like something written in it. The same goes with any book, any symbol or any object that is MY sole posession and property.

I tore up a stupid little card because I felt like it, big fucking deal. 

It's the same as a Chick tract or an unwanted coupon for carpet-cleaning service.

A peice of paper is NOT fucking sacred.

26-August-2014 UPDATE: The Tumblr post in question already has nearly 300 notes on it, it's only been up for a few hours. It looks like people are actually FIGHTING over it... um, not at all my original intent, but I'm kinda glad I at least got a few "conversations" going.

#FairFayetteville

I realize that this post is a bit late, today is quite literally my last chance to write it. Fall semester starts tomorrow morning, I'm probably not going to have ANY free time whatsoever until December (possibly, maybe) so I may as well get it out of my head while it's still somewhat fresh. As many of you may have heard recently, the Duggars are in some potential legal doo-doo, due to (see what I did there...) a series of robo-calls that were made to residents of Fayetteville Arkansas and the surrounding communities concerning a proposed anti-discrimination ordinance. The ordinance, which officially goes into effect in less than 30 days, would protect people living/working/shopping/studying within town boundaires from employment/housing/service/medical/etc discrimination based on race/sex/sexual orientation/national origin/disability/gender/gender identity (yes, there IS a difference between sex and gender.) The religious right-wingers in the Washington County area had their collective knickers in a twist because this VERY GENERAL ordinance includes protective measures for LGBT folks:

They're perfectly fine with screwing over black people and the handicapped, as long as they don't have to acknowledge 'them queers' as human beings. Fucking typical, man...

Ordinance 119 was, as far as I can tell, proposed earlier this year in the Fayettevile City Council. For some as-of-yet unknown reason, the local chapters of the Southern Baptist Convention decided that they didn't know what was going on (in the age of fucking Face-Book? Unlikely...) and that they were purposely being left out. Even if that were true in the least, they did a massive call-around to their conservative base and started bussing people into the Town Hall, many of whom wearing (you're gonna love this) PURPLE SHIRTS. I just love the irony of a bunch of homophobes gathering in the same place wearing one of the traditionally "gayest" colors that there is. 

The meeting itself was utterly MASSIVE (I'm in the front row of picture #10, wearing a black hat) and at present the longest running City Council meeting in Fayetteville's entire history: 10+ hours! That was just over ten hours of people getting up behind a single podium, one by one, talking about wether or not they were for or against the ordinance in question or their proposed amendments. They let anyone who wanted to talk do so, and I DO MEAN ANYONE: Even the handful of Bible-bumping nutters that threatened Mayor Jordan and the members of Council with "God's judgement." I wish I were joking, but a few of the purple-shirts ACTUALLY did this! They got up in front of a room full of complete strangers, started going off about some Bible-babble and then whipped out the fire-and-brimstone bullshit. I love the Democratic process, don't get me wrong, but fucking-hell man... Some people just shouldn't talk, like, AT ALL.

To include THIS guy, whom prior to the meeting went around the lobby of the town hall and started calling people "pervert," "homo," "sinner," he even (according to witnesses) approached a lesbian couple and started rattling off some particularly hateful bullshit to THEM AND THEIR SON. He was over-heard saying that LGBT folks don't have any rights under the Constitution, and I had to stop him as soon as the words "most Veterans would agree" dribbled out of his disgusting mouth: I showed him my dog-tags and told him I wasn't about to be dragged into his nonsense, he proceeded to threaten me with hellfire & brimstone, then called me a "traitor against America" and an "enemy of the State." Coming from YOU, you flag-fapping bastard, I take that as a compliment. I never got his name, but I'm pretty sure I heard him identify himself as a member of some Baptist church here in Fayetteville, also working for Veteran's Memorial... something, I didn't catch the last bit.

 Those of us in red shirts, people who are FOR the ordinance, not only greatly outnumbered the opposition, but I honestly think we had a lot more qualified experts in their respective fields on our side, too: Not just members of clergy (Two from the local Episcopal church and one Unitarian Universalist) but also a couple of licensed psychologists, the main administrator of the local Rape Crisis Center, the Omni Center, the North West Arkansas Center for Equality, and literally HUNDREDS OF RED-SHIRTS showed up to show their support for the ordinance. Though I should point out, unfortunately, that despite the record attendance not everyone was given the opportunity to speak at the meeting. There were just too many people there. 

See, folks? The South isn't COMPLETELY backward. I love Fayetteville ^_^

Even I got up and spoke briefly, but I think I stuttered a lot (it's so easy to rehearse everything you want to say in your own head, then when it's YOUR TURN at the podium you freeze up like a sheep in Scotland.) Basically, the only NON-religious argument that the opposition was trying to use revolved around putting the ordinance up for a public vote in November. That was it, everything else was regurgitated nonsense their Pastors probably told them to say or what I can only aptly describe as grossly exaggerated "child-rape fantasies" about what will happen if transgender people are allowed to use public restrooms. Oi-fucking-vey, THAT'S IT? THAT'S ALL YOU'VE GOT?!?!? I had to say something about it, especially since they were still conjuring images of "State-licensed-child-rape-by-trannies" well AFTER the Rape Crisis Center administrator laid out the hard facts (with sources cited) about sexual assault and who likely perpetrators ACTUALLY tend to be (oh hey, what'd'y'know, many of them are CLERGY!!!) Nope, child-rape. And Jesus. That was pretty much all they went on about for 10+ HOURS!

The Council eventually voted to pass the ordinance 6-2, the meeting ended at 3:30-ish in the morning: Mayor Jordan was especially moved by the overwhelming testimony of residents of Fayetteville. 

There are FCC complaints being filed against the Duggars for the robo-calls, which are illegal in Fayetteville without the necessary permits. But with THIS now coming to the surface, that will be the least of their worries. I personally will be drafting a letter to The Learning Channel voicing my concern and outrage that they endorse this kind of bigoted bullshit, yeah they'll probably ignore me but I feel like I have to do SOMETHING. The right wingers have already started their jowell-waggling "this isn't over" tyrade, but then again, when AREN'T they upset about something? 

I'll do my best to keep posted as often as my curent class schedule will permit me to: I don't want to make any promises that I might not be able to keep.

Just let me know when Round Two begins, I'm SO THERE! 

Enough Already

I just got done talking to the Fayetteville (Arkansas) P.D. about 20 minutes ago. I called them over to my apartment because for the second time in about 2 weeks, someone has tried to get inside while I'm at home. Please, nobody panic: They didn't try to kick down my door or smash the window, instead they've been trying to come in through the front door. Which is really fucking weird, they never say anything at all, they just push on the door itself and keep turning the handle. 

 

THIS TIME it sounded like they even tried putting their key into the lock and kept trying to turn it. 

 

Both times, the police said that they didn't see anyone anywhere near my door. Aparrently, neither did my neighbors (it's possible that they didn't happen to notice.) So either I have THE dumbest fucking stalker known to man, the same drunk from 2 weeks ago still thinks that they live in my apartment, or I'm losing my damn mind. 

 

Life is good for me right now: Good grades, awesome husband, I've started painting again... WHY does someone keep doing this? The first time it happened, it scared the shit out of me. THIS TIME, it scared me, of course, but now I'm also a bit embarassed and rather pissed off about it. 

 

I've got my Smith & Wesson within reach and now there's a chair braced against the door, I'll be okay for now. In the morning I'm going to call my doctor at the V.A. and maybe see about getting my head checked out, then maybe go shopping for a descreet camera to put up outside my door. Hey, it's not paranoia if it has a practical purpose, is it?

 

I'm just ranting & talking this through, really. I already know I'm not going to sleep worth piss tonight anyway, gotta keep my mind occupied somehow. 

 

Please, don't come knocking on my door after dark. Please, just don't. In fact, from here on out, no one comes to my house without an invite or a damn warrant, got it? Good. 

 

I'll be fine, really. 

 

Goodnight all, please stay safe tonight.