Taking action, and making choices where to not take action

Look up!

There's my sepia photo to match the theme suggested at Sepia Saturday for this week!



What a cute photo.

My contribution is the one in my header of Mrs. Anthony being beaten by police in 1872.  It does have some similarity, in that the women both are dressed similarly.

I've got Susan B. Anthony's photo up for a reason.

Did you ever wonder how they got that photograph? Pretty good work for a news photographer at the time.

The other reason I share it, the common denominator of the Women's March that was held back in January 2017.  During that march I found that I needed to stand up for my rights in certain ways.  I've not been very voracious about that throughout my life up until now.  And even now I choose to limit myself to three areas of most concern for me.

1. Art
2. Women's Issues
3. The Environment.

But this last week I noticed that I have interest in making some efforts in other areas as well.

I became a background support-person for a Jewish Community Center nearby when it was bomb threatened.  I just shared on Facebook my concerns and support.  Not much support, but at least my friends and anyone who happens to read what I said know I felt that way.

Next item was a close-to-home accident in the middle of Black Mountain.  Nope it doesn't come under any of my 3 focus headings either.  But it impacted me more directly.  This is the same space I travel through daily, and the result of the horrible accident left a young athletic coach hospitalized with a broken spine.  So I reached out to his family and friends with a bit of support and prayer, and the accident was the topic of conversation for several days at the Senior Center lunch table as well.

Then I realized what keeps me from feeling inundated by all the awful political things which I try to follow, is a sense of distance that I keep from them.  I only act upon those which are a) easy to accomplish or b) fall into the categories I've chosen.

So I've emailed and phoned various legislators about the need for North Carolina to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution, which still needs 3 states (still!) to ratify it into law.  Women are still not equal under the law in the US, and this shows up in court case after court case when women are abused and haven't got the same rights as a man.


I also like Planned Parenthood.  I don't know how they are going to survive the paring sheers of the GOP  which seem to think all Planned Parenthood did was abortions.  I am not currently doing any action on this issue.  Perhaps that is my pocketbook talking, in that I see this to be a long and expensive battle, which may not succeed for 4 more years.

The pipelines and fracking are directly impacting our environment.  Our water is under attack.  I will choose which efforts will make the most difference.  For now I'm not seeing that I can do much.  Tomorrow that may change.

I'm very grateful to have a community of people who are working in conscious ways, talking among themselves, and giving each other support.

I think the worst things I could do right now would be to stay home, and not have contact with others out there who are doing things and supporting each other in efforts.  Knowing that they are more active than I am, or could be, at least gives me a sense that we're not powerless.

Real power comes from within each person and grows as it is shared between others.  Real power is the earth, wind, water and fire which sustain our lives on this planet. When we get in touch with nature we remember that the goddess (or God) has provided us with some wonderful natural powers.  The supposed powerful people and corporations are just temporary.  We have to keep that perspective on things.

That is not to say that we should behave as badly as those who in DC are making a mockery of our Democratic Republic.  And we also must be safe ourselves...as well as keep our loved ones safe.

Within these guidelines, I'm now considering how to make art.  There are some new little crazy ideas coming about. Watch and see.

Today's quote:

Taking time for daily self-care is vital and necessary and should not be seen as a luxury. Madisyn Taylor

 

The people who also marched with me!

Pat, Mike and Deena

Dawn and Roberta

Diane and Ginni

Betsy

Anga, just met her at the march

Annie Hall

Dawn's recycled patch from the 70s

Cindi on left

Ann in purple jacket and straw bonnet with Pam in black with orange shoes

Who else was there? Susan, Mamie, Susan, Diana, Diane, Su, Bill, and Sarah Ellen...to just remember having seen a few friends that I didn't capture with camera.  Out of 700 or so, I was glad to know so many.

some relatives in DC!

Byron Ballard with her pitchfork in Asheville

Friends in DC

Here's an extension of the energies we shared, but I had trouble with "sharing this link on Facebook" and ended up getting it repeated about 30 times before I declared it was spam.  I like the idea however, and have started calling and emailing to DC, to the GAO, a non-partisan government organization, as well as congress and the white house.  Phone calls were frustrating so I'm going to do post cards.

But ultimately, the strength of our movement will depend on what we do next -- the powerful bonds we build with our fellow marchers, and how loudly we make our voices heard in the next days, weeks, months and years.

That's why we're launching a new campaign: 10 Actions for the First 100 Days.

Join us: http://www.womensmarch.com/100

Bear statues join in wearing a "pussy hat"

Lisa Rough's close up

In case you think I'm saying something offensive by calling these pink hats by that name, I will quote what started all this hoopla by women. A  quote by President Trump which he says is "locker room talk."  I and many women think there is no room in our lives for a President who has expressed his feelings so graphically.



So to promote women's ownership of their own pussies, which they probably don't call by that term, the march was especially promoted around how women don't like his crass and demeaning opinion of them, and many of us think he doesn't even understand the term misogynist.

Today's Quote:  (It would have to be very profound to make you forget the one above by the President.)

“People seem not to see that their opinion is a confession of their character.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poet / Transcendentalist.