Equal Rights

Artfull is very sad today.

I remember what it was like in the 60's as we fought for something called "Womens' Rights".

The past decade has seen so many gains taken away or pulled back as the conservatives hammered away at our culture... Is there anyone out there who remembers what it was like to walk into an employer's office for an interview and be told that women were not dependable because they "might get pregnant"? Does anyone remember that if you were good at math, but female, you must have been cheating? Girls took typing while boys played sports. Heck, girls competitive sports were not funded...school board money went to the male programs.

How about a society where getting "in the family way" meant a shotgun wedding, women who were maimed or even died because abortion procedures were "back alley", being sent off to live with a far away friend or relative or nuns till the baby was adopted? Does anyone remember that? Does anyone remember Murphy Brown and Dan Quayle's absurd declaration that Brown's TV persona, having a baby without marriage, was detrimental to the country's morals?

How about an oil company executive so full of himself for picking winners among his male staff that he describes a home interview this way: "When I go to the house, I always go to the kitchen for a glass of water. If there are dishes in the sink (!) he is out of the running. If he can't keep his wife under control, he can't handle the job."

The right to choice, which was passed by Congress and is the law, is targeted by the ultra conservative right segment of our political life. Since the Bush years,which were spent paying back those religious segments of our society that helped get him elected, we are mired in a culture which erodes the rights we worked so hard to establish.

Right to choice. Breakdown of color barriers. Gay and Lesbian rights. Equal pay for equal work. Discrimination in hiring and for access of all kinds is illegal. We need to be reminded that prejudice in our nation, which has always been part of our history, should not be permitted or encouraged. Women today are entitled to opportunity and privacy.

And finally...do we seniors want to be told that we cannot drive, live, work or survive because we are not the current economic producers in the nation?

Social security is our lifeline. As extremists knock down our hard fought gains because they cannot see beyond their Camry cars or Gucci totebags, we have to stand our ground. The Social Security program is one of the most efficient business models in our nation's history with an total overhead percentage rate that is equal to some retailers loss percent.

Finally: AARP magazine has the largest circulation in the nation. That should tell someone something.

Seniors rock.