The bus to the Women's March

a reply to: Annee

LOL "war on women"

Everyone -

Please remember this is not the Mud Pit and civility is mandatory. Keep the conversation on the topic and off of each other or harsher action may follow.

Do not reply to this post.

The Army Nurse's Story

...probably not what you think.

For one thing, he's a man (yes, one of the smaller number of men who are in the nursing profession.)

He's also a West Point graduate.

He served in Afghanistan.

He retired as a Major and afterwards worked in a hospital.

So why was he on a woman's march? It started back when he was a young man (he called her the love of his life) and was engaged to a woman who broke off the engagement when he was sent overseas. She married someone else and life moved on... he advanced through the ranks and went to Afghanistan where he saw... well... all the brutalities you can imagine.

Then the woman he loved (his ex-fiance) committed suicide.

What seared his soul was seeing patriot soldiers... women... brought in beaten and raped by fellow soldiers. Not Afghans. Not insurgents. Not foreigners.

American soldiers.

The women soldiers had signed on to protect the country and were serving in many capacities -- and as he said, instead of being respected and treated as equals, their reward for their service was to be raped and beaten by fellow Americans.

After retirement, he went to work at a hospital and saw everything that came through the Emergency Room -- and began reading up on violence against women (he's got an amazing memory for facts... cited some things that yes I looked up. It was shocking.)

He retired again.

Did some genealogy. Searching for other things, he found an article about his ex-fiancee who had committed suicide. It turned out that she hadn't committed suicide. She was murdered. Her husband (suspected but not accused and brought to trial) died in 2005.

He came to march for her and for women like her.

I had a laugh on her 'war on Women' response, too.

I have difficulty getting behind the idea that women are victims. True, I am bias from my own perspective. My first husband was quite abusive and nearly strangled me to death! I went to anonymous counseling groups, though, anonymous is a misnomer since many of us recognized each other due to publicity or notoriety! (Not for me...but others in the group were extremely obvious publicly)

Anyways, the counseling didn't help any of us. They shoved the victim card down our throats and naturally, thought that we would rise up and leave our situations. No! It increased our insecurities and actually kept us stuck, we were not strong...since we were victims!

Women need to be empowered, but it helps no one to tell them they are not responsible. They are simply victims! I give thanks today to the real women who told me the truth! Believe me, I hated them at first, I thought they were absolute B*tches! Then, the truth take hold. I began to realize the choices I made and make. Began to take responsibility. I can say that I am alive today, because someone had enough sense not to coddle and empathisize with me! They were honest!

Women don't need the government to tell them they are victims and need assistance. They need women to tell and show women that they can be stronger by making better choices. The biggest insight is that just because you make a bad decision, doesn't mean you are destined to be a victim, it is a challenge not to repeat it.

To be honest....this same advice isn't only for women. All of humanity can find success in their own lives by refusing to let others make you believe you are a victim!

Sorry, for ranting so much! I really wanted to add my 2cents into this thread. I am all for empowering humanity as a whole. Education is key...not victimization!

a reply to: CynConcepts

Marching women en masse, worldwide are victims?

Stating "keep marching" is victimhood?

Interesting interpretation. 😑

One more "why they were here" and I will quit for the evening. I'd intended to write more, but I'm still tired from the trip. I think I'll make an early night of it (an odd feeling for such a night owl.) Tomorrow's lab day, and I'll be communing with dead dinosaur bits (prepping fossils as a volunteer) for part of the day.)


the Cancer care nurse

She's an RN here in Texas (I didn't get to talk to her much, so only heard the story as she told it for the taped interviews)

In 2005-2009 she was in Missouri, working with some sort of clinic that was helping women who needed cancer care. In addition to being a nurse, she helped them find resources for affordable mammograms. One woman came to her saying she knew there was something odd going on with one breast, but she was afraid to get it checked out because she didn't have insurance. She was a small business owner (one of those rather marginal mom-and-pops) and was afraid that the expense of a biopsy and operation would mean she couldn't make next month's rent on the space. She and her husband would lose the business.

The nurse found a program that gave free mammograms and found a resource so that a biopsy was affordable.

The woman had stage 4 cancer. Although it was inoperable, even hospice care was expensive.

The husband lost the business.

She died slowly (I know some of you reading this know all too well about this.)

Before her death, she wrote some letters to the senate (and Obama) about health care reforms so that small business people like her and like her husband wouldn't be driven into bankruptcy or worse by diseases like cancer.

The nurse said she marched for other cancer patients that she'd tended but most especially for this woman.

a reply to: CynConcepts

I think women CAN be victims just as any man can be, but to suggest a war is simply hysteria. Overall it seems feminism is about getting a one up on men rather than equality or even about women.

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: Byrd

I do look rather silly in the hat, but I love it anyway.

...and so you should. If I had a daughter, I don't, and she made me something like that, I'd wear it, too. For the same reason. Good for you!!

*ahem*

Not to be that guy, but...

Pics, or it didn't happen

Ha!

originally posted by: Annee
a reply to: CynConcepts

Marching women en masse, worldwide are victims?

Stating "keep marching" is victimhood?

Interesting interpretation. 😑

Yes, Instead of whining ... Why not a real message to women, just say we are equal...period! Anything less is saying we are not and are victims. Anything more...is whining!

originally posted by: CynConcepts

originally posted by: Annee
a reply to: CynConcepts

Marching women en masse, worldwide are victims?

Stating "keep marching" is victimhood?

Interesting interpretation. 😑

Yes, Instead of whining ... Why not a real message to women, just say we are equal...period! Anything less is saying we are not and are victims. Anything more...is whining!

Look at the triggered responses from a very short 3 sentence cryptic post.

a reply to: CynConcepts

go, start a thread declaring women as equals, see how many come in and tell you you are wrong!
go ahead, try it..

throughout history women have accepted that they should give up their power to men.. even when I was young, women would just give up their power to men. it didn't start to change till the 1960's, and even then the older generation still gave their power to men. even today, in churches across this nation women are told to give their power to men.
what women need to be told is to take that power back!!! not that they are in the craphole because of the decisions that they had made in the past, but rather because of one decision that they made in the past... they gave up their power, exchanged it for something, maybe the financial security that a man can provide, maybe the feeling of being loved, maybe the need to be a mother, whatever... they gave up their power, their freedom, for it...which isn't really all that bad as long as they consider weather or not what they are giving up is worth what they are exchanging it for.
men should be told the same thing by the way!

a reply to: Byrd
I feel happy for you after seeing your pic and I know this experience was meaningful for you.

I just want to say this...not to take away from your experience...I don't want any woman marching for me in much the same way that I don't want anyone praying for me. I know the one praying isn't meaning any harm, and I know women marching on Saturday weren't meaning any harm when they hashtagged that they marched for me and all women. None the less, it was not really any different than people saying they are praying for me. I hope you can understand how that is a turn off for many women.

a reply to: UKTruth

Bill o Reilly just ripped the march as a $90m funded and organised effort by Soros and members of the Democrat party.

Lol! ISIS can plan a war with cell phones, but women can't plan a protest march with the INTERNET!

Bill O'Reilly is such a sucker.

Ladies, please let us know how you spend the big fat check Soros gave you. *wink wink*

a reply to: angeldoll

I checked into it..
the bus fare, at least for where I was ....something like $300..
that didn't include motel room... although by the sounds of it, there were some who might have been volunteering to house people there, but I would want the motel room just in case.. then there would be subway fares, and of course, food..
I really didn't see anywhere where one could apply for any kind of assistance to help you with these costs. and at least one of the speakers there did mention make a remark about the women paid their own way in their speech.
I live close enough that I could have driven there, if I could have driven that far, which I really can't.. couldn't walk that far either... but that would have cut the cost down some. but still costing money, not making money.
and, they talk about fake news... lol....

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

sorry to hear about your knee

keep writing and calling, glad to see you are involved

i spoke to moran in scott city shortly after the patriot act. he was not happy when asked about national id cards. the farmers that showed up to hear about the ag bill turned on him. some had fought in germany they were not happy.

originally posted by: angeldoll
a reply to: UKTruth

Bill o Reilly just ripped the march as a $90m funded and organised effort by Soros and members of the Democrat party.

Lol! ISIS can plan a war with cell phones, but women can't plan a protest march with the INTERNET!

Bill O'Reilly is such a sucker.

Ladies, please let us know how you spend the big fat check Soros gave you. *wink wink*

Oh I doubt you'd have seen any cash - after all the actual people protesting were just the foot soldiers. I'd make a prediction that the likes of Madonna were well paid though...laughing all the way to the bank, having ruined the event and given O'Reilly his talking points.

a reply to: angeldoll

My friend took her Soros check and spent it on pink yarn to have her neighbor knit and crochet us all Pussy Hats.

A week before the March, I looked for a Women's March website, found out that there were Sister Marches, passed along the idea to some local women (and family members who hadn't known about the Sister Marches either), but ended up at the last minute not being able to go myself to our regional March. Instead, I wore my hat all day as I listened to coverage of the DC March via sat radio (Progressive Channel). Wear it everyday now. Have it on right now.

Since the website also has continuing actions, I passed that along, too, in case my friends and family were not aware that the action will be ongoing. When I emailed my BFF the actions news, she said that she had already done the first action without knowing about it ..... we just said that great minds do think alike lol.... I guess that means she spent her new Soros check on postcards lol

BTW the postcards is a good idea, as Congressional members' phone messages filled up and couldn't take anymore.

a reply to: angeldoll

Ladies, please let us know how you spend the big fat check Soros gave you. *wink wink*

Haven't spent it yet - I'm thinking Barbados

:-)

I actually show up in the Washington Women's March... on a photo uploaded to Wikipedia:

That's me on the front row, with the hat that has the button, next to the bearded man.

This was on the part of the march that approached the area of the Washington Monument, about halfway around the Mall from where I started. This was about half an hour before we heard the police sirens and saw Trump's caravan headed back to the White House from the CIA. I was far enough away that neither I nor anyone around could tell exactly what was going on -- we could see the motorcycle blockade, see a group of cars, and hear shouts from the crowd (perhaps a quarter mile ahead of us) but couldn't actually make any words out.

There was a video somewhere taken by a reporter who was with the Trump group that shows what Trump might have seen if he looked out the right side of the car. You could see there was a crowd but the brief glimpses didn't show just how big the crowd was.


(the hat in the photo is different than the one I wore for Seagull's lighthearted tease of "pics or it didn't happen" - I had three with me and loaned two to other women. The one in the Wikipedia photo is the hat (a bit large for my head) that I'm giving back to my daughter. The fit was looser (I chose that in case I needed to tuck my hair into the cap. I need Extra Hat if I'm stuffing my hair in there because I have a lot of hair. I qualify for the The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (yes, that really DOES exist.))

a reply to: Byrd

Yay, Byrd! Out of a sea of thousands, there you are, with your luxuriant flowing hair and Pussy Hat!

And I wondered if Trump could catch a glimpse of the March, so appreciated what you related.


a reply to: Spiramirabilis

Barbados!? I have some money left over from my Soros check, so could you bring me back some rum and hot sauce? That way I can serve drink and food at my Women's March Action get together to fill out our postcards.