Ms. Hippie Returns! Mental Illness Awareness BLOOMINGTON /NORMAL VOL. 24 ~~911 'ucq6uJWOOI8 89~ 'ONJ!WieC Pilei eBIISOd ·s·r 8PJt:l ,una Post Benefit AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995
BLOOMINGTON /NORMAL VOL. 24 N0.4 In this Issue: Page 2--Page 2 stuff Page 3--Community News Letter to Editor, Personals Page 4--Ms. Hippie Returns Peace Coalition Meets Page 5--Notes from Land of Anti-Fat· Page 6--Reproductive Choic~s Page 7--Wild Horse Alert Page 8--Comics About us The Post Amerikan is an independent community newspaper providing information and analysis that is screened out of or down played by establishment news sources. We are a non-profit, worker-run collective that exists as an alternative to the corporate media. We put out six issues a year. Staff members take turns as "coordinator." All writing, typing, editing, graphics, photography, pasteup, and distribution are done on a volunteer basis. You are invited to volunteer your talents. Most of our material and inspiration for material comes from the community. The Post Amerikan welcomes stories, graphics, photos, letters, and new tips from our readers. If you'd like to join us, call828-7232 and leave a message on our answering machine. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Don't worry if it takes a whilewe don't meet every week. An alternative newspaper depends di~ectly on a community of concerned people for existence. We believe it is very important to keep a newspaper like this around. If you think so too, then please support us by telling your friends about the paper, donating money to the printing of the paper, and telling our advertisers you saw their ad in Post Amerikan. This issue of Post Amerikan is brought to you by ... Amy, David, Julie, Karrie, Linda, Ralph, Ron, Sherrin & Winter PAGE2 Page 9--NGLTF Page 10--Labor Day Parade Pages 11-17--Anti-Violence Supplement Pages 18--21--News from Voice For Choice Pages 22-23--Mental Illness Awareness Page 24--Post Benefit--Yeah! Post Sellers Bloomington The Back Porch, 402 N. Main (inside) Bakery Bank, 901 N. Main Bus Depot, 533 N. East Circus Video (Emerson and Main) Common Ground, 516 N. Main (inside) Front and Center Building Law and Justice Center, W. Front Medusa's, 420 N. Madison (inside) The Park Store, Wood and Allin (inside) Twin City Exchange, 411 N. Main (inside) U.S. Post Office, Center and Monroe Wash House, 609 N. Clinton Normal Amtrack Station Babbitt's Books, 104 N. Street (inside) Mother Murphy's, 111 North (inside) comer of School/ Fell (bus stop) Subconscious, S. Main What's your new address? When you move, be sure to send us your new address so your subscription gets to you. Your Post Amerikan will not be forwarded (it's like junk mail-no kidding!). Fill out this handy form with your new address and return it to us, P.O. Box 3452, Bloomington, IL 61702. Name _____________________ _ Street. _______________________ _ City /State/Zip. ________ _ AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 Good numbers ACLU ........................................ .454-7223 AIDS Hotlines National.. ...................... 1-800-AID-AIDS Illinois ............................. 1-800-243-2437 Local. ............................. (309) 827-AIDS Alcoholics Anonymous ................... 828-7092 Animal Protection League ............... 828-5371 Bloomington Housing Authority ...... 829-3360 Clare House (Catholic workers) ........ 828-4035 Countering Domestic Violence ......... 827-7070 Dept. of Children/Family Services .... 828-0022 Gay & Lesbian Resourse Phoneline .. .438-2429 Habitat for Humanity ..................... 829-0693 , HELP (transportation for senior citizens /handicapped) ................ 828-8301 Home Sweet Home Mission ............. 828-7356 IL Dept. of Public Aid ..................... 827-4621 IL Lawyer Referral.. ............... 1-800-252-8916 Incest Survivors Support Group ........ 827-5051 Lighthouse (substance abuse treatment) ......... 827-6026 McLean Co. Center for Human Services ................................... . 827-5351 , McLean Co. Health Dept.. ................ 888-5450 McLean Co. Humane Society ............ 663-7387 Mid Central Community Action ........ 829-0691 Mobile Meals ................................. 828-8301 Narcotics Anonymous ............ 1-800-779-6178 NAAFA (size acceptance) Central IL chapter ....................... 454-2128 National Health Care Services/ abortion assistance .............. 1-800-322-1622 Normal N.O.R.M.L.. ...................... .452-4761 Occupational Development Center ... .452-7324 , Operation Recycle ........................... 829-0691 Parents Anonymous ........................ 827-4005 PATH (Personal Assistance Telephone Help) ........................ 827-4005 Phone Friends ............................... 827-4005 Planned Parenthood (medical) ......... 827-4014 (bus/ couns/ edu) ....................... 827-4368 Post Amerikan ............................. . 828-7232 Prarie State Legal Services ............... 827-5021 Project Oz .................................... 827-0377 Rape Crisis Center ........................ 827-4005 Safe Harbor Mission (Salvation Army)829-9476 Sunnyside Neighborhood Center ...... 827-5428 TeleCare (senior citizens) ................. 828-8301 Unemployment comp/job service ..... 827-6237 Voice for Choice ...... : ..................... 828-3108 Western Ave. Community Center ...... 829-4807 Youth Services of Mid IL. ................ 828-7346 Due Date: The due date for submitting articles to the Post Amerikan is: (please laser print your articles in columns of 3" using Palatino IOpt. type if possible.) ~ept15 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995
Community News HIV/AIDS Support Group The McLean County AIDS Task Force, serving both McLean and Livingston Counties, announces the meeting for its "Family and Friends of Persons with HIV I AIDS Support Group" on August 15 at the First United Methodist Church, 211 N. School St., Normal. The group meets at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. In August, the discussion will include issues such as infection precautions in the home for people living with HIV/AIDS. The group is provided as a free service of the AIDS Task Force to anyone who is a family member or friend of someone with HIV or AIDS. Membership in the AIDS Task Force is not acquired to attend. Your confidentiality needs will be respected. Call (309) 827-AIDS for information concerning this group or other activities of the Task Force. Planned Parenthood of East Central Illinois is Having a Book Sale! Planned Parenthood is having its first book sale in the fall of '95. In order to make this event a success, we need your help! Donate your books! We are accepting donations of all types of books -cook books, children's books, mysteries, fiction, paper backs, hard covers, text books, coffee table books ... you name it, we'll take it! Books can be dropped off at our warehouse, at 311 S. McClun St., Bloomington Gust south of Grove St.) between 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturdays; or you may call663-1576, and leave a message with your name and number and the best time to have your books picked up. We'll return your call, confirm the time and place and pick the books up for you. Volunteer your time! Planned Parenthood is also looking for volunteers to help with book pickup, sortingand pricing of books and publicity. We also need individuals who can staff the book sale. Please call Lynda at 827-4014 if you are interested in helping. Attend the Book Sale! We hope to make this an annual event, so in addition to donating your books and volunteering, join us for a great book sale on Nov. 3, 4 and 5 at the Bone Student Center on the Illinois State University campus! AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 Letters Letter to the Editor: "Goals 2000" --There is a growing cancer in our school system today. It's called SBE, "Standard- Based Education," formally called OBE, Outcome- Based Education." The real danger in public education is not its failure to teach basic skills, but its success in undermining our patriotism, morals, and culture. Public schools tacitly bless socialism by refusing to condemn it as the ideology underlying evil regimes like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, our schools barely acknowledge our own heritage and the design and purpose of our Constitution, let alone applaud it. \ Public schools have become a bully pulpit for secularism, socialism, and liberalism, as well as a social laboratory for the experiments of humanist, behaviorist, and futurist. Carnegiefunded think tanks and government agencies have employed every mind manipulation scheme imaginable in clandestine public school indoctrination programs. Their methods confirm precisely to the dictionary definition of brainwashing: "a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and accept contrasting regimented ideas." Their goals are to create a hom*ogeneous society of citizens best suited for the "future" envisioned by the gl?balist. Perhaps the most insidious of all public school perversions, similar to the Nazi Youth Movement, is an all out drive to intensify public sensitivity to child abuse in order to justify armed iptrusion into parents' homes. Today, the public school and child protective service can use unsubstantiated abuse allegations to destroy any family they chose. Liberal and socialist infection of our federal government has created a creature with an insatiable lust f<?r growth; it is a juggernaut propelled by·the obscene power it has ~cumulated from countless abuses of its authority. Yet, incredibly, Americans fail to see that there is a very serious problem when the government shapes our attitudes toward government. Perhaps it has already shaped ·our attitudes such that we can no longer think independently. Our public schools turn out dependent, obedient "citizens" who love their government, rather than self-reliant patriots who love their country. Uncle Junky POSTAMERIKAN Man Seeking Single, white, bisexual male, 42, educated, liberal, interested in history and the arts, seeks open-minded, non-smoking/ drinking individuals for long term relationships. --SBS42 Love (post) amerikan · Style WRITE YOUR TEXT 1 ...... ,, ... 2 .......... 3 .......... 4 .......... 5 ......... . 6 .......... 7 .......... 8 .......... 9 .......... 10 ....... . 1 1 .......... 1 2 .......... 13 .......... 14; ........ . 15 .......... 16 .......... 17 .......... 18 ......... . 19 .......... 20 ......... . (ADDITIONAL) 21 .......... 22 .......... 23 ...... . 24 .......... 25 ......... . THE DETAILS n __ JUST FRIENDS __ WOMEN SEEKING ME,N _ MEN SEEKING WOMEN __ WOMEN SEEKING WOMEN __ MEN SEEKING MEN __ OTHER MAIL TO: LOVE POST AMERIKAN STYLE c/O POST AMERIKAN P.O. BOX~~ BLOOMINGTON, IL 61702 HOW IT WORKS: 1 . A MAIL MATCHES AD OF 25 WORDS OR LESS COSTS $5 AND RUNS FOR ONE ISSUE. EACH WORD OVER 25 COSTS 50¢ ADDITIONAL. 2. THE POST ASSIGNS A MAIL MATCHBOX NUMBER TO YOUR AD AND FORWARDS REPLIES TO YOU ONCE A WEEI<. (OR DEPENDING ON VOLUME RECEIVED). 3. MAIL MATCHES ARE INTENDED FOR INDIVIDUALS. NO DATING_SERVICES, SINGLES CLUBS, OR BUSINESSES MAY BUYTH.EM. 4. NO LAST NAMES, ADDRESSES, OR RHONE #'S ARE ALLOWED IN YOUR AD ~PY.:·JI)fE WILL tofOT P,RiNT N/:J,15 WE FIND To•ee~tN,pPOR_TASTit.:· 0: '·' ~~ ~-.._, .. f , t~~~. ~ '~~: .• PAGE3
Mclean County Peace Coalition Meeting The next meeting of the McLean County Peace Coalition will be held on August 9, 1995, Spm at Planned Parenthood, 318 W. Washington, Bloomington. Coalition meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of the month at Spm. We would like to move the location around or find a perrp.anent meeting space, so please bring any ideas you may have. On the agenda for the next meeting is the adoption of our statement of purpose and mission statement and beginning to prioritize our projects for the next year. We will also be selecting a date for next year's "Violence: take a Hike Peace March." For more information call828-3108. PAGE4 • Dear s. Hip p1e Dear Ms. Hippie, I was at a party on Independence Day with the woman I love, and it was a great party, except for the drunk asshole who was being sexually offensive to some women. My sweetie happened to be one of those women. At first I was angry, and I began to enjoy imagining all sorts of evil things I might do to this man if I were to come upon him. These feelings were not fueled by revenge; it was the desire to defend my lady's honor that inspired me. Accidentally I met the asshole and immediately realized that he was beyond the point of rational thinking, and a little violent. From experience I know that when you mix too much alcohol with a bad temperament, your not going to feel a punch until the next day. So I · shamefully spurned any physical confrontation; besides, it was a cool party. I say "shamefully' because I had done nothing to remove the blemish on my lady's honor. I found myself, and still do, longing for the days of duels when such offenses could be settled on the field of honor. But, it's the '90s, and he's still a dick and my lady's honor is still tainted. What am I to do? Signed, Wish-I -knew -how -to-fence --------- POST AMERIKAN Dear Wish, Notably absent from your report (and you are quite in the tradition of reports of chivalric feats) are the type and extent of the woman's feelings. Did she feel tainted and dishonored? Or did she feel that she'd just had an unfortunate brush with another jerk at a party? Does she like for you to call her "my lady" and act as though she's a damaged piece of personal property, as though she were your shiny Corvette that the oaf had insulted? Some of our finest emotions are the hurts that we feel when our dearest friends are hurt, and Ms. Hippie certainly encourages these. If your woman friend expressed her pain to you, she was probably comforted by your immediate outrage on her behalf. Showing this solidarity was the best thing for you to do at the time, not stumbling into a pointless physical fight. Remember, she was insulted. Your focus should be on her welfare, not your pride. Try not to be any more embarrassing than necessary, Ms. Hippie always advises. AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995
Notes From The Land Of Anti-Fat Setpoint And Match Sick of reading about this week's "latest medical finding" in the wacky world of research? So are we, but we couldn't resist this · newest 'un--if only because it validates a theory that we've long accepted. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, there's growing evidence to support the setpoint theory. Setpoint is a big buzzword in the size acceptance community, and for good reason. In lay terms (the ones this columnist understands), the theory asserts that body weight is something that is primarily physiologically regulated. This runs counter to the view that fatness is a "behavioral problem", the standard premise for every so called diet program in existence. Using 18 fat and 23 non-fat subjects, who lived in a clinical center for the duration of the study (and thus confounded the possibility of "cheating"), researchers found that the human body adjusts the rate at which it burns calories to adjust for either weight loss or gain. Basically, when weight is lost, the body responds by slowing down its metabolism, And when weight is gained, by speeding it up. These metabolic changers cause the body to burn fewer or more calories, and subsequently return to its original weight. Setpoint theory has been around for more than a decade, but you can understand why there's been resistance to it. At its most basic level, it knocks the pins out from under the diet industry. Taking the blame away from millions of failed dieters, setpoint undermines the whole fabric of guilt and self-loathing that fuels this multi-billion dollar behemoth. It also says that dieting won't work: the body is too persistent at its attempts to keep you at a predetermined weight. Given its short attention span and reluctance to rile its big money advertisers, it's no wonder that the mainstream media has acted as if the setpoint story was a totally new thing. What's more disheartening than the medical establishment's continued resistance to the study's conclusions. Even the study 's own authors ended their article with a statement to the effect that obese patients needed to be treated through weight loss techniques, as they acknowledged that these very techniques wouldn't work in the long term. So keep on dieting kids, even though you know it's futile. It gives you sampan to talk with your coworkers about at lunchtime ... AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 Only Certain Women's Health For further indication of the medical community's attitude towards fat patients, we need only look to the recent Women's Health Initiative, a long term study by the National Institute of Health on the effects of diet, hormone therapy, plus calcium and vitamin D on post menopausal women. The study is supposed to follow 160,000 women between the ages of 50-79 for up to twelve years, but one of the guidelines being used to eliminate candidates from the study is a high or low Body Mass Index. What the NIH has said with this arbitrary is that fat women aren't worth studying as healthy beings by themselves. The only "good use" for fat subjects is in weight loss studies, because as we all know: a.) fat is responsible for every single health problem a fat woman or man faces; and , b.) the only thing a fat adult should be concentrating on is weight loss. Sally Smith, the executive director of NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance) has had a few choice words to say about the NIH's exclusionary policy: "We've been advocating to the NIH that, instead of trying to find ways to make fat people thin, they should be trying to find ways to make fat people healthy. The Women's Health Initiative is an excellent opportunity to find ways to improve the health status of fat women independent of weight loss. It is unthinkable that a significant segment of the population should be so arbitrarily disenfranchised from the study." Unthinkable, maybe. Unsurprising, no. POST AMERIKAN Ample Shopping Let's end this column on a positive note. We'd like say some nice things about Amplestuff, a mail order firm specializing in items for fat adults that aren't available elsewhere. The brainchild of NAAFA co-founder Bill Fabrey and former president Nancy Summer, Amplestuff also does a quarterly news letter that comments on size acceptance and fat consumer issues (e.g., how to get a seat belt extenderfor your car). The most recent issue of "The Ample Shopper" even includes a reprint from the P-A: our piece on Ev Koop' s recent shady affiliation with the diet industry. "Ample Shopper" is available for $12 (four issues) from Amplestuff, P.O. Box 116, Bearsville, N.Y. 12409. billsher (Thanx to NAAFA Newsletter and The Ample Shopper.) PAGES
Women's Bodies, Women's Knowledge: Reproductive Choices In An Uncertain Society Pope John Paul II has once again affirmed the Catholic Church's stand on abortion. Republicans are screening potential presidential candidates based, in part, on their stand on abortion (The Economist 21). The ability to be able to have an abortion exists in an atmosphere of uncertainty. What the "patriarchal ruling culture" forgets is that the decisions regarding contraception and abortion, as well as the ability to carry through the decision once it was made, were originally entirely in the hands of the women. With the growth and spread of Christianity, often against the wishes of the cultures it was forced on, women were burned as witches for defying patriarchal oppression by observing nature's holidays rather than the church's and for practicing contraception, abortion and midwifery (Spretnate 474). With these persecutions, the personal knowledge of women controlling their own bodies began to die. The knowledge was murdered. It was murdered during the" burning times"; it was murdered by the" taming" and annihilation of the Native people of the Americans; it was murdered with the suppression of women. What was not killed outright was driven for underground. PAGE6 The suppression of women began with their being declared " unclean. " The beginning of a female's menstruation was once a celebrated and honored occurrence, a rite of passage into the full status of adulthood complete with political and scientific clout. With the arrival of the patriarchal society, the centuries have seen a violent reversal of menstruation into a private, shameful act equated with uncleanliness and weakness (Grahn 275). Women need to remember that Prepatriarchal Health Care existed. " Prepatriarchal cultures were, in their totality, healing experience and women were the essential contribution to this state. They were the original healers, the midwives, herbalists, myth-makers, spiritual guides, psychic and death guides " (Glendinning 281 ). As time passed, patriarchal medicine became obsessed with training and accomplishments, not experience and wisdom. It became obsessed with dis-ease not healing (Glendinning 282). Women need to reclaim control of their bodies and their healing. Women must band together to educate themselves. POST AMERIKAN There are many dimensions to feminist healing. Herbalism, acupuncture and homeopathy are all parts of these dimensions. It is herbalism which plays a key part in the reproductive rights and health for women. Birth control was once natural (herbal or astrological). Abortion was once natural (herbal). This knowledge was shared so it was available to those who needed it. This knowledge is still available for those who care enough to take time track it down and learn it. One does not become a knowledgeable herbalist overnight. But then again, women did not become suppressed overnight either. ~ Schools for herbalism exist. Many of these books include discussions of herbs for birth control and abortion. Many authors (this one included) are forced to write legal disclaimers on these writings to the effect that no medicinal properties exist and that the reader should consult a physician for medical advice. To le~~e out this disclaimer is to risk charges of prachcmg medicine without a license or a serious lawsuit. I see no reason why an intelligent person cannot or should not educate themself on the properties and use of herbs for their own treatment. --Winter Wren In depth information would make this article too long to print. However, a list of resources is available by sending a SASE to the Post at PO Box 3452, Bloomington, IL, 61702 and I may be contacted for further information. We are women-let us once again take control of our bodies and the medical decisions regarding them. Let us learn the knowledge we need to take control back from patriarchal medicine. Let us put control back into our own hands where it belongs. Works Cited "America and Religion: The Counterattack of God." The Economist 8 July, 1995: 19- 21. Glendinning, Chellis. "The Healing Power of Women." Spretnak 280-293. Grohn, Judy. "From Sacred Blood to the Curse and Beyond." Spretnak 265-279. Spretnak, Charlene. "The Christian Rights' 'Holy War' Against Feminism." Spretnak 470-496. Spretnak, Charlene, editor. The Politics of Women's Spirituality. New York: Anchor Book, 1994. For a more in depth list of resources send a SASE to The Post at PO Box 3452, Bloomington, IL 61702 AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995
Animal Magnetism Wild Horse Alert The last remaining wild horses in America are i~ peril. As we write to you, mares are giving birth to foals. Their future, however, is threatened by government plans to round up yet more horses from many of the remaining wild horse herds in Nevada. These brutal ~elicopter roundups are the beginning of a cruel JOUrney for these wild horses -- that for many will end in the slaughterhouse. Something must be done row before it's too late. America's wild horses are dying. They are dying on federal public lands in Nevada becaus~ ranchers want to keep the scant forage for their cattle. Our government, which is responsible for the horses' protection, is rounding them up by the thousands by helicopter. Many horses are dying in slaughterhouses. Please help us today in telling Bruce Babbitt, the secretary of the Interior, that we demand that he enforce the law protecting wild horses. To stop the annihilation of wild horses on public lands in Nevada, you can: 1) Help the Animal Rights Law Center continue its court challenges to stop these cruel round-ups and horse slaughter. The Animal Rights Law Center has launched a massive challenge to the Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency charged with protecting wild horses. We have launched this campaign on behalf of the many native Nevadans, joined together as the public Lands Resource Council, and on behalf of the group's co-founder, Michael Blake, author of "Dances with Wolves." This is truly an emergency situation-- and it is getting worse. In October a federal court of appeals stated that wild horse round-ups can be authorized by local, lower-level officials. The Secretary of the Interior does not even have to be informed before wild horses are so cruelty rounded-up. We must move immediately to stop these round-ups. Then, on December 21, the government announced that it was abandoning its fight to raise the low fees that ranchers pay to graze cows and sheep on the public lands administrated by the federal government. The Department of the Interior's plan to raise the fees have been consistently blocked by the Senators and Representatives from the Western ~tates who are beholden to powerful ranching mterests. AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 What does this mean for the wild and freeroaming species living on these precious public lands? -- lack of food, water, and constant harassment from powerful meat producers whose only interest is in their profits from ranching. We face an environmental disaster, and serious danger to fish, ground- nesting birds, and perhaps most of all to wild horses. The Last Round-up on the Road to the Slaughterhouse During a BLM round-up, helicopters roar overhead; terrified horses wheel and scream in the flying dust. They flee, chased for qtiles across dusty plains, scrambling to escape. Ailing horses fall behind and die; foals are lost. Shoved into cramped pens, many become sick from the constant dust of dose confinement. Wild horses who have never been touched by humans before are loaded into trucks and hauled as far as the East Coast to be adopted. Some die from the stress and the terror of the journey. The "lucky" ones are adopted, but their wild spirits will be "broken" and they will never again run free. Many never adapt to domestication, and are later sent to slaughter. The People Have Spoken The American people have already spoken loudly and dearly on the issue of wild horses. The Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed in 1971 after a huge public outcry over killing of hundreds of wild horses in the West, shot by ranchers who wanted more room for their cattle. Yet, instead of following the spirit of this act, the BLM appears bent on "managing" wild horses out of existence. This act states that "wild free-roaming horses POST AMERIKAN and burros shall be protected from capt~re, branding, harassment or death ... " Moreover, the Act explicitly provides that "no wild freeroaming horse or burro or its remains may be sold or transferred for consideration for processing into commercial products." In other words, wild horses were never to be sent to slaughter. Yet, BLM, which acknowledges that thousands of horses are killed in slaughterhouses, says that it is powerless to stop the killing. Fighting Back The Animal Rights Law Center is fighting--in federal court, before the administrative agency, and through a massive write-in campaign--for: 1) A paramount prohibition against sending wild horses to slaughter. . 2) An independent court of Nevada's wild horse initiated by Congress and a moratorium on all round-ups until the vast discrepancy between counts is explained. 3) Public access to the decision-making p~ocesses and a Congressional investigation into wdd horse population discrepancies. 4) An end to artificially low grazing fees on public lands. We know that you will be--and the many other species of western mammals, birds and fish who are struggling to survive in the dreadful conditions caused by commercial livestock grazing in their habitats. Now that the federal court has said that local officials-- who are more closely allied with the cattle ~razers in their district--can order round-ups, it IS even more important that we act together now. --Professor Gary L. Francione Director, Animal Rights Law Center PAGE7
~~I was made by an abused child in the Third World. Please feed het: firs~.'.'. · PAGES POST AMERIKAN · AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995
~ " - ~- . . . . ' - - .. . ~ . . - .. .' Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues NATIONAL NGLTF GAY & TASK POLICY INSTITUTE Creating Change The early bird registration deadline for the Creating Change conference is approaching fast. After September 1, rates for the conference and the institutes go up. This year's conference will be in the Detroit,MI. Plenary speakers include Urvashi Vaid, Rev. Elias Farajajejones, Harry Britt and Wisconsin State Representative Tammy Baldwin. Got a workshop idea for the conference? Workshop proposals are still being reviewed and considered for inclusion in the 1995 program. Action: If you already have a brochure, send in your registration before September 1st in order to receive the early bird registration rate. If you need to receive brochure call (202) 332-6483 ext .. 3229. Send workshop proposals by August 15th to Sue Hyde, Director of Creating Change,NGLTF,1151 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA 02138 Post Pride Hate Report Pride celebrations in Boise, ID and Helena, MT in June were both marred by hateful anti-gay protesters. The near 1000 participants of the pride event at the steps of the Idaho Capitol were accosted by hate mongers dressed as the Grim Reaper who shouted "Die Queer Die!" through their megaphones. The protesters also hung an NGLTF staffer, who was a keynote speaker at the event, in effigy. Anti-gay protesters at the Montana event held hate signs such as "Pedophiles Go Home," as they screamed hateful epithets and threw rocks and eggs at participants. In both cities, police intervention was minimal despite repeated complaints. Rally attendees said they felt physically threatened as anti-gay protesterswere often allowed to intermingle with them. Elected officials in both states have been slow to speak out against the hate protesters who went beyond their free speech rights by physically threatening and harassing attendees. Action: Contact the governors of both states and ask them not to let another minute go by before denouncing malicious speech, harassment and violence against gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens at their states' pride events. Write: Idaho Gov .. Phil Batt, Governor's Office, State Capitol Bldg., West Wing, 2nd Floor, Boise, ID AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 83720-0034, call: (208) 334-2100 or fax (208) 334- 2175. Write: Montana Gov. Marc Racicot, Governor's Office, 204 State Capitol, Helena,MT 59620 or call (406) 444-3111 or fax: (406) 444- 4151. Ask your friends and family in Idaho and Montana to do the same. Medicaid At Risk ~~~~~-~- ~~ --~~-~=-~~C~-~- -~ --'I cclJe. d.~t cksuve.. tv d-i.e.:'' f~A..ML A.I.DS. ~stare-h... Congress will hear a Medicaid bill in midSeptember or early October that would imperil the lives of our nation's poorest people. Medicaid provides basic health and long term care coverage for over 33 million low-income Americans including 40% of HIV-positive adults and 90% of HIV-positive children. The bill would cut $182 billion from projected Medicaid spending over the next seven years. This would be accomplished by limiting the rate at which federal payments to states could grow and converting Medicaid from an entitlement to a block grant. Under a block grant, states would receive lump sums of money, within the established growth cap, and have considerable discretion over the use of funds. Low-incom~ individuals would no longer be ,legally entitled to medical assistance and .... . states would no longer reachieve matching funds for all persons served. The White House and Congress have heard very little from constituents about current plans for Medicaid that would lead to waiting lists for life saving health care, decreased state revenue, and lowered standards for care. These cuts do not occur in a vacuum, but in an environment of dehumanization and I POST AMERIKAN vilification of welfare recipients who are commo~y stereotyped as lazy, irresponsible, fraudulent, and as bad parents. The g/l/b/t community can not stand by as the health of our nation's poorest, both within and outside our community, is sacrificed to support tax cuts for our nation's richest. We must act to preserve Medicaid for lowincome Americans. Action: Call , write, or visit your senators and representative and tell them to protect Medicaid as an entitlement and to resist unrealistic funding caps . Many Congress Members will be in their home districts during the second half of August to meet with constituents. Call now to schedule a local appointment. To reach the Capitol Switchboard call 202-224-3121 or write US TUESDAY - $1 DOMESTIC BEER WEDNESDAY - $1 CALL DRINKS OJ- WED- SUNDAY HOURS: MON-THUR 4PM-1 AM I FRIDAY 4PM-2AM SATURDAY 8PM-2AM I SUNDAY 6PM-1AM 316 N. MAIN BLOOMINGTON (309) 829-2278 PAGE9
Labor Day Parade "Stand up for America's Working Families" is the theme for this year's Bloomington Labor Day Parade, Monday, September 4, at 10 a.m. The theme follows the national AFL-CIO campaign, which began last winter, fighting current Republican efforts to cut programs and protections for working people. Labor Day events begin on Monday, August 28, when WJBC-AM will take nomination for their "Laborer of the Year" award. Phone nominations are accepted through noon on August 30th by calling 309-827-2000. Be ready with brief remarks explaining why an individual should be nominated. The annual Labor Day softball tournament is Saturday and Sunday, September 2 and 3, behind Bloomington's Armory. Ten union teams will be competing for the prize winning trophies. Jewels Graphics/Sarita Johnson The Parade line-up begins at 9 a.m. on Labor Day. Local elected officials, union marching units with floats, antique vehicles, community groups and heavy construction equipment are ·expected. The Parade will follow its traditional route, west on Front Street to Lee Street, south on Lee Street to Wood Street, and west on Wood Street to Miller Park. Following the parade there is a picnic for union members at Carpenters 63 Hall, 2002 Beich Road, Bloomington. Admission to the picnic is a $2 Labor Day parade raffle ticket. No carry-out meals are allowed; food service will end at 12:30 p.m. If a unit wants to register for the Parade, call 309-828-4368. Only union-made, Americanmade vehicles are allowed in the Parade. Anyone wishing to participate must be preregistered and must agree to abide by all parade rules. These include no distribution of literature or signs or banners promoting particular causes. A single sign identifying the group is allowed. ce pon a ime .Jt{ternative 'Books & §ifts PAGE 10 Serving the Central Illinois Alternative Community . with PRIDE! 31.1- N. Main Street ;a~Bioomington, IL 61701 (309) 828-3998/ Fax (309) 828-8879 M,W,F 4-8pm Sat 1 Oam-8pm, Sun 12-5pm Video POST AMERIKAN AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995
Coming Together for Peace AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 POST AMERIKAN PAGE 11
Violence: Take A Hike Peace March A' Success It had been twenty-five years since I last stood in circle, holding hands with those next to me, singing "We Shall Overcome." Judy Eby was the name of my fifth grade teacher. Mrs. Eby was much maligned by the other teachers, she was young and believed that education was more than books. Everyday we stood in a circle, twenty-five children of difrerent colors, held hands and sang songs from the Civil Rights movement. I must admit that at eleven years old I was only aware of two real differences between people, skin color and sex. Those two differences alone were enough to keep an eleven year old mind deep in though (or at least as deep in thought as an eleven year old ever gets). At eleven years old it had never occurred to me that someday I would be hated for my political views. It never occurred to me that I could be hated because of who I love. At eleven years old I couldn't have imagined that twenty-five years later people I love would be fighting for their lives against a virus that the government ignored because of who it affected. Sometimes I wish I still didn't know these things, but I do know them and so must stand against them. The first annual "Violence: Take A Hike Peace March" was held on July 15, 1995. The march was organized, planned and supported by a coalition of thirty-nine businesses, organizations, agencies and grassroots groups. The march was a call for an end to the intolerance, hatred and violence gripping our country. We wanted to send a message, that the use of violence as a means of settling disputes, whether personal, religious, theoretical or political is not acceptable. We wanted this community to know that we believe that violence against women, children, men, people of color, people of different religious or ethnic backgrounds, violence against gays, lesbians and bisexuals, violence based on political, religious or ideological differences, is simply not acceptable. Many people don't understand the connection between the work that Voice for Choice, or the Post Amerikan, or Clare House does and a peace march. They questioned why we were planning this march. This question is not new. In The Trumpet of Conscience , Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote "For those who ask the questions 'Aren't you a civil rights leader?' and thereby mean to exclude me from the movement for peace - I answer by saying that I have worked too long and hard now against segregated public accommodations to end up segregating my moral concern. Justice is indivisible. It must also be said that it would be rather absurd to work passionately and unrelentingly for integrated schools and not be concerned about the survival of a world in which to be integrated." The McLean County Peace Coalition reaftlrms Dr. King's belief that peace and justice are indivisible. Our fate and our direction as a country depend on citizen leaders and community efforts. Change will come from the bottom up but only if we all get involved. It is up to us to tell our political and religious and professional representatives what is important to us. We must hold them, as well as ourselves, accountable for the safety of our communities. As Marian Wright Edelmen, Director of the Children's Defense Fund, so succinctly states, "we need more shepherds and fewer sheep." PAGE 12 The march began a little after 9:00. Onehundred and twenty-five people walked the three miles despite heat and humidity. As I marched on Constitution Trail with people I'd never met I was filled with hope and sadness. Hope as I realized just how diverse this groups was. Sadness that, twenty-five years after Mrs. Eby had taught my class about tolerance an non-violence, we were back, fighting the same battles. The march ended at Eloise Burner Craig park. At the park we were joined by more people, many unable to walk in the heat but believing in the ca~se. We sat, holding hands, 150 people, and took the pledge of non-violence otrered to us by Janese Page-Fuller, of the N.A.A.C.P. We agreed to join together to end violence. To find our common ground and work together to increase respect, tolerance, and understanding among all people within our community. Other speakers at the park included April Huber, representing Grandparents for Peace·. April read a prepared statement from Dottie Callens, spokesperson for the group. Dottie and April reminded us that children learn what they live and that the toys we purchase for them teach them about life and relationships. For that reason, toys should be selected carefully to insure that they do not promote violence. Paula Dapkus from Neville House also spoke. Stating that ''We as a society decide what is an acceptable level of violence. We, today, are saying, 'This is enough."' Dapkus urged the group to continue working together to end violence in our community. Janese Page-Fuller, of the N.A.A.C.P. . explained that as she walked Constitution Trail that morning, it was her mother's spirit that carried her legs along. Janese told us that she walked the trail for her mother, who she lost to violence. Fuller asked us to pledge to do all that we can to end violence. Hector Gonzales, of the McLean County AIDS Task Force was hopeful. Gonzalez pointed out that in 1987, in Orange County, California, the tirst AIDS Walk had 60 participants. In 1993, there were 10,000. He is sure that next year;s march will be even larger. Margaret Waimon, of the Rape Crisis Center of Mid-Central Illinois summed up the purpose of the march and the coalition as she asked us to use our intelle~tual capacities to resolve our difierences peacefully. W aim on stated that our gift of intellect should be used to celebrate our diversity and our sameness. She asked community members and organizations to take a pledge not to commit acts of violence for a cause, even a good cause. Ron Frazier, oflnterweave, reminded marchers that our community is not free from hate crimes. Gay bashing goes on regularly in our community but is often unreported because victims are afraid of police or community reprisals. He urged us to remember that violence is violence regardless of its target. The _Clothesline Project was on display at the park. The' project remembers women who have been victims of violence. Each shirt has been made for a specific woman. The color of a shirt is significant, each color represents a different type of crime. If you have not had an opportunity to see this project, please make an effort to do so. Mrs. Corrine Sims, of the United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington/Normal POST AMERIKAN invited Alison Bailey, Clothesline Project coordinator, to Culture Fest, to be held in August at Miller Park. Mrs. Sims offered some space under her groups tent to insure that people could see the project. As members of the band "Baby Blues" led the group in "Gentle Angry People'' and "We Shall Overcome" I looked around the circle at all of the wonderful faces. We were different colors, different religions, difterent cultural and ethnic groups, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and straight, we were of difterent political parties and ideologies, difterent economic groups and professions, yet there we were, agreeing on one very basic point, violence is never an acceptable response to resolving our difterences. I looked to my right and three people over I saw April. April and I met while working on the march. I support legalized abortion, April opposes it. We both agree that neither of us has the right to assault the other, physically or emotionally, for holding a different opinion on this issue. That is what the march was about, finding our common ground and establishing mutual respect for all people, even those with whom we may di~agree. The first annual "Violence: Take A Hike Peace March" was a success. By forming a coalition of diverse individuals and organizations we have begun the process of increasing understanding and respect among people in this community. ,. On July 26, 1995, the McLean County Peace Coalition held its first official meeting. The group has an ambitious agenda. We plan to host a number of block parties to help neighbors become better acquainted. Poster and essay contests for children, a non-violence newsletter, public education forums, dispute resolution and prevention programming are all on the list of future projects. We also hope to participate in and support in whatever way possible the work of other organizations also involved in the movementfor stronger community through nonviolence. The group also intends to focus attention of all forms of violence, including hate crimes and speech. We hope to facilitate training for both the media and other organizations regarding violence, the types of violence and the need for a change in attitude about violence. Membership in the Peace Coalition is open to anyone who supports the goals of the Coalition. The Coalition meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 5:00p.m. at Planned Parenthood, 318 W. Washington, Bloomington. If you would like more information about the Coalition you may call 828-3108. AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995
An Open Letter To Others In The Struggle I write this letter to the many people who I work and have worked with on a daily basis. To the women working in the anti-rape movement. To my friends involved in AIDS activism. To those who fight for the rights of gays and lesbians. To the people putting their lives on the line for a woman's right to choose. To those who oppose racism and teach tolerance. To the many people in my life, as well as those I have never met, who on a daily basis fight the oppression of others and work toward a more compassionate and peaceful world. It is difficult for me to say this to you. I know that what I have to say will make some people angry and I risk appearing pompous and judgmental. Something that I have noticed in our many years of working together is that many, no most, of you do not extend this compassion that you fight for to animals; your fight stops at the species barrier. The most obvious evidence of this, of course, is the fact that most of you still eat meat--the flesh of tortured and slaughtered animals. I have found this confusing and difficult to understand and yes, I'll say it--hypocritical. What could some of the reasons be for your continued consumption of meat? Could it be that you do not believe that animals are worthy of our compassion? That they do not have feelings or that they are not as important as humans? It was also once thought that women did not have souls and that slaves couldn't faint. Many of the same tactics that are used against woman, Blacks, gays and lesbians are used to justify the oppression of animals. One of these tactics is the use of difference as a justification for oppression. You've recognized this strategy before. Look for it in the treatment of animals as well. Could it be that in our society it is simply easier to eat meat? At restaurants you don't have to ask questions like "What is the soup stock made out of?" and "Are the beans cooked in lard?" You don't have to explain to the family at Thanksgiving why you are not eating the turkey. I know, I've been a vegetarian for ten years. However, many of the choices that· we have made in our lives have been difficult and cause inconveniences. But we do them because they are the right thing to do. You have not shied away from difficulty in the past. The fight against racism. coming out of the closet, saying "abortion, no apology" are not easy things to do. Yet bravely you do them-- because you have to. Could it be that like most of us in the movement you are already overextended and your energies are too divided? You just don't have time for one more meeting or one more" cause"? The good news is that you need not start an animal rights group or picket furriers. You can make simple changes in your everyday life that reveal your compassion and make a difference. Giving up meat, buying cruelty-free products or not wearing leather or fur does not take extra time. You can still do the work that you do. You need not make a choice between the welfare of people and the welfare of animals. As a matter of fact the welfare of people is dependent on and interconnected with the welfare of animals. The factory farming of . animals is destroying our environment. The grain fed to farm animals could be more efficiently used to feed the hungry. And as long as any living being's life is not valued, all life is cheapened. As long as anyone is oppressed, we are all still oppressed. The time has come to eliminate cruelty from our lives. If we are going to fight oppression we must not ignore the animals. We must work toward compassion for all. It's as simple as that. --Sherrin Fitzer Give Peace a· Chance We have all had some kind of experience with violence, some more terrible than others. But one thing that we have all learned, hopefully, is that violence is an awful thing, and life without it is something to be desired. But how are we going to manage changing our violent society? There are many things that we can ,do in our own community to make a difference. On Saturday, July 15 in Bloomington-Normal, there was a 5k "March Against Violence" that approximately 175 people attended. Although this did not end the war against violence, it was a beautiful gathering of a variety of people who literally took a step toward the ultimate goal of a peaceful world. There are many other things that one can do to help win the war against violence. By volunteering your time at local organizations that are committed to ending violence of all kinds, a difference can be made. PATH, the Rape Crisis Center, and the more recent McLean County Peace Coalition are just a few places where you can donate time and energy to work for peace. Even in our daily lives there are little things that we can do to help quench the hatred and anger that fuel violent acts. Say you are driving on a busy road and someone cuts y~u off. The usual reaction would be to use hateful sign language to express your contempt for the apparently inconsiderate act of a fellow AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 driver. Though it may seem as if they did not care about you or any other driver, perhaps there was a good reason for this action. Maybe this driver is speeding to see their dying father; maybe they're a doctor speeding to take care of your father who just had a heart attack; or maybe they are just late for work. The point is that if you do "flip off" this person, it would be an act of negative reinforcement that could induce anger and other negative feelings that contribute greatly to violence and violent acts. The best thing to do would.be to swallow your pride and try to be empathetic to this seemingly rude person, and remember the times when you have done something similar. Suppose you are walking down a street and someone yells an offensive remark intended for you. Though this action of a shallow person may be distressing, the best thing to do is to ~void the trap of ret<_~.liation and forgive the person their shortcomings. It may be difficult, but it would end the the possibility of a violent act caused by negative reinforcement. Besides, it feels good to pardon such antagonistic behavior by people ignorant of the potential ad verse effects of their offensive behavior. Another place where one can fight the good fight is on the lines of the battle against gangs. Although they may not be as obvious in this area as in Chicago or Los Angeles, gang violence is a growing problem in Bloomington-Normal. POST AMERIKAN The things that gangs do to increase the amount of violent activity in this area are many. Besides fighting , drug dealing, vandalism, and other acts of negative reinforcement, they can be blamed for more dangerous acts such as muggings, rape, and even murder. Residents Against Gang Environments (RAGE) is a local organization dedicated to ending gang activity in this area. Their methods for achieving this goal are education and community involvement. RAGE teaches how to identify gang graffiti and possible gang members, and what to do if you see them. It is definitely a hard fight to end violence RAGE, PATH, and the McLean County Peace Coalition are fighting hard. But there is always more room for more volunteers on the front lines of the war against violence. Peace to my brothers and sisters everywhere. C. David Hall PAGE 13
Statewide Action for "Zero Tolerance" Pat Donze Shae, Director of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood of East Central Illinois Planned Parenthood is America's oldest and largest voluntary reproductive health care organization. Planned Parenthood's 165 not-for-profit affiliates operate nearly 1,000 clinics in 49 states and the District of Columbia. We provide over 4 million clients with family planing services, mammograms, Pap tests, screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, prenatal care, colposcopy and education services ... in addition to abortions. Yet, in the past two years alone, five health care providers have been brutally murdered, not in spite of a medical mission, but very much because of it. In recent years, Planned Parenthood has become a target for extremists. In 1994 alone, our clinics, staff and patients experienced over 5,500 acts of violence and harassment. These included: 1 murder; 3 shotgun injuries; 4 assaults; 4 stalkings serious enough to qualify for injunctions or prosecution; 9 death threats; 414 incidents of direct harassment; 1 clinic destroyed in an arson attack; 1 bombing; 4 attempted arson or bombings; 3 invasions of clinics; 14 bomb threats; almost 1,000 incidents of harassment by phone threat or hate mail; and, over 4.000 separate incidents of picketing, including over 300 incidents of harassment during picketing. This data is compiled by . Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Clinic Defense Project, and represents data submitted by the affiliates. We are grieved but we are not going away. For nearly 80 years, these goals have been central to Planned Parenthood's mission. They will remain so for the next 80 years, and beyond, despite violent efforts to undermine them. The escalation of violence, terrorism, and murder by anti-choice 'zealots must be vigorously condemned by all parts of our society. As a State and as citizens, we must strongly declare that we have Zero Tolerance for any and all acts of violence or intimidation against those who seek to · use or provide reproductive choice. We ask that members of each and every community join with us in promoting an Action Plan to end violence at women's health centers: 1) Disavow the murders and disavow those who advocate and justify violence, bombing, stalking, and murder; 2) Assume responsibility to identify those within the anti-choice movement who have a potential for violence. Discourage and counsel them against all acts of violence and intimidation; 3) Actively help with investigations of those who plan and commit crimes; 4) Lobby our legislators to pass a strong Illinois Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act which would include buffer zones that place health c~re centers out of the range of fire; 5) Ask our legislators to pass a resolution declaring Illinois to be a state off Zero Tolerance for anti-choice terrorism and violence; 6) Become active and participate in local prochoice activities; and 7) Volunteer to assist with our lo~al opposition watch program. Zero Tolerance Security The escalation of violence, terrorism, and murder by anti-choice zealots must be vigorously condemned by all parts of our society. As a state and as citizens, we must strongly declare that we have Zero Tolerance for any and all acts of violence or intimidation against those who seek to use or provide reproductive choice. We hereby call for the following actions in the State of Illinois. Governor: • Proclaim Illinois to be a state with Zero Tolerance of anti-choice terrorism and violence, a state which supports and protects women and , health care providers who exercise their constitutional rights. PAGE 14 • Vigorously endorse and support the adoption of a strong Illinois Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which includes buffer zones that place health care centers out of the range of fire. • Direct all law enforcement under the Governor's jurisdiCtion to: fully cooperate with federal and local law enforcement and legal officials; enforce a Zero Tolerance for antichoice illegal and criminal actions; and to ensure that ·reproductive health care patients and providers have adequate protection. POST AMERIKAN We are taking steps to be safer, but one of those steps will not qe to close our doors. We will fight terrorism with the same determination, the same energy rnd commitment exhibited by hundreds of thousands of women and men who made the abortion procedure one of the safest surgical procedures today. We will not allow the brutal acts of violent extremists to interfere with our delivery of essential health care to America's women. Contrary to claims by leaders in the anti-choice movement, the Brookline killings on December 31, 1994 are not isolated incidents by lone fanatics. We believe there is a systematic, organized campaign of violence being waged against women's health providers and their clients. The perpetrators of this campaign are antiwomen ideologues who seek to impose . by force what they have been unable to win through the democratic process. So far, this campaign of terror has claimed at least five lives, yet the reckless, murderous rhetoric of antichoice leaders is still heard in the streets and on the media. In the face of this horror, people of good will can no longer stand back, nod'our heads, and do nothing. We have specific recommendations for every citizen, including members of the media, to help curb this epidemic. We urge community leaders, elected officials, and all Americans to speak up and stand for those who provide ·women's health care. The US Supreme Court's 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade has had a profound effect. It has saved women's lives, expanded our ability to make our own decisions about our lives, and enhanced our ability to meet our responsibilities to ourselves and our families. Contract • Take leadership in fostering collaboration between all levels of government to investigate and prosecute anti-choice groups and individuals for illegal activities and collusion to commit crimes; and take leadership to prevent future acts of terrorism. Law Enforcement: • Ensure that statewide, every reproductive health center has been assessed and that funds are provided to assure necessary security measures. This includes appropriate access to armed guards, video surveillance and phone taps. AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995
Continued • Have all law enforcement and public safety workers in cities with reproductive health centers receive specialized training in the tactics, identities, movement and potential for violence of anti-choice individuals. c. Have specific response and arrest protocols to assure appropriate timely response to illegal anti-choice activities. • Work Cooperatively with reproductive health care centers. Attorney General and State's Attorneys: .. Enforce a Zeru Tolerance of anti-choice illegal activities; prosecute on first offenses; cooperate with po:ice in enforcing all laws and participate in investigations of anti-choice illegal activities. Legislators: c. Pass strong Illinois Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances legislation which includes buffer zones that place health care centers out of the range of fire. I • Pass a resolution declaring Illinois to be a state of Zero Tolerance for anti-choice terrorism and violence. • Provide adequate emergency funding to ensure the protection of Illinois Citizens from anti-choice illegal activities. Anti-Choice Leaders: o Disavow the murders and disavow those who advocate and justify violence, bombing, stalking and murder. o Assume responsibility to identify those within the anti-choice movement who have a potential for violence and actively discourageand counsel them against all acts of violence and intimidation. • Actively help with investigations of those who plan and commit crimes. o Help to pass a strong Illinois Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act which includes buffer zones that place health care centers out of the range of fire. • Accept responsibility for inciting the "unstable" within the anti-choice movement through their anti-choice rhetoric and images. Tone down the War of Words. Mayors: e Proclaim each city to be a city with Zero Tolerance for anti-choice terrorism and violence, a city which supports and protects wo~en and health care providers who exercise their constitutional rights. o Vigorously endorse and support the adoption of a strong city Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Ordinance which includes buffer zones that place health care centers out of the range of fire. • Direct city police to: fully cooperate with federal and state law enforcement and legal officials; enforce a Zero Tolerance for antichoice illegal and criminal actions; and to ensure reproductive health care patients and providers have adequate protection. Media: • Understand the role of the media in further inciting "unstable" anti-choice persons to perform new acts of violence in response to current methods of reporting. • Expand investigative reporting to determine the extent of violence, the relationships and movements of anti-choice individuals and group~ throughout the country and to discover "who pays" for the violence. Violence, Drugs & Men's Breast Obsession . -- I, obviously, have strangish sort of notions about life. Violence, drugs, and some of men's breast obsession are two other areas I think a little differently on. I'm sure there are many flaws with my thoughts, and my ideas on this sometimes change, but here are my beliefs today, and I think they are a result of how far from Eden our lives have grown. Look at pregnant women and birth in our culture. Women are not honored throughout their pregnancies. They are, in fact, made to feel fat and unattractive. They are made to feel undesirable. Their health care providers do not spend time preparing them for a safe pregnancy and birth, but spend time on conditioning them to be good little patients. Are women made to feel safe? Are they instructed about nutrition and its importance in the birth process and in building a healthy baby? No. Are they told about the benefits to their baby's health and the likelihood of a safer birth by having a natural childbirth and being in an upright position? No. Women usually have multiple interventions thrust upon them. They are made to believe that it is just fine to have a doctor induce a labor if he is going to be out of town than it is to wait for the "apple to get ripe and fall off the AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 tree." They are repeatedly encouraged to take narcotics and other drugs during labor, as well as epidurals. The birth process is stolen from them. Babies are introduced to dangerous drugs that fill their systems while still inside their mothers! Many babies are subjected to "inspections" as soon as they are born and aren't left alone to bond with their mothers. Frequently they spend their first night in the hospital nurseries. Women are then not encouraged to nurse their babies, but are frequently led to believe that formula is just fine for their babies (and, I believe, this starts the problems of · obesity in many people). Babies, who have only knowa the safety of their mother's wombs for nine months are then stuck alone in crib to sleep. Most adults don't like to sleep alone, so why should babies? Babies go from the safe womb to the unsafe world. In the hospital, if they are boys, they will probably be circumcised. There is absolutely no medical reasons to circumcise anyone routinely, and this is only done in our culture. Imagine what your reaction would be to being told your daughter would have her labia and cl*toral hood removed at birth ... or your baby's earlobes POST AMERIKAN for that matter. You would think the person was absolutely nuts. So why should the sons of our culture be subjected to genital mutilation in the same manner? There is no reason in the world for this, yet routinely our male babies are subjected to this violence within the first few days after their births. There is a huge breast obsession in our culture (no pun intended), and I think this has to do with how our children are raised. Remember, our children are mostly not nursed at the breast...they are bottle fed. They are not allowed to experience the comfort and nourishment of sucking at their mother's breast and sometimes lazily falling asleep there. Nursing mothers will tell you how any sad and screaming baby can instantly be pacified in public by a nipple in the mouth! They tell you of the sweetness when their newborn baby always places its hand on the mother's breast while nursing ... or how their child came up with his or her own special name for nursing. Yet, most mothers in our culture do not only formula feed their children ... a vastly inferior food, which does not give the child any of the benefits of breastrnilk (including natural antibodies for fending off illness), they then s!id<: their newborn down the hall in a nursery \nsi:~ad of in the mother's bed where it will ff:el safe~ PAGE 15
Continued Mothers and families in general have an unnahual concern with their bodies and their children being covered at all times to be "proper." Human bodies, in their natural state (i.e., naked) then become a great mystery. I remember my first glimpse of a penis when I was five and my friend, Todd, was changing his clothes. I was shocked. Of course there is a breast obsession in our culture! They are a complete mystery! It is sad that a law had to recently be passed in Illinois giving mothers the legal right to nurse their children in public. Isn't this what breasts were designed to do?!?!? Our children are then stuck in child care fulltime, often from six weeks onwards. They are raised by strangers usually in large day care centers, and are overly socialized, I believe in a very negative manner. Ever read Lord of the Flies? If not, it is worth reading. You'll see quickly why I believe that institutionally raised children learn pack behavior. They need to learn to be the aggressor, or they become aggressed upon. Yes, in certain situations, children are better off in day care than in their home, but mostly parents who have their children in child care full time are either lazy, or think that they need things too much ... the new cars, the fancy house, etc. Their priority is not their children they brought into the world, but their acquisition of things. This continues through grade school where the student-adult ratio is even smaller, and children learn worse and worse things. Who gave you YOUR first cigarette?!? It is ludicrous for anyone to think their child is just as well off in a day care center, if not better off because the child will get a competitive edge and be better socialized. There are mothers out there now who are bristling at this, knowing that they MUST work to keep a not-very -nice roof over their heads and food on the table, and to you I say welcome to America! The land of plenty if you are a white male with advantages. No, you can't have an abortion, but you won't be given help to stay home and raise yo!lr children. Catch 22. Our society is a very twisted one indeed, and it breaks my heart. Look at what is out there are popular television. Power Rangers are everywhere! I had an argument with my ex-husband about this (when we see each other, we regularly argueaboutsomething!) and he feels that to completely deny his children this makes them want it more. I explained that my kids saw it once and immediately engaged in "kick fighting" when they went downstairs, and they had never done this before. He said, "We watched Batman!" and I returned by pointing out that they are completely different (I tested this by renting the old Adam West Batman movie. My daughter thought it very funny, and didn't display any violence afterwards, nor try to act aggressively since, based upon the characters of the movie). We could come to no agreement, and his wife, Terri, piped in with, "Well, aren't you glad you two got divorced before you had kids!" We both quickly said yes, with relief. My children aren't allowed guns, and have had it explained to them why guns are not to be toys. They understand violence on television. My oldest has even come down and told me that the cartoon she was watching was over, and now there is a scary cartoon where people are shooting at each other and to please turn it off. If our children PAGE 16 watch violence, and then play violence, they find it much easier to become violent. Spending 6-12 hours a day with other children, and only a few with their families (often watching television) leads children to try and emulate other children rather than (hopefully) the more positive role the parents and siblings are setting. In our culture, active parenting is much harder work. Choosing to learn to be educated about birth instead of learning to become a good patient is hard work. Telling a doctor no, you cannot give me drugs or an episiotomy is much harder than just letting them do whatever they want. Nursing your child for one or more years, and being with your child most of the time instead of away from him or her is much harder than letting a child cry it out, putting them in a nursery and giving them formula so you can get out and "get your life back." I still don't have "my life back" and don't intend to ever have my . old lif~ back. My family is my priority. If I got drunk now and had a hang over, I would still have to get up and take my children to the POST AMERIKAN bathroom in the night, get up with my son at 6:30am when his internal clock goes off, feed them breakfast, and then be an effective parent. Parenting is a responsibility and a commitment to the child and the family. A new way of living needs to be developed to reflect your new status in life. You can't be a successful parent if you try and force a child to fit into your old lifestyle. A new lifestyle reflecting the child's needs as well must be created and nurtured. Breastfeeding. Natural childbirth. Family bed. NO POWER RANGERS (why are girls always in pink anyway!?!). Not circumcising your sons. No gun play. Hmmm .... did I forget anything? Ah, yes ... my old standby ... vaccinations. I'll be brief, as I've gone on enough about this already, but there is a great book out there called Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality by Harris Coulter, a medical historian. He critiques vaccinations, and shows how they result in autism, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, attention-span disorders and, you've got it, impulsive violence. If you want to order a copy, calll-800-433-9942, if you can't order it from a local bookstore. How many children do you know diagnosed with learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, etc.? I think our children our introduced to violence and aggression at a young age. They are taught that their needs aren't going to be met when they need them to be (by letting a baby cry it out, f~r example), they are introduced to dangerous drugs and chemicals at a very young age through birth arid through vaccinations (though told as they get older about the evils of drugs, even though their mothers felt they couldn't live without drugs during the births of their children), they have their foreskins cut off their penises for no good reason, they are raised in day care centers by underpaid employees and other children (who frequently have different values than you want your child having) and society asks why are youth is so violent. It seems very, very obvious to me. Want more information on birth, health, parenting, homeschooling, or know of lots of wooded land with clean water and air for sale in Northern Michigan? Call Marcee at 827- 5843. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995
~' Some Thoughts On Tolerance CONNECTIONS ARE MADE SLOWLY Connections are made slowly, sometimes they grow underground. You cannot tell always by looking what is happening. More than half a tree is spread out in the soil under your feet. Penetrate quietly as the earth worm that blows no trumpet. Fight persistently as the creeper that brings down the tree. Spread like the squash plant that overruns the garden. Gnaw in the dark and use the sun to make sugar. Wave real connections, create real nodes, build real houses. Live a life you can endure: make love that is loving. Keep tangling and interweaving and taking more in, a thicket and bramble wilderness to the outside but to us interconnected with rabbit runs and burrows and lairs. Live as if you like yoursel( and it may happen: Reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in. This is how we are going to live for a long time: not· always, For every gardener knows that after the digging, after the planting, after the long season of tending and growth, the harvest comes. Marge Piercy IT IS POSSIBLE TO LIVE IN PEACE If someone with courage and vision can rise to lead in nonviolent action, the winter of despair can, in the twinkling of an eye be turned into the summer of hope. AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 It is possible to live in peace. Nonviolence is not a garment to put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being. It is possible to live in peace. Nonviolence, which is a quality of the heart, cannot come by an appeal to the brain. It is a plant of slow growth; growing imperceptibly, but surely. It is possible to live in peace. If a single person achieves the highest kind of love it will be sufficient to neutralize the hate of millions. It is possible ~o li:ve in peace. f we are to reach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children. It is possible to live in peace. The future depends on what we do in the present. It is possible to live in peace. Mohandas K. Ghandi Civil Rights Leader POST AMERIKAN A Network of Mutuality We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. There are some things in our social system to which all of us ought to be maladjusted. Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear, only love can do that. We must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects the revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. Before it is too late, we must narrow the gaping chasm between our proclamations of peace and our lowly deeds which precipitate and perpetuate war. One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that ~e seek but a means by which ~e arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. We shall hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. -Martin Luther King Jr. "In spite of everything I still believe people are good at heart.,. Anne Frank PAGE17
News From Voice Voice for Choice wants to thank, big time thank, the following businesses, individuals and organizations for their help with our very successful fundraiser on July 16. First, thanks to Jan and Tony, owners of the Bistro. Jan and Tony not only donated the space for the event, the arranged for a band, Baby Blues, for tarot card readings by Winter Wren, and a number of the raffie prizes for the evening. In addition, we thank them for their generous contribution to our organization. Thanks to Winter for agreeing to do readings during the event and donating half of the proceeds to Voice for Choice. Thanks and kudos to Baby Blues for an excellent evening of music. Their talent and support is much appreciated. Thanks big time to Tana and Ruth at Once Upon A Time Alternative Books and Gifts. Tana and Ruth donated several posters and $100. worth of gift certificates to our raffie. In addition, they donated most of the food provided at the event. Hats off to Mr. Quick, they made the food you enjoyed all evening. Thanks to Babbitt's Books for their donation to the raffie, a beautiful Georgia 0 'Keefe print book valued at $100. In all the event was a success and we had a lot of fun. We appreciate the help and support of those mentioned above. We also truly appreciate the support those of you who attended the event showed us. An additional thanks is owed to those of you unable to attend the event but who sent in contributions. SUPPORT PEACE MARCH BUSINESS COSPONSORS We would like to encourage you fine people to support the businesses who co-sponsored the "Violence: Take a Hike Peace March. Those businesses are: The Bistro Once Upon A Time Alternative Books and Gifts Babbitt's Books Mr. Quick The Garlic Press Bee's Far East Texas Grill Paintin' Place About Books Crossroads The Post Amerikan Baby Blues Bad The Lucca Grill Coffee World Coffeehouse Bourbon Street Other Ports Rocky's The Lafayette Club Washburn Flowers The Gallery These businesses took a stand against violence in this community and we thank them for their commitment and support. We hope you will thank them by supporting their businesses. ABORTION FOES LOSE A federal judge on July 25 refused to dismiss a lawsuit charging several abortion opponents with racketeering for allegedly resorting to violence to force abortion clinics to shut down. / ~olt\)S · Ct:ls • cA&se"1'TES 'f'ba"ats· T-$.J41RT.S·/~aiSIO 6aiT~. AMPS· I'XIISie I:CII'l1~£NT ~'( •"ll:l&ceo A~o'R!&S·~Lio\ AM:> MrJeH .MrAG-1/, N/oRF I!! I "SU y, SELL ,ANJ) -1'R~bE" G.C..'¥ries'i'tPAGE 18 POST AMERIKAN The ruling by U.S. district Judge David H. Coaar ensures the suit, which is 9 years old and has already resulted in one U.S. Supreme Court decision, will be further tied up in appeals. In an 85 page decision, Coar refused to dismiss as defendants three groups that oppose abortion and four leaders. The defendants are Pro-Life Action League, Project Life, Operation Rescue, Joseph Scheidler, Randall A Terry, Andrew Scholberg and Timothy Murphy. Coar did dismiss two other defendants from the lawsuit. The anti-choice forces had contend the racketeering law was unconstitutionally vague and over broad and that their activities were protected by the first Amendment right to free speech. "Because one fights a political cause does not mean that his conduct is immunized from liability," Coar wrote. "The law applies to all citizens in this country, even those who violate the law out of conscience." . The suite alleges the groups opposing abortion and leaders violated racketeering statues by committing extortion, physical and verbal intimidation, arson and other violent acts to try to coerce abortion clinics into closing. In an important decision early last year, the Supreme Court upheld the use of the federal racketeering law by abortion rights advocates in this lawsuit. Coar's decision "keeps our case on track," said Fay Clayton, lead counsel for N.O.W. and other plaintiffs. "We're extraordinarily leased with the court's decision." Attorney Thomas Brejcha, who represents the Pro-Life Action League and Scheidler, said he will probably appeal the decision. Source: Chicago Tribune CHRISTIAN COALITION CONTRACT The People for the American Way have summarized the Christian Coalition Contract with the American F arnily. The contract was unveiled on May 17, by Executive Director Ralph Reed on Pat Robertson's television show "The 700 Club." The following is an analysis of each of the major elements of the contract. Religious Equality Amendment Ralph Reed calls the Religious Equality Amendment the "crown jewel" of the Robertson-Reed contract and it represents a sweeping effort to alter the Bill of Rights for the first time in its 204-year history. Proposed language discussed publicly would authorize prayer by teachers and students, vocal group prayer in classrooms and over school intercoms, and denunciation of religion not only in public schools, but in all public places. Religious expression is already protected by the First Amendment. And, current law protects a wide range of religious expression available to public school students, including organized prayers before or after school, Bible clubs, sharing faith with friends, saying grace before lunch, and praying during the day, subject to the same time, place and manner restrictions that govern all student speech. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995
For ehoice An Amendment directed at promoting religious activity in government-sponsored settings would permit government officials to intrude into one of the most private elements of family life-individual faith. Infringing on the rights of parents to determine the religious upbringing of their children and creating divisive community conf1icts over governmentendorsed religious activities are not pro-family by the wildest stretch of the imagination. A Peter Hart poll conducted last summer found that more than 58 percent of American voters would oppose · student-led prayer that involved officials or administrators in selecting or approving the prayer. By a margin of 4 7 to 3 1 percent, Americans would oppose student-led prayers that offended the religious beliefs of students of different faiths. Abolishing the Dept. Of Education Ralph Reed has called the abolition of the Dept. OfEducation his number one legislative priority. Yet, the Christian Coalition's attacks on public education are far from friendly to American families, the great majority of whom depend on public schools to provide children with opportunities to learn. Among the pro-family efforts that the Christian Coalition would sacrifice by dismantling the Dept. Of Education are Title I funding for poor school districts, which gives children from underprivileged families educational opportunities they would otherwise be denied. In a March 1995, Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll;' 68 percent of Americans said they opposed cutting funding for the Dept. Of Education. School Vouchers The Robertson-Reed Contract calls for diverting taxpayer funds from public education to private schools. The Christian Coalition and other Religious Right groups have a long-term strategy goal of dismantling public education ·in favor of private sectarian schools. Voucher programs would funnel scarce resources away from public education and into private schools and would devastate already struggling school districts in poorer areas. In Milwaukee's five-year-old voucher program, only half of eligible students have taken advantage of vouchers; one third of them returned to public schools after the tirst year of the program, and 40 percent returned after the second year. The real "choice" exercised in a voucher program is made not by parents but by private schools, which may and do reject applicants for a host of factors. A Peter Hart Survey in 1994 found that, by 66 to 28 percent, voters support improving the quality of public schools over using tax funds to send children to private or religious schools. And in the only poll that really counts, voters have soundly rejected vouchers at the ballot box. Cultural Agencies Ralph Reed says the NEA, the NEH and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting "undermine moral values and should therefore be abolished. The Coalition's voter guides translate support for continued NEA funding as support for "taxpayer-funded obscene art." In truth, NEA funded projects and institutions contributed greatly to families and communities and to the understanding of American values. AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 Public broadcasting provides the vast majority of educational and children's programming and the only alternative to the sometimes violent, adult material that commercial broadcasters provide. Where do parents go when the programming on commercial television is not pro-family or pro-children? The go to public broadcasting. In fact, Sesame Street and Barney are the two most-watched series on television among preschoolers. While CPB opponents claim that broadcasting viewers are elitist, the facts say otherwise: more than 57 percent of the children who watch public broadcasting come from families with household incomes of$40,000 or less. In addition, public broadcasting has been a leader in the development of new educational tools through the use of technologies for distance learning, helping to ensure that all American children will be productive citizens in the information age. An Opinion Research Corporation Poll released in January reported that 84 percent of Americans. supported current or increased levels of funding for public television. A 1994 Lou Harris poll indicated that 60 percent of the American public believes the federal government should provide financial assistance to arts organizations, such as museums, dance, opera, theater and symphony orchestras. Almost as many, 56%, said they'd be willing to pay $15. More in their own taxes to support federal efforts in the arts. Parental Rights The Contract calls for "protecting parental rights in the care and nurturance of their children." The Christian Coalition would like to eliminate comprehensive sex education from public schools and replace it with abstinence only programs. It is not clear whether Robertson and Reed want to give parents veto power over school curricula, requiring a logistically unworkable pre-approval by every parent. A 1994 Peter Hart survey found that 67 % of American voters are concerned about Religious Right opposition to teaching about birth control and disease prevention. A 1992 USA Today/CNN Gallup poll found that 53 percent of Americans would be more likely to support a presidential candidate who took a position in favor of providing condoms to public high school students to prevent AIDS; only 32 percent said such a position would m~e them less likely to support the candidate. Reproductive Choice The Robertson-Reed Contract calls for further restrictions of women's access to abortion services. Robertson and Reed have previously called :ij)r an end to federal funding for Planned Parenthood on the grounds that the organization provides abortion services. It is not clear whether the contract's call for ending "subsidies" for abortion refers to a ban on funding for Planned Parenthood - which receives no funding for abortion services. Planned Parenthood has provided voluntary family planning services to over 4 million Americans each year since 1 9~ 7. - Americans are adamant in supporting women's access to safe and legal abortions. More than 70 percent of Americans believe abortion should be available and should be a choice left up to a woman and her doctor. It is not pro-family to deny women and men affordable information and health services that allow them to make decisions about the size of their families. Source: People for the American Way POST AMERIKAN RELIGIOUS RIGHT AGENDA GAINING GROUND As of May, 1995, the religious right is mounting a number of attacks, state by state, on civil rights. Public education- the attacks include pushing for vouchers, requiring the teaching of religious doctrines like Biblical Creationism in science class; mandating organized school prayer, censoring library and textbooks, forbidding education or counseling that deals with hom*osexuality. Electing activists (like Jim Fisher on the Unit 5 board thank you very much) to school board seats is a primary strategy. Attacks on AIDS education programs are also included. Currently the states of Montana, Idaho, California, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentuck-y, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and Maine are facing religious right legislation attacking public schools. Parental rights movement -promoting radical legislation and state constitutional amendments that would require teachers to get permission from parents before any "controversial" topic is discussed, give vocal minorities control over school curricula, weaken child protection laws, and restrict access to reproductive health services. States facing challenges here include: Washington, Oregon, California, Wyoming, Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky. Motor Voter Congress passed the "motor voter" bill in 1993 o allow people to register to vote at government agencies- when they obtain a driver's license, for example. Some states have refused to implement the law, those states are: California, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, South Carolina. Reproductive freedom Religious Right groups are pushing biased-counseling, mandatory waiting periods, parental notice and other bills to limit access. In addition, inflammatory rhetoric against pro-choice people continues to incite violence. Washington, Oregon, California,Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, North Dakota, PAGE 19
South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, New York,Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Alaska Anti-gay Religious Right political groups continue their broad-based assault on gay and lesbian Americans, including state and local anti-gay ballot initiatives designed to strip gays and lesbians of their basic rights of citizenship state legislation, local ordinances, and school curriculum and censorship battles. Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, West Virginia, Maine, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire. Sex education Right-wing attacks on comprehensive sex education programs -- including the promotion of inaccurate Religious Right sponsored alternative sex ed curricula -- are on the rise, in spite of the polls showing broad public support comprehensive sexuality education programs that promote abstinence but also teach about disease and pregnancy prevention. States under attack include: Alaska, Washington, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Georgia, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Indiana, Virginia, Wisconsin. Free expression People for the American Way is fighting a number of bills designed to suppress artistic expression in print on film, and in recorded materials, and censorship. States under attack in this area include: California, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Maine, New York, Maryland, Florida. Source: People for the American Way HIV TREATMENT QUESTIONED Treatment of HIV infection before it causes symptoms may delay progression to AIDS but does not prolong survival, according to a study reported in the British Medical Journal. The study supports findings from the 1993 Concorde study in Europe that questioned a standard practice of prescribing AZT for people with HIV. Study authors hope to promote discussion about the relative merits of treating HIV early or after symptoms develop, as well as to stimulate scientists to focus more studies on the quality of life among those treated for HIV. Source: Champaign News Gazette PAGE20 HOUSE REJECTS ABORTION IN FEDERAL MEDICAL PLAN A ban on taxpayer-supported abortions for federal workers passed the House July 20. Pushed by conservatives, lawmakers voted 23 5-188 to prohibit civil servants· health care plans from covering abortions unless the woman ·s life was at stake. Such a restriction existed for ten years before President Clinton took oll'ice. The government covers 72 percent of the cost of medical insurance, with employees contributing the rest, and anti-choice legislators viewed this as federally funded abortion. Odd, we thought it was part of the compensation package for employees. Prior to this vote the House had also voted to ban abortions at overseas U.S. military hospitals and to halt aid to organizations involved in the procedure anywhere in the world. The Senate has yet to address the issue this year. Source: Pantagraph GAY COUPLES CAN ADOPT Gay and lesbian couples in Illinois can adopt children together and have the same rights as straight couples for custody. This decision was made by the state Appeals court on July 18. We applaud the decision. The court overturned two separate rulings last year in which lesbian women were not allowed to legally adopt the children of their partners. The decision will allow children of gay and lesbian couples to receive health and social security benefits from their biological· parents partners. FAMILY PLANNING TITLE X DEFUNDED The House appropriations committee has voted not to reauthorize the Title X Family Planning Act. This action has the effect of defunding family planning. Organizations like Planned Parenthood of East Central Illinois stand to loose a significant portion of their funding and therefore family planning services. HOUSE MAINTAINS BAN ON ABORTION FUNDING FOR RAPE AND INCEST SURVIVORS The House also voted to maintain the ban on use of federal funds for abortions for women who have been raped. Essentially what this means is that, if you have been sexually assaulted and the assault results in a pregnancy, it's up to you to find the money to pay for an abortion if that is what you choose to do. In other action the House also voted to prohibit federal funding in cases of late term abortions (DNX), even to save the life of the woman. DNX has been termed "partial birth abortion" by the anti-choice movement. POST AMERIKAN Currently there are only two physicians in the country who perform this procedure (an indication of how often it is performed). DNX is only performed in two cases, if the fetus is already dead, or in the case of very severe fetal deformity. Source: Planned Parenthood & New York Times EXPECT MORE ATTACKS ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Legislation reinstating the gag rule, imposing federal parental notification laws, waiting periods and a host of other restrictions to abortion can be expected as the House moves on the Christian Coalition agenda. We'd like to remind all of our Republican triends out there that Congressman Ewing is supporting all of these antichoice bills. Something to remember, unless of course you're more into climbing the corporate or political ladder. The House is also considering eliminating HIV funding as a federal program and putting it under Block grants to states who will not be obligated to use the money for that purpose. A little something for our Republican friends out there who care about this issue. GOP ADOPTS KLAN TACTICS House Democrats are featured in "wanted posters" developed by the Republican party. The ads have been attacked as racist, sexist and anti-Semitic. Apparently the GOP never noticed that all of the "targeted" House members on the wanted posters were Blacks, women, or Jewish 01; some combination of any of the three. The GOP claims the ads were just a campaign ad meant to identifY those in Congress they hope to defeat. House Majority Leader Dick Armey, a Republican chalked up the incident as "politics is a rough business." Right. The GOP apparently embraced the long-standing KKK tactic as a viable campaign tool. It would appear that politics is a rougher business for some than for others. No white guys were on the wanted posters. Which of course is very surprising since we're being sold a bill of goods about how oppressed and discriminated against white boys are in America. JUDGE HAS MOMENTARY LAPSE OF SANITY A judge who convicted a man of domestic violence then sentenced him to marry the victim dropped the order July 20, stating it was ill conceived. No sh*t. Judge Albert Mestemaker, of Ohio, denied ordering a woman to marry her abuser and then criticized the media for conveying that impression. He then rescinded the order. Mestemaker denies ordering Yvonne Sevier to marry her abuser. It. is a matter of semantics. Technically he didn't order her to marry her abuser. He ordered her abuser to marry her. Gee we're glad that's cleared up. According to court records this is not the first time Mestemaker has ordered an abuser to marry their victim. Source: Pantagraph
MILITIA AND KLAN ACTIVE IN MIDWEST According to "Klan Watch Intelligence Report", a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are over 200 militias and support groups operating nationwide. In Illinois the militia movement consists of The Southern Illinois Patriots League, in Buncombe, IL. A number of militia groups are active in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin. In fact, in those states alone there are 31 militias in operation. Source: Klan Watch Intelligence Report DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATS Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S.- more than rapes, muggings, and auto accidents combined (Surgeon General, 1992). A woman is reported beaten every 15 seconds in the U.S. (Uniform Crime Reports, FBI, 1991) There are at least 4 million reported incidents of domestic violence against women every year. (Dr. Angela Browne, Senate Judiciary Hearing, 1992). According to the Center for Disease Control, a woman is in nine times more danger ofvio1ent attack in her home than on the streets. Over 50% of the women killed in the U.S. are killed by male intimate partners or ex-partners. (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1992). In a 1985 National Crime Survey, one out of six American couples experience at least one incident involving physical assault. 11.6% of all married or cohabitating relationships experience some physical violence within a given year. Women who leave their batterers are at a 75% greater risk of being killed by the batterer than those who stay. (Barbara Hart, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) Battered women are often severely injured- 22 to 35% of women who visit medical emergency rooms are there for injuries related to ongoing abuse. (Journal of American Medical Assoc. 1990) Domestic violence is a significant cause of miscarriage and birth defects. (March of Dimes, 1992) Approximately 50% of the homeless women and children in this country are on the streets because of violence in the home. (Senator Joseph Biden, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Violence Against Women: Victims of the System, 1991) In 1993, nearly 50,000 restraining orders pertaining to violence against intimates were issued in Massachusetts alone. (Commission on Probation, State of Massachusetts) In self-reported data, 35% of adolescents mention at least knowing someone who experienced physical violence in a dating relationship. (Roscoe and Callahan) There are an estimated 600 women in California· Prisons convicted of killing an abusive partner. Roughly translated that means one whole prison is full of women who killed an abusive partner. (California Coalition for Battered Women in Prison). In Illinois, eighteen women convicted of killing their abusers are awaiting Governor Edgar's decision regarding clemency. AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 Uppers/Downers Uppers ... to the organizers of and participants in the First Annual"Violence: Take A Hike" Peace March Uppers ... to Jan and Tony at the Bistro for all of their help to local lefty organizations. Uppers ... to all of those people involved in the recent rejuvenation of downtown Bloomington. Uppers ... to FOX TV for picking up the humorous and daring television show TV Nation. You can catch TV Nation on Fridays at 7pm. Downers ... to the powers that be for cutting all post-secondary education at maximum security prisons in Illinois. WRITE YOUR TEXT 1 .......... 2 .......... 3 .......... 4 .......... 5 ......... . 6 .......... 7 .......... 8 .......... 9 .......... 1 0 ....... . 1 1 .......... 1 2 .......... 1 3 .......... 1 4 ......... . 15 .......... 16 .......... 17 .......... 18 ......... . 19 .......... 20 .......... 21 .......... 22 ......... . 23 ........ 24 .......... 25 ......... . THE DETAILS FOR SALE WANTED FOR RENT FREE OTHER MAIL TO: CLASSY FRIED ADS C/O POST AMERIKAN P .0. BOX 3452 BLOOMINGTON, IL 61702 HOW IT WORKS: 1. A MAIL MATCHES AD OF 25 WORDS OR LESS COSTS $5 AND RUNS FOR ONE ISSUE. EACH WORD OVER 25 COSTS 50¢ ADDITIONAL. . y·-.· ~£'if(\ "I! • 1l T[f ~ rJtlliL--. f't' A" .L'~ Sl{;\ri~ l£ Il () :-:\I{J.)S & l\/1 tJ S I(_~~ Best piilce in D.loo111ington to s.hop Fo.r : CLOTHES POSTERS ROCK/SKATE BLACKLIGHTS JEWELRY BIKER FOR roun FEA'-'s DtJC 1llartens and VANS rg; _#k. ffo/ rf ;JJ 71fljfJR.IjS CD·~ s ~13 N HAIN 828-45"21 (..,.;</ '- ! POST AMERIKAN PAGE21
Mental Ill ness Awareness Week Mental Illness Awareness Week is the first week in October. The week actually will begin Sat., Sept. 30, with a day-long conference held at BroMenn Conference Center. One of the featured speakers will be a nationally known speaker, Brandon Fitch. He and his mother will talk about his schizophrenia, how it has effected their lives and how he has benefited from one of the newest medications, Clozaril. Other speakers include researchers in anxiety and panic disorders and a mental health counselor from our area. There will be depression screening by the Mental Health Association at times and places to be announced later, a candle light vigil and a fund-raising walk to benefit research and the local community. It is important to get better acquainted with neurobiological diseases. It strikes 1 in 10 people and is the most expensive public health issue of our time. There are more production work hours lost to mental illness than any other affliction. It may be considered non-fatal, but 15% of mentally ill people commit suicide. 30% of our homeless are mentally ill. One of the problems that our community deals with (or doesn't deal with) is the low income housing. Our Center for Human Services is making progress against this problem but government, cuts in services make it difficult. C.H.S. has recently received some state funding for outreach services. We have been asking for this for years! Perhaps if the money for assertive outreach had been available we would not have lost Neile Garble to suicide a few years ago. Trained counselors might have seen the danger signs. And maybe Tom Winings, a victim of the heat wave, would still be alive if someone had been more aware of his needs. At least we can see progress being made here to close some gaps in our care system. The rest of our state, however, is in need of help. Although we rank high per capitol income we fall in the bottom ranks in services to the mental ill. Closing state operated facilities makes no sense if community programs have not been put into operation. The Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the Depressive Manic Depressive Support Group and the Mental Health Association sponsor Mental Illness Awareness Week to help educate and advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. We lobby our politicians, write letters, go to Washington and Springfield and try to raise money and awareness. These illnesses are not caused by drugs or alcohol or poor parenting. They may have genetic components or possibly some viral connection. If we can discover the causes maybe we can find a cure. All we know now is that they are an equal opportunity destroyer. PAGE22 Please join me in the fight to educate and improve the lives of those afflicted. It's not their fault! If I can be of any help in making you a more informed citizen please call me, Faye Townsend, 828-0530. Other numbers where you can get information are Anne and Bob Olsen, 454-4983 or John and Bonnie Plesko in Pontiac, 1-815-842-1514. We will all be grateful for your concern. Journey Of Hope If you or someone you know has a loved one who has a serious mental illness there is a program you should know about. It is the Journey of Hope, an education program for families and friends of people with schizophrenia, manic depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. It is a12 week program led by other families specially trained for this. It answers many questions, helps you to understand how to communicate more effectively, not just with your ill family member but doctors and therapists, too. It teaches you how to be an advocate for your loved one. And it gives you a feeling of hope for the future. The next series of classes (free of charge) will begin in late August. For more Information about the Journey of Hope or support groups for the mentally ill and I or their families please call Anne or Bob Olsen,454-4983, Faye Townsend, 828-0530 or John and Bonnie Plesko, Pontiac-1-815-842- 1514. The Journey of Hope is sponsored by AMI, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill. · Clas·s 11: Class Handout #1: A Mental Health Fact (Horror) Sheet 1. In a recent study, respondents were asked to rate which disability groups were most/least acceptable to them. Those disability groups ' most acceptable were individuals with obvious physical handicaps; next came those who were blind or deaf~ The least acceptable people were ex-convicts, the retarded, and alcoholics. Can ,. you guess who was in last place? The mentally ill. 2. There are more people with serious mental illnesses in jails and prisons in America than there are in state mental institutions. There are two times as many individuals with serious mental illnesses in shelters and on the street as there are in state mental hospitals. Thousands POST AMERIKAN mo~ are warehoused in squalid adult homes and nursing homes. Yet on a national average, states still pay more than two thirds of their annual mental health budgets to maintain state mental hospitals. 3. A recent study showed that of all health insurance policies in America, only 37 percent have inpatient coverage for mental illness, and only 6 percent have comparable out-patient coverage. In the case of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a medical patient pays $3,200 out-of-pocket on a $100,000 hospital bill, while a patient with mental illness pays $89,000 out-of-pocket on the same amount. The Mental Health Law Project estimates only one third of the 30 million Americans who require special services for mental disorders actually receive care. 4. Peopl~ with mental illness utilize more Hospital beds than heart disease, cancer and lung ailments combined. Yet funds spent for research per patient come to $203 for cancer, $88 for heart disease, and $7.35 for schizophrenia. The Jerry Lewis Telethon raises millions for Muscular Dystrophy research, helped by huge corporations like McDonald's and Sara Lee. For every person with muscular dystrophy, there are 40 with schizophrenia. Only 1 percent of the corporate and private foundations in America have ever funded research in the mental illnesses. 5. In a recent national survey by NAMI, asking about the causes of mental illness, 71 percent of the respondents believed severe mental illness was due to emotional weakness, 65 percent thought bad parenting was to blame, 45 percent thought the mentally ill bring on their illness and could "will it away," 35 percent cited "sinful behavior," and 43 percent thought mental illness was incurable. Only 10 percent believed serious mental disorders had a biological basis and involved the brain. Early Symptoms of and Responses to Severe Mental Illness Schizophrenia is the major mental illness through out the world. It afflicts approximately one percent of the population of all societies. Current research on schizophrenia indicates the illness results form diverse factors. Genetic, neurological, biochemical and environmental are only a few factors: physical trauma, advanced age or drug abuse may also precipitate or exacerbate the condition. Tragically, schizophrenia most often occurs at a crucial stage of development- in late adolescence or early adulthood. Consequently, many afflicted individuals are prevented ~rom AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995
·~·· developing sufficient vocational or social skills to cope adequately with routine functioning. Not all victims, however, become chronically disabled. Some do recover almost completely from a single psychotic episode. Seldom, unfortunately, do people fully recover if the illness persists without remission for more than six or seven months. According to the World Health Organization, underdeveloped nations show a lower rate of chronicity and dependence and a higher rate of return to productive activity than do technological societies. This may be due partially to the ease with which an individual with mental illness can be reintegrated into agrarian cultures. For example, one can do simple farm chores or harvest crops while hallucinating, whereas performing secretarial tasks or operating complex machinery would be virtually impossible. In addition, the more tranquil pastoral life may be less stressful to certain fragile or predisposed individuals. Usually the illness manifests itself after a period of gradual decline in social, intellectual or vocational activities. Sudden or acute episodes, statistically, have the best chances of recovery. In retrospect, most families recall early signs •-v:·ich went undetected - sometimes for years. ~l. is not until the illness is fully manifested that the family will remember brief or transitory episodes during which a youngster may have experienced visual or auditory hallucinations. Also, because the illness strikes during adolescence (and, more often than not, afflicts quiet or introspective individuals), much of thE:: unusual behavior is assigned to other, more "acceptable" causes. For example, sudden outbursts of a-typical hostility may be interpreted as part of "normal adolescent rebelliousness." Reclusiveness is rationalized as "studiousness," while a decline in academic performance may be excused as a "preoccupation with more relevant issues." In short, the family wants desperately to believe that "nothing is seriously wrong." Likewise, the victim is struggling to deny the illness. Losing control of one's thoughts or behavior- even for a brief period - is a terrifying ordeal. Further, many competent and sensitive professionals wish to delay the ultimate pronouncement; they, too, want to believe the illness may be transitory and not schizophrenia. It is not until a crisis occurs or some totally unacceptable behavior is demonstrated that the nature of the illAes~ is fully ~ckn<~wledged, If; following a crisis, the pat,ient gpes thrpugh a period of rapid decline, thefi}~ly frequently regresses along with the patient. This latter regression is seldom understood by professionals. It is often labeled as "overprotectiveness" or "fostering pathological dependency." This regressive behavior is frequently manifested by constant bickering or defensiveness within the family. What is most regrettable, however, is the tendency for professionals to view this uncharacteristic behavior as representative of the family's usual pattern of interaction, and label it as a "dysfunctional family system." Consideration AUGUST /SEPTEMBER 1995 should be given to viewing the family's reaction as a transitory and unique response to a terrifying or tragic ordeal. Frequently, families are prematurely counseled to "let go." Sometimes they are told to "turn him out on the streets. It's what he needs." Family advocates caution against this. There is no other illness where this advice would be given. Further, "turning him out on the streets" will simply shift what has been identified as pathological dependence upon the family to an equally pathological, unending cycle of dependence upon constantly shifting unfamiliar professionals, or impersonal institutions with the same patterns of "replacement personnel." To make matters worse, the patient is made vulnerable to victimization and homelessness and will, all too often, end up in jail. Family advocates advise family members to remain involved, to trust their instincts, and to actively protect the patient during acute or early phases of the illness. This is a life-threatening illness and the primary concern should be to provide a safe haven for the patient. Intuitively, most families sense the terror which the patient is experiencing due to his or her mounting fears of loss of control and act protectively. Typically, following a bizarre episode or during a crisis, the family will seek help from a psychiatrist or family physician. Quite often the young patient will refuse to cooperate in the treatment plan, refusing medications or therapy. Almost always the family will become angry at this apparent rejection. Because some families can make matters worse, each person must carefully examine his or her basic motivations. Hours will be spent in endless arguments over the patient's irrationality. It is important to remember that the patient may be petrified with fear, knowing that his or her resistance is irrational but unable to quiet the "voices" or control the intrusive hallucinations. Regardless of the steps which may or may not be taken, the course or progression of the illness may not be appreciably altered. Nonetheless, every effort should be made to provide the patient with a non-threatening, non-demanding, non-judgmental, safe environment. POST AMERIKAN Professional help should be sought and advice followed. However, evaluate carefully the advice you receive. If you doubt the expertise of the professional, if you are made to feel guilty, or if the therapist seeks to counsel you rather than focus on ways to alleviate florid symptoms of the patient, seek help elsewhere. Undoubtedly, families can benefit from professional support and guidance. However, the patient's illness should not be interpreted as an opportunity to engage the family in an analysis of "faulty communication patterns."· Although some families have long histories of dysfunction, most families are quite successful in their day-to-day activities: they work, enjoy leisure-time activities with friends, and raise other, relatively stable children. Do not discount these strengths. Do not allow the family to be identified and treated as "sick." Remind the clinician that it is the patient, not the family, who is in need of attention. There is substantial evidence that families do undergo periods of extreme disorientation, conflict, denial and fear. Initially, each family member may withdraw, preoccupied with a review of possible culpability. Feelings of rejection, anger, guilt and fear are typic.al. Almost always, families report periods of deep depression: not unlike intense sorrow or mourning. After a period of time - generally several years - most families accept the full significance of the illness and begin the process of reassembling their lives devoid of shame or guilt. In the process they become knowledgeable by reading everything they can find about mental illness, attending workshops or conferences, and developing coping skills. Non-traditional treatment such as herbal, vitamin therapy and acupuncture are sometimes sought. Ultimately, most place their hopes in scientific research, convinced that only when a cure is found will the stigma and the torment of mental illness disappear. -from WI AMI Connections, by Eleanor Owen PAGE23
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