<^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> ........Catt's Claws # 131 ... October 31, 1996......... ........ A Feminist Newsletter by Irene Stuber......... <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> <^> As of midnight, I officially dub myself a crone. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . The plan is for each of us to "adopt" ten people and make sure they get to the polls Tuesday. There IS a difference between the candidates. Keep your eye on the U.S. Supreme Court - that is the prize. Let's get out the vote. Let's declare, LOUD AND CLEAR: the Gingrich-Dole Contract Out on America's decency and honor is null and void. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . Montreal police may have uncovered one of the worst rings of sex torture to surface in their city for many years. So far it concerns up to 15 teenage girls who were lured from their youth-protection centers to an apartment where they were imprisoned, raped abused, and then forced into sexual slavery. One of those charged is an 18-year-old woman who may have been an victim originally. She faces nine counts while the two men involved - so far - face up to 26 charges. CC always wonders about the morality of prosecuting victims turned badies since Patty Hearst was freed of bank robbery culpability because she had been a kidnap victim -- her willingness to cooperate with her kidnappers was filmed. Seems to me there is a woman's defense issue here if what we've heard is correct, if the woman had been a victim first. This is probably another case where MAN-based law need female revisions to take into consideration things that concern a woman. Brainwashed prisoners in the recent wars were treated in a different way than other "traitors," but women subject to years of abuse when they were helpless are still fighting the prejudices of middle-class, older judge regarding pre-meditation and women being convicted of being cold-blooded killers when they were acting in self-defense under the only circumstance that were available to them. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . The Republican rich stock and bond clippers are screaming about the Clinton administration stepping into a Pabst brewing company case in which more than 87,000 retirees had their retirement health benefits terminated or reduced. Seems the Reps want the big companies to have the right to change or remove benefits AT WILL because they are "liabilities" and cut into profits. About 50,000 GM workers recently got the same double-cross but the appeals court slapped down GM's grab for retiree's money. Women are particularly vulnerable in these cases because ... because men usually fight for themselves and women (who are expected to HELP the men) often find themselves with lower benefit packages than the men based on lower wages and lower seniority. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . Here we go again in the wonderful world of health studies that try to control women and to sell drugs. We feel the medical Mullahs are telling the stories instead of Scheherazade. Yet another study "provides confirmation" that the thickness in the spine and at the neck of the femur increased "significantly" (8% and 4% respectively) after 24 to 30 months of combined estrogen replacement therapy and progesterone in eight female runners with amenorrhea." So rush right out there and get estrogen therapy that guarantees cancer because EIGHT - count 'em EIGHT runners were tested - and somehow 4% and 8% have become SIGNIFICANT (WOW. Even the laws of mathematics are changed when it comes to hustling drugs to women). Remember how THOUSANDS of women from all over the world actually used RU486 and our FDA refused to consider the results and American women by the HUNDREDS had to be tested ... The same with the latest forms of birth control ... even the non-intrusive women's condom ... hundreds, thousands had to be tested over years and years .... and years. But EIGHT women are supposed to be enough to scare women into cancer-causing estrogen usage ... Oh guyz, come on, be reasonable. Talk about hustlers and hucksters... This same set of studies re the use of estrogen claims that nearly 14,000 women in a retirement community in Southern California showed that the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease was one-third less in postmenopausal women taking estrogen, compared with those who never used the hormone. NO FIGURES on how many of the women THEY estimated would develop Alzheimer's... and no figures on how many did... and no, none, nada, zilch on what actually causes Alzheimer's. Man, I'm not a scientist but ... IF Alzheimer's is caused by the lack of estrogen, why aren't you saying men should get estrogen replacement???? WHOOPS - the VERY next day, there was another study which stated people with Alzheimer's appear to have unusually high levels of a certain protein in their blood, and a simple blood test might be able to diagnose the disease before its symptoms appear. GAWD, I'm so sick of health news via the latest edition of "How to raise my company's profit margin by news releases that publicize maybes..." Almost as bad as that awful, lying new study that attempts (AGAIN) to link abortions with breast cancer ... the average normal woman who has sexual intercourse with a male with any regularity probably suffers a dozen or so early abortions (miscarriages) in her lifetime. So cut out this nonsense and get down to medical research. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 841 million people are suffering from famine. And things are not going to get any better. Of course women and children make up almost 90% of the famine victims in any area because the men are strong enough to fight and take the available food. We wish that those who oppose birth control and sex education would be forced to live on the streets of South American cities, in the camps in Africa, and the streets of Calcutta - and be fed the same and live under the same conditions as those millions - including the horribly tortured children and women who are always the last in line for food or shelter. And those I would condemn to those conditions include Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II who live in luxury and have the finest medical care while condemning millions of women and children to a life of hell. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . Marjorie Orr of the London-based Accuracy About Abuse is doing unbelievably good work. Contact her If you are interested in the finding out facts - FACTS - about the abuse of women and children. Marjorie Orr, Accuracy About Abuse, PO BOX 3125, London NW3 5QG, Tel: 44. 171.431.5339, FAX: 44.171.433.3101, Recently she pointed out how women who are forced into giving up their children for adoption often blot out the memories so completely that they can't remember dates or even the sex of their child - just the pain. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . A note about poverty and hunger was sent to Abigail's Rebels list and I thought more of us should read and ACT on it: "Leaving the grocery store the other day, I noticed the food pantry donation box ... After thinking about the things I would donate, I had to force myself to look back at the times that I used food pantries to cover food for the 1 or 2 weeks in the month that food stamps did not. "I remember being very poor and always trying to stretch my dollars. Food stamps NEVER covered the entire month no matter how hard I stretched them. I always bought the basics (with an occasional splurge on soda or mock tenderloin for my B-day *LOL*). I can't tell you how many recipes I concocted using potatoes, rice, or noodles!! Canned fruit and veggies always lasted longer than fresh ones Most people who donate to food pantries donate these inexpensive "necessities". I remember my frustration with using food pantries, because often I would come home with a few bags of goods that I already had in my cupboards and "wouldn't it be nice to have something new for dinner". "The things I appreciated the most were: dish soap and other cleaning products, paper plates (for those busy mothers who are not so "environmentally" sound like myself), toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, and all of those necessities that cannot be bought with food stamps when there's no money left over after paying the rent. "As far as food goes, I encourage people to think of this: Many poor people already buy the inexpensive, necessary food sources that are donated. I'm not saying that these things aren't needed. They most definitely are, but think of other things to donate also. Isn't it always nice to sit down to a glass of soda while watching tv? "Popcorn is a nice treat. Coffee for the adults and hot cocoa for the kids are expensive products that are rarely bought, but is always nice - especially on those cold winter days. And, boy, would my daughter have LOVED a box of Cocoa Pebbles or Lucky Charms (which I could never afford to buy). What about snacks which are usually expensive: Oreo cookies, Doritoes, etc. are all nice treats that are rarely experienced in poor families. "Anyway, my suggestion this year for those interested is to donate some "luxuries" to the food pantries or some non-food necessities along with some of the usual necessities. " There but for the grace of GAWD, go I ... Another Abigail's Rebel subscriber wrote: "Our organization has "adopted" our homeless shelter. Each month we check with the director to see what is needed most. Our members are asked to bring those types of donated items to our organization's meeting. The most requested items are cleaning supplies, office supplies and paper products of all types. In food, canned meat and meat dishes are the most often requested. While canned ham would be nice, chicken alone or in a main dish like chicken and dumplings are very welcome. Meat is accepted as a necessity in every meal in most of our homes, but that's not true in low income homes. Also be careful about donating mixes or main dish additions that call for expensive items to complete. (A cake mix or pancake mix requiring eggs may not be useable while ones not needing them are a welcome treat.) And Betty wrote: "In our area, the food pantries are chronically short of fruit. I work in a church office, and our two most frequent requests are for bus tokens and disposable diapers." And Jennifer wrote: "Our pastor broached the subject: "how much should I give?," citing that most middle class folk (such as myself) throw a couple of dollars in the collection basket on the way to more expensive after-mass brunches. He demanded that we give at the MINIMUM an hour's wage. And during the summer, the pastor installed clear lucite collection boxes specifically for poor & then demanded that every man, woman, and child put in $1 for the eight weeks of summer when the need seems to be the most critical. People could see the money grow, and that was heartening for most. Now everyone is asked to bring at least one food item to mass which will be brought to the offering as part of the offering. I always include small toiletries. When I have a christmas party, I ask my friends to bring clothes and food for our local battered women shelter. "People can complain that this kind of "can & dollar" charity doesn't make a dent in poverty and in fact perpetuates it -- what is truly needed in structural change. True, True, True. But right now, people are hungry." And that my friends is the bottom line: PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY. We MUST help. Most humans who are in poverty today are women and children - and most women and children today are only one paycheck from poverty. Like many single parents today, I spent 20 years of my life in panic every Friday until I got my check and knew I wasn't getting fired that week. It was an irrational fear but one paycheck never went far enough with three children to ever set up a savings account. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . The world renowned Vienna Philharmonic Symphony orchestra is coming to the U.S. for a concert tour. This is the orchestra that forbids women and openly states that male and ethnic uniformity gives them aesthetic superiority and will NEVER hire a woman. What it REALLY gives them is a bridge to the past and the philosophy of Hitler and the Nazi. This tour is a homage to racial and sexist bigotry. Laurence Tucker at Columbia Artists Management International, 165 West 57th New York, NY 10019 is organizing the Vienna Philharmonic's American tour. Then there is Richard Colburn, head of the Friends of the Vienna Philharmonic, 1120 La Collina, Beverly Hills, California 90210 So far the bigoted Vienna group is set for a concert in Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa near Los Angeles on March 4th and 5th, 1997, and Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 7th, 8th, and 9th, 1997, write to the Carnegie Hall Administration, 881 7th Avenue, New York, N.Y 10019. Thanks to William Osborne for supplying the dates and addresses. We don't need "Sieg Heil" music here ... no women, no blacks and probably no Jews allowed to make the music - although we inferiors are allowed to buy tickets and $upport the Vienna master sex-race of musicians. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . Women are beginning to mature in politics. Not only are they running for more and higher offices, but they are learning to write checks to back candidates - candidates who think, look, and act like women. Margolies-Mezvinsky, president of the Women's Campaign Fund, a non-partisan group expects to raise some $1.5 million this year to help fund female candidates who favor abortion rights. EMILY's List, one of the biggest political fund-raising groups for women candidates, has so far raised $6 million for Democratic office-seekers who favor abortion rights. The Wish List, which stands for Women in the Senate and House and Republican women who favor abortion rights, has given out $325,000 so far to a total of 25 candidates, according to its political director, Karen Raye, said. The Susan B. Anthony List headed by Jennifer Bingham, a non-partisan political action committee has raised $250,000 for anti-abortion women candidates. After this election (s in their losing race in 1992) look for the Republicans to try to do something about the way women are using the bundling of individual contributions. Good luck, fellas. Women are here to stay and we've learned that money makes politicians melt in your hand, so we are melting our own people for our own pot of golden opportunity. Almost every state also has a type of Emily's List for women running for local offices. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . Molly Ivins, in a recent column, really pegged Bob Dole's nastiness by inference by citing how Michael Dukakis, when she saw that he was losing big, got on the high road and became a statesman in his campaign speeches. Barry Goldwater did the same thing. But Dole is getting downright filthy. AWFUL. Poor man. He had a respected career in the U.S. Senate (if you didn't look into the dirty corners too closely) but he is heaping shit on his own head by his bitterness in this campaign. Talk about someone who is doing himself in...And Kemp the Republican version of the Pillsbury dough boy with his sugar daddy Steve Forbes ain't doing much for his expected run for the top slot in the year 2000. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . In a recent study Vicki Fitzsimmons, an associated professor of family economics at the University of Illinois pointed out a fact that has caused a lot of argument: Women are sometimes reluctant to give up controls at home and are therefore somewhat to blame for having to carry a disproportionate load in housework, cooking, shopping, etc. "In some cases, women are reluctant to give up their territory to their spouses or to lower their standards of cleanliness," she said. "Thus, the view of wife as homemaker continues even though many women are primary or co-breadwinners in the marriage." Women who participated in her survey said they did 18 household tasks either more than their husbands or exclusively by themselves. However, at least half of men and women surveyed believe that certain chores should be shared equally, including shopping for food, daily care of the children, laundry, cleaning, straightening up the home and making appointments for the family. Other tasks, also in the wife's domain, should be shared, according to the wives surveyed, but their husbands did not agree. Such conflict can lead to high stress levels, emotional distress and even marital instability. Instead of blaming men for not doing their fair share, couples need to analyze why they are not doing what each of them believes to be right in sharing housework, Fitzsimmons said. OK, let's be honest about all this. Most men have been raised to be lazy (most women would probably be lazy also if they had had a chance to develop that way). So volunteering for work is something that most men never think of. Most women are raised to feel guilty, and many were raised by mothers who were so downtrodden and without personal lives that they could only see themselves as caretakers for the menfolk. These women feel guilty about pushing work off on their men ... And the men know from their spoiled childhoods that if they act awkward and don't do a job right, Mom will take over and do it. Well ladies, stop acting like MOM - 50 - 50 and if you can't figure out who does what, draw lots. He won't clean clean? Shrug it off and invite HIS parents to eat off the dirty dishes... or invite someone he respects ... And if he complains about ring around the collar, leave a Christmas present under the tree consisting of a wire brush and a bar of lye soap for his neck and give him the operating directions that come with the washing machine. As few years ago I was in a bad situation and gripping my head off because I was being used. I was being taken advantage of. "When will it stop?" I moaned into my beer. The gentleman on the next stool (who knew the situation) turned to me and said, "It'll stop when YOU want it to and not before." I know my mouth went like a fish as I was trying to find a rebuttal but no words came out. I faced the truth. Was I actually enjoying being a martyr? I couldn't believe *that*. So I said it either stops or I go. It stopped because I meant it. I would have left otherwise. The abuse of carrying the full load and responsibility for the operation of a household will stop when the woman says: STOP and not one second before. . . . . . . . ^c^c^ . . . . . . . Remember, if one used the criteria used in France and other civilized countries instead of the false criteria of the (American) Centers for Disease Control, the rate of pregnancy-related-deaths in the United States would be 23.5 per 100,000 births (not 10 as the CDC says). This translates to 935 deaths of women in 1994 due to pregnancy - OR - 2.5 deaths of women due to pregnancy EVERY SINGLE day. Five women in the United States with its so-called great medical system die of pregnancy-related problems every two days! Over a ten-year period that comes to at least 9,350 women who have died of pregnancy-related problems. The figures are inexact because birth rates fluctuate. How Women have been lied to in this country is beyond belief! Pregnancy IS dangerous. Five women die every two days from something we women have been taught is as easy as a man having an orgasm, giving birth. But what is even MORE damning is that nearly 25% of all deliveries (actually deliveries) result in serious complications for the mother. That means: in 1994 (the latest figures available from the CDC) covering 3,979,000 live births, almost ONE MILLION women suffered serious medical problems because of birthing. WHY ??? ONE MILLION SERIOUS MEDICAL PROBLEMS EACH YEAR !!! Can you imagine ANYTHING that could happen to a man - including getting bald - that involved one million of them per year that wouldn't get millions upon millions of dollars worth of research per HOUR? Our deepest thanks to U.S.Representative Pat Schroeder (D-Colo) for commissioning the study that uncovered these terrible figures. Now, kiddies, do you think maybe someone in the feminist movement might get off their duff$ and start a fight for mother's lives? Or even publicizing these horrendous figures? ....................... * ........................ Women's rights are young and tender and we must protect them from the plagues of holy hypocrisy and newts. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>> Send your ideas, comments, and news to istuber@cswnet.com for inclusion in the Catt's Claws feminist newsletter which will be emailed up to three times a week. This is NOT an interactive discussion net but an exchange of information. Catt's Claws is NOT sponsored by any organization. We are accepting *limited* donations (only what can be spared) to help offset the online costs of posting Catt's Claws. Copyright 1996, Irene Stuber. PO Box 6185, Hot Springs, AR 71902.<<<< To receive Catt's Claws by email, write and in the body of the note We thank Jennifer Gagliardi for handling the madding subscription list through her listserv.