California NOW

Boxer vs. Fiorina Debate: What's the Takeaway for California Women?

Last night was the first debate between U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and Ex-CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina.  We already knew that there was a stark difference between the candidates, but here are some of the views that were explicitly stated during the debate:

Marriage Equality: Boxer supports it, Fiorina opposes it.

Reproductive Freedom: Boxer strongly supports it, Fiorina said she would like to overturn Roe v Wade.

Immigration: Both candidates support the DREAM Act (Boxer is a co-sponsor), Fiorina opposes comprehensive immigration reform and supports Arizona's SB 1070.

Environment: Boxer supports protections and green energy programs, Fiorina views them as job killers, refuses to say whether she thinks global warming is real.

On the economy both candidates claimed to support policies that will rebuild the economy for the country and California, but it became clear that Boxer comes from a place of support for social justice, and Fiorina from a place of support for tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals.

The Sacramento Bee declared the debate largely a draw until the closing statements, where Boxer pulled ahead by clearly stating the differences between herself and Fiorina.

For those who may have seen Fiorina as a pro-business moderate, her views on issues such as firearms (she supports allowing individuals on the no-fly list to have guns, and opposes the ban on assault weapons) and abortion may have opened some eyes.

Polling shows the race is very close; Boxer is at 44% and Fiorina at 43%.  Fiorina has put over $5 million of her own money into the race, while Boxer has over 100,000 individual donors to her campaign.

Governor Schwarzenegger, California Needs You to Sign These Bills!

Many of the bills we have supported are now on their way to the Governor.

We have bills to protect children from predators and toxic products, help women in prison, ensure that women can get maternity coverage, mammograms, and cervical cancer tests, protect farm workers and breastfeeding mothers, and more!

Here are talking points you can use to write an email and make a quick call asking Governor Schwarzenegger to sign into law these important protections for women and girls throughout the state.

The Impact of the Recession on Single Mothers' Employment

Reprinted with permission from Legal Momentum.

Already High Unemployment Jumps Even Higher and More Single Mothers Reduced to Part-time Work

Single mothers have consistently experienced a far higher rate of unemployment than the population as a whole, and this pattern has continued during the economic downturn that began in December 2007. In 2007, the average monthly unemployment rate was 8.0 for single mothers compared to 4.6 for the population as a whole.1 In 2009, the unemployment rate was 13.6 for single mothers compared to 9.3 for the population as a whole. The single mother unemployment rate may have grown even higher than 13.6 in 2010.

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will not publish the single mother unemployment statistic until the year is over, BLS does publish on a monthly basis the unemployment rate for “women who maintain families,” about two-thirds of whom are single mothers.2 The average monthly unemployment rate for women who maintain families was 11.9 in the first seven months of 2010, compared to 11.5 in 2009.3

The economic downturn has also led to an increase in the fraction of employed single mothers who work only part-time from 18% in 2007 to 22% in 2009.

1 The single mother data cited here are the data for women with own children under 18 years with no spouse present reported in Table 5 of the annual Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publication “Employment Characteristics of Families in (year)."

Total population unemployment rates are from the BLS table “Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population, 1940 to date."

2 “Women who maintain families” include all women who rent or own a house and who live with a relative other than a spouse. The relative may be a parent or sibling, for example, as well as a minor child.

3 Unemployment rate data for women who maintain families retrieved from http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/srgate using code LNU04000313.

Legislative Update

Below are the California NOW priority bills in the 2010 legislative session whose status has changed since last week. You can use the links to read more on each bill.

As you can see, most of our remaining bills have passed the legislature, although we are deeply disappointed at the failure of AB 2578 (Jones) which would have limited health insurance companies' ability to make dramatic and unjustified rate increases.

Later this week we'll bring you an action list of the bills that are on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. 

Assembly

AB 33 (Nava & Cook) Child abduction: sex offender identification. Support.
Status: to Enrollment.

AB 482 (Mendoza) Ban the use of pre-employment credit checks. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

AB 1602 (John A. Perez) Health care coverage. Watch
Status: to Enrollment.

AB 1640 (Evans) Breast and cervical cancer screening. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

AB 1701 (Chesbro) Hypodermic needles and syringes. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

AB 1825 (De La Torre) Maternity services. Support
Status: to Enrollment. 

AB 1858 (Blumenfield) Hypodermic needles and syringes: exchange services. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

AB 2578 (Jones) Review of proposed insurance rate hikes. Support
Status: Failed passage.

Senate

SB 442 (Ducheny) Clinic corporation: licensing. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

SB 929 (Pavley) Hazardous materials: children's jewelry: heavy metals. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

SB 1029 (Yee) Hypodermic needles and syringes. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

SB 1266 (Liu) Inmates: alternative custody. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

SB 1399 (Leno) Parole: physically or cognitively debilitated or incapacitated inmates. Support
Status: to Enrollment.

Urgent: Call NOW to Save AB 2578!

Last night, AB 2578 (Jones) failed passage on the Senate floor by only four votes! Today is the final day of the Legislative session for the year and we expect it to be taken up for another vote this afternoon. AB 2578 requires approval from the Department of Insurance or the Department of Managed Health Care before health insurance rates may be raised. We need it to prevent the excessive premium increases like those announced by Blue Cross and Blue Shield last week.

These Democratic Senators failed to vote for the bill last night. call and insist that they do the right thing by supporting the bill today!

Sen. Ron Calderon (Los Angeles) 916-651-4030 – voted no
Sen. Lou Correa (Santa Ana) 916-651-4034 – voted no
Sen. Gloria Negrete-McLeod (LA/San Bernadino) 916-651-4032 - abstained
Sen. Alex Padilla (Los Angeles) 916-651-4020 - abstained
Sen. Lois Wolk (Davis) 916-651-4005 - abstained
Sen. Rod Wright (Los Angeles) 916-651-4025 – voted no

Pushing for a Family Recovery Budget

As you know, the state budget is is desperate straits this year, with a $20 billion funding gap, and politicians seemingly more intent on drawing lines in the sand than helping California's families.

We've joined the statewide Health and Human Services Network in urging legislators to move towards compromise on a truly family-friendly budget that will utilize specific revenue increases to ensure that the budget is not balanced solely on the backs of our neediest citizens, who have already seen significant social safety net service cuts over the past few years as the economy has made these programs even more necessary.

Now we need YOU to contact state legislators and let them know that their constituents demand a realistic budget that includes revenue increases.  If you have progressive legislators, encourage them to hold strong, and if you have conservative legislators, ask them to do the right thing for their constituents and the state by supporting a budget that looks beyond ideology and party lines to help real Californians and our families!

Look up your state legislators here and call, email, and fax!
We are especially asking people to target the following Republican legislators who may be able to be swayed to help our needy families:
Senator Roy Ashburn  - Bakersfield, Bishop, Yucca Valley
Senator Dave Cogdill - San Joaquin & Fresno County
Assemblymember Anthony Adams (email) - San Bernardino, Glendora, Hesperia
Assemblymember Bill Berryhill (email) - Modesto, Stockton, Tracy
Assemblymember Connie Conway (email) - Visalia, Porterville, Bishop
Assemblymember Danny Gilmore (email) - Hanford, Bakersfield, Wasco
Assemblymember Roger Niello (email) - Sacramento, Citrus Heights
Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (email) - Santa Clarita, Ventura County
Assemblymember Michael Villines (email) - Fresno, Madera, Clovis

Talking points:

• In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) funding creates thousands of jobs for care providers, and helps our state's disabled and elderly populations.
• Child-care programs like CalWORKS create two jobs for every position - one for the parent who can only be employed with adequate child care, and one for the child care provider - cuts to this program could lose the state up to 430,000 working adults.
• California is the only oil-producing state that does not tax oil extraction - even conservative states like Texas and Alaska tax oil companies to remove oil, which is a public resource and should provide a public benefit.  Adding an oil extraction tax could bring in $1 billion.
• California must delay the $2 billion in corporate tax cuts that were passed last year, we can't afford to give away state money when our budget faces a $20 billion shortfall.
• We must close the loopholes that allow corporations to avoid property tax reassessment when properties are sold.  Prop. 13 was meant to help homeowners, not plump up corporate profits!
• The income tax bracket for highest earners established by Republican Governor Pete Wilson should be temporarily reinstated while the state is in financial crisis. We cannot balance the budget solely on the back of those in poverty!

Monday's Action Checklist

Women get short-changed every day. We’re paid less than men. We struggle to afford child care. As we age, we’re at greater risk of poverty. Women need real economic security — good jobs with fair pay, decent child care and a secure retirement. Because when women thrive, so do our families, our communities and the economy. Take the I Am Not Worth Less pledge to help make sure our Senators stop discounting women’s needs and women’s paychecks!

Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs violate of young people's rights by denying them access to information that could, in some cases, literally save their lives — but the problems don't stop there. They teach our children that condoms don't work. They reinforce gender stereotypes and excuse sexual assault. They tell gay and lesbian youth to "wait until marriage" in a country that won't let them get married. If you haven't yet asked your Governor to reject abstinence-only-until-marriage funding, now is the time to take a stand. Click here to take action!

California's own Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi are in the running for DFA's Congressional Progressive Heroes contest, and they could both use the support that winning would bring to their reelection campaigns. Vote and help them out!

Feminist lawyer and activist Gloria Allred began a fast on July 27th to bring attention to the Equal Rights Amendment (House Joint Resolution 61), introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).  Her 90-meal solid-food fast ended August 26, the 90th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage. You can show your commitment to passing the Equal Rights Amendment, and demand that your member of Congress take action by signing a letter of support for the ERA!

Former Republican Senator from Wyoming Alan Simpson, who this week called Social Security "a milk cow with 310 million tits," is unfit to continue as co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.  If he doesn't have the decency to resign, President Obama should fire him.  TAKE ACTION: Join NOW's "Tits for an Ass" Campaign!  For every $5 you send to the National Organization for Women, we'll deliver a baby-bottle nipple to the White House in your honor as we call on President Obama to relieve Simpson of his duties on the commission. 
Learn more about Alan Simpson, share his outrageous quotes with your friends, and join the fight to protect Social Security. 
Tell President Obama: "Send Simpson Back to Wyoming".
The deficit commission might as well be called the Catfood Commission; it's stacked with so many people who want to cut Social Security that senior citizens would be so poor they'd have to eat cat food. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Catfood Commission is considering at least four types of benefit cuts to Social Security. Tell President Obama to can the commission!

FOX News' parent company News Corp gave an astounding $1 million corporate contribution to the Republican Governors Association. FOX is no legitimate news organization, it's an integral part of the right wing's propaganda machine, with a formal political agenda to promote right wing ideas and elect right wing candidates. Objective media outlets don't report on elections while simultaneously making million dollar contributions to influence them. During FOX's 2010 governors race coverage, FOX must disclose News Corp's million dollar support of Republican gubernatorial candidates. Sign the petition demanding that FOX post a disclaimer during its election coverage. 
You can also click here to declare your household "Fox free" and call on establishments in your community (and across the country) to follow your lead and turn off Fox.
Congress has a bill—the DISCLOSE Act—that wouldn't stop these donations but would at least drag these donations out into the light by forcing disclosure of the donors behind the front groups. Call your senators today and ask them to support Sens. Schumer and Leahy in bringing back the DISCLOSE Act! Senator Barbara Boxer: 202-224-3553 Senator Dianne Feinstein: 202-224-3841

Fox's Glenn Beck tried to hijack Martin Luther King's legacy for his own rightwing agenda - and the corporate media gave saturation coverage to help him. Yes, the same Glenn Beck who insisted President Obama "has a deep-seated hatred for white people ... This man is a racist." Yes, the same Glenn Beck who said social justice "leads to death camps" and "a Jew, of all people, should know that." Yes, the same Glenn Beck who called Hillary Clinton "the stereotypical bitch." Yes, the same Glenn Beck who dramatized giving Speaker Nancy Pelosi a glass of wine with poison. Over 60,000 progressive activists are boycotting Fox News advertisers, and 200 advertisers have pulled their support of Beck's program. You can join the boycott here.

The show "10 Things I Hate About You" featured one of the few openly feminist young women on television, and now it has been canceled. You can follow the campaign to save the show on Twitter, or join the protest September 25 in Burbank.

Are You What the Next Governor is Looking For?

In spite of gains made during the current administration, the number of women serving in gubernatorial appointed positions – high level, paid and volunteer – does not effectively reflect the number of women or the diversity of women who live in California. Building on the best efforts of the Schwarzenegger Administration, California NOW as part of a coalition of women’s groups is urging the current gubernatorial candidates to support the nonpartisan California Women’s State Appointment Project to inspire, recruit and promote women across the state to apply for appointments at the state level.

We know there are many amazing women throughout California. As the stat faces so many challenges we need to engage these women and encourage them to serve.  Our goal is to not only increase the number of women in appointed office,  but to ensure that boards and commissions reflect the rich diversity of California. The coalition intends to present the next Governor thousands of resumes from women around the state interested in serving in high level, paid and volunteer appointed positions.

The application along with information to answer questions on the process is located on California Women’s
State Appointment Project’s website. After the November elections, these
applications will be delivered to the newly elected governor.

Barbara Boxer on Women's Equality Day

Senator Barbara Boxer issued an inspiring statement yesterday on the anniversary of women's suffrage. 

"Ninety years ago today – on August 26, 1920 – the 19th Amendment to the Constitution became law.  The Amendment states simply, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.”  With fewer than 30 words, a new era of American history was ushered in.

"When I first entered the Senate in 1993, the number of women Senators tripled - from two to six.  That year alone, we passed legislation that dealt with women’s health, domestic violence, education funding, environmental protections, and deficit reduction. And our country has only become better for that.

"Today there are a record 17 women in the Senate.  And we’ve made more progress, especially in this Congress.  Last year we passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act, ensuring that women could access equal pay.  And this year we passed landmark healthcare reform that will help so many Americans — in part by barring insurance companies and state laws from considering pregnancy, or just being female, as a preexisting condition.

"Of course, we still have a long way to go.  One of my favorite statues in the U.S. Capitol depicts three heroes of the suffragette movement: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott.  The sculptor, Adelaide Johnson, left the marble around the women’s busts unfinished in acknowledgement of what we had yet to achieve, from equal representation and pay in the private sector to finally seeing our first female President.

"As we recall the giants of women’s suffrage, we can rededicate ourselves to their noble goal: ensuring that full equality is the rule in our country, not the exception.  There is no better way to honor the brave women who came before us and to create even more opportunities for those who come next."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the 90th Anniversary of Suffrage

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement yesterday to mark Women’s Equality Day and to celebrate the 90th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote:
 
“On Women’s Equality Day, we honor the brave suffragettes who altered the course of history and ushered in a new age of progress for all Americans.  These pioneers marched and organized, struggled and sacrificed, for the cause of equality – and in the name of a better life for generations of women and girls yet to come.
 
“On this day 90 years ago, their dream was realized.  And it is up to us today to use the right to vote – the right so many fought to secure – for the advancement of all Americans, to ensure a better future for our families, and to guarantee that the voices of America’s women echo from polling places to the chambers of government.
 
“In Congress, we work day in and day out to build on the work of early suffragettes by improving the lives of women.  Our efforts to create jobs are critical to America’s women, as we now make up half of the workforce.  From the Lilly Ledbetter Act to health insurance reform, we are giving women the tools to secure fair treatment in the workplace and build healthier lives at home.  And today, for the first time in history, three women serve as justices on the United States Supreme Court.
 
“Despite all the progress we’ve made, we know there is still a long way to go.  Women still make up just 17 percent of both the House and Senate, and earn 77 cents for every dollar men make.  It’s past time for the Senate to take up the Paycheck Fairness Act – already passed by the House – to right this wrong.
 
“Nine decades after the 19th amendment took effect, our journey for equality goes on.  Standing on the shoulders of giants, we must engage in the political process, embrace our heritage, and never stop fighting for a brighter future for every American.”

Friday Fun: Suffrage Songs

On the Friday after Women's Equality Day, what else could we bring you but the Schoolhouse Rock classic, Sufferin' Until Sufferage!



And here's one for the international suffrage movement, Sister Suffragist from Mary Poppins.

Enthusiastic Consent

 I've blogged about the concept of Enthusiastic Consent before, here and other places, and I have got to say:  I do not get how this offends people.  I mean, it's merely saying, "Only have sex with people who really want to have sex with you."

But offended they are, and I think I've sussed out a little of the why.

There is an element out there who think that if they can't "convince" women to have sex with them, that they will never have sex again.

Now, for many of these guys, this is patently ridiculous.  I know a couple who could have lots of Enthusiastically Consented to sex if they'd pull their heads out, for a start.

One of the excuses often given is that it's too difficult to talk about sex, that many people don't have the vocabulary, etc...  Ok, I don't know about you, but when I'm enthusiastically consenting to sex with anyone very few words are actually involved.  And most of those are of the "Oh, right there!" variety.  You don't need to compose a doctoral thesis on the elements of sexual pleasure to get and have enthusiastic consent.

Lets look at a few examples.  I feel like I want to do a "Goofus and Gallant" cartoon for this, like from Highlights magazine.

Take Action on Legislation for California Women and Girls!

What better way to recognize the 90th anniversary of our right to vote than by taking action on bills that will impact California's women and girls? Many of the bills we have supported are now on their way to the Governor. Here are talking points you can use to write an email and make a quick call asking Governor Schwarzenegger to sign into law these important protections for women and girls throughout the state.

American Women's History Timeline

Although we know it is by no means complete, we share this partial timeline of American Women's History to celebrate Women's Equality Day and the passage of suffrage. Please contact us with your suggested additions!

1840 – Women at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London are refused seats on the convention floor and the right to participate in discussions or vote on issues.

1841 – The first woman graduates from the men’s Full Course at Oberlin College, the first American co-educational college.

1848 – The First Women’s Rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. A Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions is adopted, setting the tone for the future women’s movement.

1850 – The I.M. Singer company introduces the Singer sewing machine, resulting in a demand for female sweatshop workers.

1851 – Amelia Jenks Bloomer introduces her bloomer trousers for women. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published.

1853 – Antoinette Brown is the first U.S. woman ordained as a minister in a Protestant denomination.

1855 – The University of Iowa becomes the first state school to admit women.

1865 – Belle Boyd, a spy for the Confederate Army, is captured and imprisoned by the Union army.

1867 – Cigar makers are the first union to accept women and African Americans.

1868 – Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from an American medical school as a licensed physician opens her Women’s Medical College in New York City.

1869 – Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton found the National Woman Suffrage Association. Lucy Stone founds the American Woman Suffrage Association. Women win the right to vote in the territory of Wyoming. In Iowa, Arabella Mansfield becomes the first American woman admitted to the bar. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is published.

1872 – Congress passes a law to give women federal employees equal pay for equal work. Susan B. Anthony and 16 other women are arrested for attempting to vote in the Presidential election. Victoria Woodhull runs for the presidency under the Equal Rights party. Margaret Knight invents a machine to fold and glue square-bottomed paper bags.

1873 – The Comstock Law is passed, making information on contraception “obscene material.” The Women’s Christian Temperance Union is founded. The first American nursing schools open.

Legislative Update

Below are the California NOW priority bills in the 2010 legislative session whose status has changed since last week. You can use the links to read more on each bill.

All bills must be passed by August 31st, or wait until the 2011 legislative session. As you can see, many of our bills are on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature.  We'll be bringing you actions to urge the Governor to sign these essential bills for women!

Assembly

AB 33 (Nava & Cook) Child abduction: sex offender identification. Support.
Status: In Assembly Concurrence file.

AB 113 (Portantino) Health care coverage: mammographies. Support
Status: To Enrollment.

AB 482 (Mendoza) Ban the use of pre-employment credit checks. Support
Status: Read third time, passage refused. Motion to reconsider made by Senator Leno. Reconsideration granted. To Senate third reading file, reading scheduled for August 25.

AB 1602 (John A. Perez) Health care coverage. Watch
Status: Read third time in the Senate, passed and to Assembly.

AB 1640 (Evans) Breast and cervical cancer screening. Support
Status: Read second time and amended, to Senate third reading file, scheduled for reading August 25.

AB 1701 (Chesbro) Hypodermic needles and syringes. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 25.

AB 1825 (De La Torre) Maternity services. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 25.

AB 1858 (Blumenfield) Hypodermic needles and syringes: exchange services. Support
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 26 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.

AB 1900 (Skinner) Pregnant inmates and wards: least restrictive restraints. Support
Status: To Enrollment.

AB 1963 (Nava) Pesticide poisoning. Support
Status: To Enrollment.

Celebrate Suffrage!

Join us on Thursday, August 26, 2010 at the Capitol in Sacramento for the 90th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote!

Gather for March 3:00 pm
Convention Center, Sacramento

March and Rally 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Capitol West Steps, Sacramento

Join us for this special occasion. Hosted by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United with other community and labor organizations. You’re encouraged to wear historic clothing of the era or black and white attire.

Join us and find out why California NOW and other organizations oppose Meg Whitman for Governor!

Crashing the Boys' Club: Facts on Women and Politics

In honor of Thursday's anniversary of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in the United States of America, here are some facts on women and politics.

The U.S. ranked 73rd in the world for women's representation in the national parliament/legislature out of the 186 countries evaluated.

Women constituted 16.8% of the U.S. House of Representatives and 15.3% of the U.S. Senate. 

In 2010, 90 women serve in the U.S. Congress - of the 525 seats. Seventeen women serve in the Senate, and 73 women serve in the House.

Of the 90 women serving in the 111th US Congress, 21, or 23.3%, are women of color; in addition, an African American woman and a Caribbean American woman serve as Delegates to the House from Washington, DC and the Virgin Islands, respectively. No women of color currently serve in the U.S. Senate.

The world average for women's representation in both national upper and lower houses combined is 19.2%. The European average is 22% (down from 30.3% in 2005).

The U.S. ranks below the regional averages for Europe, the Americas, Sub-Suharan Africa and Asia for women's representation in the national parliament/legislature.

Women in Kuwait won the right to vote in 2005. In Saudi Arabia, men took part, in 2005, in the first local elections ever held in the country. Women however were not allowed to exercise their right to vote or to stand for election on that occasion.

Women won the right to vote in the United States in 1920.

When Senators Boxer and Feinstein were elected, California became the first state to be represented simultaneously by two women in the Senate; Kansas was the second (Kassebaum and Frahm), and Maine was the third (Collins and Snowe).

March Fong Eu, who served as California's Secretary of State from 1975-1993 was the first Asian American woman in the country elected statewide to an executive post.

In 2010, women represented 27.5% of California's state legislature with 13 women in the state Senate and 20 in the state Assembly. The percentage of women in California's state legislature decreased in 2006 from 30.8%, but has been steadily increasing since 1979 when women accounted for 9.2% of state legislators.

Eco-Feminist Action Checklist!

Alarmingly, up to 70% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on industrial farms in healthy food animals. This is breeding new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can — and have — spread to humans. The trend is frightening. Currently, more people die in the U.S. from antibiotic-resistant staph infections than from AIDS, and antibiotics continue to decline in effectiveness for treating both human and animal diseases. Until the FDA implements effective and unambiguous regulations to curtail the use of antibiotics in meat production, the risks to the American public will only increase. The FDA is accepting public comments on their draft guidance until August 28. Tell them it's time to enact real regulations that protect public health and ensure responsible use of antibiotics in animals!

At coal ash disposal sites, hazardous materials seep into water sources, ultimatley lacing drinking water with arsenic, lead and mercury. The unwarned communities suffer from a significantly increased risk of cancer, learning disabilities, birth defects and other illnesses. The EPA must adopt enforceable federal safeguards, not just suggested guidelines for states. Tell the EPA that recognizing the serious problems posed by toxic coal ash is a good start -- but not enough. 

Oil companies are itching to dig in the Alaskan Arctic, but the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, would permanently protect the coastal plain of the refuge. As the most significant on-shore polar bear denning habitat in the U.S., the Coastal Plain is essential habitat and will only become more important as global warming becomes worse. Polar bears aren't the only ones who call the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge home. The region supports more than 200 other wildlife species, including caribou, bears, musk ox, and migratory birds. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's designation. Tell Congress to pass legislation that will permanently protect the biological heart of the Refuge!

The U.S. lacks a comprehensive vision of how to achieve a sustainable future based on energy efficiency and renewables. Incremental change is no longer an option, and this challenge cannot be solved by one organization. Pledge your support for a new energy future and help drive this transformative change!

BP has a project down in the Gulf of Mexico that's just as risky, can produce three times more oil than the rig that caused the Gulf spill, and was approved by the same lax regulators. This ticking time bomb is a drill rig called BP Atlantis. Atlantis was built and drilled under the same lax rules and enforcement that led to the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. And now a whistle-blowing project supervisor named Kenneth Abbott says many of its safety systems and plans are incomplete and not approved by engineers as required by law. Urge Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to shut Atlantis down until BP can prove it's safe. 

Greenhouse gases are rising by the day, oil sources continue to diminish, and the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and mine disaster in West Virginia were cherries on top of a dirty cake of unsustainable energy. Send a message to Obama and Carol Browner, director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy: It's time to make sure we pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year. 

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, we have a chance invest in a green future for the Gulf region. Big Oil has polluted Gulf beaches and marshes, killed wildlife and destroyed the livelihoods of fishermen. By investing in clean, renewable energy in the Gulf, we can help the region recover and break oil industry's stranglehold. Tell President Obama to invest in a cleaner, greener future and establish a Gulf Coast Clean Energy Fund!

It's time for a national oil savings plan—and the Union of Concerned Scientists has developed just that. Based on sound science and existing and emerging technologies, UCS has developed a set of practical solutions that can cut projected U.S. oil consumption in half by 2030. Urge President Obama to make this plan a reality! 

Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide are widely used by Wildlife Services to kill native predators of livestock -- but other animals, including endangered species, pets and people can be accidental victims. Even though these poisons are meant for specific predators, they're indiscriminate killers. Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide cause unintended deaths of thousands of animals every year. Help stop accidental poisoning of wildlife, pets and people -- tell Congress to halt their use.

The History of Suffrage and Women Voters

We interviewed Kate Kelly of the America Comes Alive website on the history of women's suffrage in the United States in honor of the anniversary of the 19th Amendment. 

Share with us something most women might not know about the struggle for suffrage.

People tend to forget that most types of social progress require a long time and a lot of effort. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 was a good first step with many others subsequent steps being taken by leaders like Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Carrie Chapman Catt.

It also involved—and required—regular women who did not get written about in the history books. I love this little-told story from Vineland, New Jersey. These were regular women who decided to try to exert their right to vote in 1868:

As was the custom of the day, male election judges sat at a table with a ballot box and supervised the election as voters came to drop in their ballots. Women set up a table opposite the men and placed on their table a similar box. As women arrived at the polls, they attempted to cast a vote in the regular ballot box. When they were turned away by the male judges, they approached the other table and dropped their ballots in the women's ballot box. They then went to the homes of friends and neighbors to care for those women's children so that the others, too, could protest.

How would you say the concerns over giving women the vote played out after suffrage? Were those concerns validated or invalidated?

They were resoundingly invalidated. Those against women gaining suffrage felt that the social fabric of the country would be destroyed, that families would fall apart, and that the women would organize a political party to elect only women candidates to public office.

A document created in 1914 by an association calling itself the Nebraska Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage created a 14-point flier about why women should not be given the vote. The document noted that because women were apolitical, they were best suited to run civic boards and oversee child welfare. Another reason noted was, “We believe that the interests of all women are as safe in the hands of men as they are in those of other women.”

What is the first year that we can really see the impact of a female voting block?

The 1956 presidential election was the first election where the winning candidate, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was greatly aided by receiving a significant bloc of votes from women. The proportion of women voting for Ike was six percent higher than the proportion of votes the candidate gained from men.

In 1964, more women voted than men for the first time. Since that time, women voters regularly outnumber men.

Monday's Action Checklist

In California, we shackle pregnant women. In jails and prisons, women are forced to walk with shackles around their swollen ankles, chains around their middles, and handcuffs behind their backs. In the next couple of weeks, Gov. Schwarzenegger will have the opportunity to usher in a new law to limit the use of restraints on incarcerated pregnant women, except when there is a clear security or flight risk. The time to weigh in to urge the governor to support Assembly Bill 1900 (D-Skinner) is now. Email the Governor.

Five years ago, CEH began working to eliminate health threats from lead in jewelry. Now jewelry makers are switching from lead to cadmium, a toxic metal that causes cancer, birth defects, infertility, kidney damage, and other serious health problems. Earlier this year, California Senator Fran Pavley introduced a bill that will put an end to this toxic shell game. The bill passed the state Senate and has now moved on to the Assembly. California kids need your help again to get the bill passed. Please urge your assemblymember to ban cadmium from jewelry sold to kids in our state!

This year, Dave Jones introduced Assembly Bill 2578 - the Health Care Affordability Act - which prevents excessive health insurance rate increases.  Without this important legislation, health insurance companies can continue to raise rates as high as they'd like. The California State Senate will vote on AB 2578 in the days ahead. The insurance industry and their lobbyists are doing everything they can to kill this bill. Please contact your California State Senator today and ask them to vote for AB 2578. Click here to find their contact information.  If you don't know who your State Senator is, click the "your senator" link on the left side.

Critical State implementation and consumer protection bills could go to a floor vote within the next 10-14 days! To help mobilize support for these bills, we want to hear your health insurance horror story in order to show elected officials why we need to support bills that would not only make health care more accessible and affordable here in California - but also greatly improve regulations of the private insurance industry. Share your health insurance horror story today!

Feminist lawyer and activist, Gloria Allred began a fast on July 27th to bring attention to the Equal Rights Amendment (House Joint Resolution 61), introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).  Her fast will end August 26, the 90th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage. "Put the ERA on the FAST Track" is a viral Internet campaign that encourages individuals to sign letters of support for the ERA, join with Allred in fasting for some period of time, and forward the information to your friends and associates. 

Discrimination against mothers has got to stop! HUD’s commitment to investigate housing discrimination is a welcome beginning to what hopefully will be a more comprehensive effort on the part of Congress, and all of our government agencies, to combat pregnancy and family responsibilities discrimination in all settings, for all women. Sign MomsRising’s letter to HUD urging them to keep pushing forward on their investigations into maternal and racial housing discrimination!

What is democracy? These days, the definition is blurred, but there is one thing democracy is definitely NOT: democracy is not having our elections rigged by big money. The DISCLOSE Act is a bill that helps our democracy by blocking foreign corporations and special interests from buying our elections. Write to your Senators today about the DISCLOSE Act.

Corporations and their lobbyists have grown used to throwing their weight around in Washington. From weakening health reform legislation to fighting to block new financial regulations and protect big banks, they've come to expect they'll get their way. The Fight Washington Corruption pledge can change our democracy. Already 43 candidates and members of Congress have signed on to support the pledge and its reform agenda. Sign on today!

As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers how to write the rules to protect freedom and openness on the Internet, who should they turn to: consumers like you and me, or profit-hungry telecommunications companies? Verizon and Google announced this week that they have it all figured out when it comes to net neutrality. They unveiled a policy framework that would give telecom companies the right to speed up or slow down certain kinds of content, and to block outright applications or content on wireless networks. Tell the FCC: It's up to you, not Google and Verizon, to regulate the Internet!

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is trying to block President Obama from appointing one of the best consumer watchdogs in the nation to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by Congress to rein in Wall Street. As chair of the bailout oversight panel, Elizabeth Warren held Wall Street executives' feet to the fire and proved time and time again that she was not afraid to speak out.  Forget what Timothy Geithner thinks. We want Elizabeth Warren to police Wall Street. 

Through its annual donation program, Working Assets has contributed over $65 million to progressive organizations since 1985 -- including many which help women in the U.S. and around the world. Visit Working Assets and show your support for causes that help women and girls today. If you are a Credo or Working Assets customer, log in with your account information. If you are not a customer, follow the "New to Credo" link and vote by becoming a Credo Action Member. 

Back in March, Xerox fired 14 union supporters who were demanding that long-overdue contract negotiations begin. Now Xerox has done it again. They've told 19 workers - all union supporters - that they must transfer departments or be fired. Tell Xerox: Stop the coercion, harassment, and firings. Do you copy? 

Of Triggers and the Media

This post is cross-posted at the new site which is NOT quite ready for company yet, but it's coming along, and at my soon to be former blog Polimicks at Livejournal.

 Some of you may have heard of the latest kerfuffle surrounding the Penny Arcade webcomic.  I've already blogged about it here at Geek Girls Rule! and you can read the whole mess over there, if you are so motivated. There are links to the comic, the reaction, and the (bad) comic apology, as well as my reaction. Essentially there's a whole group of people saying that the comic could be triggering, and is a rape joke. I disagree, and you can go to GGR to read about that. But what I'd like to talk about here is something I don't really get into until the end of my GGR rant. I'm talking about the expectation that sexual assault survivors are somehow constructed of spun glass and will completely disintegrate upon being "triggered."

This expectation is, for the most part, not true, and more than a little patronizing. The majority of survivors are more than capable of confronting a trigger, dealing with the reaction, dusting themselves off and soldiering on. Is it particularly pleasant? No. It isn't. But neither is it world ending. And the more you do it, the better you get at it. Trust me, I know. 

And while a "trigger free" existence would be nice, I myself am not a fan of panic attacks, regardless of how quickly I've learned to shut them down, it just isn't possible.

Upcoming Events for Women

Commemorate 90 Years of Women’s Suffrage with a Budget that Includes Real Revenue Solutions! Women Vote! Lobby Day, August 25
9:30am: Briefing & message training at Sacramento Community Services Council: IMPACT OF THE BUDGET CUTS ON WOMEN, 909 12th Street, Sacramento
11am: walk over to the Capitol for legislative visits - lobby visits will end by 2 or
2:30 Brunch provided
RSVP required: RSVP with your name and city to Jessica Rothhaar

Live Internet Town Hall to discuss California's State Budget
Please join President of the California State Senate pro tem Darryl Steinberg on Thursday, August 26th at 6:30pm. Learn more about the live internet town hall or submit a question for the discussion (in English or Spanish).

JOIN THE SAN DIEGO SUFFRAGE PARADE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, AT 5PM
Balboa Park starting at the Kate Sessions Statue west side of the Laurel Street Bridge – March to the Organ Pavilion for a free band concert and picnic on the grass. For more information on the Parade, contact the Women’s History Museum 619 233-7963 or by email.

Celebrate the 90th anniversary of women in the United States winning the vote and the 30th anniversary of the National Women's History Project.
Join us for food, fun, laughter, and inspiration at the Glaser Center on August 26 from 6 to 9 PM.
Glaser Center 547 Mendocino Ave. Santa Rosa, CA
General Admission $30 Students $20
Tickets available on-line or call 707-636-2888 or at the door.

SUFFRAGE BALL
August 28th, 6pm
at the Lafayette Hotel in San Diego
More information and tickets

Drafting - and Perhaps Sending - a Private Letter to a Person Who Has Harassed or Offended You

©1993 Prof. Mary Rowe-MIT 10-213, Cambridge, MA 02139 Printed here with permission, granted for appearance of this piece on CA NOW website.

If someone has offended you, you may wish to draft a letter to that person. There are many reasons to do this. If you have been very upset, drafting a letter-or writing several drafts of a letter-may make it easier for you to deal with the rage, grief or confusion. You may also find it easier to deal with your feelings and with the offense if you first sort out the facts from your feelings. It will also be easier to choose an effective option for dealing with the offense if you first collect the facts and think clearly about any damage you have suffered because of the offense. In fact drafting a letter to someone who has offended you is perhaps the best possible preparation for all the major options open to you for dealing with the offense: approaching the offender directly, in person or on paper, seeking informal third party intervention, formal mediation, formal grievance or legal suit, and efforts to deal with the individual offense "generically." It will also make it a little more comfortable to postpone or forgo action if you decide for any reason that you should or must do this, because you will have collected the evidence together in case you change your mind. If you are not at all sure what you want to do with respect to the offense, you may find it is suddenly much easier to decide after you write a number of drafts of a letter. And it costs nothing in terms of privacy or money.

Writing a final draft of this letter may take a little time. If you have been hurt, if you feel very angry, if you are at all afraid, you may find you need to write several drafts. Do not be worried if your first draft is a messy stream-of-consciousness, and do not worry about the tone of your early drafts. In fact the more upset you are, the more worthwhile it is actually to write drafts of a letter. People who have used this method suggest that writing may help to "get the anger outside yourself," and that it helps one to remember the facts. In addition, in case you send the letter, your last (polite, civil, factual) draft will be more effective if early drafts have helped you deal with your feelings.

As you decide whether to send the letter, you may worry whether a direct approach to the offender will cause that person to retaliate. This is an important question to consider, but in North American society a well-prepared, direct approach to an offender may actually be the option least likely to result in retaliation. Remember that most people in this culture would rather hear about a problem directly, and not from a third party.

If you send the letter you should keep a copy; this is likely to help in dealing with the problem if there should be retaliation or if the offense recurs. Letters like this help to build evidence. You may not be able to prove that the offense took place. But if you send a letter you can prove that you thought the offense took place and that you took a civil, responsible, private action to get the offense to stop.

Legislative Update

Below are the California NOW priority bills in the 2010 legislative session whose status has changed since last week. You can use the links to read more on each bill, or click here for our full list of bills.

As you can see, today is a big day for the bills we've worked on, with many of them going to their third reading.  We'll let you know which bills will be heading to the Governor, and show you how to take action to support them!

Assembly

AB 33 (Nava & Cook) Child abduction: sex offender identification. Support.
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 113 (Portantino) Health care coverage: mammographies. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 482 (Mendoza) Ban the use of pre-employment credit checks. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 1602 (John A. Perez) Health care coverage. Watch
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 1640 (Evans) Breast and cervical cancer screening. Support
Status: To Senate second reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 1701 (Chesbro) Hypodermic needles and syringes. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 1825 (De La Torre) Maternity services. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 1858 (Blumenfield) Hypodermic needles and syringes: exchange services. Support
Status: To Senate second reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 1900 (Skinner) Pregnant inmates and wards: least restrictive restraints. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

AB 1963 (Nava) Pesticide poisoning. Support
Status: To Senate third reading file, scheduled for August 18.

Facts on Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. In 2004, EEOC received 13,136 charges of sexual harassment, 85% of which were filed by women. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) According to a 1993 survey co-sponsored by the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, 89% of women and girls experience sexual harassment in a school setting, and 39 percent were harassed on a daily basis. Between 50% and 75% of women face sexual harassment in the workforce; from 1990 to 1995, cases reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission increased 153%. A 1995 Pentagon study revealed that 78 percent of all military women have been sexually harassed. Despite the zero-tolerance rhetoric from military leadership, harassment and assaults continue. 30% of female veterans reported experiencing rape or attempted rape by U.S. servicemen.

Federal laws against sexual harassment have evolved from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. Every employee has the right to a workplace free from concern or fear of sexual harassment. A company's responsibility is to provide a harassment-free environment.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual conduct that:

A. is a condition of employment; meaning if you don’t succumb or put up with the harassment you won’t have a job anymore, or

B. submission to, or rejection of such conduct will be used when making decisions about your job, such as raises if you “do”, and demotions if you “don’t”.

These forms of sexual harassment are called Quid Pro Quo, which mean something for something or this for that. Remember, sex is an extreme case; it might be any kind of unwanted sexual interaction.

or

C. substantially interferes with work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment or otherwise adversely affects an individual’s employment opportunities.

This is the most common type of sexual harassment case. The exact law in this area continues to evolve as more cases are brought forth. A clearer and more descriptive term is discriminatory work environment because the basis of these claims is that some behavior, conduct, work rule, or a combination of these has created an environment that makes it more difficult for workers of one gender to be successful.