I get a lot of emails from NARAL, because I send them money when I can, and attend their fundraisers, budget and time permitting. But this most recent email really struck a chord in me, and left me angry and shaking at my desk.
In it, Nancy Keenan of NARAL outlines the reported acts of violence against abortion clinics and clinic workers in the last thirty years of Anti-choice activity. I'm going to lift the figures directly, and hope no one at NARAL gets mad at me, because they had a huge impact on me:
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8 Murders
- 17 Attempted Murders
- 41 Bombings
- 175 Arsons
- 406 Death Threats
- 5,800 Acts of Vandalism
- 13,995 Harassing Phone Calls and Hate-Mail Incidents
These represent the reported incidents. I'm sure that there are hundreds, if not thousands, more that should have been reported and weren't, or that were reported before anyone started tracking this. And we have another incident to add to litany of acts of Domestic Terrorism: A NOW member and Clinic Escort in Ohio was badly beaten by a new Anti-Choice group, the Jericho Riders. The Jericho Riders are an Anti-Choice biker gang, who have decided to embark upon the manly pursuit of saving fetuses, by beating up a lone man whom they outnumbered. Oh, and they're also homophobic. Yay.
This pisses me off for two reasons:
1. I really, really hate terrorists, particularly of the Anti-choice ilk. And that's what these cowards are: Terrorists.
2. I know some awesome bikers, and they're going to get tarred with the same brush as these losers.
Ok, the first reason kind of overwhelms the second, but I feel strongly enough about it to weigh in on it. In a bit.
Honestly, we all need to do what we can by not mincing words. Call these, and all the rest of the Anti-Choice terrorists, what they are: TERRORISTS. They even fit the dictionary definition for Goddess's sake! They are using force and violence to intimidate people. They commit murder! They burn buildings! They bomb clinics! They don't give a shit about human life once it leaves the gods damned womb! We need to call these cowardly shits out and know them for what they are: TERRORISTS! And if it seems like I'm beating a dead horse here, maybe that sucker ain't dead yet, because there are still people out there mincing their words when it comes to guys like these and that smug jerk Randall Terry and his ilk.
You know, they seem a lot less sympathetic when you call them what they are.
And I'm probably going to catch some shit and be told I'm being "hyperbolic," but I don't care. It is about time that we quit allowing these jackasses to hide behind their false piety and called them out for what they are. I'll say it again, in case you missed it:
TERRORISTS
The poor man they victimized has said that he may give up escorting women to make sure they can access health care, because of this. I can't say as I blame him, really. It takes a hell of a lot of guts to do what he did to begin with... Taking a beating that landed him in the ICU, granted just for the night, but still... Yeah, I don't know if I'd have the tenacity to stick with it. I'll say it again:
TERRORISTS
And COWARDS.
Ok, taking a deep breath...
Now, on to my second point. Bikers. I have known some incredibly awesome bikers. Yes, some bikers are criminals, and some bikers have straightened themselves out, got clean, got legit jobs and become upstanding citizens. I dated a biker my senior year of high school (it was all very "romantic" and he really was a great guy). At the bar where I bounced and bartended, a lot of the local bikers came to hang out because they'd met my boss, a Transvestite, at NA (Narcotics Anonymous for the uninitiated) and knew that they could go there and not catch shit for not drinking, and that my boss didn't tolerate drugs on the premises. They also didn't tolerate homophobic bullshit from their buddies, at least not at the club.
These guys would ride up, and I will admit it did give the club a bit of a "boost" with the milktoast yuppies looking for a walk on the wild side when there was a line of Harleys outside. They'd come to shoot the shit with my husband, the head bouncer, and the boss while their ladies came in to dance and hang out with me where ever I was stationed that night.
The fact that these Jericho Riders yahoos are pulling shit like this just means that every time one of my biker friends meets new people, is looking for a new job, is trying to stay on the straight and narrow, there's just one more bad image they're going to have to overcome to catch a break.
Great.
Mickey Schulz is a guest author for the California NOW blog; her opinions are not necessarily those of California NOW. Copyright Mickey Schulz, with permission granted to California NOW for use on this site.
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