Monday, May 9, 2022

The silent generation

Those of us born before World War II ended were called War Babies, and fell into Nixon's "Silent Generation". I believe he used the definition. We were rather vocal in the sixties and seventies, to end a war, to celebrate women's' rights achievements, to celebrate civil right achievements. We felt we had achieved and were moving forward.

Not including Justice Breyer, who retires in July, I am older than any member of the Supreme Court. Last night I wrote an outraged blog about the need to fight again, and wondering how to go up against such blatant ignorance as Justice Alito, writing a majority opinion, equating women as not people and claiming babies for an adoption pool.

And then I realized I'd had an enjoyable Mother's Day, leave the blog for today.  Tonight I deleted that post and tried again. And again, the heck with it. There's no fixing the problem except at the ballot box and in a sufficient majority to make all rights the law of the land. Right now the focus must be on registering voters and getting them to the polls.

Do what you can. If you find yourself out of ideas, join Americans of Conscience for a weekly checklist of actions needed in the run up to the midterm elections. 

It's hard for me to believe another week has begun. Better yet, daytime temps will be high seventies, low eighties this week, and lots of sunshine. I have some garden tools rounded up, to work on the flower gardens around the house. There will be mandevillas, too, but not yet. I don't trust the overnight temps to be proper.



31 comments:

  1. I was born in 1938, before that war began, during the European crisis that preceded it by a couple of years. I was known as a crisis baby! But still fighting on all the fronts I can. Old but far from done for. Sad at having to refight the fights we thought we'd settled.

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  2. You're right, the solution is to consistently elect governments that will advance human and civil rights, not impede and reverse them. I hope enough American voters can be motivated to do so, and can run the gauntlet of those outrageous voter suppression laws.

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  3. You're right--we have to fight. But it's exhausting to repeat the same battles over and over again.

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  4. I hear lots of energy in these blogs. we will need it. It's hard to believe that things are going backwards.

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  5. Hari OM
    It is a reason for despair... and the worse thing is that it doesn't stay within the confines of the States. It is spilling out everywhere. History in the spinner yet again... keep voicing it my friend, keep the message firing. YAM xx

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  6. Thank you Joanne for your continued fight, for encouraging others to do what they can and for offering suggestions as to what can be done. As Boud said, it is very sad having to refight the fights we thought we'd settled. We have to turn things around and stop going backwards!

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  7. It just isn't right, what's happening in your country. You need many more young people to get registered and vote, as well as the older generation. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

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  8. You are so inspiring, you never give up.

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  9. I mourn that some battles need to be fought again and again and again.
    And hope that you do get sunshine and warmth.

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  10. Whilst there are people fighting for their rights, there are always others who wish to take those rights away. One simply has to hope that the 'good people' win.

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  11. It is quite sad that this battle has to be fought again. For those of us living outside the United States it is getting hard to recognize the country any more.

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  12. Same here. Days are getting warm, but nights haven’t followed well yet, which is AOK with me.

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  13. When we're talking about the Supreme Court, the ballot box seems so slow. And yet...what else is there? And really, I suppose, it's not THAT slow. When a justice needs replacing our choice of president is most important. You truly are an inspiration in your ability to keep pushing, to never give up.
    I hope you get to plant some of your favorite mandevillas soon.

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  14. I've been silent about issues for a long time, but this, this travesty, has caused me to start looking for my voice. Asa Hutchinson says that a Federal abortion ban is not what we've been working toward. He is absolutely right. No abortion ban, and women's right to the control of our lives, is what we've been working for. Now I need to find a way to talk to every person who does not want to be a mere ambulatory uterus.

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  15. It's bad enough that certain states are trying to ban abortion but the scariest part to me is trying to prevent women from traveling to states where is it legal and how they might go about trying to enforce that. For a country that claims to be the best and the brightest and all about freedom, well, just another Big Lie.

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  16. Thanks for this post, Joanne. You are right to encourage voting blue!

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  17. The Justices are aligned for the worst outcome. That said, if each individual State can vote to maintain women's rights, that's what must be done. The warmer weather will be greatly appreciated. 80 degrees is predicted for Massachusetts this weekend. Working in the garden is always enjoyed. I'm planting more poppies and spreading additional clover seed.

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  18. What a photograph Joanne - that blue, that yellow! Are they real?

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    1. Yes, it's a photo of yellow flowers and blue sky. They may be miniature sunflowers; I can't make it big enough to really see.

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    2. I'm fairly sure it is a field of Canola, grown for the oil. It used to be called Rapeseed, but the name wasn't popular on bottles of oil.

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    3. It still is called rape while it's growing, but the oil is marketed as Canola, the combination of Canada and oil. I had an argument about that with a farmer's daughter, and the instant we were at the hotel she was on top of the computer to prove to me it was canola. It wasn't. She still talks about that.

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  19. The republicans are giving the democrats so much campaign fodder, particularly their desire to end Medicare and Social Security. I really hope the dems will stop "going high" and get down and dirty with campaign ads, placed on the reality shows, to reach the people who need reaching. Fox doesn't carry this news of incipient financial disaster.

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  20. Just vote!! When you look at voting percentages of under 50%...and how many are not registered to vote...and the proposed change here that you have to have photo ID ie passport or driving licence to vote...disenfranchising the poor.

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  21. In my life time, women have always been less - - less important, paid less, less suitable for a demanding job, less. And now, it's gotten worse - - again.

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  22. This doesn't mean a lot but it made me smile this morning. From Twitter: "Alito’s neighbors are passing out wine and cheese plates to protestors and letting protesters use their bathroom is the best."
    I'm only 15 miles from his home, and the homes of the other 4 justices who plan to overturn R v W. I'm able-bodied and should join them. Maybe I will.

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    1. I've always thought providence smiled upon us by Bush appointing Alito before he needed a chief justice and appointed Roberts. It could have been the other way around! This brief of Alito's is so cockamamie that I wonder if Roberts isn't biding his time to burst through the curtain with one other fence sitting justice to save the day, as he has done on other issues. Wine and cheese to protestors is probably more realistic than my wild hope.

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    2. His neighbors sound right up my alley. :)

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  23. My pops was part of your generation as well. My mom was born in first year of the (now vilified) Baby Boomer Gen.

    Alito, citing a 16th c misogynist in his writings, is a hateful kook. I'm angry, but not surprised that this is where we are. Le sigh.

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  24. Good luck with all of your choring, Joanne, and thanks for the reminder that we need to get out and vote and get others to vote to make some changes.

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  25. My ballot came today. I thought there would be little in it. Nope, one gov and a LOT OF DECISIONS.

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