Makers: Women Who Make America On PBS 2/26/13 (VIDEO)

                           Be sure to watch PBS tonight (2/26/13).

                           Makers: Women Who Make America.

Ain't No Sunshine: 44 Year-Old Male Tells His Story Of Woe

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Male: 44
I grew up in a small town. I kept to myself and was very shy. In December of my senior year in high school, “the new girl” entered my school, my grade, my life. I will call her Jessica. She was nothing like the girls from where I lived. A mix of mostly hippie, a little punk rock and some Stevie Nicks. Every guy in school was fascinated with her. She had an air of confidence that we had never seen. She used profanity and smoked cigarettes. The other girls hated her on sight, in part because she was sexy and beautiful but mostly because she commanded all the attention. I was smitten along with every other guy in town.

For some reason I will never understand, Jessica quickly took an interest in me. We sat together in science class and were paired to do an assignment together. We got homework and I felt like I had won the lottery. But I was also petrified. I wanted her to like me but I was so dull in contrast to her wild and exciting ways. I felt it best to just keep quiet and let her handle everything; this way I could look cool.

We made arrangements to meet after school and I invited her to my home. Both of my parents worked and I longed to be alone with her. Not because I thought we would have sex (I was a virgin) but I figured being alone with her could lead to a real relationship—and it did. We became inseparable. My parents were not happy. Her parents loved me. I think they hoped I would calm her down. I let them down.

For a year and a half I celebrated and endured the most bizarre, upsetting, exciting, crazy and exhaustive relationship of my life. I let her take me over. She said “Jump” and I asked “For how long? How high? Would you like me to add a skip?” I was a complete doormat for her. I put off college, which infuriated my parents. I fell out of my small circle of friends. My life was all about Jessica. I thought I was happy but looking back, I think I was always on the verge of tears. She stirred me and I think I always knew our time would be fleeting. I was always desperate for her, even when we were together.

I lost my virginity with her. She was not a virgin. She would say all these crazy romantic things to me about our love and future. She would plan out our wedding, talk about the kids we would have, how we would travel and lead an exciting and unconventional life.

We had been together for over a year. That February she became pregnant. I was secretly elated when she told me. I thought to myself, THIS would be how I would have her forever. We would HAVE to get married now. I really believed for about five minutes that I had her locked in.

She told me she was going to have an abortion. I crumbled. Something inside of me knew right then and there that somehow she would be out of my life soon. It was awful. She had the abortion and afterward we cried together. She explained that even though we had discussed marriage and children, there was too much she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to travel, to live. I just sat back, listened to her and felt her slipping away.

In May she told me a group of friends invited her to stay the summer in France. She was supposed to come back in August. I argued with her; I pleaded with her not to go. I then offered to go with her. She told me that there wasn’t enough room for me and this would be a good way for us to miss each other. By the time of her return, our love would be new again. There was no winning with her (at least where I was concerned).

I will never forget the day I took her to the airport. She was so happy and excited. I was a complete disaster. I was angry at her for being so happy and feared I would never see her again, despite her promises to write often. Because we were so young and had little money, we couldn’t afford the long distance charges to speak on the phone.

I do not remember a darker day in my life than the day she left. I sat in the airport parking lot in my car for two hours and sobbed. I was weak and felt like I had no energy for anything. Even now, all these years later, writing this brings back the severe pain I was feeling. I am lucky I survived the drive home. I can barely even remember it. I was drunk with sadness.

I wrote to her and she replied twice. Her letters proved that she was having the time of her life. I feared she would meet someone else. I feared everything and was angry. I resented the fact that I was too young to go there and bring her home. Then the letters stopped. August came and went.

I visited her parents and when her mom opened the door, I could see the pity she had for me. She told me that Jessica was staying on and planning to live there. I was crushed and defeated.
I cried, I sobbed; I felt so sorry for myself. The pain was so intense for so long. I went through two years of torture, waiting for her to surprise me. I withdrew even further and had absolutely no social life. My parents were concerned and insisted I go to therapy.

The therapist did help me. She let me talk and cry but no one could take the pain away. That took years. She had me write down my goals, she tried to encourage me to date other girls but I couldn’t even think about anyone but Jessica. I was completely obsessed with her.

I can’t put a number on how long it took me to get over her. Writing this out and thinking deeply about it brings it all up for me again. I do not feel devastated now. The last time I saw her I was nineteen years old. But I remember the pain I felt. I can feel that pain this second. It took me at least two years to get to the point where I felt somewhat normal. It took three years before I went on a date.

Over the years I have looked for her online. I’ve looked on Facebook and haven’t found her. I admit to being curious but I think it would really be best if I never see or hear from her again. She had an unhealthy power over me. I’m not sure if she still would but I can sense that I might still be vulnerable. I am married now and quite content. My wife is more suited to me. We have a good life. I trust her and wouldn’t want to put her through anything negative because of Jessica.

Jessica not only broke my heart, she ripped it into shreds. She made me feel so insecure and in the end, walked away so easily that I questioned if she ever really loved me.

I thought I loved her. But I was obsessed with her, infatuated. It was a crazy sick attraction. I longed to be close to her but I never felt I “got in.” Therefore I felt like it was an unfair field. She was IN me. I was only about her and I think I was a part of her for a brief time until something else captured her attention.

Over the years I have wondered what I would say if I had the chance to see her again. I have thought to ask if she ever really loved me. Now I feel like it is best to let go. There is some weird grip she will always have. But not to the point where I feel pain. As I said, I love my wife and don’t wish to break that bond.

I do believe in soul mates. I think Jessica was one, is one, but not THE one. I am not sure why she came into my life. Maybe to help me appreciate my wife in a way I might never have. My wife is the soul mate I wish to spend my life with.

WOMEN: What If This Happened To YOU?

 

 

You are a young woman in a modern world. You like to engage on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. You’re into dating and shopping. You love to party with your friends. Basically, you’re the average American young woman.

Imagine this:

You post an article on Facebook about the fact your state is at risk of losing the only clinic to provide abortions. In your post, you express outrage and think it’s wrong. Your employer feels differently. They call you into their office and explain how your post is against their moral code and they fire you. You try to defend your position and they simply don’t care. You’re fired. No more paycheck. No more health benefits.

You’re angry. You can’t stop thinking about it, “They Have NO RIGHT!!” You start researching and find you’re not alone. Other women who worked for the same company have been fired because of content on their personal Facebook pages.

You get an idea. You decide that you will organize a group of women and you will gather on public property close to where you used to work and peacefully protest.

Five of you gather and hold your signs. You’ve alerted some radio stations and local TV media in the hopes they will pick up your story. Within minutes, police show up and tell you that you must leave. You argue that you are on public property and you are breaking no laws. Before you even know what’s happening, you are all being arrested and taken away in handcuffs.

You are stripped of your clothing and treated like a criminal. They throw you into a cold, dank cell and leave you with nothing but your thoughts. You are angry. You are scared. You are raging and you cannot BELIEVE the injustice! No one will listen to you and you haven’t even broken the law. How can this be happening?

As a form of protest, you decide to go on a hunger strike. Days pass, you haven’t eaten anything. Prison doctors put you in a straight jacket and say you’re mentally ill. They restrain you and force a large, cold, metal contraption in your mouth keeping it open, making your mouth bleed and then they stick a long tube down your throat and into your stomach where they pour raw eggs. They do this to you time and again until you vomit blood.

Does this seem extreme to you? Do you think it’s something that would never happen? It DID happen to Alice Paul. In fact, worse things happened to Alice. She didn’t post anything on her Facebook page because she was not protesting about free speech, she was picketing President Woodrow Wilson in 1917 so that women would have the right to vote. She broke no laws. All she wanted was equality for women. Equality for you and for me.

 

 

 

She endured physical torture so you can vote today. In 1920, the nineteenth amendment was ratified into the Constitution and because of Alice and her undying determination, women won the right to vote and it was legally secured. There were many other women who fought with her and also suffered greatly for your freedoms. Shouldn’t the right to vote be granted to everyone?

 

 

Here’s the thing, people of all ages don’t vote. 94 million Americans didn't vote in 2012. They don’t pay attention to what’s happening—and there is a lot happening these days that threaten your rights as a woman. People complain their vote doesn’t count for anything. It does. It IS important. If it wasn't important, why would some people try to keep other people from voting? I know it’s very easy to focus on the things in your life that feel more interesting or take your immediate attention, like school and friends and work. When I was in my twenties, I paid ZERO attention to politics and I didn’t vote. I was even a registered Republican because I didn’t know the difference between the two.

No one taught me about Women’s Suffrage. I didn’t learn about it in school. EVER. Why? Why didn’t the schools I attended tell me about this? This is important history. The incredible and heroic efforts women made are by and large ignored. That’s a shame and it makes me sad. That is why I am writing a book for young women. Voting is extremely important. Why else did men (and some women) fight so hard to keep women from doing it? Think about that. Think about this too: women are not equal in the Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was never passed. We were short three states. Thirty-eight states are needed to ratify it. Only thirty-five did in 1972 and then it was dropped and a deadline was attached. It expired. Equality for women EXPIRED! Don’t you think America should legally recognize women as equal in the Constitution? I do.

If you know ANY young women, please send this blog to them. Make SURE they know about Alice Paul and Lucy Burns and Women’s Suffrage. Please. There is a wonderful movie starring Hilary Swank titled Iron Jawed Angels and it chronicles the efforts of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. Please watch it. It’s shocking and well done.

Vote in every election.

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Kimberley A. Johnson (BIO) – A.K.A. The Anti Coulter is the author of The Virgin Diaries and an activist for women’s rights. Like her on Facebook, Twitter or follow her on FB HERE.

 

Buy A Book And We'll Donate To Lawrence O'Donnell's K.I.N.D. Fund

 

 

 

For every ARK Stories book purchased between now and December 25, (paperback or Kindle edition), ARK Stories will donate $1 to the K.I.N.D. Fund (Kids In Need Of Desks), established by Lawrence O’Donnell and UNICEF. The video above is from 2011 and explains how the program works. Lawrence reported on December 6, 2012, that K.I.N.D. has received more than $4.6 million dollars in donations.

 

The money donated to K.I.N.D. pays for the assembling of school desks in Malawi Africa. It helps in two ways, by providing jobs and helping their local economy and by providing desks for students to sit on instead of having to sit on a hard floor for the entire day.

 

 

 

Visit ARK Stories to read samples of each book.

Or just use these links to go directly to the online venues.

The Virgin Diaries available only on Amazon

 Ain’t No Sunshine: Men Reveal The Pain of Heartbreak

(Also available in eBook formats on Smashwords)

 Dreams and Nightmares

(Also available in eBook formats on Smashwords)

CRAZY available only on Amazon

 

After the holidays, we will post a picture of the check with the total amount.

 

It’s a great way to help those in need while you’re buying a great book.

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The Anti-Feminists

Susan Venker



There are a lot of women in America who are against feminism. They believe women should act like women, and ‘be true to our feminine nature.’  If we fail to do this, men won’t marry us. According to these women, we are destroying the country. Yeppers ladies, due to the fact we believe we deserve equal pay and want to control when and if we get pregnant, we are the in-house American terrorists.

Author Susan Venker accuses feminists—me— of having sex at ‘Hello.’ She has never met me and for her to assume this about me, or an entire group of women, is just completely ignorant and judgmental.  Venker recently wrote an article for FOX News titled The War On Men. She asserts that men have not changed much over time but women have changed dramatically. She says women are angry, defensive and that we’ve pushed men off their pedestal—now men have nowhere to go.

Before women were able to earn enough money to support ourselves and before we had the ability to choose if and when we become mothers, we had very little choice. Before the sexual revolution, being a divorced woman carried with it a very negative stigma—one where a woman was no longer worth anything because her marital status labeled her as damaged goods. Men dominated the work force and the jobs women worked, like secretaries and waitresses, didn’t provide enough income for a divorced woman, especially one with children, to live independently. So, if a woman was married to a man who was physically or emotionally abusive, a man who was unfaithful, or to a man she simply no longer wanted to be married to, her choices were so limited that she was often forced stay with him.

When women stood up and demanded freedoms like the right to vote, the right to earn as much as a man in the workplace and the right to choose whether or not to be a mother at any given time, we were labeled as angry and slutty. Because we could take a pill that prevented pregnancy, we were all of a sudden labeled as being loose. A woman who likes sex is a whore, a disgrace. This attitude is damaging enough when it comes from men but when it comes from women, it takes on a completely different meaning. It always reminds me of a battered woman who stays with her abuser because on some level she feels she deserves it. Venker and women who share her negative views on what women ‘should be’ are a danger because they help to keep all women from real equality.

 

Phyllis Schlafly

A perfect example of how these dangerous women have influence is Phyllis Schlafly, a politically conservative constitutional lawyer. Schafly opposed the ratifying of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s with a campaign —STOP ERA. STOP stood for Stop Taking Our Privileges.  One of the ‘gender specific’ privileges she was trying to preserve was, ‘dependent wife.’  She was an outspoken opponent of feminism and the ERA, and her efforts to stop women from being equal in the Constitution proved successful.

 

Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter is a completely different kind of anti-feminist. Her messaging does not stem from the belief that all women should be obedient trophy wives. Coulter is actually a strong, unmarried feminist with a contradictory message. She is the author of books that are nasty, racist and mean-spirited. She’s on record saying that women should not be allowed to vote. The reason? If women didn’t vote, conservatives would always win.

Her sales approach is to go on news programs as a political pundit and make incendiary comments as a way to draw attention to her hateful books. An example is a recent guest appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher. Just weeks before the election, she accused Maher’s entire, liberal audience of being racist while promoting her latest book Mugged. If you are not familiar with Coulter’s work, here is the description for Mugged "
 

“This isn’t a story about black people—it’s a story about the Left’s agenda to patronize blacks and lie to everyone else.”

For decades, the Left has been putting on a play with themselves as heroes in an ongoing civil rights move­ment—which they were mostly absent from at the time. Long after pervasive racial discrimination ended, they kept pretending America was being run by the Klan and that liberals were black America’s only protectors.

It took the O. J. Simpson verdict—the race-based acquittal of a spectacularly guilty black celebrity as blacks across America erupted in cheers—to shut down the white guilt bank.

But now, fewer than two decades later, our “pos­tracial” president has returned us to the pre-OJ era of nonstop racial posturing. A half-black, half-white Democrat, not descended from American slaves, has brought racial unrest back with a whoop.

 Coulter knows how to cause controversy and her loyal followers reward her handsomely and flock to buy her books. They allow her to keep going and have a place on the national stage. During Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, she tweeted “To get Bill Clinton to speak at the convention, Obama had to agree to carry his bags.” She also tweeted “Clinton just impregnated Sandra Fluke backstage.”

 

As you can see, Coulter herself comes off as angry and as long she has an audience, she has power and influence.

In this past election season, conservative women equated women’s rights with abortion. They criticized liberal women with the asinine argument that we were voting with only our lady parts and that all we wanted was free birth control. These women are liars and an embarrassment to women everywhere.

I could go on and list many other women who stand in the way of equality for women but that would be a book. It’s a matter of every woman deciding what it is she wants for herself, her life, her children’s lives and then voting accordingly.

Women can be strong and equal and also love men. I am one of them. I don’t love all men and there are definitely some men I wish to remove to remove from congress. Those men are against my equality and cast votes to prevent it. I would rather elect a man or woman who will enact laws and policies that enable equality for all.

Being a strong independent woman allows for freedom to choose a mate based on desire, not necessity. The women who promote feminism as an evil are negligent, irresponsible and are slowing down the process of equality for all.

This is precisely why you need to vote – in every election, including the ‘boring’ mid-term elections. People who didn’t vote in the 2010 mid-term elections, helped to allow for the obstructionists to dominate House of Representatives. This resulted in more than a thousand of pieces of anti-women legislation  from January 2011 until today.  Let’s not do it again.

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Deborah Sampson Posed As A Man To Fight In A War

 

Equality.

Human beings are made up of all kinds of people who have all kinds of interests and desires. Sometimes the law dictates that only one gender—usually male—or one race is permitted to engage in a given activity or cause. These biases can and will be overcome when someone finally has enough!

Take for example, Deborah Sampson. She wanted to be a soldier and fight during the American Revolutionary War. In 1778 women were not allowed to enlist in the military. Not surprising, considering the lengths she went through to fight, that she was against British rule. She joined the Continental Army. What is surprising is that she was not the only woman who fought. Sampson was among a small number of women who fought in that war.

She fought under the name of Robert Shurtliff  (her deceased  brother’s first and middle name) and served for seventeen months. Because she was 5’7 and considered a tall woman, it was quite easy for her to convince people she was a man. She was teased by other soldiers for not having to shave but clearly, she was able to fool the masses.

She was chosen for the Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment under the command of Captain George Webb and the unit was made up of fifty to sixty men.

During her first battle on July 3, 1782 outside of Tarrytown, New York, she was wounded, receiving two musket balls in her thighs and a huge cut on her forehead. For fear of being found out, she begged her fellow soldiers to leave her to die. Despite her pleading, they refused to abandon her and took her to the hospital. She was treated for her head wound but before doctors attended to the musket balls, she left the hospital and removed one of the balls from her thigh by herself with a penknife and sewing needle. Her leg never fully healed because the second musket ball was lodged too deep into her thigh for her to remove.

By April 1783, she was promoted and served as a waiter to General John Paterson. Because of the promotion, she was afforded a better quality of life. She ate better food, had shelter and encountered less danger.

Everyone assumed the war was over when the peace treaty was signed, but on June 24, General Washington was ordered by the President of Congress to send a fleet of soldiers to Philadelphia to “aid in squelching a rebellion of several American officers.”  Just as this was happening, Sampson fell ill with a malignant fever. The doctor who treated her removed her clothes and her secret was out. Fortunately, he did not reveal the fact she was a woman posing as a man, in fact, he took her to his home and treated her with the help of his wife and daughters.

When Sampson recovered, she returned to the army for a brief time. In September of 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and peace was assured. When the doctor who treated her asked her to deliver a note to General John Paterson, she thought the cat was out of the bag—fortunately for her it was not. Sampson was granted an honorable discharge by Henry Knox after a year and a half of service, with a note with some words of advice and only enough money to pay for her trip home.

In January 1792, eight years later, her story became known only when she petitioned for back pay. She petitioned the Massachusetts State Legislature for the earnings withheld as a result of her being a woman. With the help of her friend Paul Revere, her petition was approved and signed by Governor John Hancock. The General Court of Massachusetts verified her service and wrote that she "exhibited an extraordinary instance of female heroism by discharging the duties of a faithful gallant soldier, and at the same time preserving the virtue and chastity of her gender, unsuspected and unblemished.” She was awarded 34 pounds—which was considered quite inadequate and ultimately resulted in Sampson giving lectures for profit, discussing her wartime experiences. 

Because of her extraordinary achievements and bravery, her successful struggle for the American Revolutionary War pension bridged the gender gap in asserting that all veterans who fought for their country were entitled to compensation.

In Sharon, Massachusetts, a statue was erected in front of the library honoring Sampson. Sharon also has Deborah Sampson Street, Deborah Sampson Field and the Deborah Sampson House. 

 

 

Excerpt from Women in the U.S. Army, coutersy of www.army.mil:

"...in February 1946, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower directed the preparation of legislation to make the Women’s Army Corps a permanent part of the Army. Lt. Col. Mary Louise Milligan (later Rasmuson) became a consultant/planner for the project. Col. Hallaren, third director of the WAC, became the recognized leader in the fight for passage of the legislation. In September 1947, the bill was combined with the WAVES/Women Marines bill and a section to include women in the Air Force was added. The bill was renamed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act. President Truman signed the bill into law on June 12, 1948.

In July 1948, the first enlisted women entered the Regular Army and in December, the first WAC officers received Regular Army appointments. Women could enlist from ages 18 to 35. Enlistment under age 21 required parental or guardian consent. Women were no longer sent to a TO unit of 150 women, but received individual assignments. Enlistments in the Women’s Army Corps, Regular Army, opened to civilians in September 1948, and on Oct. 4, the Women’s Army Corps Training Center opened at Camp Lee, Va.”

I decided to share this story as an example. As women, we have to fight harder for rights and freedoms. It is worth it. And it is important to never forget what the women before us did so that we have choices, rights and freedoms today.

 

More details HERE

 

The Radium Girls - Profits Before People

 

Have you ever heard of the Radium Girls?

Around 1917, women were hired in radium factories to paint watch dials with glow-in-the-dark paint. The paintbrushes would lose their shape after a few strokes, so employers encouraged the women to re-shape the brushes with their mouths. For fun, the women painted their fingernails and even their faces and teeth. Hey, it was glow-in-the-dark and that’s FUN! The women believed the paint was safe.

Here’s the rub—the U.S. Radium Corporation who hired these women were hip to the fact that radium is not safe to ingest or to smear all over skin. In fact, the chemists carefully avoided contact with the toxic substance, using lead screens, masks and tongs to handle it. Literature on the injurious effects of radium had been distributed throughout the medical community but this didn’t stop the factories from hiring women and using them as expendable employees. These factories could have easily provided the women with the necessary masks and gloves but they didn’t. Masks, gloves and tongs would have cost the radium companies money. They even encouraged the women to put the paintbrush tips in their mouths—KNOWING the radium was toxic!

 

 

Was this a case of employers wanting to make employees sick? Doubtful. It’s more likely they just wanted product to sell. Glow-in-the-dark watches were used in the military and money was to be made. So what if women got sick? It wasn’t their problem. Profit was their bottom line.

Women DID get sick. Many women later suffered from anemia, bone fractures and necrosis of the jaw—also known as radium jaw.  Radium and other watch-dial companies denied the radium caused these ills. In an effort to keep this information from the public, doctors, dentists and researchers complied with requests from companies to not release the damning data. At the urging of the radium companies, workers’ deaths were blamed on syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases in an effort to not only distract the public from the poisoning but to smear the reputations of the women who died.

 

In 1922, Grace Fryer, a woman who once worked in the plant grew concerned when her teeth started to loosen and eventually fall out. Her jaw became swollen and inflamed. A primitive X-ray machine revealed serious bone decay and her jawbone was honeycombed with small holes in a random pattern. The doctor suggested her condition was a direct result of her exposure to radium.  Fryer decided to sue U.S. Radium but it took two years to find a lawyer willing to take on the case. Five women who worked in the factory, dubbed "The Radium Girls" joined the suit. Their case set precedents including a baseline of provable suffering.

As mentioned in my last blog about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where women who worked under extreme sweatshop conditions plunged to their deaths to escape an inferno, this horrific and true story also resulted in labor laws and legal precedents. The Radium Girls case enabled the right of individual workers to sue for damages from corporations due to labor abuse. Industrial safety standards were demonstrably enhanced for many decades as a result.

I used to sell industrial chemicals. The company I worked for often complained about the EPA and their pesky rules—rules in place to keep the air and water clean. Their beef was primarily about the fees associated with EPA testing of certain chemicals. Companies who distribute these chemicals must cover part of the fees. This chemical company would have gladly looked the other way so they could make more money selling products that were damaging and unhealthy to the environment, their own employees who had to demonstrate the chemicals and the maintenance crews who handled the product—just so they would have a little more money in their pocket.

 

Without labor laws and unions, employers have proved that employee safety is not always a concern. We know that every employer isn’t evil but enough of them have proved that labor laws, regulation and worker safety are necessary in order to protect the rights of employees.

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More details HERE. 

 

 

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