Jayne wrote:
>I, too, would like to think that the Pope is not so crass as to really
>engage in a cynical manipulation of theological teaching in order to
>maintain institutional power. However, having personally been on the
>receiving end of some Catholic Church politics, I do have nagging doubts
>about integrity and sincerity among the hierarchy.
As another ex-Catholic (long ago recovered), I think you've got a point here.
First, that there is a difference between the Pope's motives and those of the
Catholic hierarchy. As for the Pope himself, my sense is that he really does
think about stuff, and really does wish to do good ... but that both his
analysis of world problems and the solutions he draws from that analysis are
both atavistic ... they belong to a past paradigm that is really no longer
capable of producing effective analysis or problem solving in the late 20th
century world. And, bad analysis, especially that which references some
abstract ideal without taking into account the actual world, can do tremendous
damage in the world even if driven by relatively good intentions. In fact it
may be that intellectual myopia has caused more pain than genuinely
bad-intentioned people have over the long sweep of history.
I don't really believe the church has adopted its position to simply maintain
institutional power ... as if this is its real motive, it is remarkably stupid
in its pursuit of it: would it not be better, if it wanted to build membership
and power, to actually allow birth control, to allow women to enter the
priesthood ... in short, to reverse those positions that are actually chasing
people out of the church?
That said, I do think there are members of the priesthood that *do*
have nefarious motives ... insecure men who need to feel as though they have
power over others, who think women should be subservient to men, and men to
the priesthood ... who take the Pope's thoughts and use them for all sorts of
personal psychological ends.
I suppose I feel the same thing someone (I think on this list, but
perhaps on another) said a couple days ago: I'll be much more willing to talk
about the Catholic church's stand on birth control when begins to produce
15,000 new adoptive homes per day for children born to those who can't afford
them, and when the church shows me how it will feed, clothe and house all the
children being born into pure, desolate poverty.
If here is any single pattern more destructive than any other on the
planet, it is the one that causes *any* individual or group to say:
"I feel morally justified in imposing my worldview on the rest of the
world's population, but feel no moral responsibility for the ramifications of
that worldview. People ought to behave according to standards I set, and if
those standards cause their lives to be diminished, damaged or destroyed, well,
that is their problem, not mine."
I don't believe in a Satan, or in evil in any absolute sense, but I
guess if there *is* anything I might call evil ... it is any person or group
that operates within that pattern ... regardless of whether or not they
*believe* they are doing good.
-JRC
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sat Apr 8 16:57:47 MDT 1995
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sat, 8 Apr 1995 18:58:36 -0400
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Women's Leadership Network
For Immediate Release: April 8, 1995
For More Information Contact: Carolyn Kamlet (914) 738-5670
or e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Women's Leadership Network to Use the Internet
to Fight Conservative Policies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Declaring that the first 100 days of the 104th Congress has been a
"war on women and families," a non-partisan group of politically active
women is turning to the Internet to fight conservative policies.
The new group, called the "Women's Leadership Network," is notable for
the following reasons:
* It is the first major effort to organize women over the Internet to
advocate for the concerns of women and families.
* It counts among its supporters prominent women elected officials,
including former Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro,
Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT),
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Manhattan Borough President
Ruth Messinger, as well as prominent women's advocates, including
Campaign for Media Fairness on Welfare spokesperson Frances Fox Piven,
Eleanor's List president Ross Graham, Westchester Coalition for Legal
Abortion president Polly Rothstein, and Ms. Foundation for Women
president Marie Wilson.
* It has published a Women's Contract With America, which it will use to
make women's concerns the focus of the 1996 campaign and transform the
national political debate.
"After 100 days of Congressional attacks on programs of vital concern
to women and children, American women are in a state of shock," said
Women's Leadership Network chairwoman Deborah Sale. "We have watched with
horror as the entire social safety net has come under assault, including
income support for the nation's poorest children, food stamps, school
lunches, Medicare, Medicaid, and dozens of other essential programs.
American women are appalled by these cuts, and it is time for us to say:
Enough!"
At the start of the 104th Congress, most of the public was unaware of
the fine print of the proposed cuts before Congress. Campaign promises in
the 1994 elections have turned into controversial bills which have
alienated a growing number of voters. Women in particular are organizing
against cuts in social programs which they know will severely harm both
working women and poor women, as well as their families. As a result, a
large turnout is expected for the April 9 March for Women's Lives that NOW
has organized in Washington, D.C. In addition, the Council of Presidents,
a national coalition of 80 large women's organizations which represent
women from every racial, class, and ethnic background, has also responded
to proposals that hurt women and their families.
The Women's Leadership Network began meeting in New York City when the
controversial bills were introduced. Its goal was to find ways to express
women's opposition to these bills and to increase women's participation in
the political process. Recognizing that Congress was making major decisions
without input from American women, the group decided to pull onto the
"Information Superhighway," which is accessible to women all across the
country.
"The Internet is a terrific tool to use for mobilizing women," said
WLN Vice Chair Polly Rothstein. "After we posted a few notices, women on
the Internet took the initiative to spread our message to every corner of
cyberspace. Within three weeks, we received over 1,200 enthusiastic
responses from women across America who are furious about the proposed
cuts, and we are getting 50 more each day. Women are using the Internet in
larger numbers than anyone realizes, and we believe we will be able to
mobilize tens of thousands of women to go out into their communities and
defend their rights," she said.
Organizers of the new group said the issues most frequently mentioned
included: cuts in welfare, food stamps, and other programs essential to the
survival of poor women; cuts in primary and secondary education; attacks on
affirmative action programs for women and minorities; cuts in public
broadcasting and federal support for the arts and humanities; attacks on
environmental protection programs; efforts to repeal gun control laws;
abandonment of all efforts to reform health care; attacks on abortion
rights, gays and lesbians, and immigrants; and the overall climate of
intolerance, particularly on talk radio.
Organizers said they were particularly struck by the diversity of
those responding. "We have heard from women from every walk of life:
businesswomen, lawyers, doctors, nurses, ministers, teachers, scientists,
computer programmers, administrative assistants, secretaries, filmmakers,
women advocates, union activists, social workers, and university
professors, administrators, and students. We have heard from lots of men;
whites, blacks, Latinas, and Asian-Americans; straights and gays; rich and
poor; young and old. They are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
They live in cities, suburbs, and rural areas, and as far away as England,
Turkey, and Taiwan. This enormous diversity reveals a stunning new fact
about American politics: that the controversial legislation of the new
Congress has galvanized women and sympathetic men into a national
progressive political force that has not been seen since the 1930's," said
Rothstein.
Organizers said they were also struck by the passion expressed in the
responses, which was greatly facilitated by the unique characteristics of
the Internet. "Women poured their hearts out to us in their letters. We
heard from victims of sexual harassment whose lives have been wrecked by
abusive male bosses; from victims of child abuse, rape, and incest; and
women on the front lines of the war on poverty who know exactly how
devastating welfare cuts will be. Unlike the loud, pompous, ego-driven
discourse of talk radio, the quiet of the Internet gives women the space to
express themselves sincerely and intimately. We see how deeply angry women
are, and how willing they are to use this new technology to fight back,"
said WLN Director Carolyn Kamlet.
The group has planned its strategy around the recognition that women's
scarcest resource is time. "Many women are working three shifts -- jobs,
families, and volunteer work in schools, churches, and communities. We want
to make this as quick and easy for women as possible," said Sale. Every
weekday, the group will distribute an electronic Daily Hotline with up-to-
the-minute information about legislation affecting women and families, as
well as the names and electronic mail addresses of Members of Congress who
need to be contacted. "We will deposit the Daily Hotline in our members' e-
mail boxes, where they can retrieve it, print it out, read it, and take
action at their convenience," Sale said.
Using this tool, the group hopes to generate electronic mail letters
to Members of Congress each day. "The Women's Leadership Network's Daily
Hotline will serve as a wake-up call to American women across the nation,
said Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), a supporter of the new group. "The
Republican leadership in Washington has been waging war on women and
children. The Women's Leadership Network will help lead the counter-attack
by disseminating information and promoting activism."
The group also sees its Daily Hotline as the first national women's
newspaper. "Today men control virtually every media channel, from the TV
networks to radio and daily newspapers. This will be the first news source
controlled entirely by women," Sale said.
To receive the Daily Hotline, members of the Women's Leadership
Network need only a simple connection to the Internet, one capable of
receiving electronic mail. Millions of American women have this access to
the Internet through their offices, schools, and personal accounts with
such services as America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, and Women's Wire. In
addition, the group will also form partnerships with on-line service
providers and women's membership organizations to bring more women on-line.
"There are millions of concerned women who should be on the Internet but
aren't, and we will give them a reason to be there," Sale said.
For more sophisticated travelers on the Information Superhighway, the
group has also designed a World Wide Web page, which computer users can
browse at their leisure. The Web page will contain the Daily Hotline as
well as in-depth critiques of Congressional bills, information on women's
groups and groups hostile to women, and suggestions for action on a wide
range of issues. The Web page is currently accessible to direct Internet
users and Prodigy subscribers. All of the other major services plan to
provide access soon.
Looking ahead to the 1996 campaign, the group has drafted a 10-point
"Women's Contract With America" which reflects women's priorities for
federal legislation. The 10 points include family and work issues, health
reform, education reform, crime reduction and prevention, welfare reform
and safety net preservation, environmental protection, budget and tax
fairness, constitutional rights, political reform, and cultural issues. The
group plans to present the contract to candidates for office who seek
women's votes in 1996, including Presidential candidates. "For the first
time in history, we're going to make the concerns of the American majority
-- women -- the focus of a national political campaign," said Rothstein.
In addition, the group plans to maintain extensive biographical,
quotation, and voting record information on elected officials and
candidates, so women can make informed decisions in the 1996 election.
"Women do not realize that many of their elected representatives vote
consistently against women's interests on issues from Social Security to
abortion rights," said Rothstein. "We intend to make sure they get the
facts," she said.
There is discussion within the group of forming local chapters which
could influence local political campaigns. The group is looking at starting
a chapter in New Hampshire, where it could bring women's concerns into the
Presidential primaries. Abortion rights is already a central issue in the
GOP campaign, with pro-choice candidates Arlen Specter, Pete Wilson, and
Lynn Martin challenging the anti-choice views of Bob Dole, Phil Gramm,
Richard Lugar, Pat Buchanan, Lamar Alexander, and Alan Keyes. On the
Democratic side, the abortion issue is propelling abortion opponent Bob
Casey to challenge President Clinton.
The group's efforts will culminate on election day in 1996, when
Congress, the President and most governors and state legislators will be up
for re-election. "Women stayed home in 1994, and the results were
devastating," said Sale. "We want to use this new medium to mobilize women
to register women voters and make sure they get to the polls," she said.
"The war on women and their families will end in 1996," she vowed.
To join the Women's Leadership Network and receive the Daily Hotline,
anyone with the ability to send and receive e-mail over the Internet can
send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject "Interested." To reach
the Web page, experienced Internet users can direct their Web browsers to
http://www.interport.net/~asherman/wln.html. To reach WLN by phone, dial
914-285-9761 (after April 15: 800-WOMAN96).
- 30 -
Women's Leadership Network
276 Chatterton Parkway
White Plains, NY 10606
(914) 285-9761
(914) 285-9763 (fax)
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Steering Committee:
Deborah Sale, Chair
Polly Rothstein, Vice Chair
Antonia Stolper, President
Christina Mason, Secretary
Bob Fertik, Treasurer
Carolyn Kamlet, Director
Aliza Sherman, Web Coord.
Lois Frankel, Database Coord.
Founding members:
Lori Antonacci
Barbara Bergmann
Gene Boyer
Gale Brewer
Debra Cooper
Bonny Forrest
Jo Freeman
Barbara Hohlt
Marian Krauskopf
Cheryl Lehman
Shelley Mayer
Jane Moore
Frances Fox Piven
Elisa Riordan
Bobbie Sackman
Elsie Shapiro
Peggy Shepard
Dion Thompson
Marie Wilson
Advisory Board:
Hon. Rosa DeLauro
Hon. Geraldine Ferraro
Hon. Nita Lowey
Hon. Carolyn Maloney
Hon. Ruth Messinger
