New Website
Same righteous outrage, brand new look---which is to say I actually put a few minutes' thought into the design for a change? Stop by the new home of the Abortion Clinic Escort Blog. While you're there, donate to a NNAF abortion fund and see your donations matched by an anonymous pro-choice angel!
Miniature Coat Hangers
Aren't they the cutest little symbolic representations of horrific death you've ever seen?
I will be sending one of these coat hangers to each and every one of the 64 Democrats [sic] in the House of Representatives who voted in favor of the anti-choice Stupak Amendment to the healthcare reform bill that passed last weekend. You can too! The idea started on the Facebook group Stupak Amendment REVOLT and it's been picked up by a CREDO Mobile campaign too.
I ordered my miniature hangers at Casey's Wood Products, but there's a bunch of different crafting sites that have them.
I will be sending one of these coat hangers to each and every one of the 64 Democrats [sic] in the House of Representatives who voted in favor of the anti-choice Stupak Amendment to the healthcare reform bill that passed last weekend. You can too! The idea started on the Facebook group Stupak Amendment REVOLT and it's been picked up by a CREDO Mobile campaign too.
I ordered my miniature hangers at Casey's Wood Products, but there's a bunch of different crafting sites that have them.
Chants For Choice
@FairAndFeminist on Twitter just asked me and some others if we had any ideas for pro-choice chants for a rally being held tomorrow. I plugged a few of my favorites into Google, hoping for a page full of them, and was amazed to find no such thing. Let it never be said that I do not respond upon seeing a need.
...boy, it occurs to me that like 60% of this blog, now, is either transcribed tweets or march slogans. Talk about your lowest-common-denominator web content. Oh well, what're you gonna do.
- Not The Church, Not The State, Women Will Decide Their Fate
- Keep Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries
- Our Bodies! Our Lives!
- My Body! My Choice!
- Anti-Woman, Anti-Gay, Right-Wing Bigots Go Away
- Pro-Life? That's a Lie! You Don't Care if Women Die!
- Gay, Straight, Black, White! All Unite To Fight the Right!
- Hey Hey, Mister Mister! Keep Your Laws Off My Sister!
- Women’s Rights Under Attack! What Do We Do? Stand up! Fight Back!
...boy, it occurs to me that like 60% of this blog, now, is either transcribed tweets or march slogans. Talk about your lowest-common-denominator web content. Oh well, what're you gonna do.
40 Days For Choice
Looking for the 40 Days For Choice website? It's here: http://www.40days4choice.com .
Why I Escort
Last Saturday, I spent my morning in the company of nearly two dozen lurkers, skulkers, stalkers, harassers, and creeps... and I can't wait to do it again.
I am a volunteer abortion clinic escort. This means I am there to walk with women coming into the abortion clinic. It's usually no more than a minute's walk from their cars to the front door of the clinic. Under normal circumstances, my help would hardly be needed. Except the circumstances outside an abortion clinic are rarely "normal."
Every day that our doors are open to women seeking abortions, the sidewalk in front of our clinic is occupied by people who do anything they think they can get away with to try to keep those women from going inside. These protesters are, by and large, a sideshow of the crazy and the scary and the totally lacking in people skills. The highlight of my most recent Saturday morning was the offense taken by one of the regular protesters at the sight of me and a client talking and laughing together as we walked. This protester lifted her bullhorn and screeched into it, over all the other shouting from her compadres: "These ladies are not your friends! They're your enemies! They want to sell your baby for parts AND MAKE THEM INTO SHAMPOO!"
Yes, she did. While wearing a sign reading "PRO-LIFE IS PRO-WOMEN: WE CARE," no less.
Along with the bullhorning and the screeching and the embryo shampoo conspiracy, our protesters carry some really big, really ugly signs. You know the ones. They're not designed to appeal to one's conscience or to offer support in one's time of need; they're designed to shock and traumatize via the instinctive human revulsion to gore. So far, they haven't taken me up on my suggestion to blow up photos of fresh roadkill as an alternative. Same revulsion factor, 100% more respect for the "human lives" they say their photos represent.
For some women, then, those sixty seconds are a nightmare. Well before they arrive in their cars, they're afraid of that walk. They've been worrying about it, steeling themselves. They don't know what they're walking into, but they're imagining a worst-case scenario. You can tell by how they'll busily step from their cars, shuffling keys and bags or talking very loudly to their companions so as to plausibly ignore you, or pop up from behind the wheel with the words "You need to leave us alone right now" already out of their mouths, before they see you quietly standing and pointing to the word "ESCORT" emblazoned across your neon orange vest. You can tell from the plain relief that floods their eyes when they realize who you are and why you're there. You can tell from the haste with which they apologize for their perfectly understandable mistake, and from the emphatic way they say "thank you" as you open the door for them at the end of that long, long walk.
We do have a very few regulars who come to our clinic to stand in quiet prayer with some brochures to be gently offered, not angrily brandished. And we think of these folks as no threat: if it happens that they are the only protesters on site, we're happy to leave them to it without any supervision from us. That's pretty rare, however. These rather more Christlike Christians are vastly outnumbered by those who call bullying "counseling" and intimidation "outreach." I'm able to laugh at things like the zygote curling-mousse plot because it's just so dumb. But for our clients who don't hang out with these people every weekend, who aren't used to getting screamed at on the street by strangers, who are just trying to go to the doctor's office for Pete's sake (and does it matter if a client is just getting a Pap smear or is gray-haired or is the mailman? no, no it does not), it's not funny at all. It's just scary.
For a nation that claims to cherish its freedoms, America is pretty damned complacent about the harassment that goes on outside abortion clinics. Imagine this circus outside of dentist's offices instead. Imagine what it would feel like, having to endure being called a whore and a killer on your way in to have a bad tooth pulled. Maybe they'd throw little plastic teeth at you; maybe they'd even take your photograph on the way in. People wouldn't stand for it: I have the right to choose my own dental care, they'd say. Who do these people think they are? And even if I were the smallest bit unsure about the choice I'd made, even if some part of me wanted to be talked into a filling and not an extraction--why in god's name would some hostile, red-faced, screaming stranger get a vote?
Maybe there's an element of trolling to that analogy. I could write the outraged top-text for an email forward of this blog myself. "Can you believe it! A LIVING, ALMOST-BREATHING CHILD who will PROBABLY CURE CANCER SOMEDAY is nothing more than a ROTTED MOLAR to this BARREN GODLESS WHORE!!!11" Feel free to copy/paste--but if you do, you're missing the point. Bullying never won any hearts or minds, and harassment or intimidation of private citizens going about their private lives is never, never, never a tool for good. There is no place for such tactics of fear in civil discourse, and no one who employs them can be truly called a warrior for good, no matter what they tell themselves while they're packing their bullhorn and their gore posters into the car every morning.
I can't make the protesters who camp out in front of my clinic in the mornings go away. I can't even make them behave like rational, responsible citizens. But I can make sure that the women (and men, and children) who walk into my clinic don't have to run that obstacle course alone, and I believe I can assuage some of their fear. I can shield them physically from shouts and eyes and cameras. I can assure by my presence as a witness that the protesters don't "forget" where the property line is. And I can be one voice of supportive reason, quiet but strong, in opposition to the shouting about the blastocyst deep-conditioning cabal:
"I'm a volunteer with the clinic. We have some protesters out front who will try to shout at you. They don't know why you're here, but they're going to shout at you anyway. You don't have to listen to them. I can just walk alongside and keep myself between them and you. I'm sorry you have to deal with this today."
Their fear is why I escort. Their gratitude is why I keep coming back.
I am a volunteer abortion clinic escort. This means I am there to walk with women coming into the abortion clinic. It's usually no more than a minute's walk from their cars to the front door of the clinic. Under normal circumstances, my help would hardly be needed. Except the circumstances outside an abortion clinic are rarely "normal."
Every day that our doors are open to women seeking abortions, the sidewalk in front of our clinic is occupied by people who do anything they think they can get away with to try to keep those women from going inside. These protesters are, by and large, a sideshow of the crazy and the scary and the totally lacking in people skills. The highlight of my most recent Saturday morning was the offense taken by one of the regular protesters at the sight of me and a client talking and laughing together as we walked. This protester lifted her bullhorn and screeched into it, over all the other shouting from her compadres: "These ladies are not your friends! They're your enemies! They want to sell your baby for parts AND MAKE THEM INTO SHAMPOO!"
Yes, she did. While wearing a sign reading "PRO-LIFE IS PRO-WOMEN: WE CARE," no less.
Along with the bullhorning and the screeching and the embryo shampoo conspiracy, our protesters carry some really big, really ugly signs. You know the ones. They're not designed to appeal to one's conscience or to offer support in one's time of need; they're designed to shock and traumatize via the instinctive human revulsion to gore. So far, they haven't taken me up on my suggestion to blow up photos of fresh roadkill as an alternative. Same revulsion factor, 100% more respect for the "human lives" they say their photos represent.
For some women, then, those sixty seconds are a nightmare. Well before they arrive in their cars, they're afraid of that walk. They've been worrying about it, steeling themselves. They don't know what they're walking into, but they're imagining a worst-case scenario. You can tell by how they'll busily step from their cars, shuffling keys and bags or talking very loudly to their companions so as to plausibly ignore you, or pop up from behind the wheel with the words "You need to leave us alone right now" already out of their mouths, before they see you quietly standing and pointing to the word "ESCORT" emblazoned across your neon orange vest. You can tell from the plain relief that floods their eyes when they realize who you are and why you're there. You can tell from the haste with which they apologize for their perfectly understandable mistake, and from the emphatic way they say "thank you" as you open the door for them at the end of that long, long walk.
We do have a very few regulars who come to our clinic to stand in quiet prayer with some brochures to be gently offered, not angrily brandished. And we think of these folks as no threat: if it happens that they are the only protesters on site, we're happy to leave them to it without any supervision from us. That's pretty rare, however. These rather more Christlike Christians are vastly outnumbered by those who call bullying "counseling" and intimidation "outreach." I'm able to laugh at things like the zygote curling-mousse plot because it's just so dumb. But for our clients who don't hang out with these people every weekend, who aren't used to getting screamed at on the street by strangers, who are just trying to go to the doctor's office for Pete's sake (and does it matter if a client is just getting a Pap smear or is gray-haired or is the mailman? no, no it does not), it's not funny at all. It's just scary.
For a nation that claims to cherish its freedoms, America is pretty damned complacent about the harassment that goes on outside abortion clinics. Imagine this circus outside of dentist's offices instead. Imagine what it would feel like, having to endure being called a whore and a killer on your way in to have a bad tooth pulled. Maybe they'd throw little plastic teeth at you; maybe they'd even take your photograph on the way in. People wouldn't stand for it: I have the right to choose my own dental care, they'd say. Who do these people think they are? And even if I were the smallest bit unsure about the choice I'd made, even if some part of me wanted to be talked into a filling and not an extraction--why in god's name would some hostile, red-faced, screaming stranger get a vote?
Maybe there's an element of trolling to that analogy. I could write the outraged top-text for an email forward of this blog myself. "Can you believe it! A LIVING, ALMOST-BREATHING CHILD who will PROBABLY CURE CANCER SOMEDAY is nothing more than a ROTTED MOLAR to this BARREN GODLESS WHORE!!!11" Feel free to copy/paste--but if you do, you're missing the point. Bullying never won any hearts or minds, and harassment or intimidation of private citizens going about their private lives is never, never, never a tool for good. There is no place for such tactics of fear in civil discourse, and no one who employs them can be truly called a warrior for good, no matter what they tell themselves while they're packing their bullhorn and their gore posters into the car every morning.
I can't make the protesters who camp out in front of my clinic in the mornings go away. I can't even make them behave like rational, responsible citizens. But I can make sure that the women (and men, and children) who walk into my clinic don't have to run that obstacle course alone, and I believe I can assuage some of their fear. I can shield them physically from shouts and eyes and cameras. I can assure by my presence as a witness that the protesters don't "forget" where the property line is. And I can be one voice of supportive reason, quiet but strong, in opposition to the shouting about the blastocyst deep-conditioning cabal:
"I'm a volunteer with the clinic. We have some protesters out front who will try to shout at you. They don't know why you're here, but they're going to shout at you anyway. You don't have to listen to them. I can just walk alongside and keep myself between them and you. I'm sorry you have to deal with this today."
Their fear is why I escort. Their gratitude is why I keep coming back.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can I get involved in clinic escorting too?
Call your local clinic(s) and ask them how you can help, or alternatively, contact your local NARAL or NOW (these organizations sometimes organize or help organize escorts). Each clinic operates differently. Not all use escorts, or any volunteers at all (often due to an abundance of caution on liability concerns), so don't be discouraged if one says no. Have faith that even if they're unable to accept your awesome offer of help, they will appreciate the gesture of your calling to ask.
I live in one of the 87% of U.S. counties without an abortion provider. How can I get involved in some way other than escorting?
This is easy--which is why it's sometimes frustrating that more people don't do it. MAKE NOISE. The greatest strategic victory that anti-choice forces have won since Roe v Wade legalized abortion in 1973 is to place a great, heavy mantle of shame on the shoulders of the **ONE IN THREE** American women who have abortions. It's the most common minor surgical procedure in the country and yet we speak of it in hushed voices, our heads bowed. There are many understandable reasons why, in the current sociopolitical atmosphere, a woman would not feel comfortable standing up and saying "I had an abortion that was the best option available under the circumstances of my life at the time"---but imagine if we all could? Imagine if we all did! The antis would then be in the position of having to shame their own mothers and wives and sisters and daughters and friends, rather than some mythical Otherized harlot.
Converse with your family and friends on the subject. Write letters to abortion providers thanking them for their service. Call your congressman and tell him or her "hands off other people's uterii." Take the time to write letters to the editor correcting the wild misconceptions and outright lies about abortion that other people circulate. In short: Talk about abortion; it's good for America.
You seem angry. Why so angry?
I am angry because on any given Saturday morning I've got a couple dozen strangers trying to crawl all up in my uterus. Not to mention like thirty percent of the House of Representatives. And the entire Catholic church, plus some snake-handlers. It's a little crowded in there. It kind of chafes, in fact.
ZOMGs, how did I not know you had a website?
Despite my having written the earliest entries in June of 2009, I didn't make the site public until September 23, 2009. It took me that long to reconcile myself to the timesink of maintaining a blog. I reserve the right to not update during flashes of lucidity w/r/t how little time I actually have in my life for this.
Your website is U-G-L-Y, it ain't got no alibi, it's ugly. (?)
I know. But you're reading it anyway. So that's pretty awesome.
How does it feel to know you're going to burn in hell?
So... a whole bunch of prochoicey feminist/progressive types all hanging out together... with a bonfire? Who knew: there IS a god!
Call your local clinic(s) and ask them how you can help, or alternatively, contact your local NARAL or NOW (these organizations sometimes organize or help organize escorts). Each clinic operates differently. Not all use escorts, or any volunteers at all (often due to an abundance of caution on liability concerns), so don't be discouraged if one says no. Have faith that even if they're unable to accept your awesome offer of help, they will appreciate the gesture of your calling to ask.
I live in one of the 87% of U.S. counties without an abortion provider. How can I get involved in some way other than escorting?
This is easy--which is why it's sometimes frustrating that more people don't do it. MAKE NOISE. The greatest strategic victory that anti-choice forces have won since Roe v Wade legalized abortion in 1973 is to place a great, heavy mantle of shame on the shoulders of the **ONE IN THREE** American women who have abortions. It's the most common minor surgical procedure in the country and yet we speak of it in hushed voices, our heads bowed. There are many understandable reasons why, in the current sociopolitical atmosphere, a woman would not feel comfortable standing up and saying "I had an abortion that was the best option available under the circumstances of my life at the time"---but imagine if we all could? Imagine if we all did! The antis would then be in the position of having to shame their own mothers and wives and sisters and daughters and friends, rather than some mythical Otherized harlot.
Converse with your family and friends on the subject. Write letters to abortion providers thanking them for their service. Call your congressman and tell him or her "hands off other people's uterii." Take the time to write letters to the editor correcting the wild misconceptions and outright lies about abortion that other people circulate. In short: Talk about abortion; it's good for America.
You seem angry. Why so angry?
I am angry because on any given Saturday morning I've got a couple dozen strangers trying to crawl all up in my uterus. Not to mention like thirty percent of the House of Representatives. And the entire Catholic church, plus some snake-handlers. It's a little crowded in there. It kind of chafes, in fact.
ZOMGs, how did I not know you had a website?
Despite my having written the earliest entries in June of 2009, I didn't make the site public until September 23, 2009. It took me that long to reconcile myself to the timesink of maintaining a blog. I reserve the right to not update during flashes of lucidity w/r/t how little time I actually have in my life for this.
Your website is U-G-L-Y, it ain't got no alibi, it's ugly. (?)
I know. But you're reading it anyway. So that's pretty awesome.
How does it feel to know you're going to burn in hell?
So... a whole bunch of prochoicey feminist/progressive types all hanging out together... with a bonfire? Who knew: there IS a god!
Trusting Women in Bellevue, Nebraska
(This entry transcribes tweets from and about my trip to Omaha, NE to defend Dr. Carhart's clinic there after Operation Rescue announced that he would be the next target of their special brand of domestic terrorism.)
August 3, 2009
This is how it begins. Operation Rescue announces "campaign" against NE abortion provider Dr. Carhart, starts 8/28-29 http://tr.im/vjqi
At @LGBTCenterNYC for talk w/ Dr. Wicklund & Sunsara Taylor. Glad to see rather more GenXers than one might expect. Even a few Y! Near SRO.
My Q got A'ed. How to help Dr Carhart now that OR is after him? Dr W: 1) Letters of support 2) Bodies. Onsite. 3) $: siege is VERY expensive
Got Dr W to sign my book; exchanged contact info with some people. A fave line from a fave movie: I think they're conspiring to conspire!
August 5, 2009
RT @KS_NOW: Attn #ProChoice activists You are needed in Nebraska August 28th & 29th! Stay tuned for details!
August 7, 2009
RT @KS_NOW #ProChoice Activists WE NEED YOU! Come to Nebraska, defend Dr. Carhart's clinic! http://bit.ly/4Aj1rZ #p2 #tiller #fem2
August 15, 2009
Dr. Carhart risks his life for your rights. Please come to NE 8/27-29 & stand with him (& me!) against Operation Rescue http://bit.ly/16XJWR
Long must-read from Newsweek on Dr. Carhart: The Abortion Evangelist http://bit.ly/1bbccs Paragraph 3 fills me with--no other word--rage.
...the Esquire story on Dr. Hern didn't make me cry. But the Newsweek story on Dr. Carhart just totally demolished me. Fuck.
August 19, 2009
Help anti-choice protesters be useful for a change! Pledge-A-Picketer for Dr. Carhart's patients at http://www.pledge-a-picket.org/
August 26, 2009
OH HAI, mobile data service. Haven't seen you in a few days. I am boarding a plane to Wichita. Next stop after that: Dr. #Carthart's clinic
Welcome to Wichita: Air Capital of the World. Also: guns-in-checked-luggage capital of the world? http://twitpic.com/fe9ls
Margaritas. Gossip. Trash-talk. Venting. Presents. Hugs. Plotting. Planning. Activists make awesome friends.
August 27, 2009
Just picked up @themadvoter and @nicki2377. It's ON.
It's not too late for you to come to NE & help defend Dr #Carhart from Operation Rescue. Priceline a flight. Rent a car. Hitchhike. BE HERE.
Mount Saint Bag Lunch. Local support for the #Carhart clinic defense is AMAZING. Thank you Omaha!! http://twitpic.com/fj85k
August 28, 2009
You know what's classy? Anti-choicers who harangue the family members of abortion providers. Just sayin'. #carhart
.@Rizzz I am indeed in NE. Hanging out with my sign in front of Dr #Carhart's with several score of my closest pals!
I've met Terry O'Neill and Katherine Spillar here at Dr #Carhart's this morning. So great to have national leaders standing tall with us!
A small band of secular saints just rolled through with bagels and water. I am sharing around my 45 SPF and my array of extra-fat Sharpies.
Dr Carhart Is A Hero #carhart #signs
You can sing right along with us. "Every sperm is sacred / Every sperm is good / Every sperm is needed / In your neighborhood" #carhart
RT @LouisvillekyNOW @erintothemax CNN: Operation Rescue scales back at #Carhart's clinic because of NOW activists. http://tinyurl.com/mc4sw9
As we were walking for food, a sweaty dude in truck & cap stopped to tell us about his friend who got spat on by antis at Dr #Carhart's.
Thanks to PRCH (@reprodocs) for sending great shirts & totes to NE w/me! A big hit here at Dr #Carhart's http://twitpic.com/fl19f
For the next day & a half, my bosoms are being referred to as my "messaging zone" #carhart #36Csforchoice http://twitpic.com/flp4f
If God Gave Us Free Will, Does That Mean God Is Pro-Choice? #carhart #signs
Met @WendyNorris too! Looking forward to her coverage on @rhrealitycheck. Great crowd here at Dr #Carhart's; I'm so grateful to all of them.
Today? Was fucking awesome. #carhart
@KS_NOW Thank you for foregoing sleep to organize it!
Former employee of Dr #Tiller told us he had talked with her about being a target. Said he just hoped it'd be a good clean shot to the head.
Sign from god? I report, you decide RT @operationrescue: Power outage @ office this morning. Lightening struck transformer behind our office
August 29, 2009
I very much want to go and pet that big handsome bomb-sniffing dog. I guess he's busy though. #carhart
Someone I hadn't met before said "hi! I saw you talking on the news last night." Haven't seen it; hope I didn't sound like a dolt. #carhart
Dawn at Dr. #Carhart's clinic in Omaha. http://twitpic.com/foviy
Inside the property line, we hold the line. #carhart http://twitpic.com/fp03i
What the antis will see as they try to get as close as they can to Dr #Carhart's clinic entrance. http://twitpic.com/fp1lw
Fresh faces still arriving. A bunch of folks from Chicago just arrived to stand with us. #carhart
This charmer is shouting at patients, waving snuff posters & reading out medical descriptions of abortion http://twitpic.com/fp5ec
Antis at the end of the block are turning away cars looking for the clinic or directing them to their fake clinic across the street #carhart
RT @jenlabarbera An old priest just kicked thru the orange fence to kick down our NOW sign. Kicked me in the process. 1st assault of the day
New faces still arriving. Several from South Dakota just got here to stand with us for Dr. #Carhart. I've lost track now of how many we are.
What godly purpose, other than pure harassment & intimidation, is involved in photographing clinic patients? Seriously: I'm asking. #prolife
Anti threw herself past police lines at an entering car, waving a pic & screaming. Only 1 side here is respecting lines: not them. #carhart
Routed. Trounced. Thumped. Schooled. Owned. ...I'm out. Goodbye, Nebraska. Stay strong. TRUST WOMEN. #carhart
What do I win for getting pix of the exact same "Truth Truck" in 2 diff states in 1 day? CAUTION: gore. http://twitpic.com/fs9ew
Back in ICT. Same hotel, same baseball-game view. Keep expecting the crowd noise to be "Welcome! Welcome! This clinic STAYS OPEN!" #carhart
Also, WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED SOONER that Wichita's minor league baseball team is the Wingnuts?! You can't make this shit up @operationrescue
August 30, 2009
Six and a half hours later, despite a MASSIVE sleep deficit, I am wide awake. Maybe the Womb Police are right? God really does hate me.
Heading to the airport, rocking out to Obsession by Animotion. For my next trick: getting on a plane toting a camp chair and a protest sign.
The plane at my gate was meant to depart 1hr ago. Instead it just offloaded all its passengers. Who are trying to get to the same city as I.
OTOH, TSA staff at ICT are pro-choice. I have a sign saying "Dr Carhart Is Defending Freedom, I'm Defending Dr Carhart" & NO cavity search!
On a plane, at last. o/~ fill her coat with weapons, and help her get it on / 'cause one day, when she goes, she's gone o/~
August 3, 2009
This is how it begins. Operation Rescue announces "campaign" against NE abortion provider Dr. Carhart, starts 8/28-29 http://tr.im/vjqi
At @LGBTCenterNYC for talk w/ Dr. Wicklund & Sunsara Taylor. Glad to see rather more GenXers than one might expect. Even a few Y! Near SRO.
My Q got A'ed. How to help Dr Carhart now that OR is after him? Dr W: 1) Letters of support 2) Bodies. Onsite. 3) $: siege is VERY expensive
Got Dr W to sign my book; exchanged contact info with some people. A fave line from a fave movie: I think they're conspiring to conspire!
August 5, 2009
RT @KS_NOW: Attn #ProChoice activists You are needed in Nebraska August 28th & 29th! Stay tuned for details!
August 7, 2009
RT @KS_NOW #ProChoice Activists WE NEED YOU! Come to Nebraska, defend Dr. Carhart's clinic! http://bit.ly/4Aj1rZ #p2 #tiller #fem2
August 15, 2009
Dr. Carhart risks his life for your rights. Please come to NE 8/27-29 & stand with him (& me!) against Operation Rescue http://bit.ly/16XJWR
Long must-read from Newsweek on Dr. Carhart: The Abortion Evangelist http://bit.ly/1bbccs Paragraph 3 fills me with--no other word--rage.
...the Esquire story on Dr. Hern didn't make me cry. But the Newsweek story on Dr. Carhart just totally demolished me. Fuck.
August 19, 2009
Help anti-choice protesters be useful for a change! Pledge-A-Picketer for Dr. Carhart's patients at http://www.pledge-a-picket.org/
August 26, 2009
OH HAI, mobile data service. Haven't seen you in a few days. I am boarding a plane to Wichita. Next stop after that: Dr. #Carthart's clinic
Welcome to Wichita: Air Capital of the World. Also: guns-in-checked-luggage capital of the world? http://twitpic.com/fe9ls
Margaritas. Gossip. Trash-talk. Venting. Presents. Hugs. Plotting. Planning. Activists make awesome friends.
August 27, 2009
Just picked up @themadvoter and @nicki2377. It's ON.
It's not too late for you to come to NE & help defend Dr #Carhart from Operation Rescue. Priceline a flight. Rent a car. Hitchhike. BE HERE.
Mount Saint Bag Lunch. Local support for the #Carhart clinic defense is AMAZING. Thank you Omaha!! http://twitpic.com/fj85k
August 28, 2009
You know what's classy? Anti-choicers who harangue the family members of abortion providers. Just sayin'. #carhart
.@Rizzz I am indeed in NE. Hanging out with my sign in front of Dr #Carhart's with several score of my closest pals!
I've met Terry O'Neill and Katherine Spillar here at Dr #Carhart's this morning. So great to have national leaders standing tall with us!
A small band of secular saints just rolled through with bagels and water. I am sharing around my 45 SPF and my array of extra-fat Sharpies.
Dr Carhart Is A Hero #carhart #signs
You can sing right along with us. "Every sperm is sacred / Every sperm is good / Every sperm is needed / In your neighborhood" #carhart
RT @LouisvillekyNOW @erintothemax CNN: Operation Rescue scales back at #Carhart's clinic because of NOW activists. http://tinyurl.com/mc4sw9
As we were walking for food, a sweaty dude in truck & cap stopped to tell us about his friend who got spat on by antis at Dr #Carhart's.
Thanks to PRCH (@reprodocs) for sending great shirts & totes to NE w/me! A big hit here at Dr #Carhart's http://twitpic.com/fl19f
For the next day & a half, my bosoms are being referred to as my "messaging zone" #carhart #36Csforchoice http://twitpic.com/flp4f
If God Gave Us Free Will, Does That Mean God Is Pro-Choice? #carhart #signs
Met @WendyNorris too! Looking forward to her coverage on @rhrealitycheck. Great crowd here at Dr #Carhart's; I'm so grateful to all of them.
Today? Was fucking awesome. #carhart
@KS_NOW Thank you for foregoing sleep to organize it!
Former employee of Dr #Tiller told us he had talked with her about being a target. Said he just hoped it'd be a good clean shot to the head.
Sign from god? I report, you decide RT @operationrescue: Power outage @ office this morning. Lightening struck transformer behind our office
August 29, 2009
I very much want to go and pet that big handsome bomb-sniffing dog. I guess he's busy though. #carhart
Someone I hadn't met before said "hi! I saw you talking on the news last night." Haven't seen it; hope I didn't sound like a dolt. #carhart
Dawn at Dr. #Carhart's clinic in Omaha. http://twitpic.com/foviy
Inside the property line, we hold the line. #carhart http://twitpic.com/fp03i
What the antis will see as they try to get as close as they can to Dr #Carhart's clinic entrance. http://twitpic.com/fp1lw
Fresh faces still arriving. A bunch of folks from Chicago just arrived to stand with us. #carhart
This charmer is shouting at patients, waving snuff posters & reading out medical descriptions of abortion http://twitpic.com/fp5ec
Antis at the end of the block are turning away cars looking for the clinic or directing them to their fake clinic across the street #carhart
RT @jenlabarbera An old priest just kicked thru the orange fence to kick down our NOW sign. Kicked me in the process. 1st assault of the day
New faces still arriving. Several from South Dakota just got here to stand with us for Dr. #Carhart. I've lost track now of how many we are.
What godly purpose, other than pure harassment & intimidation, is involved in photographing clinic patients? Seriously: I'm asking. #prolife
Anti threw herself past police lines at an entering car, waving a pic & screaming. Only 1 side here is respecting lines: not them. #carhart
Routed. Trounced. Thumped. Schooled. Owned. ...I'm out. Goodbye, Nebraska. Stay strong. TRUST WOMEN. #carhart
What do I win for getting pix of the exact same "Truth Truck" in 2 diff states in 1 day? CAUTION: gore. http://twitpic.com/fs9ew
Back in ICT. Same hotel, same baseball-game view. Keep expecting the crowd noise to be "Welcome! Welcome! This clinic STAYS OPEN!" #carhart
Also, WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED SOONER that Wichita's minor league baseball team is the Wingnuts?! You can't make this shit up @operationrescue
August 30, 2009
Six and a half hours later, despite a MASSIVE sleep deficit, I am wide awake. Maybe the Womb Police are right? God really does hate me.
Heading to the airport, rocking out to Obsession by Animotion. For my next trick: getting on a plane toting a camp chair and a protest sign.
The plane at my gate was meant to depart 1hr ago. Instead it just offloaded all its passengers. Who are trying to get to the same city as I.
OTOH, TSA staff at ICT are pro-choice. I have a sign saying "Dr Carhart Is Defending Freedom, I'm Defending Dr Carhart" & NO cavity search!
On a plane, at last. o/~ fill her coat with weapons, and help her get it on / 'cause one day, when she goes, she's gone o/~
Domestic Terrorists Against Sotomayor
(This entry transcribes tweets from and about my trips to Philadelphia, PA; Scranton, PA; and Washington, DC to observe/counter-protest/heckle Randall Terry on his "Defeat Sotomayor" roadshow in the days leading up to Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearings.)
July 6, 2009
Former Operation Rescue head Randall Terry to do 12-city tour protesting Sotomayor: http://bit.ly/58cfJ by @rightwingwatch
One guess where Terry will speak in Wichita! At least he's not calling it "solemn remembrance." Good just old-fashioned domestic terrorism.
Terry's 1st "Domestic Terrorists Against Sotomayor" gig: Omaha, tonight. Where my Nebraska tweeps at? http://bit.ly/58cfJ
Why I would starve to death before giving a cent to The Beer Deli restaurant in Forty Fort (Kingston) PA: http://tr.im/r7m0
July 8, 2009
This is Protest Mode: 3 hours sleep, adrenaline buzz, about 14 browser windows, and a shameful amount of cash spent on signmaking supplies
don't EVER let some chump tell you community organizing isn't work.
July 9, 2009
Scranton PA! Protest Randall Terry's extremist anti-choice agenda; support Judge Sotomayor! Friday 10AM! http://tr.im/rztY Please RT!
I am in front of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia where Randall Terry is supposed to be speaking in two minutes. No sign yet.
The gathered few are all wearing cheap suits & ear bugs; lotta American-made navy blue sedans about. Subtle, boys. But thanks for being here
Of note: the folks in the Archdiocese comm office were HORRIFIED to hear Terry'd put their phone # on his press release when I called today.
.......borrowed legitimacy much, Mr. Terry?
Then they no-commented me on the no-communion-for-senators-who-don't-vote-anti-choice issue. Had to try, didn't I?
Oh look. Randall Terry Jr, and presumably Mrs Terry. Holding one end of their one sign. Holding the other, a man I don't know.
Mrs. tells a reporter Mr. is here shortly. Mystery man says to Mrs: "See that woman over there? Planned Parenthood escort. I recognize her."
That's not me. I'll have to go introduce myself.
Ok so. Skyscrapers and Twittering don't mix. I'm leaving. This is a total non-event; WHYY did a five-minute interview and otherwise no press
I'd like to share with you the burblings of an enthusiastic Terry fan. (Apparently, he has two in Philly.) She was talking about Dr Tiller:
"We don't condone killing. Of course we don't condone it. But it sure does give them pause."
This is why I. will. never. stop. Because that's terrorism in a nutshell, kids. And I will be god-damned, if I stand idly by.
Bwah! "He's liable to have addressed at least 50 non-media attendees by the time his US tour wraps up." http://bit.ly/4vhZoK RT @IAmDrTiller
July 10, 2009
Halloooo, SCRANTON! Are you ready to ROCK?
SCRANTON: word is, Terry's moved his circus to the office of Sen Casey, 309 Lackawanna Ave, not at the Bishop's office. Unconfirmed. Anyone?
SCRANTON: No Terry in either location. Late to his own presser? Shocker. Rosary stickers & loiterers with strollers near Casey's ofc.. hmm
SCRANTON: Correction: Casey's office is 409 Lackawanna. Still seeking confirmation of switch to this location
There is no one at 409 Lackawanna at all, neither Terry nor loitering stroller-pushers (those folks wandered away a few minutes ago).
It's a gorrrrgeous day for a wingnut scavenger hunt, BTW. If I can't find it, how many discombobulated antis are wandering the streets too?
Heh, Lonely gent sitting on a planter reading a pocket bible in front of 300 Wyoming. I'm totally gonna buy discombobulatedantichoicers.com
The fundie freakshow is nowhere in evidence; I'm out. Someone tell the bible-reading old dude in front of the chancery, ok?
July 11, 2009
Did Randall Terry even *have* his press conference in Scranton yesterday. Besides our being unable to find him there, there's squat online.
No news media clips. No blogger revue. Nada. Or did he have it & no one showed, so he bailed? Damn, yo: it's tough, being a has-been.
July 12, 2009
Another day, another drive. DC: anything awesome happening in town tonight? & has the line at Ray's Hell-Burger returned to prePrez levels?
No words can convey my Delaware hate. Should take 10 min to drive thru on 95, but with 2 ugly toll bottlenecks, it's looking like 30+ today.
ClinicEscort reporting live from the Supreme Court building in Washington DC where Randall Terry apparently has hooked a prize fish...
I was told by the first reporter to interview me today that Norma McCorvey is to speak today.
This is adorable. Anti chant: "Kill them early! Kill them often!" is there any doubt these people are stark raving mad?
McCorvey spoke for 60 seconds... But you couldn't hear her. Ah well.
About 20 antis. Chanting again.
Randall Terry just denied ever saying that if he were in charge, abortion doctors would be executed. The man lied to my face. Surprise?
The antis are about to descend on the Dubliner. Anyone know any waitstaff there? I'm dying to know how these folks tip.
Protest over. I gave, let's see, 5 interviews? Channels 7 & 9, AP, Alternet, Indymedia. That's nothing next to the attention my dog got!
DC! Rally with NOW for choice and for Sotomayor, tomorrow 7AM to 9AM, Hart Senate Building, 2nd and Constitution Ave SE
Interesting tidbit from the anti-choice rallies I've visited over the last few days: law enforcement getting names of attendees.
In Philadelphia, I was asked if I were with the antichoicers: "oh, okay; we wouldve needed to get some info from you if you were."
But today the Supreme Court police (yes: a real thing) got info from both sides. I am now On File I suppose. Not sure how to feel about this
If it means authorities are keeping better track of nutjobs, good I guess, since AFAIK every doctorkiller to date had raised prior red flags
But there IS a civil liberties component to this and I can't help be a bit creeped out. A damn shame it's come to this. It really is.
Also: no one asked me for ID. I gave real info, but the next anti-choice shooter would not have. So... did I pay a figurative honesty tax?
Still: that creepy feeling on my skin would be MUCH stronger had I been carded.
Aw. Mr. Terry looked a little *exercised* responding on Channel 9 to my broadcast-in-full accusation of domestic terrorism. Struck a nerve?
http://twitpic.com/a9lff - L to R: Randall Terry, anti-choice domestic terrorist; the one brown lady Terry could find for his lame Sotomayor-themed street theater; a gentleman who is not in fact brown; and Norma McCorvey, who is against abortion today, but do check back tomorrow.
July 13, 2009
Hanging at the corner of 1st and Constitution NE with 2 or 3 dozen pro-Sotomayor sign-holders.
Home from the Sotomayor rally. Randall Terry's people overslept AGAIN. We were there for 2 hours; they were there for like the last 10 min.
We had OVERWHELMING support from passing traffic. Lots of beeping and waving. Srsly: ONE guy who yelled "boo" out his window.
@feminist4choice Wonder how it feels to be a washed-up has-been on a mission of futility?
Desperation. RT @feminist4choice @NARAL more from #sotomayor hearing protester: "the blood of innocents is on ur hands." Taken away in cuffs
Guy who took my lunch order saw my "confirm her" sticker, asked what it meant. I said SCOTUS; he said "oh. Who do you think is gonna get it?
Apparently, thistle is the official color of pro-Sotomayor sentiment. Awesome sticker from DC NOW! http://twitpic.com/a8avh
Full of lamb kebab, I can now depart DC 4 more northerly climes. Not without the same old homesick twinge, but I'll come back: I always do
July 14, 2009
Apparently the anti-choice wingnuts were, in fact, on the scene at Sotomayor before 8:50 AM, only in a place out of sight of our rally...
& did a special 10-min detour past us. In hope of getting us to drop our "Confirm Her" signs all "I've seen the light!" OR just to be dicks?
July 6, 2009
Former Operation Rescue head Randall Terry to do 12-city tour protesting Sotomayor: http://bit.ly/58cfJ by @rightwingwatch
One guess where Terry will speak in Wichita! At least he's not calling it "solemn remembrance." Good just old-fashioned domestic terrorism.
Terry's 1st "Domestic Terrorists Against Sotomayor" gig: Omaha, tonight. Where my Nebraska tweeps at? http://bit.ly/58cfJ
Why I would starve to death before giving a cent to The Beer Deli restaurant in Forty Fort (Kingston) PA: http://tr.im/r7m0
July 8, 2009
This is Protest Mode: 3 hours sleep, adrenaline buzz, about 14 browser windows, and a shameful amount of cash spent on signmaking supplies
don't EVER let some chump tell you community organizing isn't work.
July 9, 2009
Scranton PA! Protest Randall Terry's extremist anti-choice agenda; support Judge Sotomayor! Friday 10AM! http://tr.im/rztY Please RT!
I am in front of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia where Randall Terry is supposed to be speaking in two minutes. No sign yet.
The gathered few are all wearing cheap suits & ear bugs; lotta American-made navy blue sedans about. Subtle, boys. But thanks for being here
Of note: the folks in the Archdiocese comm office were HORRIFIED to hear Terry'd put their phone # on his press release when I called today.
.......borrowed legitimacy much, Mr. Terry?
Then they no-commented me on the no-communion-for-senators-who-don't-vote-anti-choice issue. Had to try, didn't I?
Oh look. Randall Terry Jr, and presumably Mrs Terry. Holding one end of their one sign. Holding the other, a man I don't know.
Mrs. tells a reporter Mr. is here shortly. Mystery man says to Mrs: "See that woman over there? Planned Parenthood escort. I recognize her."
That's not me. I'll have to go introduce myself.
Ok so. Skyscrapers and Twittering don't mix. I'm leaving. This is a total non-event; WHYY did a five-minute interview and otherwise no press
I'd like to share with you the burblings of an enthusiastic Terry fan. (Apparently, he has two in Philly.) She was talking about Dr Tiller:
"We don't condone killing. Of course we don't condone it. But it sure does give them pause."
This is why I. will. never. stop. Because that's terrorism in a nutshell, kids. And I will be god-damned, if I stand idly by.
Bwah! "He's liable to have addressed at least 50 non-media attendees by the time his US tour wraps up." http://bit.ly/4vhZoK RT @IAmDrTiller
July 10, 2009
Halloooo, SCRANTON! Are you ready to ROCK?
SCRANTON: word is, Terry's moved his circus to the office of Sen Casey, 309 Lackawanna Ave, not at the Bishop's office. Unconfirmed. Anyone?
SCRANTON: No Terry in either location. Late to his own presser? Shocker. Rosary stickers & loiterers with strollers near Casey's ofc.. hmm
SCRANTON: Correction: Casey's office is 409 Lackawanna. Still seeking confirmation of switch to this location
There is no one at 409 Lackawanna at all, neither Terry nor loitering stroller-pushers (those folks wandered away a few minutes ago).
It's a gorrrrgeous day for a wingnut scavenger hunt, BTW. If I can't find it, how many discombobulated antis are wandering the streets too?
Heh, Lonely gent sitting on a planter reading a pocket bible in front of 300 Wyoming. I'm totally gonna buy discombobulatedantichoicers.com
The fundie freakshow is nowhere in evidence; I'm out. Someone tell the bible-reading old dude in front of the chancery, ok?
July 11, 2009
Did Randall Terry even *have* his press conference in Scranton yesterday. Besides our being unable to find him there, there's squat online.
No news media clips. No blogger revue. Nada. Or did he have it & no one showed, so he bailed? Damn, yo: it's tough, being a has-been.
July 12, 2009
Another day, another drive. DC: anything awesome happening in town tonight? & has the line at Ray's Hell-Burger returned to prePrez levels?
No words can convey my Delaware hate. Should take 10 min to drive thru on 95, but with 2 ugly toll bottlenecks, it's looking like 30+ today.
ClinicEscort reporting live from the Supreme Court building in Washington DC where Randall Terry apparently has hooked a prize fish...
I was told by the first reporter to interview me today that Norma McCorvey is to speak today.
This is adorable. Anti chant: "Kill them early! Kill them often!" is there any doubt these people are stark raving mad?
McCorvey spoke for 60 seconds... But you couldn't hear her. Ah well.
About 20 antis. Chanting again.
Randall Terry just denied ever saying that if he were in charge, abortion doctors would be executed. The man lied to my face. Surprise?
The antis are about to descend on the Dubliner. Anyone know any waitstaff there? I'm dying to know how these folks tip.
Protest over. I gave, let's see, 5 interviews? Channels 7 & 9, AP, Alternet, Indymedia. That's nothing next to the attention my dog got!
DC! Rally with NOW for choice and for Sotomayor, tomorrow 7AM to 9AM, Hart Senate Building, 2nd and Constitution Ave SE
Interesting tidbit from the anti-choice rallies I've visited over the last few days: law enforcement getting names of attendees.
In Philadelphia, I was asked if I were with the antichoicers: "oh, okay; we wouldve needed to get some info from you if you were."
But today the Supreme Court police (yes: a real thing) got info from both sides. I am now On File I suppose. Not sure how to feel about this
If it means authorities are keeping better track of nutjobs, good I guess, since AFAIK every doctorkiller to date had raised prior red flags
But there IS a civil liberties component to this and I can't help be a bit creeped out. A damn shame it's come to this. It really is.
Also: no one asked me for ID. I gave real info, but the next anti-choice shooter would not have. So... did I pay a figurative honesty tax?
Still: that creepy feeling on my skin would be MUCH stronger had I been carded.
Aw. Mr. Terry looked a little *exercised* responding on Channel 9 to my broadcast-in-full accusation of domestic terrorism. Struck a nerve?
http://twitpic.com/a9lff - L to R: Randall Terry, anti-choice domestic terrorist; the one brown lady Terry could find for his lame Sotomayor-themed street theater; a gentleman who is not in fact brown; and Norma McCorvey, who is against abortion today, but do check back tomorrow.
July 13, 2009
Hanging at the corner of 1st and Constitution NE with 2 or 3 dozen pro-Sotomayor sign-holders.
Home from the Sotomayor rally. Randall Terry's people overslept AGAIN. We were there for 2 hours; they were there for like the last 10 min.
We had OVERWHELMING support from passing traffic. Lots of beeping and waving. Srsly: ONE guy who yelled "boo" out his window.
@feminist4choice Wonder how it feels to be a washed-up has-been on a mission of futility?
Desperation. RT @feminist4choice @NARAL more from #sotomayor hearing protester: "the blood of innocents is on ur hands." Taken away in cuffs
Guy who took my lunch order saw my "confirm her" sticker, asked what it meant. I said SCOTUS; he said "oh. Who do you think is gonna get it?
Apparently, thistle is the official color of pro-Sotomayor sentiment. Awesome sticker from DC NOW! http://twitpic.com/a8avh
Full of lamb kebab, I can now depart DC 4 more northerly climes. Not without the same old homesick twinge, but I'll come back: I always do
July 14, 2009
Apparently the anti-choice wingnuts were, in fact, on the scene at Sotomayor before 8:50 AM, only in a place out of sight of our rally...
& did a special 10-min detour past us. In hope of getting us to drop our "Confirm Her" signs all "I've seen the light!" OR just to be dicks?
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