My blog is calling me............

Hello, came back form the NOW Natl conf and had big hopes of blogging more here and reporating to FB and others. Then work got very busy and the weather got really insane. Good news is I have been adding content to the QC and Iowa NOW FB pages. At the Regional and Natl NOW confs, at the social media workshops, the buzz word was "content".

And a kewl cover page. Well that is becoming a trial. The cover page has to be 390 pixels?  But there is more to read and see at the 2 pages.


I had a birthday lat week. Nice fun day, took off work, breakfast with sister, and got a gift from my mother. Yes, that sounds odd, but it happened.

I will be re & cross posting the links to all the social media stuff to each other.  I will try and post here more often, or I will repost stuff from other sites. Better than not posting.

Hogs and Kisses

Post Natl convention report

Didn't have near the time I wanted to post as often as I wanted. Very busy, but a great busy. All the speakers were on the mark, spoke truth to power and were very inspiring. Attended all but one workshop. Had to skip the 5th block, to oversee our toilet getting fixed. I went to the modernizing NOW workshop-brain storming shops. The focis is to get lotos and lots of member input and restructure NOW. The 2014 conference will be the end point, where needed by laws changes will occur,  internal policies will be modified and the sub unit structure will be addressed.

I also went to a cracker jack social media-on line fund raising session.

In between I got to hang out with many old friends and made several new younger friends. This was a great conference. Next year is Chicago. Yeah, I can drive!!!

hogs and kisses

david

Hello from the Natl NOW conference

WOW, I am way behind on my plan to post on the this, (my personal blog) and the 3 FB pages I admin. I have posted on my FB page and the QC NOW page.

This has been a great conference. Been going to the modernizing of NOW work shop/brain storm sessions. NOW is determined to move into the 21st century. Over the next 18 to 24 months Natl and the varied sub units will restructure and become more effiecent and better able to organize and grow NOW.

All the speakers were on the mark. Sandra Fluke was inspiring. Ellie Smeal on Friday, brought seveal hundred people to their feet more than once.
This is my last meeting as a national board member. been a great 4 years, Time to focus on the local QC chapter.
Have not ventured out to far from the hotel. 95* degree, and the hotel is in an industrial \area ( no schools, churches, homes, parks, buildings with no name, high fence with barb wire on top)  Hilton is very nice.

Heading home Sunday. miss the kitties. a good friend is care giving in my absence.

hogs and kisses

staying visable!!!!!!!!

Could not swing the $$ for the  Iowa Dem convention.  Took another path, but the same highway, and went to the Iowa City Pride Fest. Excellent time. Jorie from the Iowa City NOW chapter was there and we connected with scads of people. Our neighbors were the Iowa City Drag Kings. AWESOME!!!.

Collected many e-mails. Iowa City NOW is on the cusp of being active!!!. This has been a very fun spring and summer. Attending all the different events and fests has been great for Iowa NOW. And I had fun too.

hogs and kisses

david

Qc Pride and many new friends

Quad Cities NOW was at Quad Cities Pride June 2nd and 3rd. Lots  of people took lots of information. Below are the links to the 2 NOW FB pages, and my FB page. also look for me on tumblr, feministactivist.tumblr.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quad-Cities-Chapters-National-Organization-for-Women/190835844278394
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Iowa-National-Organization-for-Women/184988744870957
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000778000343

I will repost the tumblr link to the FB pages.  I am in the process of including Pinterest to my feminist social networking activities.

hogs and kissses

david

QC NOW staying visible

Crazy-fun-fantastic weekend. Quad Cities NOW made its annual appearance at QC Pride. This year, Pride was 2 days. Big Thanx!!!!!!!!!!!! to Dave and Carol-and their tent!!!. Raised awareness,  made new friends, saw chatted with many past-current friends and co-workers. Huge crowds. 120 vendors. QC NOW will be back next year for sure!

Good news on the Facebook front

Despite the tackyness of Time Line being imposed on the 2 NOW FB pages, they are picking up new friends almost every day. I was at the 2nd district Democratic convnetion April 28th, and this past Sunday, May 6th, Q NOW was at the PACG issues fair. Met lots of supportive people at both events.

Check out now.org to join on line.
Quad Cities Illinois is IL 315
Quad Cities Iowa is IA 150

In Unity

david

Quik post on upcoming events

This weekend-May 6th, QC NOW will be at the River Center. The Progressive Caucus for Change is sponsoring an issues fair.

June 2nd-3rd, QC NOW will be tabling at the Quad Cities Pride days. There will be chances to vote for your favorite group, please keep NOW in mind.

June 15th QC NOW and Iowa NOW are hoping to have a table at the Iowa Democratic convention. 1500 people are expected to attend.

And I will be at the Mississippi Valley fair, if, the Scott county Dems have a booth/table. And yes, I will be wearing  a NOW button and feminist t-shirt.

Last week I was at the QC Take Back the Nite event, and the Iowa 2nd cong district convention. Where support for Planned Parenthood was scary fierce. Boo Yah!

I will be cross posting this onto my Tumblr blog and FB pages.

In Unity

d stewart/queer-feminist-bitch

Rape is not a joke

A DJ in Cleveland, during his radio show last week, suggested to a parent that he should have his (the parent calling in) daughter, "screwed straight". The parent had concerns when he saw his daughter kissing another young woman. I sent an e-mail to the station manager. I saw the story on facebook. I copied-pasted the article to the FEC FB page. Below is the e-mail I sent to the radio station.

To the Station manager

Upon reading that DJ Domminic Deiter suggested that the father of a young woman should be "screwed straight" I was not just sickened but outraged. How and why would any human being, unless they are truly mentally ill, suggest that a parent let someone rape their child.

My e-mail was going to ask you to terminate Mr Deiter's employment. I realized that would not happen, after I found you on the web. And the list of mini links beneath the main. There I saw, "thong of the day" and "babe of the day". This is a station that finds humor and pleasure in demeaning women. Exploiting and degrading women is encouraged, and Mr Deiter's comments must have earned him some kind of citation for being the most vile-putrid staff of the month.

Asking you as station manager appears to be futile. This based on your web site and "thong of the day". I will take my concerns to the FEC. Your staff adocated sexual violence against a minor. And I can't imagine the FEC finding any humor in his statement. I found the story and shared it/reposted it on Facebook. I will be forwarding the story on to several of the "list serves", to which I am apart.

David Stewart

Regional Director; National Organization for Women

 

Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.

Take Back the Night.......

Quad Cities NOW was at  the local Take Back the Night event tonight.  It was a last minute decision. I saw an article in the newspaper Wednesday afternoon. Called this morning to Family Resources, got the okay from Megan. She was identified as the person setting up who would have a table at the event.

I got to the event, set up my stuff.  I did not look at the close at the material for TBN. Truthfully I did not think any brochure would be inappropriate. I was incorrect. The  brochures I packed featured reproductive rights. The word abortion did not appear on the front of the flyer.

About 15 minutes after I set up the Director of Fam Resources approached. She asked how I knew of the event and whom I spoke, to get an invite.

Then came the discussion of the materials. As glad as she was that NOW was at the event, (I did mention, NOW had been at most of the previous TBN events) the materials I brought seemed to the Director, contrary to the theme of the TBN event.  There was also an issue with some old NARAL bumper stickers I had out as "give-aways"  There were the, "I vote and I'm pro-choice". I was asked to  put the bumper stickers aways and turn the reproductive rights brochures over. .

At all the past Take Back the Night events NOW was invited to or at one time was part of the planning, the material offered by NOW were never questioned.  NOW in the 1990's helped or practically wrote the Violence Against Women act with Joe Bidens senate staff.

I did as requested. Many people came up and took materials, spoke highly of NOW and  gave me the feeling they were glad NOW was at the event.  The crowd was not as big as I expected. Parking at Mark S park is limited.  Most of the attendees seemed to be part of groups already invited.

I see this as an opportunity for NOW to work with sister organizations and show how all the issues of oppression, violence, health care ( including reproductive rights) equal pay  and GLBT rights are all inter-connected.

In Unity

david s

Roe v Wade 2012 press release

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN PRAIRE STATES REGION

( Iowa-Nebraska-Missouri-North/South Dakota and Minnesota)

January 20^th 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: David Stewart: Regional Director

563-326-4558

manonboard@qcconnect.com

ROE V. WADE IS 39^TH AND THAT IS A DAMM GOOD THING

The Prairie States Region of the National Organization for Women recognizes and celebrates the 39^th Anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court's decision in the case of Roe vs. Wade. In that “her-storic” decision the Court took the position that individuals must be free from, "unwarranted governmental intrusion into fundamental matters". What could be a more fundamental life decision than whether or not to bear a child. In the final moments we must give “her” that woman who takes all the risks the power to make the choice.

The National Organization for Woman is committed to the philosophy that women are on the clear moral high ground when it is time to making life altering decisions. These decisions, these medical decisions must be made without the interference-second guessing-and hateful rhetoric from, priests, preachers, congressmen or State Legislatures in lock step out of touch Governors, who sign legislation so hateful and mean spirited, that same “law” is rejected by a majority of the states voters in that same year.

In the past 12 months state legislators have been obsessed with a woman’s uterus. 100’s of bills, some becoming laws sailing within state houses, with little debate and less forethought. Laws designed strictly to prevent, restrict, and road block woman from exercising her Constitutional right to a legal and safe abortion. 24 million people are currently unable to find full time work. Unless you are a physician, nurse, or mid-wife, there are no jobs in a woman’s uterus.

 
The National Organization for Women is proud to stand with the majority of Americans in supporting a woman’s right to legal and safe abortion, but also total, unencumbered access to all forms of birth control. We will NOT go back-We will Fight-We will Prevail. “Failure is Impossible”.