cunthulhu:

outlawmidwives:

i want us to be more than just the internet

i want us to be move out into the world, and make change, and that is change, in how people think about birth

i want us to to influence our own neighborhoods

i want us to be our own healers

i want us to share own ways of getting through labor

through birth, through the pain, and also through the pain of having to deal with hospital personnel and protocals

i want us to share the joy of bringing forth another life

and the pain of not doing so, or refusing to do so, or not being able to do so, or doing so in a way that goes against the script that is handed to us

talk openly about abortion, miscarriage, still borns, live births, adoptions, keeping the kidness, and letting go of who we thought we were

 i want us to talk about being mamas, warriors, lovers, wives, travelers, home makers, grandmothers, sisters, doulas, midwives, the forgotten and the everlasting

to talk about defying boundaries, and why we stayed within the borders laid out for us

nursing, milk, healing, forgiveness, but also anger, energy, gender, sexuality, asking for help, helping, building community, witnessing, forgetting, foraging, and forestry

and can we talk about gender and sexuality?  race and class?  nationality and anarchism?  can we talk about art and anger?  the practical and the poetic?  the questions and the answers?

in other words: i want to talk about unassisted birth and economics.  i want to talk about physiological birth and western medical hegemony.  i want to talk about poetry and the ululations during second stage pushing.  i want to talk about life.  and death.  and violence.  and bliss.  heaven and apocalypse. 

submission deadline: july 31st, 2012

omg yes

So full of love for this.

•  26 April 2012  •  76 notes

“

The basic plot, which cannot be ignored even in the films, is that Harry, Hermione and Ron give up everything for their political struggle. They drop out of high school, they go illegal, defy the government, belong to an underground organization [The Order of the Phoenix], operate out of safe houses and forests and even raid offices of the government and banking offices. This is all done in principled opposition to the Dark Wizard Voldemort and a corrupt bureaucratized government that has been heavily infiltrated with his evil minions. This is revolutionary activity. But the movie version does not present it as such or emphasize these radical aspects of the plot, thereby entirely missing the dramatic sweep and action present in the first half of the last novel.

The novels recognize the importance of alternative media for political struggle. The mainstream press [The Daily Prophet] is shown as unreliable and unprincipled, eventually deteriorating into a fear-mongering propaganda machine for the Voldemort-controlled bureaucracy. For a while the alternative but above ground media [The Quibbler] publishes the real news, but it ceases to print after the daughter of the publisher is kidnapped. In the book, friends of Harry [Lee Jordan, with Fred and George Weasley as frequent guests] start broadcasting the real news from an underground radio station, encrypted with a password. This radio station becomes a critical link for the resistance, which is scattered and weak. Although we are treated to some radio broadcast updates in the movie, they are delivered by a disembodied and professional sounding voice, not our friends the Weasleys. This undermines the important message - a guiding principle behind the media coop - that in a serious situation it becomes necessary to produce your own media and not to rely on ‘professionals’.

The novel makes it clear that in this phase of the struggle the characters romantic lives take a backseat to their political activity, as Harry breaks up with the love of his life [Ginny Weasley] so as to avoid making her a target for Voldemort’s forces, who are known to use torture and kidnapping as tactics. The ‘love triangle’ that becomes the focus of the movie isn’t even really present in the books. In the books, the relationship between Harry and Hermione is totally platonic - Ron is shown as jealous, but the feeling is entirely without foundation. In the book Harry says to Ron: “I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It’s always been like that. I thought you knew” (pg 378, DH US Hardback). This conveys that men and women can be close comrades and friends without being involved romantically. But in the film, Harry and Hermione are shown dancing romantically, and Harry’s line to Ron about his brotherly feeling towards Hermione does not even make it into the film. This completely undermines the important message that jealousy is counter-productive and has toxic effects, which is an important feminist message for young people.

”

— How Hollywood Defanged Potter’s Radical Politics 

(Source: girl-germs)

•  6 April 2012  •  30 notes

anonymissexpress:

In a bold and unprecedented move, representatives of the Lakota Freedom Delegation recently declared the Lakota Nation is formally and unilaterally withdrawing from all agreements and treaties with the government of the United States.

“We are no longer citizens of the United States,” said longtime indigenous rights activist Russell Means at a press conference at Plymouth Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 19. “We offer citizenship to anyone provided they renounce their U.S. citizenship,” said Mr. Means.

he Lakota delegation delivered signed documents to the U.S. State Department informing officials of the decision to formally declare sovereignty from the United States as a result of its genocidal assault on the political, cultural and economic freedom of the Lakota Nation. The geographic area making up what will be called the Republic of Lakota covers portions of northern Nebraska, half of South Dakota, one-quarter of North Dakota, 20 percent of Montana and 20 percent of Wyoming. Mr. Means used the term “apartheid” to describe the dire conditions facing the Lakota Nation.

The life expectancy of Lakota men is less than 44 years; 97 percent of the Lakota people live below the poverty line. The Lakota infant mortality rate is 300 percent higher than the national average. The tuberculosis rate on Lakota reservations is 800 percent higher than the national average; cervical cancer is 500 percent higher than the national average; the rate of diabetes is 800 percent higher than the national average

The unemployment rate on reservations is over 85 percent with the median income between $2,600 to $3,500 per year. One-third of the homes on reservations lack clean water and 40 percent of the homes lack electricity. In addition, alcoholism affects 8 in 10 Lakota families with rates of drug abuse and suicide increasing.

Naomi Archer, communications liaison for the Lakota Freedom Delegation, said many other indigenous nations and political independence movements in North America, South America, Europe and Africa have reached out in solidarity and support. A portion of the document delivered to the State Department read, “Should the United States and its subordinate governments choose not to act in good faith concerning the rebirth of our nation, we hereby advise the United States Government that Lakota will begin to administer liens against real estate transactions” within the five state area of what will be called the Republic of Lakota.

A history of broken treaties

The first contacts between the Lakota and the United States began after what is commonly known as the “Louisiana Purchase” in 1803. It is estimated that the United States bought 530 million acres of land from France for $15 million. Part of this sale included land already inhabited by the Lakota. They never consented to the sale of any of their land.

[…]

Lakota Indians cancel treaties with U.S. gov’t.

Note Anonymiss Express: This tells me it is time! All Together Now! Walk away from the machine! Walk away from the arrogation and appropriation! YAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

(via lipsbetweenthehips)

•  9 March 2012  •  910 notes

borninflames82:

what’s with all that riot gear??  we don’t have no riot here!!

video by kontra

Proud of Richmond folks, super duper ashamed of Richmond police. 

(via lipsbetweenthehips)

•  5 March 2012  •  121 notes

materialworld:

aphoticoccurrences:progressivefriends:

Removal of Indigenous Peoples of Belo Monte, Brazil Has Begun

The Brazilian government is moving ahead “at any cost” with plans to build the third-largest dam in the world and one of the Amazon’s most controversial development projects – the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River in the state of Pará. … Original plans to dam the Xingu have been greenwashed through multiple public relations programs over the course of two decades in the face of intense national and international protest.

In order to feed the powerhouse of the Belo Monte dam complex, up to 80% of the Xingu River will be diverted from its original course, causing a permanent drought on the river’s “Big Bend,” and directly affecting the Paquiçamba and Arara territories of the Juruna and Arara indigenous peoples. … Belo Monte’s two reservoirs and canals will flood a total of 668 km2 of which 400 km2 is standing forest. The flooding will also force more than 20,000 people from their homes in the municipalities of Altamira and Vitoria do Xingu.

(via mesotheliomata)

•  5 March 2012  •  708 notes

janedoe225:

baddominicana:

these are the people runnin for president?

HE ACTUALLY SAID THIS

•  24 February 2012  •  7,414 notes

“Thousands of children are deprived of birth in this state every year because of the lack of state regulation over vasectomies,” said Rep. Yasmin Neal, author of the bill. “It is patently unfair that men can avoid unwanted fatherhood by presuming that their judgment over such matters is more valid than the judgment of the General Assembly, while women’s ability to decide is constantly up for debate throughout the United States.”

—

Democratic women in GA seek a state ban on vasectomies.

This is an actual bill they are proposing to point out the wrongness of the constant stream of abortion restrictions and bans being proposed. Mostly it highlights the hypocrisy of forcing restrictions on women “for the babeez” but not doing the same thing to men.

(via drst)

Whoah! Things are getting surreal. Even more than before.

(via fresafresca)

(via lipsbetweenthehips)

•  22 February 2012  •  533 notes

whatfreshhellisthis:

Cis women are not being targeted by the anti-choice, anti-reproductive rights lobby.

For cis women to be targeted by the anti-choice lobby, they would have to allow that non-cis men, non-men and non-cis women exist.

And. they. do. not.

You seem to think that in this shoot-out you’re being aimed at, and we’re just being hit coincidentally.

That is not what’s happening.

What is happening is that they are aiming at all of us but only calling us by your name.

They are only allowing for your existence, assimilating us into you because of our biology.

They are actively denying our existence by simply calling us you. They are counting our dead under your name.

And you know what happens when you only acknowledge yourselves?

You don’t even count our dead at all.

(via cage-veil-cunt)

•  22 February 2012  •  637 notes

abaldwin360:

What appears to be a crowd of several hundred people gathered today at the Virginia state capitol. Standing silently in the cold, they lined the walkway used by the legislators who have been voting on — and voting away — women’s rights in Virginia.

From their Facebook…

(via mama4therevolution)

•  20 February 2012  •  114 notes

lawsonry:

stfuhatemongers:

subconciousevolution:

Bill 1 would effectively outlaw all Virginia abortions by declaring that the rights of persons apply from the moment sperm and egg unite. It passed Tuesday on a vote of 66-32.

 

On a 63-36 vote, the House passed a bill that requires women to have a transvaginal ultrasound before undergoing abortions.

Well this is bad news indeed.

 

The picture above is a transvaginal ultrasound, in case you were wondering.

I want you to think for a moment about a woman who was forced against her will to have sex with someone and got pregnant. I want you to think about a girl who has never had sex before, and after her first, painful experience, she got pregnant. I want you to think about a person who found out they are pregnant and knows that raising a baby right now would be detrimental to a new human being’s development.

This isn’t a story in passing you can selectively ignore because it doesn’t apply to you. This is happening now, and was voted on and approved.

This means that when a woman is sexually assaulted and sitting in the hospital bed getting her Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence kit, she will have to wait to take Plan B (or similar type of pill) until she gets a transvaginal ultrasound.

I live in this state. I’m sickened by this state. That women are treated like baby ovens and not autonomous people is disgusting and reflects poorly on our pretend democratic nature.

Oh god.

(Source: prochoicegeneration, via unheardofsongs)

•  15 February 2012  •  389 notes

To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.

“We need some gender equity here,” she told HuffPost. “The Virginia senate is about to pass a bill that will require a woman to have totally unnecessary medical procedure at their cost and inconvenience. If we’re going to do that to women, why not do that to men?”

I knew there had to be someone with a brain in this state.

(Source: coketalk, via iamgreaterthanhate)

•  31 January 2012  •  7,484 notes

fuckyeahfeminists:

investigatethebanks:

Last night, President Obama announced the creation of a special unit of federal prosecutors and state attorneys general to investigate the abusive practices of Wall Street banks during his State of Union speech. ColorOfChange will continue to push for true accountability and real relief for the millions of people who are suffering as a result of the housing crisis. Our official statement can be viewed here.

yesssss (we can!)

(via cage-veil-cunt)

•  25 January 2012  •  238 notes