Protecting innocent UNBORN... but not the innocent BORN

We rushed off to the library to get voter reg forms before they closed. The first librarian, a too young white womon, stiff and frowning, didn't want to give us more than five forms but then we found another librarian, an older, robust brown woman all smiles and charm who was willing to give us more. We asked her about how the voter registration was going there in Clovis. She was so proud to say that “this was the first time so many folks had registered...” I smiled ... “republican....” I frowned.

Okay.

Rae and I decided we didn't want to vigil in such a town after dark so off we went to the office depot to make some desperately needed 'pink slip bush' flyers and quarter page info sheets about marriage quotes from the bible.

Another young white womon began helping us. We found out she was 21 years old with an 18 month old son and a husband who was in the military. Missy said she didn't really want to vote. When asked about why, she blankly stared at us saying she hadn't really thought about voting, she certainly hasn't talked to anyone about voting and her husband didn't like talking about voting because he's in the military and was afraid he'd lose his job.

Missy identified herself as a christian, saying she's been one since she was 3 years old. She declined the opportunity to be part of our video but she did say that if she voted, she'd vote for bush because he's a christian. I asked her what is christian about bush and she basically said she wasn't sure, that she'd have to go ask her pastor but she believed maybe it was because he talks to god and because he's defending our country in Iraq. I asked her if she thought we should be killing people in Iraq and she said no. She didn't want her husband to go to Iraq and she knew families in Clovis that had lost their husbands and sons.

Missy quietly admitted, glancing around the empty store, she didn't really like bush but kerry was awful because he wanted to kill babies and do stem cell research and let gay people marry.

She indignantly confided that just a few months ago, she had to copy a holy union ceremony for these two, well, fellows, and she thought that just wasn't right. She said the bible said homosexuals are not holy - deferring again to her pastor for the exact chapter and verse of this alleged fact. We shared with her the marriage quarter pages we were just running off - it has several bible quotes on one side, and the marriage and divorce records of the opponents of same-sex marriage on the other. She confessed it’s been ages since she's actually read the bible but she was going to ask her preacher and look up those quotes because they weren't right either.

I asked her, as I do everyone who takes her position, trying to look into her very inner being "do you really want to dictate to me who I can marry or who I can't marry?"

She hesitated a few moments, uncomfortable yet thinking, and finally said “No, I guess I don't.”

“But bush is a christian,” she firmly continued, “because of his protecting innocence unborn babies.” I asked her “What about innocent born children in Iraq?”

She sadly nods unequivocally stating that it was wrong to kill babies in Iraq but that abortion here was wrong also.” We talked about the difference between being pro-abortion and being pro-choice. She admitted knowing how hard a decision it is for wimmin, her friends and she confessed she would take the morning after pill.....Rae pointed out to her that bush would not allow her to do that if he had his way.

Missy ended up taking all kinds of codepink info from us and promised to read up on the things we were giving her. She also REGISTERED to vote! AND she gave us big discounts on all the flyers we were copying!!! a sucess story!

We headed out of Clovis and spent the nite at a beautiful New Mexico rest stop under a tiny sliver of a moon and a myriad of brilliant stars we never get to view in the bay area!