ustxtxb_obs_1981_05_29_50_00023-00000_000.pdf

LIBERTARIANS’ TEXAS CONFERENCE Billed as “an alternative politics conference,” the state convention of the Libertarian Party of Texas June 19-21 in Austin has scheduled 21 speakers, including David Friedman, author and son of Milton Friedman; Murray Rothbard, exponent of the Austrian school of economics; Peter Breggin, discussing “liberation from the state”; Wendy McElroy, a feminist historian discussing “why libertarian feminists view socialist feminists as reactionary”; philosoper George Smith; Mark McKinnon, former editor, Daily Texan, UT-Austin; UT historian Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, discussing anarchism; Ken Carpenter of the AFSC on El Salvador; Jim 011inger, editor, Connections, on government harassment of sexual minorities in Texas. A Juneteenth celebration will celebrate the emancipation of black slaves in Texas. Information, Michael Grossberg, 454-1522. WOMEN’S CENTER ANNIVERSARY The fourth anniversary of the Battered Women’s Center in Austin will be celebrated June 12, 4:30 p.m., at the Law Center, Austin, open to public, 0620. A COWART SCHOLARSHIP In honor of the memory of George Cowart, the Jefferson County labor and political leader who died at 79 last year, a scholarship in economics has been established at Lamar University in Beaumont. Applicants must be members or children of members of organized labor. Contributions to Mrs. Cowart, 2250 21st St., Beaumont 77706. Progressive Organizations In no hurry, the Observer is building up lists of the political organizations we regard as progressive, their meeting evenings where that is applicable, and a phone number for each, in Texas cities. The editor invites communications recommending organizations for inclusion, by city. SAN ANTONIO ACLU, 224-6791; Women’s Political Caucus, 2nd Tue., 655-3724; Civil Rights Litigation Center, 224-1061; Citizens Concerned About Nuclear Power, 1st & 3rd Weds., 655-0543; Communities Th., 222-2367; Demos. for Action, Research & Educa674-0351; Mxn.-Amn. Demos., 3rd Mon., Walter Martinez, 227-1341; NAACP, 4th Fri., 224-7636; Organizations United for East Side Development, last Tue., 824-4422; People for Peace, 2nd Th., 8223089; Physicians for Social Responsibility, 1st Mon., Dr. Martin Batiere, 691-0375; Poor People’s Coalition for Human Services, 923-3037; Residents Organized for Better and Beautiful Environmental Development 226-3973; S.A. Demo. League, 1st Th., 344-1497; S.A. Gay Alliance, last Wed., Metropolitan Cmnty. Church, 102 S. Pine; Sierra Club, 3rd Tue., 3415990; United Citizens Project Planning and Operating Corp. 4278. LONE STAR ALLIANCE The Alliance is made up of member groups opposed to nuclear power. The groups, not listed elsewhere: Dallas: Armadillo Coalition, 1st Wed., 348-0005; Comanche Peak Life Force, Wed. wkly., 337-5885. Austin: Citizens for Economical Energy, 4744738; Tx. Mobilization for Survival, Sun. wkly., 474-5877; Univ. Mobilization for Survival, wkly., 476-4503. Houston: Mockingbird Alliance, 747-1837. Fort Worth: Armadillo Coalition, 927-0808. Bryan: Brazos Society for Alternatives to Nuclear Energy, 822-1882. Nacogdoches: Pineywoods Coalition, 218 W. Austin St. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Contact persons for Amnesty International in Texas; Dallas, U.S. Group 189, Renee Berta, 915584-4869, and Group 205, William H. Winn, 214361-4690; Houston, Group 23, Ann Chastang, 6006 Saxon, Houston 77092, and Eileen at 869-5021, x42; Beaumont, Group 221, Karen Dweyer, 420 Longmeadow, Beaumont 77707; Austin, Group 107, gional membership coordinator, Rita Williamson, The Social Cause Calendar not a matter of choice, it’s a moral question. His answer is ,his morality. You know, of course, that sexual harlanguage, according to Phyllis Schlafly, who said that no decent woman has any problem. Obviously, as always, the woman’s lamentable, even deplorable, condition is again her own fault. If she is not “decent” she deserves what she gets. These poor women who bear babies resulting from rape and incest may be helping those childless couples who want to adopt infants. But perhaps no one has thought to ask: Who will want to adopt those babies carrying incestuous genes, babies who may be mentally or physically disabled? And if we care anything about the children, we must ask how many adults will adopt some of the babies of rape who are of mixed-race or background? The good senators and those from the religious right did not offer their homes for these hard-to-place children, nor did they appropriate extra monies to care for them monies needed not only to rear them in safe environments, but to protect them with some kind of treatment program to help thelp adjust to the fact that no one may ever want them. NO, IT IS NOT the babies of rape and incest the right-righteous senators and the religious right are thinking about, what they really want is for the state to own the wombs of women all women, not only the wombs of poor women and the victims of rape or incest. Here we women have only persuaded part of the population that our heads belong to us, and now we’ve got to get serious about our wombs. The only thing left, women, is to protest this constant gerrymandering of our anatomy. We grew lax after the Supreme Court said in 1973 that our wombs were our business. We thought that was enough, but not so! So, here is my suggestion: The Rev. Jerry Falwell has chosen to make himself the chieftain of a large group of the religious right. He is their leader. So, if the good reverend does not want us to own our own wombs, let’s package them up and send them to him. The religious right raises so much of its tax-free money from direct mail campaigns, we could respond in kind. And we could mount a tasteful advertising campaign “Wombs for the Reverend.” Since choice is one of the things we are concerned about, this must be a free-will offering. If you are not through using your womb, please keep it until the time you might wish to contribute. If your womb currently is inhabited you might decide to sign a pledge card, promising a donation in the future. You may, of course, choose to send your womb to your senator, or, if he is anti-abortion, to your local congressman : they want the state to have our wombs, so let them be the custodians. Do not forget the moral Texas legislature as a matter of states’ rights you might want to keep your womb right here in Texas. Dropping your womb in the collection plate on Sunday is another option. This might be considered more lady-like than public demonstration, and it would reduce the lines at the post office. WE MIGHT think about a wavelike movement. After all, each of us has just one womb, and if we donate them all at once the momentum would be a false labor of little impact. We must coordinate this thing, orchestrate it for maximum impact and media coverage, as we have learned to do from the religious right. Perhaps we could follow the example from the White House Conference on the Family in Los Angeles last July when the crusaders of the religious right marched to the podium and deposited their black armbands beneath the American flag as television cameras rolled and print reporters scribbled. I, for one, regret that I have but one womb to give to my country! THE TEXAS OBSERVER 23 .1.,91[11,1240.1.v.4 VS.,-1-1 ..A.111t “Pa ‘ 7.1.’f +o-ve