This article is dead-on in describing Kansas politics and why the Tiller murder is so devastating for us.
I know I'm heaping on the Jezebel.com links, but they are covering the Tiller case extremely well.
Eric and I are both feeling pretty down about Kansas right now. We're staying here, because I'm doing a PhD here and we have family here and in many ways it makes sense. But this event was a spectacular reinforcement of our feeling that the conservatives here are well and truly going nuts. And the loss of our governor to the Obama administration—as proud as I am of having her there—makes us feel like we've been left to the dogs. Without her or Dr. Tiller here, I have real fear for the health of Kansas women.
You know how they always say that if you're afraid of the terrorists, you've let the terrorists win? Well, that's my challenge right now. This murder was terrorism. It feels like an assault on my values, my gender, and my home ground. And knowing how many people are gloating over it—having to listen to such people, or read their comments in print—it's beyond awful.
Many of my friends here in Kansas are dealing with the same feelings of violation. And we're angry as hell. And it's really hard to let it go. So, I don't know...pray for us? Or whatever?
Posts
snip, snip
1 hour ago
4 comments:
You know. I feel like that a lot in KY too. But, like you, I have a lot of friends that feel that way, also. I think the time has come to rise up. Peacefully, I hope. And let our conservative states know we are here and we expect to be represented. Don't ask me how, though.
This sort of thing makes me want to stay in Wisconsin, even with our 9 months of cold, shitty weather. WI isn't exactly a progressive state (we voted in our very own gay marriage ban in the last election by a fairly wide margin) but at least it's not a conservative stronghold.
We often talk about the possibility of me and my family moving somewhere south to be closer to parents. On one hand, I almost can't stomach the idea of living in a backward state (I've lived in both Ky and Ks), but on the other hand, I think those places need more progressives doing the activism thing to help our country move forward. It's a lot easier to hide out in my liberal island up north, but I might not be able to forever.
I vacillate between wanting to leave Kansas for well and good (and oh boy do I miss Lawrence at times like this!) and wanting to stay just to make sure that Kansas isn't left to the conservatives. After all, I was born here and I am just as much a part of Kansas as our conservative "majority." And I don't believe that that "majority" is quite so major as the national news would have us believe. Kansas cannot be so easily categorized as this, that, or the other thing.
When I was 20, I fled Wichita for St. Louis, looking forward to living in a "real" city for a change. I moved back to Kansas six years later because of some family health problems. But I'll stay because I am increasingly feeling that I am a "true" Kansan, that Wichita is my city, too, and that I therefore have to take responsibility for helping to make Wichita and Kansas a place where all people are safe and respected.
Yes, Kansas produced Scott Roeder, or whatever his name is. But we produced Dr. George Tiller, too. So I am proud to be a Kansan!
(Imagine me standing in front of Kansas flag, looking proudly into the distance as the flag and my hair fly in the wind. Someone should put me in a Kansas tourism advertisement!)
Noelle, your comment made me feel a lot better. I don't want to be scared off by these people either. And one of the things I admire most about George Tiller is that he refused to let them drive him out of his own state.
Wichita especially is a lot more politically diverse than I think people give it credit for. Lawrence usually makes me feel protected, but then my husband works for KDHE, so it's hard to escape the politics.
Maybe if we put you in a tourist advertisement we would get some tourists who aren't out-of-state anti-choice clinic protestors!
Post a Comment