Wednesday is International Women’s Day and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has issued a statement in full support of the ‘Day Without a Woman‘ demonstrations being called throughout the country.
“I am proud to say that the top seven people in my cabinet are all women, and they do an incredible job every day,” said Elorza, “In Providence, we deeply value the contributions that women continue to make in our city. And, given the significant role women play in our municipal workforce, constituents may experience delays in the delivery of non-emergency city services on March 8th, as a result of the ‘Day Without a Woman’ demonstration.
“Although I understand the inconvenience that this may present for constituents, this effort seeks to emphasize the significant contributions of women in our workforce by highlighting the impact of their absence. They have a right to use their personal time to protest on March 8 and we will respect those who choose to participate.”
According to the organizers, Women’s March on Washington, “Anyone, anywhere, can join by making March 8th A Day Without a Woman in one or all of the following ways:
- Women take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor
- Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses).
- Wear RED in solidarity with A Day Without A Woman
The Women’s March “stands in solidarity with the International Women’s Strike organizers, feminists of color and grassroots groups in planning global actions for equity, justice and human rights.”
Here’s some of the events scheduled for Wednesday in Rhode Island:
Dinner March in Solidarity with the International Women’s Strike
Pawtucket’s 3rd Annual Women’s History Month Celebration
I find it ironic that one of the organizers of this march for “equity, justice and human rights” is Rasmea Odeh, a convicted terrorist and savage murderer of two students in Israel who were innocently shopping in a grocery store when she, Rasmea Odeh decided to bomb it. So much for ‘human rights’.
This is a FINE demonstration to stay away from. What this beast is doing in MY COUNTRY is beyond explanation.
Find another way to stand for womens rights rather than join forces with a savage like Rasmea Odeh.
The truth about Rasmea Odeh may never be known with certainty, but it’s worth reading this piece on Snopes for greater context:
http://www.snopes.com/2017/02/28/rasmea-odeh-conviction/
As far as the ‘Day Without a Woman’ event goes, Rasmea Odeh is listed among many organizers, and surely no one would claim that this event is condoning terrorism or murder, as you seem to suggest.
Steve, you didn’t click the link I provided, did you? It explains the Snopes error you provided. Alternative facts, Steve?
Rasmea Odeh murdered two students in a terrorist bombing. That’s a fact.
Rasmea Odeh confessed to her part a day after the bombing. That’s a fact.
Rasmea Odeh, later, denied having a part in the bombing. That’s a fact.
Rasmea Odeh was found guilty in a trial that was seen by international observers to be fair. That’s a fact.
Click the link. There’s nothing to be afraid of unless you’re afraid of the truth.
Yes, I read the piece you linked to. The piece added nothing to what Snopes investigated but merely restated the evidence in an unfavorable light. the Snopes piece was neutral, understanding that the facts may not be known. The piece you linked to was not neutral. The first “fact” you cite is actually the disputed issue. I agree that Rasmea Odeh may have killed two people. I also think it possible that she did not. Many people here in the United States have been imprisoned and executed for crimes they did not commit. Confessions and guilty verdicts are the ways in which societies determine guilt or innocence, but they are not the ultimate arbiters of truth. Oppressive regimes, like in Israel or Chicago, should not be trusted 100 percent. I am not afraid of the truth, just as I am not afraid to admit that which cannot be known with certainty.
Malarkey!!
There are many battles to be fought for various reasons but, IMO, this is a good one to stay away from, even if you do think Israelis are a lesser people.
They gave you Mother’s Day, what more do you want?
The subordination of women — and particularly all the unpaid labor they provide — is an essential pillar of a capitalist economy. Without it their system would begin to unravel. As you can see from the comments here, the last thing the rulers and their mouth-pieces want are women uniting and seeking common cause with their oppressed sisters worldwide.
For more info on the beast known as Rasmea: http://legalinsurrection.com/2017/03/on-march-8-remember-victims-of-daywithoutawoman-co-organizer-rasmea-odeh-daywithoutedwardandleon/
Thanks to RITaxpayer for bringing up the accusations of terrorism against organizer Odeh. That’s worth considering, and spurred me to look things up. I appreciate the links from RITaxpayer and Steve, which are among the most helpful on the subject.
Although I think Rasmea Odeh probably was tortured, overall the evidence suggests that she did kill people in 1969 in an act of terrorism. See this link:
http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/11/rasmea-odeh-rightly-convicted-of-israeli-supermarket-bombing-and-u-s-immigration-fraud/
I’ve read some of the articles which argue that she wasn’t a terrorist, but I don’t find them as convincing. If anyone knows more convincing evidence on Odeh’s side, please post it. It may be that, as the American judge said who ordered her deported, Odeh has “changed her ways” since that 1969 bombing, and I think that evidence from torture shouldn’t be used in court, but even apart from her confession which may have been obtained by torture, there’s other evidence showing that she was involved in the bombing.
However, Odeh does not seem to be an organizer of the Women’s March on Washington. What happened seems to be this: The Women’s March on Washington announced in February that they would call for a women’s general strike titled “A Day without a Woman” to be held on a date to be determined. At about the same time in February, a group of women who consider themselves militant feminists, including Odeh, Angela Davis and 6 others, issued their own call for a women’s strike on March 8, which is International Women’s Day, and pointed out that feminist groups in other countries were doing the same. The group including Odeh and Davis explained that their proposed strike opposes “male violence”, which may be a significant way of phrasing things given the issue of the 1969 bombing. After Odeh and Davis’s group advocated for a women’s strike on March 8, the Women’s March on Washington then went ahead and announced that their proposed women’s strike would be on March 8. I get the impression that the Women’s March on Washington wants to keep its distance from Odeh and Davis’s group. On their website, when they explain why they accepted the March 8 date, they pointedly avoid mentioning the call by Odeh and Davis and instead refer to the actions in other countries, saying “We were compelled to stand with women around the globe, just as they stood with us on January 21st.” They also note that “There are lots of campaigns about International Women’s Day”, so it seems that they want to be clear that supporting their March 8 women’s strike need not mean supporting Odeh and Davis’s group. The Women’s March on Washington has stressed their strong commitment to nonviolence, so perhaps they don’t want their effort to be seen as led by people like Odeh.
Sources:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-terrorist-bombing-sentencing-met-20150312-story.html
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/02/06/day-without-women-calls-grow-general-womens-strike
http://www.vogue.com/article/womens-strike-history-a-day-without-a-woman
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/06/women-strike-trump-resistance-power
https://www.womensmarch.com/march-8th-faq
https://www.womensmarch.com/mission/
Very informative, Randell. Thanks for this.
I’d still stay home rather than have my good intentions for womens rights be misconstrued as standing with a convicted and PROVEN terrorist. Stay strong and fight another battle.