Tag-Archive for » Hope «

ABSOLUTELY NOT WALMART!!!!

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I am outraged at Walmart yet again but this time isn’t over their union busting, deporting instead of paying undocumented workers hired to build their stores, running terrible sweatshops or even for killing small businesses no this time they are trying to buy part of Coonskin park in Charleston. Coonskin is used by families and businesses regularly for get togethers and/or to use the many amenities provided there like mini golf, paddle boats, golf, fishing, swimming, soccer field, parks, trails, and much more. more »

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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10 Tips To Protect Yourself In A Rape Culture.

Hey Sisters  I know it sucks that we even have to think about this sort of thing because boys should be taught not to rape. We  shouldn’t have to learn how help prevent tourselfs from being raped. I am a rape survivor and I want this post to be a learning tool for my sisters around the world to help prevent them having to go through what I went through. I know this is stuff that alot of us have been taught since we were kids but it is good to have a refresher course and if you don’t know now you will. more »

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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Its about human rights

  Who you love does not change who you are.

Ok so I was asked by alot of people in the past few days. “Why would you support Gays?” “I thought you were straight?” “Did you turn lesbian?”  “You think gays should be aloud to get married and have kids?” “Don’t you know god hates gays and its not ok to disobey god?”

 

Well I have a few questions for you! Why don’t you support Gay Rights? I thought you had a heart? Why are we friends? Why shouldn’t adults be aloud to get married and have kids? Isn’t judging others disobeying god?

Imagine this The government walks into your house and says “Its now illegal for you to be married now you are officially not recognized as a couple by the government.” So now you have no rights you cant visit each other in the hospital, you can’t make health decisions for each other, you can’t adopt each others kids, you can’t be on each others health insurance, you are no longer a family in the eyes of the law.  Now imagine your spouse is on their death bed you want to be with them in the hospital but because you are not recognized as a married couple by the government you cant you must sit in the waiting room knowing your spouse is dying and wants you with them more than anything but because the government doesn’t recognize your marriage they will die alone in a hospital room. Sounds crazy right? Thats what happens everyday to same sex couples all over the world. Now my question to you is how would you feel being in their shoes?

A  friends son who I have known since he was a baby looked up at me one day out of the blue and said I have two mommies and my friend has two daddies. Do you have two mommies or two daddies? I said I have one mommy and one daddy. He said well thats ok too. If a four year old gets why can’t grown adults get it.

My supporting LGBTQ Rights has nothing to do with my sexual orientation. I really shouldn’t have to answer such questions but here you go. I am straight I was born straight have always been straight I am only attracted to men, I did not turn lesbian because you don’t just turn lesbian it doesn’t work that way!! I support LGBTQ Rights because I support Human Rights! Everyone should have the right to marry who they love. Everyone deserves to love who they love and not be persecuted for loving someone of the same sex. As long as all people involved are consenting adults its their business what they do and who they do it with.

Its not about whether you are gay or straight, black or white its about  love, family, equality and human rights!! Who are you to judge someone else?

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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Open letter from a Rape Survivor

Jane Doe of WV raped in Steubenville OH,

My name is Beth I am a 25 years old I live in WV. In 2007 one of my best friends on again off again boyfriend raped me. I was passed out and only remember bits and pieces of what happened but I know he raped me and he helped me to bed kissed my forehead and whispered “I didn’t rape you you said it was ok” before I could protest I blacked out again. I was drugged and raped at a party with all my friends by someone I thought I could trust with my life. I am one of the many survivors that didn’t report I am one of many who blamed myself for doing everything I knew I shouldn’t do like leaving my drink when I went to the restroom but like I said I trusted him with my life. I blamed myself for trusting him, I blamed myself for trusting my other friends to watch my back. I was in denial about the truth for along time I thought maybe I did say it was ok but I didn’t feel like I said it was ok and even if I had I was passed out and completely disoriented to the point where I still can’t put that night completely together or the following day for that matter. I confronted him and he said he did it and he would do it again if he could then he said he was sorry which he does send sorry messages to me randomly to this day. He says he deserves my forgiveness and he has changed wants to be friends wants to get back together. He does not deserve my forgiveness he deserves to be sitting in jail he deserves to be ran over with my car he deserves to be miserable for the rest of his life but because I didn’t report it because I knew it would be covered up by the city because I was “just another girl from the projects who was asking for it”. He has a good job, a family and still goes out to parties where girls will be. I have put the word out he is not to be trusted to my friends who warn their sisters and friends what he did to me hopefully saving another girl from being in that situation with him. I was told by some friends I was “asking for it” that I “deserved it” that I was “just like the other girls from the projects looking to blame some guy with money to get hush money” I didn’t report my assault I was being blamed by my friends and I knew the cops would do the same from other girls experiences with them and the way I was treated because I was a girl from the projects.

Jane Doe I don’t know much about you personally, like where you grew up or your families financial status but none of that matters we are bonded together with the millions of women who have been raped. We all know how you feel, you are not alone. Sadly we live in a world where people see or know something is happening and no one comes to your rescue, where girls and women have to constantly watch for suspicious activity even from friends.  Sadly we live in a world where football players and their friends think they can do whatever they want because they are treated like heroes. You Jane Doe are the hero, you survived and you pressed charges. I want you to know you are the hero you are a strong smart beautiful powerful young woman don’t ever let anyone make you feel less than that. Remember no matter what anyone says you did nothing wrong you did not ruin anyone’s lives they did that to themselves when they made the choice to rape you.

To all survivors keep your head up you are a hero you are strong and you are beautiful stay strong sisters,

Beth Dortch

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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A Dollar A Dream

For the poor, buying a lottery ticket is like buying a little piece of hope.
 Many people want to complain that we waste our money on lottery tickets but they don’t understand what that ticket represents.  For that dollar we get hope.  We get a few minutes to forget about our problems and dream about what life might be like if we weren’t poor.

For the days and hours leading up to the numbers being called we get to talk about what we would do if we won.

We get to fantasize about what it would be like if we could pay all our bills and have some money to send our kids to college.  We talk about all the money we would donate to the organizations that help us.  We talk about giving money to the local food pantry and the shelter to help people like us.  We talk about buying uniforms for our kids little league team. We talk about buying a house and a car, not just for ourselves but for our friends and family.

As the jackpot increases, we talk about what it would be like to have enough money to go out to eat, to take a vacation, to pay for our kids prom dress or school field trip.  We dream of a life without hunger.  We dream of a life where we can go to a doctor or a dentist, not fear eviction, and eat fresh vegetables.  We dream of a life where we are treated with respect and dignity not looked down upon because we live in public housing or use food stamps. We dream.

When the numbers are called we hope.  We hope its our turn to provide a good life for our families.  We hope our numbers are called.  Our numbers ….. our children’s birth dates, our anniversaries, our address, our lucky numbers.  The numbers that stand between us being a case number, a statistic, a “poor person” and life.

After the disappointment of  not hearing our numbers, we go out the next day and buy another piece of hope because that’s all we have.

 

About Vizi

"The mother of revolution and crime is poverty” ~Aristotle

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Category: Appalachia  Tags: ,  One Comment