A short time back in July, I wrote about a press release that Sen. Jamie’s Woodson’s weekly e-mail newsletter, The Woodson Weekly, contained from the Women’s Campaign Forum. A visit to the WCF’s site, to learn what they were about, quickly acquainted me with a significant portion of their platform, which stressed “pro-choice” and “reproductive rights” several times. It also did not help alleviate my anxiety, when I saw a video featuring Hillary Clinton, of all people, on the front page of the site. That socialist presidential candidate is about as far as you can get from conservative.
I was shocked, because I have spoken to Sen. Woodson on many occassions, including when she was Rep. Hagood, and never was suspect of her holding a pro-abortion position. When contacted later, Sen. Woodson gave assurance that she was “committed to the Pro-Life/Right to Life cause.” I thought we were done with that, until a comment was written to that post stating that “her conservatism is only skin-deep.”
Well that piqued my interest a bit and resulted in me following the poster’s link to his blog to read an entry he had about Sen. Woodson.
The above picture is the first thing he has on his blog. It’s Sen. Woodson and a couple of wannabe-county commissioners at an event. No big deal, right? Well,…I wasn’t real thrilled with what I was reading.
The blog I was on provided links to the Knoxville Voice, a small area paper, with an article on the Progressive Women’s Coalition. A trip to their site helps you find their Statement of Principles. I wasn’t too terribly alarmed with anything, until I got down to “What We Believe In”. At that juncture I ran into a couple of things that made me read them a second time to make sure I was taking them in correctly.
“Government that recognizes and respects…people of all… gender/sexual orientations…”
“Government that recognizes the importance of the separation of church and state…”
I read on down from there to the “Frequently Asked Questions” section. (emphasis mine)
1. What about abortion? I don’t want to join a group that’s for abortion.
No one is “for” abortion. But we recognize that women and girls are often faced with decisions that only they can make. We believe that all women and girls of reproductive age should have access to the information they need to make responsible decisions for themselves.
2. Is “progressive” just a code word for “liberal”?
No. Progressives are citizens who want to make progress toward a better, freer, more informed, more open, and more civilized society for us all. We want civil discussions on matters of importance to all citizens. We want to advance the causes of social justice, responsible use of the environment, and ethical government for all the people.
3. Do I have to agree with everything in this list of principles if I want to be part of this movement?
No, of course not. No one can agree on every detail. However, our core principles remain: open, ethical and efficient government; respect for people’s differences; individual freedom on personal issues; and responsible policies on environmental development. If you can sign on to those core principles, you’re a progressive!
Now, Hillary Clinton claims to be a “progressive”, instead of a “liberal”, as I have talked about in unrelated posting. Hillary is intertwined with the WCF, mentioned at the top of this post, which strongly advocates against the “pro-life” position. Hillary is also a very strong advocate of a socialized healthcare system, big government and similar increases in government influence. So, if Hillary Clinton is representative of “a proud modern American progressive”, then they must be liberals, and I am totally against it.
The waffle on the abortion question might have worked for PWC to skirt the issue, had they not followed up with the liberal talking point of “individual freedom on personal issues”, which, in all likelihood, means abortion.
I bet NAMBLA would like that whole “individual freedom on personal issues” in the “core principles”! You know how they hate authorities stepping in to tell them that child rape, sexual battery of a minor, etc. is against the law and they can’t do it.
So, I still wonder if Sen. Woodson is sporting a Tennessee Right to Life plate on the front of her vehicle, the one she is driving to events at the PWC and other left-leaning organizations? I’m not sure, myself. But, I would like to know more.
I wonder what Brian Harris, president of the Tennessee Right to Life, can tell us on Sen. Woodson’s abortion leanings.
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