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Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Gotta do it. Cannot resist - So --- DO IT --- and then get serious - a special day and a MNERA event

[Verse 1]
We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee
We don't take no trips on LSD;
We don't burn no draft cards down on Main Street
But, We love living right, and being free
We don't make a party out of loving
But we like holding hands and pitching woo;
We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do

[Chorus]
And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee
A place where even squares can have a ball;
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse
White lightning's still the biggest thrill of all

[Verse 2]
Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear
Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen;
A football's still the roughest thing on campus
And the kids here still respect the college dean

[Chorus]
And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee
A place where even squares can have a ball;
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse
White lightning's still the biggest thrill of all
And white lightning's still the biggest thrill of all
(In Muskogee Oklahoma USA)

Link and credit. For the song. And the trigger, little, not big news:

Oklahoma voters reject legalizing recreational marijuana

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma voters on Tuesday rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana, following a late blitz of opposition from faith leaders, law enforcement and prosecutors.

Oklahoma would have become the 22nd state to legalize adult use of cannabis and join conservative states like Montana and Missouri that have approved similar proposals in recent years. Many conservative states have also rejected the idea, including Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota last year.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and many of the state’s GOP legislators, including nearly every Republican senator, opposed the idea. Former Republican Gov. Frank Keating, an ex-FBI agent, and Terri White, the former head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, led the “no” campaign.

“We’re pleased the voters have spoken,” said Pat McFerron, a Republican political strategist who ran the opposition campaign. “We think this sends a clear signal that voters are not happy with the recreational nature of our medicinal system. We also think it shows voters recognize the criminal aspects, as well as the need for addressing mental health needs of the state.”

The tune on YouTube

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Now that we are --- Done with the "had to do it" mirth; moving to the big and true news making the day important worldwide - Okie independent true news:

Int’l Women’s Day events highlight gaps in gender equality
March 8, 2023 at 2:29 am Updated March 8, 2023 at 6:31 am
By CIARAN GILES
The Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — Millions of people around the world planned to demonstrate, attend conferences and enjoy artistic events Wednesday to mark International Women’s Day, an annual observance established to recognize women and to demand equality for half of the planet’s population.

While activists in some nations noted advances, repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, and the large numbers of women and girls who experience sexual assaults and domestic violence worldwide highlighted the ongoing struggle to secure women’s rights.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted this week that women’s rights were “abused, threatened and violated” around the world and gender equality won’t be achieved for 300 years given the current pace of change.

Progress won over decades is vanishing because “the patriarchy is fighting back,” Guterres said.

The United Nations recognized International Women’s Day in 1977, but the occasion has its roots in labor movements of the early 20th century. The day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in different countries.

Women gathered in Pakistan’s major cities to march amid tight security. Organizers said the demonstrations were aimed at seeking rights guaranteed by the constitution. Some conservative groups last year threatened to stop similar marches by force.

Women’s rights activists in Japan held a small rally to renew their demand for the government to allow married couples to keep using different surnames. Under the 1898 civil code, a couple must adopt “the surname of the husband or wife” at the time of marriage.

The activists argued the law contributes to gender inequality because women experience strong pressure to take their husband’s name. Surveys show majority support for both men and women keeping their own names.

In the Philippines, hundreds of protesters from various women’s groups rallied in Manila for higher wages and decent jobs.

“We are seeing the widest gender pay gap,”protest leader Joms Salvador said. “We are seeing an unprecedented increase in the number of women workers who are in informal work without any protection.”

The United Nations identified Afghanistan as the most repressive in the world for women and girls since the Taliban takeover in 2021. The U.N. mission said Afghanistan’s new rulers were “imposing rules that leave most women and girls effectively trapped in their homes.”

A bit over a century ago women in the USA could not vote. Now they are a conscience in legislative houses, for the most part. There are Boberts. There are Taylor Greenes. But DFL House and Senate majorities in Minnesota can salute women and their voting decisions. And a woman second in line for Governor!

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MNERA rally at the Capitol today, on reactivating and then passing the ERA.

https://eramn.org

Show up to support the ERA! IWD Day of Action Wednesday, March 8th • 1:00 PM MN State Capitol, Conference Room 317B Celebrate International Women's Day and support the Equal Rights Amendment with a day of Capitol Action and visibility for Legislators. More details to come. Event Information Volunteer RSVP
  • ACT Now

    ERA Minnesota. Home About ACT Now Help Us Donate News Events Resources > Contact ACT Now! ERA Day -Lobbying 101 ... It's been a 100 years since women got the right to vote. Immediately after that they introduced an Equal Rights Amendment and began the fight to get Equality for All as part of our United States Constitution. ... ERA Day - January ...

  • Help Us

    Check out all of the options below of ways you can help the movement to get an ERA passed in Minnesota. ... For goodness sake--Texas has had an Equal Rights Amendment since 1972 and Utah's original 1895 constitution reads (Article IV, Section 1): "Both male and female citizens of this State shall enjoy equally all civil, political and ...

  • Donate

    Online - you can donate online through our fiscal sponsor Minnesota National Organization for Women (MN NOW) by using the DonorBox Form on this page. Mail your donation - > Check payable to: Minnesota NOW > In the "Memo" line write: ERA MN (or we won't get it) > Send to: Minnesota NOW PO Box 912 Burnsville, MN 55337

  • News

    In the News: Articles and video of ERA news events, both local and national; Blog: News from and about our push for an ERA - from ERA Minnesota; In the News. ERA MN Blog. About. ERA MN Minnesota ERA Federal ERA Our Allies. Help Us. ACT Now! Become a Member Donate Volunteer. Materials. Expert Testimony ERA Yes! Video

  • Resources

    Check here for: Expert Testimonies-- video clips from committee hearings; House Parties-- Information and materials to host your own House Party and educate your friends!; Links & Info -- Links and information about issues facing women and other groups looking for equality; Lobbying 101 -- instructions on how to talk to and influence your Senator and Representatives

  • Contact

    Please contact ERA Minnesota with any questions, comments, ideas, etc. You can reach us by email, on Facebook or Twitter. Note: If you'd like a speaker to come to an event. Please include dates, times and locations. Thanks.

Dec 11, 2021January 31st is the first day of our 2022 Minnesota state legislative session. We are pleased to join ERA Minnesota in hosting ERA Rally @ the Capitol, where ERA bill authors and supporters will speak in the Capitol rotunda on why the ERA is foundational to providing equality for all.People are invited to participate in the rally and then advocate for equality by meeting with their legislators.
Jan 3, 2023Stop by our table in the Rotunda, write a note to your legislator, and rally for the ERA. Stay tuned for more details. ... League of Women Voters Minnesota. 546 Rice Street, Suite 200, Saint Paul, MN, USA. 651-224-5445 info@lwvmn.org. Hours. Mon 10am - 4pm. Tue 10am - 4pm. Wed 10am - 4pm.
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All for now. 
Do you think there is an ERA rally today in Muskogee