Palin Pales in Comparison to True Maverick Jeannette Rankin

On a cold distant November in 1916, a true Republican maverick and reformer became the first woman elected to the United States Congress. Her name was Jeannette Rankin and as an indefatigable champion of peace, justice and equality for all, her ghost stands in stark contrast to the Republican woman being hailed today as a loveable patriot and agent of change.

Should Sarah Palin be voted into office come this November, ninety two years after Jeannette's historic election, she may well be responsible for change: a change back to a time before the struggles of thousands of women and men succeeded in providing a framework upon which the Women's, Peace and Civil Rights movements could weave themselves into the fabric of America.

When Jeannette Rankin ran for Congress from Montana, not only were there no women in the US government - women across the United States couldn't vote. Three years later the nineteenth amendment was ratified granting all American women the Federal right to cast their ballot. Today more than fifty million American women are not registered. Of registered female voters in the last election, twenty two million of us didn't bother.

It is the most painful irony to watch Palin stand on Jeannette's shoulders in order to dismantle that which Rankin gave her life to build. At the time that Jeannette was campaigning, there were several states in which it was still legal for a husband to terminate his wife's pregnancy without her consent. Choice and abortion are not synonyms. Choice is a word with connotations that reach far and deep into a woman's life - her finances, her sexuality, her body, her opportunities, her control over her own destiny. Rankin believed that these choices should be available not only to all women, but to all peoples.

When asked, because of her concern for the Jewish refugees that Roosevelt turned away from U.S. shores before our entry into WWII, if she was Jewish, Jeannette said, "Yes. I'm a Jew. I'm a Christian, I'm Hindu, I'm a Moslem." When pressed she said, "What difference does it make?" Sarah Palin defines herself as a "Bible believing Christian" who has "been saved" meaning that she takes unequivocally both the Bible as the literal Word and Revelation of God and that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh.

And while Sarah Palin sees war as a "task from God," Jeannette Rankin stood up against unimaginable pressure and voted against US entry into both World Wars. Despite losing the support of her sisters in suffrage, who saw her vote against entry into WWI as a betrayal that "made women look weak," and the universal condemnation of the entire country, who said her "no" vote after the attacks on Pearl Harbor made her a traitor and a Nazi sympathizer, Jeannette was steadfast in her belief that violence and force are never a solution.

She said, "There can be no compromise with war; it cannot be reformed or controlled; cannot be disciplined into decency or codified into common sense; for war is the slaughter of human beings, temporarily regarded as enemies, on as large a scale as possible. You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake."

Jeannette Rankin grew up in privilege but gave her life to public service; starting her career in social work, helping orphans and the poor, then moving into women's suffrage, labor rights, immigrant rights, civil rights and always, maintaining her deep concern about the rights of children. She saw first hand how an unwanted child's life is a cruel reminder of the need for birth control - more than half the orphans she placed, while working in the Washington Children's Home in Seattle, were returned. Thirteen died. All grew up in abject poverty and ill health. Watching this was what helped propel her into government - she could not stand by and not try to help.

What disturbs me most about Sarah Palin is not that her political positions are different from Jeannette's but that, despite her identification with Christianity, I see no humanism in her stances. A direct corollary to her beliefs is the exclusion and "eternal damnation" of over sixty seven percent of the global population. How does presidential diplomacy fit into that paradigm? And, dare I say it, isn't this brand of wholesale intolerance patently anti-American? Frankly, although Jeannette didn't see herself as a "religious" person, I see many more similarities between her positions and, more importantly, her actions and those of Christ than I do with a woman who shoots defenseless animals from helicopters and denigrates community activism.

I hope that my film, "A Single Woman," about the life of unsung heroine Jeannette Rankin, will help bring to light the strength and beauty of a true maverick and reformer - an inspirational example of a woman who changed the American political landscape forever -- and for the better.

"A Single Woman," the story of Jeannette Rankin will be screening at the U.S. Congress on October 30th hosted by the office of Congressman Dennis Kucinich. The film is narrated by Martin Sheen, with the artistic contributions of Patricia Arquette, Karen Black, Peter Coyote, Frances Fisher, Mimi Kennedy, Margot Kidder, Judd Nelson, Elizabeth Peña, Cindy Sheehan, Chandra Wilson and a soundtrack featuring the iconic music of Joni Mitchell.

For more information please visit: www.asinglewomanmovie.com

Comments

[vickief]

Looking forward to seeing the film "A Single Woman". I preordered the DVD last December and can't wait to get it. I have seen the play performed by Jeanmarie Simpson, who plays Rankin, twice. Once in San Francisco at the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom and again when I brought the play to Fresno, CA. Jeanmarie really got across what a strong, outstanding woman Rankin really was. What a role model for today's women.

Not only does Jeanmarie play Rankin in the film she also wrote the play the film is based on and performed the role of Rankin many, many times. Jeanmarie is a real treasure and I am glad to know her and consider her a friend. She too is a role model for today's women.

[TAMB]

Bringing our attention to Jeanette Rankin is unbelievably timely; I sincerely hope that this film is picked up and distributed RIGHT NOW. It's so easy to get caught up in the drama of the moment, and to read Ms. Lopez's blog brings attention to an amazing part of America's history, the history of the women's movement, and to the life of this extraordinary woman, Jeanette Rankin. It's deeply disturbing to see the clock turned back on so many of the incredibly important issues that Rankin worked so hard to advance. This film, however, could be a powerful instrument of change, not only as a way of keeping Rankin's legacy alive, but to continue her vital work for good. BRING IT ON!!

[JonG345]

Oh isn't it so interesting to debate about Palin? Isn't it crazy that her husband is a traitor to the United States that wants Alaska to secede and that John McCain's economic adviser is responsible for the stock market crash?

[harlow]

Intelligent, non violent, peace loving women everywhere need to unite and make sure that Palin
does not represent them,The media that encourages glib lies needs to be censored.
One woman, Ms. Rankin made a difference. So can we all, individually and together.

[SocialUpheaval]

I completely agree, Harlow. Ms. Rankin made a difference as an individual, but she also helped create spaces for women to come together and assert our collective power. She helped create Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, a global grassroots organization that continues to work to create a more just world. In 1968, she led the Jeanette Rankin Brigade, the largest DC gathering of women since the suffrage movement, to show women's opposition to the Vietnam War.

I hope everyone gets a chance to see "A Single Woman," a great film based on an extraordinary women's life. I was privileged to see both the play and the film. Jeanmarie Simpson truly embodies Rankin's indomitable spirit.

Rankin's life is an inspiration to get involved in politics every day, not just during presidential elections. Her legacy forces us to question the utility of war; her absolute pacifism is a philosophy to which we should all aspire. I was horrified last night to hear both presidential candidates accept the notion that the only way a nation can conduct peace-making is through a military.

[kathy001]

A brilliant article. I can hardly wait to see the film.

[Kamala Lopez - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you! You can keep abreast of news and screenings by signing up for our newsletter on the site:
www.asinglewomanmovie.com

[mrmyth]

If Jeannette Rankin were around today, the political giant would still probably marginalized by those who are afraid to hear the truth and those who profit from lies and killing. People like Sarah Palin are brought into the spotlight and hailed, while true "mavericks" and heroes like Dennis Kucinich, Cindy Sheehan, and Ralph Nader are dismissed, and even blamed, when they speak the truth.

[JeanmarieSimpson]

This is very sad, but true, Mr. Myth. As a matter of fact, Jeannette Rankin and Ralph Nader were big fans of each other - he at the beginning of his career and she at the end of hers. They were united by their deep concerns about the corporate take over of every single level of American life, not to mention life around the globe. Both of them were (and he is still) crystal clear in their message, but the world didn't and doesn't want to listen. It's not sexy, I guess.

I wrote the play on which the film, A Single Woman, is based to try to shed some light on the systematic war profiteering that is an American legacy that considerably predates the 20th century. I adapted the play for film and played the role of Jeannette on the screen as I had on stage, because I believed and believe that her story can change hearts and minds. She is an example and beacon for all women, all people, everywhere - Gandhi set the standard for her.

May our work as artists continue to carry Gandhi's torch for Jeannette Rankin and all lovers of peace and justice, always.

[JusticeGal]

Great point. As Gandhi said, "There is no way to peace, peace is the way." It's about living your life in a righteous way, pursuing right livelihood, stepping lightly on the earth and thinking seven generations forward. Your play helped me sharpen my own philosophy, Jeanmarie, and I'm sure the film will do so for the masses. Right on!

[DemLadyWH]

It's really quite sickening the way so many Dems are still foaming at the mouth about Nader, when 40 million Democrats didn't even VOTE in the 2000 election. We, Democrats, could learn a lot from Jeannette Rankin and Ralph Nader's grassroots strategies. I look forward to seeing the film.

[TRYKER]

Growing up in Montana, Ms Rankin was the only role model my mother and grandmother continuously lectured about and their pride in her accomplishments empowered and encouraged them. She influenced Montana women more than anyone ever had. Its good to know she is being honored, thank you.

[Kamala Lopez - Huffpost Blogger]

I hope to bring the film to Montana soon. Thank you for your support.

[theblueAmerican]

Jeanette Rankin is the first one to start breaking the glass ceiling. She is a hero in Missoula the district she represented. The Democrats need to put a spotlight on this historical hero in the course of the history of the United States.

[Kamala Lopez - Huffpost Blogger]

I hope that the film will help shine the light on her incredible life.