Dear Friend:

“We will not have the important questions of the day decided by irrelevant agencies,” Julia Ward Howe declared in her 1872 proclamation, calling for a Mother’s Day of Peace.

In a rant against Nancy Pelosi, “the chick in charge,” Rush Limbaugh griped about the “chickification” of our culture. But in reality, very little “chickification” has occurred, either in government or the media. Women hold only 16% of the seats in Congress, and 23.5% of the seats in state legislatures. Four out of five of the guests on Sunday morning TV talk shows and nine out of ten radio program directors are men.

The most important question of our day is: How can we provide real security for our citizens? Do we spend more money on the military, even though the Pentagon’s budget is higher now than at the peak of the Cold War? Do we freeze non-essential domestic spending on education, health, jobs, transportation and clean energy? Do we wage an endless war on terror? Or do we work for the abolition of nuclear weapons and alternative ways of resolving conflict? If women are not part of this debate, our government and our media are the irrelevant agencies that Julia Ward Howe deplored.

This is why I’m asking you to celebrate Mother’s Day in the spirit of Julia Ward Howe, by helping WAND to provide the tools and resources needed for progressive women leaders to be effective advocates for real security.

Progressive women, even when they hold elected office, have an uphill battle. They may offer better options for dealing with deficits, military budgets and foreign policy than their male counterparts. But without good messaging and media skills, they’re dismissed as naïve, even un-American and pro-terrorist. In the minds of far too many voters, fear trumps facts.

WAND Education Fund provides the facts and offers training programs to teach women leaders the skills they need to take public stands on national security issues. With your help we will be closer to our goal of holding trainings in three different regions in 2010 for women state legislators, community leaders and local activists. Participants learn how to disarm their critics, understand their audiences, and use memorable narratives to make their point. WAND Education Fund then helps them find timely media opportunities in print, radio and television, and new media technologies.

“The superb combination of information, conversation, and training that’s been shared by the members of this organization isn’t a combination that happens every day. The resources and training from WAND are timely and critical and will help me be much more prepared to counter the conservative framing of security. In a word… awesome!”
—Gloria Butler, Georgia State Senator

You can honor any of the important women in your life with a gift to WAND Education Fund that will help progressive leaders like Senator Gloria Butler attend our training program and use their voices to influence critical legislative change. With a single gift, you can honor as many women as you want—your grandmothers, your mother, your aunt, your stepmother, your daughter, your mentors, your friends or even a national leader like Nancy Pelosi. If you provide email addresses, we will notify them that they you have made a gift in their name (without disclosing the amount). With your permission, we will publish your name and the names of all honorees on the WAND website and Facebook page.

Commenting on President Obama’s Nuclear Posture Review, Rush Limbaugh compared him to “Dr. Kevorkian committing national suicide on the United States.” Progressive women cannot allow ourselves to be “dumbed down” or “chickified” into irrelevance by the likes of Rush Limbaugh. Act now, and help WAND honor the intelligent, self-respecting women in your life. Together we can provide progressive women leaders the skills, data and support they need to counter ignorance and promote peace and security in our world, for generations to come.

Gratefully yours,

Edie Allen

WAND Education Fund board member

Donating is easy. Click here and donate to help WAND provide progressive women's leadership skills.

Donate to WAND this Mother's Day and you'll help others while honoring the special women in your life. Honoree names will be listed on the WAND website, WAND facebook page, and honorees will be notified via email.
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