Clio's Musings

On April 4, 1887, the first female mayor was elected to office in Argonia, Kansas. Susanna Salter, a 27-year-old WCTU leader, didn't even know that some antitemperance pranksters had placed her name on the ballot as a joke. The joke was on the "wets." Mayor Salter got the news while working in her home. After ruling the town efficiently, she declined to run for a second term.

A few years earlier, on April 19, 1850 in Salem, Ohio, the First Ohio Suffrage Convention was held at the Second Baptist Church, where a supermarket now stands. Later suffragists recalled with glee, "It was officered entirely by women; women officiated at all levels and no men were allowed to sit on the platform, to speak, or vote....Never did men so suffer. They implored just to say a word; but no, the President was inflexible-no man should be heard." The President was Betsy Cowles of Austinburg,

OFF MY BREAST

by Paula Copestick

Ohio. She was one of the carliest graduates of Oberlin College and a dedicated abolitionist. Because of her strong leadership, the men had to found their own suffrage association where they promptly endorsed all that the women had said and done.

Many years before the meeting in Salem, Ohio, another strong-willed woman helped save her country for equal rights, but for men only. Sybil Luddington on April 26, 1777 became the female Paul Revere, riding twice the distance of Revere, Carmel, New York claims this woman who rode cross-country along narrow oxcart trails to call out the volunteer militiamen commanded by her father. She rode sidesaddle and clutched a stick for knocking on the soldiers' doors. Sybil's daring mission aroused enough volunteers to drive the British back.

The American Women's Gazetteer by Lynn Sherr and Jurate Kazickas

BEYOND AA

"I need a drink." We know that those words are synonymous with "I want to destroy myself." Anyone who has had contact with people who need to drink knows that they do not admit to having a sickness. They go to great lengths to hide the fact that they drink.

Alcoholism is a sickness; we need to muster all of our understanding to remember that. Because of the combined pressures of living, loving, working and raising families, more women than ever before have begun to drink excessively. Women tend to hide their alcoholism; therefore, most of us do not even suspect that the person we love has a problem until it is way out of hand.

After sinking to the pits of despair or receiving a fright from their doctors, some alcoholics find that they really don't want to die an early death after all and so knowing, will cut down or stop drinking completely. Some need nothing other than their own sense of failure and shame to lead them to seek professional help. Those are the lucky ones. Their families are very lucky.

Most of the time it is a heartbreaking struggle to persuade your loved ones to seek help. You become their enemy when you try to give them the help they need; they don't want it and won't accept it no matter how hard you try. For persons closely involved, it is hard not to force this help down their throats along with the booze. But unless they admit to needing help or ask for it, it does no good at all to keep coming at them with all your common sense arguments.

There are some alcoholics who refuse to seek help and never will. Hard to believe? Yes, and it's hard to accept, too. When you are face to face with the fact that all alcoholics do not face the moment of truth, then you will have to do the same: this is the step beyond AA.

After a prolonged period of drinking, the deteri-

oration of the brain cells cannot be reversed, leaving the alcoholic in what is commonly known as a "simple-minded condition". The part of the brain that remembers the little things we all take for granted is gone-the part that knew how to turn on a light, answer the phone, know what year it is. In general they become little children who cannot learn, are helpless, and must be cared for constantly. Most of us cannot do this day and night without the help of a nurse or at least a housekeeper. Because many of us cannot afford this kind of service, we feel guilt, anger, and all the other emotions which stem from being unable to care for someone we love. We berate ourselves with "if onlys" and "I should haves".

First of all you must face the fact that you tried but could not convince your alcoholic that s/he must stop drinking. As the AA professional puts it, you have to "back off with love". Your hardest act must be to accept this, not for them but for yourself.

After you have placed your alcoholic in a protective environment, such a nursing home, you must let go of your remorse. Whatever you can do for them. do it! Continue to love them and see to it that they have the constant care they now need. Above all, let go of all ideas concerning what might have been if.... There are going to be times when you might talk to your loved one and it seems that they might be close to some kind of recovery. You may begin to think they should not be kept where they are and wonder if you have the right to keep them away from all they hold dear. But don't let this feeling cause you to do anything silly. Put the guilt feelings behind you and face the fact that some people are determined to destroy themselves. All the love in the world cannot stop it! Harsh but true!.

Some people are beyond AA!.

-Philomena Dickerson

SOME OTHER PARTNERS IN INFACT'S NESTLÉ BOYCOTT

National Council of Churches

Ds Derrick Jetfile, Head of Division of

Population Family, and International Health,

UCLA School of Public Health National Organization of Women (NOW). Washington, DC and Lexington, KY American Medical Student Association Dr Benjamin Spock

Presbyterian Church of the US

National Coalition for Development Action Dr Michael Latham, Director, Program on International Nutrition, Cornell University San Francisco Federation of Teachers Mother Jones magazine

Institute for Food and Development Policy Oxlam-America

Students Union. Univ of California, Berkeley Students Union. San Jose State University Student Government, Grinnell College Lutheran Student Movement of Minnesota

Clergy & Lamy Concerned (CALC) Rudy Perpich

Dr Roy Brown. Mt Sinai School of Medicine Church Women United, Citizens Action Office and Executive Committee (Southern California and Southern Nevada)

San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women

American Lutheran Church

SE Minnesota District

The Action Center

North American Congress of

Latin America (NACLA) Science for the People War On Want

AFSCME, Local 1695

Wellesley College Community

Univ of Pennsylvania Dining Services Democratic Farmer Labor Party of Minnesota Food Monnor magazine Hartford Region YWCA Cambridge YWCA

Long Island Ethical Culture Society Berkeley Citizens Action

Gloria Steinem

Harry Chapin

Dr Allan Jackson, Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, Kingston Jamaica Senator Dick Clark Frances Moore Lappe

Joseph Collins

Ecumenical Women Committed to Women (Los Angeles)

United Methodist Church (Detroil lowa Nebraska Northern Illinois New York and Oregon/Idaho)

New Haven Peace Center

Colorado College Campus Association

Connecticut International Women 5 fear Commillee

Bread for the World Pueblo CO United Church of Christ Board for World Minisines

Washington Association of Churches. Hunger Action Center

Northern California Interfaith Committee on Corporate Responsibility

Sisters of Mercy (Baltimore and New York) Sisters of St. Francis, Western states Agribusiness Accountability Project Children's Rights Group of San Francisco

This is only a partial list; mere groups and individuals are joining dally, IMFACT'S NESTLE BOYCOTT is already the largest non-union baycott in American history)]