Sorry I am so late with this. I worked until 1 a.m. last night (5th) and then had to rise at 6 a.m. for an appointment with the endocrinologist at 8. That was 22 hours ago, and I am just now catching up on things.

At a press conference on January 4, the National Organization for Women announced "Enraged and Engaged: Women's Campaign Against Alito," part of a joint campaign with the Feminist Majority Foundation, the National Congress of Black Women, National Latina Institute and the National Council of Women's Organizations.

The video of the press conference is available at this page: C-SPAN: Supreme Court and then look for a link entitled: Press Conference by Women's Organizations Opposed to Judge Alito. I am sorry I cannot link to the video directly. It's a javascript that has to be called from the C-SPAN page.

:::more below the fold:::

"From sexual harassment on the job, to equal opportunities in education, to harassment in the schools, to violence against women, this is a justice who would shift the balance of the Court in the wrong direction," said NOW President Kim Gandy," backed by student activists from across the country. Gandy also cited Alito's dangerous views on reproductive rights, birth control, gender and racial discrimination, and access to the courts.

The campaign is a broad grassroots effort by hundreds of students and community leaders, so far representing 35 states, who are traveling to Washington, D. C. to speak out during the next three weeks, and thousands more who will be organizing back home, to ensure that senators know what is at stake for women if Judge Samuel Alito is confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Gandy was joined at the press conference by Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal and National Congress of Black Women President E. Faye Williams, NOW's partners in this effort. The three organizations are also part of a larger coalition determined to block Alito from replacing retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

The organizations have enlisted volunteers to meet with senators, call supporters in home states and be a major presence on Capitol Hill during Alito's confirmation hearings, set to begin on Jan. 9.

"By the time senators are ready to vote on the Alito nomination later this month, hundreds of volunteers will have worked tirelessly on Capitol Hill and thousands more in their home states, encouraging every senator, regardless of party, to take a stand for women's rights," Gandy said.

This isn't about politics. This isn't about Republicans and Democrats. This isn't about what happens at the State House or in the Congress of the United States.

This is about Truth. This is about Justice. This is about doing whats right. This is about fighting for what's right, regardless of who wins and who loses. This is about never giving up. This is about a life long struggle that will never end.

I see that tonight, looking at the young women standing behind Kim Gandy, standing behind Eleanor Smeal. I see those who will continue the struggle after I grow old, and infirm, and pass from this world. This is about fighting for our freedoms.

As Lynn Paltrow says:
It took hundreds of years to end slavery. It took nearly eighty years to win the vote for women. We will not win the battle for sane drug policy or for women's equality and reproductive freedom in five or ten years. Change comes about over the course of lifetimes. I hope you will join me in committing yourselves to a lifetime of activism, so that we can make change happen.

As Kim Gandy says, We will NOT GO BACK.