July 15

July 15

Dear Pat,

I am sorry I didn't check in with you over the weekend. Luckily, I was with my husband most of the weekend, so he was able to guide me and make the proper choices for me. However, he has once again left for work today and I am faced with several choices. First, though, I need to get this off my mind:

I do not work during the summer months, and usually use this time to get several doctors appointments taken care of. In August, I will be due for my annual pap smear. I know your calendar is filling up with requests for those important appointments for all the women in North Carolina. However, I need to turn to you since my state representatives actually believe that a woman should be able to make their own choices! How crazy is that! I know you will take care of me, though. So, let's look at our calendars: My insurance won't pay for the exam until after August 1, and I have to get back to work on the 12th, so how about Friday the 2nd at about 11am? That will give me time to get to Raleigh and yet avoid rush hour. I know you are better qualified than my current gynecologist. After all, she is not only a woman, but she is also African-American. Clearly not to be trusted!

Now, back to today. I am just now drinking my coffee and listening to NPR while I type this. Is NPR ok? I get local news and weather, but they seem to be willing to give me both sides of issues which just gives me more choices! Can you recommend a station that might give me just the correct way of thinking?

Later today, I am planning on driving down to Raleigh. I read in the paper that you were out mingling on the streets with folks who have come to Moral Monday protests. But I've been there four times and I have never seen you once! Maybe the fifth time will be a charm! You can just bring my appointment card with you. I'll be the woman there wearing pink and carrying a sign. I'm sure you'll recognize me.

I hope you have a productive day. I know you have a lot of important work to do that I couldn't possibly understand. Good luck!

Nancy

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July 15

Dear Governor McCrory,

Sorry I didn’t email you over the weekend, but I’ve been having computer problems. Fortunately a male friend of mine has made some suggestions and hopefully they will work. Until them I am using a teeny tiny laptop and it’s kind of hard to type on it.

I have read in the news that you have said you’ll sign the motorcycle safety/abortion bill. I am very disappointed in this because earlier, when you were running for governor, you had said that you would not sign any bill that restricted women’s access to abortion.

I mentioned in one of my previous letters that I am a preschool teacher. My job is to take a group of young children and teach them what is expected in school and in society. A big part of my strategy for doing this is the close personal relationship that I develop with each child. They cooperate because they know I care about them and they want to please me.

Sometimes something unexpected will happen in my classroom and it’s difficult to find out the facts from the students. It’s not that they intentionally lie about it, but because they don’t want me to be displeased. They may also want to avoid the consequences of their misbehavior. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Now maybe the Legislature doesn’t care whether or not they please you; they obviously don’t care whether or not they please the citizens of North Carolina, but I had higher hopes for your behavior. When you said that you wouldn’t sign the bill and then you said you would, well that’s a problem. I guess you need to decide whether you want to please the legislature or whether you want to please your constituents. If you choose the former, then there may be some consequences for that. You know, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Whoops…I used some science there. Don’t hold that against me!)

Well I am going to close and get busy coming up with some strategies you can use with the legislature. I think you need some help socializing them.

Sincerely,

Debbie Leonard

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Later that day….

Had to send another one to make up for the weekend of not contacting Pat!

Dear Governor McCrory,

Sorry for the multiple emails today...trying to catch up from the weekend. Since you folks down there in Raleigh want to be involved in the most intimate details of "ladies'" lives, I wanted to share some news with you.

I got the results of my mammogram back and it was completely normal! However, I haven't yet heard about the pap smear I had last week; will I get the results or will they send them to the legislature first?

Have a great day!
Debbie Leonard

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