Marianna Levin

James Madison is a patriot who believes in keeping the Constitution. To preserve the Constitution, women are more vulnerable to economic exploitation, and to the public humiliation of American voters. The purpose of these articles, which are not meant to endorse the views and policies of Americans for Freedom, is to promote a view and a culture of equality for women.

Economic exploitation of women by their family and male partners is the economic reality facing most women today, of which we can witness a number of examples in our lifetime. At the same time, to support some of the cultural issues that encourage this economic exploitation, we also must speak up as all citizens.

Article I Section 1 of the Constitution says that all Citizens are considered equal. In the course of American history, slavery is the dominant institution that has exploited women economically, when women are not subordinated to male violence or discrimination. The prevalence and its economic viability are truly appalling, yet the silence by American leaders and a culture that does not sufficiently condemn these practices, leads to the continued exploitation of women.

Is it really difficult to see why modern American governments have often paid little attention to women rights in America, or for that matter have forced them to be second class citizens, and continue to reward them for being subjugated to male oppression?

Dignity of female citizens of any government must be recognized as a privilege, not a right to be conferred lightly and unearned, and no one is entitled to coerce women to defend the property and autonomy they have.

Dignity does not necessarily create honor, but it is legitimate and does not require a constant check from men. Men have used force in many different ways to defeat our rights, but that does not devalue our right to political, economic and legal security.

Today women are not equal in all material respects, such as education, land or sexual freedom, for example, as now some laws prohibit them from voting in certain areas. You will see examples of discrimination between males and females in the courts, the media or in the prison system.

If some men attempt to silence women when they say or do something that offends men's interests, there is certainly no excuse for them and their wives or daughters. Not only that, but many of them actually force their victims to back down.